Chapter Eighteen: Memories from Five Years Ago

Su Xue'er sat back in her original position and said, "I wonder which force it is and why they're targeting me."

The Pixiu shook its head and said, "Weak forces can be wiped out. Stronger ones, knowing you're under my protection, won't dare to act rashly."

With that, the Pixiu arranged a formation in the open space and had Su Xue'er sit in the center. "Now, I'll completely refine the remaining immortal grass within you and let it merge fully into your body. But the process will be lengthy."

"It's alright. I can handle it."

With the formation activated, Su Xue'er initially felt relaxed. However, after a few moments, she began to feel exhausted. The Pixiu reminded her, "You can now circulate your spiritual power throughout your body to facilitate better integration."

Following the Pixiu's instructions, Su Xue'er soon felt less fatigued. After two or three more hours, all the immortal grass within her body had fully merged. However, the Pixiu still had one more task: to open up her Governing and Conception Vessels.

"Now that the immortal grass within you has fully merged, I need to open up your Governing and Conception Vessels. Release your spiritual body first."

"Okay."

Su Xue'er's spiritual body was quickly summoned, and upon seeing it, the Pixiu couldn't help but marvel. Unexpectedly, it was a divine spiritual body with lightning attributes.

With a sigh, the Pixiu began gathering spiritual energy around Su Xue'er.

The entire process was extremely painful, but Su Xue'er didn't utter a word. She persisted, even as her face turned as pale as snow. Finally, after successfully opening her meridians, she collapsed, utterly exhausted.

The Pixiu carefully placed her on a stone bed in the cave and remarked, "Kid, you've got an impressive mother. You really resemble her a lot."

After some time, Su Xue'er opened her eyes groggily to find Shen Zixuan very close to her, his large eyes fixed on her.

Looking at his delicate face, Su Xue'er couldn't resist pinching him lightly. "Zixuan, what are you up to?"

Shen Zixuan, feeling a bit embarrassed, said with a pout, "Mom, I just came to see you. Stop pinching me."

Su Xue'er sat up and asked, "Didn't you go to handle things? Why are you back?"

Shen Zixuan sat beside Su Xue'er with a sweet smile and said, "I saw some delicious fruits over there, so I picked them for you."

With that, he took out a bunch of fruits from his storage bag.

Su Xue'er touched Shen Zixuan's head affectionately. "Thank you for your hard work."

The Pixiu couldn't help but intervene, snorting, "What hard work? He didn't do anything except scare off those people. He's just fooling around."

Su Xue'er just smiled and didn't say anything.

Shen Zixuan asked the Pixiu, "What's my mother's current level? Why can't I tell?"

"Mid-level Spirit King, same as you."

Shen Zixuan was astonished. "Wow, there's no one on the entire continent who can match my mother's talent."

"It's all thanks to you. Without the immortal grass you prepared, it wouldn't have happened so quickly," Su Xue'er replied with a smile.

"But your foundational skills are not solid, so you still need..." The Pixiu stopped midway.

Su Xue'er was curious. "Go on, I can accept it."

"Well... I mean, you need to strengthen your basics during this year. That includes mastering and efficiently releasing spiritual power and techniques, as well as improving your physical fitness."

The Pixiu's words sounded somewhat forced, but Su Xue'er just smiled faintly. "I thought it was something serious. Since you've mentioned it, you must have a plan, right?"

"Yes, I've already thought about it while you were asleep."

Su Xue'er pushed Shen Zixuan off her and said, "Then let's start tomorrow. I need a break for now."

The Pixiu nodded in agreement. Su Xue'er then looked at Shen Zixuan, who was holding onto her left hand tightly, his eyes closed, and speaking affectionately, "Mom, you smell so good!" Then he opened his eyes, tilted his head, and said cutely, "Can I have your fragrance too?"

Su Xue'er, helpless, flicked his head with her finger. "Zixuan, you're so mischievous!"

Shen Zixuan chuckled at her response. After a while, the Pixiu said, "Kid, go command the Bloodthirsty Spider Emperor in battle now. Let your mother rest for a while."

Shen Zixuan nodded reluctantly. "Mom, I'm leaving. I'll miss you."

Su Xue'er was speechless. It felt like a parting of life and death.

After Shen Zixuan left, Su Xue'er asked, "What if the Bloodthirsty Spider Clan can't defeat those people? Will Zixuan be in danger?"

The Pixiu smiled and replied, "Don't worry. The Spider Emperor of the Bloodthirsty Spider Clan has cultivated for thousands of years, and there are several other Magic Beads with millennium cultivation. Besides, the Bloodthirsty Magic Beads become stronger when they thirst for blood, so it's impossible for them to be defeated by a few Soul Emperors."

Over the next few days, the Pixiu trained Su Xue'er in her basic skills, and after each session, she soaked in medicinal herbs on the island in the center of the lake.

Several days later, after another training session, Su Xue'er sat by the lake, while the Pixiu stood beside her.

At that moment, the Pixiu spoke up, "How do you feel about Shen Zixuan?"

Su Xue'er paused upon hearing the question, her expression distant. "I'm not sure. But I find it hard to accept him as my son."

"Why is that?" the Pixiu asked in return.

"It's just that he suddenly appeared as my son. It's hard to accept him at first, especially when I'm not sure if he's good or bad," Su Xue'er explained, but the Pixiu just chuckled upon hearing her words.

"I'm sure he's serious about it. Do you believe me? Moreover, the immortal grass he gave you is indeed genuine, and the herbs you've been soaking in these days were grown through his efforts," the Pixiu said frankly. Su Xue'er slowly got up, put on her crystal shoes, took a few steps forward, and said meaningfully, "That's true. He has been very kind to me. I choose to believe you, but I want to know what happened when we first met."

"There's a type of formation that can reveal past events," the Pixiu replied.

"Really?" Su Xue'er was extremely excited.

"Yes, if you want to see it now, I can set up the formation."

Su Xue'er contemplated for a long time and then said with profound meaning, "Alright."

With that, the Pixiu began to set up the formation, using stones as the foundation and inscribing runes on them. Su Xue'er's blood served as the key to activate the formation.

Su Xue'er sat in the center of the formation and said to the Pixiu, "I'm ready. You can begin."

"Okay." The Pixiu infused spiritual power into the formation, and it immediately activated. Spiritual energy surrounded Su Xue'er and quickly enveloped the entire formation.

In the center of the formation, Su Xue'er felt dizzy, and the scene froze five years ago.

A delicate and beautiful girl came to the Treasure Gathering Valley. She seemed to be searching for something. Later, she saw a little boy being bullied by some people. The girl went up and drove them away. The boy looked very grateful, and from then on, he followed the girl. The girl taught him how to plant immortal grass, cook, and practice martial arts. In the last scene, the girl was about to leave, and the boy looked at her with tears in his eyes, reluctant to part.

Su Xue'er slowly opened her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. There was no sound in her mind, but it felt as though there was. It was confirmed: she was Yun Chuxue, and Yun Chuxue was her. She had a godson named Shen Zixuan.

As the formation dissipated, the Pixiu looked at the teary-eyed Su Xue'er, puzzled. "What's wrong? Did you see what you wanted in the vision?"