Ren Zu walked toward the private courtyard where his father usually stayed. Compared to a year ago, the path there was even quieter. He encountered no servants outside, not even those who used to clear the snow in the morning. Only the soft sound of the wind passing through the barren trees filled the air.
The snow began to fall more heavily, slowly covering the stone path. Flakes accumulated on his shoulders and hair, but he felt no cold. Temperature meant nothing to a body tempered to the extreme.
He stopped before the door to the family courtyard and took a deep breath. Then, he called out calmly but firmly:
"Father, it's me. May I enter?"
The silence lasted a few seconds before a weak but familiar voice came from within:
"Zu'er? Come in."
Ren Zu opened the door and stepped inside.
The interior was warmed by a small brazier, but the sense of fragility in the air was stronger than he remembered. Yun Qinghong sat at the wooden table, his body slightly hunched, as if the simple act of sitting upright required effort. His hair showed more white strands, and his skin, once firm, now looked paler and weary.
Ren Zu observed his father in silence for a moment, but before he could say anything, a feminine voice, soft as a breeze, sounded from the other room.
"Zu'er? You finally came out of seclusion! Did you remember you have parents? Your mother was worried about you. If it weren't for your father, I would've gone to check on you and scolded you for not coming to see me before going into seclusion!"
Ren Zu turned toward the voice and saw it was his mother.
The years had left few marks on her body, but they seemed to have left many scars. Anyone could see that in her youth, she had been an unparalleled beauty. Her appearance was gentle and elegant, her demeanor graceful and noble, but not excessively so—it was as if she exuded a melancholic aura. A deep melancholy seemed etched between her brows and into her soul, so profound that even a thousand years couldn't erase it. Even an unfeeling person could clearly sense her suffering.
Her face showed the same paleness as Yun Qinghong's. Though she could walk, each step revealed noticeable weakness, and her eyes seemed veiled by a misty layer.
Her current state was slightly better than Yun Qinghong's… but not by much.
Mu Yurou crossed the room slowly, as if each step was calculated to hide her body's frailty. When she drew near, she stopped a few steps from Ren Zu and observed him silently for a few seconds. Her eyes fixed on her son, but there was something different in them: an almost childlike surprise mixed with something like admiration.
"Zu'er…" she murmured, her voice trembling. "What… what happened to you?"
Her eyes took in every detail: his dark hair, now even glossier and silkier; his firm, flawless skin; his calm expression and tranquil aura, yet carrying a weight she couldn't describe.
"You… you're so different…" she said, almost in a whisper. "Your hair, your skin… even your gaze. It's as if…"
Mu Yurou reached out, as if to touch his face, but stopped midair. Her heart seemed to waver at the sensation Ren Zu exuded, something almost unreal.
"You're so… beautiful…" she finished, unable to hide her enchanted expression.
Ren Zu smiled.
It was a light, almost mischievous smile, as if he didn't understand the fuss over his mere presence. Pretending to be nonchalant, he tilted his head slightly and commented casually:
"Hm? I'm normal. It must be your imagination…"
That smile…
It was like the gentle glow of the sun breaking through clouds after a long winter. A kind, unexpected warmth capable of touching even the hardest hearts. Yun Qinghong felt his chest tighten, his gaze lingering on his son for a brief moment as if facing a mirage. Mu Yurou, meanwhile, took half a step back, her face flushing.
Time seemed to stop there.
Ren Zu pretended not to notice.
With the same ease, he approached his mother and, unhurried, gently held her arms with controlled firmness. His palm was warm, steady, as if silently saying there was no need to worry anymore. Mu Yurou, still in shock, blinked slowly, as if awakening from a deep dream.
He guided her gently to the seat beside Yun Qinghong.
"Mother, you shouldn't strain your body like this. Sit, take care of your health. Father needs you strong."
She sat obediently, her eyes still slightly teary. A gentle smile appeared on her lips, as if she wanted to hold that moment in her heart.
"Zu'er…" she murmured, as if unable to believe what she was seeing.
The soft silence of the room was then broken by Yun Qinghong's weak but firm voice:
"So… how was your secluded cultivation?"
Ren Zu shifted his gaze to his father and gave a slight nod, acknowledging the concern.
"I made a great breakthrough."
But that was all.
Yun Qinghong raised his eyebrows slightly. Mu Yurou did too. Both exchanged discreet, confused glances. It was impossible to sense any trace of profound energy from Ren Zu.
It was like facing a perfectly calm lake or an abyss too deep to comprehend.
Well, Yun Qinghong had noticed this peculiarity about a year ago, but that day, he was distracted and hadn't focused on it much.
Ren Zu adjusted the sleeve of his robe slightly, stepping closer to the table where his parents sat.
"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."
His words came in a calm tone but carried a subtle weight that drew all of Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou's attention.
"During this year of seclusion… I met a master. Or rather, a mistress."
The two parents exchanged surprised looks.
"She found me when I was trying to break through a cultivation barrier and nearly had a dangerous internal reaction. She saved my life. After that… she allowed me to follow her. She taught me many things."
Yun Qinghong frowned slightly. "She trained you?"
Ren Zu nodded with a faint smile. "Not just in cultivation. Also in medicine."
Mu Yurou brought her hand to her lips, surprised. "Medicine? You learned medicine?"
"I learned everything I could. Diagnosis, energy harmonization, healing techniques, basic alchemy, and advanced pill refinement…"
"Zu'er…" she whispered, clearly shaken by the revelation. "Who… who was this mistress?"
Ren Zu answered calmly, weaving a lie:
"Li Suo. She's an expert above the Sovereign Profound Realm."
The room fell into absolute silence.
Yun Qinghong froze. Mu Yurou covered her mouth, her eyes wide.
The Divine Profound Realm.
An existence so distant and legendary it was spoken of only as a myth.
And this person… had trained their son?
Ren Zu, however, didn't wait for them to recover from the shock. Calmly, he took a small jade vial from his sleeve and placed it on the table, sliding it toward them.
"After I learned all I could from her, Li Suo gave me a formula. A recipe to cure both of your ailments."
He opened the vial, revealing two pills. Even from a distance, a gentle, warm medicinal fragrance filled the air, as if each particle carried vitality.
In that instant, both Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou felt something strange—a mild warmth coursed through their bodies. Yun Qinghong's constricted lungs felt less heavy, and the constant weakness in Mu Yurou's bones eased, like snow melting under the sun.
"These pills are the result of what I learned from her. Please, take them. You don't need to bear this burden anymore."
He spoke simply.
Both hesitated for a moment, looking at the pills, then at their son.
Yun Qinghong stared at his son, but his eyes couldn't hide his confusion.
He knew Ren Zu better than anyone in this world. He knew his voice, the way he always listened more than he spoke. He knew the kindness in his words, the humility in his gestures, even how he restrained himself in public, as if living quietly was safer for himself and the family. He knew his son didn't want to cause trouble for him and often felt even more useless because of it. Though the boy wasn't his blood son, he raised him as his own, because he was the son of his sworn brother… It would be disrespectful to his brother if his son suffered. He always felt he had failed in that regard.
On the other hand, Mu Yurou looked at her son with a heavy heart. As his adoptive mother, she had obviously noticed the change in him the moment she saw him—not just in appearance…
It was him. It was her Zu'er.
But why did he seem so different?
'He used to smile more, and his way of speaking is so different…' The thought crossed Mu Yurou's mind unbidden.
It was as if they were facing a stranger.
A stranger with black eyes as deep as an endless night. Eyes that once carried vibrancy and honor, with silent hope when looking at them, now seemed… too calm, too beautiful, too dark.
Like the waters of a bottomless lake.
He was still polite, still treated them with love and care through the gesture of offering these pills. But behind that gaze was a profound calm compared to the lively innocence of a child he once had.
After a few moments contemplating their son's change, both took a pill each…
Yun Qinghong stared at the pill in his palm for a long time. The soft glow of the medicinal composition reflected in the brazier's flames, and even as someone who had tried countless pills in his youth, he had never seen anything so refined, so pure.
"Zu'er… are you sure?" he asked, his voice low, almost cautious. "Something of this level… is it really reliable?"
Mu Yurou, her fingers still trembling, raised her eyes. She didn't want to doubt, but a mother's hesitation always speaks first when the heart is conflicted.
"Is it really safe for us? Your father… has been in this state for so many years… And my body… I don't want to see you disappointed, my son."
Ren Zu observed them silently for a moment.
He nodded calmly and replied:
"It will work."
Without a trace of doubt.
Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou exchanged glances. For a moment, it seemed a silent pact was formed between them. As if, despite their uncertainty, their trust in their son—in this new Zu'er—was enough.
Yun Qinghong was the first to bring the pill to his mouth.
It dissolved easily, like sweet mist. A gentle warmth flowed down his throat and, within seconds, spread through every inch of his body, as if his once-stagnant, weak blood began to surge with vitality.
The warm flow of the pill's energy continued to course through his body. After passing through his spine, those dormant veins sent sensations one after another, as if awakening from a long, deep sleep. For those veins, so weak they could be considered dead, he had initially thought recovery was impossible. Genius doctors whose names could shake the Illusory Demon Realm had all told him his meridians could never be restored. Yet now, it was unmistakably real—he felt the presence of those veins again.
Even if just one of those "dead" veins could be restored, it would be enough for him to believe it was an incredible miracle. But what he felt was one vein after another being restored consecutively. The growing sensations of pain, light and heavy, didn't make him reject them. Instead, they thrilled him, as if he were in a dream, stepping into the heavens…
Initially, he was merely someone whose body had been completely crippled over twenty years ago, who had long lost all hope and was calmly awaiting death. To avoid worrying his wife and son, he always expressed an adaptable, breezy calm, as if he saw light in everything. But no one could understand that it was merely a way to show an abyssal degree of helplessness, pain, and despair. And no one could comprehend the degree of excitement and ecstasy he felt at that moment.
Meanwhile, Mu Yurou hesitated for a second, her eyes still fixed on Ren Zu's.
He said nothing more. He only gently held her hand, a silent reminder: "It's okay now."
She then brought the pill to her lips and swallowed it unhurriedly.
The effect was immediate.
In that year she went to the Profound Sky Continent to fulfill a mission, a series of tragic events unfolded. During that time, she was poisoned by one of the Four Sacred Grounds there, the Sun Moon Divine Hall. Since then, the poison had spread through her body, infiltrating her blood vessels, bone marrow, and even vital organs, just as it had with her husband. However, being slightly weaker than him, the poison advanced faster in her body, dangerously nearing her vital veins. At any moment, the poison could flare up irreversibly within her…
But now, the pill instantly purged all the poison and began healing her internal injuries at a speed she could feel with her own eyes.
The air in the private courtyard grew dense, almost suffocating, as profound energy fluctuations erupted from Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou's bodies. It was as if a dormant volcano had awakened, releasing waves of power that made the brazier flicker and the windows rattle. The energy, wild and chaotic, threatened to spill beyond the room, drawing unwanted attention.
Ren Zu, with a swift motion, raised two fingers. The space around the courtyard subtly shuddered, as if an invisible curtain were being woven. He activated the [Ancestral Space Symbol], manipulating space. After eight months of intense training, his control had reached a new level. Concealing an entire area was as simple as breathing.
The technique he used was an amplified version of the [Void God's Concealment], sealing the courtyard in a spatial bubble, blocking any energy fluctuations from escaping through the door.
Inside the room, the miracle continued. The pills, imbued with the vital essence refined by Ren Zu, worked their magic. Yun Qinghong felt his once-dead veins brimming with life. The profound energy, dried up for over two decades, now roared like an unimpeded river. His aura grew, solid and majestic, until it stabilized at the Fifth Level of the Sovereign Profound Realm. He clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with a vitality he had forgotten.
Mu Yurou, meanwhile, felt the poison corroding her body dissolve like mist under the sun. Her vital veins, on the brink of destruction, regenerated at an impossible speed. The weakness that had bound her for years evaporated, replaced by vibrant strength. Her aura, though less intense than Yun Qinghong's, reached the Second Level of the Sovereign Profound Realm!
Those who reach this level are called Monarchs and can create their own pocket dimension for storage. This is the pinnacle of mortal achievement.
The Sovereign Profound Realm was the highest realm achievable in the Illusory Demon Realm.
In the Illusory Demon Realm, the strong who reached the Sovereign Profound Realm were mostly from the Demon Imperial City. Outside the Demon Imperial City, it was rare to find one in thousands of years. Even in the Demon Imperial City, very few reached the Sovereign Profound Realm. The number of Monarchs was the most important factor in determining a family's strength…
And, at the peak of the profound cultivation world, Monarchs were also divided into different levels… Though early-stage and mid-stage Monarchs were both in the Sovereign Profound Realm, their power levels were worlds apart.
Yun Qinghong was a mid-stage Monarch, and Mu Yurou was an early-stage Monarch!
The two quickly emerged from their stupor caused by the pill's refinement, and the room fell silent.
For several long seconds, no one spoke.
Yun Qinghong clenched his fists, opened his eyes, and looked at his hands, then at Ren Zu.
"This… is this real…?"
Mu Yurou stared ahead, her gaze lost in intense, silent emotion. Then she looked at Ren Zu… and smiled.
Yun Qinghong stood, his body upright, free of the disease's weight. He looked at his hands, flexing his fingers in disbelief. Then his gaze returned to Ren Zu. A wide, almost childlike smile spread across his face. He stepped forward and clapped his son's shoulder hard, laughing loudly.
"Good son! Good son!" he repeated, his voice choked. His teary eyes shone with pride and gratitude: "You… you really did it!"
Mu Yurou, still seated, brought her hand to her chest, as if trying to contain the overflowing emotions. Her eyes, now clearer and free of the mist that clouded them, fixed on Ren Zu. She rose slowly and walked to him. Without a word, she wrapped him in a tight embrace, the kind only a mother could give, laden with relief, love, and gratitude too deep for words.
"Zu'er… my son…" she murmured, her voice breaking as she held his face with trembling hands. "Thank you…"
Ren Zu only replied softly.
"I just did what needed to be done, Mother. You've always taken care of me. Now it's my turn."
Yun Qinghong, still laughing, wiped away an unpermitted tear. He approached, placing one hand on Mu Yurou's shoulder and another on Ren Zu's, forming a family circle that hadn't felt so complete in years.
"You say 'just did what needed' as if it's something simple," he teased, his voice full of pride. "But, Zu'er, what you did… it's a miracle. A miracle not even the best doctors in the Illusory Demon Realm could dream of achieving."
Ren Zu looked away for a moment, as if the intensity of his parents' emotions made him uncomfortable.
"It wasn't just my doing," he replied, keeping his tone casual. "My mistress, Li Suo, guided me. Without her, I wouldn't have come this far."
Mu Yurou, still holding her son's hands, frowned slightly. "This Li Suo… who is she really, Zu'er? An expert above the Sovereign Profound Realm… that's something we haven't even heard in legends. Why did she choose you? And where is she now?"
The question was natural, but Ren Zu sensed that his parents, despite their gratitude, still carried the caution honed by years of living under pressure and suspicion in the Illusory Demon Realm. He knew he had to be careful with his words, especially since the story of "Li Suo" was a fabrication to protect the true origin of his progress.
"She's a recluse. She doesn't like getting involved in worldly affairs. When she found me, she saw potential in me… or maybe it was just her whim. After teaching me, she left. She said she wanted no ties or fame. I don't know where she is now."
Yun Qinghong crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in thought.
"An expert of that level… choosing you and then vanishing without a trace. It's hard to believe, but…" He looked at his hands, feeling the familiar profound energy from twenty years ago: "The pills you brought are proof enough. There's no way to doubt what you say, Zu'er."
Mu Yurou, however, still seemed hesitant. Her maternal eyes studied her son with a mix of love and concern.
"Zu'er, you've changed so much… It's not just your appearance or strength. It's as if…" She paused, searching for the right words. "What happened during this year? What did you face?"
Ren Zu felt a slight pang in his chest.
"Nothing much, Mother. I just trained my mindset, which my mistress said was a bit flawed. She then taught me medicine and her profound arts before leaving me…"
Mu Yurou opened her mouth to press further, but Yun Qinghong placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head slightly. "Let him be, Yurou. Our son has grown. He has his secrets, as we all do. The important thing is that he's well… and that he's given us a new chance."
She sighed but nodded, still holding Ren Zu's hand tightly: "You're right. But, Zu'er, promise you won't carry everything alone. We're your family. No matter what happens, we're here."
Ren Zu smiled, this time with a touch more sincerity: "I know, Mother. I promise."
________________________
💬 And hey — want to just read ahead a bit?
📚 For $2.99, you can read up to 5 chapters ahead, perfect for avoiding spoilers or just bingeing.
📚 For $5.99, you get full access to ALL content, no holding back.
My Patreon: patreon.com/Adam_Kadmon