My Mother

Because he had used the Evil Sealing Seal, leaving his blood and qi depleted, Lin Feng's appetite soared. Five bowls of rice, along with that plate of demon pig meat, vanished into his stomach before long.

Blood and qi spread through his body, and Lin Feng felt warmly restored, recovering some of his strength.

After dinner came the rare rest time following a hard day's work.

Anbian Residential Area had an established custom—or rather, a rule—that no one could violate: after nine o'clock, all lights had to be turned off, and no loud noises could be made.

Anbian Residential Area lay less than a hundred meters from Blue Moon's coverage range.

Outside the city, demon beasts roamed in packs. Lights at night would attract them, so even if they were not asleep, the residents here would not turn on the lights.

If one listened closely, one could hear the shrieks and roars of demon beasts coming from nearby. It was still bearable at this hour, but on a silent night, it would definitely disturb everyone's rest.

It was already nearly seven after dinner, leaving two hours until nine.

Everyone treasured those two hours.

As usual, Old Ma brewed a pot of tea and turned on the television.

Though he was merely a minor clerk in a quiet government office, he never missed a single current affairs broadcast. Ma Lele hurried off to do her homework, while the eldest sister went outside to make a call. Judging by her expression, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance she was calling that Chen Hao.

"Want some tea?"

Seeing Lin Feng sitting on the sofa as well, Old Ma was somewhat surprised. He raised his teacup and asked.

After speaking, Old Ma gave Lin Feng a strange look.

He had noticed that Lin Feng had been acting somewhat unusual today.

In the past, Lin Feng had been somewhat withdrawn. Though he did not reject him and was always respectful in his conduct, Old Ma could clearly sense the distance Lin Feng kept from him.

It was as though his respect was merely the respect one showed an elder.

Although Lin Feng had always been obedient and sensible, never causing him any trouble from childhood to adulthood, that was precisely why Old Ma had, deep down, even been somewhat afraid of this stepson.

This fear was not fearfulness, but because Old Ma knew how ordinary he was.

He had neither ability nor connections. Apart from covering the basic costs of living, there was nothing he could do to help Lin Feng.

He could not deny that he felt somewhat inferior.

He was afraid Lin Feng would despise him as a useless father.

But today, Old Ma discovered that Lin Feng seemed much closer to him.

At dinner, he had even served him food for the first time in history. It moved Old Ma somewhat.

Has he grown up? Old Ma wondered.

"No need. I'm not thirsty."

Lin Feng shook his head and watched the images on the television.

Having just been reborn, he needed to sort through the memories in his mind.

Today's River City news was no exception, broadcasting the shocking scenes from today's Awakening Day.

Without a doubt, the ten geniuses who appeared on the light screen were the stars of today's news.

The identities and strengths of the ten stars had also been thoroughly investigated.

Especially Ye Qiu.

"Ye Qiu turned down Thunder Club's thirty-billion New Dollar, ten-year contract, but as the only S-class club in the region, they clearly will not easily give up on such a top-tier genius!"

"Reliable sources say Blade Group is preparing to invite Ye Qiu as its brand ambassador, with an endorsement fee as high as one hundred million New Dollars per year."

"Having refined the Thorn Demon Dragon ranked Earth Ranking 46th, Ye Qiu's future profession will most likely be Battle Mage!"

"The well-known local chain brand Soaring Supermarket is one of the industries under Ye Qiu's father's group. Soaring Supermarket was founded in 2133, with registered capital..." the host introduced excitedly.

"This is insane."

Old Ma sighed, and even Lin Feng clicked his tongue in amazement.

On the television screen, Soaring Supermarket had already been swallowed by an enthusiastic crowd. People surged through its ten-meter-wide entrance, while thirty or forty security guards held hands to maintain order. Even entering the supermarket required standing in a long line.

Inside, goods on many shelves had dwindled to almost nothing, some shelves even standing completely empty. In just a few short hours, an entire supermarket had nearly been cleared out, as if the goods were free.

Such madness only occurred before a great war.

The people of River City seemed to be using this method to express their affection for Ye Qiu.

Fortunately, the nation had abolished the stock market after the Battle of Dawn. Otherwise, the shares would probably have hit the daily limit.

"Feng, come help me."

At that moment, his mother's voice came from the kitchen.

"Coming."

Answering her, Lin Feng rose and headed into the kitchen. He chatted idly with his mother, enjoying the warm atmosphere, but he soon noticed something unusual. His mother seemed hesitant to speak.

"Mom, what do you want to say?" Lin Feng asked doubtfully.

"Feng, I know about your dream. Ever since you were little, you wanted to become a Demon Spirit Master."

"Your talent is good. You've already reached Body Cultivation Seventh Stage. With resource support, you should be able to break through to Body Cultivation Eighth Stage. Then, together with..."

Lin Feng had been somewhat puzzled at first, but he soon understood what his mother wanted to say.

Amused by his mother's buildup, he smiled and interrupted, "Do you want to go ask that man?"

"Ah!"

Lin Fang froze. She had not expected Lin Feng to guess her thoughts so quickly.

Nor had she expected Lin Feng to be so calm.

In the past, whenever his father was mentioned, the obedient and sensible Lin Feng would become somewhat restless and might even lose his temper. Such calmness was clearly abnormal.

"No matter what, he is still your father. If you can get his help, you still have a chance of becoming a Demon Spirit Master."

Lin Fang carefully chose her words, unwilling to upset her son. "With your cultivation talent, if you can become a Demon Spirit Master, you may still have hope of getting into one of the Nine Elite Joint Schools in the future."

"I know you don't want to see him or speak to him. That's all right. Mom will talk to him."

"You only need to tell me what level of demon spirit your Soul Power can fuse with, and what attribute it should have. Do you have a specific target? What demon spirit do you want?"

Lin Feng listened calmly to his mother, a faint smile at the corners of his lips.

This was his mother!

Though life was hard, it never diminished her love for her children.

After that man left, she had exhausted herself raising the entire family alone.

Whatever children from other families had, they might have had less of, but they would never lack entirely. No matter how mischievous he was, his mother would at most scold him. She had never laid a hand on him.

Lin Feng understood that the man leaving home had made him and his eldest sister children from a single-parent family. His mother felt that she owed them, so she used everything she had to make up for it.

Even after she married Old Ma, that love had not weakened by even the slightest bit.

In truth, his mother was stronger than he was.

No matter how difficult her life had been, she had never gone to beg that man. Yet now, for his future, she was willing to put aside her dignity, even pretending to be relaxed in front of him.

Is it because of Yage? Lin Feng thought to himself.

In his previous life, after learning that he could not become a Demon Spirit Master, his mother had never mentioned his so-called father. The greatest difference from his previous life now was that Yage had soared into the sky in a single leap and moved out of Anbian Residential Area.

His mother did not say it aloud, but she had to be anxious inside.

"Mom, you don't need to choose your words anymore. I got over it long ago."

Lin Feng spoke lightly. "That man is nothing more than a stranger to me now. I won't beg him, and you don't need to beg him either."

He had once hated that man.

After all, he had left home when Lin Feng was five.

He had left without a single word!

Back then, Lin Feng had longed for a father's love. He had longed for someone who could hold up this family and keep his mother from suffering so much.

But now, to him, it was only a blurry memory.

Just a stranger, nothing more.

Lin Feng knew that man was now in Upper Capital.

If he remembered correctly, the man was probably already a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist. As a Demon Spirit Master, he had refined the Ninth-grade Demon Spirit Devil Mantis, and his strength was formidable.

"Yang Clan ranks seventh among Upper Capital's thirteen great families. As a clan that made tremendous contributions during the Great Calamity, it was specially bestowed the title of Glory Clan by the government. The Yang Group it founded primarily operates in demon beast weapon manufacturing, possesses formidable strength, and has assets spread across the country and overseas..."

That was the basic introduction to the Yang Clan in the online encyclopedia.

Lin Feng had once investigated this family, not because he wanted to return to it, but because he wanted them to regret it—to regret abandoning him.

But in his previous life, although he had reached Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, facing such a colossal entity had been like a mantis trying to block a chariot. He had been utterly powerless.

Seeing Lin Feng so resolute, Lin Fang fell silent for a long time. At last, her eyes reddened slightly. "Then what about your dream?"

The thing she regretted most in her life was marrying Lin Feng's father, a man who appeared carefree but was false and irresponsible.

Now, that man had abandoned them and left home for the sake of his family and family business. She had gradually forgotten him as well.

Life still had to go on. She had struggled to raise the children and had made Lin Feng and Lin Kerou take her surname.

Now that she was with Old Ma, all her hopes rested on the three children. Fortunately, all three were obedient. The eldest and youngest were girls, and would eventually marry. So long as they did not go astray, it would be enough for them to marry into good families. Most of her hopes rested on the second child, Lin Feng.

She hoped Lin Feng could enter one of the Nine Elite Joint Schools, find a good job after graduation, and move out of Anbian Residential Area.

She was only a factory worker with no social connections. Everything could only depend on Lin Feng himself.

The redness in his mother's eyes made Lin Feng's heart ache.

He could tell that his mother was already somewhat angry at his stubbornness, yet even so, she only tried to persuade him. She did not put on the airs of a parent and scold him.

She respected him greatly, always taking his thoughts and emotions into consideration.

Lin Feng could not help wanting to tell his mother that inside his body was a Nightmare ranked seventh on the rare and exotic beast list. If he refined it, not only would the Nine Elite Joint Schools be no problem, even the Three Hero Academies would be within reach.

But he could not tell his mother these things.

Aside from the danger of possessing a priceless treasure, Lin Feng was not absolutely certain that he could refine that Nightmare. If it backlashed again, he would give up and expel it from his body.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Lin Feng did not want to disappoint his family.

"Sigh, there's nothing I can do to help you. You chose this road, so you must walk it yourself."

In the end, facing the stubborn Lin Feng, Lin Fang could only sigh helplessly.

Because of their father, her children had already been looked down upon by relatives and friends. Living in Anbian Residential Area, if they did not get into one of the Nine Elite Joint Schools, how could they escape such a fate?

Though she hoped her son would have a promising future, she would never force him to do anything he did not like.