The Confused Old Mother

Su Muyu watched Yan Yun for a long time, remaining silent.

Her eyes were filled with profound curiosity, yet also tinged with a mother’s deep concern and worry for her child.

“Is this… truly your face?” Su Muyu inquired after observing Yan Yun intently for a moment.

Upon hearing this, Yan Yun suddenly recalled that she was still in disguise.

With a playful giggle, she promptly removed the facial illusion, revealing a charming face almost identical to Su Muyu’s own.

This was the face Su Muyu knew so well.

As her son’s familiar features came into view, the previously composed Su Muyu finally allowed her maternal instincts to surface.

She reached out, cupping Yan Yun’s cheeks, her face etched with a mixture of distress and self-reproach.

“Oh, you rascal, you’ve made your mother suffer so much,” Su Muyu whispered, kneeling down to embrace Yan Yun, her voice choked with soft sobs.

Yan Yun, who dreaded seeing Su Muyu cry, felt a momentary surge of helplessness.

However, as she felt Su Muyu’s familiar presence, the suppressed emotions within her heart were also released at that very moment.

“Mother, I’m sorry,” Yan Yun quickly apologized.

“I shouldn’t have hidden this from you; it was my fault for making you worry. Please don’t cry.”

Maternal love, unlike romantic love, is an entirely distinct emotion.

While the love between a man and a woman can be controlled, parental love often stems from an intrinsic blood bond.

Mother and child had been separated for only about a year.

Yet, in that short span, everything had irrevocably changed.

They remained locked in an embrace for nearly three minutes before Su Muyu slowly released Yan Yun.

Gazing intently at Yan Yun’s face, she asked with a serious expression, “You rascal, have you truly become a girl? I can’t tell from your face; it’s still the same one, just a bit more mature.”

Given the circumstances, Yan Yun naturally saw no need for further concealment.

“Yes!” Yan Yun explained.

“To cultivate, I practiced the poison cultivation technique passed down by our ancestors. This technique has a chance to cause a person’s body to transform, and unfortunately for me, it resulted in a change of gender.”

Hearing this, Su Muyu suddenly placed a hand on Yan Yun’s chest.

This unexpected ‘attack’ from her own mother startled Yan Yun considerably.

“Ah! Mother, what are you doing?” Yan Yun instinctively leaned back, covering her chest with both hands, her face flushed with shy confusion.

Su Muyu, however, raised her hand and remarked in disbelief, “It’s soft… it really does feel like a woman’s chest.”

Observing her mother’s astonished expression, Yan Yun realized that Su Muyu had not yet fully accepted the truth of the matter.

“Mother, you haven’t completely believed Jiang Yao’s words, have you?”

At the mention of this, Su Muyu immediately reached out both hands, pinching and tugging at Yan Yun’s cheeks.

“My son suddenly turning into a daughter—how can you expect a mother like me to believe such a bizarre thing instantly?” she exclaimed.

“And am I, your mother, less trustworthy than your wife? Why wasn’t I the first to know about this?”

Su Muyu suddenly became fierce again.

“Moreover, my precious son is just… gone,” Su Muyu declared with an exaggerated expression.

“My heart aches so much, dear.”

Yan Yun watched her mother’s endearing yet somewhat theatrical gestures and expressions, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

To put it simply, Su Muyu possessed a rather amusing personality.

At least, whenever she was with Yan Yun, she would often act in a very “playful” manner, just as she was doing now.

“Mother, your reaction doesn’t seem like one of heartache,” Yan Yun remarked, her lips twitching.

“In fact, I almost feel like you’re quite happy.”

“No, who said I was happy?” Su Muyu retorted.

“I’m clearly very sad! Quickly, let your mother thoroughly examine your body. I need to see if my precious child, whom I carried for ten months, is missing any limbs.” Su Muyu demanded emphatically.

Yan Yun was startled.

“Ah? This? Please, even though I’ve become a girl, my heart is still that of a man,” Yan Yun protested.

“I’m afraid I cannot agree to your request. As the saying goes, ‘A grown daughter avoids her father, and a grown son avoids his mother.’ I…”

Just as Yan Yun was about to refuse her mother’s unreasonable demand, Su Muyu raised her hand and delivered a sharp smack to Yan Yun’s head, cutting off her rambling.

“Hurry up,” Su Muyu declared, standing abruptly and glaring fiercely.

“I’m not joking with you. As the mother who gave birth to and raised you, I have every right to understand your current situation, and then, based on the facts, re-establish my perception of you. Quick, don’t make me do this myself.”

Observing her mother’s determined and forceful demeanor, Yan Yun instinctively rubbed her own head.

“Alright, alright, since you’re my mother, I suppose I have no choice,” Yan Yun conceded.

Thus, under the powerful aura of Su Muyu’s maternal love, Yan Yun reluctantly began to undress.

“Hurry up! Don’t you know your situation?” Su Muyu urged impatiently.

“You’re a wanted criminal, pursued by both the mundane world and the cultivation realm. You don’t have time to dawdle. Besides, even if you were still a man, what could you possibly have on your body that I haven’t seen before?”

Yan Yun felt conflicted, but realizing she was now a woman herself, she moved a little more swiftly.

Soon, her newly developed female body was fully revealed before Su Muyu’s eyes.

Su Muyu gazed at her son, now possessing a graceful and curvaceous figure, and her former understanding shattered in an instant.

“Alright, are you satisfied now? Can we confirm it, then? I’m putting my clothes back on,” Yan Yun stated, feeling intensely ashamed and a lingering sense of impropriety within her heart.

“This isn’t your true appearance yet, is it?” Su Muyu added, almost as an afterthought.

Yan Yun understood Su Muyu’s meaning implicitly.

She immediately activated her poison cultivation technique, and her dark hair instantly transformed into a striking silver-white, her eyes shifting to a vivid purple, making her entire presence seem otherworldly and enchanting.

Witnessing her son’s sudden transformation, Su Muyu was once again greatly astonished.

“Mother, is this acceptable now?” Yan Yun asked faintly.

Su Muyu immediately stepped forward and meticulously examined Yan Yun with her divine sense.

Only after completing her inspection did she nod in satisfaction.

“Mm! Put your clothes on,” she said.

“To think that the son I raised for over a decade would suddenly become a daughter—it truly is incredible.”

With Su Muyu’s permission, Yan Yun dressed herself again with the utmost speed.

“Oh, by the way, I have a very perplexing question,” Su Muyu suddenly interjected, posing a question Yan Yun found impossible to answer.

“Since Yao’er knew you had become a girl all along, why did she help you keep it a secret? Do you two have some unspeakable secret between you?”

For a moment, Yan Yun was at a loss for how to respond to this question.

After a brief hesitation, she replied, “Mother, there are some things I cannot tell you for now. However, you can fully trust that Jiang Yao and my feelings are genuine; it’s not an act.”

Seeing that Yan Yun appeared serious, Su Muyu did not press the matter further.

“Very well then, I’ll wait for the day you tell me yourself,” Su Muyu said, waving her hand at Yan Yun.

“Go back now.”

“Ah? You’re letting me go already?” Yan Yun asked, surprised.

Su Muyu smiled, seeing Yan Yun’s bewildered expression.

“What else?” Su Muyu reminded her sternly.

“Your identity is quite sensitive right now. My reason tells me it’s best for you to stay in the medicine garden. However, I must warn you: this place is not Qifeng City. You absolutely must not casually expose your poison cultivation technique, understand?”

On this point, Yan Yun was well aware.

“I understand.”

With those words, Yan Yun stepped forward and embraced Su Muyu once more.

After their embrace, she turned and walked towards the main entrance, continuing until she had exited the pavilion.

With Yan Yun now at Yunhua Sect, Su Muyu felt a profound sense of relief.

Given her and Jiang Yao’s status, as long as Yan Yun kept her identity hidden, ensuring her safety would pose no issue.

Yet, Yan Yun’s arrival simultaneously spurred Su Muyu’s resolve to grow stronger.

For if she didn’t quickly become more powerful, and if unforeseen changes occurred in the future, she might not be able to protect Yan Yun, even at the cost of her own life.

“Ah! What a handful,” Su Muyu sighed heavily after Yan Yun had left.

****

Having exited Su Muyu’s residence, before Yan Yun could utter a single word, Jiang Yao grabbed her hand.

“Come,” Jiang Yao stated with utmost seriousness.

“Let’s go to my place. You’re not going back tonight.”

Observing Jiang Yao’s eager demeanor, Yan Yun’s face took on a playful expression.

“What’s this, are you that eager? Disregarding my safety entirely?”

Jiang Yao rolled her eyes.

“Don’t you have a disguise artifact on you? You can just use it then, can’t you?”

These words rendered Yan Yun speechless, so the two of them proceeded to Jiang Yao’s residence.

Jiang Yao’s residence and Su Muyu’s residence were located within the same area.