Chapter 322: I Am Not a Child Without a Mother's Love!
After a moment of distraction, Meng Yaoyin came to her senses and found that she was no longer in the Immortal City of Huoshi but had entered the depths of Huoshi Mountain.
She used her spiritual sense to look inward and saw that the purple energy in the depths of her spirit had condensed into a solid mass.
"The injury has deepened again..."
She sighed faintly but did not rush back to the Immortal City. Instead, she continued to go deeper into the mountain, entering the Lava Immortal Palace.
"The Dao injury erodes memories. Over time, even the spirit will fade."
"In the end, I will still return to being the Buddhist Doctor and voluntarily return to the Lava Immortal Palace."
From then on, Meng Yaoyin consciously reduced the time she spent with Ning Zhuo and hinted at their eventual separation in a gentle way on many occasions.
Ning Zhuo curled up under the covers, crying softly.
Sun Lingtong approached the bed, curiously asking, why are you crying? Why aren’t you asleep yet?
Little Ning Zhuo poked his large head out from under the covers, "I... I miss my mother."
"I... I can’t sleep. Whenever I couldn’t sleep, my mother would sing to me. Can you sing for me?"
Sun Lingtong helplessly began to sing, but his voice was stammering and unsure.
Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin concealed her figure, watching this scene from the shadows, feeling a deep sense of relief and comfort.
She hadn’t expected that the person Ning Zhuo had randomly saved, despite being from an evil sect, actually possessed a kind heart.
Sun Lingtong secretly investigated the Ning family’s estate, helping Ning Zhuo resist his relatives' attempts to seize his family’s property, all of which Meng Yaoyin witnessed.
...
Time passed swiftly.
“It’s late; you should go to sleep properly. Otherwise, you won’t grow tall, and your mind will become dull, little Zhuo.” Meng Yaoyin appeared, softly reminding Ning Zhuo, who was staying up late reading by lamplight.
Ning Zhuo looked up in surprise, “Mother, you’re back!”
He raised the book in his hand, "Mother, I will work hard to cultivate in puppet techniques to help you heal your injuries. Last time you came back, your arm was hurt."
Meng Yaoyin's eyes flickered slightly, and she subconsciously moved her arm back a little.
The child had grown up and was more attentive than before.
The injury to her arm had been sustained while slaying the Red Flame Beast deep within Huoshi Mountain. At that time, she had lost her consciousness and memory, acting solely on the preset instincts of the Buddhist Doctor to protect the Lava Immortal Palace. Slaying the beast was one of those actions.
"Good child." Meng Yaoyin was deeply moved and couldn’t help but pull Ning Zhuo into her embrace.
Ning Zhuo hugged his mother tightly. Although she had a stiff puppet’s body, he still felt boundless warmth.
He looked at the flickering lamplight on the table, his eyes shimmering with hope, murmuring, "Mother, I will definitely become the most powerful puppet cultivator in the world."
"I will cure your condition, and we will always be together!"
Meng Yaoyin’s body trembled slightly.
For a moment, an overwhelming sadness welled up within her, making it hard for her to contain her emotions.
She tightly closed her eyes, but no tears fell.
...
“Is this the Orphanage?” Little Ning Zhuo gazed up at the tall building, feeling a surge of fear in his heart.
But thinking of his mother, he gritted his teeth and mingled with the crowd.
Hiding in a corner, he watched the puppet cultivator on the stage, trying his best to learn how to control puppets.
He had studied a lot of puppet theory, but when it came to manipulation, he desperately needed a mentor’s guidance.
Meng Yaoyin's condition was worsening by the day, and she cherished every moment of clarity, unwilling to spend that precious time teaching Ning Zhuo the finer details.
Ning Zhuo worked hard to learn Li Leifeng’s puppet manipulation techniques. His small fingers moved constantly inside his sleeves, and his large eyes never blinked as he stared intently.
He focused so much that by the end of the puppet show, he was starving. His stomach growled, and he felt dizzy, his ears ringing from hunger.
He then picked up the leftover pastries from the guests.
“So, so delicious!”
...
Eventually, Ning Zhuo was adopted by his uncle, Ning Ze.
He entered the school.
Knowing his situation, his classmates bullied him.
"Wild child! Wild child!"
"Big-headed freak! Big-headed freak!"
“An orphan born with a mother but raised without one, bleh!”
Ning Zhuo suddenly turned around, his eyes already red, fists clenched as he growled, “I have a mother!”
The classmates were startled but quickly resumed mocking him with even more fervor.
Ning Zhuo let out a loud yell and charged at them, getting into a scuffle with his classmates.
He returned home with a bruised and swollen face.
The parents of the classmates he fought came to hold his uncle Ning Ze accountable, and Ning Ze was humble and apologetic.
Ning Ze turned around and severely punished Ning Zhuo, making him kneel as punishment.
"Such boldness! You actually fought with the family elder’s grandson!"
Ning Zhuo knelt until nightfall, without any dinner, so hungry that his vision blurred.
Meanwhile, Ning Ji, full from his meal, walked over to him with a smirk, the scent of food lingering, as he circled around him several times in a show of pride.
“Mother, where are you? Wuu wuu wuu...” Ning Zhuo only dared to cry silently in his heart.
Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin walked through the underground tunnels of Huoshi Mountain. Each of her steps was the same length, her movements perfectly consistent, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
...
Evening, after school.
Ning Zhuo mixed with the crowd, walking out of the school.
He paused slightly as he turned a corner on the street, seeing one of his classmates holding his parents’ hands, skipping and laughing happily.
"Big-headed freak!" Suddenly, a shout came from behind him.
The next moment, Ning Zhuo was pushed hard from behind.
He got up angrily, wanting to take revenge, but saw several classmates running away, laughing wildly.
For a moment, he didn’t know whom to chase.
From a distance, the classmates stopped and taunted him again, “A wild child with no mother! A big-headed freak with no mother!”
Ning Zhuo roared in fury and gave chase.
In the end, he returned home too late and was locked outside by Wang Lan.
Out of frustration, he swallowed his anger and turned away.
He left Ning Ze’s residence, heading toward his own small courtyard.
On the dark, empty path, a familiar figure suddenly appeared.
“Mother!” Ning Zhuo lowered his voice, joyfully running toward the figure ahead.
Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin gazed at him gently. She was wrapped in a thick, wide cloak, black as ink, which made it easier to walk around at night and also concealed her many injuries.
Meng Yaoyin took Ning Zhuo’s hand on her own, walking with him and chatting along the way.
“How is life at school?”
“Everything’s fine. The teachers are kind, and all the classmates like to play with me.”
“Why didn’t you stay overnight at your uncle’s house?”
“I just suddenly missed home…”
Meng Yaoyin’s heart filled with sorrow. She wasn’t ignorant of Ning Zhuo’s situation, but after careful consideration, she had chosen to remain a bystander.
Only when Ning Zhuo faced a serious crisis would she intervene.
Even though the surroundings were dark and the hand holding his was wooden, Ning Zhuo felt as though he held the whole world in his grasp.
However, Meng Yaoyin’s voice gradually faded, her footsteps became crisp and methodical, and her gaze grew vacant, like a puppet.
The gentle maternal aura seemed to be completely swallowed by the surrounding darkness.
Ning Zhuo, with his head lowered, keenly sensed the change in the puppet.
He grasped his mother’s hand tighter, his eyes welling up with tears, and choked out, “Mother, don’t worry.”
“I know.”
“I am not a child without a mother’s love!”
(End of this chapter)