As soon as he finished speaking, the two drifted away. They found a secluded stone cave in a mountain hollow east of the tribe, carved out a chamber, set up an array to calm the mind, and settled there permanently. The tribespeople welcomed Hua Xu back to the settlement and carefully attended to her morning and evening routines, medicine and meals, clothing and warmth, leaving nothing unchecked and daring not to show the slightest negligence.
Hua Xu carried the child for twelve years. On the eighteenth day of the third month, during the Hour of the Tiger, auspicious clouds suddenly billowed above her home, purple qi coiled through the air, and the entire room filled with a fragrant scent like orchids and musk. A golden-scaled divine dragon even coiled three times around the roof beam, its scales reflecting the light with a faint radiance. The strange phenomenon startled the entire tribe. Even You Chao Clan and Sui Ren Clan, who were secluded in the mountain hollow, emerged from seclusion and hurried over. Everyone gathered outside the house and held their breath as they watched. In an instant, the clouds dispersed, the fragrance faded, and the dragon's shadow vanished. Only a clear cry rang through the sky, loud and bright like a phoenix greeting the rising sun, piercing straight through the Heavenly Vault!
As soon as the crying stopped, the wooden door creaked open. Hua Xu's face was pale, yet she wore a radiant smile as she slowly emerged, cradling the swaddled infant. You Chao Clan stepped forward and accepted the baby with both hands. Looking down carefully, he saw that the infant had a human body and a snake's tail, skin as smooth as jade, eyes as clear as stars, brows dark as ink, and divine light hidden within. With