After Xie Xiaoyan left, Ling Xiao gave a cold smile. 'What a... terribly self-righteous woman. She thinks way too highly of herself. Does she think she can act like that just because she's pretty? Any one of my fellow sect sisters from Shushan, chosen at random, would surpass her in both looks and intelligence!'
"Arrogant. A frog in a well," Ling Xiao said lightly. He then stretched, feeling as if his body had grown a bit rusty.
Although General Ling Tianxiao invested most of the tax revenue from the family's fiefdom into his troops, the General's Mansion still had no shortage of precious medicinal herbs. After several days of careful recuperation, Ling Xiao's internal injuries were nearly healed. He tried to circulate his sect's Inner Power Heart Method, but unexpectedly, his body showed no reaction even after several attempts. Dejected, he had no choice but to give up.
Only then did he recall from his fragmented memories that this body had a nickname: "Useless." 'A Celestial Vein Master?' Ling Xiao muttered to himself. 'This is really quite troublesome! It seems I'll have to reach Foundation Establishment first before I can cultivate!'
In his past life, Ling Xiao was just an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple of Shushan, but who among those able to enter the Shushan Inner Sect wasn't a child of exceptional talent? If the Ling Xiao of his past life were placed on the Canglan Continent, so-called geniuses like Xie Xiaoyan would be nothing more than a grain of rice trying to outshine the brilliant moon when compared to him.
Ling Xiao could clearly feel that this world's Spiritual Qi was several times more abundant than even that of Shushan, which possessed an Immortal Artifact to anchor its destiny. If he still had his old body, he probably wouldn't even need a hundred years to reach the Nascent Soul Stage and become a Cultivator with a limitless lifespan. He might even pass the Celestial Tribulation, reach the Mahayana stage, and ascend to the Immortal Realm in less than a thousand years.
Such a pace was simply unimaginable in the old Cultivation Realm! After all, the sect elder he had observed undergoing his Celestial Tribulation before coming to this world was said to have cultivated for over twelve thousand years. Ling Xiao didn't even know how many generations of grandmasters that elder was above him. Even so, that sect elder was still called a peerless, once-in-a-generation cultivation genius. One could only imagine how difficult Cultivation was back then.
Unfortunately, this current body was too weak. The most pressing matter was to find all the materials needed for Foundation Establishment, but Ling Xiao had no idea if those materials even existed in this world.
'Still, this world seems quite similar to my old one; even the family names are almost identical. The materials for Foundation Establishment can probably be found here too, right?'
'Although Shushan Disciples were primarily Sword Cultivators, refining simple Elixirs was a required skill for every Cultivator. Did you expect your master to do everything for you? What a joke. Even though I was an Inner Sect Disciple, my master had over 130 apprentices. How could he possibly attend to every single one of us? So, you had to be self-reliant.'
Ling Xiao couldn't help but feel fortunate. If he didn't know how to refine Elixirs, he feared he would have been doomed to live out this life as nothing more than a wealthy idler—and an idler who bore infamy and scorn at that.
'Without strength, you're nothing, no matter where you are!'
That evening, Ling Xiao's mother came to see him, personally carrying a food box. Seeing that her son had grown somewhat thinner, her heart ached terribly, and she couldn't help but shed tears. "Xiaosan, it's all Mother's fault. I shouldn't have arranged that marriage for you. And don't blame your father; you know his temper, he has a short fuse. I know there's something suspicious about this whole affair. It's you who has suffered."
"Mother, I'm fine." A deep sense of attachment to his mother surged in Ling Xiao's heart, and the words tumbled out. He understood this was a lingering will from the original Ling Xiao. 'Don't you worry,' he thought silently. 'Since I've taken over your body, from now on, your mother is my mother. I will be a good, filial son to her in your place!'
The Ling Xiao of the past life had grown up in an environment devoid of familial affection, and deep down, he yearned for family, friendship, and love. Feeling Lady Ling's profound maternal love, combined with the fusion of the original Ling Xiao's memories, he called out "Mother" without a trace of hesitation.
No matter how shrewd Lady Ling was, she would never imagine that her son's body now housed a different soul. To a mother, whether her son was successful or not wasn't important; as long as he could live safely and peacefully, that was all that mattered. With the Ling Family's power and Ling Xiao's several outstanding siblings, ensuring Ling Xiao a lifetime of wealth and comfort was no problem at all.
"Xiaosan, eat your meal and then get some good rest. I've already spoken with your father. He knows now that he went a little too far. But since the engagement has been broken off, I'll find you a girl from a good family in the future!" As Mrs. Ling spoke, her eyes reddened. She truly felt her son had been wronged. A son is a piece of his mother's own flesh; she simply couldn't believe her son would do something so beastly. Even his two Maids, Chunlan and Qiuyue, were still virgins. All the Maids in the General's Mansion were young and beautiful. Would he ignore those right beside him only to go and molest his own fiancée? Was that even possible?!
"Mother, if the engagement is off, it's off. I never really cared about it," Ling Xiao said lightly, then added, "Oh, right, Mother, I'm planning to go to the Academy tomorrow!"
"What? No!" Mrs. Ling refused flatly. Not to mention her son's body hadn't fully recovered, the malicious rumors circulating in the Imperial Academy right now would surely be unbearable for her son, who had been proud since childhood. "Xiao'Er, your injuries haven't healed yet. Wait a little longer. Just stay at home and recuperate for a few more months, alright?" Mrs. Ling pleaded.
Ling Xiao shook his head. "Mother, please don't worry. I won't care about those rumors. The blood of the Ling Family flows in my veins. Even if I can't go far on the path of a Martial Artist, your child will absolutely become a man who can stand tall and proud! Also, I may be weak now, and I've been humiliated by that woman, bringing shame to our family. But one day, I will personally wash away the humiliation our family has suffered, in my own way!"
"Xiao'Er... you've grown up. I'm so relieved..." Tears streamed from the corners of Mrs. Ling's eyes. Just because she didn't say it didn't mean she didn't care. The Ling Family had been famous for many years; when had they ever suffered such humiliation? Even the noble ladies who usually invited her to gatherings hadn't visited the Ling Family recently, and would avoid her from afar if they saw her. That sense of grievance, Mrs. Ling and her husband had been silently shouldering it all, never thinking to burden their child with it.
"Good!" A sudden, booming shout came from outside the window, startling Mrs. Ling. She clutched her chest and yelled at General Ling Tianxiao as he entered, "Are you trying to scare me to death, sneaking around like that!" As she spoke, she quickly wiped away the tear tracks from the corners of her eyes.
Ling Tianxiao had been a hero his entire life, earning the title "God of War" on the battlefield, yet he both respected and feared his wife. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become such a rare sight in aristocratic circles—a man with only one wife in a world where concubines were the norm.
Ling Tianxiao scratched his head. Facing his beloved wife, all the stern authority on his face vanished. He then looked at Ling Xiao. "That... you brat, you did well. You're worthy of being a son of I, Ling Tianxiao!"
After saying this, he immediately scurried away under his wife's murderous gaze. In reality, Ling Tianxiao was afraid his wife and son would see his reddened eyes. His son had finally matured! Ling Tianxiao faced the bright night stars, opened his mouth, and let out a silent roar. At this moment, the God of War who only ever shed blood on the battlefield, shed tears.
Distracted by her husband's interruption, Mrs. Ling forgot to continue protesting her son's decision to go to the Academy. She just said, "Look at your father. So undignified for his age!"
Feeling his parents' joy made Ling Xiao's heart grow heavy, though he offered a slight smile. The bit of resentment he originally held towards Ling Tianxiao also dissipated. In this world, the closest people to you were your parents. A bittersweet feeling filled Ling Xiao's heart as he secretly swore to himself that he must quicken his pace of improving his strength! This mortal realm was no longer a shackle to him!