Chapter 6: Big Dreams
1310 Words
After evading Mu Qingyuan and his group, Mu Feng gathered more herbs and returned home, arriving late at night. Moving quietly, he intended to slip back into his room without disturbing his mother's sleep. However, after only a few steps, his mother emerged, wrapped in a coat, still awake despite the late hour.
"Spring may have arrived, but it's still chilly at night. Make sure to wear more layers to stay warm," Situ Qing advised, pulling her coat tighter as a cold wind blew. Though only in her thirties, the moonlight revealed a few strands of white in her hair, and her once delicate hands were no longer smooth.
Under the pressures of life, the once noble lady had become almost unrecognizable.
"Okay," Mu Feng replied, heading towards his room.
"Wait, don't go yet!"
Just a few steps away, his mother called him back, "Did you offend Second Young Master Mu Qingyuan again? Did you confront him?"
Mu Feng denied it, not wanting his mother to worry. "No, it's just idle gossip. Mother, don't pay it any mind."
"Tonight, the steward sent someone over, saying this year's tribute has increased by twenty-seven taels. If we don't pay within five days, we'll have to move out of the Mu family estate," Situ Qing said calmly, looking at her son, who was now taller than her, as if discussing something unrelated to them.
"What? Mother, I..."
Mu Feng was shocked, quickly understanding the situation. He turned abruptly, "Mu Qingyuan, it must be that scoundrel's doing!"
"Stop! What are you planning to do?" Situ Qing's stern voice halted her furious son. "So what if it was the Second Young Master? Are you going to kill him, or report him to the punishment elder or the old family head? Do you think you haven't caused enough trouble?"
"Mother..."
Mu Feng's eyes reddened, his fists clenched tightly. Although he knew Mu Qingyuan was no good, he hadn't expected him to be so insidious and despicable!
Had he known, he would have killed him in the bamboo forest without hesitation!
"A man is like a mountain, steady in his actions; a man is like the sea, broad in his tolerance. One must have integrity but also understand the bigger picture, knowing when to advance and retreat. If you can't endure a moment, you'll never achieve great things! This matter ends here; I will handle it," Situ Qing said, turning to leave. After a few steps, she looked back, "Feng'er, compared to your father, you still have a long way to go!"
"Yes!"
Mu Feng lowered his head in shame, watching his mother close the door. His face quickly turned cold.
"Mu... Qing... Yuan..."
Mu Feng gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his neck.
If not for his mother, he would have stormed off to kill Mu Qingyuan without hesitation, destroying anyone in his path!
In his fury, the "Sorcerer" character reappeared on his forehead. A mysterious power flowed from the heavens, accompanied by an ancient aura. The blood bead in his body spun faster, heating his blood, making him feel like a raging beast about to erupt!
"A man is like a mountain, a man is like the sea..."
At a critical moment, Mu Feng remembered his mother's advice. His red eyes gradually cleared, and he turned to leave.
Revenge will come, but not now!
When the time comes, Mu Qingyuan will pay dearly for his foolishness, arrogance, and despicable actions!
"Mu Yuan, can you see? Your son has a temper just like yours. Why, why didn't you listen to me that last time?"
Thinking of her stubborn husband, Situ Qing's eyes reddened, recalling the tragic events of years past.
After a long time, she wiped away her tears, removed the hairpin from her hair, and gently caressed it, remembering her first meeting with Mu Feng's father in the capital. With a sigh, she wrapped the hairpin in a cloth and placed it on the table.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...
While Situ Qing sat at her dressing table, lost in memories, Mu Feng was already meditating, channeling his anger into his cultivation.
Study to understand principles, practice martial arts to strengthen the body!
Mother was right; as a man, he should strive hard. But now, he believed that martial arts were not just for physical strength.
Some people are born as trash, as tumors. Such individuals must be eliminated, no matter the cost!
"Stand tall and fight to the end!"
Mu Feng suddenly recalled the description of ancient sorcerers in the "Guangling Chronicles." He remembered the scene from his unfamiliar memories, where the colossal ancestor sorcerer Zhu Youxuan grabbed the void, causing countless immortals and ancient Buddhas to fall and turn into blood beads.
"As a disciple of the Sorcerer Sect, I, Mu Feng, swear to reach the pinnacle of cultivation in my lifetime, to restore the glory of the Sorcerer Sect. I will bring peace to the world, with no more injustice. If the Heavenly Way is unfair, I will tear a hole in the sky. If I break this oath, let my soul be scattered, and let me fall into the abyss of endless reincarnation!"
A blood oath!
Mu Feng cut his wrist, letting the blood spill onto the ground, making the most solemn and severe vow of the Sorcerer Sect, setting a grand ambition.
His voice was not loud, but it was firm and resonated through the heavens. Instantly, the remnants of ancient sorcerers scattered across various times and spaces came rolling through time, entering his body. The ancestral blood bead in his body began to glow with mysterious runes, releasing waves of pure energy, causing his blood to boil.
Upon closer inspection, the runes were not just symbols but ancient sorcerers, either sitting or standing, forming sorcerer's seals, praying, and performing rituals. It was a revival of the glorious era when ancient sorcerers fought against the heavens and earth, contending with the sun and moon! Gradually, the energy released by the blood bead grew more immense, permeating his limbs and bones, repairing and clearing his damaged meridians; it condensed into pure spiritual power, circulating along a profound path within his body.
As long as the abundant spiritual power could break through the blocked and damaged meridians, completing one full cycle, he would break through the bottleneck and step into the early stage of the Mortal Realm, officially entering the path of cultivation!
Boom, boom, boom...
The remnants of ancient sorcerers continued to flow through time, and more runes appeared on the blood bead. Each rune was an incarnation of an ancient sorcerer or even an ancestor sorcerer, carrying their will, remnants, and power. From above, one could see that the entire Mu family estate was enveloped in an ancient and immense aura.
Ancient Sorcery—Soul Gathering!
From the vast and complex memories of the ancestor sorcerer Zhu Youxuan, a profound cultivation mantra surfaced in Mu Feng's mind, and his body began to move involuntarily.
Moving like the wind, still like a pine, each movement seemed to drain his energy. As he took a step forward and suddenly looked up, thunder roared in the sky, and a massive energy vortex appeared, spanning hundreds of miles. Everyone's souls trembled, as if their spirits were about to leave their bodies.
In the eastern part of the city, in the graveyard, sharp sounds of nails scraping against coffin boards echoed, as if ancient corpses were about to awaken from their millennia-long slumber!
"With the roar of a tiger and the thunder, the bones are refined..."
Mu Feng roared, urging the spiritual power within him, hoping to break through the bottleneck in one go!
As long as he officially stepped into the path of cultivation, he could register at the Martial Hall and be exempt from the annual tribute.
Time was running out; only five days remained!
- Writer
