Xu Mansion

After his morning training ended, Chu Yan returned to his courtyard and pushed open the door. A faint, sweet fragrance wafted toward him.

Inside, a woman in a moon-white dress sat beside the table, holding a steaming bowl of tremella and lotus seed soup. When she saw Chu Yan enter, she set the bowl down and stood up.

The woman looked no more than twenty, with skin as smooth as jade and features as lovely as a painting. Her dark hair was casually pinned behind her head, with a few loose strands falling beside her ears, adding a touch of lazy beauty.

She was Chu Yan's mother, Qin Mengyao.

Though she was already over thirty, as a Soul Saint, she had taken excellent care of her appearance. Her skin was smooth and firm, her figure shapely. Standing there, she was like a peony in full bloom, dignified and elegant yet gentle.

"Yan'er, finished training?" Qin Mengyao came over and took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her son's forehead. Her voice brimmed with concern. "Your father really is something, making you train so hard on your first day. Look at you, you're drenched."

"Mother, I'm not tired." Chu Yan smiled slightly, letting her wipe his sweat.

He had never known this kind of care in his previous life as an orphan.

Now he had parents and a home, and he cherished this warmth all the more.

Qin Mengyao gave her son a reproachful look. "Not tired? Look at your training clothes. You could wring water out of them. Come, drink this bowl of tremella and lotus seed soup first. I had the kitchen simmer it for an hour. It's excellent for replenishing your energy and calming your mind."

Chu Yan went to the table and sat down, lifting the bowl to sip at the soup.

It was smooth and warm, melting on his tongue, sweet but not cloying. It really was delicious.

"Slow down, don't burn yourself." Qin Mengyao sat across from her son, resting her chin in her hands as she watched him with a fond, proud smile. "Your father said you did well in training this morning. You're very perceptive?"

"My father flatters me." Chu Yan set down the bowl and replied modestly, "I've only just begun. I still need to practice more."

"You've been like this since you were little." Qin Mengyao reached out and tapped her son on the forehead. "Why be modest with your mother? I know your father's temper. If he thought you'd done poorly, he'd have scolded you with a stern face. If he praised you, then you really did well."

Chu Yan smiled but said nothing.

"By the way." Qin Mengyao suddenly remembered something. She took a pale-blue pendant from her sleeve, set it on the table, and pushed it toward Chu Yan. "I prepared this for you. Put it on."

Chu Yan picked up the pendant and examined it closely.

The pendant was pale blue all over, crystalline and translucent, with a faint light seeming to flow within it. As he held it, a cool sensation seeped into his palm and spread slowly along his meridians, making him feel refreshed from head to toe.

"Is this... Ice Heart Jade Marrow?" Chu Yan was slightly startled.

He recognized it.

He had read about it in the Chu Clan's records. Ice Heart Jade Marrow was an extremely rare natural soul-guidance material, found beneath the ten-thousand-year-old ice layers of the Far North. It could clear the mind and eyes, and calm the spirit.

Worn on the body, it could speed up the recovery of one's spiritual power and even offer some resistance to spiritual attacks.

"You do know your stuff." Qin Mengyao nodded in satisfaction. "This Ice Heart Jade Marrow pendant was left to me by your maternal grandfather. I've never had the heart to use it. Now that you've awakened your Martial Soul and need to cultivate your spiritual power, it'll be just right for you."

"Mother, this is too precious." Chu Yan tried to refuse.

He knew the value of Ice Heart Jade Marrow.

It was so rare that it was practically priceless. A single piece could fetch at least a million Federation Credits on the black market, and it was still hard to come by.

"What do you mean, too precious?" Qin Mengyao waved her hand, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You're my son. If I don't give my things to you, who should I give them to? Besides, I'm an auxiliary-type Soul Master. This thing isn't much use to me. You're the one who can make the best use of it."

Chu Yan looked into his mother's gentle yet resolute eyes, and warmth welled up inside him.

He stopped refusing and put the pendant around his neck.

The pale-blue pendant rested against his chest, and a cool sensation immediately swept through his body. It was as if an unseen hand had gently brushed over the spiritual power in his mind, leaving it exceptionally clear.

"Thank you, Mother," Chu Yan said sincerely.

"What are you thanking me for, silly child?" Qin Mengyao smiled and ruffled her son's hair. "All right, you've had your soup. Go take a bath and change your clothes. Aren't you going to the Xu Clan to see Xiao Yan this afternoon?"

Chu Yan nodded and stood up. Just as he was about to go bathe, he suddenly remembered something and stopped, turning to look at his mother.

"Mother, aren't you... going to ask about my Martial Soul?"

Since his awakening, his mother hadn't asked about the details of his Martial Soul.

Qin Mengyao smiled slightly. "What would I ask for? Your father has a big mouth. He came home last night and bragged to me about how you had Innate Full Soul Power and an unknown, powerful Martial Soul. He made you sound like the greatest person under heaven."

Chu Yan: "..."

He knew it. His father couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Then again, Qin Mengyao was Chu Yuntian's wife, and they were very close. There was no way his father would keep something like this from her.

"But your father also said your Martial Soul is somewhat unusual, and that the details need to be kept secret." Qin Mengyao stood up and came over to Chu Yan. She crouched in front of him until they were eye to eye, her gaze gentle and earnest. "Yan'er, I don't care what your Martial Soul is or what you want to do in the future. I just want you to be safe and sound. Understand?"

Chu Yan looked into his mother's clear, waterlike eyes, and something tender in his heart was gently stirred.

In his previous life, he'd been an orphan and had never known a mother's love.

It was only after having a mother in this life that he understood what the word "Mom" meant.

"Don't worry, Mother. I will," he said softly.

Qin Mengyao nodded in satisfaction and stood up, patting her son on the shoulder. "All right, go take a bath. You smell awful. Don't go stinking up Xiao Yan when you visit the Xu Clan later."

Chu Yan smiled helplessly and turned toward the bathroom.

Behind him, Qin Mengyao watched her son's retreating figure, a complicated look flashing through her eyes.

Though she'd said she wouldn't ask, how could she possibly not worry?

Innate Full Soul Power, an unknown Martial Soul... With those labels, her son was fated to be no ordinary person.

And in this era, being extraordinary often meant danger.

But she believed in her son.

Ever since he was three, she'd known he was different. He was too composed, too sensible—so sensible it broke her heart.

"Yan'er, no matter how far you go in the future, your mother will always be watching over you from behind," she said silently in her heart.

Afternoon

Chu Yan changed into a pale-green robe and wore the pale-blue Ice Heart Jade Marrow pendant on his chest. He looked refined and handsome, nothing like a six-year-old child.

He left the Chu family estate and walked along Eastsea City's main street toward the Xu Clan.

The Xu Clan was in the eastern district of Eastsea City, only a few miles from the northern district where the Chu Clan was located.

Chu Yan didn't take a soul-guidance car. He chose to walk instead.

As he made his way through Eastsea City's streets, looking at the rows of buildings on either side and the people coming and going, a strange feeling stirred in his heart.

Though Eastsea City was only a seaside city, it was an important port on the eastern coast of the Sun Moon Federation, and far more prosperous than an ordinary city.

Soul-guidance cars occasionally roared across the sky, leaving streaks of light behind them.

Far off on the sea, enormous cargo ships sailed slowly past, their horns sounding faintly in the distance.

Everything told him that this was a real world, one full of opportunity and challenges.

After about half an hour, Chu Yan reached the entrance to a magnificent estate.

The estate was somewhat larger than the Chu Clan's. Its vermilion-red gates stood about three zhang tall, and a huge plaque hung above them, bearing two gilt characters: Xu Mansion.

Two armored guards stood at the entrance. The moment they saw Chu Yan, they recognized him.

"Little Master Chu is here!" one of the guards greeted him with a smile.

"Mm." Chu Yan nodded to them and walked inside.

The Xu Mansion was laid out a little differently from the Chu Clan's, with more of a garden-like style.

Pavilions and towers, winding streams crossed by little bridges, and uniquely shaped rocks filled every corner with elegance.

He passed through the front courtyard and around the screen wall. As soon as Chu Yan entered the central courtyard, he heard a clear, melodious voice call out.

"Brother Yan!"