*Sniffle*
*Sniffle*
“Damn it…”
Xi Shen wiped his face with the hem of his sleeves as he moved along the various corridors.
His nose was slightly red and his eyes were quite puffy.
While wiping his face Xi Shen said annoyed.
“What is this? Are these tears?”
“Is this what it’s like to cry?”
“It feels like my eyes are leaking salt water. It's annoying, I don’t like it.”
Xi Shen finish wiping his face and as he continue to walk his mind went back to the previous events. The look in his mother’s eyes was replaying in his head repeatedly.
He let out a long sigh.
“I screwed up by letting my emotions get the better of me."
"My position now couldn’t be more ironic, could it?”
Xi Shen asked self-deprecatingly.
He was feeling quite down, but now that he was out of there this was a good opportunity to deal with a few matters.
He was very worried about the commotion he caused by injuring those disciples, but he hoped his father could handle it.
He didn’t want to return, but after this, he should at least offer an apology personally. Perhaps that would calm things down a bit.
Xi Shen's legs moved faster, carrying him to one of the larger Pavilion connected to this one.
He went to the side avoiding the guards at the front.
While looking up at the ten-meter high wall in front of him, Xi Shen softly whispered.
“Little Snow.”
Immediately after, Xi Shen’s figure vanished.
Inside this large courtyard was a sealed-off stone chamber.
In the middle of the stone chamber was Fu Wei.
He was seated cross-legged with his eyes closed. A multicolored plum blossom on his forehead was flickering intensely.
Suddenly, the colors released a more resplendent glow.
*UGH!!*
Fu Wei immediately cried out in agony but he didn’t move, he didn’t want to lose his concentration.
His body only convulsed in place, while he gritted his teeth until they could be heard grinding against each other.
His palms clench a fist full of his clothes on his knees as he endured this hell-like torture.
After a few minutes, the pain subsided and the glow of the plum blossom petals lessen.
Fu Wei’s expression relaxed a bit, but his face looked extremely pale.
Despite the pain he was feeling now was not as extreme as during these episodes, his body was still trembling a bit.
He didn’t know how long it had been since he entered seclusion, maybe it was a few hours, a few days, maybe months or years.
He had no sense of time, the only thing he had been focused on was trying not to lose control of his Divine Plum Blossom.
This has not only caused his body to become weak and exhausted, but he also didn’t know how long it is before his mind gave out.
The effects these episodes had on his consciousness were horrific. He couldn’t control his emotions at times he felt extreme anger, painful sadness, overwhelming hatred and envy.
He had absolutely no idea what was happening to him, and he was scared because of that fact. Cultivators of his level don’t just lose control over their bodies and mind like this. It was impossible to manipulate a Nascent Realm cultivator either physically or mentally, but this plum blossom was causing a strange feeling to well up within his heart.
This feeling gave way to fear that he had never felt before.
It felt as if he let his concentration slip even once, this plum blossom was going to take over his mind and body.
This was a terrifying revelation for Fu Wei.
However, he was stubborn and persistent. He was determined to overcome this conjunction in his cultivation.
At his level the harder the trails he faced the bigger the gains would be if he overcome them. And also, he could feel that if he gained control over his Divine Plum Blossom something amazing would happen.
His instincts were telling him not to let this opportunity slip through his fingers. So no matter how long it took, he would sit here and forcefully suppress and gain control over the plum blossom.
Between his episodes was the only time Fu Wei had a bit of time to rest.
Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see someone in front of him.
“Mother.” Fu Wei said happy to see his mother again after going through so much difficulty.
The Empress who had left the celebration was seen standing in front of her son, looking down at him with a worried expression. But not for what one would think.
“Wei’er, how is it going? Have you made any progress in gaining control of your plum blossom?”
Seeing that his mother was asking about his Divine Plum Blossom and not his well-being, Fu Wei felt a bit disappointed and sad, but he quickly got over it as this wasn’t rare from his mother.
Being respectful, Fu Wei replied.
“Mother, I feel that I’ll be able to gain control of it soon. You need not worry.”
Hearing his words, his mother’s expression turned to anger before she said coldly.
“You say this over a week ago but even till now you still fail to subdue it. Enough with your empty promises!”
“Mother, please be calm, I promise I’ll gain control over it soon.”
Fu Wei said reassuringly, as it seems his mother was starting to get upset.
“You expect me to be calm when this nuisance happened at such a time?!” His mother instantly fired back.
“This time should be focused on breakthrough into the Soul Transformation Realm! If this persists then your breakthrough will be delayed, and what about the others in your generation?! That Ling Tian and your cousin Li Sun! Wouldn’t they have surpassed you?!”
“You’re going to be the Crown Prince and future Emperor, to be surpassed by anyone is humiliation I will not suffer through!!”
“Especially your cousin. If he surpasses you the ancestors might consider your uncle’s bloodline to rule the Li Clan. Get this under control before another problem comes up, I had enough dealing with that slut’s son.”
Fu Wei's grip on his knees tighten while he lowered his head and responded.
“Yes, mother.”
The Empress’s eyes showed that despite his answer she was still angry.
“What about the elders’? Have they found what the problem was?”
Fu Wei shook his head and then said,
“Elder Sang was also unable to figure out the cause.”
Fu Wei hesitated a bit on his next words but eventually said them.
“He also said it was best if it was removed because unforeseen dangerous could develop from keeping it.”
Hearing those last words from her son, the Empress’s head snapped towards him and her expression turn to mockery as she said.
“Remove it?”
“Has that old man gone senile from staying cooped up underground? How can the plum blossom be removed?”
“It is the symbol of our Li Clan, and yours is a powerful mutation of it that had never been seen before. Of all the people that have unlocked this bloodline ability in the Li Clan’s history, the ability you possess to create clones is the most powerful. If you go onto the Soul Transformation Realm with this ability you can develop Divine Souls for each clone and your power would no longer be distributed between them. This will give you the strength of six Transformation Realm experts. Not to mention how this could improve your future cultivation path, for even considering such a thing that old man is completely crazy.”
Hearing his mother’s words, a thought flashed past his mind.
‘This isn’t mine, it’s Shen'er's.’
But Fu Wei had it this long so he had come to view it as his. The memory of that day had been placed in the back of his mind, and he hadn’t told anyone of it.
He speculated that Xi Shen had unlocked the plum blossom from birth and had somehow accidentally passed it on to him.
But Fu Wei didn’t care, it was his loss. For him to have this plum blossom showed that his bloodline was extremely pure, and he was deserving of the throne.
If he lost it he didn't know how his cultivation talents would decrease. His mother would surely not look at him anymore if that were to happen. As long as he was talented enough, and as long as he was destined for the throne, his mother would always look at him.
He wouldn’t give it up no matter what.
From a young age, Fu Wei had been pressured by his mother with expectations. If he didn’t live up to what she had envisioned for him she would scold him harshly at the very least. The bigger punishments were cruel and more like torture methods used on criminals than anything.
Like Xi Shen, his father had hardly been there growing up so his mother was his sole parent that shaped and molded his current self.
He had been raised by her to place himself above others, to not be beneath anyone in any shape or form. Because of that, he would work himself to the bone every day.
Each time he met her expectations she would look at him with love and affection, which Fu Wei craved as a child. But if he didn’t, he would see the worst of her. He was thus conditioned by this to continue meeting her expectations.
Simply, this was emotional manipulation.
This had been Fu Wei’s whole life, and he knew it. But it was hard for him to not want something that others would long for.
His mindset had changed a bit since he got older though, and he no longer wanted the throne because he was a boy seeking his mother's love. He did a few things he wasn't proud of because of that, but wanting the throne was a desire he personally come to want.
However, during times like these, his past behavior would show itself.
His mother had left an imprint on him during his childhood that wasn’t something that could be washed away with time.
After the Empress insulted the elder, she turned to Fu Wei and said.
“Get this under control, and quickly.”
“Yes, mothe- UGH!!”
Before Fu Wei could finish his response, the plum blossom petal's glow intensified, and his body started to convulse.
“Tsk.”
The Empress look at her son and clicked her tongue in annoyance before she turned and teleported out of the room.
After a few seconds, Xi Shen’s figure suddenly appeared in a corner of the room.
His gaze was filled with disgust and anger as he stared at where she disappeared.
It had taken him everything he had to restrain himself when he heard her insulting his mother.
She was at the early Soul Transformation Realm, however, and he was supposed to be hiding, so it would have been completely stupid on his part if he had come out and started swearing profanities at her.
Just having Little Snow hide from her senses was a lot for her alone without Tai.
Luckily it wasn’t common for Soul Transformation Realm cultivators to release their Divine Will’s everywhere they go.
After brooding a bit, Xi Shen turned his attention to his elder brother.
Looking at his convulsing body, he smiled warmly and said.
“Look how much pain you're in?”
“How about I help you out by removing that plum blossom?”
Xi Shen said with fake concern before he approached Fu Wei
He couldn't help but think to himself.
‘Well, it’s been fourteen years coming after studying this thing in-depth, now it's time to harvest my gains, sorry big bro.’
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