(This is a non-canon Christmas special!)

  The air in Dai’s home was thick with the rich scent of roasted boar and mulled spices, a warm and welcome shield against the biting winter frost that painted crystalline patterns on the windowpanes. A great fire roared in the hearth, its flames casting dancing shadows on the faces of the small group huddled together on worn, comfortable couches.

  A laugh like a minor rockslide erupted from Dai, making the wooden cups on the table rattle. He slapped his knee, his eyes twinkling as he looked at the three disciples. "I didn't know you had two beauties by your side, Bi Kan! With Sister Mei and Sister Xia, your line is definitely secured!"

  Lin, who had been solemnly watching the fire, turned her head and fixed her father with an intensely disapproving glare.

  Before Bi Kan could even formulate a response, the air next to him crackled.

  "Hey!" Ying Xia was on her feet in an instant, a ripple of golden light solidifying into her Dragon-Fang Spear. "I'm not some trophy Bi Kan wields! Mind your tongue, Dai!" She lunged, the spear's tip a blur of deadly intent aimed right for the hunter’s chest.

  A gentle hand, wreathed in a soft, lilac-colored Qi, moved to intercept the thrust. Ming Mei met the spearhead with her open palm, the force of the attack dissipating harmlessly against her tempered skin. "Xia! Stop it, he was just joking around with us!" Despite her calm words, a delicate pink flush had crept up her cheeks, betraying her flustered state.

  "Seriously, Dai, you do know how to rile people up," Bi Kan said plainly, his voice a low monotone. He stood, placing a hand on Ying Xia's shoulder and pushing her back down onto the couch with surprising firmness. "Relax. You're too fired up for such a winter day."

  Ying Xia huffed, making her spear vanish as she crossed her arms. "Shut your trap, you walking zombie! You don't look very festive either, with those dark circles under your eyes!"

  "I-I think you look great, Bi Kan," Mei chimed in softly, her gaze quickly darting away. "Despite your tiredness!"

  Their bickering only made Dai’s snickering grow louder.

  Suddenly, Ming Mei’s head snapped to the side, her gentle expression replaced by one of sharp focus. An immense pressure, ancient and cold, washed over her senses. Ying Xia felt it a moment later, her playful anger vanishing as she and Bi Kan turned in the same direction.

  "You felt that too, Mei?" Ying Xia whispered, her hand hovering in the air, ready to summon her weapon.

  A few seconds later, Lin’s eyes followed their gazes, her small hand instinctively reaching for the hand axe at her waist.

  "What's happening?" Dai asked, his laughter dying in his throat.

  The fire in the hearth guttered as if hit by a sudden downdraft. A frigid gust of wind howled through the room, extinguishing the candles and plunging them into semi-darkness. Snow began to swirl, not outside the window, but inside the house, a blizzard materializing from thin air.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Lin, stay with me!" Bi Kan reacted instantly, wrapping his arms around the little girl and gripping her tight against the sudden, unnatural cold.

  A wild, predatory grin split Ying Xia's face. She spun on her heel, her golden spear gleaming in the dim light. "Come at me, Yeti Monster!" With a battle cry, she charged headfirst into the swirling vortex of snow.

  "Xia!" Ming Mei yelled, reaching out to grab her wrist, but her fingers closed on empty, freezing air. The blizzard swallowed them both.

  "Damn it... those two." The storm raged around them, obscuring everything. Lin looked up at Bi Kan, her teeth chattering. "It's so cold... and my dad, where did he go...?"

  Bi Kan narrowed his eyes, his own Qi flaring to create a small pocket of warmth around them. "Don't worry," he said, his voice a steady anchor in the chaos. "We'll find your dad..."

  Just as quickly as it began, the blizzard vanished. The room was the same, yet utterly different.

  Ying Xia was pinned to the floor, a hoofed creature with magnificent antlers and a nose that glowed with a soft, red light standing triumphantly on her back.

  "H-Help! This beast is ridiculing me, Bi Kan!" she wheezed, her face pressed against the wooden planks.

  A group of tiny people with pointed ears and green hats were scurrying around the furniture, letting out high-pitched giggles. Ming Mei was in hot pursuit, her hands outstretched. "W-Wait up! You cute creatures!" she called out, completely captivated.

  And there, by the now-roaring fire, stood Dai. He was laughing heartily with another individual—a large, jovial man clothed in impossibly rich red furs, his beard a cascade of glowing white that framed a beaming smile.

  "What the..." Bi Kan breathed, his mind struggling to process the sheer absurdity of the scene.

  "Dad!" Lin squeezed out of Bi Kan's grip and ran towards Dai, hugging his leg tightly.

  Bi Kan’s cultivator instincts took over. He strode forward, his hands clasped together in a formal, respectful gesture. "Forgive my intrusion, but who might this senior be?" His senses screamed at him. The man in red had no discernible cultivation aura, yet the pressure he exuded was a placid ocean compared to a Grand Elder's pond. H-His level, I can't tell what it is... Golden Core? Or... beyond?

  Suddenly, brightly wrapped gifts popped into existence. One appeared in Ming Mei’s hands as she finally caught an elf, and another materialized right beside Ying Xia's crushed form.

  "Ngh... ooh! A gift!" she yelled. The weight on her back vanished. With a roar, she kicked the reindeer, sending it stumbling back with a surprised bleat.

  "Oh no! Rudolph, I told you not to step on people!" the man in red chided gently.

  Bi Kan tapped his foot against the floor, a flicker of irritation on his face. He hadn't received a gift. "You haven't answered my question, old man."

  A low growl, ancient and filled with primal dread, echoed in the depths of his Soul Sea. "Don't agitate him, Bi Kan," the Celestial Wolf's voice was tight with a tension he'd never heard before. "He surpasses even me!"

  The figure in red let out a laugh that sounded like sleigh bells and warm fireplaces. He floated into the air, the laws of gravity seemingly a polite suggestion he chose to ignore. With a snap of his fingers, multitudes of gifts began to fall from the ceiling like colorful snow.

  "Ho! Ho! Ho! I am Father Christmas, that is!"

  Ying Xia and Ming Mei lined up side-by-side, their faces alight with pure, childish joy as they held up their presents.

  "Merry Christmas, everybody!" they cheered in unison.

  Bi Kan slouched, letting out a long, weary sigh as he planted his palm against his face, the picture of exhaustion amidst the inexplicable joy.

  "It's Christmas," he mumbled, his voice suddenly seeming to speak directly to someone far, far away. "What are you doing reading this on such a special day?"

  He shook his head slowly. "Either way, Happy Holidays, Everyone."