Chapter 13: Repairing Broken Bond With Mommy
"I know, mommy. I know... Let me love you..."
He gently grabbed her head, pulling it toward his chest. Heart still pounding, she felt him press her face against his solid pecs, her soft cheeks sinking into his firm muscle.
"Would you give me a chance again...?"
That question jolted Juliana from her lustful stupor.
'God, what am I thinking? He just wants to be my son again... but all I have are these wicked thoughts. What the hell is happening to me...?'
She shook her head, taking a deep breath to control the pulsing heat in her core.
"Mommy?"
"Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes! I would give you endless chances to redeem yourself. My son is still my son, after all."
She looked up into his eyes, a smile breaking through her confusion.
"Really? Thank you so much, Mommy!"
He released Juliana, then without warning, swept her up into his arms and spun her around. Juliana's eyes went wide; just when she'd sighed with relief that he hadn't actually gone for a handful of her ass like she'd feared, here she was, legs dangling in the air, held tight.
"Oooohhh!"
She squealed, sounding more like a startled kid than the dignified mother she was supposed to be.
"Little Artis!" she scolded, half-laughing, half-indignant. "Put me down! Now!"
He chuckled, his gaze lingering on her flushed cheeks.
"Yes, Mommy, as you wish. And... thanks."
Slowly, he began to lower her, but as he did, his hands gripped her thighs. Her body slid down, her curves pressing against him, and his hands accidentally—or maybe not so accidentally—found themselves gliding over her ass cheeks. His fingers grazed her soft skin, just firm enough to send a spark up her spine.
"Nghh~"
Juliana let out a soft, breathy moan before she could stop herself, her face burning as she landed back on her feet, flustered beyond belief.
"Thank you, Mommy. It feels… good, like having a real mother for once."
Artis's voice was soft, almost innocent, but his hands? Firmly planted on her ass cheeks like he was grounding his very spirit there. His fingers had taken on the grip of an experienced cultivator, seemingly unaware—or maybe fully aware—of the heated sensation he was stirring up in her core.
Juliana's qi stuttered. Her breath caught. She'd just wanted to reassure him, not end up in his grasp with her body reacting like she was a young maiden feeling the first brush of a lover's touch.
'I can't just push him away… Look at his face. He probably doesn't even realize where his hands are!'
She reasoned, though her cheeks were hot enough to rival a fire cultivator's core.
Artis's innocent yet firm grip only amplified her inner turmoil.
'How long had it been since he'd sought her out like this?'
She had treated him like her own from the moment he was brought into her home, yet he'd always kept his walls high, as if cultivating a heart of steel. Her husband's adopted son was as distant as a frosty mountain peak.
And now, feeling his warmth, his unexpected closeness, it was as if a barrier shattered within her. Every fiber of her qi resonated with a strange, almost intoxicating joy.
"It's fine, as long as you're alright."
Juliana murmured, stroking his hair lovingly, her heart swelling with motherly pride.
'Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Maybe we can finally become a real family.'
Artis sniffled, smiling up at her, but his hands stayed firmly planted on her backside, squeezing her ass cheeks with a gentle back-and-forth motion that was anything but innocent.
"Thank you, Mommy."
He said, looking at her with wide, sparkling eyes, as if he wasn't fully aware of where his hands were.
"Nghhh~"
She let out a tiny, helpless moan, mortified at her own reaction. She could practically feel her brain short-circuiting.
"mommy? Are you okay?" he asked, tilting his head with that oh-so-innocent expression, his fingers giving her one last deliberate squeeze.
"Y-yeah. Maybe it's just... a little hangover headache. Anyway, I'm making soup. Want some before you head to the palace?"
She stammered, trying to keep her composure.
He raised an eyebrow, his hands still firmly in place, giving her one more not-so-accidental pat.
"No, Mommy, I think I'm good. You rest up—you look like you need it."
Finally, mercifully, he let go, and she let out a silent sigh of relief, her mind racing.
'Thank heavens… maybe now I can think clearly again!'
Just as he was about to walk out, he paused at the doorway, glancing back with a wicked little smirk.
'Soon, dear mommy. Soon.'
...
Artis strode into his room with the swagger of a man on a mission, and that mission was… well, a long overdue bath. He stripped off his robe like a true cultivator, revealing his physique that was as sculpted as a celestial statue.
Standing at a towering 6'4", he couldn't help but admire his reflection in the bathroom mirror, grinning like a fool.
The man staring back at him was nothing short of a masterpiece. His pale skin looked unblemished, almost ethereal under the light. Of course, to earn those battle scars, one had to actually practice martial arts.
But for Artis? Well, let's just say his only practice had been honing his peeping skills to a fine art.
"Yep, there it is."
Then, he narrowed his eyes, focusing on what set him apart from the rest of the cultivators around—his eyes. While everyone else in this part of the world sported boring shades of black, brown, or the occasional drab green and blue, his were a striking crimson, the color of freshly spilled blood.
"Artis's real parents are still a mystery. And with how often the color of these eyes gets mentioned, I'm betting the author was hinting at some kind of hidden bloodline power."
A smirk curled in his mind. That hidden bloodline ability was his now—all he had to do was unlock it.
"And check out this body. It's not exactly bulging with muscles, but it's got this lean, aesthetic vibe. Something powerful is brewing here, I can feel it."
He thought back to the previous night. What he'd pulled off was impossible for an ordinary guy. A non-cultivator shouldn't have had the strength to handle things the way he did, yet somehow, he'd managed. This body had potential, and it was up to him to tap into it.
"It'll take time to meditate and uncover whatever cultivators search for within—whatever this body's cultivation base is."
But before that, there was the matter of his well-deserved reward from the Patriarch. After all, he'd "rescued" the Patriarch's wife from a potentially humiliating situation. Surely, such a service deserved a little... gratitude.
"Huuuuu~"
With a satisfied sigh, Axel eased into the warm bath, letting the heat sink into his skin. The water wrapped around him, his thoughts drifting as he relaxed.
"So, I'm supposed to live life as the villain from here on out, huh? And what about that goddamn hero?"
There were too many thoughts crowding his mind, but he pushed them aside. The first thing on his list was to start cultivating. He was already leagues behind his so-called "peers" in cultivation base. If he didn't get moving now, he'd lag behind even the nameless cannon fodder of this world.
And unless he unlocked some hidden genius-level talent, he'd never catch up—especially to someone like Young Master Jin, who he needed to be on par with as soon as possible.
"That kid's as diabolical as they come. One minute he's grinning, all friendly; the next, someone's head is rolling. Can't tell what's going on in that twisted mind."
And yet, Artis knew some of that ruthlessness was his own handiwork. Artis's influence had undeniably shaped Young Master Jin into the dangerous man he was today.
What the guard said last night was true; Artis's manipulations had molded him. But, of course, part of it was also due to the brutal upbringing Jin had endured, turning him into the merciless predator he'd become.
"Well, time to get ready to meet the Patriarch and claim my reward."
Artis rose slowly from the bath, water cascading down his body as he stepped out and grabbed a towel, casually drying himself off as he strode out of the bathroom, utterly bare.
Who needed modesty when he was sure no one would be in his room, right? Right?
Slide…
As he shut the bathroom door behind him, he froze. His gaze landed on the mirror at the far end of the room—and the unexpected figure standing in front of it. His throat went dry as he took in the sight.
"Now that's a view I could get used to waking up to every morning."
"Ah, little brother, you finished bathing, huh?"
It was her—Nadia, his elder sister. He'd seen her last night but had only just remembered her name. She was in his room, wearing the same sheer nightie that left little to the imagination. As she stood sideways, the curve of her ass cheeks and the swell of her breasts made his cock twitch in response.
'Well, I wasn't planning on touching her body today like I did with her dear mommy, but it seems like the plot has other ideas for me. Who am I to resist a good plot twist?'
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone