Fourteen years ago.

As Meng Yaoyin lay dying, she instructed the two-year-old Ning Zhuo:

“The Immortal City is constantly decaying, and the selection criteria are correspondingly lowering. Zhuo’er, by the time you are fourteen, the selection criteria for the Mechanical Immortal City will drop to the Qi Refining stage. This will be your greatest opportunity!”

“Zhuo’er, you must study Mechanical Arts diligently. You must personally design mechanical constructs, personally assemble them, and personally control them. These are all parts of the Mechanical Immortal City’s assessment.”

“Absolutely do not cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage using the Ning family’s cultivation method!”

“Do not let others know of your investment in this area. Do not show too much excellence. Your parents are gone, there is no one you can truly rely on. You must hide yourself well. Don’t perform too poorly, mediocrity is sufficient. You must grow up ordinarily, accumulate quietly, and not attract attention.”

“Mother has seen too much, how many geniuses have died prematurely…”

“Mother’s Cyan Iron Man Armor is left for you for protection, it possesses the might of Foundation Establishment.”

“And this magic treasure—My Buddha Heart Demon Seal! This was something Mother fortunately obtained from the Lava Immortal Palace, and must absolutely not be exposed.”

After giving her instructions, in her last moments, she fell into hesitation: “Mother doesn’t know if teaching you this way is right or wrong.”

“Zhuo’er, you must take good care of yourself. If it truly doesn’t work, then give up on the Lava Immortal Palace.”

“Life is the first priority. Mother hopes you live, live well!”

“As long as you are alive, Mother will be happy.”

The two-year-old Ning Zhuo clutched his mother’s bloodied clothes tightly: “Mother, Mother, don’t talk anymore. I don’t want you to die, don’t die, wuwuwu…”

Ning Zhuo’s mother said her last words: “Good Zhuo’er, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid… Mother is here, Mother, Mother will protect you from beneath the ground…”

The next moment, his mother’s heart stopped beating, and her hand slowly slid from Ning Zhuo’s head.

Ning Zhuo was stunned, first whispering softly: “Mother, Mother, Mother, wake up, wake up!”

Immediately, his voice grew louder, and he threw himself into his mother’s arms, wailing loudly.

He cried until he fainted.

Meng Yaoyin’s soul let out a faint sigh and emerged from her corpse.

She reached out to touch Ning Zhuo, but her hand met empty air.

Meng Yaoyin’s soul formed hand seals, and astonishingly, she used the art of controlling puppet mechanisms to make her own corpse stand up.

From her storage bracelet, she took out a substitute corpse that she had long prepared and placed it in the original spot.

Before leaving, she knelt down and quietly gazed at Ning Zhuo’s sleeping face, showing strong reluctance.

After a moment, she suppressed the emotions in her heart and, controlling her corpse, descended into the underground secret chamber and left via the teleportation array.

She first teleported to the underground secret base, where she transferred before entering the Fire Persimmon Mountain.

She was familiar with the path and followed the tunnel to the Lava Immortal Palace.

Guided by the treasure light of the Immortal Palace, she entered the palace once again.

This was her first time entering the palace after her death, and her emotions were quite complex.

With her authority, she smoothly entered the Gourd Fire Stove Forest.

Her soul emitted purple light streaks. Meng Yaoyin sighed in her heart: “Even after death, this Dao injury still exists. Now I only hope that after refining my spirituality, this Dao injury can be eliminated!”

The entanglement of the Dao injury caused her condition to rapidly decline. She struggled to control her corpse and crawled into the golden furnace.

Cremation Prajna Spirit 解ling Scripture!

Flames ignited, and Meng Yaoyin endured the agonizing pain of burning her soul and refining her spirit. Yet, she remained quietly coiled in the furnace, enduring silently with indomitable willpower, never uttering a word.

“Zhuo’er, Zhuo’er, if this succeeds, Mother can still accompany you as you grow up.”

“If it fails…”

She gave a sorrowful smile, yet it was full of determination, without a hint of wavering.

“Whether it succeeds or fails, she is bound to be scattered soul and spirit. She clearly had abundant yin lifespan and could descend to the underworld to live for many more years. Yet, for the sake of her son, she bravely took this great risk to refine herself.” Hidden in the shadows, the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit watching this scene was filled with shock.

“Too ruthless, this woman is too ruthless!”

The golden furnace shattered, and the Buddha Physician descended. The spirituality refined by Meng Yaoyin entered the mechanical body.

The Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit exclaimed: “She actually managed to refine it!”

“Such intense pain, yet not a sound was made. Thinking back then, I was groaning from beginning to end… No, roaring repeatedly.”

“Truly, if a person isn’t ruthless, they can’t become a demon!”

Seeing the Buddha Physician, Meng Yaoyin, leave the Immortal Palace, the Dragon Tortoise Fire Spirit was satisfied: “This Meng Yaoyin is truly my benefactor!”

“Not only did she exploit the loopholes and take away My Buddha Heart Demon Seal and others. Even after death, she could still take away the Buddha Physician, truly too strong.”

“I truly hope that such a person appears again in the future.”

“With a few more, my escape from here is practically within reach!”

The Buddha Physician, Meng Yaoyin, returned the same way and saw Ning Zhuo again.

She extended her mechanical palm and gently stroked Ning Zhuo’s cheek.

Then, she began to regulate the mechanical parts within her body.

Warm Buddha light, like orange light or flowing water, flowed from within her body and poured into Ning Zhuo’s upper Dantian, the Sea of Consciousness.

“Zhuo’er, Mother has a gift for you.”

“This is the true scripture of the Mirror Platform Psychic Art, one of the top three sects’ methods!”

“Mother has hidden the entire scripture within your Sea of Consciousness. In the future, if you cultivate this method, you will surely have no bottlenecks.”

Having completed this, the Buddha Physician, Meng Yaoyin, quietly concealed herself.

Changing into burial clothes, placing the body in the main hall, reporting to the temple, sending out obituaries, setting up the mourning hall… embalming, mourning ceremonies, keeping vigil, funeral procession, burial…

The Buddha Physician, Meng Yaoyin, observed in secret the entire time, witnessing “her own” funeral firsthand, which filled her with complex emotions. Seeing Ning Zhuo, who was like a wooden puppet, as still as death, pained her immensely.

She hesitated, always refraining from revealing herself.

Because of the Dao injury!

She needed to confirm that she had escaped the Dao injury. Otherwise, even if they reunited, it would only add to the sorrow and separation.

The Buddha Physician, Meng Yaoyin, stopped cultivating. A flash of purple light in her eyes was fleeting.

“Dao injury…” Her heart was filled with regret.

Even after refining herself into spirituality, she had not escaped the deadly entanglement.

“So, this time, how long can I still exist?”

She gave a bitter smile, feeling fortunate that she had not appeared before Ning Zhuo again.

Late at night.

“Mother, Mother, where are you, don’t leave me…” The two-year-old Ning Zhuo curled up his body, hiding under the covers, having a nightmare.

Meng Yaoyin revealed her form.

She suppressed her grief and gently walked to the side of the bed, kneeling down, carefully holding Ning Zhuo’s small hand.

She spoke softly:

Clouds fly, clouds fly, flying over White River and翠微 (Cuiwei, a name). The stream babbles around the big tree, sunlight sprinkles on the green grass pile.

Clouds fly, wind chases, flying over rivers and starlight. The sky is high and the earth is vast, so splendid, clouds roll and unfurl as the wind blows.

Clouds fly, heart is weary, flying over rainbows and霞帔 (xiabei, a ceremonial robe). The evening glow in the sky gradually fades, the moonlight quietly reflects the darkness.

Clouds fly, dreams return, flying over longing and sorrow. Mother pulls you back in dreams, returning to your hometown to sleep peacefully.

In the familiar sound of the nursery rhyme, Ning Zhuo’s brows gradually unfurled, relaxing, and he fell into a peaceful sleep.

Such occurrences became more and more frequent.

One night, before Meng Yaoyin could even begin to sing the nursery rhyme, Ning Zhuo was startled awake by a nightmare and suddenly opened his eyes.

He saw a puppet figure appear at the head of his bed, and he cried out in fear.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, it’s Mother, it’s Mother.” The Buddha Physician, Meng Yaoyin, quickly comforted him with a gentle voice.

Ning Zhuo shrunk back to the side of the bed against the wall, tightly wrapped himself in the quilt, huddling into a small ball, trembling with fear.

The Buddha Physician, Meng Yaoyin, was heartbroken. She subconsciously reached out, wanting to stroke Ning Zhuo, but she saw her mechanical arm.

Her heart trembled, she withdrew her hand, and sat half-on the side of the bed.

She slowly began to speak, softly singing.

“Clouds fly, clouds fly…”

The singing attracted Ning Zhuo. He mustered up his courage, first opening a thin slit in the quilt, then slowly widening the opening, and finally poking his big head out.

He stared blankly at the Buddha Physician, Meng Yaoyin, gradually confirming that it was his mother.

His eyes were filled with tears. When the singing ended, he suddenly threw off the quilt, ran at full speed, and crashed into Meng Yaoyin’s embrace.

He shouted, tears rolling down: “Mother—!”

“Zhuo’er, my good Zhuo’er.” Meng Yaoyin held Ning Zhuo, stroking the back of his head, deeply emotional, yet no tears ever fell.

Since mother and son had reunited, Meng Yaoyin no longer suppressed the pain of separation. She secretly took care of Ning Zhuo every day and secretly taught him his studies.

She primarily taught him Mechanical Arts.

Only when you lose something do you know how precious it is.

Ning Zhuo clung tightly to Meng Yaoyin, listening attentively to her every word.

“Mother, Mother.” Ning Zhuo called softly.

Meng Yaoyin returned to her senses.

Ning Zhuo was nestled in Meng Yaoyin’s embrace, looking up at her with innocent eyes, and said in a milky voice: “Mother, you weren’t paying attention during class, that’s not good.”

Meng Yaoyin lowered her head and gently kissed Ning Zhuo’s forehead, apologizing softly, while the gloom in her heart expanded in secret.

She knew this was the work of the Dao injury.

At first, she could barely detect it in her spirituality. Soon after, a slight hint of purple appeared.

Now, these hints of purple had become wisps and threads.

The past scene began to repeat itself. Meng Yaoyin knew that her time was once again running out.

Her heart was filled with sorrow and also with confusion. She didn’t know how to explain the truth of the situation to Ning Zhuo.

A stealthy figure appeared near the Ning residence.

Meng Yaoyin decisively attacked.

Thump.

The stealthy figure fell to the ground.

Ning Zhuo saw this scene and was greatly startled, his small face pale, stammering: “Mother, Mother, Mother, did, did you, you kill, kill someone?”

Meng Yaoyin shook her head: “He was acting suspiciously and had cultivation, likely a habitual thief. However, he is not dead, only lightly punished.”

Ning Zhuo looked at the figure who had fallen and fainted. Besides being shocked, he showed compassion and pity: “He’s still a child, just like me.”

“Mother, you said, if we leave him here, will he die from blood loss?”

Meng Yaoyin smiled slightly: “You want to save him?”

“Yes!” Ning Zhuo nodded repeatedly.

Meng Yaoyin thought that she didn’t have much time left, so she might as well take this opportunity to teach Ning Zhuo a profound lesson. She said: “Then it’s up to you. Since you want to save him, you do it yourself, don’t rely on Mother.”

Ning Zhuo was immediately happy: “Thank you, Mother!”

With permission, he quickly dragged Sun Lingtong into the small courtyard.

(End of this chapter)

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