Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 310

Volume 3 - Chapter 49: Ji Qingqing - Part 1

In the northernmost reaches of the Sacred Land’s secret realm, atop Prison Sky Island...

Amid the vast expanse of the Arid Sea, above a bottomless abyss, three colossal Abyssal Sky Chains, each stretching thousands of miles, bound the isolated Prison Sky Island.

Ji Qingqing sat before a small grass hut, a stone in her hand, gently scratching disorganized patterns onto the ground.

Her brows knitted slightly. Lately, for reasons unknown, an inexplicable unease had taken hold of her heart.

Her clan had sentenced her to this island for judgment, but she didn’t worry much for herself. After all, her uncles and aunts would ensure her basic needs. Apart from being unable to cultivate and spending her days in boredom, life here wasn’t intolerable.

The hardships of this place were something she could endure. Following Li Tiangang during military campaigns had taught her to weather adversity long ago.

“I told him back then, if he hasn’t broken through to the Fourth Pillar Realm, he must not come here. He should listen to me…”

“After all, he’s always placed the clan above everything else…”

She sighed, her thoughts drifting to her son, Hao’er. Fifteen years had passed. Surely, by now, he must have grown tall and strong. She wondered whether he took after her or his father. They said sons often resembled their mothers…

Ji Qingqing’s thoughts lingered on her husband and child—two bonds she could never sever from her heart.

Thinking of the son she hadn’t seen in fifteen years brought a warm feeling to her chest. But it was quickly accompanied by sharp pangs of guilt and longing.

Her memories drifted back to the Hundred Days Banquet fifteen years ago, the pink-cheeked infant in swaddling clothes, and the imperial edict that had arrived with urgency.

Had the demonic invasion from Yanbei never occurred, she would still be with her husband and son, their family whole and happy.

“Children born to generals’ families suffer so much... I made you endure this hardship. You should never have been born to me…” Ji Qingqing murmured softly.

Unless some unforeseen miracle occurred, she would remain on this island for a thousand years before she could reunite with her husband and son.

She knew breaking through to the Fourth Pillar Realm was unimaginably difficult. Even though her husband was hailed as a prodigy of his generation with exceptional talent, success still relied on opportunity and fortune.

And considering the average lifespan of those in the Divine General Mansion, by the time she left Prison Sky Island, her family might already be gone, fallen on the battlefield.

“Hao’er began his martial cultivation too late. His prospects for greatness are slim. Perhaps, with the wealth and influence of the Divine General Mansion, he might at least live a peaceful life for a century…”

This thought offered Ji Qingqing a small measure of comfort. A century was short, but even fleeting tranquility held its own form of happiness.

As she wandered aimlessly through her thoughts, a sudden call came from the direction of the Abyssal Sky Monument outside the island.

“Miss?”

Ji Qingqing snapped back to reality and saw a spiritual manifestation hovering in the air above the island. When her gaze fell upon it, the spirit also noticed her, swiftly descending and vanishing.

Not long after, a figure flew over the mountain.

Seeing the approaching elder woman, Ji Qingqing froze in disbelief. “Nanny Ning, why are you here? Don’t tell me you’ve also…”

“Miss…”

This elderly woman was once a maidservant to Ji Qingqing’s mother and her wet nurse, having cared for Ji Qingqing since childhood. Their bond was deep.

Upon seeing Ji Qingqing’s disheveled appearance, her hair and face dirty, Nanny Ning’s eyes filled with shock and sorrow. “This place is far too harsh for you, Miss.”

Ji Qingqing, however, was more concerned. “Nanny Ning, why are you here?”

“I received the family head’s permission to visit you and bring good news,” Nanny Ning replied. Pushing her sadness aside, she clasped Ji Qingqing’s hands. “Miss, you’ll be leaving here soon. Your son has come to take you home!”

“What?”

Relieved that Nanny Ning hadn’t been sent here for punishment, Ji Qingqing’s heart eased slightly. But the latter half of the statement left her stunned, staring at her wet nurse in disbelief.

“Nanny Ning, what did you say?”

“I said your son has come to take you home!”

Seeing Ji Qingqing’s astonishment, Nanny Ning smiled. These days, the Ji clan could hardly stop singing the praises of that remarkable young man—her young master, Ji Leping.

“My… my son?” Ji Qingqing’s voice quivered. Was she hallucinating? Was Nanny Ning herself a figment of her imagination?

Pulling her hands back, she pinched herself hard. The sharp pain confirmed it was real.

“Nanny Ning, you—you’re not joking, are you?” Ji Qingqing asked cautiously.

“Would I travel hundreds of thousands of miles to joke with you, Miss? It’s true.”

Nanny Ning beamed. “Your son, Ji Leping, recently escorted the heroic soul of the War God Yunge back to the clan, defeated numerous young prodigies in succession, and even bested Ji Xuanshen, the strongest genius of the younger generation. Now, as a Dao Seed, he has secured your pardon!”

“Soon, you’ll be reunited with your son!”

Nanny Ning’s joyful tone left Ji Qingqing speechless. But when she heard the name “Leping,” her trembling eyes widened in realization.

Her son had been born with the name Li Hao, bestowed by Emperor Yu himself!

“Leping” was a name only she and her husband knew—a tender expression of her maternal love and hopes for her child.

“Nanny Ning, are you saying my son… his name is Ji Leping?” Ji Qingqing’s voice quaked.

This name, shared by no one else, had been known only to her and her husband. Could it be that after her departure from Yanbei, her husband had renamed their son after her surname, abandoning even the emperor’s granted name to honor her memory?

As improbable as it seemed, the man who had once defied the iron laws of the Li family, fought his elders, and clashed with his parents to marry her—he might just have done so.

“Isn’t he your son? Didn’t you name him yourself?” Nanny Ning asked, puzzled by Ji Qingqing’s shock.

Tears streamed down Ji Qingqing’s face as her emotions surged uncontrollably. She said nothing, her thoughts chaotic, her fingers digging into her palms.

After a moment, she suddenly asked, “Wait—you said my son became a Dao Seed?”

“Yes. He arrived at the Ji clan alone, and at such a young age, he has amazed everyone. Not only did he defeat Ji Xuanshen, who possesses an Innate Sacred Bone, but he did so while only in the Three Immortals Realm. It’s nothing short of legendary—unprecedented and perhaps never to be surpassed.”

Hearing Nanny Ning’s glowing account, Ji Qingqing was stunned. “My son… he’s that extraordinary?”

She could hardly believe it. The infant she had cradled in her arms fifteen years ago was now capable of defeating the Ji clan’s most prominent genius?

It was a feat she couldn’t even imagine.

She recalled the rumors from the Yanbei battlefield, where it was said her son couldn’t practice martial arts. By the time his meridians were opened, it was already too late for optimal training. Missing the prime stages of foundation building and blood refinement, he had lagged far behind others. Catching up with the prodigies across the provinces of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty would have been a miracle, let alone surpassing the Ji clan’s unparalleled geniuses.

“Wait, Nanny Ning—you said he came alone?” Ji Qingqing’s expression turned tense.

Nanny Ning nodded. “Yes, entirely on his own.”

Ji Qingqing’s face paled. Her husband hadn’t come? Could something have happened to him? Or was there another reason?

Her heart tightened with unease.

Noticing Ji Qingqing’s apprehension, Nanny Ning chuckled. “Miss, your son will be here to fetch you soon. Why not freshen up a bit? If he sees his mother looking so unkempt, he might feel a little disheartened.”

Ji Qingqing glanced down at her hands, noticing how dirty they were. Normally, she wouldn’t bother wasting her energy on such trivialities, but now that she was on the verge of leaving the island, conserving her strength no longer mattered.

Circulating her qi, she shook off the dust and grime from her body. Her snow-white skin emerged, and her once-matted hair turned sleek and clean, cascading like silk.

“That child… he must have endured so much on the way here…” Ji Qingqing murmured, recalling Nanny Ning’s words. To defeat so many geniuses and earn the title of Dao Seed—such accomplishments, summed up in mere words, hinted at unimaginable hardships.

A pang of sorrow gripped her heart. She bit her lip lightly, then turned back to the small grass hut. Moments later, she emerged in a flowing, pale-green gown that shimmered with light, resembling an immortal descending from a painting.

Seeing the transformed Ji Qingqing, Nanny Ning smiled warmly. “Miss, you’re just as beautiful as you were back then. You and young master Leping really do resemble each other quite a bit.”

“Does he look like me?” Ji Qingqing whispered, her eyes filled with anticipation. Memories flashed through her mind—her swollen belly, the tiny infant nestled in her arms.

Fifteen years had passed.

She had thought that mother and son would never meet again. Now, the chance to reunite had unexpectedly arrived.

Her heart swirled with excitement and hope, but also a faint, inexplicable nervousness.

As a mother, she had failed him so deeply. Would her son still acknowledge her?

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