A pledge of "I would rather betray heaven than betray you," brought the scene back to a profound silence.
Yet, within this quietude lay a multitude of emotions.
Nogawa Kyoko felt at ease.
Nogawa Shaku felt her heart melt.
As for Nangong Qianyu, a hint of envy flickered within her.
"Bastard! You never made such grand vows of eternal love when you were in front of my mother!"
Nangong Qianyu felt a pang of indignation.
Of course!
She wouldn't voice this sentiment at such a moment.
She wondered if Ye Ming could escape this peril after everything was over.
"Good, good, good!"
Nogawa Kyoko uttered the word "good" three times consecutively, her lingering concerns finally put to rest.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Perhaps it was due to Nogawa Kyoko's emotional surge, but she began to cough uncontrollably. Moreover, a keen observer would notice that her face had become visibly older, subtly aging even further.
The aura of deathly stillness enveloping her also intensified.
Witnessing this, Ye Ming's brow furrowed. He looked at Nogawa Kyoko, lost in thought.
"Mother! You… you're not trying to scare me, are you!"
Seeing her mother's pale face and hearing her violent coughing, Nogawa Shaku panicked.
While such episodes had occurred before, they had never been this severe. Especially after she began to dabble in immortal cultivation, she understood her mother's physical condition even better.
Vitality!
Her mother's life force was draining away!
This was precisely what Nogawa Shaku worried about the most.
Originally, she had decided to contact Ye Ming to seek his help for her mother. But fate intervened, and he had arrived before her.
Perhaps it was destiny.
"Ye Ming! My mother…"
Nogawa Shaku turned to Ye Ming with urgency. Seeing his furrowed brow, she sensed something was amiss.
"Don't worry! I'm here! Auntie will be fine."
Ye Ming offered her a reassuring gaze and then said, "You two go out first. This might take me some time!"
"Alright!"
Nogawa Shaku did not hesitate, quickly leaving the hall with Nangong Qianyu. However, as they departed, the worry in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
After they left, Ye Ming first channeled a wisp of pure white energy into Nogawa Kyoko, stabilizing her life force.
"Auntie! Shaku and the others have left. Please speak your mind!"
Having done so, Ye Ming spoke.
"So you've seen through it!"
Nogawa Kyoko looked at the young man before her, managing a weak smile with difficulty.
Yet, her smile was tinged with a deep sense of desolation.
That's right.
She had deliberately coughed violently earlier to make Nogawa Shaku leave.
There were some things she didn't want her daughter to know at this moment.
However, she feared her body wouldn't hold out much longer. If that happened, unresolved misunderstandings might lead to lifelong regret.
"Auntie! There's one thing I can tell you right now!" Ye Ming, seemingly guessing her intentions, smiled and said, "Given your current physical condition, if you were to encounter anyone else, even a strong cultivator at the Innate realm, helping you recover would be a difficult task. However…"
Ye Ming patted his chest, unreservedly, and continued, "But now you've met me. So, it's best if you tell Shaku yourself!"
"Wh-what?"
Upon hearing this, Nogawa Kyoko's eyes widened in disbelief. "You… you said you can cure me? How… how is that possible?"
She knew her body's condition better than anyone.
The loss of vitality had directly injured the very source of her life.
This was not something that could be healed by ordinary means.
And the "ordinary means" referred to here did not just include the methods of the current world.
It also encompassed the hidden realms.
Thus, Nogawa Kyoko was utterly astonished by Ye Ming's words.
"Nothing is impossible!"
Ye Ming was not boasting; he possessed such an ability naturally.
No!
More accurately, he was born with this capability.
"Auntie! Do you know what realm I am currently in?"
Ye Ming asked with a smile.
"Realm?"
Hearing the question, Nogawa Kyoko suddenly realized how little she knew about this young man.
The information she had was either from the internet or provided by Nogawa Shaku.
Beyond that, she knew nothing.
But now, as an ordinary person, how could she discern Ye Ming's realm? She could only speculate, "Are you a cultivator of the Origin Soul realm?"
Hearing her words, Ye Ming's lips twitched.
He hadn't expected to be underestimated.
However, he was unaware that this guess was already a bold leap for Nogawa Kyoko.
A cultivator of the Origin Soul realm was powerful enough to establish a sect in the hidden realms.
When she was taken to a hidden realm in the past, the sect that held her captive had a sect leader with only Origin Soul realm cultivation.
Although she heard from the disciples of that sect that there was an ancestor in the sect with Innate realm strength,
Nogawa Kyoko had never seen him.
Therefore, in her experience, the Origin Soul realm was the limit.
Noticing Ye Ming's strange expression, Nogawa Kyoko seemed to realize there was a problem with her statement. She gave a wry smile and said, "It seems I was too naive. To cultivate to the Origin Soul realm, even the prodigies in those hidden realms would need forty to fifty years of arduous practice. You are only twenty-four or twenty-five; it's already remarkable to have reached the Initial Origin realm. And I…"
"No… no! Auntie, you've misunderstood me."
Ye Ming quickly interrupted her, feeling the conversation was veering off track.
"You can guess a little higher. My talent is quite good."
Ye Ming scratched his head, making it seem as if he were embarrassed.
"A… a little higher?"
Nogawa Kyoko froze, scarcely believing her ears.
She had thought her bold guess of the Origin Soul realm was already a wild fantasy.
But now, she was being told, "Your guess is too low."
Was this some kind of mystical revelation?
And Ye Ming, couldn't he just tell her directly?
Was he merely trying to show off?
Ye Ming had his reasons for acting this way.
If he directly told Nogawa Kyoko his true cultivation, would she believe him?
Could she accept it?
Therefore, Ye Ming needed to build up gradually, giving Nogawa Kyoko time to prepare herself mentally.
"I-Innate realm! H-how could that be possible?"
When Nogawa Kyoko pushed her guess even higher, she couldn't believe the words that left her own mouth.
An Innate realm powerhouse at twenty-four or twenty-five? This was no laughing matter.
When she was taken to the hidden realms, she hadn't heard of any prodigy reaching such a level at that age.
This was truly beyond comprehension.
"I… I have indeed reached the Innate realm!"
Seeing her disbelieving expression, Ye Ming hesitated before finally deciding to state his strength as Innate realm.
Otherwise.
He truly feared Nogawa Kyoko wouldn't be able to handle it.
"Alas! It's just that I'm too strong!"
At this moment, Ye Ming finally understood the loneliness of the powerful.