When Plum Blossoms Bloom

Chapter 1

In a flowering field of plum blossoms, one tree glowed quietly. Slowly, a vague figure could be made out, glowing and glowing-- hair and sleeves were fluttering in the wind.

.

She woke up with a weight on her arm.

Xue Yi blinked and blinked once more, turning her head. It seems like someone was using her arm as a pillow.

Xue Yi was startled to see that it was a young boy, swaddled in white, oversized robes speckled with red. Xue Yi tilted her head, taking in his pale face and chubby cheeks. His eyes were scrunched shut, lashes fanning out and casting small shadows on his cheeks. His breathing was steady, but his brows were furrowed.

Was this not a mortal child? Her brows twisted in confusion. What was a mortal child doing here of all places?

Though it seemed like a normal field of plum blossoms at first glance, this area was actually heavily saturated with spiritual energy. Located at the tip of Yuan mountain, only a handful of cultivators could enter, much less a human child.

Xue Yi shifted her head, looking closer at the tiny face resting on her arm. The child didn't seem to have any spiritual energy, and the few tendrils that wrapped around him softly were her own! Could it be-- that in her long sleep she had sprouted a fruit and this child was the result? Xue Yi was confounded. She was just the spirit of a plum blossom tree after all, albeit a rather old one-- she had little experience with children.

Hesitantly, the plum spirit reached out a hand and brushed it against the child's face lightly. The furrowed brows seemed to loosen before finally relaxing. It made the little boy look even younger. Xue Yi stared.

How cute.

Gaining confidence, she began to stroke the boy's small head, patting his soft hair. She hadn't expected to see a child after her long nap, but this was fine too. She had been getting bored after all. Perhaps this was fate! Since this child was using her arm as a pillow, it was only right that he was hers now. She had always been a leg for a tooth kind of person. Her eyes creased into crescents at the thought, beaming.

She didn't know how many years had passed, but she was certain that the mortal world had changed a lot. Those humans were quick to die, but also quick to adapt and build new things. Time was a steady stream for her, but it was unpredictable for those mortals. Xue Yi was at least a couple hundred years old (had she reached a thousand yet?)-- she couldn't recall her exact age, losing track due to her many, many naps. Despite this however, she appeared as a young girl in her late teens, with pale skin and long lashes, dressed in pink layers decorated with plum blossoms, she was rather pretty. The clothes had been from a few years back-- she had liked it so she took it, only leaving a couple jars of plum wine behind.

This child would also age rapidly wouldn't he? If so, it'd be best to leave now and use all of their time wisely than! Xue Yi reached out a hand to pinch one of the boy's round cheeks lightly. With a laugh, she sat up-- pulling the child closer. Tottering slightly, she stood up with the sleeping boy in her arms.

Xue Yi pursed her lips, wondering when the child would wake up. Now that she was carrying him, she noticed that those speckles on the white robes were actually bloody spots. She frowned-- was he injured? She sent a thread of her spiritual energy out to probe, and as if reacting to it, the boy shifted, burrowing his head into the crook of her neck before sighing softly. Xue Yi stiffened at the sensation; his nose was cold.

She looked down at his peaceful face with a frown before wrapping him tighter with the bloody robes. He wasn't injured, but his skin felt chilly. The first thing after heading down the mountain would be to snatch some clothing she decided. She wondered if it'd be okay to directly fly down the mountain--