Chapter 493 Lin Che arrives at Luomei Valley and meets her son

Luomei Valley, located in the ninth-tier star domain Beyond the Boundary, was nestled within the folds of a continuous rock formation. Two white jade plum stakes guarded the valley entrance, covered in millennia of unmelting stardust.

Inside the valley, black plum trees covered the mountainsides, their branches coiled like ancient dragons, and their petals glowed with a faint, ethereal blue light. When the wind blew, the petals rustled down, accumulating into a thin blanket on the bluestone path, shimmering with tiny star-like glints when stepped upon.

At the bottom of the valley was a crescent-shaped spring, reflecting the star domain's unique twin moons. A bamboo waterwheel stood by the spring, its blades rotating to spray strings of water droplets that, upon landing, transformed into fleeting ice crystal plum shadows.

In the distance, smoke curled from a bamboo house, and copper bells adorned with plum petal jade pendants hung from the eaves. A breeze would make them chime with clear, melodious sounds, intertwining with the sounds of the spring and falling plum petals, making the entire valley feel serene and gentle.

Li Qianmei gently bit her lower lip, looking at Lin Qingxuan, who was sitting on a stone playing with a turtle. A soft expression graced her exquisite face.

“Mother, why won't you let me cultivate the Po Tian Sect's techniques? Don't you want me to become an immortal?”

In these past few years, Lin Qingxuan's personal cultivation had already reached the Infant Transformation stage. Such a cultivation speed was unparalleled throughout the entire Beyond the Boundary.

Moreover, Lin Qingxuan was exceptionally gifted, possessing a photographic memory. He could learn cultivation techniques with just a glance, a formidable talent she had never witnessed before.

Li Qianmei pursed her thin lips and said, “From now on, we will create our own cultivation techniques. We will not learn from or even reference any existing techniques in this world. We will never join any other faction in this life.”

Lin Qingxuan's small hand, holding the turtle shell, paused. He looked up at Li Qianmei, his clear eyes full of confusion.

He gently tapped the patterns on the turtle shell with his fingertip, his voice carrying the soft lisp unique to children: “Create our own techniques? But Brother A-Hu said that all powerful immortals have inheritances, like Sect Leader…”

“Don't mention that name!”

Li Qianmei's voice suddenly rose, and the ethereal blue plum petals at her fingertips instantly shattered into starlight.

Li Qianmei quickly realized her lapse in composure and immediately knelt down, pulling Lin Qingxuan into her embrace. She gently patted his back, her voice softening again.

“Xuan'er, be good. That person’s name cannot be spoken in the valley, and you are not allowed to mention it again, understand?”

Lin Qingxuan could feel his mother’s trembling embrace. He reached out his small hand to hug Li Qianmei’s neck, burying his face in her shoulder: “Mother, I’ll listen to you. But why can’t I mention it? You’ve never told me this before.”

Li Qianmei closed her eyes, her nose filled with the faint plum fragrance from her son—the scent that permeated Luomei Valley year-round, and the peace she desperately wanted to protect.

She recalled the more than ten years in the Rain Immortal Realm long ago, when Lin Che lay unconscious on the cold jade bed, and the Sect Leader’s residual poison gnawed at his soul day and night like maggots.

At that time, she held onto a sliver of hope, using the Heavenly Mystery Compass to divine his location. She watched as the flickering starlight on the compass gradually dimmed, and her own cultivation steadily declined with the depletion of her lifespan, falling from the boundless glory of the Sky Profound realm to the current Pure Nirvana realm, where even ordinary cultivators could bully her.

But she had never told anyone about these hardships, and she certainly didn't want her son to know.

Li Qianmei gently pushed Lin Qingxuan away, her fingertips brushing over the heroic spirit in his brows and eyes, so strikingly similar to Lin Che. Her voice was gentle yet firm.

“Because some names bring danger, and Mother doesn't want Xuan'er to encounter danger. Isn't it good for us to live peacefully in Luomei Valley, with black plums, the Crescent Spring, and your favorite little turtle?”

Lin Qingxuan nodded, half-understanding. His small hand returned to gripping the turtle shell, but he didn't press further. He lowered his head, watching the turtle slowly crawl across the bluestone, leaving a faint trail, then suddenly looked up and smiled:

“Mother, what should our cultivation technique be called? I want to give it a nice name.”

Li Qianmei’s heart warmed at the light in her son’s eyes, and her tightly strung nerves relaxed a little.

She raised her hand and plucked the plum petal jade pendant hanging from the eaves, placing it in Lin Qingxuan’s palm. The ethereal glow of the pendant gently resonated with the spiritual energy at his fingertips.

“How about ‘Plumfall Art’? Look at these black plums in the valley; they seem delicate but can take root in stardust and bloom in the cold wind. Our cultivation technique should also be like these plums, not vying for attention, yet possessing its own resilience.”

“Plumfall Art!”

Lin Qingxuan clapped his hands and laughed, the jade pendant in his palm making a crisp sound with his movements. “That sounds good! Will Mother teach me now? I want to learn quickly so I can protect Mother later.”

Li Qianmei’s heart felt as if it had been steeped in warm water, utterly soft. She took Lin Qingxuan’s hand and walked to the edge of the Crescent Spring. The twin moons in the spring reflected on them, casting a faint silver glow.

Li Qianmei gently tapped the water surface with her fingertip, and an ethereal blue spiritual energy spread along the spring, outlining the pattern of plum branches on the water.

“The Plumfall Art doesn’t emphasize offensive power; first, practice breathing. Look at this spring water; it seems calm but can reflect the twin moons. Our spiritual energy should also be like this—hidden and not revealed, flowing gently within the body.”

Lin Qingxuan imitated his mother, sitting cross-legged on a stone by the spring, closing his eyes.

However, Lin Qingxuan’s talent was indeed astonishing. In just a moment, he felt the spiritual energy within him begin to flow in the direction Li Qianmei guided, like a docile stream, winding through every corner of his meridians.

Li Qianmei watched quietly from the side, her eyes full of relief, but her fingertips secretly clenched. She knew that such peace might not last much longer.

If the Sect Leader were to discover that Lin Qingxuan was Lin Che’s son, he would surely not let it go. If that time came, they would have no choice but to leave Beyond the Boundary.

Just then, a crisp copper bell sound suddenly echoed from the valley entrance. It wasn't the string from the eaves, but a hurried, unfamiliar chime.

Li Qianmei’s face instantly changed. She abruptly shielded Lin Qingxuan behind her, spiritual energy condensing at her fingertips as she vigilantly looked towards the valley entrance.

“Who is it?” Li Qianmei’s voice carried a hint of imperceptible tremor; her long-standing apprehension seemed to be confirmed at this moment.

Beside the white jade plum stakes at the valley entrance, a blood-red stream of light slowly descended. As the light dissipated, a familiar figure was revealed.

The person wore a blood-red robe, with the Empty Profound Sword hanging at his waist. The patterns on the scabbard gleamed coldly under the starlight.

His silver-white hair floated with the breeze, giving him the aura of a descending god of slaughter.

Lin Che gazed at the black plum trees in the valley, and at the mother and son by the spring, complex emotions swirling in his eyes. He even wondered if this was all just a dream.

Li Qianmei’s pupils contracted sharply as she saw the newcomer. The spiritual energy in her hand nearly spiraled out of control. She had never imagined that Lin Che would find this place, that he would appear in Luomei Valley at this moment.

At this point, Li Qianmei stumbled back two steps, instinctively pulling Lin Qingxuan further behind her. Her voice carried a hint of detachment: “Why are you here?”