They walked through the forest toward the town where they lived.
As mother and daughter drew closer to the town, they unknowingly attracted a crowd because of the strange child they carried with them. The townsmen stared at the unconscious boy with curiosity, wondering where Su Mei had found him. His unfamiliar face made it obvious that he did not belong to their town.
Whispers quickly spread among the gathering crowd. Some wondered whether the boy was the descendant of a powerful cultivation clan, while others simply followed from a distance, eager to satisfy their curiosity.
Su Mei, however, paid no attention to them. Without stopping to offer an explanation, she took the boy straight to her courtyard house. She carried him into her bedchamber and carefully laid him on the bed, propping several cushions underneath his head.
Su Lan had nothing else to do, so she sat on the chair beside the bed, occasionally glancing at the mysterious boy.
"Su Lan, go and reheat the medicinal herbs I boiled this morning and bring me a cup."
"Alright, Mother."
Minutes later, Su Lan returned with a cup of steaming medicinal tea. The rich fragrance of medicinal herbs immediately filled the bedchamber.
Su Mei raised one hand and circulated a small amount of spiritual energy through her palm. Under her precise control, the heat within the medicinal tea rapidly dissipated until it reached a suitable temperature. She then carefully fed the medicinal tea to the unconscious boy, spoon by spoon.
After that, Su Mei closed her eyes and released her spiritual sense, carefully probing the boy's body.
The moment her spiritual sense entered him, she was surprised by what she discovered.
The boy possessed a dantian!
Moreover, judging from its condition, his aptitude for cultivation was anything but ordinary. Such potential was enough for many cultivation sects and clans to regard him as a rare cultivation genius.
Su Mei could hardly believe her luck. Who would have thought that the unconscious child they had stumbled upon in the forest would possess such remarkable cultivation potential?
Suppressing her excitement, she guided her spiritual sense deeper, intending to examine his dantian more closely.
However, the instant her spiritual sense approached it, an overwhelming force suddenly erupted from within the boy's body.
Boom!
Before Su Mei could react, the mysterious force violently expelled her spiritual sense.
The powerful rebound struck her consciousness like an invisible hammer. Her face instantly turned pale, and she staggered backward before coughing out a mouthful of blood.
"Cough!"
Su Lan immediately rose from her chair.
"Mother!"
"I'm fine."
Su Mei raised a hand to stop her daughter from approaching. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and stared at the unconscious boy in disbelief.
"What kind of monster is this boy?" she cursed under her breath.
She had merely attempted to inspect his body with her spiritual sense, yet whatever power lay dormant within him had forcefully expelled her consciousness and injured her in the process.
Su Mei quickly circulated her cultivation technique, directing spiritual energy through her meridians to heal the minor damage caused by the backlash.
After stabilizing herself, she sat on the chair beside the bed and stared stolidly at the child lying before her.
Her gaze gradually became solemn.
She could not help but wonder about the boy's origins.
A child with such an extraordinary dantian already possessed enough potential to be called a cultivation genius. Yet an unknown force capable of repelling her spiritual sense was hidden within his body as well.
Such a thing could not possibly be ordinary.
"He must not be from an ordinary family," she thought.
Su Mei continued staring at the unconscious boy, her thoughts racing.
Just what kind of background did this mysterious child possess?
And how had someone like him ended up unconscious and alone in the depths of the forest?
A sudden knock on the door jolted Su Mei out of her thoughts.
Her brows furrowed slightly. She extended her spiritual sense toward the entrance, only to discover that the Town Head was standing outside her courtyard.
Su Mei immediately rose from her seat and went to receive him.
"Senior Yu Ze, what brings you to my humble abode?" Su Mei asked, bowing her head slightly to show her respect.
Yu Ze gave her a brief glance before speaking.
"Let me make this short," he began, his voice carrying an unmistakable authority. "Take me to the boy."
Su Mei hesitated. She wanted to refuse at first, especially considering the mysterious force hidden within the child. However, sensing the tone of finality in Yu Ze's voice, she knew there was little room for negotiation.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she finally gave in.
"Senior, please follow me."
She led Yu Ze into the bedchamber, where the unconscious boy remained motionless on the bed.
"Su Lan, go to your room," Su Mei instructed.
Although Su Lan was reluctant to leave, she obediently nodded and walked out of the chamber, closing the door behind her.
"Hmm…"
The Town Head muttered as he stroked his beard thoughtfully. His aged eyes remained fixed on the unconscious boy as though he were attempting to see through every secret hidden within him.
After observing the child for some time, Yu Ze's expression gradually became solemn.
"This child is not simple," he finally said. "Neither is his background."
Su Mei's heart tightened slightly at those words. She had already reached a similar conclusion after her spiritual sense had been violently expelled from the boy's body.
Yu Ze turned his gaze toward her.
"Where did you find him?" he questioned.
"Below the waterfall," Su Mei replied.
Yu Ze's brows knitted together.
"The waterfall?"
"Yes, Senior."
Silence descended upon the room for a moment.
Yu Ze glanced at the unconscious boy once more before turning back to Su Mei. His expression was now far more serious than before.
"Tell me everything you know."
Su Mei nodded slowly.
She knew there was no longer any reason to conceal what had happened.
"It began when Su Lan and I went into the forest…"