Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Sitting in the courtyard, Xu Ming stared at the star-filled night sky, lost in thought.

For Xu Ming, this was the first time he had ever felt so powerless.

He had always thought that his life had been exceptionally smooth.

Although he was born as a concubine’s son, being the child of nobility still meant he never had to worry about food or clothing.

Even without status, he would still be given a residence, a wife, and a generous monthly allowance—more than enough to live a carefree life.

Not to mention, he had a system that allowed him to cheat his way through life. With that, everything had gone even more smoothly.

With his cheat, Xu Ming believed that as long as he focused on growing stronger, there was nothing he couldn’t achieve.

But now, he realized he had been too arrogant.

The system was not omnipotent. In this world, there were things it could not solve and problems he had to find his own way to overcome.

Xu Ming didn’t know how long he had been sitting dazed in the courtyard.

It wasn’t until he heard Chunyan’s voice that he snapped back to reality—only to realize it was already noon the next day.

“Young Master! Young Master!” Chunyan ran into the courtyard, panting as she called out to Xu Ming. “Madam has woken up!”

Xu Ming stood up without saying a word and followed Chunyan toward Xiaochun Courtyard.

As he entered his mother’s room, he saw her pale complexion.

Chen Suya was leaning against the bed, covered by a quilt, her hands resting on top of it, and looking at him with a gentle smile.

It was a smile Xu Ming was all too familiar with—just as warm as ever.

His strongest impression of his mother had always been her quiet, unassuming nature.

When she was just a concubine, she lived in this secluded courtyard, deliberately staying out of sight.

Even when his rising reputation brought her more attention from the Xu family, and they wanted to give her a better residence, she chose to remain in the same place.

She never sought to suppress others, nor did she show any ambition. Every day, she continued living as she always had, quietly fading into the background.

So, with just one look, Xu Ming knew this was truly his mother—not the other personality pretending to be her.

“Mother.” Xu Ming composed himself, sat by her bedside, and smiled.

Chen Suya reached out and gently touched his cheek. “You’ve grown up…”

Her voice was weak.

She gazed at her son as if memorizing his face, as if she might never see him again.

“When you were born, you were so small, crying non-stop the moment you came into the world.”

“Mother, why are you suddenly talking about this?” Xu Ming kept his smile, trying to hide the truth.

As far as he knew, his mother had no memory of her alternate personality, and he had already instructed everyone not to tell her about it.

Since Chunyan had come to find him immediately after his mother woke up, she wouldn’t have had a chance to say anything either.

“I already know.” Chen Suya smiled and shook her head. “Ming’er, I actually remember everything from last night.”

Xu Ming’s lips parted slightly, but he didn’t know what to say.

Chen Suya’s eyes turned distant, as if recalling something. “Last night, it felt like I was dreaming… In that dream, I walked out of my room and saw a beautiful female monk.”

“She was so beautiful… That monk must have been Shi Xin, right? The one ranked first on the ‘Beauty List’?”

Xu Ming nodded. “Yes.”

“No wonder… A woman like that, even I felt a bit moved just looking at her.”

Chen Suya’s lips curled into a faint smile as she continued.

“After that, I ended up fighting with the female monk. Throughout the entire process, I felt like a mere spectator, watching everything unfold before me. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop it—I couldn’t control my own body.

At that moment, I kept wondering, was this really just a dream?

If it was a dream, wasn’t it far too realistic?

In the end, I won against that monk. Then you and a group of people rushed into the courtyard.

And then… I heard myself speaking.

The words she said weren’t just meant for all of you—they were meant for me as well.”

Xu Ming held his mother’s hand tightly, looking at her with deep sincerity.

“Mother, it’s okay. It really is. You just need to focus on resting and recovering. I’ll take care of everything. Don’t let that person deceive you.

She’s just a cultivator trying to take over your body. All I need to do is drive her out.”

Chen Suya shook her head.

“Silly child, just because I’ve spent my life in the inner courtyard doesn’t mean I’m naive. I know what’s real and what’s not.”

Xu Ming fell silent.

“Alright, alright, don’t look so troubled. Mother doesn’t want to see you upset.”

She gently tucked a stray strand of her son’s hair behind his ear.

“Ming’er, I never had extravagant hopes. I just wanted you to grow up safe and healthy. That’s all.

I thought that when you got older, you would marry a wife and settle down.

But who would have thought… my Ming’er would achieve so much?

At that poetry gathering, you stunned the entire capital of the Wu Kingdom with your talent, leaving everyone in awe. That was when they started calling you a genius.

And then… you joined the Blood Asura Battalion.

When you said you wanted to enter Blood Asura, I was terrified.

At that time, even the Old Madam and your father tried to persuade me to stop you, to keep you from going.

They told me that Blood Asura was not a place for ordinary people, that stepping into it meant facing death at every turn.

They said that with your talent, taking the imperial examinations and earning a title would be a much safer path—why risk your life instead?

Truthfully, I felt the same way.

Not because I cared whether or not you passed the imperial exams.

I only wanted you to live. To be safe.

That was more important than anything.

I knew what kind of place Blood Asura was.

I didn’t want you to enter.

I was terrified that something might happen to you, that you wouldn’t come back, and then… how would I go on?

But I also knew that even though you were still young, you understood exactly what you were doing.

From a very early age, you showed a maturity far beyond your peers.

I didn’t want to hold you back.

After you left for Blood Asura, I prayed for you every single day.

I prayed to the Buddha, to the gods, asking them to keep you safe and well.

And fortunately, they heard my prayers.

Not only did they return you to me unharmed, but you even became the top scholar.”

“Mother…” Xu Ming called out softly, but he didn’t know what to say.

“Ming’er, let me finish. I fear that soon, I may never have the chance to say these things again.”

Chen Suya gently held her son’s hand.

“Ming’er, when you became the top scholar, I was truly happy for you.

But at the same time, I also felt a little sad.

Because I knew that my Ming’er had truly grown up—that you no longer needed your mother.

Especially when you set out on your journeys, when I learned that you were a cultivator, I realized that you were drifting further and further away from me.

I can’t always be by your side anymore.

But that is just a mother’s sorrow—you don’t have to take it to heart.

After all, what parent in this world can always be with their child?

I know I’m just an ordinary person. I can’t do much for you.

The only thing I can do is take good care of myself and not become a burden to you.

I only hope that you will continue moving forward, that you will achieve everything you wish to.

But in the end… I still caused you trouble, Ming’er.

I’m sorry.

It’s all my fault for making you worry so much.

And because of me, I even ended up fighting that girl named Shi Xin.

I want to personally apologize to her.”

“Mother, please don’t say that. Shi Xin doesn’t blame you. More than anything, she just hopes that you will be well.”

Xu Ming tightened his grip on his mother’s hand.

“Besides, everything I have is because of you. If not for you, I wouldn’t even exist. How could you ever be a burden to me? You never have been.”

Chen Suya’s lips curved into a gentle smile as she shook her head.

“Ming’er, don’t worry. Even if I disappear one day, it doesn’t matter. I will always be watching over you.”

She spoke weakly.

“And besides… don’t worry. I will never let her harm you. But I don’t think she would, either.

Even a tiger does not eat its own cubs.

No matter what… she is still your mother.”

Xu Ming shook his head.

“She is not my mother.”

Chen Suya did not argue. She simply lay there quietly.

“Ming’er, remember this—no matter what happens, keeping yourself alive is the most important thing.

Desires are endless. I may not understand cultivation, but the path of cultivation is much like human desire.

I have heard too many stories of people losing themselves over some so-called fortune.

But I believe my Ming’er will not be like them.

As long as you are safe and healthy, everything will be worth it.”

“Mother…”

“Ming’er, I’m a little tired. I’d like to rest for a while.”

Just as Xu Ming was about to say more, Chen Suya softly cut him off.

She slowly closed her eyes.

“Then please rest well, Mother. I’ll come check on you later.”

Xu Ming rose to his feet and bowed deeply to his mother.

As soon as he stepped out of her room and left the courtyard, he saw Eunuch Wei already waiting outside.

“Top Scholar, His Majesty has been worried about you,” Eunuch Wei said.

As someone who served by the Wu Emperor’s side, Wei Xun naturally knew what had transpired.

“I’ll trouble you to lead the way, Eunuch Wei.” Xu Ming cupped his hands in salute.

“No trouble at all. This way, Top Scholar.”

Wei Xun quickly led Xu Ming to the imperial palace.

“Your subject, Xu Ming, greets Your Majesty.”

Xu Ming bowed deeply.

The Wu Emperor immediately sat up from his reclining couch.

“There’s no need for all these formalities. I already know what happened.”

“I’ve troubled Your Majesty with my affairs.” Xu Ming replied.

The Wu Emperor let out a sigh.

“Regarding your mother’s situation, there’s not much I can say. This isn’t something external forces can interfere with, so you don’t need to worry too much.

I’ve heard of cases where a single soul possesses multiple personalities.

In fact, Xu Ming, you could try to see it from a better perspective.

If it were two completely separate souls, given your mother’s spirit, she wouldn’t stand a chance against a cultivator’s soul. She would have already been devoured.

But since it’s just two personalities within the same soul, then at least they are on equal footing.

Your mother and the other personality are on the same level—who takes control is still uncertain.”

Xu Ming listened to the emperor’s words of comfort and simply smiled, not saying much.

What the emperor said wasn’t wrong—if it were two personalities sharing the same soul, the gap wouldn’t be as vast.

The real problem was, if they were truly separate souls, then Shi Xin would have already resolved the issue.

And even if they were just different personalities, the gap wasn’t necessarily small either.

Many factors influence the strength of a personality, but the most crucial one is memory.

The more memories a personality possesses, the stronger and more stable it becomes.

The other personality belonged to a cultivator—who knew how many years she had lived?

Meanwhile, his mother’s personality had only existed for a short time.

In a battle for control, how much of a chance did his mother really have?

The Wu Emperor understood what Xu Ming was worried about, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say to reassure him.

He patted Xu Ming on the shoulder.

“There’s no point in overthinking it. Since we can’t take direct action, all we can do is wait.

But in the meantime, we can try to learn more about this situation—perhaps we’ll find a breakthrough from another angle.”

Xu Ming looked up at the emperor.

The Wu Emperor picked up a stack of documents from his desk and handed them over.

“These contain everything we could find about your mother—her birth, her family records, and everything from her past that could be investigated.

Take a look.”

—

Meanwhile, in the Xiaochun Courtyard of the Xu residence—

Chen Suya slowly drifted into sleep.

She slipped into a dream.

“You’ve come?”

The ‘other’ Chen Suya smiled at her.

“I’m here.”

Despite being just an ordinary woman, Chen Suya showed no fear when facing her counterpart.

“Let’s make a deal, shall we?”

The ‘other’ Chen Suya smiled.