Yue Xing stared at his mother, Yue Zhiling, unable to say a word for several seconds. She was a short and slender woman, with flowing black hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her smooth and pale skin resembled jade.

She carried herself with an air of elegance and grace, despite the coarse hemp clothing that she wore. Even unadorned with jewelry and accessories, she had the kind of beauty that inspired men to write poetry, comparing her to the moon and stars.

Most of all, Yue Xing’s mother looked no older than him. In fact, she might’ve looked a little younger.

The contrast between Yue Xing’s expectations and the reality before him left him shocked. He stood there, unable to think or move for several seconds.

“What are you doing, just standing there?” Yue Zhiling said in a beautiful and melodious voice. “Come on in before you catch a chill!”

With that, she turned around and headed inside the house, gesturing for Yue Xing to follow. After a moment, he shook himself from his stupor and stepped inside the house. However, he moved with caution, eyeing his mother with suspicion.

Or the person who wore his mother’s face. He doubted that this woman was actually her. His mother was a mortal. She should’ve been middle-aged by now, not a youthful beauty. However, he decided to play along for now, to see if he could learn any clues from this impostor.

Despite this, an incandescent fury burned inside him. How dare this woman pretend to be his mother? When he figured out the truth, he would make her pay.

“You’re just in time for lunch, Xing'er,” the impostor said, heading to the kitchen. “Let me cook something for you. It’s been so long.”

Yue Xing and his mother lived in a small, two-room hut. The main room, which also included the kitchen, contained little furniture except for a small wooden table and a pair of wooden chairs. The other room served as the bedroom. The two of them had slept in the same room, back when he had been just a child.

As the impostor fussed about in the kitchen, Yue Xing looked around. His childhood home was cleaned and well-maintained. Yet, it felt uninhabited, as if no living being had lived here in a long time.

Yue Xing turned his attention to the impostor. Now that he was paying attention, he noticed a few odd things about her. Her movements contained an odd stiffness to them. It was so minute that only a cultivator, or a former cultivator like himself, would notice.

That was also when Yue Xing noticed something even more damning. The impostor wasn’t breathing. Her chest moved when she spoke, but otherwise remained still.

Several possibilities ran through Yue Xing’s mind, each worse than that last. Unable to contain his fury any longer, he grew his sword and placed it against the impostor’s neck.

“What are you doing, Xing'er?” She glanced back and frowned at him. “Do you want me to cook you lunch or not?”

“Shut up!” Yue Xing growled. “Who are you? What have you done with my mother?”

The impostor chuckled.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, amused. “I am your mother.”

“Lies! You’re a puppet, aren’t you? Maybe even a…”

Yue Xing trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, though the word rang out in his mind.

Corpse puppet.

It was a demonic art, where a cultivator refined a corpse into a soulless to do their bidding. The specific method used determined the quality of the puppet. The highest quality corpse puppets were indistinguishable from living people, except to those with keen senses.

What if a demonic cultivator killed his mother and turned her into a puppet? That was Yue Xing’s worst nightmare. If so, he would exact bloody vengeance against whoever was responsible.

“Yes, I am a puppet,” the impostor said, her voice filled with fondness and exasperation. “However, I am still your mother.”

Yue Xing narrowed his eyes at her and didn’t respond.

“Think about it, Xing'er,” the impostor said, smirking at him. “A young mother who managed to keep her and her son safe while living on the outskirts of the village? All the while without arousing the villagers’ suspicions? It should be obvious that I’m not, and never was, a normal mortal.”

Yue Xing hesitated at that. Her words made sense. The lands near the Celestial Sword Sect were safe, for the most part. However, there was still the occasional animal attack or bandit activity.

But if the imposter’s words were true, then everything he knew about his childhood had all been a lie.

“Why should I believe you?” he asked. “For all I know, this is all some elaborate trick.”

The impos-The woman with his mother’s face rolled her eyes.

“What would be the point?” she asked in a sardonic tone. “You were a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Celestial Sword Sect, yes.” She gestured to her body. “However, to someone who can refine a puppet of this quality, you were nothing but a small fry.”

That… made even more sense.

“But if that were true, then…” He paused and shook his head. “I’m so confused.”

He looked at the woman as if she were a stranger. Even if she was his mother, finding out that she was a puppet meant that he knew nothing about her at all.

It felt as if his life had been flipped on its head. Again.

“I know you’re confused, Xing'er,” the woman said, giving him a sympathetic look. “It’s a long story and I can’t tell you most of it. That said, I can explain a few things.” Her expression turned stern. “However, not until you eat lunch. I can hear your stomach from here.”

Yue Xing’s stomach growled at that moment, as if to punctuate her point. He hadn’t eaten anything today except a fasting pill for breakfast.

“And if you’re worried about impurities, don’t,” the woman said. “I know a bit of spirit cooking.”

With that, she turned around and went back to cooking. Yue Xing stood there for several moments, before he sheathed his sword and sat down at the nearby small wooden table.

***

The sound of boiling water and sizzling meat filled the air as the woman cooked lunch. The delicious smell made Yue Xing’s mouth water. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate actual food. It might’ve even been before he joined the Celestial Sword Sect.

His former master abstained from eating food, and expected his disciples to follow his example. This meant subsiding on fasting pills. Except for his former master, who didn’t need to eat at all.

This was a common practice among cultivators, though many cultivators preferred to eat. That was how the profession of spirit chef came to be. They took spirit herbs and fruits, as well as meat from spirit beasts, and cooked them into delicious and nourishing food. These meals even benefited one’s cultivation, like pills, though to a lesser degree.

Yue Xing had wanted to try out some dishes cooked by spirit chefs, but his former master forbade it. So, he could only swallow back his hunger and endure. This was another regret that he planned on rectifying.

The woman placed a bowl of beef noodles on the table, interrupting his thoughts.

“Here, Xing'er,” she said. “It’s a bit simple, but it should fill you up.”

Yue Xing stared at the bowl of noodles, resisting the urge to drool. It smelled so good that his stomach threatened to rebel if he didn’t feed it. So, he took his chopsticks and started eating.

It was the best thing Yue Xing had ever eaten in his entire life. Maybe he was biased, but he doubted any mortal chef could match the woman’s cooking. As for spirit chefs, he didn’t know enough about them to make any judgments.

Before he knew it, Yue Xing emptied the entire bowl. Not a scrap of meat or a drop of broth remained. Afterwards, he leaned back and let out a satisfied sigh.

Of course, he remained vigilant the entire time, just in case the woman tried anything. However, she just watched as he ate. Since she was a puppet, she didn’t bother making any food for herself.

“Now then,” the woman said in a serious tone. “Shall we continue our conversation from earlier?”

Yue Xing’s feeling of satisfaction disappeared, and he leaned forward. Several questions buzzed around in his head, like bees in a hive.

“Who are you?” he asked. “If you’re really my mother, then why keep…” He gestured to her entire body. “…all this secret?” He paused. “In fact, if you’re a puppet, then how did you give birth to me?”

The woman sighed.

“As I said earlier, it’s a long story,” she said. “I come from a cultivation clan located in the Central province.”

Yue Xing sucked in a breath. The Heavenward Continent, the world they lived on, consisted of nine provinces. The Central province, which lay west of the Myriad Valleys province, served as the heart of the cultivation world. It contained the highest quantity and quality of spiritual energy, as well as abundant resources. All in all, it was akin to a holy land for cultivators.

The sects and clans in the Central province were the true powerhouses of the cultivation world. The Celestial Sword Sect, while powerful within the Myriad Valley province, was second-rate compared to them.

“You are an illegitimate child,” the woman continued. “I don’t know how much you know about the Central province clans, but they value pedigree and lineage above almost everything else.”

“So they consider an illegitimate child a stain?” Yue Xing guessed.

The woman clenched her fists and nodded.

“When the elders of the clan learned of my pregnancy, they demanded that I abandon you,” she said. “Some even wanted me to terminate my pregnancy. I refused.”

Yue Xing’s brow furrowed. It was uncommon for cultivators to have children. The higher their realm, the lower their chances. As such, most cultivators treasured any children born to them.

Demanding the termination of a pregnancy was a serious transgression. People had fought to the death for less. It appeared that the Central province clans cared more about pedigree and lineage than Yue Xing would have expected.

“We argued back and forth for days, before we came to a compromise,” the woman said. “If you proved yourself worthy without any help or backing from the clan, including myself, then they would accept you.”

“Prove myself worthy how?” Yue Xing asked.

“Reach Golden Core and travel to the Central province.”

Yue Xing snorted.

“In that case, I’ve failed,” he said. “If you hadn’t already noticed, the Celestial Sword Sect shattered my dantian and expelled me.”

The woman gave him a gentle smile.

“I know,” she said. “While I couldn’t help you or intervene in your affairs in any way, the clans elder permitted me to watch over you.” She scoffed. “Of course, they restricted me from coming here myself. They feared that I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back. Instead, I had to imbue this puppet body with a fragment of my soul.”

Yue Xing narrowed his eyes at her.

“You’ve been watching over me this entire time?” he asked.

The woman nodded.

“Yes,” she said. “I know everything that happened to you ever since your former master brought you to the Celestial Sword Sect.” Her expression darkened. “Including all the underhand tricks that little wretch Liu Chen pulled. It took all of my control to not rip him to pieces for everything he’s done to you.”

Yue Xing didn’t know how to react to this. It was surprising enough to find out that his mother was a cultivator. However, learning that she had been watching over him the entire time filled him with mixed feelings.

On the one hand, it comforted him and made him feel less alone. Even during his darkest moments, someone had watched over him. On the other hand, the woma-his mother hadn’t done anything to help him. She watched over him, but nothing else.

“Are you disappointed in me?” his mother asked.

Yue Xing thought about lying, to avoid hurting her feelings, but decided not to.

“Yes,” he said in a blunt tone. “You say you were watching over me, so why didn’t you do anything to help? Even a single sentence could’ve spared me so much pain. I know the elders of your clan forbade you, but surely you could’ve done something.”

His mother shook her head.

“No,” she said. “Just as I watched over you, the clan sent someone to watch over me. If I tried to help you before the right time, that watcher would’ve stopped me.”

Yue Xing hadn’t expected that. His mother’s clan sent a watcher to keep an eye on her? It seemed that they took this whole affair more seriously than he first thought.

However, something else about his mother’s words caught his attention.

“What do you ‘the right time?’” Yue Xing asked.

His mother sighed.

“I didn’t tell you the full truth earlier,” she said. “I am permitted one opportunity to intervene in your affairs. Once I use it, I have to return to the Central province. I can no longer watch over you. Thus, I planned on saving it for a life or death scenario. However, given your current circumstances, I feel compelled to act now.”

Yue Xing held up a hand to stop her.

“There’s no need,” he said. “I am more than capable of looking after myself.”

His mother scoffed.

“How do you plan on doing that?” she asked in a scolding tone. “No sect in the Myriad Valleys province will risk offending the Celestial Blade Sect for your sake. At least, not without a strong enough incentive.”

“I don’t need to join a sect,” Yue Xing said. “I’ll just become a rogue cultivator.”

His mother gave him a flat look.

“Absolutely not,” she said in a tone that brooked no disobedience. “I have faith in you, but the life of a rogue cultivator is difficult and dangerous. I refuse to let you walk that path. I can’t risk something happening to you. At least if you join a sect, you have backing.”

“You just said that no sect in the province would risk offending the Celestial Sword Sect for my sake!”

“Not without a strong enough incentive.” His mother gave him a smug look. “And I just happen to have one.”