Birthday

Three days later, Xia Tianling's private little kitchen.

Xia Tianling hummed cheerfully as he prepared the evening meal.

Tonight, he planned to make a birthday cake that everyone had eaten in his previous life, stir-fry a few dishes, and then cook a bowl of longevity noodles.

People on the Douluo Continent did not have the custom of celebrating birthdays, so Qian Renxue, still just a young girl, was naturally thrilled when she learned about it.

However, Xia Tianling had not told her that Bibi Dong would also be coming tonight.

He could only hope the surprise would not turn into a shock.

Making cream by hand, making chocolate by hand, making everything by hand. Without the assistance of modern tools, cooking really was physically demanding work.

He spread chocolate cream over the cake, piped decorations onto it, adorned it with fruit, then wrote "Happy Birthday" in Douluo Language with jam. He placed it on a tray made from Cold Stone and set it on the table.

Absolutely perfect.

Looking over the results of his afternoon's labor, Xia Tianling nodded in satisfaction. Girls should all like sweets, right? He hoped this cake would let the mother and daughter enjoy themselves to the fullest.

Having cooking skills was one thing, but actually making a meal with his own hands was incredibly difficult.

Thankfully, Spirit Hall was wealthy and powerful enough to find something like Cocoa Beans.

As for the ingredients they did not have? Make a wish. Wish for them with everything you've got!

It was nearly seven o'clock. Xia Tianling had finished all his preparations and was about to start stir-frying the dishes.

"Wow, little brother Tianling, is this the dessert you invented? What was it called, Chocolate Cream Cake?" A delighted female voice suddenly rang out. The newcomer was none other than Qian Renxue, who had long been unable to wait any longer.

When Xia Tianling had told her earlier that he had created a new kind of dessert, he had already piqued her curiosity.

Having spent several years undercover in the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, what desserts had she not eaten?

Unfortunately, there was no such food as chocolate on the Douluo Continent, nor was there cream.

On the underdeveloped Douluo Continent, sweetness was still synonymous with luxury. Cane Sugar extracted through crude methods had only a faint sweetness, and turning it into desserts made the flavor even lighter.

The main source of sugar for nobles here was wild honey, much like in medieval Blue Star.

A cake made with high-sweetness White Sugar and Cane Sugar extracted by modern industry was a Dimensional Strike on the Douluo Continent.

"Don't touch it. You can eat it later."

Xia Tianling slapped away Qian Renxue's hand as she tried to sneak a bite, then turned and walked into the kitchen. Qian Renxue stuck out her tongue at his back.

"Creak."

The sound of the door hinge turning made them both look back. Bibi Dong, dressed in casual clothes, pushed open the door and walked in.

She was not wearing her purple-gold Pope's ceremonial robe, merely a simple everyday long dress.

"Teacher."

"..."

Qian Renxue had not expected Bibi Dong to come. She opened her mouth, but did not know how to address her.

Now that she knew the truth, her feelings toward Bibi Dong were extremely complicated. She also understood why Bibi Dong would not allow her to call her mother.

"You're here."

"Mm."

"Teacher, sit with Sister Xue first. The dishes will be ready soon."

Xia Tianling shook his head. These awkward mother and daughter truly left him at a loss for words.

The mother and daughter sat across from each other in silence.

"The food's here."

The awkwardness was quickly broken by the announcement of the dishes. Xia Tianling emerged carrying a large tray.

After setting out the dishes, Xia Tianling took twelve candles from his Storage Ring and evenly inserted them into the cake in the center under the mother and daughter's puzzled gazes. Electric arcs generated by rubbing his middle finger against his thumb lit the candles one by one.

At the same time, the Spirit Guiding Lamps in the dining room went out, leaving only the twelve candles slowly burning in the dark room.

Xia Tianling cleared his throat and said, "Today is Sister Xue's twelfth birthday. It is also to celebrate Sister Xue's recent breakthrough to Soul Ancestor."

"A Soul Ancestor..." Bibi Dong murmured softly as she looked at the twelve flames burning in the darkness.

"A twelve-year-old Soul Ancestor... Even I was far inferior at her age..."

"Next, please face the cake, Sister Xue, and silently make a birthday wish in your heart. Then open your eyes and blow out all the candles in one breath."

Qian Renxue did as instructed, clasping her hands before the cake and silently making her wish. Then she took a deep breath and blew out all the candles at once.

"Great!"

Darkness once again enveloped the room, and applause rang out in the pitch-black space.

Yet the applause came from two places. Even though one set was extremely, extremely quiet, it was almost like fingertips tapping against a palm.

"What a tsundere woman." Xia Tianling had been watching Bibi Dong's movements and expression the entire time.

Qian Renxue was still dazed from making her wish, and Xia Tianling's enthusiastic applause naturally drew her attention, so she had not noticed. But he had seen it clearly.

The Spirit Guiding Lamps lit up under his control, restoring the room's brightness.

"Happy birthday, Sister Xue! Come, have a bowl of noodles. Remember to finish them in one go." Xia Tianling brought out a bowl of longevity noodles. "Teacher, let's each have a little too and share in the good fortune."

Bibi Dong's slightly melancholy expression immediately froze.

Eating from the same bowl, this...

Before she could refuse, Xia Tianling swiftly picked out a small strand of noodles and placed the bowl before her.

Bibi Dong fell into a frantic internal struggle, staring at that strand of noodles in utter conflict. It was as if the thing before her was not noodles, but deadly Crown Red poison.

Qian Renxue, who had been watching expectantly, saw Bibi Dong's reaction and her mood immediately sank. Her eyes reddened slightly as she lowered her head.

Again and again, her expectations had brought her nothing but disappointment.

What am I even hoping for? Qian Xunji did something like that to her.

"Clack."

A pair of chopsticks was picked up, then set back onto its chopstick rest.

The small strand of noodles in the bowl had disappeared.

Hearing the sound, Qian Renxue looked up and widened her eyes, staring in disbelief at the woman elegantly wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"It's a little bland. It would be better with some chili."

"Hahaha, Teacher, longevity noodles are supposed to be light. Another day, another day I'll make Dandan Noodles and Oil-Splashed Noodles for you!"

Xia Tianling laughed and ate his own portion of noodles.

Now that Bibi Dong had eaten the longevity noodles, today's event could be considered a success. Everyone was happy!

Qian Renxue picked up her bowl and vigorously devoured the longevity noodles with a fork. Two streams of tears, hidden behind the large bowl, fell into the noodle soup.

The meal continued to its end in this warm yet strange atmosphere.

After the experience with the noodles, Bibi Dong naturally did not refuse again when it was time to eat the cake.

Xia Tianling's Chocolate Cream Cake received unanimous praise from both mother and daughter.

Sweets were forever divine.

The three had eaten and drunk their fill. Just as Bibi Dong was about to leave, Qian Renxue softly said something.

"Thank you, Mother."

To her surprise, Bibi Dong's hand on the door stopped.

She slowly turned around, walked over to Qian Renxue, and gently embraced her.

"Happy birthday, Little Xue."

Then, beneath Qian Renxue's stunned gaze, she calmly walked out the door.

"Damn, that was perfect!"

Xia Tianling, who was clearing away the dishes, gave a thumbs-up.

That had not been part of his plan at all. It had been entirely the "actress's" own improvisation.

That concludes Volume One. There will only be this one chapter today; I need to sort out the later plot. From here on, it will jump directly to five years later, following the timeline of the Original Work. I did consider whether I should write out those five-plus years as well. If I really wanted to, I could. It would just be the usual sect and academy life found in other fantasy stories: some freshman tournament, the protagonist slaughtering everyone in all directions, that sort of thing. I could even write a soul-hunting trip every time Oscar and Ma Hongjun obtained soul rings. Personally, though, I do not think it is necessary. It would just be padding the word count. In the Douluo setting, it is difficult for the early stages to have anything fresh without opening up massive cheats. There are simply too few methods one can master, so I will skip straight to five years later.

Fanfiction only becomes interesting when original plotlines are mixed with the original story. It is a relationship that differs greatly from the original plotline while also depending on it. Personally, I do not think pure original content or blindly following the original plot is all that interesting.