Observing Yun Yao's intense concern and recalling his father's equally overwhelming display of affection, Ye Yun offered a gentle smile as a quiet warmth bloomed inside his chest.
His predecessor had been fond of constantly stirring up trouble, forcing his parents to clean up countless messes in his wake. Their love for their son verged on outright doting indulgence.
Yet the previous host had failed to treasure their boundless devotion, frequently talking back to them without a shred of filial respect.
Things were different now; Ye Yun held no intention of repeating his predecessor's mistakes.
Stepping back a single pace, Ye Yun bowed deeply toward Yun Yao once more.
"Mother, I am sorry for causing you such worry. I was in the wrong."
Hearing his sincere apology, a look of quiet disbelief flashed across Yun Yao's face.
Was this... truly her son?
Never before had her son offered her such a formal, earnest apology.
To be precise, he had never apologized to her even once in his life.
Yun Yao refrained from overthinking the matter, assuming his narrow escape from qi deviation had simply brought about a mature shift in his character.
Gently stroking Ye Yun's hair, she offered soothing words of comfort.
"There, there... as long as you are safe and sound, nothing else matters."
Though her words remained understated, a surge of joy warmed her heart—her son had grown up at long last.
Perhaps this ordeal with qi deviation was a blessing in disguise after all.
The moment she had embraced him earlier, Yun Yao had confirmed beyond doubt that the young man standing before her was indeed her son, not an impostor.
How could a mother fail to recognize her own flesh and blood? Their very bloodlines were inextricably tied!
"Yun'er, why were you in such a rush to break through? Was it truly all for that woman?
"What is so grand about her anyway? The Immortal World is full of stunning beauties—whichever one catches your fancy, simply tell your mother, and I will personally secure her for you."
Yun Yao spoke with absolute earnestness; backed by the terrifying authority of the Ye Clan, she possessed every right to make such a bold claim.
As it turned out, Ye Yun's qi deviation was far more complex than a simple cultivation accident.
The previous host had rushed his breakthrough from the Dao Comprehension Realm into the Great Power Realm entirely because he had fallen for a woman.
That woman had set a strict condition: if he could achieve a breakthrough into the Great Power Realm within the current year, she would agree to become his partner.
Yet advancing from the Dao Comprehension Realm to the Great Power Realm was not merely a test of raw aptitude; it required deep temporal accumulation and comprehension.
Comprehending the Dao demanded patient enlightenment above all else.
Countless cultivators spent their entire lives unable to breach the threshold of the Great Power Realm.
The barrier hinged on natural talent as much as the caliber of one's cultivation manual.
Yet infatuated as he was, the previous host had accepted her condition without a moment's hesitation.
His hasty, forced attempt had triggered a severe qi deviation backlash, knocking the host into an unawakening coma.
That fatal collapse had granted the present Ye Yun the opportunity to claim this body and begin a second life.
Recalling how his predecessor had driven himself into qi deviation over a single woman, Ye Yun felt an urge to chuckle.
Was such desperation truly necessary over a single woman?
Of course, the host had genuinely believed he had found the true love of his life, which alone drove him to push himself to such extremes.
Gently clasping Yun Yao's hands, Ye Yun spoke in a soft, reassuring voice.
"Mother, I have learned my lesson. Rest assured, I promise never to engage in such dangerous recklessness again."
Naturally, having miraculously earned a second chance at life, repeating such suicidal folly would be sheer madness.
Hearing her son's earnest promise, Yun Yao finally felt the lingering dread leave her chest.
Caressing Ye Yun's cheek, Yun Yao made a firm, resolute declaration.
"Good! As long as you understand, Yun'er. You still desire that woman, do you not?
"Then I guarantee that by tomorrow, her family will personally deliver her right to your doorstep."
Her confidence was unwavering, backed entirely by Ye Yun's supreme status and noble lineage.
Driving her son into a life-threatening qi deviation was an offense that would not be swept under the rug so easily.
Yun Yao was a fiercely protective mother who held deep grudges; anyone who dared harm her son would pay a heavy price.
Ye Yun offered no objection, holding complete faith in his mother's capability to enforce her word.
He harbored no desire to stay her hand either; whatever she chose to do, he would simply accept as her son.
"Mother, I shall defer to your wishes."
In that moment, Ye Yun presented the picture of an obedient, devoted son, catering smoothly to his mother's every whim.
Seeing her son act with such dutiful warmth lifted Yun Yao's spirits immensely.
Dangerous though the qi deviation episode had been, bringing about such a positive transformation in her son's temperament and drawing them closer was more than enough reward.
Seated once more upon the high throne, Ye Changkong overheard everything clearly, immediately understanding his wife's intention.
Glancing toward Ye Changkong on the elevated seat, Yun Yao gave a subtle nod.
Having shared decades of marriage, Ye Changkong deciphered her silent message without a second thought.
Raising his right hand, he executed a slight, dismissive wave.
Positioned deep in the shadows, a hidden entity acknowledged the unspoken command and quietly withdrew from the hall.
Though the subtle exchange transpired right before Ye Yun's eyes, his current cultivation was insufficient to perceive the hidden shadow's departure.
...
Across the vast, boundless territories commanded by the Ye Clan lay a minor clan known as the Yue Clan.
The Yue Clan possessed little renowned power, operating merely as a modest local family.
Existing squarely within the Ye Clan's sphere of hegemony, the Yue Clan naturally functioned as one of its countless vassal entities.
Yet precisely such an insignificant clan had committed an earth-shattering affair.
That very incident involved the daughter of the Yue Clan Patriarch, Yue Mingkong, driving the Young Master of the Ye Clan into a severe qi deviation.
Indeed, Yue Mingkong was the very woman responsible for Ye Yun's dangerous collapse.
Raised within the modest Yue Clan, Yue Mingkong had lived a relatively subdued life due to her family's limited influence.
Yet she possessed exceptional natural talent, born with the extraordinary Maiden Yin Body—a remarkably rare constitution for cultivation.
Having just reached twenty years of age, she had already successfully broken through to the Dao Comprehension Realm, displaying staggering talent and martial prowess.
For a minor clan to produce such a phenomenal prodigy was an immense, unprecedented honor.
Displaying exceptional cultivation aptitude from early childhood, Yue Mingkong had naturally garnered deep affection and pampering from her clan elders.
Whatever cultivation resources Yue Mingkong required, the clan elders prioritized her demands above all others.
Such were the absolute privileges accorded to exceptional natural genius.
As the years passed, her beauty blossomed into slender, graceful perfection.
Surrounding adoration gradually cultivated a deep, unyielding pride within Yue Mingkong's heart.
She firmly believed that despite her humble origins in a minor clan, her natural talents rivaled those of any scion from elite factions.
Her future potential was boundless, destined for greatness.
Then, on an unexpected day, she crossed paths with Ye Yun.
The previous Ye Yun had fallen in love with Yue Mingkong at first sight, launching a relentless pursuit to make her his woman.
Yet possessing such fierce pride, how could Yue Mingkong meekly yield to his advances?
Ye Yun was a scion of an elite overlord family, bound to take countless wives and concubines in the future.
She refused to become merely one among a crowd of women.
Above all, she sought to reach the heights of power, unleash her full potential, and elevate the Yue Clan to grandeur.