Lady Vena laughed. "Looks like you have learned good things in your time away from home. You know how to compliment a lady very well. At this rate, no lady will be able to escape the influence of your sweet words."
He ignored her sarcastic words and said sincerely, "I truly thought I was going to die. So I'm thankful that you saved me. I promise to repay you for the money."
He is truly sincere about what he said. The threat of death was so great that he still can't believe that he is alive.
While he is no longer feeling fear, the fire of anger is still burning silently within his heart. The fire has been quelled and contained, but it is still smoldering in his chest.
It is like red-hot coal. It is no longer blazing. But it is greater than a spark, so it can cause a forest fire if allowed to unleash its full potential.
The time for that will come. It is a promise he made to himself when he saw Irvin's face and the bag of spears that was him.
He hadn't known Irvin for long, and they couldn't be considered friends, but he was literally stabbed in the back by Irvin. There is no way he is going to let that go.
He is hell-bent on punishing everyone that had anything to do with his near-death experience. Even his mother would not be unscathed if she had anything to do with it.
Be that as it may, he is truly thankful that she saved him.
Lady Vena didn't think his thanks was anything special. The least he can do is thank her for saving his life. So she expects more.
She said, "You have to pay me back. You also have to add 10% to it for all the trouble that you caused me. I am your mother, not your maid."
"Now tell me everything. I want to hear how they almost killed you but failed at the end of the day."
He was about to speak, but then he stopped and looked at her with suspicion.
She asked, "What's the problem?"
He asked in return, "Are you trying to gauge what I know about the event so that you will know what to clean up to remove any chance of my finding out about your involvement in the matter?"
She scoffed. "Bah. I wanted to know so that I can help you investigate. But since you're so suspicious of me, then you can do everything on your own."
She stood up and left his room angrily.
He looked at them still suspicious because he is not sure if her anger is real or if she is faking it.
He thought to himself, "Her anger should be real even if she is the one who sent them after me. She should be angry that she wasn't able to fool me into spilling what I know."
He chucked when he thought about it and chuckled. Then he reached out to pat Ruff's head.
Ruff usually sleeps next to him on the bed. So he expected to feel the furry head of his good dog with his palm. But his hand came up empty.
It was then he remembered what had become of Ruff. He remembered the scattered fur and the bloody lips of the boars around him. He also remembered Irvin looking straight at him without remorse.
All of these made him grit his teeth. His heart tightened as a wave of emotional pain struck it.
He felt like crying, but he didn't cry. Instead he said through gritted teeth, "Irvin."
Meanwhile, the fire within his chest began to glow. He wanted to go after Irvin immediately. Unfortunately, he can't.
Even though his mother had lied or maybe she was mistaken about the extent of injuries, it is certain that he is in no condition to go on a quest for revenge.
The best he can manage is a limping walk. There is no way he can stalk anyone or fight them in his condition.
He wants revenge, but he will have to wait for a while before he can get it. So he could only let the fire in his chest dim with disappointment.
As he lay on the bed, he began using the breathing technique to speed up his healing. He breathed in and out in a steady rhythmic pattern that not only calmed him down but also soothed his pain.
This was the best he could, and he was determined not to slack off about it. He used the breathing technique whenever he was conscious. This continued for 3 weeks.
After three weeks, his body underwent a drastic change. His body transformed for the eighth time.
Apparently, his near-death experience had pushed his body way beyond its limit. The high-quality pills he took then saved his life and helped his body transform.
This transformation was different from his previous. It wasn't abrupt. His body didn't heat up, and his blood didn't heat up.
His heart was beating calmly within his chest. His body just became stronger slowly as his injuries healed.
He wouldn't have known that his body had changed if not for him becoming increasingly clumsy. He had experienced this clumsiness many times before, so he began to suspect transformation.
He chuckled when he confirmed through his system that he had truly transformed.
Then he said, "Mum and I used to lie that I transformed because of the combination of an injury and a powerful drug. I never thought it would really come to pass."
That lie had worked in the past because there was some truth to it. His transformation with drugs was also easy to achieve when he was younger and weak.
Now that it really happened, he needed a combination of nearly dying and a drug capable of healing any injury in the first mortal coil.
The drug is called a rebirth pill. It is a rank 2 pill. So it is a pill meant for cultivators at the second mortal coil.