Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

This was meticulously sketched by him, a miniature version of a white jade bear.

Jiang Ning swiftly activated his Spiritual Power, and a steel pen in the pen holder floated up, its cap removing itself autonomously. It ascended to the ceiling and stood erect in midair.

Its sharp stainless steel tip aimed at the white jade bear, and the next second, with a speed too fast for the naked eye to capture, it stabbed towards the white jade bear.

Such a sharp attack, if it were to strike a human body, would surely penetrate easily, causing severe injuries, or even death.

However, just before the swift pen could hit the white jade bear, a circle of invisible Spiritual Power barrier popped up, and the pen, which seemed to penetrate everything, slid past as if it had encountered an extremely slippery barrier.

Jiang Ning nodded slightly, quite satisfied.

While he was carving the white jade bear, he had engraved a Protective Array he recently researched into it, then consolidated it with Spiritual Power to protect the wearer.

Geng Lu had been pretty good to him, and since engraving the array wasn't too much trouble, he had put in some effort.

As of now, the jade stones with protective effects had been given out to six people in total, namely, his parents, Xue Yuantong, Shao Shuangshuang, Aunt Gu, and Xue Chuchu.

This was the seventh piece.

Jiang Ning turned his head and looked out the window, it was dusk; the sun was setting, and a haze seemed to rise in the gloomy sky.

Since his return nearly a year ago, he had given out seven protective jade stones, meaning, these seven people would almost never suffer from accidental misfortunes again.

On the desk, not only was there one white jade bear, but also another lively-looking white jade tiger, which Bai Yuxia had requested him to make.

As for that piece, Jiang Ning did not imprint an array on it.

"Jiang Ning, Jiang Ning, it's time to go to school!"

"Aren't you leaving? Do you want me to cycle you there?" Xue Yuantong's voice echoed in the yard, and her figure soon appeared at the door.

Jiang Ning brushed his hand, and stored the two jade carvings into a square wooden box.

"Let's go."

...

Class 8's classroom was brightly lit.

Jiang Ning entered through the front door, where most of the students had already arrived, and Dan Xiao was sitting at a desk by the lecture platform, studying in his simple school uniform.

After settling into his seat, Jiang Ning tidied up his desk and turned out the textbooks he planned to read that evening.

Then, he took out a wooden box.

Geng Lu hadn't arrived in class yet, so he decided to give Bai Yuxia's jade carving to her first.

Bai Yuxia was talking with Chen Siyu. They had gone to Nan City over the weekend, visited an exhibition hall, climbed mountains, and in the evening, took a lively and bustling boat cruise.

They also bought clothes and tried local specialties like Plum Blossom Cake, pressed duck, and phoenix-tail shrimp, among others.

Xue Yuantong quietly listened to their conversation, especially when they talked about food, she subtly swallowed, though she thought the meals she cooked might taste better.

Bai Yuxia turned slightly, her short-sleeve design was quite unique, it was predominantly white, and from the sleeve to the chest, there was a painted blooming peach blossom, exuding an ancient charm.

Seeing Xue Yuantong staring at her clothes, Bai Yuxia curled her lips, revealing shallow dimples, "Pretty, isn't it? I bought it in Nan City."

It was indeed attractive, and no compliments were needed. The increased looks from Dan Kaiquan across the river, by 50% more than usual, were sufficient to prove the excellence of the garment.

Bai Yuxia took out a carrier bag, from which she extracted a smaller bag:

"Tongtong, when we were in Nan City, Siyu and I picked up some jelly cakes for you en route. They were kept under ice all this time. This kind of jelly cake isn't available in Yuzhou, so I brought some for you to taste."

Xue Yuantong's eyes lit up, "You're so nice!"

Chen Siyu then handed over a slim paper box, "Jiang Ning, since you like to read books, I bought you a bookmark; you can use it in your books from now on."

Jiang Ning accepted it.

Then, Bai Yuxia pulled out another box, "Jiang Ning, the last time we talked, I heard you like tea. Inside here is Rain Flower Tea from Nan City; you should try it."

Jiang Ning glanced at the box and slightly used his Divine Sense, he said, "It's a bit expensive."

The quality of this Rain Flower Tea was good, and just buying it would cost around three to four hundred, which definitely wasn't cheap for high school students.

"Expensive, isn't it?" Bai Yuxia smiled meaningfully.

Seeing her smile, Jiang Ning guessed something and promptly pushed forward the square wooden box, "Little tiger jade pendant, just carved. Take it."

He then looked at the gift Bai Yuxia had brought and felt her thoughtfulness.

With this jar of Rain Flower Tea, it indeed matched the value of the little white jade tiger.

Bai Yuxia opened the box, and a lifelike, soft and cute little tiger came into view.

"The carving is really good." She truly admired it.

Deskmate Chen Siyu immediately said after seeing it, "Isn't this what Jiang Ning you posted on QQ Space?"

Jiang Ning replied, "Nonsense, I posted a rabbit in my space."

Chen Siyu asked, "Then how did a little tiger appear now?"

Bai Yuxia answered, "Of course, I had it customized."

"Ah, it can be customized?" Chen Siyu was amazed; all she thought was that it looked good without considering much else.

Bai Yuxia felt that the picture in the space suited her taste, so she intuitively reached out to Jiang Ning, and indeed, it could be customized.

Bai Yuxia took the little tiger in her hand. It wasn't very big, only as thick as her fingers; it sat in her palm complementing her slender, fair fingers beautifully.

She put on the smoky purple bracelet on her wrist and showed it off to Chen Siyu.

The jade beads on the bracelet were of a light smoky purple, ethereal like mist, extravagant and grand, with the pure white little tiger adding charm; it was particularly suitable for young girls, especially someone beautiful like Bai Yuxia.

Seeing this, Chen Siyu felt envious. The delicate ornament was very popular amongst girls.

"Jiang Ning, do you still have time to carve?" Chen Siyu asked eagerly; she too wanted one.

"I still have a few blocks at home; if there's no error during carving and if I'm lucky, I can make two more," Jiang Ning did not immediately agree.

"That's great," Chen Siyu sighed with relief, "Can you carve one for me?"

Jiang Ning asked, "What shape of jade pendant do you want?"

Chen Siyu thought for a few seconds, slightly hesitant, and finally said, "Jiang Ning, wait for me to consult with my sister."

...

At the doorway, Wu Xiaoqi entered the classroom holding a basketball, walking confidently with his chest puffed out, his vest almost soaked through, yet the look on his face was uncontainable.

"Xiao Qi, did your match end?" Dan Xiao asked, "What was the result?"

Wu Xiaoqi patted the basketball and solemnly declared, "Successful as expected!"

He had organized a basketball game between the first-year and second-year students.

Dan Xiao congratulated him, "Then the MVP must be you."

Wu Xiaoqi held his head even higher: "Is that even a question?"

Dan Xiao praised, "Wu Xiaoqi, you're a true basketball genius. Your future achievements are limitless as long as you keep this up. One day, I'll definitely see you on the NBA courts!"

"Xiao Qi, keep it up!"

Dan Xiao's words were full of passion, making Wu Xiaoqi aspire, as if he were already competing with international stars on the NBA court.

Wu Xiaoqi, wearing his limited edition basketball shoes, replied, "Dan Xiao, only you understand me."

Dan Xiao said, "I am just a witness to this great era."

Dan Xiao's words were very pleasing, making Wu Xiaoqi's heart blossom. Normally, every time he entered the classroom, it was like being in prison, but now he looked forward to it.

Truly, he was his soulmate.

Wu Xiaoqi squeezed past Pang Jiao's robust back to his seat, embracing the basketball, with a newfound faith ignited within him. Even in darkness, he would strive to shine because someone always expected him to.

Soon after, Huang Yuzhu walked up to the podium, picked up the eraser, and began cleaning the chalk off the blackboard.

Cleaning often covered him in chalk dust - a task many students were reluctant to do, yet Huang Yuzhu always silently took it upon himself.

He never did this task half-heartedly but instead with utmost seriousness, leaving the board spotlessly clean every time.

After he was done, he even tidied up the podium.

Dan Xiao revealed his simple and honest smile again, "Yu Zhu, you're a good person. In all my years of schooling, I've never seen a more conscientious student than you. You're sure to be successful in the future!"

In class, Dan Xiao was always kind and frequently praised and encouraged others, which made many classmates think highly of him.

When he praised someone, his expression was utterly sincere, and his eyes glowed warmly.

However, not everyone thought highly of him.

Yu Wen, who was cutting her nails, gave him a sidelong glance and said disdainfully,

"Dan Xiao, do you realize that you come off as quite hypocritical when you keep praising others like this?"

Yu Wen's voice was loud enough for the students in the front rows to hear, making the situation suddenly awkward. Huang Yuzhu, holding the eraser, didn't know whether to put it down or not.

Cut off by her remark, Dan Xiao paused, the awkwardness showing perfectly on his honest face.

He stifled his response for a moment, then responded with a strained voice, "When have I ever praised people randomly? I've never praised you!"