Go all out

Chapter 35: My Mom Is Here

One Second ★ Novel § Net.. Org】, read exciting novels for free with no pop-ups! When I looked outside, a familiar figure slowly emerged from the darkness. She wore a long white dress, her demeanor gentle yet indescribably noble. Her elegant long hair was pinned up, making her look like a young lady from ancient times. She looked into my eyes with such tenderness—it felt as if she could melt ice—and I froze, my eyes welling up with tears. “Mom…” I called out softly. She walked slowly toward me, reached out to touch my hair, and smiled. “Mm-hmm.” “Mom, why did you come here?” I asked, my heart filled with emotion. “I was worried about you, so I came to check on you,” she said softly. Her gentle voice made me want to cry. Meeting her again—this feeling was indescribable yet so simple: a mother’s love. I thought I’d never known it, and even if I had, it must have been just a fleeting moment. It turned out this feeling had always been right there with me, but I only realized it today. “Hmph! Have you forgotten the promise we made back then?” My master snorted coldly, glaring intently at my mom. “Xiaotian is all grown up now. There are some things you should tell him,” my mom said calmly, looking at my master. The Master glanced at me and gave a soft snort. My mom looked at me tenderly and asked softly, “Do you know about the drought nineteen years ago?” “Yeah, the Mountain God already told me,” I nodded. A hint of nostalgia flashed across my mom’s face. “Back then, the drought stretched for a hundred li in every direction—a once-in-several-centuries event. Even beings like us, with our supernatural forms, found it hard to endure. But thankfully, someone came along at that time…” “Was it Zhang Daoling?” I asked. “Yes. He said he was Zhang Daoling, and we believed him. After he arrived, he tracked down every spirit in these mountains and paid them a visit, one by one—and of course, he found me too. He said the Dragon Pearl from the Dragon Spring here had been stolen, which was why such a severe drought had struck. He warned that if the Dragon Pearl wasn’t returned to its rightful place, the drought would continue until this land turned into a barren, desolate desert.” “Did he find it?” I couldn’t help but ask. My mom shook her head. “Zhang Daoling had been here for three days and searched for two, but he didn’t find the person who took the Dragon Pearl. He couldn’t figure out who it was or track them down, so he had to find a temporary substitute for the Dragon Pearl. On the third day, Zhang Daoling began a ritual to channel the dragon energy from the heavens and transform the substitute into the real Dragon Pearl, but things didn’t go as smoothly as expected, and he was interrupted…” At this point, my mom paused for a moment. I was puzzled. How could Zhang Daoling’s ritual have been interrupted? Could it have been the person who took the Dragon Pearl? “The substitute Zhang Daoling had found actually shattered. Zhang Daoling said that someone’s ritual had disrupted the flow of the dragon energy from the heavens, causing a mistake during the most critical step—which is why it failed. At that point, Zhang Daoling became furious and disappeared for an afternoon; it seemed he went to find that person and take the Dragon Pearl back from him. We all thought he would succeed, but when he reappeared on the fourth day, he didn’t have the Dragon Pearl in his hands—instead, he was holding a baby…” At this point, my mom looked at me. “Did Zhang Daoling bring me back?” I was stunned. Then why did the rat spirit say that none of the spirits in the mountains knew my origins? “Yes, that’s you,” my mom nodded. I took a deep breath. My heart was filled with nothing but shock and indescribable horror. I’d always thought my own parents had abandoned me, but I never imagined I’d been brought back by Zhang Daoling. But where exactly had Zhang Daoling brought me from? “At that time, Zhang Daoling continued his ritual. This time, he faced no opposition whatsoever. He successfully transformed another substitute into a Dragon Pearl, then summoned a heavy snowfall with a celestial talisman. Before he left, Zhang Daoling found me and asked me to raise you until you came of age. It’s just that your master…” As she said this, a hint of coldness flashed across my mother’s face. “That’s right. I divined that he was destined for greatness and seemed to be connected to that man, so I wanted to train him!” My master didn’t deny it. “And I kept my end of the bargain by teaching him everything I knew. In that regard, I haven’t broken my promise to you!” “So what? Does that mean you can go ahead with your plan?” my mother said coldly. “Of course I have my own plans for raising him, and in the end, he’ll follow the path I’ve mapped out for him. It’s destined—no one can stop it,” my master said in a deep, solemn voice. Silence fell. My mom didn’t speak, but looked at me and sighed. I felt a mix of emotions. So my master had really read my fortune—he knew what I would go through in the future. His goal was clear: he wanted something from me. But what exactly would I go through in the future? And what was the connection between me and this “person” he kept mentioning? All of this made my breathing quicken. I felt that everything I’d believed before was wrong. I’d thought my master had taken me in out of pity, but it turned out to be nothing more than a transaction. “All right, the agreed-upon time has come. You must leave him!” my mother said coldly. “I’d do that even without you telling me. After all, his life is only just beginning, and he’ll face many challenges ahead. If I stay by his side, who knows how much trouble I’ll get dragged into!” My master shot my mom a glare, then fixed his gaze on me and spoke. “All right, you can go now. I know you’re confused and curious about why I raised you. I can tell you this simply: you’re not qualified to know any of this right now!” I remained silent. Indeed, what right did I have to know? I didn’t even know how to find Zhang Daoling—the man who had simply carried me home. He was the one who knew the most about me. My master had determined my fate through divination, but Zhang Daoling knew everything clearly—because he could tell me who my parents were. Looking at my mom, I felt like going out; my heart was heavy. My mom stroked my hair and motioned for me to wait a moment. “Shouldn’t you tell Xiaotian why you killed someone?” “Don’t you think you’ve talked too much today!” My master’s expression darkened. “Hmph. Back then, the four of you found this Longquan site specifically for that Dragon Pearl, didn’t you? So what—have you discovered something else in here now?” my mom said coldly. “That’s none of your concern,” my master said, shaking his head coldly. “Of course it’s none of my business. I just feel it’s a shame for those three. They were deceived by you for so long, and now they’ve even lost their lives. You really will stop at nothing to get what you want! And by the way, do you really think I don’t know what else used to be in this Dragon Spring site?” As she spoke, the corners of my mother’s mouth curled upward. “I’ve heard that Fu Xi, one of the Eight Sons of the Dragon, lived here for over a thousand years. It wasn’t until after that drought that he was forced to leave—rumor has it he went to the Yellow River. But before he left, he left behind something related to the legendary dragon—something that belonged to his own mother. Tell me, am I right?” My master immediately flew into a rage. “You can shut up now!” I was stunned. If even my mom was certain that Fu Xi had once lived here, then the legendary dragons might actually exist! But what could Fu Xi have left behind here related to the dragon—something so significant that my master was willing to kill four people to cover up this secret? My mother smiled. “But judging by your expression, after all these years of searching, you still haven’t found it, have you? No one has ever seen that Fu Xi. Whether it’s truly one of the Eight Sons of the Dragon remains a mystery—it’s practically just a rumor. I advise you to give it up! This time it was murder—what do you plan to do next? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?” My master’s expression was grim—one might even say terrifying. He was deathly pale, a consequence of breaking the taboo to cast a fortune for himself last time. It could also be said that his injuries were caused by the wolf he’d raised, acting on his own instructions. Looking at my master’s face now, I can still see it, yet I cannot decipher it. But the one thing I’m certain of is that even if Tian Zhan and Yin Fang were to find their way here, my master would not die. His fate is very unusual—I don’t know exactly what makes it so, but I’ve heard him mutter before that his fate is very “lowly.” Here, “lowly” refers to a specific fate—it could be said that my master has never had money and has been poor his entire life. Even though he knows what his fate is like, he can’t change anything about it. My mom gave a soft chuckle, took my hand, and led me out. I instinctively glanced back at the unfamiliar master and suddenly felt a bit of pity for him…