Chapter Fifteen: Accepting the Legacy (Part Two)

Tao Banxia let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “It’s done.”

Tao Ming looked up to find herself sunk more than a meter into the ground, with Tao Banxia standing at the edge of the pit, reaching out a hand to her. Tao Ming was pulled out, like a carrot yanked from the earth.

“That really made quite a racket,” Tao Ming said, patting the dirt from her clothes.

Tao Banxia glanced at the pit. “This was already a mild reaction.”

As Tao Ming brushed off the dust, she suddenly noticed something odd—her clothes seemed much looser. She tugged at the fabric, glancing around in confusion. “Did I lose weight?”

Tao Banxia laughed at that. “You’ve accepted the inheritance, so your body has been refined. It’s natural to slim down. You were always talking about losing weight, and now your wish has come true.”

Tao Ming was delighted. Ever since giving birth to Ruanruan, she’d breastfed until the child was three, afraid to diet lest it affect her milk supply. Her weight had hovered around 120 jin, but judging by the looseness of her clothes, she’d lost at least a dozen pounds.

“What level am I now?” Tao Banxia asked, studying her.

“I was about to ask you about this disk that appeared on my chest,” Tao Ming replied, recalling the round plate she’d just seen.

“That’s a spirit disk. Everyone who cultivates in Weishui has one.”

“There are six stars on it,” Tao Ming said, glancing at the disk with the newly acquired knowledge in her mind.

Tao Banxia nodded. “That means you’re at Star Level Six.”

Tao Ming twitched her right index finger, and a water droplet the size of an egg formed at her fingertip.

“That’s awfully feeble, isn’t it?” Tao Ming complained.

“Your mother didn’t expect you to go to Weishui; she left you just enough inheritance to keep you safe on Earth.”

“So I can’t even beat Nuonuo?” Tao Ming recalled that Nuonuo had said she’d reached Moon Level Six.

Tao Banxia had to suppress a laugh. “Why would you fight her? Besides, you’re not yet familiar with your abilities. You’ll grow stronger with practice.”

“I suppose that’s all I can do,” Tao Ming said helplessly.

After a pause, she asked, “When there are twelve stars, does that mean I can advance to the Moon Level?”

“That’s right.” Tao Banxia waved her hand, and the nearby earth shifted, filling in the pit.

“And at Moon Level, does it then show a moon instead?”

“No, you still move up one star at a time. When you complete twelve, you advance a stage. The clan leader is at Sun Level Six, just two stars short of Seven.”

Tao Ming thought for a moment. “Isn’t this just like QQ levels?”

Tao Banxia blinked, then burst out laughing. “You know, you’re right.”

Chatting idly, the two of them walked back into the small building.

Ruanruan and Nuonuo were still fast asleep. Tao Ming sat at the bedside, waiting, occasionally forming a water droplet at her fingertip to play with.

Tao Banxia went to check the other rooms, returning after some time and motioning for Tao Ming to follow her. Tao Ming glanced at the two girls, still showing no signs of waking, and went out with Tao Banxia.

Tao Banxia led her to a door on the other side of the corridor. “I checked every room, and only this one had anything in it.”

With that, she pushed open the door. Tao Ming saw a rectangular room, about eight meters long and four wide, neatly stacked with many boxes, some piled atop one another.

Tao Banxia opened the nearest box, which was packed full of little cases. She opened one, revealing a beautiful set of jewelry—hair ornaments, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, nothing was missing.

“This is probably your dowry,” Tao Banxia said as she opened more boxes.

Tao Ming picked up a hairpin to examine it. It felt cool to the touch, looked like metal, but was a pale blue. The head of the pin was carved into the shape of a wave, exquisitely crafted, and clearly valuable.

“What kind of metal is this?” Tao Ming asked, curious.

Tao Banxia glanced at it. “That’s Cold Gold from the Northern Snow Mountain of Weishui. It’s extremely rare. The mountain is snow-covered year-round, with freezing temperatures—even I can barely climb it. There’s a cave halfway up where this Cold Gold is found. Every piece is won at the cost of lives.”

Tao Ming put the hairpin back, pursing her lips. “It’s not like I wear this kind of fancy stuff anyway.”

Tao Banxia pointed at the other open boxes. “These ten or so boxes are all filled with valuable jewelry. The entire Qiluo clan’s collection isn’t worth as much as all this. This must have been from your father; the Qin family was as wealthy as a nation.”

Seeing that Tao Ming wasn’t interested, Tao Banxia added, “I know you’re not fond of such things, but you should take them with you. When you get to Weishui, these will make impressive gifts.”

“Mom, I can’t tell which ones are valuable and which aren’t. How about you help me sort them? Number each box and case, make a list, write down their value,” Tao Ming wheedled.

Tao Banxia chuckled. “I haven’t seen you act spoiled like this in ages. All right, I’ll organize them. I’m curious to see what treasures are here myself.”

“I’ll go back and watch over the girls. If they wake up and find themselves alone, they might get scared.” Tao Ming felt a headache just looking at all the trinkets—she’d never liked jewelry.

“Go ahead. I’ll look around,” Tao Banxia agreed.

Tao Ming wasn’t worried her mother would squirrel anything away; if she wanted, the entire room could be hers.

Returning to the bedroom, Tao Ming continued to play with water droplets. It wasn’t long before Ruanruan and Nuonuo both woke up.

Nuonuo opened her eyes and flipped up, excitedly wiggling her legs, getting a feel for what it was like to be human.

Ruanruan, seeing Nuonuo, traced her finger across her cheek and said, “Shame, shame, girls can’t go around naked.”

Nuonuo’s lips pursed at that, and she dove under the covers, protesting, “Where am I supposed to get clothes from?”

Tao Ming gently scolded Ruanruan. “You shouldn’t tease Nuonuo. It’s my fault for not being prepared, not hers.”

Ruanruan pulled the blanket over her head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made fun of her.” Then, peeking out to see if Tao Ming was angry, and seeing she wasn’t, Ruanruan poked out her head and said, “Mom, there’s so much in my head, but I don’t know what it is.”

“I feel it too—my head is full of cultivation techniques,” Nuonuo said, looking at Tao Ming.

“From now on, you two will be the best of friends in the world. Be kind to each other and help one another,” Tao Ming said, gazing at the two nearly identical little girls before her.

Ruanruan and Nuonuo exchanged a glance, that feeling of mental connection both magical and wonderful. In unison, they replied, “Okay, Mom.”

Nuonuo hesitated, then said, “But it’s strange. Grandma said after the contract was made, Ruanruan would be able to control me, and I’d be her subordinate. But I don’t feel controlled at all—instead, I feel connected to her.”

“That’s a good thing,” Tao Ming said with a smile. “Remember, you’re no one’s subordinate. You’re yourself—unique and irreplaceable.”

“What about me, Mom?” Ruanruan leaned her head close to Nuonuo’s.

Tao Ming answered seriously, “Of course you’re your own person too, unique and irreplaceable.”

Ruanruan pouted. “So I’m not your little baby anymore?”

Tao Ming laughed. “You’re both my little darlings, but you’ll also have your own lives.”

The two little girls nodded, half-understanding.

Tao Ming reached out to touch the ‘king’ character on Nuonuo’s forehead. “Can you hide this? It’s a bit too distinctive to walk around with.”

Nuonuo focused her power, and the character gradually shrank until it was a tiny black dot, no larger than a sesame seed.

“This is the best I can do—it won’t disappear,” Nuonuo said, a little deflated.

“That’s perfect—you’ll be easy to tell apart,” Tao Ming said, very pleased.

Ruanruan got up and looked around. “This isn’t Grandma’s house.”

Tao Ming didn’t know how to explain and was just starting to worry when Ruanruan continued, “Mom, I think I’ve gotten smarter.”

“What’s going on?” Tao Ming grew anxious.

Nuonuo replied, “After the contract, our powers matched, and Ruanruan’s learning ability increased too. But she’ll still have to learn on her own—our techniques and knowledge aren’t identical.”

Tao Ming nodded. “Of course. The knowledge you work for is yours alone, but Ruanruan will have to earn hers too.”

“Mom, I’m a little scared,” Ruanruan said, snuggling into Tao Ming’s arms.

Tao Ming hugged her tightly, struggling to keep her own anxiety hidden, and soothed her gently, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you both.”

Nuonuo wanted to snuggle in too, but since she was still unclothed, she said with some embarrassment, “I want to wear clothes.”

Hearing this, Tao Ming felt a pang of guilt for having overlooked her and quickly said, “I’ll find you something right away.”