A Heart-to-Heart Talk Between Mother and Son

Niu Xiaoxue returned home from the Shangyang Sect the day before yesterday. Her family was initially thrilled to see her, but after she stayed at home for a day without mentioning when she would return to the immortal sect, they grew puzzled and worried, prompting them to ask her about it.

To their surprise, Niu Xiaoxue told her family that she had no intention of returning to the immortal sect.

She claimed that the immortal sect had undergone some changes and now existed only in name, no longer amounting to anything.

This shocked the Niu family so much that they wanted to cover her mouth immediately and pack her off back to the sect, terrified that the immortals would find out and bring down punishment.

Furthermore, Niu Xiaoxue added that she had heard from senior disciples returning to the sect that a new, highly powerful immortal sect had recently appeared in their country, right in their very own county.

What Niu Xiaoxue didn't mention was that the Nascent Soul cultivator who had killed her sect master and occupied their mountain gate was actually destroyed by this exact new sect. Her family wouldn't understand the intricacies and stakes involved anyway.

If she really told her family, her relatives might just assume her aptitude was poor and the sect she joined was weak, rather than realizing how formidable the new sect truly was.

Regardless, seeing her family's fear, Niu Xiaoxue simply said that her current sect had no time to bother with her, telling them to put their worries to rest.

However, after she told them all this, her family informed her that this new sect was located in Xiushui Village, right next to their own.

They also said that Xiushui Village had made a fortune because of this new sect. What used to be one of the poorest villages for miles around had now transformed into the wealthiest and most bustling village.

Learning that the new sect was right in her hometown, Niu Xiaoxue felt even more confident that joining it would be no problem at all.

She figured that with her outstanding aptitude of a single mutated Lightning Spiritual Root, and being from the neighboring village, it only made sense that the new sect would gladly accept her if she went there.

So, she was in no rush. She planned to stay home for a few days to enjoy the kind of pampering she had never experienced as a girl before, figuring it wouldn't be too late to join the new sect after a few days.

Little did she know, the news of her return had long been broadcasted by her parents until all the nearby villages knew about it.

Naturally, this news reached the ears of Mother Qin, who often went down the mountain to buy eggs and vegetable seeds from the villagers.

Over on Qin Jianghe's side.

Seeing his mother frowning with a deeply worried look, Qin Jianghe smiled faintly and said:

Mother, ever since the Niu family broke off the engagement, they have had nothing to do with our family or me. Do not fret over their affairs all day. I know you are worried about me, but there is really no need. Your son does not care about this at all. Nowadays, your son is quite capable, and I do not dwell on those past matters in the slightest.

If Niu Xiaoxue wants to come, let her come. It has nothing to do with us. Our sect has not even started recruiting disciples yet, so her coming would be useless, right? If she wants to join, she will just have to wait obediently for when our sect recruits disciples and take the test. Why bother about what she does?

Now that we are not living at the old house, you no longer have to deal with all those messy people and matters. You and Father can just live your comfortable days properly in the sect.

As he spoke, Qin Jianghe helped her up, preparing to leave the cultivation room and return to Yuanshan Residence for dinner.

Mother Qin stood up with his support, patted his hand, and sighed softly:

I am just afraid that the Niu family might use the past engagement as an excuse to come knocking, asking you to arrange for Niu Xiaoxue to enter the sect, and put you in a difficult position.

Hearing this, Qin Jianghe laughed carelessly:

Mother, what are you thinking? When our sect recruits disciples in the future, it will definitely follow the rules and procedures. Even though our families were able to join directly just by passing the Path of Asking the Heart, that was only for our few families. It will not be like that in the future. Recruiting disciples will naturally involve more tests.

Besides, Brother Xiao also mentioned to us that the difficulty of the Path of Asking the Heart will likely be increased a bit in the future. No backdoor entry will be allowed, so you really do not need to worry about this.

Qin Jianghe knew his mother was worried that if they came looking for him, he would be too embarrassed to refuse.

However, he did not say things like the Niu family cut ties long ago, so I will not help them. Instead, he directly told his mother from the sect's perspective that no matter who it was, taking the backdoor was impossible.

This way, it also prevented a situation where his mother might be unable to fend off people begging her and feeling troubled over how to refuse.

Qin Jianghe knew that his family and the other families were able to pass the test of the Path of Asking the Heart and successfully go up the mountain to join the sect simply because Lin Xiao had set the difficulty quite low when he first established it.

It was specifically so that their family members and the kind-hearted people in the village could pass the Path of Asking the Heart in case of emergencies.

In private, Lin Xiao had also mentioned that everyone should guide and temper the character and conduct of their family members more, as the difficulty of the Path of Asking the Heart might increase significantly in the future.

Therefore, Qin Jianghe was considering whether he should take his mother to the escort agency to toughen her up.

Qin Jianghe was not worried about his father. As a son, he was quite clear about his father's character. Plus, his father often went out to take jobs, so he had seen more things and interacted with more people than his mother. Having broader horizons, his state of mind was naturally much stronger.

His mother was very kind-hearted, but he felt she just lacked perspective and experience.

When the time came, he would take his mother to the escort agency and let her gradually experience things step by step. With him guiding her from the side, she would surely be able to pass the Path of Asking the Heart even after its difficulty increased.

Thinking this, he went ahead and asked:

Mother, how about you come with me to Songyang County to stay for a while after the New Year?

Mother Qin seemed not to expect him to bring this up. Surprised, she froze for a moment before saying nervously:

You go out to do proper business, to do great things. How can you bring your mother along... I do not know anything. What if I make a fool of myself and embarrass you in the county? Let us just forget it, to save others from laughing at you...

Seeing his mother get nervous just hearing about going to the escort agency, he deliberately said with great bravado:

You are my mother, who would dare laugh at you? If there really is someone that foolish, watch me beat them up!

Saying that, he softly comforted her:

Do not be afraid. For many things, you are just at a disadvantage because you have not seen them before. In this world, who does not have things they do not know? There is nothing to be afraid of. If you do not understand, then you should see more. Once you see more, will you not understand?

It is nothing to laugh at. If anyone laughs at you for not having seen things in the county, it just shows their own shallow perspective, needing to show off the tiny bit of knowledge they have simply due to differences in living environments.

In my eyes, Mother, you are incredible. You can weave cloth, tailor clothes, roll up your sleeves to work in the fields, and manage all the household chores in perfect order. You even raised such a capable son like me. Tell me, is that not amazing?