CHAPTER 750: CHAPTER 750: A GRATEFUL MOTHER

Yu Ming, sensing the rising tension and the sharp edge curling beneath her mother’s polite tone, quickly stepped forward. Her small fists clenched at her sides, her face flushed from both embarrassment and frustration.

"Mother! Can you not be a bum for once?" She burst out, her voice higher than intended. "They’re my friends—not criminals! You’re acting like some paranoid sect elder who thinks everyone’s out to steal our ancestral toilet scroll!"

There was a pause.

Silence.

Noah blinked, a half-smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. Mo Ji’s brows rose slightly. Xin Yan politely turned her head aside to stifle a laugh behind her sleeve.

Yu Meilin, on the other hand, didn’t laugh.

Her gaze slowly shifted toward her daughter, her expression as calm as a placid lake during winter. But Yu Ming instantly regretted opening her mouth.

A sharp, regal glare landed on her like a guillotine made of pure spiritual pressure.

"...You have the nerve to lecture me," the matriarch said coolly, her voice like a blade wrapped in silk. "From someone who forgot basic common sense the moment she saw a young man with a half-decent face."

Yu Ming flinched as if struck.

Her cheeks turned the color of phoenix berries, eyes wide. "T-That’s not it! I didn’t—! I mean, he’s not just—!"

"Oh, I know," Yu Meilin interrupted, waving a hand dismissively as she turned from her daughter, her expression completely indifferent now. "You think I raised you for half a century and wouldn’t notice the way your ears twitch whenever he talks?"

"I—I do not twitch!" Yu Ming snapped, scandalized. "And even if I did—! Ugh!"

Yu Meilin ignored her entirely and gracefully sank into the nearby wooden chair near the edge of the room, posture dignified as if she were sitting on a throne and not in the modest courtyard her daughter used as a workshop.

Everyone sat down on the other chairs while the maid left to do her work since she was not needed in this place.

As they moved past the pleasantries and small talk, Yu Meilin looked at Noah and lowered her head in gratitude. "First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for the things you have done for my daughter. Not only has she troubled you enough, but she was shameless enough to take such precious things from you."

Noah knew she was talking about the cultivation manual he had given to Yu Ming before she left to deal with her problems.

Yu Ming stared at her mother in surprise and shock, not just for her words but also for her actions.

Never in her life had she seen her mother bow her head to anyone, be it not some elderly person of the family, let alone a man who was younger than her.

Yet she had done it now.

For what? She knew it was for her, and her heart swelled with emotions for that. Her eyes moistened as she muttered to herself, "I am not that much of an annoyance."

Yu Meilin ignored her and continued speaking, "Despite her actions, I have to thank you for everything."

Noah smiled fondly as he spoke, "Yu Ming is a bright, wonderful girl. She is full of life, and she had helped out a lot when we lived in the same city. This was merely us showing gratitude for all of that."

Noah’s words struck the matriarch heavily, and she raised her head to look at him in surprise. She never expected someone younger than her to be so mature.

Xin Yan also added that she liked the little girl, and her antics lightened her heart through some tough times.

Yu Meilin wondered if they were talking about the same girl and looked at the shy little girl from the corner of her eyes.

She chuckled lightly, surprising her daughter, and shook her head. "If you are ever in need of our help, the Yu family will be your friend in need."

The topic changed as the plump matriarch leaned in the chair and allowed herself to loosen up a little as she talked with Noah, whom she found more mature than she had ever anticipated.

Yu Ming had been staring at Noah with round, gleaming eyes for a while now, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve as her mother conversed with him with unsettling elegance.

But finally, as the conversation hit a lull, she leaned forward and blurted with that same impulsive energy that both frustrated and charmed those around her.

"Noah!" She called, voice filled with unfiltered excitement, "Tell me everything! I mean everything—from the day I left until now!"

Her cheeks puffed slightly. "I have been trapped here in this place doing nothing but cultivating, waiting to reach the Soul Formation Realm."

As she spoke, Yu Ming stood up and twirled; magically, her body transformed into that of an adult woman who looked eerily closer to her mother in appearance, but she lacked the mature aura that the latter had.

Noah raised his eyebrow, as this transformation was a little different from the one he had seen her use before, and this time she did not need any external object or illusion.

"Even after reaching the Golden Core Realm, I can barely hold this appearance for an hour or so." Yu Ming muttered in dejection before her body suddenly shortened and fell down.

Noah blinked, mildly taken aback, then chuckled, the sound soft and low. "Alright," he said, eyes twinkling. "I suppose I owe you that much."

Yu Meilin said nothing. She didn’t interrupt.

Xin Yan leaned back gracefully, arms folded as she watched Noah with quiet amusement, while Mo Ji repositioned herself slightly behind, her expression more guarded than the rest.

Noah leaned back against his cushion, elbows on his knees as he began, voice even and reflective.

"It started just after you left the city. I didn’t stay long there, either..." As his voice trailed on, Noah revealed everything he had done over the past few years while retaining a few things to himself.

He told her about the sect but not Wuhan’s identity as the leader.

He revealed the adventures he had gone on, which were close to none, and then he spoke about the Red Dawn Cult.

At first Yu Meilin continued to listen in silence, her expression neutral, though her fingers occasionally tensed ever so slightly on the armrest of her chair.

She could not help it since the details he revealed about the cult were too alarming for her to just ignore them.

Yu Ming heard everything with a gaping mouth. "You went through all that?!" she asked shockingly. "This Red Dawn Cult sounds dangerous. What if they suddenly turn Mom into a puppet and throw me out of the home—"

Before she could finish the sentence, Yu Meiling bonked her in the head with a fist, making her stick her tongue out playfully at her.

The tired matriarch shook her head and looked at Noah before asking solemnly, "Can you tell me more about this cult?"

Noah saw that she realized the threat this cult posed and heaved a sigh of relief in his mind.