Alice hugged me tightly for a few seconds, then patted me all over my body, checking for any injuries. After seeing there was nothing wrong with me, she sighed and said in an angry tone.
"What were you doing outside so late? Mother and I were so worried. I waited for you to come and play with me since the afternoon."
By the last sentence, her words were more complaining rather than angry.
I was now the same height as Alice, so I caressed her cheek and hair to calm her down. She nuzzled her cheek closer to my palm and smiled innocently, forgetting all her previous grievances.
We only came out of our own world when someone coughed from behind me, only to find the two sisters with embarrassed expressions. I let go of Alice and turned to introduce them.
"Elfie, Seline. She is my older sister Alice. And Alice, they are Elfie and Seline.
I met them in the woods when they were surrounded by assassins of Shadow Pavilion. So, to prevent further mishappenings, I led them here to stay for the night and regain their energy."
Alice stared at them inquisitively for a few seconds and then went forward, grabbing their hands with a bright smile. She pulled them inside to introduce them to mother.
The Luna sisters washed themselves and joined us for dinner.
Seeing the hospitality, they led their guard down and explained their situation to my mother and sister. But whether intentional or not, they didn't mention the Tetraspine plant.
After dinner, the sisters settled themselves in the guest room. While going to my room, I saw Alice sitting on a bench in the courtyard and gazing at the night sky.
I moved towards her and sat beside her on the bench.
Feeling my presence, she leaned on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I sat still for a few seconds but felt restless and asked Alice about it.
"Sis, have you ever seen any Tetraspine plant?"
Getting aroused from her light sleep, asked in a mumbling voice.
"What is it? What is it important for?"
"Elfie said that this plant is useful for her grandfather as not only could it help him regain consciousness but also repair his damaged meridians, increasing his lifespan."
Just as my words ended, Alice sat upright and looked me straight into my eyes. She had a look of seriousness, which I had never seen before.
"Is what you said true?"
"I can't verify the truth of the fact, but these were the words of Elfie's grandfather's physician."
Hearing my words, Alice's eyes lost a little lustre but regained them again in a few moments.
"Lucas, I have something important to say, but you shouldn't get agitated and listen carefully."
After getting my approval, Alice took a deep breath and said.
"Do you remember the day when you asked mother about father? Mother said that we didn't have one, and that fact is true."
Hearing her words, I first felt confused and then shocked. But still, I maintained my composure and listened to her carefully without missing anything.
"Before you were born, mom asked me if I wanted a younger sibling. I said yes, and then she said that I would definitely get a younger sibling the next year.
But within the next year, neither mother left the residence nor anyone else the residence. Thus, I was sure we had no father. But there is something more important.
On that particular day, while passing by mother's room, I heard one of the maids asking mom whether they should tell us about mom's damaged meridians.
I didn't understand what they were talking about then, but I later understood the gravity of the situation after starting cultivation. With damaged meridians, the lifespan, as well as the limits of a cultivator, is hampered.
And so, to find out the truth, I asked mother to promise me to answer a question of mine truthfully when I reach River Consolidation, to which she agreed.
Two years ago, I asked mother about her damaged meridians, and she answered honestly."
And so, my sister explained the circumstances behind mother's injury.
In our universe, there were planets and stars. And various sects or families or empires ruled over various parts of the universe.
A group of planets surrounding a star is a solar system. A group of solar systems is called a 'Star Cluster'. An accumulation of star clusters is called a 'Stellar Domain'. And finally, a group of stellar domains is called a 'Cosmic Domain'.
My mother was one of the disciples of a sect that controlled an entire cosmic domain.
Mother was beautiful, hardworking and talented. But most important of all, she had a unique constitution that could help her practitioner-partner (dual cultivating partner) increase his cultivation by leaps and bounds.
And just like a flame attracting moths, she was pestered by many suitors. And worst of all was the grandson of the sect's head, who wanted her at any cost.
My mother fled from her sect with the help of her few friends and trusted subordinates.
After much struggle, she somehow shook them off her pursuit and landed on this particular planet called Caligen in a cosmic domain far from the influence of the sect.
But she lost many of her subordinates and even injured her meridians gravely.
After stabilising her conditions, her cultivation dropped a lot, resulting in her remaining lifespan of only 100 years. Even worse, she could not cultivate anymore due to her damaged meridians.
Accepting her fate, my mother built a residence in the valley with her remaining subordinates, now working as maids, to live the rest of her life peacefully.
The truth about mother's damaged meridians shook me from inside. I felt a raging fury inside me to completely obliterate everyone and everything that tried to harm her.
But I calmed myself down after a few moments. Only then did I notice the point of importance that my sister wanted to convey.
Mother had damaged meridians that could probably be healed by the Tetraspine plant. Realising this, I jumped up in delight and stared at my sister excitedly.
She saw my expression and started laughing.
"Now we have a chance to cure mother's injuries. This time, we would return the care she gave us since birth."
We both decided to join the Highland Origin sect to enter the Turquoise Realm and get the Tetraspine plant for healing our mother.
With high spirits, we barged into our mother's room and asked her permission to enter the sect.
We didn't mention anything about the Tetraspine plant to give her a present surprise later.
We just told her that we wanted to get experience by meeting new people and familiarising ourselves with general trends. With our continuous pleading, our mother gave in to our demands.
As Alice had already entered the River Consolidation realm and I could enter the next realm anytime in the upcoming days, mother gave us rings that hide our current cultivation by three minor realms (or stages).
Thus, I would be at the peak of the 7th stage and Alice at the peak of the 9th stage of Body Tempering.
The next day, we pleasantly surprised the Luna sisters that Alice and I would also be coming for the admission of the Highland Origin sect.
And so, taking our mother's leave, we left for our destination: the capital, Angor.