Senior Sister Bai Yueguang is incredibly strong.

Chapter 113 A Trip to Penglai (6)

Following Bu Suanzi's instructions, Xue Xin successfully found the medicinal herb field.

A small wooden house stood quietly beside the medicinal herb field. Xue Xin took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and solemnly knocked on the door three times.

"Boom-boom-boom"

Each strike resonated deep within him. Xue Xin was so tense that he couldn't think straight; he could only clutch his clothes tightly and listen to the sounds coming from inside the room.

After a long while, no one opened the door.

Xue Xin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a mixture of regret and relief.

I regret that I never got to see my mother, but I'm glad that she won't feel pain if she sees me.

Just as he was about to leave, a voice made him freeze in place.

"Xin'er."

The man carried a large basket of herbs, wore a gray-blue Taoist robe, and had his jet-black hair tied up with a peach wood hairpin. His eyebrows and features bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Xue Xin.

Xue Xin suppressed the urge to rush to the person in front of him and respectfully bowed: "Mother."

Chu You disregarded all etiquette, carrying her basket and running to him. The man's somewhat cool head took Xue Xin's hand: "Let your mother take a good look at you. You've grown up and become quite handsome. The other day I saw a group of guests coming from Penglai, and their features resembled yours. I didn't expect it to be you. How have you been these days? I heard you became Lu Da's disciple. Are you settling in well?"

Meeting Chu You's moist eyes, Xue Xin's eyes also reddened: "It's all good. Master and the others are very good to me."

Xue Xin carried the herbs from the basket into the house for Chu You. Chu You took a winnowing basket and dried the herbs one by one. Only then did the two of them rest.

Chu You brewed a cup of flower tea and handed it to Xue Xin. Xue Xin was a little uneasy. The room was simply furnished. Apart from a wooden table and two long benches, the room was filled with various medical books.

"Auntie..."

Upon hearing the word "Mother," Chu You's eyes reddened: "I never thought that in my lifetime I would hear you call me Mother again. I thought you didn't want to see me anymore."

Xue Xin became somewhat anxious and quickly explained, "How could that be... it's just..."

I'm just afraid that if you see me, you'll be reminded of that disgusting man.

Chu You wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "I should have taken you with me back then. Did the Shen family make things difficult for you?"

Xue Xin shook his head: "No, Mother... After you left, I joined Xianyun Peak and never went back. Besides, it was too difficult for you to take me away back then. It was better to leave first and do what I wanted to do. You see, I am now capable of leaving the Xue family, and I have become the person I wanted to be."

Xue Xin was telling the truth. Although Chu You was a master alchemist, he had neither a family nor a sect. It would be extremely difficult for him to leave the Xue family, let alone take the Xue family's bloodline with him.

What he never revealed was that he personally helped his mother leave back then. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about leaving with his mother, but at that time he was just a burden. It would be better to let his mother leave alone and live a carefree life.

As for the sordid affairs of aristocratic families, it's best not to offend Mother's ears.

Upon hearing this, Chu You grasped his hand, tears welling up in her eyes again: "You must have suffered a lot too."

Chu You knew in her heart that the child must have suffered a lot while she was away from Xue Xin. He was taciturn and always spoke his mind, so he must have suffered a lot at the hands of that group of people.

Xue Xin patted her hand: "Mother, Master and the others treat me very well, as do my senior sisters. When I have time, I will bring them to see you."

"Okay, okay." Realizing she had lost her composure, Chu You wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. "As long as you are safe and happy, everything is fine."

"As long as Mother is free, everything is fine."

"Good boy."

Chu You hugged her child tightly: "All these years, you haven't even come to see your mother. Every night, your mother thinks about whether you're eating well, sleeping well, whether you've been bullied, and whether you've grown taller..."

Xue Xin patted her back gently: "Mother, I'm fine. I didn't come to see you because I didn't know you were here... If I had known earlier, I would have come to the island to visit you sooner."

The previously sentimental atmosphere was instantly dispelled by the wind. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Chu You remained silent and simply let go of Xue Xin.

"I'm sorry for this. I left in a hurry that year and didn't have time to tell you where I was going. You were still young then, so it's normal that you don't remember."

Xue Xin was also a little embarrassed: "I didn't expect that Mother was from Penglai. I thought you went on a journey after you left, so I never made a point of inquiring about your whereabouts."

Chu You tapped Xue Xin's forehead with her fingertip: "You really are a blockhead. Don't you even know your mother's reputation? Or has that Xue guy never mentioned me to you?"

Xue Xin shook his head, rubbing his forehead. His father had never mentioned his mother. He could only piece together a complete picture of his mother based on the things she left behind and his limited memories.

However, looking at his mother's peaceful and happy appearance now, Xue Xin felt very content.

Chu You said indignantly, "This Xue Ji is not fit to be a husband or a father. He's the one who's pitiful for my innocent child, making you suffer in this world for nothing."

My mother is good in every way, except that she is prone to being sentimental.

Xue Xin comforted her, saying, "If you lose him, you'll lose me too. Would you be willing to do that, Mother? Besides, all of that is in the past. We're both doing well now, and I'm very satisfied with my life."

Xue Xin still remembered all those trivial matters between Chu You and Xue Ji; it was nothing more than a cliché story of a hero rescuing a beauty and the beauty offering herself in return.

No wonder Chu You was out of her mind back then; Xue Ji was such a good actor that the usually intelligent Chu You failed to see through his true nature.

By the time her mistresses, with their young children, came to her, she was already pregnant with Xue Xin.

Without the support of her family or sect, she could only stay in the Xue family to give birth to her child. With the child as a bond, it would be difficult for her to break free.

In Xue Xin's few memories, Chu You was either constantly in tears or hugging him with a haggard face, telling him her past stories.

In those stories, he saw a different kind of mother—free, radiant, and an excellent doctor. He also wanted to become a doctor.

He decided to let his mother leave this place that was making her miserable.

Although he was only a few years old, he had already witnessed many dirty tricks in the struggles of aristocratic families. He simply changed the minor details, and no one found out that he was the one who did it.

Seven-year-old Xue Xin let his mother go but kept himself. He carried half of the same disgusting blood as that man. If he stayed with his mother, he would only constantly remind her of the suffering she had endured over the years.

So he found a new path for himself.

He became an apprentice and studied medicine.

If fate allows, we will meet again. When we meet again, I will have severed ties with the aristocratic family. Will my mother turn back to look at me one last time?

Now, they are all doing well, and this is the most perfect plan Xue Xin has ever made in his life.