Xuan Yi stared blankly at the blue pill glowing softly in the little girl's palm.
Her slender fingers curled slightly, yet she did not immediately reach for it.
She had never imagined that Xiao Ling's painstaking refinement—every flame adjustment, every herb fusion—was done with her injuries in mind.
In that instant, a warm current called gratitude surged through her chest, gentle yet overwhelming.
"Aunt Xuan…"
Seeing her hesitation, Xiao Ling summoned a pair of small, translucent phoenix wings behind her back. With a light flutter she rose to eye level and gently pressed the pill toward Xuan Yi's lips.
Xuan Yi snapped back to the present.
Before her was the warm pill and Xiao Ling's bright, expectant eyes.
She slowly parted her red lips and allowed the little girl to feed it to her.
The pill melted on her tongue—sweet, with a faint herbal fragrance that masked any bitterness.
"How is it? Does it help your injuries, Aunt Xuan?" Xiao Ling asked eagerly, giggling. "I learned from Papa to mix in some sweet spirit herbs that don't affect the medicinal effect, so it should taste nicer!"
Hearing those words, Xuan Yi's heart trembled even more violently.
She reached out and drew the child into a tight embrace.
She knew better than anyone: casually adding extra ingredients during refinement could easily destabilize the cauldron and cause an explosion. Yet this three-year-old had taken such a risk—just to make the pill taste better for her.
"It's useful… very useful," Xuan Yi murmured, stroking Xiao Ling's soft cheek with genuine tenderness. "After swallowing it, I feel refreshed all over."
But amid the gratitude, one crucial piece of information lodged in her mind:
Xiao Ling's alchemy… had been taught by Xiao Jietian.
Recalling the Eighth-Grade Pill with five-colored tribulation lightning that the two little girls had described earlier, a bold guess quietly took shape in her heart.
She turned her head slightly and stole a glance toward Xiao Jietian.
He stood inside a faint Dou Qi barrier, patiently guiding Xiao Meng through a set of Dou Techniques. His profile was calm, focused, every movement carrying natural grace.
And all of this fell into Xiao Ling's keen little eyes.
The corners of the child's lips curved ever so slightly.
"Aunt Xuan, what are you thinking about?" she asked innocently.
Xuan Yi collected her thoughts and looked down at the little girl still nestled in her arms.
"Aunt Xuan is thinking… about how to repay Little Ling'er."
"Ling Ling loves Aunt Xuan the most, so I did it willingly. There's no need for repayment."
Xuan Yi's body trembled uncontrollably.
Her heart—frozen solid after that long-ago, failed confession—had already developed hairline cracks from Xiao Jietian's careful, wordless warmth.
Now, under the pure, spring-like sincerity of this child, those cracks finally shattered.
The ice lake in her soul melted completely.
A knowing, natural smile bloomed across her beautiful face.
It was the first ripple to spread across still water after a long winter thaw.
"…Little Ling'er…"
Xuan Yi's hand rested feather-light on the child's fluffy, soft hair—stroking as gently as though caressing the down of a newborn chick.
Warmth flowed from Xiao Ling's small body, traveling rapidly through her cold fingertips and into her limbs, her meridians, her very soul sea.
"Aunt Xuan, you look so beautiful when you smile now, hehe…"
Xiao Ling reached up and pinched Xuan Yi's delicate cheek, giggling brightly.
"What? Did I not look good when I smiled before?" Xuan Yi pretended to put on a stern face.
"You looked good before too… but I always felt something was missing." Xiao Ling tilted her head, biting her little finger in deep thought. "Is there something that makes Aunt Xuan unhappy?"
After pondering for a long moment, she gave up on finding the right words and simply patted Xuan Yi's shoulder with her small hand, adopting an old-fashioned, "hating iron for not becoming steel" expression.
"Aunt Xuan, let the past be the past. Don't keep thinking about all those 'what ifs.' Papa says there aren't so many 'what ifs' in life. We have to live well in the present and the future, and not let unhappy, sad things happen again."
Xuan Yi understood instantly.
Yes… the past was the past.
So many years had gone by. It was truly time to let go.
In that moment, she felt as though invisible shackles on her state of mind and soul had quietly loosened. Her thoughts grew clearer, lighter.
She even sensed a faint premonition: her stagnant Dou Techniques and soul power, which had not progressed in decades, were stirring once more—awakening with new hope of breakthrough.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jietian—still guiding Xiao Meng—cast a casual glance in their direction.
The corners of his mouth lifted in an almost imperceptible arc.
So faint it might have been a trick of the firelight, yet it carried the calm certainty of one who had seen through everything long ago.
Xuan Yi looked at Xiao Ling—still solemnly patting her shoulder with that tiny, serious face—and could not help but laugh softly.
She reached out and pinched the child's baby-fat cheeks.
Under the "attack," Xiao Ling's stern expression instantly collapsed into an adorable, innocent pout.
The two looked at each other and broke into the brightest, happiest smiles.
Then they lowered their voices and began chatting again—Xuan Yi laughing from time to time, occasionally stealing glances toward Xiao Jietian.
...
"Little Ling'er, what is this? It's so strange."
Xuan Yi watched as the golden-red cauldron shimmered and shrank back into a delicate bracelet on Xiao Ling's wrist.
In her nearly hundred years of life, she had never seen such a wondrous item.
"This? It's Cloud Dream Phoenix Metal. It can change shape according to what the owner wants."
Xiao Ling demonstrated proudly. The bracelet flowed like liquid metal in her palm—morphing into a small dagger, then a hairpin, then finally elongating into a slender longsword.
Seeing the curiosity shining in Xuan Yi's eyes, Xiao Ling generously handed it over.
Xuan Yi accepted the sword and ran her fingertips along the blade—feeling its astonishing hardness and perfect balance.
"Where did you get something so magical?"
Xiao Ling's eyes curved into crescents.
Hehe… the bait has been laid successfully.
"Papa researched and made it for me. I don't know if he has any more."
Xuan Yi's gaze flickered in surprise.
She had not expected Xiao Jietian to be capable of crafting such an extraordinary treasure.
Before she could ask further, Xiao Ling continued in her clear, innocent voice:
"Papa said only the people closest to him can use this. Others can't."
"Closest people?"
"That's right! Right now, besides Papa, only Meng Meng, the mommies, and I have one."
After saying this, Xiao Ling silently added in her heart: …and us.
Xuan Yi instantly understood the implication.
Her phoenix eyes flickered with subtle emotion.
Finally, she gently returned the longsword to Xiao Ling.
"Don't take this out casually in front of others. It might attract unwanted attention."
"Mm-hmm! Ling Ling knows. I only showed it because I trust Aunt Xuan. In Ling Ling's heart… Aunt Xuan is already family."
Xuan Yi looked at the child's sincere, radiant smile and reached out to lightly tap her forehead.
"Your little mouth is sweeter than honey."
"Hehe…"
Xiao Ling giggled, then began manipulating the Cloud Dream Phoenix Metal again—turning it into various shapes, clearly showing off a little.
Xuan Yi watched her playful antics and helplessly rubbed her own forehead.
"Alright, alright. I know you have good things. No need to keep showing off anymore."
Outside the cave, mountain mist drifted like silk.
Inside, soft laughter and the quiet clink of transforming metal filled the air.
And in the gentle interplay of warmth between a once-frozen heart and two pure little souls, something long-buried quietly began to thaw—beautifully, irreversibly.