章 4: Fatherly Advice
Looking inside the bathroom, the first thing he sees is a large bathtub made of beautiful light red wood with patterns that seem to be handcrafted. He can't see the details clearly because of the steaming hot water in the tub, which is continuously evaporating, creating a lot of steam throughout the bathroom, making it resemble a hot spring.
"Could this be an area with volcanic mountains?" he wonders, comparing the hot spring-like tub in front of him to those he had heard about on Earth. "Well, I guess it could also be something using the peculiarities of this cultivation world."
Either way, he feels grateful that he won't have to give up the hot baths he's used to.
After thinking that, he looks around for a place to put his clothes and quickly finds, to his left, a small twisted red tree trunk with green leaves that is planted right there, its trunk merging into the wooden floor and standing not much taller than himself.
The tree has two medium-sized hollows carved into its trunk, one of which is empty, while the other contains a neatly arranged set of elegant clothes.
"Wouldn't it be easier just to make a wardrobe? Ah, I guess people in this world must like to complicate things in the name of aesthetics," he shakes his head, but even he can't deny that the setup is quite captivating.
Especially when he touches the surface of the tree and feels its warm temperature, which seems to come from within, keeping the clothes relatively heated.
Without wasting any more time, he quickly undresses and places his clothes in the empty hollow. With the same quick steps, he moves toward the hot spring-like tub, dipping his toes into the water first to confirm that it's at a pleasantly warm temperature and not boiling as the amount of steam in the air suggests.
And without further delay, he steps in, fully submerging himself in the water for a moment before emerging with a relieved expression on his face.
"Ahh, I really needed a bath to wake up and start thinking clearly..." he says while looking around the corners of the tub, searching for soap and a brush.
He quickly finds them neatly arranged on a small wooden bench near where he emerged from the water, and he wastes no time using them to clean himself, not even pausing to enjoy the warm water that seems to relax his muscles.
So soon he finds himself hesitating to leave the water after finishing his bath, but with a sad sigh, he does so. He quickly grabs the neatly arranged clothes and a towel from the hollow of the small red tree.
And after drying himself, he struggles a bit to put on the clothes since their design is unfamiliar to him, but after a bit of a struggle, he manages to dress in a somewhat clumsy manner.
"Well... it's good enough," he mutters softly, opening the bathroom door and stepping out slowly, only to see a beautiful woman looking directly at him.
She has a beautiful face with light makeup that looks quite natural on her, as well as long black hair that falls gently over her shoulders and runs down her back, contrasting with her rather pale skin, as if she had never seen the sun. She wears a long, elegant dark purple dress with a clearly oriental style that doesn't reveal much skin but still highlights her curvaceous figure. She is what he would describe as a mature beauty that would make many young men stare longer than is appropriate.
However, he has no inclination to do so because the moment he sees the woman's face, he knows she is his mother!
"Oh dear, you're already so grown up, and yet you still can't get your clothes right," she says, walking slowly toward him with a helpless look on her face, accompanied by a gentle smile. "If you don't stop being so untidy, I'll never get a daughter-in-law!"
She says this with a now teasing smile on her face, grabbing the collar of his clothes and starting to straighten them up slowly and carefully.
"Well... I, uh," he stammers a little, wondering how to sound as much like the old Hei Tu as possible when his memories are still in disarray.
Since at this moment, his main concern is sounding too different from the original Hei Tu and making his mother suspicious that he might have been possessed or something like that. In his normal world, this wouldn't be a thought that would cross anyone's mind, especially since today is the day of the awakening ceremony, which would naturally make any young man nervous and act strangely. Besides, things like being possessed are merely superstitions.
But since this is a cultivation world and he doesn't really know if cases like his, where one person's soul possesses another's body, are common or known to cultivators, he doesn't want to take any chances. He especially fears a cruel death for "killing" the original Hei Tu if it turns out to be discovered that this is his situation.
"Oh my, no need to be all embarrassed and stammering, dear!" She says, lightly patting his chest after finishing adjusting his clothes. "I'm sure that such a handsome young man like my son will catch the eye of all the young beauties in the clan, especially after you become a Gu master."
"I... intend to focus more on my cultivation than on girls for now," he says, trying to appear bashful, seeing that his mother seems to expect this kind of behavior from Hei Tu based on her previous words.
Hearing this, she lightly shakes her head, still with the same teasing smile, making him think she doesn't really believe his words. But then she suddenly exclaims as if remembering something important.
"Don't forget to walk as far as you can in the Flowering Spring; only stop if you really can't take another step, and if no more little lights comes to you..." she says quickly, sounding more nervous than he himself should feel right now. "Don't worry too much about failing. I'm sure you'll definitely be at least a Grade C Gu master! Maybe even Grade B, like the Hei family has produced in the past!"
"I know, Mom..." he says, trying his best to sound like someone who has heard this many times before.
But in his heart, he feels quite excited by his mother's concern, which revealed various pieces of information that he was really missing.
Now, he is almost completely certain that these Grades she mentioned are the talent classification system of this world, which anyone could guess from their names. As she said, Grade B is quite impressive and better than Grade C, so Grade A must be the highest—unless they have something like S Grade, as he's seen in many stories. But unfortunately, he can't use this to figure out the lowest Grade, although he doubts something like Z Grade would be possible; he can't rule anything out.
More importantly, he discovered something that he wasn't sure would be mentioned in the ceremony itself—that to properly participate in the Awakening Ceremony and become a Gu master, he must walk as far as he can in the Flowering Spring.
'Truly, no matter the world, a mother's concern is always a help!' He thinks with a sense of relief.
After seeming to think for a moment, his mother's expression changes to one of slight worry and apology, and she exclaims, "Of course, don't feel nervous; even if you remain a mortal, there's no need to worry. You'll still be my beloved son and a proud member of the Shu clan, and that will never change!"
He quickly begins to think of how to respond to her words, but before he can, he hears the sound of loud footsteps turning into the corridor, making him instantly turn his head to see who it is.
He sees a man with short, slightly disheveled black hair, freshly shaved face, broad shoulders, a robust appearance, and tanned skin, as if he sees the sun often. He is wearing dark green clothes that seem suitable for mobility and has a belt around his waist with the number two engraved on it, he realizes instantly that this is his father, Hei Zhong.
"Xi Mei, you should stop spoiling him. He's already a grown man!" Hei Zhong says with an expression that might seem stern, but something in Hei Tu's mind tells him that this isn't the case. "Besides being too neat isn't the style of a good warrior."
After saying that, Hei Zhong puts a wide smile on his face, quickly approaching him and placing his hand on his shoulder.
"How are you feeling about the Awakening Ceremony?" Hei Zhong asks simply, with a tone that sounds sincere to him.
"I'm excited!... Well, also a bit nervous, but still more excited!" He replies, mixing truth with enthusiasm in his voice after seeing Hei Zhong's confident and straightforward words.
"Good, because this is a moment that requires the excitement of youth, but only a fool wouldn't feel some nerves," Hei Zhong says, still smiling, and then thinks deeply for a few moments. "I remember my own excitement for the Awakening Ceremony like it was yesterday!"
"Oh, how young I was..." Hei Zhong sighs wistfully before continuing.
"I've told you this your whole life, but don't forget to devote yourself fully to your cultivation, even if you ignore other aspects of your life for this year while you're being thoroughly nurtured by the clan academy..." Hei Zhong says, looking at him with a deep, meaningful gaze. "I guarantee that those young man who spend this year lazily cultivating regret it for their whole lives."
Hearing his father's words, which he is sure carry valuable experience, he nods slightly.
"I have that in mind. I won't disappoint you, Father and Mother. I'll cultivate diligently and bring honor to the clan," he says with a serious expression, using his growing understanding of this world to guide his words.
But while saying this he suppresses the nervous feeling growing in his heart as the Awakening Ceremony, where he can finally embrace this new cultivation world entirely, draws closer and closer.
Hei Zhong looks at him for a moment before putting on his stern expression again, narrowing his eyes, and saying to him:
"Remember, even if you reach the heavens with great success, stay humble, and even if you fall to a abyss lower than that of ordinariness, maintain your honor...
You must always walk forward with your head held high, even if the weight of the world bears down on your shoulders!"
Hearing this, he nods, trying to engrave these words firmly in his mind, sensing that they could be of great value to him.
"Well, we've delayed you long enough with all this conversation, so you better head to the Awakening Ceremony now to avoid being late," Hei Zhong says as he removes his hand from his shoulder and looks at Xi Mei, who had been silent during the father-son conversation.
Xi Mei sighs softly, turning to look at him with clear concern in her eyes, yet it doesn't diminish her gentle smile.
"Well, your father has already said everything that needed to be said... Oh, and I almost forgot, but your sister wished you good luck and apologized for being too sick to get out of bed so early to wish you well in person," she says with a regretful look but without giving much context, as if he should naturally know why his sister is ill.
He knows that this is something normal since the original Hei Tu probably knew about his sister's health condition, but he isn't the same, not even knowing her name.
"Tell little sis that it's okay, her health is the priority, so she doesn't need to blame herself for not coming in person," he says lightly, trying to sound as vague as possible.
But in just an instant, he feels his body freeze in realization when he notices that he used the words "little sis" when he doesn't even know if his sister is younger or older!
That intense feeling of nervousness lasts only a moment, ending when his mother nods with a happy smile and says, "I'll pass your words on to Yan'er."
Hearing that, he almost lets out a sigh of relief but manages to hold it in as he looks at Hei Zhong, who nods to Ye Min, who had been standing quietly in the corner during their conversation. Now, she elegantly approaches him with light steps, breaking her silence with a soft voice that could captivate any man's heart.
"Shall we, young master?" Ye Min says with a slight smile on her cute face.
He looks at his parents, seeing that they aren't taking the initiative to accompany him. He quickly deduces that they probably won't be participating in the ceremony or at least won't be going with him and Ye Min. Looking at her now, she seems to be about his age, making him wonder if she will also participate in the Awakening Ceremony, but he quickly buries these questions deep in his mind and says:
"Of course, let's go then!"
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット