Sweet Milk

After Luo Dong had eaten his fill, he let out a loud burp, but he didn't fall asleep right away as he usually did.

Instead, he stayed alert, eyes open, and kept grabbing Bibi Dong's hair to play with it.

He was still so little, after all, and had nothing else to play with. The only thing he could do was play with his beautiful Mama Bibi Dong's hair.

Just then, Bibi Dong's Subsystem panel lit up.

[Task Complete]

[Reward Issued: Soul Power Level +1]

[Current Soul Power Level: Level 87]

At the same time, the system notification chimed again.

[Bonus Reward Issued: Immortal Grade Herb—Spirit Milk Water Lily]

[Herb has been sent to the storage space and can be retrieved at any time]

Bibi Dong put Luo Dong back on the bed and let him play with his little blanket.

Then she opened the system's storage space. With a thought, a medicinal herb appeared in her hand.

It was a flower that was white all over, its petals layered one on top of another. Each one was as thin as a cicada's wing, and they shimmered with a faint milky-white glow in the candlelight.

At the very center of the stamen, a drop of milky-white liquid had gathered. It was crystal clear and gave off a sweet, refreshing fragrance.

The scent was faint, yet soothing. Just one breath left her feeling at ease from head to toe.

Bibi Dong examined it closely for a moment.

According to the system's instructions,

the essence of this Immortal Grade Herb lay mainly in two things. Its petals could cleanse the body and improve one's natural aptitude;

the Spirit Milk in its stamen, meanwhile, could transform her body, making the milk she produced in the future naturally sweet and delicious, and more suitable for blending with Soul Power Liquid to lay a perfect foundation for Luo Dong.

Bibi Dong didn't hesitate.

She plucked the petals one by one and placed them in her mouth.

The petals melted as soon as they touched her tongue, becoming a cool, clear liquid that slid down her throat.

Then she swallowed the stamen as well.

Closing her eyes, she sat cross-legged and circulated her Soul Power to refine the medicinal energy.

The medicinal energy spread from her stomach through her limbs and body like a warm stream, flowing along every meridian and soaking into every inch of bone.

The sensation wasn't intense. Instead, it was indescribably comfortable, as though years of impurities in her body were being washed away, bit by bit.

She sat in meditation for nearly two hours.

Once the medicinal energy had been completely refined, Bibi Dong opened her eyes.

She lowered her gaze to her hands.

A faint sheen covered her skin, like polished jade.

She felt the Soul Power within her. Although her level hadn't risen to Level 88,

she could clearly sense that its quality had improved by a great deal.

If her Soul Power before had been a lump of rough iron, now it was a piece of steel tempered over and over.

At the same level, her combat strength was worlds apart.

And the pool of Soul Power Liquid in her Dantian seemed purer and clearer as well.

Bibi Dong stood and stretched her limbs. She felt light and refreshed from head to toe.

There was also a faint fullness in her chest.

The Spirit Milk contained in that Immortal Grade Herb must have already merged with her body.

Before long, evening arrived.

The sky gradually darkened.

Bibi Dong got up to prepare some warm water, then carried the copper basin to the low table beside the bed.

The water was the same temperature as yesterday. She tested it with the inside of her elbow, and it was just right.

Beside the basin, a towel, a change of clothes, and a small blanket for wrapping Luo Dong were arranged in a neat row.

She lifted Luo Dong out of the little blanket.

The little fellow was naked, but not at all afraid of the cold. His little hands and feet kicked and flailed as he laughed.

Bibi Dong supported the back of his neck and head with one hand and his little bottom with the other, then held him securely beside the basin.

This time, the system didn't issue a task.

But she didn't slack off in the slightest.

She dipped the towel in the warm water and started by wiping his face.

His forehead, eyes, nose, and cheeks; she went around his ears and wiped his chin.

Then came his neck. She carefully opened and wiped every fold.

Next were his little arms, from shoulders to wrists. She spread out each tiny finger and cleaned it.

His little belly, back, and legs, and finally his two chubby little feet.

She held his feet and didn't miss the spaces between his toes.

Luo Dong lay quietly, letting Bibi Dong turn him this way and that.

The warm towel moved over his skin with just the right amount of pressure, making him squint in comfort.

After the bath,

Bibi Dong wrapped him in a dry towel and held him in her arms, gently patting him.

Then she sat on the edge of the bed, opened her clothes, and offered her breast again.

Luo Dong instinctively leaned in and took a suck.

His eyes lit up at once.

Sweet.

Delicately sweet.

It wasn't the cloying sweetness of sugar, but a light, natural sweetness, like a little honey mixed into mountain spring water. It slid over his tongue, leaving a faint fragrance in his mouth.

The milk had also grown richer and smoother thanks to the Spirit Milk. It flowed warmly down his throat, so soothing that his whole body shivered.

He sucked hard, smacking his lips as his little mouth moved faster than ever. He ate with more gusto than he had before.

Bibi Dong lowered her gaze to the little fellow gulping down his milk in her arms, a smile rising at the corners of her mouth.

It seemed the Immortal Herb was remarkably effective. The child was enjoying himself so much; it had to taste wonderful.

Bibi Dong gently patted his back, afraid he might choke from eating too quickly.

Smack, smack...

After eating for quite a while, Luo Dong swallowed the last mouthful of Spirit Milk-laced milk and let out a satisfied burp.

With his belly full, sleepiness surged over him like the tide.

He gave a tiny yawn, opening his mouth wide and showing his pink gums.

His eyelashes fluttered a few times, then finally closed.

His breathing grew deep and even.

A faint sweet fragrance still lingered in his mouth.

Bibi Dong laid him on the bed and tucked the little blanket around him.

Luo Dong rolled over in his sleep, burying his little face in the pillow, and slept even more deeply.

The night passed quietly like that.

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the course of that year,

Bibi Dong's life followed a very simple routine, so simple it was almost monotonous.

From morning until night, she fed the child her delicious milk, gave him gentle baths, played with him, and soothed him to sleep.

Day after day, she did these small, repetitive things that seemed insignificant to anyone else.

Whenever the system issued a task, she completed it conscientiously. Even when it didn't issue one, she carried on regardless.

She no longer needed the system to tell her how to be a mother.

When feeding him, she supported the back of Luo Dong's head with her arm, letting him lie in her embrace in the most comfortable position.

When bathing him, she tested the water temperature beforehand and arranged everything within easy reach.

When Luo Dong cried, she could now tell what was wrong.

Sometimes Luo Dong woke up during the night.

She never got irritated. She picked him up and gently patted him, humming the only lullaby she knew until he fell asleep again, then laid him back in his bed.

Over the course of that year, the system issued tasks from time to time.

Aside from the initial task, which had rewarded her with a one-level increase, the other rewards had all been Soul Bones, special items, or spirit herbs and medicines.

She broke through the threshold of Level 90 before Luo Dong turned one.