It was on the twenty-ninth of May when his mother arrived to Hounxi, but Quin had eagerly been waiting for her during the whole month. He had asked Fei, the receptionist, to tell him when his mother was there, just like he did with Leyn.

Surprisingly, only after he finished his training and decided to go out and eat was when he met with his mother. She was energetically talking with Fei, and it looked like that they were long lost friends, at least from Quin’s point of view.

He walked to them and said in a sad tone, sighing, “I invite my mother to visit me and she replaces me with the receptionist...” He shook his head, dejected.

His mother turned around and it was only then that she noticed him.

“Hm? Oh, Quin! I’m really sorry, it was just a couple of minutes... She helped me with my packages and I just asked a few things and I...” she started to apologize right away.

Fei looked at Quin but only smiled.

“Mom, I was just joking,” he explained. “At least I was trying to, well, maybe I’m not too good at it,” he said chuckling.

“Oh.” His mother looked a bit confused for a moment, but then walked to him and hugged him. “You can’t believe how much I’ve missed you, honey,” she said in a choked voice.

“I missed you too, mom,” Quin replied and hugged her back.

Quin was truly happy to see his mother again, just like his mother was finally be able to meet her son after more than a year.

“I guess I don’t have to introduce you to Fei then,” Quin said after they separated, and his mother and Fei both shook their heads smiling. “Come mom, we’ll pack your things down and then I’ll show you around!” Quin said and quickly grabbed all of her packages and started to walk toward the room his mother would be staying in.

“Hey, careful! You don’t have to carry all of those by yourself,” his mother told him with a worried expression.

“Don’t worry about that,” he said chuckling.

“But... Your right arm, you shouldn’t strain it too much!” she said while running after him, concern clearly visible in her eyes.

“Mom, I told you that you don’t have to worry, my arm is more than fine. I can easily lift up more than a ton,” he explained, “look, it’s completely fine, isn’t it?” Quin stopped and put down a couple of suitcases to show her his right arm. He really did not want to freak out his mother like he had done with Leyn, and since his mother looked like someone on the brink of a heart attack right now, so he decided that he would just show it to her.

She looked at him with her mouth agape for a few seconds before gathering herself together.

“It’s... Your arm is completely fine!” she exclaimed with great happiness. “And what about your...” She stopped her sentence halfway.

“My core? It’s the same, but that’s no big deal,” he said.

“No, I was thinking of... um, your body? Is it better?” she asked a bit hesitant but with hope as well.

Quin looked at her and her expression. Does she know what really happen? I didn’t tell her but the way she is asking makes me think that she knew there was something wrong. Maybe I’m just a really bad liar?

“It’s not just my arm, my entire body is beyond healthy!” he answered confidently. “To tell you the truth, I doubt that there are people who have healthier or stronger bodies than mine, but come mom, we’ll put away your stuff and then I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

His mother looked at him for a few moments and then her previous concerned and worried expression changed into one that was brimming with happiness. There even were a few tears trailing down from her eyes, but they obviously were tears of joy and relief.

After Quin brought her packages to her room, they took a brief walk around the town, and then went to have a late lunch at The Nine Hundred Ninety-nine Flowers restaurant. His mother found the food they served rather delicious, but more importantly, it was during that time Quin started to talk about the various things that happened.

Naturally, he told his mother a toned-down version of his journey, and omitted a few details as well, since there was no need to make his mother worry again in his opinion. They talked for hours, and his mother had a shocked expression throughout it all. Hearing what kind of body cultivation Quin had achieved was quite unbelievable, but she was his mother and had complete trust in him.

Quin had also demonstrated his strength in a couple of ways, like smashing a block of iron, but this time he made sure to avoid the more crazy things. Thus, he did not cut off his pinky, and only told his mother that his healing power was strong enough so that he could even regenerate his fingers in just a matter of hours.

It was not difficult for him to see how happy, proud and relieved his mother was after she saw his strength, and knowing that if something bad were to happen he would not be helpless anymore.

The days and weeks passed peacefully, and as his mother was there, Quin felt a lot more like he was at home. He spent most of his free time with her to make up for the time they spent apart. Although he was almost eighteen years old and a grown-up man, his mother was probably the most important person in his life, and he truly liked to be with her.

He also introduced her to Faiyi and her family, and it did not surprise Quin that she really liked the little girl. She got along rather well with Xia and Zhai as well, whom they often visited, since it was obvious how much she enjoyed playing with Faiyi.

Quin was a bit surprised at seeing how good of a friendship his mother had developed during these days with Fei. He saw that they got along rather well right away, but now it seemed as if that they had been the best friends forever. It was a bit strange for him, but it was also something that made him quite happy.

Ever since he could remember, his mother did not really have any good friends. She generally had a good relationship with their neighbours and other acquaintances, but Quin did not think that they were her friends.

Though she told him numerous stories about when she was younger and had travelled a lot, she had become a housewife and spent most of her time at home after he was born.

Now, his mother seemed to be filled with energy and life, and she often told Quin the various things they had done. They tried a few different handcrafts, but more interestingly often went on trips to the surrounding areas. She talked about how they visited one of the nearby lakes -- one that would not kill you after just a few seconds long of a dip -- and even went mountaineering in the mountains South from Hounxi. There were so many things his mother told him about that he started to wonder if he really knew the date right, and if his mother really only had been in Hounxi for just a few weeks now.

It was an understatement that Quin was shocked at these things, but he was more than happy seeing how much joy his mother had, and supported her entirely. It also made him resent his father more and more. Maybe I’m just overcomplicating things, but I can’t just not compare these weeks to the time she spent with father. She was almost always smiling but only now that I see her like this had I noticed how her smile back then was something entirely different. It had never lacked the love for me, but it was constantly filled with something else as well.... Maybe sadness? Regret? Disappointment? Well, something like that, but now it’s just pure joy.

He was always the master of the house and suppressed us both. It always had to be what and how he wanted, and I guess it wasn’t by chance that my mother had spent all of her life at home since I was born. He let out a deep sigh. It was not hate what he felt for his father, but rather anger and disappointment. Well, things are different now, and I doubt that we’ll see each other in the future, so what’s the meaning in being stuck thinking about him?

He let out another long sigh and went back to the lake and his training. The training was another thing that made him happy, as it was going very well. It seemed a bit slower than his previous one, but he was not worried. He suspected that once he was completely accustomed to the water and had no issue with the denser wild energy, the strength of his body would make a huge jump in power.