Chapter 814: Meeting the Parents

Chapter 814: Meeting the Parents

When it comes to seeing a portrait like this, I had my first encounter after escaping from Demon Abyss Valley with my master. We discovered a painting at an art shop back then.

At that time, she was furious and even thought about demolishing the art shop.

But then Liu Shuqin came along, and the matter was amicably resolved.

As a result, she obtained a portrait of her master, which was cherished as a precious treasure.

Now, why was this portrait in this woman’s house?

That really piqued her curiosity.

Ling Meng suddenly froze, gazing at the painting, lost in thought.

Xia Hanmo hurried over and, seeing Ling Meng hadn’t left, was relieved to quickly return her coins.

“Miss, here are your coins. If you really are leaving, I have some food here that you can take with you on the road.”

Going the extra mile, Xia Hanmo prepared coins and provisions for Ling Meng, providing thorough service for a smooth journey.

“Whose portrait is this?” Ling Meng asked, pointing at the painting.

“Oh, that’s a portrait of my son. Why do you ask?” Xia Hanmo smiled.

“Your son?”

Ling Meng’s expression changed; this was significant.

Could it be that she was fortunate enough to meet her future mother-in-law?

Her master had never mentioned his parents, only mentioning a strong aversion to his father while having a good relationship with his mother.

Now, in this house, it seemed she had never seen her husband either.

Now thinking of it, Ling Meng began to scrutinize Xia Hanmo closely, even circling around her several times.

“Miss, are you alright? Is there something strange about me?” Xia Hanmo was quite puzzled by Ling Meng’s gaze.

“There is indeed a resemblance.”

After a moment’s thought, Ling Meng reached a small conclusion: Xia Hanmo’s features were somewhat similar to her master’s, enough to accept them as mother and son.

“So, Auntie, are you Wu Ying Ge’s mother?”

“Wu Ying Ge? May I ask who that is?” Xia Hanmo questioned, confused.

“Isn’t that so? Isn’t that portrait a representation of Wu Ying Ge?”

“No, my dear. I don’t know anyone named Wu Ying Ge. That painting is of my son, Lin Nuo, not Wu Ying Ge.”

“Lin Nuo?!”

Hearing this, Ling Meng was utterly shocked. It was Lin Nuo?!

How could that be? That obviously looks like her master, Wu Ying Ge!

Besides, she had seen Lin Nuo’s portrait before. How could this possibly be him?

Could it be that, just like the art shop owner, she was unaware of the truth?

That shouldn’t be; the art shop owner claimed that for sales sake was just a schemer.

But as a mother, how could she possibly not know what her child looked like?

“This isn’t Lin Nuo, is it? I’ve seen Lin Nuo’s portrait, and it doesn’t look like this,” Ling Meng questioned.

“Miss, Lin Nuo is my child. I know his appearance better than anyone. Surely, the portrait you saw before isn’t Lin Nuo’s. Sigh, if only he were here today, you could have met him.”

Xia Hanmo smiled, thinking the young girl simply hadn’t recognized him, mistaking hearsay for fact.

“Then… that can’t be, Lin Nuo’s senior sister, Liu Shuqin, also said this portrait isn’t him. They’ve been together at Xuanyun Sect day in and day out; there’s no way she wouldn’t know Lin Nuo’s appearance, right?”

Ling Meng continued to argue, making the situation all the more confusing.

“Liu Shuqin, huh? Did she tell you? But I’ve never met you before. Would she specifically go out of her way to tell you that this painting isn’t of my son? That seems quite unreasonable, doesn’t it?”

Xia Hanmo was also puzzled by the situation, wondering if Ling Meng had been dazed too long—coming to her senses in a muddled state.

“No, it’s a painting I bought earlier that looked very similar to this one; it’s the same person. Back then, Liu Shuqin said it wasn’t Lin Nuo. In fact, this person looks exceedingly like my master, Wu Ying Ge, but he isn’t the same as Lin Nuo.”

Ling Meng argued logically, leaving Xia Hanmo more perplexed, increasingly unsure of how to proceed.

“Miss, regardless, this is my son, Lin Nuo; there’s no doubt about it. Everyone in the entire town knows this. Besides, it’s not a matter of great concern, and we needn’t argue about it.”

“But it’s very important… this concerns…”

Ling Meng hesitated to continue, for it was a grave matter involving two entirely different individuals.

One was her dearest master, and the other was a knight she despised—the two extremes that could never be conflated!

However, Xia Hanmo insisted on her viewpoint, leaving Ling Meng unable to continue arguing.

If she truly was Lin Nuo’s mother, this could serve as a bargaining chip for threatening Lin Nuo.

For a Demon Practitioner, taking hostages to threaten an enemy was quite normal.

Of course, she also suspected whether this was some trap set by Xia Hanmo—trying to ensnare her.

So, she had to be cautious.

At that moment, the two were journeying together on a sword, descending into the town.

“Let’s hope the news hasn’t reached here yet.”

Lin Nuo said, initially intending not to return after falling into darkness, to avoid embarrassment. But he couldn’t help but care about Xia Hanmo; he returned to have a look.

And he conveniently brought Liu Shuqin back as well.

Upon arriving in town, things were not as bad as he imagined. The news of their betrayal from Xuanyun Sect hadn’t reached here; the townsfolk were greeting them with “hero” and “great knight.”

Indeed, it was a small town, and with no communication devices, it was reasonable that news hadn’t circulated.

Let’s go home first.

“Hubby.”

“Enough with that title! My mother often nags me about marrying and delivering grandchildren. If you keep calling me that, it will cause trouble. Plus…”

Lin Nuo hesitated to speak. In fact, Qin Shili had already told Xia Hanmo they would be getting married; it was likely Xia Hanmo thought he was marrying Qin Shili already.

Now bringing another wife home, how would he explain that?

One would suffice; there was no need to stir up more. Otherwise, he’d end up needing several grandsons with several wives!

“But, it’s rare to meet Auntie, and I hope to meet her as a daughter-in-law. Doesn’t she like me?”

“She wouldn’t dislike someone from my sect. Don’t worry, she just doesn’t want to cause a stir.”

Lin Nuo reassured her, and Liu Shuqin had no choice but to compromise, which was regrettable; meeting the parents without the title of a wife was not what she envisioned.

Lin Nuo led Liu Shuqin towards Xia Hanmo’s house, where a servant saw Lin Nuo.

“Young Master is back! Madam has missed you dearly. Young Master, please.”

The servant hurriedly guided them, and another rushed to inform Xia Hanmo to prepare for the welcome.

“Madam, Young Master has returned!”

Upon hearing, Xia Hanmo was overjoyed.

“Good, I’ll go to greet my Nuo’er right away.”

Xia Hanmo, ecstatic, turned to Ling Meng, saying, “Miss, my son Nuo’er is back. You can meet him then; you’ll know if that portrait really is of him.”