Lullaby

After Bibi Dong laid Luo Dong on the bed, she slowly clenched her fists and felt the Soul Power surging through her body.

That power had grown by more than a little. As it flowed through her meridians, it carried a sense of fullness unlike anything she had ever felt before.

A rare smile appeared on her face.

Then she looked at Luo Dong on the bed.

Luo Dong had just finished his bath and felt wonderfully refreshed.

A soft, dry towel wrapped him up snugly, leaving only his rosy little face exposed.

He sensed Bibi Dong looking at him and immediately broke into a grin. Two little hands poked through the gap in the towel and waved wildly toward her, as if he were trying to catch a flower.

His tiny fists were clenched tight. His waving was completely haphazard, yet there was an unmistakable liveliness to it.

He waved his hands while making happy little babbling sounds, his face full of the contentment and comfort of a freshly bathed baby.

Watching those little hands wave toward her, Bibi Dong's smile deepened.

She reached out and lifted Luo Dong from the bed, carefully laid him flat, then untied the towel wrapped around him.

Some spots might not have been completely dried after his bath.

So she picked up another soft, dry cloth and carefully wiped the creases on his body again, along with the skin beneath his neck, his armpits, and the tops of his thighs.

Her movements were gentle and practiced. She had improved so much since the stiff, awkward way she had first fed him.

When she was done, she took a clean little blanket and wrapped him in it.

Luo Dong lay comfortably in his swaddling, then smiled at her again.

Bibi Dong reached out and brushed aside a few wisps of soft baby hair on his forehead. Her fingertips inadvertently skimmed across it.

The infant's skin was as tender as a peeled egg. The warm, soft sensation against her fingertips made her pause for a moment.

Bibi Dong withdrew her hand and turned to look out the window.

The sky had already darkened. The bell tower in distant Spirit City rang out the evening chimes. It was already dusk.

Bibi Dong looked at Luo Dong.

The little fellow had been full of energy just moments ago, but now he was starting to yawn.

His mouth opened wide, showing his pink gums. After yawning, his eyes narrowed, and he looked as if sleepiness had finally caught up with him.

It seemed to be his bedtime.

Bibi Dong recalled what Nurse Zhou had told her.

Infants spent most of each day sleeping, but they never slept for long at a time. They would wake every one or two shichen.

Eat their fill, sleep, wake up, eat again—that was their entire routine.

She was about to put Luo Dong down on the bed to sleep when the system panel in her mind suddenly lit up.

[Daily Quest Triggered]

[Quest: Mother's Lullaby]

[Quest Details: Your child has eaten his fill and enjoyed a lovely bath. It's time for him to sleep.

Sing a beautiful Lullaby in your gentle voice to coax your child to sleep, letting him drift off with a sense of comfort and warmth.]

[Quest Reward: Special Soul Power Liquefaction Method]

[Note: A Soul Master has a limited supply of Soul Power. After using a few Soul Skills, their Soul Power will be exhausted, and it will take a long time to recover.

The main benefit of cultivating the Soul Power Liquefaction Method is that it allows you to open a Dantian.

It rapidly condenses Soul Power in its normal gaseous state into an incomparably pure liquid form, which is stored in the Dantian within your body.

There is no upper limit to the amount of liquid Soul Power that can be stored. The more you store, the deeper your cultivation and the greater your strength.

At the same time, the condensed Soul Power Liquid can also gather in your chest and blend with your breast milk. When you feed your child, it will nourish his body and lay a perfect foundation for his future cultivation.]

Bibi Dong read the quest details on the panel, her gaze moving line by line.

Sing.

Coax him to sleep.

Her brows twitched slightly.

To be honest, she had never sung a Lullaby before.

After Qian Renxue was born, she had barely held her even a few times, let alone sung to her to help her sleep.

She had neither experience nor the slightest idea how to do it.

It felt a little strange.

But—she could give it a try.

She had already fed him and bathed him. What was so difficult about singing him to sleep?

If it made her stronger, she could learn to do all of it.

Besides, the way that child had smiled at her earlier had softened some place in her heart. Singing him to sleep didn't seem like something she would mind doing.

Then she saw what the reward was.

Her gaze stopped.

The Special Soul Power Liquefaction Method could open a Dantian.

Her pupils contracted slightly. She read the details over and over, word by word, three times.

What was a Soul Master's greatest limitation?

Soul Power. No matter what level of Soul Master you were, even if you were a Titled Douluo, your Soul Power had its limits.

Use a few high-level Soul Skills in a battle, and your Soul Power would be nearly depleted.

Once your Soul Power was exhausted, even the strongest Soul Master could only be at someone else's mercy.

And Soul Power recovered extremely slowly.

It was an ironclad rule that no Soul Master on the entire continent could break.

But this method rapidly condensed Soul Power from a gaseous state into a liquid one, storing it in an opened Dantian.

That was the same as breaking the ironclad rule outright.

If her Soul Power could flow without end, she could use her Soul Skills without restraint when fighting others.

Her actual combat strength would far exceed her current level.

It might even be possible to challenge higher-level Soul Masters across several ranks.

And because this pure liquid Soul Power was far denser than its gaseous form, the power of the Soul Skills she unleashed would increase dramatically as well.

That was far more terrifying than simply raising her level.

Bibi Dong suppressed the excitement churning within her and continued reading.

The condensed Soul Power Liquid could also blend into her breast milk. When she fed the child, it would nourish him in return and help build a strong foundation for his body.

She looked at Luo Dong on the bed.

The little fellow was gazing up at her with eyes like black grapes, a carefree smile on his face.

When she had fed him earlier, he had suckled intently. After his bath, he had happily waved at her. Now he was quietly waiting for her to sing him to sleep.

Bibi Dong took a deep breath and made her decision.

She sat down beside the bed and gathered Luo Dong, blanket and all, into her arms.

His little body was soft and warm. Leaning against her chest, he felt like a tiny furnace.

He looked up at her, making babbling sounds. One little hand wriggled out from the blanket, seized a lock of her hanging hair, and clutched it tightly.

Bibi Dong adjusted her hold, settling him in the crook of her arm in the most comfortable position.

Then she parted her lips and began to hum.

A Lullaby.

There was only one Lullaby she knew.

It was a tune from a long, long time ago, one her mother had hummed when Bibi Dong was still a little girl.

After her mother died, no one had ever sung to her again.

That tune had been sealed away in the depths of her memory for so long—so long that she thought she had forgotten it.

But the moment she parted her lips, the melody found its way back to her.

It was a very simple song.

There were no words, just a gentle melody, like ripples spreading across a lake as a soft breeze brushed its surface.

Her voice was soft and low, far gentler than when she usually spoke. It carried a tenderness that even she found unfamiliar.

Her singing was quiet, but steady.

Luo Dong lay in Bibi Dong's arms, listening to her gentle voice, and felt as if his whole body were floating.

Bibi Dong wasn't especially skilled at singing.

Some of the notes were slightly off, and the rhythm sped up and slowed down in places.

But her voice really was lovely.

Once its usual chill had melted away, her voice had a clear, pure quality, like spring water flowing from between stones.

It was neither ornate nor showy, yet it held a strength that made a person feel safe to the very core.

Luo Dong's eyelids grew heavier and heavier.