Just as Aunt Liu had said earlier, the incident with Father Jiang was merely an accident. Her husband, Zhou Lie, had experienced a past identical to Jiang Xuan’s father, but he was lucky enough to survive and thrive. With the Su Family’s help, he married Aunt Liu, formed his Dao Foundation, had children, and even became an Outer Sect Steward. With such Cultivation and life experiences, he was already luckier than ninety percent of the Cultivators in the world.
Because of this, both Shen Yuerong and Liu Hui wholeheartedly wanted Jiang Xuan to follow the same path. However, before his past life memories awakened, Jiang Xuan harbored a deep-seated resentment toward the Su Family—who had indirectly caused his father’s death—and flatly refused. And once his True Spirit awakened and he recalled everything from his previous life, he was even less willing to live under another’s roof, become someone else’s vassal, and be controlled by others for the rest of his life.
This was also why, when Dong Hao offered to gift him a Cultivation Technique, he absolutely refused and insisted on taking it as a loan.
Recalling the past took up some of Jiang Xuan’s time, but he quickly snapped back to reality and exchanged a few more words with Aunt Liu. During their conversation, he once again categorically rejected her "good intentions."
After he left the room, Liu Hui looked at his stubborn back and sighed heavily, turning to Shen Yuerong. "Yuerong, you really need to talk some sense into him. Becoming Miss Linyin’s follower is the best way out for him in this life.
"Because of Jiang Quan, the Su Family has a high tolerance for Jiang Xuan, but a Noble Family’s tolerance always has its limits. If he stays this stubborn, the Su Family will eventually wash their hands of him and leave him to fend for himself.
"When Miss Linyin comes over tomorrow, I’m afraid it will be the last chance for you and your son. If we hadn’t been so close back when we were in the Su Family, I absolutely wouldn’t be speaking from the bottom of my heart like this."
These words made Shen Yuerong’s eyes turn slightly red. She replied softly, "I know. I’ll try to persuade Xiaoxuan again."
After a few more intimate words, Liu Hui stood up and took her leave. Shen Yuerong saw her out and turned back into the house, only to see that Jiang Xuan hadn’t rested at all. Instead, he was cleaning the hall of the Daoist Temple. He offered incense, refilled the lamp oil, and wiped down the altar, his movements meticulous.
[You swept the Daoist Temple hall. Daoist Acolyte Experience +1]
[You wiped the offering altar. Daoist Acolyte Experience +1]
[You...]
Naturally, Shen Yuerong couldn’t see these game prompts. She only thought he was refusing to rest despite his depleted body and hurried forward to take over. "Just leave these chores to me. You’ve been practicing your Cultivation all day; you must be exhausted. Rest first. Oh, right, have a little something to eat to hold you over.
"Here, these are the Spiritual Food pastries your Aunt Liu brought."
Liu Hui and his mother indeed shared a sisterly bond; every time she visited, she would bring plenty of Spiritual Food to nourish their vitality. His stomach completely empty, Jiang Xuan didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the pastries and ate two or three in quick succession.
GULP.
As the Spiritual Food entered his mouth, a rich, sweet flavor melted on his tongue. Soon after, a gentle stream of Spiritual Qi slid down his throat and into his stomach, transforming into a warm current that flowed through his limbs and bones. It washed away most of his exhaustion and replenished his depleted vitality. Nourished by the Spiritual Qi and energy, Jiang Xuan felt his entire body relax, and even his pale face took on a hint of color.
Watching him eat, Shen Yuerong hesitated for a long time before finally steering the conversation back to the matter of becoming a follower. Unsurprisingly, Jiang Xuan flatly rejected the idea yet again.
"There’s no need, Mother. Cultivating like this is perfectly fine for me right now."
Shen Yuerong doted on Jiang Xuan deeply. Seeing that she couldn’t sway him no matter what, she let out a sigh and finally dropped the subject. However, she did give him one strict instruction: when Lady Su, Su Wanyi, and Su Linyin came over tomorrow, Jiang Xuan was not to give them attitude or do anything out of line.
To this, Jiang Xuan nodded in agreement.
He wasn’t foolish enough to provoke the Su Family while his strength was still so meager. Not to mention, while Jiang Xuan felt some sorrow and regret over his father’s passing, he didn’t harbor much hatred in his heart. His father had taken the Su Family’s resources to act as a bodyguard and guard. Dying in an accident was essentially a work-related casualty; even Jiang Xuan couldn’t really fault them for it.
The pastries had alleviated Jiang Xuan’s hunger, but his body still needed time to recover. Furthermore, after a busy day, his Heart Power also needed to be restored. Therefore, Jiang Xuan was currently unable to resume his Cultivation.
Sitting cross-legged on a futon, Jiang Xuan pondered how to rapidly refine his Magical Power.
"Elixir Pills are the most convenient and fastest route, but I don’t have any Spirit Stones, so that path is completely blocked off.
"If I go looking for Dong Hao again, he might not necessarily lend me more.
"What’s more troublesome is that I have absolutely no means of earning Spirit Stones to pay him back in the short term. If I rely purely on borrowing, I’ll owe him too many favors. By then, I’d practically be his de facto vassal."
Jiang Xuan wasn’t willing to follow Su Linyin, so naturally, he had no desire to follow Dong Hao either. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
"It’s a pity. If not for that severe illness a few years ago, my father’s pension would have been plentiful, and I wouldn’t be starting off with such difficulty."
Several years ago, Jiang Xuan had fallen into a long coma due to a soul shock. To save him, his mother had exhausted all their household savings and even borrowed a significant number of Spirit Stones just to barely pull him back from the gates of death.
What made Jiang Xuan feel the most helpless was that this ordeal was, in all likelihood, caused by the awakening of his True Spirit and the shattering of the womb’s mystery. This left him without even the right to complain.
"If I’m not mistaken, I already crossed over into this world over a decade ago, and my True Spirit began to awaken three years ago. For three whole years after that, I was constantly adapting to and fusing with this world and this body. It wasn’t until a few days ago that my True Spirit finally underwent a complete revival."