Moments later, the transmission of the technique concluded. Lin Fan slowly opened his eyes, his face beaming with uncontainable joy, his white teeth gleaming like polished jade.
The technique of an Immortal King titan, surpassing even the Archaic Vicious Ten, was comparable only to the Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Skill. Its weight left him reeling, his heart far from calm.
Liu Shen's technique, centered on nirvana and the laws of life, resonated deeply with his dao of life, offering immense inspiration for his path.
"Liu Shen, your technique is too profound. This karmic debt feels excessive," Lin Fan said, his excitement palpable, his clear black-and-white eyes sparkling with fervor.
Liu Shen's branches swayed gently, her divine thought responding, "The karma is balanced."
"No, your technique means too much to me—more than anything else. I must repay you with the utmost sincerity," Lin Fan declared, his expression solemn as he gazed at the charred tree stump.
Liu Shen fell silent, her glowing green branches flickering, a trace of curiosity—and perhaps anticipation—stirring at his pledge.
"To show my greatest sincerity, I'm but a penniless wanderer, still weak, with nothing in my pockets worthy of your notice. I've roamed half my life, yearning for a family I never found. So, I've decided…"
In the next moment, to the stunned disbelief of everyone present, Lin Fan bowed deeply and proclaimed, "Mother Liu, please accept your child's homage!"
The crowd: …
Liu Shen: …
Silence blanketed the scene, broken only by the whistling night breeze and the dumbfounded expressions of the villagers, their jaws practically hitting the ground.
"Wow, Brother Xiao Fan's skin is thicker than mine! He actually wants to call Liu Shen his mother!" Xiao Budian blurted out, shattering the quiet with his incredulous cry.
"This guy's… face…" Yue Chan was at a loss for words, pressing a hand to her smooth forehead, utterly exasperated by him.
His shamelessness was beyond comprehension—thicker than a city wall, sturdy enough to serve as a shield. Surely no one in the world could outdo him.
"No need. I don't take adopted sons," Liu Shen replied calmly, rejecting him outright.
"Whether you accept is your choice, but whether I pay homage is mine. From now on, you're Mother Liu to me," Lin Fan said with unwavering seriousness, the term "Mother Liu" rolling off his tongue with practiced ease.
The villagers gaped, even the rugged folk of Stone Village regarding him with newfound astonishment. How could he say such things without a shred of shame? Where was his sense of dignity?
Yet Lin Fan, under the weight of so many strange stares, remained unfazed, brimming with smug satisfaction, not a hint of embarrassment.
He lived by a simple creed: Face is earned through strength. Without strength, you bow to the right powers, and things will work out.
After all, hadn't the peerless Lü Bu thrived by bowing to three adoptive fathers? If the Great Love Immortal could do it, why not him, calling an adoptive mother? Especially this one, nicknamed "Mother Liu" by many—a supreme Immortal King titan in nirvana, Xiao Nai Hao's closest ally. Pledging loyalty to her was no loss.
Liu Shen, however, fell silent, perhaps overwhelmed by Lin Fan's audacity, a rare sense of helplessness washing over her.
In all her eons, she had never encountered a creature so brazen as to insist on calling her "mother."
After a long pause, her divine thought finally stirred. "Do as you wish."
"Wahhh! I finally have a family! Mother Liu, you don't know how I've suffered, growing up without parents…" Lin Fan's voice quivered with feigned emotion, squeezing out a few tears. He rushed forward, wrapping his arms around the charred stump in a dramatic show of affection, recounting a litany of fabricated hardships like a pitiful child reunited with his mother.
The scene left the onlookers dumbfounded, their mouths twitching, eyes wide with disbelief.
Yet some, hearing his tale, began to pity Lin Fan's supposed plight. He spoke of being tormented by a cruel woman from infancy, fending for himself at age one, cooking and serving others, nearly perishing in a void passage…
Embellished with vivid detail, his story tugged at heartstrings, resonating deeply.
The aunties of Stone Village, eyes reddening, looked at Lin Fan with newfound sympathy.
One, Aunt Hu, spoke up. "Don't be sad, child. From now on, Stone Village is your home. Whatever you want to eat, come to my place, and I'll cook for you."
"Brother Xiao Fan is so pitiful. I thought growing up without parents was tough, but he's had it worse. At least I had Grandpa Village Chief, uncles, and aunties caring for me," Xiao Budian said, tears welling as he empathized.
To him, Lin Fan's achievements must have come through unimaginable hardship, forged in trials beyond what most could endure.
"Did he… really have such a miserable childhood?" Yue Chan wondered, standing gracefully, half-doubting, half-astonished. Could Lin Fan's life before joining the Heaven Mending Sect have been so wretched?
But on reflection, it explained his shameless, coarse demeanor—so unlike the refined heir he should be, more akin to a street ruffian. Had he not adapted such a thick skin, he might not have survived.
"That woman is despicable, abusing a child like that!" an auntie suddenly cursed.
The simple folk of Stone Village harbored deep contempt for anyone who mistreated children.
"Don't curse her. After all, she's the one who found me. Without her, I might've been eaten by wild beasts," Lin Fan said, feigning magnanimity while inwardly gleeful.
"You're too kind, child," another auntie sighed, shaking her head, worried his soft heart would be his downfall.
"Brother Xiao Fan, when I grow up, I'll teach her a lesson for you!" Xiao Budian chimed in, clenching his small fists.
Achoo!*
At that very moment, in the desolate wastelands, a woman of ethereal beauty sneezed inexplicably, her right eyelid twitching.
For someone of her cultivation, this was abnormal. At her realm, far beyond mortal limits, her body shouldn't react so uncontrollably.
Ye Qingxian, with her peerless visage, sensed something amiss. Her delicate brows furrowed, red lips parting as she muttered, "Someone's slandering me, plotting against me?!"
Her slender fingers moved, calculating the threads of fate, but the result was shrouded in mist, obscured and unreadable.
"Damn it, whoever you are, if I find you, I'll crush your skull!" Ye Qingxian growled, baring her small tiger-like teeth, her spirited face alight with defiance.
Back beneath the willow tree, Lin Fan glanced at Xiao Budian with satisfaction. A fine little brother, worth keeping.
Then, turning to Liu Shen with a hint of mock sorrow, he asked, "Mother Liu, why aren't you comforting me?"
Liu Shen's response was flat. "Do you need it?"
"Of course! You're my mother now. Who could comfort me better?" Lin Fan replied, his face unblushing, his heart steady, adopting a pitiful, affection-seeking expression.
Liu Shen was speechless, thoroughly bested by this audacious "son." This wasn't just thick-skinned—it was shamelessness incarnate, like a clinging plaster!
Even her serene composure wavered, a rare stirring of exasperation. Reluctantly, she extended a willow branch, mimicking mortal mothers, and gently patted Lin Fan's head.
Then, she let out a barely audible sigh, as if it carried the weight of endless ages, steeped in vicissitude.
"This karma… what a bizarre twist."
___
Upper Realm, Heaven Mending Sect
In a pristine land, purple bamboo groves stretched endlessly, wreathed in white mist. Divine rainbows streaked across the sky, piercing the heavens, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
Yue Chan's main body moved gracefully through this paradise, her steps light and elegant, her presence otherworldly, like a moonlit sprite. Her skin was flawless, her beauty poetic.
Yet, a closer inspection revealed her aura had surged, far deeper than months ago, having reached the Spirit Transformation Realm.
After surveying the area, she paused before a black stone platform, frowning. "Has my junior brother not yet returned from the Lower Realm?"
She soon left the blessed land, but no sooner had she returned to her residence than a flustered maid rushed in with urgent news.
"Saintess, trouble! The Witch of the Heaven Severing Sect has led a group to blockade Heaven Mending City in the Spirit Realm…"
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