Chapter 56 - 50: This Slumber Might Be a Lifetime

It was noon on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

In a courtyard in Shiqiao Village, a pair of sisters were having a meal.

Perhaps because Xiao Mo was gone and only the two of them remained, the dinner table felt a little desolate.

In the past, Bai Ruxue would always be thinking of new recipes, considering how tired Xiao Mo must be from his studies.

But after Xiao Mo left, the sisters’ meals became much simpler, usually just one meat dish and one vegetable dish.

"Sister, let me do the dishes..." Xiao Qing said to her sister after they finished lunch.

"It’s fine, I’ll do it. I don’t have much to do anyway." Bai Ruxue shook her head with a smile and carried the bowls into the kitchen.

But a moment later, the sound of a shattering bowl came from the kitchen.

Xiao Qing hurried inside.

In the kitchen, shards of a clay bowl littered the floor. Her sister was propped against the counter, looking as if she might collapse at any moment.

"Sister, are you alright?" Xiao Qing asked, her eyes filled with worry as she supported her sister.

"I’m fine." Bai Ruxue shook her head.

"Sister, how can you say you’re fine..." Xiao Qing sighed. "Let me handle this. Go sit down for a bit."

Bai Ruxue still wanted to clean up the broken clay bowl herself, but Xiao Qing pulled her outside and made her sit down in the courtyard.

After Xiao Qing finished cleaning and came out of the kitchen, she saw her sister sitting in the courtyard, gazing at the small path that led to their home.

Lately, whenever her sister had a free moment, she would sit on the stone bench in the courtyard and gaze into the distance, just like the last time.

The difference was, last time Brother Xiao had only been gone for two or three days.

This time, Brother Xiao wouldn’t be back until April at the earliest.

Xiao Qing watched her sister’s head nod, her eyelids already half-closed, as if she would fall asleep at any second.

But every time she was about to doze off, her sister would jolt awake, shake her head, and continue staring at the small path.

Xiao Qing walked over to her sister, crouched down, and held her small hand. "Sister, you should go get some sleep. Brother Xiao won’t be back until spring. You’ll be awake by then."

Bai Ruxue smiled faintly. "Xiao Qing, I want to wait a little longer. Besides... I have a feeling this hibernation might be different."

"How is it different?" Xiao Qing asked, puzzled.

Bai Ruxue shook her head. "I’m not sure either. I just feel that this time, I’ll sleep for a very, very long time... I don’t know when I’ll be able to wake up."

"Oh, Sister, you’re overthinking it. How long can we of the Snake Race possibly sleep? We’ll be awake by May at the latest," Xiao Qing coaxed.

But Bai Ruxue just offered a gentle smile. "It’s fine. It’s just one winter without sleep. I can handle it. But Xiao Qing, you should hibernate. You’ve been getting very drowsy lately too."

"But you haven’t slept..."

"I’m waiting for him to come back."

"Sister!" Xiao Qing was at a loss for words.

For the next few days, Bai Ruxue would sit in the courtyard every day after finishing her chores.

Xiao Qing noticed that her sister was getting sleepier and sleepier.

But she simply wouldn’t hibernate.

By the tenth day of the New Year, she was so afraid that falling asleep would trigger her hibernation that she stopped sleeping at night altogether.

With Bai Ruxue not sleeping, Xiao Qing was too worried to rest and forced herself to stay awake as well.

One day, while Bai Ruxue was out washing clothes,

a woman in a Daoist Robe arrived outside the courtyard.

"Who might you be looking for, Daoist?" Xiao Qing eyed the female Daoist warily, worried that their identities as demons had been exposed and this person had come to eliminate them.

Fuchen smiled. "There’s no need to be so tense, Miss. I am acquainted with Miss Bai and Young Master Xiao. I’ve come today on business with her. Is Miss Bai here? Also, it is now deep winter. Have you not hibernated yet either?"

"!"

The moment Fuchen’s words fell, Xiao Qing’s heart lurched. Her eyes instantly transformed into vertical, green pupils, and she prepared to strike first!

Fuchen merely flicked a finger, and a stream of Spiritual Power shot into the center of Xiao Qing’s brow.

In an instant, Xiao Qing found herself unable to move.

’What are you trying to do?’ Fear bloomed in Xiao Qing’s heart, but she didn’t back down one bit.

"This humble Daoist is Fuchen of the Tianxuan Sect. I come with no ill intent. I came here once before, hoping to take Miss Bai as my disciple, but she refused. I knew then that fate had not yet decreed it, so I did not insist. If you do not believe me, you may ask Miss Bai herself when she returns."

With that, Fuchen flicked her slender, jade-like finger again, and another ray of light shot into the center of Xiao Qing’s brow.

The Immobilization Technique on Xiao Qing was released.

Gazing at the female Daoist before her, Xiao Qing’s eyes remained wary, but she felt the woman probably meant no harm. Otherwise, given her Realm, she could have done anything she wanted to them without wasting words.

"What business do you have with my sister?" Xiao Qing asked.

"Some days ago, on a whim, this humble Daoist performed a divination and learned that Miss Bai has reached the required Realm. She needs to enter seclusion to become a Transformed Python. After she emerges, she can enter the water and begin her transformation into a flood dragon.

However, Miss Bai’s Life Fire is behaving strangely, and it seems she is unwilling to hibernate. This humble Daoist came this time to ask the reason. Is there something troubling Miss Bai?"

Fuchen asked.

Xiao Qing glanced at the female Daoist and bit her lip gently. "Brother Xiao has gone to the capital. He can’t return until after the metropolitan and palace examinations. My sister is waiting for him. She says that if she hibernates, she’s afraid she might never wake up, so she refuses to do so."

"I see." Fuchen nodded. "This, then, is Miss Bai’s tribulation."

"Daoist, what do you mean by ’tribulation’?" Xiao Qing asked worriedly.

’How could my sister be facing a tribulation?’

Fuchen explained, "When a member of the Snake Race reaches a certain Realm, they must transform from a serpent into a Transformed Python. They will undergo a metamorphosis, their bodies growing larger and tougher in preparation for becoming a flood dragon. This entire process takes several years.

If your sister does not sleep, she cannot shed her skin and become a Transformed Python. And as she is now, her body cannot withstand the ancestral bloodline awakening within her, much less her current Realm.

Therefore, if your sister doesn’t hibernate soon, she will not only damage the foundation of her Great Dao, but she may very well be in mortal danger."

Hearing this, Xiao Qing said angrily, "You’re just a female Daoist spouting nonsense!"

Fuchen did not get angry. "This humble Daoist does not speak nonsense. Tell me, has Miss Bai’s complexion been growing paler and paler recently, like thin paper?"

Recalling her sister’s recent appearance, Xiao Qing’s mouth fell slightly open. Her eyes trembled, and she looked down, muttering as if to herself, "Then... what should I do...?"

"Such is fate, such is destiny."

Fuchen sighed and took out an Elixir.

"If Miss Xiao Qing trusts me, have your sister consume this Elixir. She will then fall asleep and begin her transformation into a Transformed Python."

"However, Miss Xiao Qing, you are surely aware of your sister’s obsession."

"Because this slumber may last a lifetime."

"Your sister might... never be able to wait for his return..."