"Ahem... Mother, I'm not going to disappear. Can you free me now?" Long Chen asked after staying in that position for a few minutes and seeing that she wasn't freeing him
"I don't think she will. You know, you're such a troublesome child! You worried your mother so much in the last three years. I've never seen a smile on her face in the last three years but I have seen tears in her eyes almost every single day.
"She spent most of her day in your room looking at you sleeping. She barely left your room and never left the house even once in the last three years." Long Ren said in a heavy tone.
" I apologize for worrying you" Long Chen replied as he hugged her tightly as well.
"Don't apologize. Just let mother hug you" Sima Ziyi replied.
"I promise I'm fine now." Long Chen said as he hugged her and lost himself in the warmth of familial love
She finally freed Long Chen from her embrace but still held onto him by his shoulders as she gazed in his eyes
"I'm so thankful to the gods that my baby is safe. Whenever you're feeling like there's something wrong, you need to tell me! I don't want to lose you again. My heart won't be able to bear it a third time" Sima Ziyi said as a relaxed smile bloomed on her beautiful face which contradicted the tears in her eyes
"I promise! " Long Chen smiled as he said
"Oh, I forgot!! You must be hungry!!! Mother will bring the food here right now!! No, I'll prepare your favorite dish myself!! I'll be right back" She said as she hurriedly ran towards the door
"There's no..." Long Chen wanted to stop her but he saw that she had already exited the room.
"She's just excited that her son had woken up after all these years," Long Ren said lightly as he patted Long Chen's shoulders
" So young man...I know that you've just woken up and I shouldn't talk about this but Ziyi told me that you went into a coma right after coming back from the northern black forest. And surprisingly, I was the one who allowed you to go there. Can you tell me when did I give you permission to go to the northern black forest?" Long Ren asked with a smile on his face
"This... This... I'm sorry grandfather. I lied to mother" Long Chen said with an embarrassed look on his face.
" I wanted to go to the forest to practice against real beasts but I knew that mother wouldn't allow me to go there and even if I left she would still be worried. So I... lied to her that you allowed me to go there and gave me special guards" Long Chen explained to Long Ren
" Did you kill Long Su? Was he the one who plotted against you when you went missing? The person you said you'll take your revenge on without my help? You passed the fifth stage in the trial of Treasure Hall which no one was able to do. So I feel like you had the strength to do it if you found the right opportunity to attack him" Long Ren said in a serious tone
" I feel like there's a hidden reason for you to kill that servant and straight away going to the northern black forest " Long Ren further continued
"I don't need to find the opportunity to kill him. He's not tough to kill anyways. By the way, Do you really want to hear the truth?" Long Chen asked with a smile.
"It doesn't matter. Even if you killed him, never accept it! Even if the whole clan is against you, your grandfather will protect you!" Long Ren said in a low voice.
" Thank you grandfather" Long Chen smiled as he genuinely felt happy in his heart.
"You don't have to thank me. Just take care of your mother. She had faced a lot in the last decade including your father's assassination and you're the only reason she's able to smile" Long Ren said as he gazed towards the door with a sad expression.
"Looks like this Great Hall will become a dining room today.. it doesn't matter though. It's a happy occasion" Long Ren grinned as he said
"What is your actual cultivation, since you are able to pass the test of Treasure Hall and dared to go to the northern black forest to... practice? " Long Ren asked with a smirk
"Somewhere in the spirit Establishment Realm" Long Chen smiled as he lied without a single change in expression
" Which stage?" Long Ren asked again
"The fifth stage" Long Chen answered.
"Amazing!!! When Elder Yang told me that you passed the barrier to the second floor of Treasure Hall, I thought of this possibility but it was difficult to believe it completely. So How did you do it? Since you recovered, to the moment you went into a come, it had only been a few days. How did you reach that level so quickly? " Long Ren asked with an astonished expression.
"Through luck I guess. When I recovered, I found that a lot of medicinal essence was stored inside my body. I used it all up during Cultivation and barely reached the fifth stage of Spirit Establishment Realm before all that medicinal essence was used up" Long Chen replied
" Hmm... It's right. Pills contain plants that are filled with Pure Qi. So the reason the medicines were not effective was because of their essence? Instead of being used, it was being stored inside your body. It's possible that the hundreds of medicines we fed you in the four years after your accident were able to provide enough energy for you to reach a higher realm, but reaching the fifth stage, it's really amazing. I feel like it's more because of your talent that you reached this level while the essence provided you with help" Long Ren said with a thoughtful expression
"We're back! " A happy voice came from outside as the door opened and Sima Ziyi walked inside followed behind by Xue and Mei who both brought food with them.
The food was soon placed on the table.
"You won't eat? " Long Chen asked as he looked at Long Ren who was walking towards the exit.
"I've already eaten. You enjoy your food while I go and make preparations for a large feast tomorrow night in celebration of your health. I need to invite so many people." Long Ren happily walked out the door
" You've eaten as well?" Long Chen asked as he looked at Sima Ziyi
"I have eaten as well," Sima Ziyi said with a slight smile. All this food is just for you
Long Chen looked towards Sima Ziyi and could see Xue and Mei behind her shaking their heads. Long Chen understood their meaning as he smiled.
"You shouldn't lie. Come and eat with me. Or I won't eat either" Long Chen said as he glanced at sima Ziyi. She looked at him for a moment before sitting down. They both started eating while Xue and Mei kept serving whatever they needed. Long Chen felt happy in this moment and could be seen smiling occasionally