Bonus Chapter: First Birthday Gift
Tianyan Sect's Yixing Peak is brightly decorated today, filled with a festive atmosphere.
Red silk ribbons are wrapped around ancient trees, lanterns adorn the corridors, and cranes carrying ribbons with auspicious cloud patterns flutter in the air.
The entire mountain was bustling with activity and joy as everyone busily prepared for Xiao Ling'er's first birthday celebration.
Inside the main hall, Fang Li and her mother, Yun Zhiruo, were carefully changing Ling'er into the little clothes they had prepared.
It was a small red fairy dress woven from the silk of a ten-thousand-year-old spirit silkworm. The fabric was soft, and the hem was embroidered with delicate chaotic cloud patterns in gold thread, which shimmered faintly in the light.
Ling'er seemed to really like her new clothes, waving her little hands and babbling.
"Mother, look, aren't these sleeves a bit long?" Fang Li gently straightened her daughter's sleeves, her eyes filled with tenderness and emotion.
A year ago, this tiny baby was still crying in her arms, but now she can stand up unsteadily.
Time flies.
Yun Zhiruo smiled and rolled up the other sleeve a little, revealing Ling'er's chubby wrist: "Children grow fast, it's good that it's a little longer, it can still be worn next year." She looked at her granddaughter's rosy cheeks and couldn't help but kiss her, "Our Ling'er looks so pretty today, doesn't she?"
In the main seat of the hall, Fang Zhiyu sat upright, seemingly dignified, but in his hand he held a piece of black, ten-thousand-year-old soul-nourishing wood, and was meticulously carving it with a wisp of chaotic energy gathered at his fingertips.
Amidst the flying sawdust, a charming and lifelike wooden carving of a chaotic beast gradually took shape.
He carefully polished the small wooden carving, rounding and smoothing every edge to ensure it wouldn't scratch the child's delicate skin.
He turned his head to the Qingxuan Zhenren sitting beside him, sipping tea, and said with a hint of smugness, "I, of the Liyuan bloodline, should naturally have the world in my heart. Let's see if she will take a liking to this little thing." Qingxuan Zhenren stroked his beard and smiled, "Brother Fang's craftsmanship is excellent. Ling'er will definitely like it."
Outside the hall, Fang Heng's figure swept across every corner of Yixing Peak like the wind.
He was in charge of the defense and control of the entire peak, checking every array node and scanning it carefully with his divine sense to ensure that no outsiders would disturb him today, and that not even a spirit insect that shouldn't be there would appear.
After the inspection, he walked to the embroidered carpet that had been laid out for the baby's first birthday celebration and gently placed a warm, white jade talisman in the corner.
The jade talisman was engraved with the ancient seal script character "Li Yuan," and it faintly contained a trace of pure spatial power. It was a protective item that he had painstakingly crafted.
When he saw his sister come out carrying the child, he went up to her, ruffled her hair, and said in a tone that was both affectionate and deliberately serious, "Don't worry, with your brother here, everything will be fine. Ling'er will definitely have a good day."
An enticing aroma wafted from the direction of the kitchen.
Ji Qianqiu was busy at work. He specially roasted a whole Golden Flame Spirit Rhinoceros Leg, which was shiny with oil and smelled delicious.
As he turned the grill, he declared, "Our daughter will definitely be strong in the future, she needs to eat meat! To build a good foundation!" At the same time, he secretly polished a delicate miniature axe pendant, chuckling to himself, "Hehe, she'll learn physical training from Uncle Ji in the future! One axe stroke and she can split a mountain!"
In the center of the square, Xie Chen was directing his disciples to set up the venue.
He carefully calculated the auspicious time of the day and set up a small spirit-attracting array in the center of the square with star stones that shimmered with starlight, ensuring that the spiritual energy gathered in a harmonious way, symbolizing good fortune and fulfillment.
The item he prepared for the baby's first birthday celebration was an ancient star array diagram. When the scroll was unfolded, it was covered with stars, containing profound principles of array formations.
He hopes that his child will be able to sense the trajectory of the stars.
Shen Yunzhou silently swept Yixing Peak until it was spotless, even using his magic to clean the moss from the cracks in the stone slabs.
He used his sword energy to carve out a small wooden sword and hairpin as a first birthday gift. The sword was smooth, the hairpin had smooth lines, and there were no splinters, which shows how much care he put into it.
He neatly arranged these small items on the first birthday celebration blanket.
Of all the people on the mountaintop, Xiao Liuli was the most excited.
It leaped and bounded through the crowd, sometimes sniffing intently at Ji Qianqiu's roasted meat, drooling and exclaiming, "Wow!! Ji Qianqiu! This leg is absolutely amazing! It smells intoxicating!" Other times, it would scrutinize Xie Chen's newly laid-out star array, pointing out critically, "Star Lord, Star Lord! This star you drew looks crooked! It's not sparkly enough! It doesn't match our Ling'er's temperament!"
Finally, it mysteriously took out a shimmering "glass candy" that it had condensed with its own spiritual power and carefully placed it in the most conspicuous position on the first birthday blanket.
And it must have been brimming with a mysterious confidence in its gift: "This is a priceless treasure of mine! Ling'er will definitely love it! Beauty is everything! The taste is superb! Eating it will instantly make you a social butterfly!"
Ye Wuyang, on the other hand, seemed to be simply standing with his hands behind his back under the corridor, gazing at the square, his expression as cold and aloof as ever.
In reality, he secretly drew upon a wisp of primordial chaos energy, which, like an invisible warm current, quietly enveloped the entire Yixing Peak, praying for the child.
The gift he prepared for his first birthday celebration was a piece of warm jade pendant, smooth to the touch and with a restrained luster. The jade contained a trace of primordial energy that could subtly nourish the mind and body.
He walked to the brocade carpet and gently placed the jade pendant next to the wooden sword.
As the appointed time approached, the guests began to arrive one after another.
Elder Hong Lie, Ling Xiao Zi, Granny Yao, Elder Wan Shou, the sect leader, the priest of the Holy Mountain, and even Chu Yun Fan, who has become the sect leader of Qing Xu Sect and whose temperament has become more gentle and calm, all came in person to present various precious congratulatory gifts.
The square was bustling with activity, filled with laughter and joy.
The auspicious time has arrived.
A huge brocade baby's first birthday celebration carpet was laid out in the center of the square, on which various items were displayed in a dazzling array: in addition to those prepared by the fathers and uncles, there were also common items such as a pestle, an abacus, books, a small official seal, exquisite musical instruments, and seeds of spiritual plants.
Sunlight streamed onto the blanket, making everything gleam.
Fang Li placed Ling'er, dressed in her new clothes, in the center of the blanket.
The little girl opened her big, bright eyes and looked around curiously, seemingly unafraid of the many eyes that were gathering around her.
The adults around her held their breath, their eyes filled with anticipation, watching to see what choice the little girl would make.
Ji Qianqiu rubbed his hands together, squatted on the edge of the blanket, and muttered softly, "Axe! Little darling, look over here, a shiny little axe! How majestic!"
Xie Chen waved his jade fan, a smile on his face, but his eyes were fixed on his star array diagram.
Shen Yunzhou's gaze fell gently on the wooden sword and hairpin he had carved, his fingertips unconsciously gripping the hilt.
Ye Wuyang appeared calm, but his tightly pursed lips betrayed a hint of nervousness within him.
Little Liuli was so anxious that she scratched her head and paced around the edge of the blanket frantically, desperately trying to communicate with Fang Li telepathically: "Host, host! Quickly guide her! Look at the sweetness! The center position! Absolutely the center position debut! Sweeter than first love!"
Little Ling'er blinked her big eyes and looked around at the objects, her little face full of curiosity.
Then she crawled on all fours toward Ji Qianqiu's miniature axe, picked it up and put it in her mouth to chew on, but found she couldn't bite it, so she put it down.
Ji Qianqiu, standing to the side, exclaimed in regret, "Oh dear!"
Then, her gaze was drawn to the starlight emanating from Xie Chen's star array diagram. She crawled over and patted the star patterns on the scroll with her little hands, having a great time.
Xie Chen's eyes lit up, and he waved his fan even faster.
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