On the Central Continent, at the Mizumi Clan. The day shone like polished jade, breeze cool as springwater, the kind that makes you squint and savor.

After lunch, Hill flopped onto the courtyard grass, soft as a green quilt, basking in warm honeyed light and a crisp, drifting wind.

She wore a loose frilled cami and a short skirt today. One tumble and a teasing gust, and her little belly—round from a good meal—peeked out like a tiny moon.

“Mmm~ this feels so good!”

The sun stayed gentle, never stabbing the eyes. The air ran cool. The breeze kept stroking like soft silk. Drowsiness rose like a tide, and Hill stretched lazily into the plush grass.

“Little Hill, you’re adorable~ But lie down right after eating and you’ll puff up like a bun, you know~”

Yugong Jingyue sat beside her and poked that round little tummy. The feel was plush as mochi—pure balm for the heart.

Living with Hill at the Mizumi Clan had given Jingyue the warmth of a kid sister. The old loneliness of an empty house blew away like dust on wind.

“Meow—mrr~”

Tickled, Hill let out a tiny cat sound, then melted again, eyes closed in bliss, as Jingyue kneaded her small belly in light, slow circles like ripples on a pond.

“That food’s long digested. Besides, Dragon Kin don’t put on weight easily,” Hill said, lazy as a cat in sun.

“Is that so? I envy a body like that—light as a feather that never soaks up rain.”

Jingyue eased Hill’s head onto her own lap, a pillow soft as satin. She stroked Hill’s neat silver short hair, moon-cool and smooth, and now and then pinched those marshmallow cheeks.

“Nothing to envy—no mountain worth climbing.”

Hill rubbed her face against Jingyue’s thighs like a contented cub. “Anyone who’s trained and has some strength can shape their body anyway. Look at you, Jingyue. You laze around every day like a drifting cloud, and you haven’t gained an ounce.”

“Mm. Fair point—the thought settled like a pebble in clear water.”

Most cultivators could tune their forms; unless they had a special kink, you rarely saw any go soft.

“I wonder how the boss and the others are doing with their cultivation—hammering iron in the furnace. It’s been forever since they played with this little one~”

Thinking of how long it’d been since she’d clung to him and whined, Hill felt a pang of longing, sweet and sharp like plum wine.

“Didn’t we go see Little Emperor and the others just seven sunrises ago? And from here to the Dragon Realm is a breeze; we can go anytime.”

“But this little one wants to play with the boss every day, like chasing butterflies at dawn, like before~”

“I want that too—my heart sighs like a soft wind. Still, around here, the moment anyone starts cultivating, they turn busy as a hive.”

“Sounds true~ Why are humans like that, rowing harder upstream?”

“Unlike the Four Great Races, humans are born without fangs or scales. They lack edge in body and talent, so they lean on sheer effort. Even geniuses hate falling behind, so they grind harder.”

“Then why don’t you like cultivating, Jingyue?” The question dropped like a pebble into a clear pond.

“It’s too tiring and too dull. For now, my strength is enough, and I’ve got nothing urgent that needs more. Even without training, my power inches up day by day, like moss after rain.”

Though she hadn’t touched cultivation in a long while, Jingyue found her strength rising, slow but steady, like a river under ice.

“Of course it does~ The Mizumi Clan cooks with ingredients that are basically Divine-grade, shining like dew-lit jade. Eat like that every day, and it turns into power over time, even if you don’t train. When this little one was just born, I was sent to the Lunar Forest. I ate all kinds of Divine Elixir there. I didn’t force cultivation, yet I still gained decent strength!”

Hill preferred play to practice. Life at the Mizumi Clan fit her like spring sunshine; she was still a little loli, and cultivation felt like stale dry bread.

“Yeah. If you want a lush life, a good birth matters like sweet rain.”

Jingyue recalled the Dragon Realm: many from outside, not counting tourists, toiling dawn to dusk like ants along a log, hardly a breath to rest. She knew she could never live like that; she liked days that wandered slow as clouds.

“That’s for sure. In any era, if you want a good life, you either get born with a silver spoon, or you grind so your kids do.”

Hill stretched again, boneless as a cat, then rolled over and let her small head rest sideways on Jingyue’s soft thighs like a petal on silk.

“Even so, people like us in the Mizumi Clan—doing nothing and enjoying the world’s best resources—will draw a lot of envy, won’t we? Nettles under roses.”

A trip outside had shown Jingyue the truth. The Mizumi Clan stood apart like a peak above clouds, yet faces turned against them like hidden thorns. No—call it what it was: jealousy. Yumigawa Sumeragi’s injury had pushed her to dig up more. The world wasn’t as peaceful as a garden looks.

“A bit, sure~ But birth gets cast the moment you wail into the world. Cursing heaven and earth is smoke in your own eyes. Hmph~ Folks who stew in envy have narrow chests and short roads ahead. Not worth our daylight.”

To a simple little thing like Hill, living comfy was the main road. Gnawing others with jealousy only soured your mood and wasted your seasons.

“Mm. Little Hill’s right—your words sit snug as a quilt. But people, once stuffed with envy and desire, can do anything, like a flood breaking its banks. Like that group called Dark Demon—good thing they’re dust on the wind now.”

“Ooh! That one we do have to watch for. If this little one hadn’t arrived in time last time, the boss and the others would’ve been in real danger!”

Hill flipped over and puffed her flat little chest with pride, even while lying down, like a sparrow daring the sky. To her, that rescue was her brightest medal.

“Truly impressive. We really owed you then, Little Hill—a knot untied.”

Jingyue’s hand brushed through Hill’s silver hair, smooth as water. Her eyes and voice went soft as dusk.

“Ehehe~ it was nothing~” A shrug light as dandelion fluff.

Praised a little, Hill lit up like a lantern, cute enough to melt snow.

“So for Little Emperor and the rest, strength is still a must—the path stays sharp as a blade.”

“Only power in your own hands is real power. Speaking of, this little one really wants to go play with the boss.”

“Let’s wait till Little Emperor finishes a cycle or takes a rest day, when their fire cools to embers.”

“Okay, okay. This little one will hold back—like tying a ribbon on her own wrist!”

“Little Hill, you’re too cute—sweet as a sugar plum!”

Overwhelmed by the cuteness, Jingyue scooped Hill into her arms and rubbed her cheek to cheek, like two soft peaches.

“Eh—eh? Mrr~”

Today at the Mizumi Clan was, as always, peaceful and unhurried, like a pond without ripples.

………