Chapter 2 - Mother Knows Best

"Did you go to the waterfall before hunting, did you?"

Tian Fengxian glared at Tian Longmeng with eyes that signified that he was in trouble. Tian Longmeng remained quiet with a calm face as he confronted his mother's bone-chilling stare. However, on the inside, Tian Longmeng lost all his colours. The gaze from his mother was too strong.

"How could she have known, I was sure to-"

"You were sure to remove evidence?"

As Tian Longmeng was thinking, Tian Fengxian exposed him openly. Tian Longmeng had a calm face throughout but a slight exclamation escaped.

"Let me tell you how you got caught."

Tian Fengxian nonchalantly said while Tian Longmeng was having a secret panic attack.

"First, judging from the frequent times of how fast you take to kill the grey wolves, you would have been finished 3 incense sticks of time earlier."

"Secondly, you killed more than required to avert our focus from anything suspicious, despite my telling that we have more than enough food so you don't need to hunt for more food."

At the point during Tian Fengxian's detective lecture, Tian Longmeng tried his best to put on a face that said that she was just overthinking things so that she can eventually give up and let up.

Tian Fengxian noticed this and gave a light humph.

"Still unwilling, huh? Well, explain your damp hair."

Tian Fengxian finally revealed her trump card as she pouted while pointing to his long, flowing, but damp black hair. This realization left Tian Longmeng shocked. However, he quickly noticed that his calm exterior had been broken for his parents to get a good look.

"Alright, I give up. I went there even though you told me not to." Tian Longmeng said while downcast, awaiting what punishment he might get.

Tian Fengxian looked at her pitiful child and lost her stern expression as she just waved her hand, signalling for Tian Fengmeng to take the wolves inside. Tian Longmeng was elated to know that he was not going to receive punishment this time.

"Come on Long'er, let us see what you can do now."

Tian Longmeng was excited because that was his father's way of telling him that they were going to do some training in the forest. Tian Longmeng was about to run off but he heard Tian Fengxian call out to him.

"Just remember that Mother knows best!"

Tian Longmeng turned around to see his smiling mother that looked oddly calm as she retreated inside the house. Something about the smile gave Tian Longmeng a bad feeling in his stomach.

"I should just get going; even my father is calling me to hurry up." Tian Longmeng said as he turned and ran towards his father who was waving in the distance.

Later on, they finally reached an empty patch of land amongst the forest with some smoothed rocks in the distance. This was the patched out area that his father used for training. Tian Longmeng always wanted to come to this location and train but his father always stopped him because of his pathetic martial talent. However, today was different because Tian Longmeng finally reached his quota.

Tian Fengmeng promised Tian Longmeng that if he could successfully hunt 100 grey wolves before he was 10 then he would acknowledge his talent and determination. Tian Fengmeng expected that with Tian Longmeng's lack of talent, he would encounter one of a group of grey wolves, and he would face a fear that would slow down his progress and knock his reckless tendencies down a notch.

What Tian Fengmeng did not consider was that Tian Longmeng was going to come home soaked in animal blood, scratches, and injuries all over while carrying 5 adult grey wolves on his back.

Tian Fengxian almost fainted upon seeing his injuries and Tian Fengmeng could not do anything but stare at the little 6-year-old boy at that time that was smiling with his broad white teeth that contrasted his tomato red, soaked face.

Tian Fengmeng also did not realize that this was only the start of the ridiculous feats this talentless boy was going to pull off.

Right after his injuries were cured, Tian Longmeng headed into a grey wolf den and went on an all-out massacre, carrying home 8 adult wolves and 4 wolf cubs.

Tian Longmeng went on a mass slaughter for killing wolves until he encountered an unusual grey wolf with yellow eyes instead of the usual black eyes. The weirdest part was that it could use this weird energy to strengthen itself suddenly that caused him to receive a fatal strike at his abdomen.

Tian Longmeng fell over and blanked out, not willing to die in the hands of this wolf or anyone before he became a great cultivator. However, when he woke up, he was surprised that he was in his room and his previous horrifying scar was not there anymore. There was not even any sign of injury as he felt his smooth abdomen.

However, his expression went sour when he noticed his parents' shrewd gaze. He could easily tell that they were furious beyond redemption. Even his jovial and cheerful father was looking with a cold, threatening stare.

Tian Longmeng submitted immediately and resigned to stay in his house, only to hunt when they told him. However, Tian Longmeng changed from his blatant, childish form, and became much more planning and crafty. He began setting up ways to train rigorously while hunting grey wolves.

The problem was that his parents caught on and told him to stop going to the waterfall to tire himself out before going to hunt. Tian Longmeng disobeyed, trying to cover up his plans... then he was caught again. Hence, that is how he reached this point.

"Okay, let's test your strength now!" Tian Fengmeng said to Tian Longmeng while patting a 100 jin boulder indicating that he should try this one.

Longmeng went over and cupped his hands under the boulder. He began to an amazing amount of strength, lifting the boulder in a couple of seconds. Tian Longmeng laughed wryly since he saw his father's expression somewhat surprised.

The terrifying part is that there is a glimmer in his eyes. The kind of glimmer that indicated that he would just increase the difficulty then; and Tian Longmeng was correct.

"Hmm, I guess that's not enough. Then what about this?" Tian Fengmeng said with a slightly concerned expression while lifting a 500 jin boulder and signalling Tian Longmeng to put down his boulder.

What Tian Longmeng did not expect was that as he placed down his boulder, his father would throw the 500 jin boulder at him!

"Hou!" Tian Longmeng struggled to maintain his footing while supporting the drastically heavier boulder. Eventually, Tian Longmeng managed to settle the boulder and safely hold it. Countless sweat drops filled his face as he struggled to keep up the boulder.

"Oh, that seems like your limit, impressive for a non-cultivator." Tian Fengmeng said with a slightly amused face. "Alright, on your back now, give me 50. You can handle that right?"

Tian Longmeng's face contorted as he looked disbelievingly at his father. Tian Fengmeng expected him to just put a 500 jin boulder on his back and do 50 pushups? Tian Longmeng might just give way and let the boulder squash him.

Tian Longmeng eventually started his pushups with the incredibly strenuous boulder on his back pressuring him down. He was barely struggling with doing 5 consistently at a time and when he eventually made a mistake, all he heard was a loud voice saying, "Restart!"

Tian Longmeng cocked his head up to stare at his father who was leisurely sitting on a log.

Tian Fengmeng looked back at Tian Longmeng and said, "What? It is not my fault Long'er. Just got to do what a Dad's got to do."

Tian Longmeng almost choked on his saliva when Tian Fengmeng said that. What do mean 'not your fault?' Are you not the one keeping me here?

Then a voice clicked in his brain at the most terrifying moment.

"Just remember that Mother knows best."

At the realization of who was really in charge albeit not present in the location, all of Tian Longmeng's strength left him and he sprawled out on the floor with the 500 jin boulder on his back.

Tian Fengmeng got off the log, removed the boulder easily off Longmeng's back, and said to his unconscious son, "Sorry Long'er, as I said, not my fault. Women are scary when mad. You just have to learn to follow what they say or else you will regret it."