After spending more than two months in this world, Song Yan finally met his mother here—Lydia Liu—at the east city gate.
Lydia Liu was a stunning woman, radiating an air of noble elegance. She was also fiercely strong-willed—able to keep her city lord husband, Yellow Mountain, completely under her thumb—and she doted on her son to an extreme. If not for her spoiling, Leon Huang wouldn’t have turned out such a wastrel before.
"Madam, you’re finally back! I missed you so much!" Yellow Mountain greeted her with a wide, flattering smile.
"Oh? I thought you’d rather I didn’t come back," Lydia replied coolly.
Lydia spoke lightly, her gaze sweeping the crowd before settling on Song Yan. "Are you my baby?"
"Mom, I’m grown up now—please don’t call me ‘baby’ in public, okay? People will laugh at me!" Song Yan hurried forward, sounding a little helpless.
"Hmph! Who dares laugh at my son!" Lydia’s face suddenly darkened—her noble air instantly shifting into a fierce, intimidating aura.
But just as quickly, she reined in her killing intent and hugged Song Yan tightly, her face full of concern. "My poor baby, I was only gone a few months and you’ve wasted away like this. You’re so pitiful!"
As she spoke, she turned and glared at Yellow Mountain.
Yellow Mountain quickly put on an innocent expression.
Suddenly, a sly grin flashed across Song Yan’s lips. Putting on a pitiful face, he wailed, "Mom, you’re finally back! You have no idea how hard life was while you were gone. I only got one meal a day, I was always locked up, and Dad hit me every day—sometimes little beatings, sometimes big ones…!"
"You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting?" Yellow Mountain snapped, his face dark and his voice trembling with both anger and a hint of fear.
Lydia’s almond-shaped eyes widened, killing intent flashing as she glared coldly at Yellow Mountain. "So, while I was gone, you abused my son? Just wait till we get home—I’ll deal with you then!"
"I didn’t!" Yellow Mountain protested, looking aggrieved.
"Didn’t you? Look at my baby—he’s nothing but skin and bones now, and you still dare to deny it!"
"He’s not starving—he’s actually…"
"Mom, Dad also says you’re a tigress—and that he wants to take a concubine!" Song Yan added, fanning the flames.
Boom!
Lydia’s aura exploded, making her look every bit the raging tigress. "Yellow Mountain, is that really what you think?"
Half an hour later.
City Lord’s Manor, dining hall.
The Huang family of three sat together for a meal.
"Eat more, baby. Seeing you like this breaks your mother’s heart," Lydia fussed.
Lydia kept piling food into Song Yan’s bowl, her eyes full of motherly affection.
Meanwhile, Yellow Mountain, sporting two black eyes, kept glaring fiercely at the true culprit who’d landed him in this state.
After returning to the manor, Yellow Mountain and Lydia had fought a battle so fierce it nearly tore the whole place apart.
From Leon Huang’s memories, Lydia was the only daughter of Justin Liu, head of the Liu clan in Tianhe Prefecture, and was dearly loved by her father.
Yellow Mountain’s appointment as City Lord of Kaiyuan City owed much to the Liu family’s secret support. Plus, Lydia’s cultivation was a notch higher than his, so the household had always been wife-strong, husband-weak.
"Mom, Dad’s glaring at me!" Song Yan suddenly complained.
Lydia whipped her head around to look. Yellow Mountain’s face froze, but he quickly forced a flattering smile. "Madam, don’t misunderstand—I wasn’t glaring at him!"
"Yellow Mountain, I’m warning you—if you bully my baby again, you’ll answer to me!" Lydia threatened.
"I wouldn’t dare! I barely have time to dote on him, let alone bully him!" Yellow Mountain fibbed, though in his heart he vowed to teach the boy a lesson one day.
After the meal, worried about another beating, Yellow Mountain tried to please Lydia: "Dear, have you noticed our son seems a little different?"
Lydia huffed, "Of course he’s different—he’s half-starved!"
"No, really—take a closer look."
"Hmm?"
Lydia let out a surprised cry, then beckoned Song Yan over. "Come here, baby."
"Okay!"
Song Yan nodded obediently and walked over to Lydia.
Lydia grabbed Song Yan’s wrist and sent a wave of cool qi into his body. After a moment, her face showed shock. "Baby, you’ve become a First-Tier Qi Refiner?"