Nine people sat in a circle on the leaf. Xin Xiu said to the children, "Let's each state our age so we can rank ourselves. I'll go first - I'm fifteen, the oldest, and I was the first to arrive here, so I should be the big sister."
The Proud Young Master put on his competitive face again and started to say, "Why should you-"
Before he could finish, the One-armed Chatty Boy raised his hand and shouted, "Big sis! I'm fourteen, can I be second brother?"
Xin Xiu replied, "Good, you're number two!"
The Proud Young Master, forgetting everything else, quickly said, "Then I'll be third brother!"
The Cold and Aloof Girl looked at him with disdain and coldly lifted her chin, "I'm thirteen. Are you older than me?"
The Proud Young Master stiffened, "I'm... twelve."
Xin Xiu said, "Alright, then you're fourth."
She looked at the Little Village Girl and Little Beggar, "Which of you two is older?"
They both stated their ages at the same time. The Little Beggar was 11, her voice thin and weak. Xin Xiu thought to herself, so this is a little girl. The Little Village Girl was ten and ranked sixth. Next were the nine-year-old Chubby Jade Girl and eight-year-old Chubby Golden Boy, with the youngest little boy ranking last.
Xin Xiu was content being the eldest, thinking these children were quite easy to fool. Even the Proud Young Master, who seemed the hardest to deal with, betrayed his character and acted like the foolish son of a landlord, unable to spark any conflict. She had been prepared to fight if anyone challenged her position as the oldest.
As a 26-year-old adult facing a group of gullible children, Xin Xiu felt no shame.
She started organizing everyone, "Number two, you can swim, so go ask that big fish below if it's willing to give us a ride."
Yang Guo the Hero obeyed and left. Xin Xiu then turned to the Little Village Girl, "Number six, you know how to row. Take number three and four with you to pick some flower petals over there. See if we can use them as boats."
The Little Village Girl obediently said "Oh" and walked towards the giant flower. The Cold and Aloof Girl followed without a word, and the reluctant young master could only grumble and tag along.
The Chubby Jade Girl trotted to Xin Xiu's side and said in a sweet voice, "Big sis, what should I do?"
Xin Xiu patted her cheek and told her to stay with the Chubby Golden Boy and watch Little Ninth, "Be good, you three play here."
She took the remaining Little Beggar to the edge of the leaf to look around and see if there were any other ways to leave.
Suddenly, there was a loud splashing sound from where number two had gone. A big fish leaped out of the water, slapped its tail, and disappeared back into the lake. Xin Xiu looked at the huge water droplets on the lotus leaf, then at number two's head popping out of the water.
"You couldn't reach an agreement with the fish and got into a fight?"
Number two sniffled, looking a bit upset, "It wouldn't listen to me."
Xin Xiu said, "Don't worry, it'll have to listen whether it wants to or not!"
"Here's the plan: listen to me. Let's find a smaller lotus leaf and break off the stem underwater. I saw some seaweed down there earlier. Get a strand and tie it to the fish's body. Make it pull the lotus leaf along!"
The Little Beggar weakly said, "Is that really okay? It doesn't seem right..."
Number two was already excited, "Alright, I'll do it right away!"
Xin Xiu also dived into the water with the Little Beggar to help pull off lotus stems and seaweed.
"Quick, there's a big fish over there. Let's tie it up!"
The fish, entangled in seaweed, splashed water all around and started dragging the lotus leaf wildly across the big lake.
Number two lay on the lotus leaf, shouting, either from excitement or fear. Xin Xiu held the Little Beggar with one hand and Little Ninth with the other, her legs wrapped around the Chubby Golden Boy and Chubby Jade Girl, bouncing on the lotus leaf.
"This won't do, the driver is too reckless. Number two, let's prepare to jump ship!"
Number two replied, "I feel great!"
Fine, then you can continue riding.
Xin Xiu, quick as lightning, rolled with her whole family onto a nearby lotus leaf. The lotus flowers and leaves here were layered thickly, soft and fragrant. Despite all the bouncing, no one got hurt. Little Ninth was giggling with joy, hugging Xin Xiu's neck and shouting, "Mommy, again! Again!"
Xin Xiu pinched Little Ninth's bottom, "What mommy? Call me big sis."
"Number two isn't reliable. He's the adventurous type," Xin Xiu muttered to herself. Although she wanted to continue riding the fish, she considered herself a responsible person. Since she was the oldest, she couldn't just think about her own fun and ignore the little ones.
So they decided to take the more stable flower petal boats.
On the other side, the reliable Little Village Girl and her two companions had already made their way over, each riding a small boat made of lotus flower petals. Xin Xiu plucked another large petal, and finally managed to get everyone onto a boat. Four pink and white flower petal boats swayed gently on the water's surface, drifting towards the shore.
Halfway there, number two was thrown off by a mighty swish of the big fish's tail. He swam over to join them.
The breeze was warm here, the temperature just right. The three youngest children on the boat rocked back and forth, eventually falling asleep.
As the sky gradually darkened and they were still some distance from the shore, big sister Xin Xiu made a decision: "Everyone off the boats. Let's find a lotus leaf to sleep on for the night. We're hungry, so we need to find something to eat too."
"What is there to eat here?"
"There are lotus seeds. Aren't those huge lotus seeds enough for you to eat?" Xin Xiu matter-of-factly pointed to a tall, bare lotus pod nearby.
They climbed up the lotus pod's stem like they were climbing a tree, shaking and kicking the pod until they finally broke one off. They dragged it together onto a lotus leaf and struggled to peel open the skin.
It was hard work, but the lotus seeds tasted really good and were very filling. The group couldn't even finish two seeds between them.
The capable Little Village Girl had already plucked flower petals to make beds, arranging a large row of bedding connected together. Seeing Xin Xiu looking at her, the Little Village Girl twisted her fingers and said, "At home, I have many brothers and sisters. We all squeeze together to sleep." She looked at the people here, hesitating a bit: "Should we separate?"
Xin Xiu replied, "No need, this is fine as it is."
The Little Beggar sat alone to one side, whispering, "I'll go to the side. I'm dirty."
Xin Xiu stood up and lifted the thin little girl with one hand, "If you're dirty, we'll wash you. The weather isn't cold. Come on, I'll give you a wash."
The Little Beggar immediately showed a terrified expression and started struggling, "N-no need."
Xin Xiu took her to the water's edge, "Why are you afraid of bathing? Are you a cat? You weren't scared when we were splashing in the water earlier."
The Little Beggar said, "No, I mean I'll... I'll wash myself!"
Xin Xiu laughed, "Haha, what a shy little girl."
The Little Beggar was almost crying, "But, but I'm not a little girl. I'm a b-boy."
Xin Xiu's hand slipped, and the Little Beggar fell into the water with a splash, gripping the edge of the lotus leaf with both hands, an innocent black head popping out.
Brushing the Little Beggar's hair, Xin Xiu looked at his round eyes like a little girl's, and his thin arms and legs, thinking, this is a boy?
"Hey, you should have said so earlier." She stood up and called out, "Number two, come over here and give number five a good scrub!"
"Sure thing!"
After that, Xin Xiu kept hearing the chatty number two babbling. At one point he said, "Wow, so small, just like a little girl, haha!" and then, "Look at this fish, it's eating the mud scrubbed off your body, haha! Wait, don't move, I'll scrub off a long strip for it!"
When the two chubby kids who had fallen asleep during the boat ride woke up rubbing their eyes, they found that it was already dark, and they still hadn't reached the shore. The flower petal boats were stopped at the edge of a lotus leaf, and they had been carried off the boats. Now everyone was squeezed onto bedding made of flower petals. The eldest noticed they were awake and pointed to some round objects next to them, twice the size of their heads, "You're up. If you're hungry, eat some lotus seeds."
The two chubby children crawled out from the flower petal bedding and curiously examined the big lotus seeds, exclaiming for the umpteenth time, "Wow, they're so big!"
The lotus seed shells had already been peeled open, allowing them to bury their faces in them and take a bite. The lotus seeds were tender and sweet, and they could bite off a large chunk at once, juice splashing all over their faces.
After filling their bellies, they went to wash their faces. The stars in the sky were reflected in the lake, falling right beside their hands. The night here wasn't dark at all because the stars were so bright. Even the lotus flowers next to the leaves were illuminated brightly, like an unreal dream.
For the children, this was an unprecedented experience. The two chubby kids, away from home for the first time, huddled close to the eldest, finding a sense of security. Little Ninth had already eaten his fill and fallen asleep, sprawled out without a care in the world, one of his short legs draped over Xin Xiu's.
Some of the older children couldn't fall asleep, especially the Cold and Aloof Girl who was keeping to herself in the farthest corner. Xin Xiu heard her tossing and turning for a long time, unable to sleep, so she asked, "What's wrong, number three? Can't sleep?"
The Cold and Aloof Girl paused mid-turn and mumbled, "I won't turn over anymore."
From this single sentence, it was clear that this girl was quite sensitive. Xin Xiu chuckled, "I'm not complaining about you making noise. I can't sleep either." These children had only left home today, leaving their familiar environment, but she had left her home half a month ago, and not just her home, but her entire world.
"Let me guess, are you homesick?"
The girl spat bitterly, "Who would miss that home! I couldn't wait to leave that place!" Her voice then lowered, "But I can't accept it. What right do they have to give birth to me and then want to abandon me? All these years, I've done everything to the best of my ability, and they're still not satisfied. They don't want me... is it because I'm not good enough?"
Xin Xiu, legs crossed, leaned against a large lotus seed and gazed at the sky, casually saying, "They might not want you, but the immortals do."
The girl's indignant voice vanished. She suddenly sat up, as if enlightened, "That's right! They don't want me, but the immortals do. Are they more powerful than the immortals?"
The Proud Young Master, who seemed to have been asleep nearby, suddenly chimed in, "That's right! If they don't want us, it's because they're foolish, not because we're not good enough!"
Perhaps disturbed by their voices, a faint glow suddenly approached. From a distance, it looked like a person carrying a lantern, but as it flew closer, everyone realized it was a giant firefly. When these creatures are small, they're cute and romantic, but when they grow larger than a person, they're not so adorable anymore.
The Cold and Aloof Girl, who had been keeping her distance, saw this huge, dark insect flying towards them and screamed in terror. She jumped up and ran towards Xin Xiu, grabbing onto her arm.
The Proud Young Master had it worse because the big bug was flying towards him. He turned his head to find himself face-to-face with a glowing giant insect and burst into tears, clutching the arm of the second eldest who was nearby. The unreliable second eldest was actually excited, wanting to catch the bug: "Don't be scared, Fourth Brother. It's just an insect. Let your Second Brother catch it for you to play with!"
The Proud Young Master immediately let go of him and buried his face in the flower petals, crying out in distress, "I don't want it!"
Everyone burst out laughing.
In the morning, dew rolled into clear, shining droplets on the lotus leaves. Xin Xiu called for everyone to wake up. They had slept huddled together in the second half of the night, feet and bellies sprawled everywhere. One by one, they crawled up and gathered around the water droplets to wash their faces—by dunking their heads directly into the giant water droplets.
After playing and laughing for a while, they boarded their lotus petal boat again.
There was a gentle breeze today, which quickly carried them to the shore.
...
Beside the large jade basin, a young man in flowery clothes put away his fan and swayed leisurely. Cai Xing, leaning on the edge of the basin, smiled and said, "Senior Brother Yu Feng, you're helping them cheat. How can you use the wind to push their boat?"
Yu Feng's lazy gaze swept behind Cai Xing, and his carefree expression suddenly froze. He hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying, "Uncle-Master Shentu, why are you here?"
Outside the pavilion in the clouds, a white-haired figure had appeared silently at some point.
Upon hearing the words "Uncle-Master Shentu," everyone around the jade basin stood up, putting on solemn and steady expressions. Even Cai Xing stopped smiling and stood to the side with a serious face and hands clasped.
This Shentu Yu was the twelfth disciple of LingZhao Immortal, and the most unique among LingZhao Immortal's thirty-six disciples. For certain reasons, the disciples of Mount Shuling were somewhat afraid of him.
Shentu Yu lifted his eyelids and glanced at these well-behaved junior disciples. Without saying much, he threw something into the jade basin, then turned and slowly left without a word.
Seeing his figure disappear, everyone finally relaxed and peered into the jade basin. "What did Uncle-Master Shentu throw into the Heavenly Basin? Quick, let's see!"
"Wow, this must be something Uncle-Master crafted himself. These new junior brothers and sisters are so lucky! But why did Uncle-Master Shentu suddenly do something like this?"
