135: Chapter 135 Past Events

When he returned home, Chu Mu was sitting at the dining table eating.

There were two dishes on the table: a plate of stir-fried cabbage, a plate of stir-fried garlic sprouts with meat, and a bowl of white rice, half of which had been eaten.

Hearing the sound of the door lock turning, her chopsticks paused in mid-air.

Lu Cheng pushed the door open and walked in.

He was still wearing his Navigator Academy uniform, with a bit of dust from outside the airship port on his shoulders.

The light in the living room was warm yellow, shining on his face; he was a bit thinner than a month ago, and his features were more defined.

Chu Mu was stunned.

The piece of cabbage held by her chopsticks fell back onto the plate.

"Mom, I'm back."

Lu Cheng's voice was not loud, carrying a hint of a smile.

He threw the bag on his back onto the sofa and kicked off his boots.

Chu Mu put down her chopsticks and stood up, wiped her hands, her facial expression changing two or three times.

"Why did you... come back without saying anything..."

"How is it? Are your days at the academy going well?"

Lu Cheng smiled:

"It couldn't be better."

He sat down opposite Chu Mu, picked up the teapot on the table to pour himself a cup of herbal tea, and downed half of it in one go.

"That's good..." Chu Mu also smiled, then looked at him. After a month, this was the first time she hadn't seen her son for such a long time.

For a moment, she didn't know what to say...

He had gone to the academy... he should have learned about some of the situation by now.

After a moment of silence, Chu Mu spoke up,

"Then... is there anything you want to ask?"

Lu Cheng put down the teacup, shook his head, and then nodded.

"I suppose so."

He paused.

"What exactly is the situation with Lu Changfeng... or rather... my father?"

The living room was quiet for two seconds.

The exhaust fan in the kitchen hummed, and the streetlights outside shone through the curtains, staining the floor a blurry orange-yellow.

Chu Mu nodded.

"Since you have already gone to the academy, there are some things you should know..."

"Your father was the most talented human of his generation."

Chu Mu pushed the dishes on the table aside and folded her hands on the tabletop.

"But this talent also brought him harm."

"His S-Rank Talent attracted the attention of a faction called Origin."

Lu Cheng's brow twitched.

Origin; this was the first time he had heard this name.

Chu Mu continued.

"This faction specializes in finding and recruiting humans with high talent... Years ago, even the child of the Human Federation's Grand Speaker was captured.

Navigator Academy is precisely the place in the Dragon Kingdom where geniuses are nurtured...

Our cohort was also targeted by them."

"But your father was one step ahead."

Her mouth curved slightly; this smile was an arc brought out by faint memories.

"He was able to counter-kill every time he was attacked."

Lu Cheng didn't interrupt, finishing the remaining half cup of herbal tea.

"Right up until I married him."

Chu Mu's voice paused here.

"After you were born, he discovered that the Black Seed, Origin, and some people among the human councilors were colluding to capture humans with extremely high talent."

"He began to investigate the pros and cons, and finally, using himself as bait, he infiltrated them.

He destroyed one of their bases.

"But it also caused huge problems..."

"Later, he entered a ruin rift with a War Emperor Realm expert... and there has been no news since."

After saying the last word, she reached out to pick up the teacup that had already gone cold on the table and took a sip.

Her fingers pinched the rim of the cup, her knuckles turning white.

"I don't know exactly what happened in there."

Chu Mu put down the teacup.

"I was pregnant with you at the time.

However... Mei Wushuang and the others should know more clearly."

Mei Wushuang... Father's little lover...

The face of that Mechanical Institute dean flashed through Lu Cheng's mind.

When she mentioned his father in the Three Tripods Hall, she used this same tone.

"Then... Mom..." Lu Cheng began, "You were also a student at Navigator Academy, why can't I feel a trace of blood energy or Origin Qi from you?"

Chu Mu shook her head.

"Changfeng sealed my Origin Meridians and meridians.

"Dean Mo shielded us from some karma."

Her voice was very soft.

"Otherwise, those guys... could find us at any time.

"I left the Imperial Capital and came to Rong City.

"You could have cultivated when you were young.

But... I don't know from what day on, your meridians inexplicably became blocked.

The things that followed... you know them all."

Lu Cheng frowned. If he calculated based on the timeline...

Lu Changfeng was already gone by then...

But Chu Mu didn't know the inside story about his own blocked meridians.

Then what about that incident in his memory?

"That's all I know... If that Mei Wushuang hasn't told you, it means the time hasn't come yet. If you want to know, you can also go and ask her..."

Chu Mu glanced at him, her tone shifting.

"Let's not talk about this.

Have you eaten? Shall I heat something up for you?"

Lu Cheng nodded. He really hadn't eaten dinner yet.

Chu Mu got up and walked into the kitchen.

The sound of a spatula came from the kitchen.

The oil heated up, the vegetables went into the pan, sizzling loudly.

She cooked a new plate of braised pork; the pork skin fried in hot oil, creating fine charred bubbles, and the aroma drifted through the kitchen door crack into the living room.

Lu Cheng leaned back in his chair, watching Chu Mu's back in the kitchen.

She was a bit thinner than a month ago.

The outline of her shoulders appeared even thinner under the kitchen light.

The food was brought out.

The braised pork was bright red and glossy; the lean meat wasn't tough, and the fat melted in the mouth.

The stir-fried cabbage was crispy, and the minced garlic was stir-fried just right—neither burnt nor raw.

Lu Cheng picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth... Every home has its own flavor. After being away for a long time, you can't get it outside, but when you return home, sometimes you just crave this.

He shoveled several mouthfuls of rice, his cheeks bulging halfway.

Chu Mu sat beside him watching him eat, not saying anything, and added two more pieces of meat to his bowl.

Not long after the meal, the doorbell rang again.

"Who is it?"

Lu Cheng stood up, walked to the door, and glanced through the peephole.

Xia Xi was standing outside the door.

It was almost 7:30; why did she come?

He pulled the door open.

"Why are you here?"

Xia Xi grinned.

"Why can't I come...?"

"Mm..."

She took a gift box from behind her back. The box wasn't large, and the wrapping paper was printed with the logo of a time-honored pastry shop, a Navigator Academy souvenir.

"I brought some gifts for Auntie... won't you let me come in and sit for a while?"

She tilted her head, her smile unconcealed.

Lu Cheng couldn't do anything about her and stepped aside to let her in.

As soon as Xia Xi entered, she neatly arranged her shoes to the side, then saw Chu Mu walking out of the kitchen.

"Hello, Auntie!"

Her voice was half a degree higher than usual, and the smile on her face was even brighter.

"My name is Xia Xi, and this is a gift I brought for you."

She handed the gift box over with both hands.

"When I was at school, I lived in Lu Cheng's villa and received a lot of care from him.

I specially came to visit today... thinking of thanking you properly!"

Lu Cheng stood behind Xia Xi, his mouth twitching.

You received my care, so thank me—why are you thanking my mom??

Chu Mu heard the word "villa," her brows moved slightly, and her gaze crossed over Xia Xi's shoulder to look at Lu Cheng.

"A villa..."

Xia Xi nodded:

"Lu Cheng hasn't told you yet, has he? He is now the student ranked first in our academy's points!"

Chu Mu's gaze fell back onto Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng scratched his head.

"I was just so happy to be back that I forgot..."

Chu Mu didn't speak.

Her thoughts couldn't help but drift back to the past.

That place, Lu Changfeng had also lived there before.

He was young then, with S-Rank Talent, ranked first in academy points, living in the best villa for selected students.

The first time she went to his place, she was dragged in by Lu Changfeng...

"Sit down first, don't just stand there."

Chu Mu let Xia Xi sit on the sofa, then turned to the kitchen to brew a pot of tea.

The teapot was an old purple clay pot used for many years, its surface polished to a faint, moist luster.

Chu Mu placed the teacup in front of Xia Xi and poured it full of tea.

The tea was light golden, emitting fine wisps of heat.

At her age, if she couldn't see through Xia Xi's little intentions, she would have lived in vain.

Chu Mu sat down opposite Xia Xi, her tone unhurried.

"Miss Xia... when did you get to know Lu-er?"

Xia Xi's eyes couldn't help but go a bit vacant.

She blinked, coming back to her senses.

"A long time ago... but not that long."

She picked up the teacup with both hands, her fingertips turning slightly red from the temperature of the cup wall.

"We met two months ago."

"Two months ago... he was... he bumped into me hard on the road!"

Lu Cheng "???"

"Why do I remember that you were the one who bumped into me, and I immediately dodged?"

Xia Xi: "Is... that so? It doesn't matter!"

Seeing the two bickering, Chu Mu couldn't help but smile; the scene before her seemed familiar.

The two chatted about trivial family matters for a long time.

Xia Xi talked about things at the academy, about the monthly exams, and about Lu Cheng fighting to the ninth floor of the Simulation Tower.

Chu Mu listened, asking a question from time to time.

Lu Cheng sat beside them, feeling a bit like an outsider.

He leaned on the sofa armrest, watching Xia Xi and his mom chatting enthusiastically.

This girl usually talked a lot, but now she was talking even more.

She asked about everything from his childhood to what he liked to eat, whether he ate on time at the academy, and whether he had been injured during training.

Before long, the wall clock in the living room chimed.

Nine o'clock.

Lu Cheng glanced at the time, stood up, and said.

"It's already nine; if you don't go back to rest, you'll be exhausted when you carry out your mission tomorrow."

Xia Xi lowered her head to check the time on her terminal.

"Ah? It's already nine?!"

She stood up, put down the teacup, and bowed to Chu Mu.

"Then, Auntie, I'll leave first. I'll come to visit you again next time!"

Chu Mu nodded and got up to see her to the door.

After the door closed, the living room went quiet again. The sound of Xia Xi's footsteps gradually faded in the hallway.

Chu Mu turned around and looked at Lu Cheng.

"She's a good girl."

"And she's from the Xia family; the Xia family does things with principles... Elder Xia is also a man of rules..."

She patted Lu Cheng on the shoulder.

"You rascal, I didn't expect you to have this ability."

Lu Cheng smiled embarrassedly.

He scratched the back of his head and turned to walk to his room.

"Enough chattering.

I still have a mission to go on tomorrow... let's chat again after it ends tomorrow."

He pushed open his room door and immediately escaped inside.

Lu Cheng, lying on the bed, couldn't fall asleep for a while. Since he landed in Rong City, the Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck in his body had been warning him...

Lu Cheng frowned slightly; the mission to clear the pollution didn't bring any danger... which meant there were other things hidden within Rong City, things that only started happening after he landed...