Xiaohe is a witch.

A witch who lives happily in the forest.

In the early morning, Xiaohe wakes up to the noisy chirping of birds. She props up the window of her wooden house, trying to predict the weather from the clouds in the sky. If it's a sunny day, she goes to pick the fruits that can be harvested today, guided by the unicorn deer. If it's a rainy day, she stays in her house, listening to the raindrops pattering on the thick roof. Perhaps the spores brought by the rain could make mushrooms grow on the roof.

Every seven days in the afternoon, women from the nearby villages come to Xiaohe's house to chat about the interesting things happening in the village. They also ask her for magical potions to repel mosquitoes and prevent plagues. In exchange, Xiaohe can get bread and wheat that are not available in the forest.

Xiaohe lives a simple and happy life like this, day after day, year after year.

One morning, Xiaohe's wooden house was knocked on again—

It wasn't a deer or a squirrel, only humans would come knocking.

If people don't come according to the scheduled time, it usually means something big has happened, like a vicious wolf or tiger sneaking into the village, or someone suddenly falling ill.

Rubbing her eyes, Xiaohe hurriedly jumped out of bed and opened the door, but there was no one in sight.

"......Huh?"

"Wow~"

On the ground in front of the door, there was a baby placed in a basket.

Xiaohe squatted down and looked at the baby's black eyes that were open.

"......Hello?"

"Wow......"

The baby made an indistinct sound and stretched its legs in the basket.

"......"

The baby and Xiaohe met each other's gaze, and then the baby blinked its eyes and suddenly cried out.

"Huh? Huh!? Wait... wait..."

Xiaohe quickly covered the baby's eyes, but the baby cried even louder.

Xiaohe didn't know what to do, so she sat next to the basket and cried together with the baby...

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"Perhaps it's a young girl from some family who gave birth and didn't know what to do, so she secretly sent the baby here..."

In the afternoon, the old lady who came to Xiaohe's house as promised held the baby and said to Xiaohe.

"What does Xiaohe plan to do? If you want, I can take him back to the village. But I don't think anyone would be willing to raise him..."

"Um..."

Xiaohe looked at the baby's black pupils and nodded thoughtfully.

"Then I'll raise him."

Yes, it's decided. This baby is now her own child.

If he is her own child, she should give him a name...

She held the baby and lifted him high above her head—

"From today, your name will be Xiaomiao!"

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This is not the first time Xiaohe has raised a child.

Previously, a deer's leg was injured by a hunter, so she entrusted her own child to Xiaohe. That child is now the unicorn deer standing outside Xiaohe's door.

Babies need milk, deer fawns need deer milk, wolf cubs need wolf milk, and Xiaomiao needs human milk.

But the slope-footed deer who came to visit her child said that only the person who gave birth to the baby would have milk, and it's impossible for Xiaohe to have it.

Um um... She encountered a problem right from the beginning...

Blissfully ignorant, Xiaomiao suckled Xiaohe's finger, not knowing the predicament they faced.

——Perhaps sheep's milk would do.

The slope-footed deer told Xiaohe that, so Xiaohe went to find a sheep and successfully solved Xiaomiao's feeding problem.

——Humans walk on two feet.

A knowledgeable bird told Xiaohe that, so Xiaohe put Xiaomiao on the ground and let him walk by himself.

"......?"

Feeling lost, Xiaomiao realized he was no longer in Xiaohe's arms and crawled towards her, two to three meters away.

"You... need... to... use... both... feet."

Xiaohe crouched down, using her index finger to gently touch Xiaomiao's forehead as he crawled like a small animal...

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Xiaohe is becoming happier and happier.

Because Xiaomiao can now eat mushrooms and wild vegetables just like her.

Because Xiaomiao can walk by himself.

Because Xiaomiao can call her "mother" now.Xiao He loved being called "mom" by Xiao Miao, it made her feel accomplished.

The women in the village also loved Xiao Miao, they said Xiao Miao and Xiao He looked alike, both delicate and beautiful, just like they were mother and child.

Xiao Miao is my child, she told the people in the village firmly.

However, as Xiao Miao grew older, Xiao He sometimes felt less happy.

For example, Xiao Miao no longer liked calling her "mom" and started calling her "sister" instead.

"Call me 'mom'," Xiao He reminded him, but all she got was a slight pout from Xiao Miao.

Furthermore, when Xiao Miao turned twelve, he suddenly didn't want to sleep with Xiao He anymore.

He built a small shed made of lotus leaves outside of Xiao He's house and didn't allow her to enter.

One day, it started raining heavily outside, and Xiao Miao's shed collapsed.

Xiao Miao returned to the wooden house with tears, crying in Xiao He's arms for most of the night.

After the rain stopped, Xiao Miao moved out again. With Xiao He's help, he built a small wooden house, just like Xiao He's...

Later on, Xiao Miao didn't even want to call Xiao He "sister" anymore, and instead called her "Xiao He" directly.

Xiao He was angry, not just because of the way he addressed her, but also because Xiao Miao had grown taller than her, to the point where he had to lower his head to enter his own wooden house.

Xiao Miao's body had also grown much bigger than before, almost twice the size of Xiao He.

He began borrowing tools and seeds from the people in the village, and cultivated a piece of land at the door of Xiao He's house.

He helped Xiao He drive away wolves and tigers.

He helped Xiao He prepare various kinds of medicine.

Xiao He still called him Xiao Miao, but the "Xiao" in Xiao Miao was no longer accurate, he had grown into a mature crop.

Later on... Xiao Miao disappeared.

According to the people in the village, Xiao Miao moved to the village and became a blacksmith.

Xiao Miao would bring many things to Xiao He, such as the hair accessories he made for her, another horn he made for the one-horned deer, tools for Xiao He's medicine preparation, and various other things...

Xiao He was still happy, but she felt that she couldn't see Xiao Miao anymore and her heart became empty.

Later on... Xiao Miao rarely brought things over...

"Xiao Miao has grown old, and he can't do it anymore," the woman said.

Xiao He didn't understand what the woman meant until one day, Xiao Miao appeared in front of her again.

He was... a withered little seedling...

The wrinkles on his eyebrows were almost as many as the annual rings on the wood of the house...

"Xiao He, I've come to see you," Xiao Miao said, resting his head on Xiao He's thigh, peacefully falling asleep.

Xiao He cried for the first time in her memory, feeling sad.

She finally understood why those women who came to her house would change every fifty or so years...

Because people, like seedlings, like one-horned deer, like squirrels on trees, grow old and die.

If she could give half of her lifespan to Xiao Miao...

A voice whispered in her ear.

Then just give him half of it.

Even if it's only in a world of nothingness, a world that only two people know about...

Xiao He smiled, happily as always.

She knew that in that world, she could wake up to the sound of birds, go out to pick fruits on sunny days, and sleep in on rainy days like before.

And in that world, there would be a Xiao Miao just like her, who wouldn't grow old.

This is the unique Hidden Magic called the Three Life Chain Knot, and this is its entire story.