After hearing how random and even lucky Luan's recovery was, the elders were suddenly scared that the young man would relapse.
Their fears mirrored Liana's.
At this point, some of them even reprimanded Liana for rushing back here the way she did, fearing that her Qi or even a bump could have caused something to shift in his brain.
The same thing that induce his illness.
Liana didn't mind the scolding, she was too happy to care.
Although none of the elders spoke out loud, Luan could tell that they were using voice transmissions to communicate. But he couldn't eavesdrop on their conversation.
If he could hear anything that they were saying, he would find it funny.
Even though Luan was a mischievous, stubborn child twenty years ago, to these elders, he was still family. And family takes care of their own.
"This should call for a celebration!" Second Grandpa announced.
"Belan, we shouldn't do anything to stress or discomfort Luan. He just recovered. What if a crowd or a loud noise causes his condition to relapse?"
The elder that used a silver to disc to scan him, said. But his eyes hinted at something else.
"Bardeen's right. We should let Luan rest for a while before doing anything. We can also use this period to observe his condition." Another elder said.
Belan suddenly sent out a silent order with a token in his hands.
'Seal the news of Luan's recovery. It shouldn't go beyond the clan's territory.'
Many clans in this world had a habit of naming their talented or seeded descendants of a certain generation a certain way.
Talented children of the same generation would carry the same first letters to their names.
"Elders, it's alright. I'm much better now."
"No, how sure are you that your condition won't relapse?" Bardeen asked.
The question stumped Luan.
Truly, how certain was he that he wouldn't fall into the same condition twice.
As a matter of fact, Luan had no idea how he it had come to be in the first place. He slept, and the next thing he knew, he awakened in another world.
But as quickly as the question tied his tongue, his reply wasn't cut short. "Grand Uncle, it won't happen again."
Luan spoke with so much certainty that the elders didn't know whether he was just saying it to ease their worries or if he truly meant it.
So what if he wakes up in another world again?
Now that he knew the way to return he wouldn't be held hostage anymore.
As suicidal as it seemed.
While moving through the court yards of his clan's mansion, Luan noticed something.
Apart from a few guards, and very young teenage boys, children, there were barely any men around. He had seen more females that men roam about and peeping to see what was going on.
Some of them he could recognize, and many others he couldn't.
He had a lot of brothers, male cousins, and Luan couldn't but wonder where they were.
Was the mandatory summons for all the men in the clan?
The thought of this vexed Luan.
It was almost as if he the rage in his youth had returned to him.
Why did his family have to sacrifice their lives while the Emperor remained in his palace?
But as soon as this thought emerged, Luan suppressed it. He had experienced enough to understand some things that his younger self struggled to understand.
There's more to everything that meets the eye.
There are a lot of kids around now… did my older brothers leave some descendants behind in fear that they would die in the war?
"Madame! Madame, please take it easy!" A maid called out as she chased after a pale woman.
Lacking the plumpness of a healthy female. Her head was riddled with greys.
This woman, contrary to how she looked, was more agile than a monkey. She moved so fast that it was difficult for her maids to catch her.
Only for her to come to a stop.
Just a distance away from Luan. The elders alongside everyone who hand been walking with them, stopped.
Many of them held glints of immense guilt in their hearts, one that wouldn't let them look in the eyes of this pale woman.
Upon seeing who it was, Luan felt his entire world brighten beyond measure, only to come crashing down with an even greater weight.
The pale woman was his mother.
Romain.
His light and entire world.
Luan had to forcefully forget about his mother when he was in the other world because of how depressed the memory of her face made him.
He had missed her dearly.
Words couldn't begin to describe the devastation the absence of Romain caused to his heart and mind.
And now, here she was.
Though she looked very different from how he remembered. She used to be so full of life and beautiful. Carrying an air of calmness that could melt the ice in anyone's heart.
"Luan," Romain whispered but her words were muffled out by the sob in her throat.
"Luan," She called out a bit louder this time. Taking an uncertain step forward, fearing that if she came too close… her son would return to how he was.
As for Luan, the pressure in his heart turned to guilt, then to shame.
How shameful is it to your mother's heart ache so much?
Forgetting about his condition, Luan forced his legs to move, using only his will.
Belan put his hand on his shoulder, trying to prevent him from standing up. It was obvious that Luan's body was extremely weak.
However, this Second Grandpa soon realized that no matter how much strength he used, he couldn't stop Luan from getting up.
He was stunned.
Taking a few shaky steps forward, Luan fell to his knees.
"Mother, this unruly son of yours have caused you pain and made you cry… forgive me, please." Lowering his head to the ground as a telltale quiver began at the corner of his mouth.
There was more he wanted to say, but the words choked in his throat.
When was the last time he cried?
Had his heart ever felt this heavy?
Even when his disciples were killed, he didn't shed a tear. And now, here he was, struggling to hold back tears.
Unbeknownst to Luan, he was fighting a heart demon of his.
Just when he about to lose to it, the familiar scent of his mother filled his nose as he hands held on to his cheeks, raising his head to stare in his eyes.
"Luan," She called out once again, this time, her voice carried a melodic ring to it.
"My son," Romain placed her forehead on her son's own. "There's nothing to forgive. I'm just… thank you for coming back to me. Thank you for overcoming your illness."
As though her words were hymns that exorcised demons, they shone a light into his heart that exterminated this heart demons of his.
Is there anything greater than the love a mother's has for her child?
…
Time went by and other members of the family came to visit Luan in his mother's manor.
Even his step mothers came to visit him.
As though everybody that came to visit came with a hook, they pulled at his heart's strings, making him feel what he didn't think he would ever feel again.
By the time the sun set, the elders of the family dispersed the crowd and left Luan to spend some time with his mother, sister, and nephews.
They'd had dinner, and his mother refused to let him feed himself. She took it upon herself to feed her son despite her illness.
She didn't even want to entertain the thought of leaving his side.
Well into the night, the twins and his mother fell asleep, leaving only Liana and Luan awake in the manor.
"Liana," Luan looked at his sister with all seriousness. "What happened to mother?"
He had restrained himself from asking this question for hours, and now, he couldn't hold himself back.
Romain wasn't a weakling. Much like her husband, she was talented when it came to cultivation, and yet she had aged faster than her husband's elders.
Liana sighed and sat down next her brother. "About 4 years ago, she secretly ventured into the Void Battlefield in search of mythical flower that could heal any illness. While she was there, she was ambushed a group of Iron-Bull race."
"One of the myriad races…" Luan muttered.
He had forgotten that this world, unlike the one he had spent the last two thousand years in, was filled with thousands of creatures of different races.
"Mother was poisoned and injured… she almost died. She's been trying to recover since then, but the poison is proving hard to deal with." Liana finished.
Luan nodded.
But deep in his heart, he was seething.
The Iron-Bull race, he'd have to exterminate them to sooth this anger in him.
Luan could tell that his mother sought this mythical flower because of him.
He couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Cheer up brother." Liana spoke up. She could somewhat tell what her brother's train of thought was. "Now that you've recovered, mother will be encourage to recover too… thank you for not giving up on life, Luan Khan."
Liana left to prepare a room in the manor for her brother.
As she left, Luan paused and closed his eyes. He used his Sixth Sense to inspect his body.
Within him, he found a crystal pearl floating in a void in the middle of his chest. And when he inspected his heart, he didn't find a speck of taint on it.
What is this pearl and how did it get here?
As for his heart, he could tell that it was serene because he had overcome his greatest heart demon.