"Ning'er!"
The worried cry pierced through the trees.
Ji Ning turned and saw his mother rushing toward him, her face etched with panic.
"Mother, don't worry," Ji Ning quickly reassured her. "That Winged Serpent is dead. This senior took care of it."
"When I saw you covered in blood, I was terrified…" Yuchi Xue's voice trembled. "If anything had happened to you, I wouldn't have known how to live on."
Seeing her son unharmed, she broke down in tears.
"This isn't my blood," Ji Ning explained. "It's from a monster I killed earlier."
"Thank you, Senior, for saving my son." Ji Yichuan, composed as always, gave Wei Wen a solemn look. "May I ask your name?"
Though Ji Yichuan's cultivation had declined due to injuries, he had once been a Violet Palace cultivator. His senses were still sharp. Wei Wen radiated the aura of someone at the Xiantian (Innate) level—but that didn't add up. The Winged Serpent was a powerful beast, difficult even for peak Xiantian cultivators. For someone at early Xiantian to kill it in one strike? Unlikely.
Perhaps if someone had cultivated the Nine Heavens Scarletbright Diagram—the top-tier Fiendgod Body Refinement technique in the Great Xia World—it might have been possible. But Wei Wen's aura didn't match that technique. If not Scarletbright, then what had he trained in?
Regardless, one fact was clear: Wei Wen was no ordinary early-stage Xiantian.
"Wei Wen," he replied simply.
Ji Yichuan frowned slightly. The name didn't match any of the known clans from the Yan Mountain region. There was no Wei Clan among the six major families with Violet Palace cultivators.
"I've arranged a banquet to thank you properly," Ji Yichuan said. "Please join us."
Wei Wen nodded. "Alright."
He had already bound Ji Ning's fate. Still, maintaining a good relationship was wise. With a few nudges and well-timed 'advice,' Ji Ning might reach key opportunities faster—like the Star Picking Manor inheritance from the True God known as Daoist San Shou.
In the Ji clan's main hall, the feast was underway.
Wei Wen and Ji Yichuan sat on either side of the host's seat. Dishes and fine wine filled the table. Everyone present showed deference.
Ji Ning, seated further down, was just as curious about Wei Wen as his parents were. Despite appearing young and being only Xiantian in strength, he had killed the Winged Serpent—something that should have been impossible at that level.
Ji Ning himself was a paradox: blessed with extraordinary insight, yet born with a damaged body. His meridians were narrow, his talent for Qi Refinement abysmal. And yet, he had already cultivated the Nine Heavens Scarletbright Diagram, the most difficult body refinement technique, to just below the Xiantian level. Meanwhile, his Qi refinement level remained stuck in the Houtian (Postnatal) realm.
As he reached for a dish, his mother, Yuchi Xue, suddenly let out a small cough—and blood splattered on the table.
Her face went pale. Her body slumped. Her energy drained away almost instantly.
Ji Ning froze. "Mother?!"
She didn't speak.
Ji Ning turned to his father, stunned.
Ji Yichuan's jaw clenched. He was silent for a moment, then finally spoke.
"There's no hiding this from you anymore," he said softly. "You've grown up, and you deserve to know."
He looked toward Wei Wen, then back at his son.
"Before you were born, your mother and I went on an expedition. We were both injured. Her condition was especially grave… but she held on. She used a secret art that burned her life force to keep you alive in the womb."
He paused.
"The cost was too great. She never recovered. At most… she has a year and a half left."
Ji Ning's breath caught.
So it was because of him.
If his mother hadn't chosen to keep him alive back then—if she hadn't burned her life force—she might have survived. She might have healed.
He clenched his fists.
"Mother… if not for me… you wouldn't…" He forced the words out. "I'll find a way to save you. I swear it."
"Haha, it's good that you have that determination," Yuchi Xue said gently. Her face was pale, but her voice still carried warmth. "But don't blame yourself."
She understood better than anyone what had happened to her body. It wasn't just an injury—her lifespan itself had been consumed.
The path to saving her was not just a matter of healing. It meant extending her mortal lifespan.
For cultivators, lifespan-extending elixirs existed, and while rare, they were not unattainable. A True Person at the Myriad Manifestations level could probably afford them.
But for mortals? The situation was far worse.
Elixirs that could extend a mortal's life were prohibitively rare. Even Primordial Spirit Daoists couldn't refine them. Usually, it would take a Void Returning Earth Immortal to have the means and wealth to acquire or produce such pills.
As a descendant of the Yuchi clan, which had once produced Earth Immortals and even Heaven Immortals, Yuchi Xue knew better than to cling to false hope. She smiled for Ji Ning's sake.
Wei Wen was silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Ji Ning," he said, "if you want to save your mother… you'll need a Longevity Elixir. Do you have any idea how rare those are for mortals?"
Ji Ning looked up. "No… I don't. Senior Wei Wen, may I ask—what kind of elixir is needed?"
Wei Wen sighed. "You need to understand something. Among cultivators, you'll find alchemists who can extend life. But for a mortal… it's almost impossible. The only true solution is for you to become an Immortal."
Ji Ning froze.
Immortal?
Wei Wen continued, "If you reach the Immortal realm, then you might have a chance. But… can you do that in a year and a half?"
Ji Ning's thoughts spun. The words struck like thunder.
Ji Yichuan looked at his son. Ten years old. Still just a boy.
Could he really shoulder this?
As for himself—crippled in body and spirit—he had no means to help. Even if he used all the Ji Clan's resources, he couldn't afford a mortal's Longevity Elixir.
"Ning'er, don't despair," Yuchi Xue said softly. "Birth, aging, sickness, and death—these are the natural cycles. I've come to terms with it. That's why I chose to give birth to you, no matter the cost."
She looked into Ji Ning's eyes.
His heart ached as he stared at his mother—the one who had always smiled at him with warmth and pride. The one who had poured all her love into him.
She was going to die. And there was nothing he could do.
His body shook uncontrollably. Tears fell.
Blood leaked from his nostrils, from his ears—his mind and spirit reeling from the emotional blow. The weight of helplessness crushed him.
This pain went deeper than anything he'd ever felt.
It would stay with him for the rest of his life.