It took Yuhao a bit of effort to pull himself out of this trance.
'Why did I behave like this ?' he wondered.
'Is it some kind of automatic reverence towards the higher-tier entities?'
He didn't even know that he had entered it and was just staring at the fairy opposite him.
He looked awkwardly at the spirit hovering in front of him and introduced himself.
But one thing was sure, He truly had not expected the Spirit to look like a child.
From the voice, He had imagined some heaven-defying existence, an ancient being who had fought against all odds to survive.
He knew it was female, so in his mind, he imagined it taking the form of a mature elven big sister.
Not… this.
Not a loli who looked about the same age as him.
Upon seeing Yuhao's look of bewilderment and his conflicted expression. Terra's face darkened.
"What?" she snapped, "You have a problem with how I look?"
"?! N-No!" he answered immediately, waving his hands in denial.
'Even her way of speaking has changed, from majestic to childish.' He observed silently
"But…" he paused, before carefully asking, "Why do you look like this? If I may ask?"
The man inside him needed to know.
"Hmph!" she snorted loudly.
"My birth can also be considered on the same day as yours, so what's wrong with me looking like my age?" she declared haughtily, puffing out her very much non-existent chest.
'Even the behavior matches a loli,' He concluded.
She was no longer pretending.
The grand, awe-inspiring image he had constructed in his mind shattered completely.
"Do you think I'm old?" she raised her tiny fist, as if daring him to agree.
But instead of looking intimidating, she looked more cute.
"No—no—no!" Yuhao denied, shaking his head.
No one in their right mind would admit such a thing, regardless of what they thought internally.
'An old Bhabha pretending to be young,' he muttered silently.
Terra hovered quietly in front of him, her wings slowing down until they were almost still.
Two chibi-sized beings stared at each other across the endless sea.
Eventually, her gaze shifted away from him, toward the sea beneath their feet.
The surface of the water rippled faintly.
"…That's enough for today," she said softly.
Yuhao became startled. "Already?"
She nodded, "Your spiritual power is still too weak."
Before Yuhao could say anything else, the light around him began to dim.
A gentle but irresistible force wrapped around him.
"Don't worry," Terra's voice came again, "You can come back, once you grow stronger."
The next instant, Yuhao opened his eyes.
The familiar ceiling came back into his sight, his body lying exactly where it had been before.
'Just say if you can't keep me there anymore. No need to act like a tsundere.'
But he wisely kept that comment to himself. Not daring to make the spirit angry.
His mind shifted toward other things.
He still had to think about his future plans.
The first and most important goal right now was to leave this place as fast as possible.
He had no plan of waiting here for death.
Actually, He had wanted to leave long ago, but there was no way to convince Yun'er as well.
Even though he was reincarnated, she was still his mother.
They had lived together for six years. She had raised him, protected him, and cared for him without any reservation.
Even if he could run away immediately, and no matter how logical it was, he couldn't abandon her.
He thought of the future.
Soon, the duchess will frame his mother with the charges of spreading a plague, and two years later, she would be attacked. Something which will eventually lead her to her death.
'Staying here any longer is just waiting for death, for both of us.'
'We must leave from here as soon as possible.'
'This place is no longer safe.'
Alas, In this, the biggest challenge still remained—convincing his mother.
In his vision, she had never left, even till her last breath. Even at the very end, she still handed him the duke's dagger.
But this time, he had no intention to let history repeat itself. He had to convince her—by any means necessary. He had a way, perhaps Old Zhou could persuade her.
Thinking about this, where was old Zhou in the vision?
He had never appeared, 'Was he already dead?'
'If so… how? Old age? or something else?'
But right now, he was still alive, and with the changes in this timeline, he might not really die.
With Old Zhou's help, it might become easier to convince his mother.
Old Zhou genuinely cared about both him and his mother.
'He would surely be worried about their safety, too,' Yuhao thought.
If he could convince Old Zhou first, then with both external and internal people suggesting.
His mother might agree to leave.
Lost in thought and thinking about different ideas, Yuhao stayed in bed till evening.
Only when he heard the sound coming from outside did he stood up.
His mother was back. He stepped out of his room and greeted her, "Welcome Home."
She looked at him, smiled faintly, and then replied in a tired voice, "I'm back."
Although she was clearly curious about his awakening, she didn't ask immediately.
First, she put away the things she was carrying, poured herself a glass of water, drank it slowly, and then sat on the chair.
Yuhao waited for her patiently and then also sat down near her.
This made the environment serene, and only then did she ask softly.
"How did your awakening go ?"
Yuhao looked her in the eyes and answered in a calm tone.
"I have a body type martial soul — Spirit Eyes, with innate soul power of five."
After that, he picked up the certificate and handed it to her. It also contained the same information.
She took the certificate and read it carefully, then looked back at him.
Yuhao could perceive both surprise and astonishment on her face.
"I have the same martial soul as you, Mom."
She snapped out of her daze, her expression returning to normal. Though still containing a bit of concern.
She wasn't happy that Yuhao had the same martial soul as her.
What good was it?
It hadn't even helped her to become a Soul Grandmaster.
Yuhao understood her worries. In this world, Soul Masters ruled everything. A weak martial soul meant a difficult future.
Having the same martial soul as her, being stuck at the Soul Master realm… it was only natural for her to worry for him.
"It's okay, Mom," Yuhao said.
"Old Zhou and the Instructor both said, my martial soul may have mutated. My innate soul power is high, and I can reach a much higher cultivation realm," he explained.
"So don't worry, I will be fine. I have a great future ahead of me."
Yuhao did not comment on Martial Soul. If the world wanted to believe that it was useless, let them believe it.
Seeing her son comforting her, instead of the other way around, the corners of her eyes got moist.
But she held back the tears, but moved closer to Yuhao, and pulled him in a tight embrace.
"It doesn't matter what martial soul you have," she said softly.
"It doesn't matter to us."
"Mom will always love you the same."
"You don't have to care about what others say."
"I'll always be with you."
Her arms tightened around him.
"I know, Mom," Yuhao replied in a heavy voice, his own emotions stirring restlessly.
"Old Zhou also said that you can look for him if you need anything," Yuhao reminded her of Old Zhou's words.
Yun'er nodded, "I'll talk to him tomorrow."
She would have to talk with Old Zhou to understand more. At least her son had better Martial Soul than her.
Yuhao continued, "I will go find Boss Shi tomorrow and ask what he thinks as well."
After a while, they separated.
She kissed his forehead and then headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
They ate together, the atmosphere much lighter than before, similar to everyday.
Afterward, Yuhao returned to his room.
Terra remained silent during the whole process. Giving him the space he needed.
He meditated for an hour. Then exhausted, he drifted into sleep.
Only one thought remain in his mind.
Tomorrow, he would have to meet Old Zhou.
Before his mother did.
—<>—
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