She Dominates the Immortal Realm with Her HP Bar

The winter days were short, and the cold stretched on endlessly.

But Yan Luoyue, being a baby, spent her days eating, drinking, sleeping, and gleaning bits of information from the conversations between Yan Yu and Yan Gan. Her life was rather leisurely.

On a particularly fine winter day, Yan Gan decided it was time to teach Yan Luoyue how to speak.

For the children of the demon clan, there is an adaptation period after they take on human form.

During this time, they gradually learn to master their movements, balance, and even their ability to speak in their human bodies.

Though, judging by the date of Yan Luoyue’s hatching, she shouldn’t have been able to handle such an advanced skill as “speaking human language.”

But since she had transformed into human form earlier than other little turtles, Yan Gan couldn’t help but wonder: What if?

What if his little sister was a divine turtle who could learn to speak in no time? Then she could lie in her cradle, watch him crack sunflower seeds, and chat with him.

This was why he was crouched in front of Yan Luoyue today, babbling incessantly about her name.

“Little sister, do you know what your name is? You’re called Yan Luoyue, which means ‘the wood of the falling moon’—oh, you probably don’t know what the falling moon is yet. Hmm, let me think. The thing you see in the sky every night, that’s the ‘moon.’”

Yan Gan patiently taught Yan Luoyue syllable by syllable.

“Come on, repeat after me, ‘yue——’.”

Yan Luoyue: “……”

Yan Luoyue had initially opened her mouth, but after hearing Yan Gan’s drawn-out and exaggerated demonstration, she decisively closed it again.

To be honest, she felt subtly mocked.

Yan Luoyue really wanted to tell Yan Gan, “Brother, do you know you have a bit of a southern Yellow River accent?”

Yan Gan, completely oblivious, gently poked the soft back of Yan Luoyue’s hand, carefully pressing a little dimple into her skin.

“Come on, say it with me, ‘yue——’.”

Yan Luoyue remained resolutely silent.

“Say it, ‘yue——’.”

Yan Luoyue was determined to hold her ground.

After being pestered by Yan Gan’s endless “yue——yue——yue——” for about twenty repetitions, Yan Luoyue finally couldn’t take it anymore.

She clenched her tiny fists, gathered her energy, and with a deep, serious, and suppressed tone, she uttered a single, perfectly pronounced word.

Yan Luoyue said, “Gan!”

Yan Gan’s eyes widened in shock!

Yan Luoyue let out a slow, smug little hum, thinking to herself: How about that? Yan Gan should now understand the meaning of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

But to her surprise, the next second, Yan Gan lifted her up under her arms, like a mountain spirit holding up a newborn lion cub, and raised her high into the air!

Yan Gan was overjoyed: “I knew it! My little baby remembers her big brother!”

He happily shook the baby in his hands. “You even know how to say my name! Did you practice in secret? Brother loves you so much, Luoyue. You’re the best little turtle baby!”

Yan Luoyue: “……”

What Yan Luoyue didn’t realize was that, with her baby voice, no matter how much she tried to lower her tone, it would never sound as “deep, serious, and suppressed” as she intended.

From Yan Gan’s perspective, his little sister had clenched her fists, looking very determined, and with the most adorable, heart-melting voice, she had called out his name.

Oh, it was too cute, too sweet! Who could resist such a precious little turtle baby?

That afternoon, Yan Yu returned home for a brief visit.

From a distance, she could hear voices inside the house, and when she stepped over the threshold, she found Yan Gan teaching Yan Luoyue to speak.

Yan Gan was enthusiastically chanting, “Yue!”

Yan Luoyue, sounding utterly exhausted, replied, “Gan.”

Yan Gan, beaming with joy, said, “Yue——”

Yan Luoyue, her eyes lifeless, responded, “Gan——”

“Yue~~~~”

“Gan!!!”

Yan Yu: “……”

To be honest, when Yan Yu realized that the first name Yan Luoyue had learned to say wasn’t hers but Yan Gan’s, she felt a slight pang of jealousy, like a pebble dropping into a lake, sending ripples across the surface.

However, after quietly observing for a few minutes, Yan Yu couldn’t help but feel that something about the scene was a bit odd.

Where was this strange feeling coming from?

Was it Yan Luoyue’s expression of utter despair? Or the tone of her voice, filled with hopelessness? Or perhaps her half-dead sitting posture?

Yan Yu was puzzled.

And what baffled her the most was why, as she listened, she began to sense a subtle undercurrent of mutual harm in their exchange.

Ah, she couldn’t figure it out.

That night, as Yan Yu and Yan Gan sat under the lamplight stringing dried fish, they discussed the matter.

Yan Yu said, “Teaching Luoyue to speak today reminded me of something. Most of the turtle eggs in the clan have hatched. In a few days, I’ll take Luoyue to the incubation room during the day.”

In her swaddle, the drowsy Yan Luoyue suddenly perked up.

She quietly turned her face toward Yan Yu and pricked up her little ears.

Yan Gan was momentarily taken aback, his tone tinged with reluctance.

“Sister Yu, it usually takes newborn turtles at least a year or two to learn how to transform. Why take Luoyue to the incubation room? There’s no one to talk to her there. She’ll get bored.”

Yan Yu saw right through him. “If you’re worried about Luoyue having no one to talk to, you can come to the incubation room with her.”

“…I’m not going.”

Yan Gan’s hands moved swiftly as he threaded the dried fish, but his tone was slow and dragging, completely at odds with his actions.

“That place is full of newly hatched babies and aunties. If they see me carrying my little sister, they’ll definitely tease me—no way I’m going.”

Turtle demons are generally easygoing, following their natural instincts, and they have a habit of hibernating during winter.

At this time of year, the only ones not hibernating were the clan members on duty and the mothers waiting for their eggs to hatch.

Where there are a lot of aunties, there’s bound to be a lot of gossip.

Without even experiencing it firsthand, Yan Gan could imagine the teasing and jokes he’d endure if he showed up at the incubation room carrying his little sister, talking to her and feeding her.

A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy is at that age where his pride is most fragile, and he cares deeply about appearances. So… he wasn’t going to the incubation room.

He glanced down at Yan Luoyue on the table, and it seemed as though she could sense his thoughts, waving her little hands and babbling.

Yan Luoyue: “Pu, bu… no, no Gan, no Gan…”

Yan Yu: “……”

Yan Yu looked suspiciously at Yan Luoyue, then at Yan Gan, and asked in confusion,

“What does this mean? Is it that she only knows how to say your name, or that she doesn’t want to go to the incubation room, or that she doesn’t want you to take care of her anymore?”

Yan Gan stiffened and declared firmly, “How could my little sister not want me to take care of her? She definitely doesn’t want to go to the incubation room!”

“Whether she wants to or not, she’s going.”

Yan Yu tossed the strung fish into a basket, sounding like a parent determined to send their child to cram school.

“Seeing you teach her to speak today made me realize something. If Luoyue continues like this, there might be a problem.”

“Huh?” Yan Gan straightened his back. “What problem?”

Yan Yu stopped what she was doing and looked directly at Yan Gan.

“You know, Luoyue was born in human form…”

Yan Gan was puzzled. “Isn’t that a good thing? Other baby turtles have to spend months learning how to transform!”

Yan Luoyue, listening nearby, nodded silently.

Yan Yu spoke slowly and deliberately, “Yes, other turtle babies have to learn to transform into humans. But can Luoyue transform into a turtle?”

“……”

This question hit the mark, striking right at the heart of the matter… leaving Yan Luoyue speechless.

That’s right! She was indeed a turtle in this life, but how exactly was she supposed to transform into her turtle form?

Yan Gan swallowed hard and said uncertainly, “Transforming into our turtle form is instinctive. She probably, maybe, doesn’t need to learn it… right?”

Seeing Yan Luoyue’s little face scrunch up in confusion, Yan Gan’s last “right” came out particularly weakly.

“That’s why I need to take Luoyue to the incubation room. The babies there are all in their turtle forms. Maybe seeing them will help her figure it out.”

Yan Yu sighed deeply, feeling the weight of her responsibilities.

“Uncle Feng and his wife passed away early, and with them gone, there’s no one to verify Luoyue’s identity through bloodline testing. If she had hatched in her turtle form, it would have been fine, but she was born in human form.”

"Everyone is hibernating now, and with no one in charge in the clan, this matter hasn’t been brought up. But once the hibernation period is over, if Luoyue is still like this, then I’m afraid..."

At this point, Yan Yu lowered her eyes, her expression filled with worry as she set down the braided fish skewers.

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum: "Cuckoos taking over the nests, cuckoos stealing the eggs... Since ancient times, tampering with eggs to confuse bloodlines has been all too common. Little brother, you wouldn’t want Luoyue to be treated as a spy, would you?"

"..."

Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, the last trace of Yan Gan’s stubbornness faded away.

He looked at Yan Yu for a moment, then mustered up the courage to ask nervously:

"Sister Yu, um, I’m just asking, no other meaning... ahem, in our clan, what usually happens if someone is suspected of being a spy?"

When Yan Yu looked up, she was met with two pairs of wide eyes staring at her—one big, one small.

Yan Gan held his breath nervously.

Yan Luoyue’s eyes were wide open, and her tiny fists were clenched tightly.

Faced with her younger siblings’ gazes, Yan Yu instinctively softened her tone and said gently:

"Don’t be afraid. From what I know, if the Brown-headed Birds or the Cuckoos discover something like this, they hang the body on the fence as a warning to others. But our turtle clan doesn’t have such cruel customs."

Yan Yu said nonchalantly: "If we come across someone whose origins are unclear and suspected of being a spy, we just throw them into the dungeon for fifty years, sending food once every seven days."

Yan Luoyue: "!!!"

Fifty years? That harsh?

Yan Yu, however, continued as if it were no big deal:

"If they’re still alive after fifty years and look young, then they’re definitely one of us. If they’re dead or have aged significantly, then they must have been a spy."

Yan Luoyue: "..."

Oh...

This method of identification is both lengthy and efficient, and it’s so uniquely turtle-clan in flavor...

Before Yan Luoyue could finish her thought, Yan Gan beside her slumped his shoulders and let out a long, relieved sigh.

"Phew, that’s good. I thought something terrible was going to happen... Turns out it’s just fifty years in the dungeon."

Yan Luoyue: "???"

When I typed those question marks, was it because I have a problem, or is it because your turtle-clan’s sense of time is completely messed up???

Yan Gan had completely relaxed by now, chuckling as he picked up Yan Luoyue and rocked her gently in his arms.

"It’s okay, little sister. Big brother knows you’re definitely one of us. Even if you can’t prove your identity later, don’t be scared. Fifty years is nothing. I’ll bring you food and visit you often..."

Yan Luoyue: "???"

No, fifty years is NOT nothing, big bro!

Now she was certain—it was definitely the turtle clan’s sense of time that was completely out of whack!

Yan Gan continued in that soothing, baby-talk tone, speaking gently to Yan Luoyue.

But instead of feeling comforted, Yan Luoyue felt a chill run down her spine, her hair standing on end.

Yan Gan: "The dungeon is quite damp, but the environment is nice, very livable."

Yan Luoyue: "..."

Her mind raced with images of rheumatism, bone pain, and swollen joints—all the ailments that come with such an environment.

Yan Gan: "Food only once every seven days is a bit lazy. But don’t worry, big brother will definitely bring you food. Plus, there are lots of bugs in the dungeon, and they come in all kinds. Our Luoyue is so smart—she’ll quickly learn how to catch her own snacks."

Yan Luoyue: "..."

No, she won’t! Being smart isn’t for that kind of thing!

Seeing Yan Gan gently patting her swaddle, his lips parting as if to say more, Yan Luoyue decisively reached out with her tiny hands and slapped them over his mouth.

—Bro, you’re my real brother, please, just stop talking!

Tomorrow, she’d go with Sister Yu to the hatchery. Even if a thousand baby turtles crawled all over her, she’d learn how to turn into a turtle.

The future Yan Gan was painting for her was just too horrifying!!