Elder Yue Ling slightly furrowed her brows and approached the little girl.
In truth, what actually happened was that Aotian swallowed the brief panic he felt and approached the little girl.
Gently caressing the girl's white hair, she spoke in a soft voice:
"Do you know what's happening?" she asked directly.
Bai Jingjing, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped back and looked, startled, toward the unfamiliar voice beside her.
Turning around, she saw a beautiful older sister with black hair and eyes. Upon noticing the robes she wore, the little girl immediately understood that she was a respected inner elder who had arrived at the sect with the other female elders only four days ago.
The girl stored the underwear in her storage ring, clasped her fists, and greeted,
"Bai Jingjing greets the elder," she said in a cute tone.
Yue Ling smiled softly and gently stroked the girl's white hair again.
"Jingjing, can you tell big sister if you know what's going on?" she asked once more, since the girl didn't seem to have paid much attention the first time.
The little girl quickly nodded.
"Elder sister… I think I made a mistake in my cultivation. For the past few days, something has been forming in my belly, and today it just started peeling and came out down below… elder sister, can you help check my body?" she asked adorably, though not intentionally.
In truth, the little girl was serious and confused, lost in thought as she tried to understand where she had gone wrong.
For a cultivator, it was easy to see what was happening inside one's own body, so Jingjing wasn't panicking — she felt nothing had been damaged.
Furthermore, since she also practiced body refinement, any pain unbearable to an ordinary woman was insignificant to her.
But being able to see didn't mean understanding all the mysteries of the body, and Jingjing didn't have enough knowledge to comprehend why that was happening. So, she concluded it must be some kind of cultivation problem.
"It's not that. This is something common among women when they reach a certain age. You don't need to worry," Yue Ling softened her tone as she explained, making Jingjing look at her in surprise.
"All female cultivators go through this?" she asked, puzzled.
"Not only cultivators, but women — even ordinary mortals. For the latter, it's actually much worse, since they lack the strength or cultivation to control their bodies, which causes pain, cramps, and mood swings."
"If it only happened once, it wouldn't be a problem, but this is a periodic event. It depends on the woman, but it usually happens once a month and lasts for a few days."
She explained calmly and naturally.
In Aotian's past life, this was common knowledge, and he felt no discomfort talking about it, as he knew it was the same in this world.
Female cultivators went through it too, as it was a basic process tied to the ability to conceive — something they didn't lose through cultivation.
"Hmm… elder sister, why does our body do that?" Jingjing suddenly interrupted Aotian's thoughts.
Yue Ling's lips twitched slightly. Knowing was one thing; explaining was another.
Although he could simply say it was because the girl could now bear children, the matter involved much more than that.
Smiling playfully and confidently, Yue Ling patted the little girl's small shoulder.
"Don't worry, there's a very important reason. Just wait here for a moment," she said with a smile, turned around, and left.
After leaving the room, she placed her hand on Bai Yan's shoulder — he had been listening the whole time, looking both embarrassed and confused.
It wasn't that he didn't know what was happening to his sister… he just felt too shy to talk about it.
After leading him out of the room and exiting the cave, Yue Ling finally faced him.
"This matter is important, and it really isn't ideal for a man to explain it to her. So, you did the right thing by seeking help." She nodded at the boy, who sighed in relief, and continued, "But I've just arrived at the sect, and it wouldn't be proper for me to handle it myself. It would be better if a woman she knows and trusts guided her. Wait here, I'll bring someone."
Hearing the elder's calm and confident words, Bai Yan nodded repeatedly, finding everything reasonable.
"Then I'll trouble the elder," he said sincerely, bowing to her.
Yue Ling merely waved her hand and, rising from the ground, departed confidently.
…
At the Sword Pavilion, a slightly frantic Yue Ling appeared.
'Uhh… what a problem.' Aotian groaned internally, quickly sweeping through the pavilion in search of his target.
He found her in a training hall, elegantly moving her bamboo-hilted sword, which seemed alive in her hands.
The sword was unsheathed, as she was no longer restricted by her previous cultivation level, and it no longer made sense to rely on trump cards like hiding and nurturing the blade within its sheath.
For her, who had already outgrown her previous limitations, it was far more beneficial to train sword techniques and cultivate toward a higher realm than to waste time on something that, after a long buildup, released only a single powerful strike — progressing slower than her own strength and consuming too much of her precious cultivation time.
Another change was that this was no longer her original sword — she had left it with the Bamboo Sword Sect, as it was a heritage weapon passed down through the sect's leaders. Having relinquished her position, it was only right that she left it behind.
However, this hadn't weakened her in the slightest, as the old sword's quality wasn't that high.
Of course, that was relative — in the Desert Continents, it would be considered a great treasure. But as an elder of the Infinite Dao Sect, artifacts of that level could be found lying on the ground, and she wouldn't even bother picking them up.
The sword she now wielded, with the same bamboo sheath and hilt as her old one, had been custom-made for her by the sect — but it was a Nascent-Tier artifact, countless times superior to her previous blade.
Even though she couldn't yet unleash the full power of the sword due to her low cultivation realm, it was still many times stronger than her old weapon.
As the girl swung the sword, a gust of wind rose around her.
Startled, she quickly slashed toward that direction.
But two slender, graceful fingers suddenly caught the blade midair, stopping it in place.
Seeing the face of the person before her, Jian Huiyin, who had been on guard, quickly relaxed.
Pulling back the sword and sheathing it at her waist, she clasped her fists and respectfully greeted the woman before her — an inner elder like herself, from the same pavilion.
"Huiyin greets Elder Yue Ling," she said respectfully, not finding it strange that her blade had been caught between two fingers or that the woman had approached so suddenly she only sensed it at the very last moment.
Everyone in the sect, including her, knew the elders were absolute and terrifying monsters.
And unlike the Bai siblings, she knew very well the name of that new elder.
Seeing the girl about to bow as she greeted her, Yue Ling placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"Sister Huiyin, there's no need for that. Besides the fact that we're both inner elders, even if you were an outer elder, it wouldn't be necessary," she said, shaking her head helplessly.
Aotian knew that Jian Huiyin had a certain inferiority complex and didn't feel worthy of the position she held. She had even suggested being demoted before, but Aotian didn't allow it.
It was good to have a female elder, and Huiyin, besides being talented in cultivation, was strict and meticulous in everything she did. As a former sect leader, she was extremely capable and qualified, so Aotian had no complaints.
Demoting her would be degrading and unfair, something that didn't align with Aotian's philosophy. If she didn't make mistakes, there was no reason for such an act.
"Elder Yue—" Huiyin began, but was interrupted.
"Just call me Sister Ling, no need to make things complicated," Yue Ling said naturally and confidently.
"Well then… Sister Ling, why did you come to find me?" With an expressionless face, Jian Huiyin showed only a faint ripple in her expression before returning to normal and asking.
Even so, it was clear she felt more at ease with the friendly Elder Yue Ling.
"Well, here's the thing. Do you know the girl Bai Jingjing?"
"Yes, I do. Sometimes she and Lin Xiaoxue come together to talk to me and ask about girl-related matters. Many of the sect's girls do the same, it's quite normal. Why do you ask, Sister Ling?"
"Good, that's perfect. Actually, here's the situation…"
…
Back at Bai Yan and Bai Jingjing's cave, a gentle breeze blew, and two beautiful women appeared.
Bai Yan quickly rushed to greet them and led them to his sister's room.
Upon arriving, Jian Huiyin stopped Bai Yan from entering and went in with Elder Yue Ling.
She approached Bai Jingjing, who was surprised by the sudden arrival of another elder — this time, a familiar one.
"Jingjing," Huiyin spoke directly, her tone indifferent, but the way she addressed her showed familiarity. "What happened to you — the bleeding from your vagina — is called menstruation."
She spoke bluntly, making Aotian's mouth twitch, but he quickly realized that, in fact, it was the right approach.
He still viewed things from a male perspective, but between women, such matters shouldn't be avoided. It was best to speak directly, just as men also spoke openly among themselves about certain topics.
Jian Huiyin continued:
"This bleeding happens because your body is ready to bear a child. When that doesn't happen after some time, the body expels the preparation and starts a new cycle."
Hearing that, Jingjing's eyes widened, and she touched her belly in alarm. Pregnancy was a distant concept for such a pure little girl, and learning that she could now get pregnant left her disoriented.
But after thinking for a moment, she froze.
"Uhh… Elder Jian, couldn't I get pregnant before? I thought all women could, I just didn't know how. By the way… how do you do it?" she asked innocently, blinking her big silver eyes.
Aotian's main body's mouth twitched even more. Fortunately, he had brought backup — that way, the question wasn't directed at him.
Still, he paid close attention to the answer, knowing that in the future, he might have to deal with similar situations, and by then, he would have to handle it himself.
"No, you couldn't before, but now you can. As for how it's done… well, back then, like you, I wasn't very sure either. When I asked, I remember my master got embarrassed explaining it. He said it required a man and a woman who liked each other. Since he was so flustered, I assumed it was something degrading, but later, as I grew up, became a sect leader, made enemies, and went through a lot, I learned more about the world and realized it was something normal."
"A man has something different between his legs, called…"
Jian Huiyin explained in full detail, while Aotian felt increasingly uncomfortable seeing the curious sparkle in the little girl's eyes as she listened.
He wondered if it was really appropriate to speak so directly about it, as Elder Jian was doing, and decided he would ask Rihai what she thought later.
"...Then he inserts that thing…"
"...For female cultivators, it's easy to deal with menstruation. When you feel it's about to start shedding, just destroy everything that would be expelled using your spiritual energy. You've already seen how it happens, so you can accelerate the process and let your body restart the cycle."
"...During this new phase of your life, your body will begin to grow more…"
"...You may start to feel new sensations, maybe even a strong attraction to the opposite sex. But just suppress those impulses with spiritual energy, and your life won't change much…"
"...Men can be very lewd and shameless, and can easily deceive you to get what they want. So I'll give you the same advice my master gave me, which has always worked. If any man tries to touch you, tell him to back off. If he insists, cut off his hand. If he speaks indecently to you, cut off his tongue. And if he does something worse, cut off his head — that'll solve it…"
And so, for the rest of the afternoon, Aotian listened to Jian Huiyin's "words of wisdom," nodding and mentally noting everything down to use in the future.
He also praised her late master in his thoughts, considering him a true genius.
'When Rihai and I have a daughter, I must give her such wise and valuable advice.'