LZR Chapter 3 Part 5) Onward To A New Home

“This will be our home from now on?” My mother asked prompting me to nod my head. But when I turn my head and see the tears streaming from her eyes I couldn’t help but panic.

“Mother!? Are you okay!?” I asked as I rushed to her side, only for her to take my hands into her and squeeze them tightly.

“Ruo’er… Mother is sorry that you had to live the way you have up until now. You are only five, yet you are already providing more than I could ever do on my own.” My mother’s tears just would not stop. The pain and anguish, along with self-deprecation. All of it seemed to be riding on her shoulders and was now bursting out all at once. I could only hold my mother’s hands tightly and shake my head.

“Mother, you brought me into this world. You suffered way more than I have. You were starving yourself in order to allow me to eat even just a few bites more. You have already done so much. If I had not started cultivating and forced you to stop, I might have been without any family at all. You are my world, Mother. Without, you giving me the proper lessons on what it means to be responsible and teaching me what is most important, I would never be able to grow up properly. I will be sure to allow us to have a good life. And soon, you, too, will be able to cultivate. Then we can cultivate together and see the world…” I paused as I saw my mother shake her head as she rubbed her stomach. I had no idea why she was shaking her head, but she did not seem to want to speak about it.

“Master, your mother’s dantian has long been crippled.” Little Nine’s voice rings in my ears, causing my expression to change.

“How bad is it?” I asked in my mind.

“There is at least no medicine in the mortal realm that can heal it. But I can say this was not done forcefully. I think she had complications when giving birth to you. A mortal human giving birth to a beastkin, a dragonkin at that is not something they are built for.” Little Nine’s words made me begin to tear up. So the reason my mother never got to go past the body refinement realm was because she gave birth to me…

“I will find a way….” I muttered out loud.

“Ruo’er?” My mother’s questioning tone and confused look do not seem to understand my intentions.

 “Mother, I will find a way to heal your dantian. Even if I can not do it while here in the mortal realm, that just means I need to step into the immortal realm. I will find a way to heal you no matter what I have to do. Even if I have to walk over the heads of thousands, I will do it.” This was now my goal. To heal my mother and allow her to live a long-lasting life.

“Ruo’er…” My mother pulls me into a hug. She does not say anything else. She just hugs me tightly. I can feel the hot tears as they land on my neck. My determination was there. I will not hesitate to cut my way through the heavens if it means I can heal my mother. It is the least I can do for her.

After grabbing whatever useful things we had from the old hut, my mother and I stood outside, and it bowed towards us once. It had only been for five years, but it held strong and was a place we could call home.

To make things not suspicious, just in case someone saw us leave the village, my mother walked by my side as we made our way to the only path leading to the village. It was not until the village was no longer in sight that I sent my Mother into the pagoda and began making some ground. I figured that by nightfall, I should have at least made a dent in our long journey ahead.

The sounds of leaves ruffling, mixed with the sounds of my footsteps as I walked down the long dirt road, filled my ears. The clear blue skies with not a single cloud overhead and the warmth of the sun relaxed my body as the temperatures dipped ever so slightly. Cold and extreme heat would still bother those under the foundation establishment realm unless it was spiritual qi induced, like some kind of array or natural treasure causing the difference in temperatures.

But to be honest, this feeling of a slight chill that gets drowned out by the warmth of the sun was not too bad. This was what being a mortal was all about. I know one day I might miss this feeling, but no matter what, I will rise up and grow stronger. I will fight for everything I can to gain whatever I can. Those who stand in my way will be cut down. It might sound strange coming from a five-year-old, but well, I do not think my mentality is that of someone five years old anymore. My abilities, my knowledge, they way I act, none of it can be considered that of a young girl. Not that I am complaining since I do not mind in the slightest that I do not act my age. I only know that once I reach the next major town, which Elder Ming said was called Xiaguang Town, I will need to set myself up and begin a new life.

If I am not wrong, if I heard Elder Ming right, there is an academy in the town I am heading to. I wonder if I would be able to join. I will need to check to find out. If I can join, then I can gain some free resources. If not, then I will need to figure something else out, even if it means hunting for herbs in the forest. But tonight, the first thing I will be doing after I eat is breaking through to the qi gathering realm. The trip will be around two months, so I might even be able to reach the rank three qi gathering. If I do, that might up my chances of entering the academy unless they have an age restriction, which I hope they don’t. I really do not have the ability to be waiting around for years just to enter an academy. I would have already outgrown the academy by that time. But if they do allow me to enter, then that would make cultivating much easier.

With these thoughts in mind, I do a small fist pump to energize my self more before running down the road to try to cover more ground.