“So that lady is asking us to wait at their Chen Yao Inn, until she arranges a spot for us to live?” Li Tianming drove the horse cart along the Ignispolis streets. Chen Yao Inn was one of the best hotels in Ignispolis, and with the money they had, they simply couldn’t afford a single night there.
“Forget about Chen Yao Inn,” Wei Jing said from inside the cart.
Li Tianming was not naive — how would he not perceive the smugness in Xue Lan’s voice? If she wasn't going to hide her pretentiousness in front of them, what she would do and say behind their backs wasn’t too hard to imagine.
“Forget about all these so-called sisters. There are always people who would suck up to the rich and powerful, but can’t wait to take advantage of other people’s misfortune. A lot of things can change in twenty years.” Li Tianming shook his head.
“She didn’t use to be like this...” Wei Jing’s voice was slightly shaky.
“Mother, I don’t wish for you to bow down to others for me, and I will never let anyone hurt you for that.” Li Tianming could tell that she was upset by the events today, and that angered him more than anything. They weren’t just fooled, they were fooled by someone they trusted deeply. If Wei Jing had not treated Xue Lan as her real sister, she would not have approached her for help in the first place. But in the end they achieved nothing except for bringing shame upon themselves.
“I know.” She nodded her head. As much as she tried to hide her emotions, Li Tianming could tell that she was deeply hurt today.
“Li Yanfeng’s horse cart is of decent quality, and can probably be sold for a tidy sum. With that money, we can find a hotel to stay for about a month. Once I enter the institute, we can think about subsequent plans.” Li Tianming planned their next steps.
Xue Lan would definitely arrange a place for them to stay, and with her power she could get it done in a minute. But Wei Jing wouldn’t even step foot in the Chen Yao Inn. They were no longer sisters, but complete strangers.
Ignispolis was like a giant whirlpool, things come and go and the people here adapt to survive. Many may have lost their way, but Li Tianming wasn’t going to be one of them. In fact after today’s events, Li Tianming swore to himself that he would never let anybody have the chance to ever hurt her again!
“Mother, it’s about time you tell me about Heaven's Sanctum. What is Lifesbane? Who is the Sanctum Potentate?”
“You are too young, there’s no use for you to know all of these. I’m happy enough to be back here in Ignispolis and breath my hometown’s air.” Wei Jing said casually, rolling up the curtains.
“Are you saying that you wish to just be forgotten, to leave this world without anyone realising? Will you not count on me just this once?” Li Tianming turned his head back abruptly, and gazed at Wei Jing. She had her usual smile on — it was possible that she really had these thoughts.
“Mother, listen! I will make it to Heaven’s Sanctum, and I will cure your illness. No matter how difficult it is, I swear I will do it!” Li Tianming said earnestly, every word a promise to his mother.
Wei Jing shook her head. “The road to enter Heaven's Sanctum is arduous and back-breaking. Curing my illness, even more so.”
“Of course I know that. But you have to trust your own son, just like how I trust you, mother. I trust that my mother is not a slave to fate, and is not someone who will back down from difficulties! You must have many regrets and unaccomplished things in your life! And therefore, as your son, I will do whatever it takes for you to live a normal life once more!” Li Tianming was more excited than he ever was, holding Wei Jing’s hand in his, looking firmly into her eyes.
“But Tianming…... ” Wei Jing didn’t know what to say. Of course she didn’t want to just leave the world like this, but what do they have to fight against this cruel fate that awaits her?
“Mother, you have gifted me with life. If you die, I will follow you. I will never let you be alone.” Li Tianming was dead serious, and he had always been a man of his words.
“No my child, you have a great future ahead of you.”
“My future is meaningless without you. I’m not giving in to fate, and I will do whatever it takes to fight till my last breath. Promise me, mother, that you won’t give up, that you will stand up against this fate!” If anything, Wei Jing was the one who taught all these to him; only her presence had enabled him to labour through the past three years!
“Alright I promise you, I will tell you everything once you enter Heaven’s Sanctum.” She finally picked up her spirit again. Hearing the answer that he wanted, Li Tianming let out a sigh of relief.
“Mother, I’m telling you we will not take anything from that bitchy Xue Lan. One day, your son will buy you the biggest house, and grab a whole group of maids to serve you,” said Li Tianming.
“No, no, your mother is happy enough when she gets to see you. As long as you are happy, I will be happy no matter how small the house is.” She smiled, reminding Li Tianming of an eighty-year-old child...
Ignispolis was huge, so huge that nobody would notice an unfamiliar horse cart crossing the streets. People went about with their own business, and perhaps the only thing that could arise everyone’s interest was the Flameyellow Scions Institute’s entrance exam three days later.
But Li Tianming did not know that while they spoke, a man lurked in the shadows around the corner. He watched the cart with a profound look, even following it for a while before stopping, a smile with mixed feelings on his face.
“Such is life……” He lightly shook his head, before continuing to follow the horse cart.
……
Li Tianming sold the horse cart and managed to get thirty spirit gems with orange heavenly patterns in return. There was a mix of crimson gems, golden gems, and other types of gems. It was quite a good sum since all three horses were tamed wildbeasts. If they were regular horses, getting a single spirit gem would already be lucky.
The little chick was drooling just by looking at the spirit gems, but they simply couldn’t afford to use it for cultivation. The thirty gems were to sustain them for a good period of time, especially since Wei Jing needed a lot of money, not just for a place to rest but also to buy medicines.
As he would attend the exam three days later, Li Tianming found a regular inn and booked a room for a month. There was only one bed for his mother to rest, and Li Tianming only needed a solid floor to cultivate. Ever since he obtained the Aeternal Infernal Body, his system was much stronger, and he could cultivate for days on end without needing to rest.
Having settled down in their room, Li Tianming brewed a bowl of medicine with clear spirit grass and fed it to Wei Jing. Before long, Wei Jing fell asleep and he finally had time to cultivate with the little chick.
“Ahh money, the root of all our problems. Luckily, I had the foresight to borrow Liu Qianyang’s Thunderfire Chain. Push comes to shove, we can sell it for enough money to buy a small house here,” Li Tianming said, a smile on his face.
The little chick fretted. “What have I done wrong in my past life to deserve this impoverished master?”
“What happened to going through any kind of difficulties together as brothers?” Li Tianming’s face twitched.
“Food before bros. Can’t talk about brotherhood on an empty stomach,” the little chick retaliated.
Just as they were joking around, Li Tianming suddenly felt a chill behind his back. He jumped up, realising that a man had silently appeared in a corner of the room. The man wore a loose black robe, and the only observable feature were his sparkling eyes. Apparently, he had observed the two for quite some time without being detected.
“Shhh, don’t wake her up.” Thankfully the man had no ill intentions, and Li Tianming let down his guard. The man was definitely way stronger than him, considering that neither Li Tianming nor Ying Huo realised his existence until now.
“May I know who you are, sir?” Li Tianming asked.
“Unimportant.” The man was studying him from head to toe.
“Then what may you be here for, senior?” Li Tianming asked.
“Li Tianming, I know you.” The man was smiling slightly.
“Should I feel honored?”
“Do you know why I know you?”
“Please elaborate.”
“Because I know that the Saintbeast War-Soul was your prize, and it was Lin Xiaoting that took it away from you. Three years ago, your story ended tragically, because you had no background and no support in Ignispolis. Nonetheless, it was you who obtained the Saintbeast War-Soul first, and you are the rightful owner that it recognizes.” The man’s eyes were sharp as he threw out the bomb.
Li Tianming jolted when he heard the man talk about the secret he had. Li Tianming had never told anyone about this before, since he knew that the Lightning Manor was influential enough to turn his own words against him.
Only when a person makes a breakthrough to the Spiritsource stage would they understand how important the Saintbeast War-Soul was. Simply put, its net value was probably ten times of the wealth of Flamehaven. Lin Xiaoting was never talented enough to become the number one disciple in Heaven’s Sanctum, but the Saintbeast War-Soul had let him achieve that!
Becoming a saint beast was the highest level a beast could go, and all of them were accompanied by myths and legends. The War-Souls that they left behind were priceless treasures that could bless a lifebound beast with tremendous power. Just like top grade manna, Saintbeast War-Souls were invaluable treasures that were unobtainable in the market.
Words could not even begin to describe how shocked Li Tianming was when someone who knew about his ownership of the War Soul suddenly appeared.