Aside from half a trunk, it only had a single, delicate Willow Branch remaining. Yet, it radiated vitality, its leaves shimmering like carved green jade, emitting soft light that spread, enveloping the Village and shrouding the settlement in a hazy, ethereal glow, like a land of immortals.
"I've been back for over a decade. Could it be that what I saw that day was just a hallucination?" The aged figure gazed at the Lotus Egg with deep emotion.
He couldn't help but doubt it. Ever since that day when he seemed to see a baby inside the egg, he hadn't witnessed any strange behavior from it.
It seemed that after leaving that mountain cavern, the Lotus Egg had become ordinary, even the faint signs of life had vanished, never to reappear.
Shi Yunfeng sighed, blew out the lamp, and went to bed. He felt that the Lotus Egg could literally wear him out!
He was old, and he didn't want to dwell on things that caused distress.
The room was pitch black. However, after he had fallen asleep, he didn't notice the Lotus Egg gently trembling.
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
In the middle of the night, an unusual and peculiar sound suddenly emanated from Shi Yunfeng's stone house. It sounded like the heartbeat of a living being, resonating with the entire world, akin to the Sound of the Great Dao. Though faint, the sound carried far.
"Woof… woof…"
Outside the door, the Big Yellow Dog, as an animal, possessed a keen sense of alert. It immediately sensed the problem and barked incessantly towards its master's house, seemingly trying to wake the sleeping Shi Yunfeng!
Soon after, it whimpered, tail between its legs, eyes filled with fear. Its entire body shrunk to the ground, as if it had seen a prehistoric beast!
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
That heartbeat with its unique rhythm, along with Big Yellow Dog's barking outside, woke Shi Yunfeng from his slumber. Sitting up abruptly, he looked towards the source of the sound, his expression a complex mix of shock and anticipation.
The Lotus Egg, dormant for over a decade, was now radiating with three-colored light. The Three-Colored Lotus, with its strange patterns, was slowly blooming, just like a lotus in full bloom. It revealed a scene that stunned him: a small, tender, and jade-like figure was within, eyes closed.
But on his head rested an ethereal Crown, upon which was etched a difficult-to-understand character. Even though he couldn't identify the character, a feeling from the depths of his being told him it was the character for "Emperor".
Looking down, the small figure was not wearing any clothes, but instead, a strange array diagram shimmered on his crystal-clear body. In his arms, he held four Killing Swords, all a dark red color! However, just a single glance almost shattered his mind. The Killing Swords seemed to contain boundless killing intent and emitted a terrifying aura, something only those with great divine powers could withstand!
This was an unparalleled scene; no one could have imagined someone being born with such a unique phenomenon.
Just as he was about to avert his gaze, he suddenly noticed that all the unusual phenomena had vanished, seemingly absorbed into the child's body. He wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"Thump… thump… thump"
The Three-Colored Lotus continued to bloom, and under the illumination of the three-colored light, the room was brightly lit, casting a dreamlike glow.
At the same time, the Sound of the Great Dao rumbled, and inside the room, dragons danced and phoenixes flew, with Qilin everywhere, white tigers roaring, and other strange phenomena appearing. They filled the entire room, making it like a divine realm of immortals, as if even the heavens were celebrating for that child.
"In my lifetime, I've actually lived to see this!" Shi Yunfeng's old eyes were filled with tears. He slowly got out of bed and stood before the Lotus Egg, his body trembling as he carefully examined the small figure within, eyes closed.
That was the child he had been waiting for for more than a decade, and now, at long last, it had been born.
As time passed, the Lotus Egg fully bloomed, and the small figure opened its eyes. The left eye was Gold, and the right eye was Black.
One was golden, radiant, representing the beginning of the universe, the revival of all things, and the bursting forth of life. The other was as black as ink, like an abyss. Vaguely, Shi Yunfeng seemed to see the shattering of ten thousand worlds, the corpses of all living beings, and blood flowing like rivers!
He couldn't describe what it felt like. It was as if the rise and fall of the myriad worlds trembled under those eyes. It was also as if, with just a glance, countless eons had passed, and heaven and earth no longer existed.
He didn't know when, but when he regained his composure, all the strange phenomena in the room had disappeared. Only a one-year-old child was standing before him, with a pair of clear, black-and-white eyes that were crystal clear, lively, and pure.
"Dong dong"
A strange sensation suddenly came from his knee, causing Shi Yunfeng to smile slightly. He looked down and saw the small figure poking his thigh with his pink fingers, seemingly puzzled by his dazed behavior.
Shi Yunfeng chuckled heartily, reached out, and picked up the naked boy, placing him in the bed. The boy wasn't afraid; he was just happy.
Suddenly, Shi Yunfeng seemed to sense something, his body stiffening as he looked silently at the roof.
The roof had disappeared without
He immediately shook his head and muttered to himself, "Emperor Shi is not allowed, that's disrespectful and will bring great misfortune... How about Little Shi Huang... seems wrong too, it will also bring great misfortune... Let's call him Xiao Shi for now. When you grow up, you can choose for yourself."
Unlike when he was born, the little guy was very quiet. There were no unusual phenomena on his body. Lying on the bed, his big eyes looked around, filled with curiosity.
Moonlight was like water, spilling across the earth. Laughter occasionally came from an open-air stone house. If the people in the Village heard it, they would probably think their patriarch had gone crazy!
At the entrance of the Village, a crystal-clear, emerald Willow Branch swayed slightly, emitting a hazy light that enveloped the entire Village, and also isolated the aura from Shi Yunfeng's house.
Tonight, if not for Him, a newborn little guy wouldn't know how much of a commotion would be caused. It was because He isolated all of this that all the unusual phenomena didn't spread out.
However, all of this was destined to be unknown to anyone.
(End of Chapter)