Chapter 012: Mother and Son

Finally, Du Fan stepped outside the hall, one step at a time. He glanced worriedly into the hall. Perhaps because the usually quiet Duchess rarely came here, all the butlers and servants stood neatly on one side of the hall. A brand-new red carpet covered the floor, surrounded by fresh flowers. Long tables were laden with various foods, as if the chef had prepared enough for an entire year. Yet Du Fan knew well that his father was often away, his two elder brothers were also traveling, and he himself was hardly ever at home. So, in fact, everything in the ducal household was decided by his mother. Naturally, these servants would seize any chance to flatter her.

The Duchess sat in the center of the hall. Though she wore a simple robe and her hair was casually tied up, she still appeared graceful and elegant. She gently rotated the red wine in the tall crystal glass in her hand, looking at Du Fan with a half-smile. After a moment, she said, “You’re here?”

Du Fan immediately broke into cold sweat. Since childhood, he had known his mother’s temperament. Though she usually seemed gentle, once she got angry, it was terrifying. And most importantly, the angrier she became, the more beautiful her smile seemed. When she had no expression at all, it meant she wasn’t angry.

Trembling slightly, Du Fan entered the hall. He didn’t dare sit down but instead went over to his mother and said in a low voice, “I’m here, Mother.”

Of course, this wasn’t because Du Fan was afraid of his mother. But as a child, if one had no respect for their parents, it was as if they had raised them for nothing their whole lives.

The Duchess looked up at Du Fan and smiled. “What’s wrong, Xiao Fan? I see sweat on your face. Is it too hot, or are you sick? But how could it be that hot in early spring? I think you’re sick. Should you go to the church first to get checked out before coming back to dine with me?”

Du Fan forced a wry smile. “Mother, you’re joking. I’m not sick. I just heard you calling, so I hurried a bit, and that’s why I’m sweating.”

“Is that so?” The Duchess still smiled. “If I remember correctly, you’ve reached level three in combat energy. Though you’re not invulnerable to fire and water, sweating isn’t exactly easy either, right? You’re not trying to make me happy on purpose, are you? Or… have you done something shady… and are feeling guilty?”
Du Fan’s back was almost drenched in sweat. He sighed inwardly—his mother was great in every way, but she was just too domineering. In the words of his past life, she was simply too “fierce.” He wondered how the old Duke Green managed to deal with such a mother. He should go to the north sometime to ask for advice—father and son could study together how to win over women.
As he thought about it, Du Fan began to look forward to the day when he and his father would meet.
But a cold snort instantly pulled him back from his fantasies. The Duchess looked at her son with a half-smile, as if she could see exactly what he was thinking.
At that moment, Du Fan decided that no matter what, he must not let his mother arrange his marriage. Otherwise, if she brought back someone just as fierce as her, his life would be ruined. Even if he stole a bite occasionally, he’d probably die a horrible death!
“What is it?” the Duchess asked calmly. “Thought of something pleasant? Why are you smiling so happily?”
“Nothing, absolutely nothing,” Du Fan waved his hands. “I just suddenly realized how beautiful Mother is. I wonder what tactics Father used to trick Mother into marrying him all those years ago—it’s a fascinating topic indeed…”
“Enough. You don’t need to change the subject,” the Duchess smiled. “As for you, don’t you have anything to tell me?”
Du Fan smiled awkwardly, knowing it was useless to hide anything from his mother. He waved his hand to signal the servants to leave, then lowered his head and said, “Mother, this time I’m going to a sacred temple with those guys from the Holy Church. It’s not very safe, but you don’t need to worry too much. Your son has never suffered any harm up to now.”
“You’re honest at least,” the Duchess said. “If you had made up some excuse to deceive me earlier, then no matter where you try to go this time, you wouldn’t have passed my test.”
Du Fan replied, “How dare I?”

The Duchess seemed to sigh slightly before saying after a moment, “Your father is away most of the time, your elder brothers have also gone on travels, and now even you want to leave. Who else but me should worry? But men must venture out to truly grow, so I won’t stop you. However, when traveling with those charlatans, you must always be prepared for the worst—otherwise, a single mistake could leave you with nothing left but bones.”

Du Fan chuckled and said, “Mother, there’s no need to worry. It’s always me who eats others; who would eat me?”

The Duchess sized Du Fan up before suddenly laughing, “That’s true. Back then, when you suddenly decided to become a priest, I thought you’d return home after a few years at most. I never imagined you’d achieve such fame. According to the servants at home, in the eyes of ordinary people in the capital, your reputation is almost unbelievable. I really couldn’t have imagined it back then.”

Du Fan blushed slightly for the first time and lowered his head.

“Enough,” the Duchess said suddenly, taking a deep breath. “I called you here not to be scolded, but to give you something to take with you.”

She then took out a leather armor piece that seemed unremarkable from her space ring and tossed it to Du Fan, saying, “This is leather armor made from the skin of magical beasts. I used it when I was young. Though it’s just ordinary stuff, it can save your life many times if you wear it. From the moment you leave, you must not take it off. Do you understand?”

Her tone was extremely serious by the end.

Du Fan naturally knew that what his mother had given him was by no means ordinary. He nodded, not bothering with courtesy, and immediately took off his shirt in front of her to put on the armor. After getting dressed, he said, “Mother, could you help me take this off when I return?”

The Duchess burst into laughter, but Du Fan’s antics lightened the sadness of parting.

That night, the mother and son had a rare long conversation. It wasn’t until deep into the night that Du Fan returned to his basement, where Chenchen had already prepared everything and fallen asleep exhausted on the table.

After Du Fan carried her to the bed, he struggled internally for a long time before finally overcoming his desire to lie down and act like an animal. Instead, he turned around and sorted those items into his space ring. Just as Du Fan turned around, Chenchen’s tightly closed eyes slightly opened. Watching Du Fan’s busy figure, she smiled silently before turning over and falling asleep.

The next day, Du Fan got up early. Since he had already packed everything the night before, he had little to do. After cradling Chenchen, who had now turned into a cat, in his arms, he left the basement. He cast a few magic circles and gave instructions to a few servants before strolling toward the entrance of the duke’s residence.

Old Mark had clearly been waiting there for a while. Upon seeing Du Fan arrive, he hurried over and said, “Third young master, I’ve already heard from the lady. I’m afraid it’s not convenient for me to accompany you this time. But you must be careful. Also, the lady said she won’t see you off. Instead, she asked me to give you this. She said the north is all part of our Green family’s territory. If anything happens, having this will allow you to summon the northern army to your aid.”

With that, Old Mark handed Du Fan a piece of pure white jade plaque. The surface of the plaque seemed unremarkable, but it felt extremely cold to the touch. Du Fan realized it must be a token of the Green family. Without hesitation, he put it in his space ring, bid farewell to Old Mark, and slowly left the duke’s residence.

It was the busiest time of day in the capital, with streets filled with people of all kinds. Since Du Fan didn’t try to hide himself, he encountered countless believers along the way. After greeting them, helping a few old ladies cross the street, and finding their mothers for some children, Du Fan finally arrived at the church entrance by noon.

A temple knight, looking anxious, rushed up to Du Fan as soon as he saw him and said, “Young master Du Fan, why are you so late? We’ve sent people to the duke’s residence several times to urge them, but they said you left early in the morning. Now, they’re just waiting for you.”

Du Fan smiled and said, “I’m sorry. I encountered a few believers who insisted I pray for them, so it took a bit of time.”

With that, Du Fan followed the knight slowly toward the chapel.