Suddenly, his pupils constricted, shock marring his features as if he somehow couldn't believe that this woman would agree to their so-called relationship so easily.
Has my impression of this woman been flawed from the very beginning?
Seeing that he had been shocked into silence by her words, she stared at him for a few seconds with a smile that was not a smile before looking back at the full moon.
"What did you think it would be—that common cliché where the beauty has terrible parents preventing their child from being happy and causing a blood feud that would end up in entire sects being destroyed when you came to power?"
His heart trembled as the golden flames, which had already been struggling to calm his nerves, suddenly started to burn with a terrifying intensity.
Fuck, alright, I admit I did expect that damn cliché. Did she really just point out that cliché to me?!
He tried opening and closing his mouth a few times, trying to find the words to say, but eventually, he just ended up with these words.
"Did you find out about my Earthly Physique?"
Suddenly, the woman turned back towards him, her silver eyes calm, and yet the words she spoke shook him to his core.
"Did you really think that child would fall for a man she did not consider her equal? An Earthly Physique? Do you think that's enough?"
The golden flames had now spread throughout the rest of his body as they desperately tried to bring warmth to his chilling nerves. He tried to deny it, to say that it wasn't the case, but in front of a person who could wave her hand and show you your entire life like a movie—a woman who, when she waved her hand a second time, could turn night into day—there were very few secrets he could keep.
Shit... alright, guess I have to reveal one of my biggest secrets today.
Even though he felt a bit reluctant, he knew that his physique would eventually be exposed one day; after all, there could only be so many unexplainable things that happened to him at the same time until people started to look at him with doubt.
However, what he didn't expect was that it would be exposed so early in his path to power. His talents being revealed at the Nascent Profound Realm and his talents being revealed at the Sky Profound Realm and beyond were two entirely different things.
One ensured that he would have to struggle in the dark, trying his best to hide from people who could choose to take advantage of him; the other signified safety, because who would dare touch a fully grown cultivator with a Heavenly Physique?
After gritting his teeth for a while, he finally opened his mouth, just about to admit it in the open, when he suddenly realized that words wouldn't come out of his mouth.
Hmm? What the heck? I can't fucking talk!
Seeing the look of panic in his eyes, the silver-haired woman shook her head as she held her forehead with one of her hands, clearly a bit frustrated at his ignorance.
"Alright, child, rule one: in front of supreme experts like me, never openly speak of your secrets out in the open. It is likely that if one finds out, all of them find out. After all, when you have lived for hundreds of thousands of years and have learned that you have no chance at immortal ascension, gossip becomes one of the few joys in life."
His body suddenly grew stiff as his expression turned from one of panic into a grimace, and he nodded his head. She then waved her finger, giving him back his ability to speak as he held his throat and made a few sounds with his mouth, as if making sure it was back.
The silver-haired woman continued to stare at the moon, the silence quiet, sudden, and a bit deafening, until finally, he was the one who broke the silence first.
"Mother-in-law, what do you suggest I do?"
The woman's body suddenly trembled as she looked back towards him with a terrifying light in her eyes; as her gaze suddenly shone with a dark look.
"Alright kid, don't push your luck. Until you at least reach the Sky Profound Realm, you might as well be an ant. Even if you have those god-given gifts, you are not like Xinyue, who has people like me to guide them in their cultivation and give them unending resources. You are on your own!"
He stayed quiet, as if he were ruminating over her words, but deep inside he was actually sneering.
I have a damn system in my body. As long as I continually piss people off, I will never lack resources. In fact, even with a Heavenly Physique, my system can probably support my cultivation; it's just that the process of acquiring those resources really leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Not to mention that unlocking a Sun is so fucking expensive...
His face suddenly changed into a grimace, as if he were regretting his life choices. The silver-haired woman raised her eyebrows, intrigued.
"It seems resources are not a problem for you. That's good."
Suddenly having a bad feeling, he instantly protested, raising his voice with a pitiful expression.
"Mother-in-law, I'm really, really, really broke! If you can help this little one improve his chances of advancing his cultivation even a little bit, I will be endlessly grateful to you!"
The woman's eyebrows twitched; clearly, she was very surprised by his shamelessness. In fact, it seemed the system agreed because, for the first time in a long while after purposefully increasing the requirements for a notification, he heard it again.
[YOU HAVE MADE A SUPREME ENTITY OF HEAVEN AND EARTH SURPRISED AT YOUR SHAMELESSNESS. +25,000 SCUM POINTS!]
Fucking hell, 25,000 points... that's the most damn points I've earned based on a single sentence. Damn.
The woman thought about it for a while before finally making a decision. She waved her hand, giving him a spatial ring.