Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

Just as Zhao Nuanyue was looking at the Dragon Scale, it suddenly erupted in a brilliant golden light. Specks of that light shot into the bodies of Zhao Nuanyue and the Little Red Carp.

Zhao Nuanyue suddenly felt a strange change within her body. The Dragon Scale’s disappearance didn’t stop her from being able to stay underwater; in fact, she felt even more comfortable than before. What truly made Zhao Nuanyue’s jaw drop was the Little Red Carp before her. It grew and grew at a visible rate. Then, its red scales transformed into a red bodice and red shorts. The round, plump Little Red Carp had actually turned into a toddler with two small pigtails, a round face, round eyes, a small mouth, and fair, delicate skin as smooth as dough.

’Oh my god!’

’Has the Little Red Carp become a spirit?’

Frightened, Zhao Nuanyue stumbled backward, her face a little pale. She stared, dumbfounded, and stammered, ”Little Red Carp, you... what happened to you? How did you turn into a person? Have you become a spirit?”

”Haha, Master, I became a spirit a long time ago.” The Little Red Carp looked at its own chubby white hands and feet, overjoyed. ”It’s just that now I can take human form. No wonder the old master said that if I helped you complete this task, I would gain merit and advance to the next level. I never thought I’d be able to take human form directly! From now on, I can leave the water and see the world outside.”

Hearing it was still the Little Red Carp’s voice and not some other demon, Zhao Nuanyue relaxed and pinched the Little Red Carp’s cheek. ”Wow, your skin is as delicate as a real child’s!”

”Of course! My current form is equivalent to a one-and-a-half-year-old human,” the Little Red Carp said cheerfully. ”Master, let’s go, let’s go! I can’t wait to see the world outside.”

The Little Red Carp used its arms and legs to swim ahead. Zhao Nuanyue didn’t dare to stay any longer. After one last look at the massive scale to confirm it was secure, she followed the Little Red Carp.

When they reached the Dragon Palace beneath the Dragon King Temple, Zhao Nuanyue finally caught up to the Little Red Carp.

The Little Red Carp was kowtowing before the statue of the Old Dragon King, so Zhao Nuanyue knelt and kowtowed to the Old Dragon King as well.

Just then, a wisp of Divine Thought drifted out from the statue. It was the kind-faced Old Dragon King.

”Zhao Nuan Yue, you have done well. You have completed the task I left behind,” the Old Dragon King said. ”Now I can finally rest in peace.”

Zhao Nuanyue was taken aback. ”Old Dragon King, you’ve been here all along?”

”I have already departed. This is merely a wisp of Divine Thought I left behind,” said the Old Dragon King. ”As your reward, besides making you more outstanding, beautiful, and healthy, I am also giving you the Little Red Carp. She will be a very cute child and will help you greatly. Treat her well, and she will surely bring you good fortune.”

Zhao Nuanyue was stunned again. Her reward was the Little Red Carp, who was now a one-and-a-half-year-old toddler.

Considering the bond she had formed with the Little Red Carp over the past year, Zhao Nuanyue gladly accepted. Although taking in the Little Red Carp would change her life, Zhao Nuanyue wasn’t afraid. ’I only wanted a younger brother, and now I have another... uh... or maybe a younger sister...’

’It’s nice to have another family member.’

”Thank you, Old Dragon King. From now on, the Little Red Carp, Nuanyang, and I are a family,” Zhao Nuanyue replied. ”Thank you again, Old Dragon King.”

The Old Dragon King nodded. ”Little Red Carp, nature’s spiritual energy is thin. It is impossible for you to cultivate into a dragon, nor can you leap the Dragon Gate. Therefore, you could only transform into a human. I hope you can experience a human life, taste the myriad states of the mortal world, and temper your will.”

”Yes, old master.” The Little Red Carp kowtowed again.

”You are both good and kind-hearted. I trust you will not use the abilities I have given you to do evil after I am gone. I only hope that you will perform more good deeds and accumulate merit. You will understand its use in the future. Well then, I am leaving now.” After speaking, the wisp of Divine Thought disappeared once more.

Zhao Nuanyue and the Little Red Carp knelt on the ground again, kowtowing to the Old Dragon King to respectfully see him off.

When the two looked up again, Zhao Nuanyue and the Little Red Carp stared at each other, at a loss for words.

Her companion had changed from a fish into a person. The whole thing was truly surreal.

”You...”

”You...”

Zhao Nuanyue and the Little Red Carp spoke at the same time, then fell silent at the same time.

”Master, you go first,” the Little Red Carp said, looking earnestly at Zhao Nuanyue as she sat cross-legged on the ground.

Finding the Little Red Carp more and more adorable, Zhao Nuanyue felt a rush of happy affection. ”Little Red Carp,” she asked, ”are you a boy or a girl?”

Hearing Zhao Nuanyue’s question, the Little Red Carp’s chubby white face actually turned a little shy. In a small voice, she said, ”Master, I’m a girl!”

’Oh, a girl is great! Now I don’t just have a younger brother, I have a younger sister too.’

”Oh, that’s wonderful!” Zhao Nuanyue said, delighted. ”Little Red Carp, since you’re going to live with me, don’t call me Master anymore. Call me ’Sister.’ Nuanyang is my younger brother, and you’ll be my younger sister.”

”Huh?” The Little Red Carp paused, a little embarrassed. ”Is... is that okay?”

”Yes, of course it’s okay,” Zhao Nuanyue explained hastily. ”This is a new era. The whole ’master’ and ’servant’ thing isn’t in style anymore. If you call me that, I could even get in trouble. Besides, even though you’ve always called me Master, I’ve never thought of you as my servant. Now that you’re a little girl, you’ll be my little sister.”

Hearing Zhao Nuanyue’s words, the Little Red Carp was thrilled and nodded repeatedly. ”Okay, Sister.”

”Right, ’Sister’ it is,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile. ”Oh, right, we need to come up with a backstory for you. I’ll say I found you by the river. And you’re only one and a half, so you can’t speak so coherently or clearly, or else people will think you’re a monster.”

”Mhm, I won’t talk much then,” the Little Red Carp nodded. ”I’ll just stick by Sister’s side. If anyone tries to take me away, I’ll just cry my heart out.”

”Exactly!” Zhao Nuanyue’s eyes lit up. ”You’re so smart. Oh no, Hua Yusen fainted by the river! I don’t know how he is. We need to get back quickly.”

The Little Red Carp swam out alongside Zhao Nuanyue.

When they reached the shore, Hua Yusen was still fast asleep.

”Little Red Carp, wake him up quickly,” Zhao Nuanyue said. ”It’d be best if he doesn’t even realize he fainted!”

”Mhm!” The Little Red Carp nodded. ”I know, Sister.”

Hua Yusen opened his eyes and saw Zhao Nuanyue not far from him. He immediately said, ”Nuanyue, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”

Zhao Nuanyue brought a chubby toddler out from behind her. ”I heard a child crying just now, so I came out to look. I found this little one by the water’s edge.”