The words of the gossip still rang in his mind. "She's just beauty with no brain... a mortal body... wasting pills..."
He stared at the moon through the open window. Its soft light bathed the wooden floor, but it brought no peace. Qingxue and Xiao Hu slept soundly beside him. Even their breathing felt comforting, but his chest remained heavy.
Suddenly, a quiet voice spoke from the corner of the room.
"You're thinking again."
It was Lady An, emerging slowly from the shadows of the pocket dimension. She sat by the window, folding her sleeves.
"Pain isn't always in the body, Yuan'er," she said. "Sometimes it hides in your silence."
Lin Yuan didn't respond at first. Then, softly: "Do you think I'm wasting their opportunity?"
Lady An looked at him, her eyes steady. "If your effort is real, nothing is wasted. Not even failure."
He bit his lip. "But I try so hard... and it's like I'm still behind."
"Because you compare yourself to those who never had to hide, never had to survive the way you did."
She stood and walked over. "You were born not just to walk a path, but to create one."
The next morning, Lin Yuan woke up with a strange calmness.
Lady Yuexian waited at the training grounds, her expression unreadable. Behind her, other disciples watched with skeptical eyes. Whispers followed him like always.
Today's lesson was a simple one: stone carving with spiritual intent.
Using Qi to shape stone into form. A test of control, vision, and soul balance.
Most students carved beautiful birds, swords, or flowers.
Lin Yuan, however, sat still for a long time. He didn't move.
Some laughed. "Is she asleep?"
But then—his fingers glowed faintly. Slowly, a shape emerged. Not delicate. Not flashy.
A simple mountain, with a single winding path carved along its side.
When he finished, it was nothing grand—but somehow, it felt solid. Like it had weight. Like it had endured.
The elders stared at it in silence.
Lady Yuexian smiled, then stood beside him. "Stability," she said aloud. "That is also a kind of art"
Even those who had whispered earlier fell quiet.
The morning sun glinted off the polished stone tiles of Moonmist Hall as Lady Yuexian led Lin Yuan into a secluded testing chamber. Ancient scripts on the walls shimmered faintly with spiritual energy.
"Stand there," she said, pointing to a platform carved with glowing runes.
As Lin Yuan stepped onto the testing array, light surged up around him. A pale golden aura wrapped around his body. The formation trembled, and the result emerged on a floating jade tablet: Treasure Body.
Lady Yuexian's lips curled into a soft smile. "See? This is the fruit of your hard work."
Lin Yuan blinked in disbelief.
She continued, "Tomorrow, you will go to class again. Listen to their harsh words—but don't react. This will be your next training: emotional control. Prove that your heart is stronger than their judgment."
He nodded solemnly.
"Also, from now on," she added, "you may let Xiao Hu and Qingxue appear in their human forms. If any elder asks, just tell them I gifted them to you as a prize."
She handed him a pouch. "Here's 1,000 ordinary spirit stones. Go to the city. Enjoy yourself."
Lin Yuan, Xiao Hu, and Qingxue walked openly into the city—no longer hiding, no longer pretending.
They held hands. They smiled. They laughed freely.
Qingxue transformed into her silver-haired human form, and Xiao Hu bounced around as a boy with lion-like eyes. No one questioned them.
Lin Yuan exhaled deeply and murmured, "The taste of freedom is very sweet."
A familiar voice echoed in his mind—Lady Mingyan's:
"Earning freedom is easy. Protecting it... that's very hard."
They entered a grand restaurant near the center of the city. Lin Yuan approached the clerk.
"I'd like to reserve a private room," he said. "Deliver every dish you have."
Once inside, Lin Yuan took out a stack of formation plates and activated one with a high-grade spirit stone. A shimmering barrier formed around the room.
Soon, dishes poured in—roasted spiritual beast, lotus-glazed chicken, cloud-steamed buns, and glowing fruit wine.
And then—four figures shimmered into existence.
His mothers had arrived.
Lady An, Lady Baihua, Lady Fengyan, and Lady Mingyan stepped out from the pocket dimension.
Xiao Hu and Qingxue cried out and ran to hug their respective mothers, clinging to their legs.
Lady An turned to Lin Yuan. "Don't you want to hug me too?"
He was about to step forward, but a teasing voice rang in his head.
"Come home and hug me," Lady Mingyan called.
Smiling, Lin Yuan walked to Lady Mingyan and hugged her tightly.
"I don't use magic or charm spells," she said playfully. "He just loves me the most."
Lady An sighed. "He follows your words like a puppet."
"Come on," said Lady Baihua. "We're starving like it's the end of the world."
"Let's eat quickly!" Lady Fengyan added.
They devoured everything. Then they ordered two whole spiritual cows, followed by a massive spirit fish that weighed a full 1,000 kilograms.
Lady An raised an eyebrow. "Mingyan, you're eating like Xiao Hu. Are you a cat now?"
"Yeah, Mom, you're like a hungry pig," Xiao Hu giggled.
Lady An shot him a sharp look.
Xiao Hu gasped and dashed behind her. "I'm sorry! It just came out of my mouth without permission!"
She pulled him onto her lap and tore small pieces of meat to feed him gently.
Lady Baihua, Lady Fengyan, and Lady Mingyan wiped their faces and sighed in satisfaction. It had been too long since they'd enjoyed a meal like this.
When the plates were empty, Lady An handed a scroll to Lin Yuan. "Give this formation diagram to your sect leader," she instructed. "And tell her, 'My mother said, if you're grateful to someone, give them a gift.'"
No long speeches. No heavy talk.
Just family.
Just food.
Just quiet joy.
Lady mingyan ask xaio hu and Lin Yuan to stand before her. Then she give a soul shaking roar. Lin Yuan start seeing star and sky.