Mother in This Lifetime

Chapter 4 Mother in This Life

Alphonse was immersed in a meditative state of complete absorption, a state between sleep and wakefulness.

Suddenly, I felt a heat rising in my lower abdomen, as if wisps of a subtle, burning heat were entering my dantian from my abdomen.

In an instant, it was like iron meeting a magnet, chasing after the location of the nascent, faint true energy and merging into it.

He was startled. In his previous life, when he cultivated the Innate Formless Divine Art, he already possessed extraordinary skills and there was nothing unusual about it.

Could it be that someone who has never practiced martial arts would have such an unusual condition based on the Innate Formless Divine Skill?

But that doesn't make sense either; the intense heat comes from outside.

Before one has opened up the Ren and Du meridians and built a bridge between heaven and earth, how can one connect with the outside world and gather spiritual energy from heaven and earth for one's own use?

Could this be the extraordinary aspect of the Innate Formless Divine Skill?

How could I have been completely unaware of my past life?

Although he sensed something was amiss, Alphonse did not dare to stop practicing his internal energy and continued to cultivate according to the techniques of the Innate Formless Divine Art.

There were no other unusual occurrences. After the aura merged with the true energy, it only made the entire dantian feel warm, without significantly increasing the strength of the true energy.

Only after gaining internal energy did Alphonse realize that his vital energy and blood were severely depleted.

The guy in the previous life spent all his time drinking, which eventually weakened his body.

Fortunately, the problem isn't too serious.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Aside from eating and sleeping, Alphonse devoted himself entirely to cultivating his internal energy.

The time was ultimately too short, and the body's aptitude was truly poor, with deficiencies in qi and blood.

Now, all we can do is let the true qi originate in the dantian, circulate around it, and slowly nourish it by circulating it through the Qihai, Tianshu, Zhongwan, and Zuoliangmen acupoints.

Even with his extraordinary innate divine skills, the progress of clearing the meridians is still very slow. So far, he has only managed to circulate and connect the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian.

Before the duel, it's impossible to open up another meridian.

Internal energy cultivation must be done step by step; without elixirs or spiritual treasures, it cannot be rushed.

With the duel imminent, they could only postpone it to conserve their energy for the next day's battle.

According to Alphonse, based on his martial arts experience from his previous life, his true qi, though weak, should be enough to deal with a swordsman with first-level battle qi.

While there was still time, Alphonse went to visit his mother in this world for the first time.

She's taken over her son's body; she has to go see him, she can't just ignore it.

The fireplace inside the room was burning, and the firelight cast a golden glow on the room, adding a touch of warmth to the cold space.

A middle-aged woman lay on the bed, her eyes vacant, covered by a blanket. Her slightly curly gray hair was scattered on the pillow, and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were unmistakable. Her deep blue eyes were filled with deep sorrow.

She was Baroness Mary Tartarus.

People from poor families all had common names like Mary. If they hadn't been granted a surname by the Queen, commoners wouldn't even have been entitled to one.

The grief of losing her husband devastated her.

It feels quite strange. I was an orphan in my previous life and an orphan in my last life, but in this life I still have a mother.

A sense of warmth welled up inside me for no apparent reason.

Is this what it feels like to be connected by blood between family members?

Alphonse muttered to himself.

Mia was also in the room, sitting quietly to one side.

Only when she was with the Baroness would she show a different expression.

She no longer seems like an iceberg, but more like a young girl worrying about her family.

That makes sense, since she never swore allegiance to her cheap old man, Baron Tartarus, but to the Baroness.

"Mother, are you feeling better?" Alphonse walked up to her.

Lady Mary's eyes finally regained focus. She turned her head somewhat blankly, and when she saw that it was her son, she spoke weakly, "Alphonse... I... I'm fine, don't worry."

That's what she said, but no matter how you look at it, she doesn't seem to be alright.

"The doctor said that Madam needs to rest more now," Mia said softly. There was something she didn't say: Madam Mary's main problem was her heart; she would not recover until she came out of her grief.

Alphonse nodded, unsure of what to say. His current true energy was too weak; it would be difficult to release it to nourish Lady Mary's meridians. He feared that the true energy he infused would quickly dissipate, rendering the effort futile.

"Alphonse." Mrs. Mary raised her hand with difficulty, as if beckoning her son to come closer.

Alphonse immediately knelt down beside the bed and took her hand.

"Mother, please rest well and don't be too sad. I will take care of things at home."

She couldn't offer any words of comfort; mentioning Baron Tartarus at this time of year would only reopen old wounds.

Feeling the warmth of her son's hand, Lady Mary seemed somewhat relieved. She sighed deeply, "Alphonse, I know you're upset, but...sigh...don't try to hold on to what you can't keep. Although you're playful, I know you're a good child. Family honor isn't important. Having the Tartarus name is only a matter of the next couple of years. The most important thing is your safety. You absolutely cannot be harmed."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face again.

She also understood that tomorrow's glorious duel was caused by Monica. With such a mess, the engagement probably could not be fulfilled. She was afraid that her son would feel hurt and unable to bear the humiliation.

"Listen to your mother, just admit defeat tomorrow, and Mia will protect you and won't let anyone hurt you."

"Mm." Alphonse nodded obediently, sensing Mrs. Mary's deep affection.

At this point, you shouldn't disobey your mother's words; how you carry them out is your own business.

How could someone not fight back when they step on your head?

Not showing off one's talents is simply not my style.

"During this time, Mia will be by your side to protect you. Let her be your personal bodyguard," Lady Mary said, glancing at Mia before turning back to her son.

Mia nodded silently, as if she already knew this.

Alphonse didn't refuse; after all, it was his mother's good intention, and he did need Mia's protection before he was fully grown.

Lady Mary hesitated for a moment, then said, "Captain Simon is trustworthy. If you have any questions about government affairs, you can ask him for help. When you encounter problems, listen to Mia and Captain Simon."

Alphonse was somewhat taken aback. He quickly recalled the memories of Captain Simon.

The Tartarus family has three knights who have been awarded the knighthood. Mia is her mother's guard knight, and the other two knights are in charge of commanding two hundred soldiers in the Frostwind Territory.

They are all second-tier swordsmen.

The mother said that Captain Simon could be trusted, so the other captain, Thompson, must be disloyal.

Even a mother from a peasant background could sense this, so it must be true.

Thinking about it carefully, it is indeed strange. Baron Tartarus, the cheap father, led his troops to conquer the monsters and only suffered thirty or forty casualties, but he, as the lord, perished together with the giant-toothed demon wolf.

The current Alphonse is not the same as his former dissolute self, and there are already bad rumors circulating about him.

These internal destabilizing factors will have to be resolved sooner or later.

(End of this chapter)