Under the serene night sky, Li Hao’s house windows shone with light as he sat on the bed.

His mother and father sat on the bed opposite him, looking at Li Hao and talking.

Li Hao looked at them but didn’t take anything they said to heart. He wasn’t interested in this family drama, let alone emotionally invested in it.

“You’re his father. How come you didn’t know? You work with so many martial artists—why didn’t you know this?” Lu Ru-yue asked, inhaling deeply through her nose.

“How was I supposed to know? It’s not like I’m with him every day,” Li Han countered.

“So what do we do now then?” Lu Ru-yue asked, her frustration building.

Li Han rubbed his temples and said, “Let’s first calm down and ask him what he was doing.”

“Okay. Let’s try that,” Lu Ru-yue affirmed.

Both of them gazed at Li Hao, who sat there in a lotus posture, his hands loosely resting on his legs. Even though his eyes were open, one could feel the emptiness inside them.

Li Han hesitated for a moment before asking, “Hey, Hao’er… You still remember me—your father, right?”

Li Hao turned to gaze at him. Li Han’s heart skipped a beat as he felt the same feeling those martial artists had when looking into his son's eyes. Only now did he realize how terrifying those eyes truly were.

They felt like an infinite abyss—full of absolute emptiness.

Li Han continued, “Do you mind telling us how you got this strong?”

Li Hao looked at him and replied in a calm tone, “I cultivated.”

“And do you mind telling me how?” Li Han asked, looking at Li Hao with hopeful eyes.

Li Hao remained unmoved as he said, “The way anyone cultivates.”

“And how is that?” he asked with a slightly heavier tone.

“In the ways of art cultivation,” Li Hao replied.

“Do you mind telling me the details?” Li Han asked, his frustration growing.

“The way in which you all cultivate,” Li Hao responded.

“Can’t you just tell me how you cultivate? It’s that simple. Just tell me how. It’s nothing much—please,” Li Han said, his frustration reaching its peak as he let it all out.

Li Hao looked at him and said, “No.” His face remained serene, as if he hadn’t just given his father a flat-out refusal.

“Aaahhhhh, what is with this kid? I feel like giving him a spanking,” Li Han thought, his frustration boiling over.

“I’m going outside. You’re his mother—you should take care of the rest,” Li Han said as he left the room.

Li Hao was left alone with his mother. She looked at his quiet and expressionless face.

“You shouldn’t have said that. Don’t you know how to respect your elders?” Lu Ru-yue asked, her tone serious.

“I know,” Li Hao responded.

“Don’t you feel that you could have solved that in a calmer manner?” Lu Ru-yue asked again.

“Yes,” Li Hao replied, still expressionless.

“Ah…” Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She exhaled slowly, then spoke in a soft tone:

“You know, he was really happy when he heard he was going to be a father.

He stayed at work carving a sword for you, saying that when his son grew up, he would take you to the Martial Academy so you could learn martial arts—

Not to be like him, who crafts weapons for others, but to have the will to defend yourself.

When you were born, I know he wasn’t there. There was a big client who needed a sword made quickly, and he couldn’t miss that job—he needed the pay so he could stay home for the next week just to be with his son.

He loves you so much that when I told him about what happened today, he nearly risked his life to go to the local gang and fight for you.

Even though you seem cold and indifferent, your father will—and always will—love you, because you’re his son,” Lu Ru-yue said as tears streamed down her face.

“So even though you show no love to me or to your father, we will love you no matter what,” she said.

“So please, don’t forget this. If you ever need someone’s shoulder to cry on, you can come to us. Your mother and father are here to help you—not to be your enemies or your burden.

We love you,” she said as she walked up and hugged him tightly.

Li Hao felt his heart ache. Beneath his expressionless face, tears poured from his eyes.

Not out of will, but out of instinct, his arms—almost as if controlled by another force—wrapped tightly around his mother.

She felt his tiny arms hugging her and smiled inside, knowing her son loved her. Even though he didn’t say it, that’s all a mother needs to know.

She quickly left to check on Li Han, his father. Li Hao was left in the room alone.

He felt the tears in his otherwise serene eyes. Clenching his hand around his heart, he felt the beat of life—the life he had thought he’d lost.

He looked outside quietly, gazing at the stars in the sky and the light of the moon.

NEXT DAY

Li Hao woke up as the sun’s rays pierced through his eyes. He looked out and saw that it was morning.

He glanced to both sides—only to see his parents lying next to him, with him in the middle.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he lay back down to sleep.

For the first time in this new life, Li Hao slept not as an immortal—but as a child, surrounded by warmth he never expected to feel again.