No matter how he saw the scene and his mother's movements, it was obvious they couldn't come from the unlearned.
Though his primary goal of knowing whether his parents were cultivators or not was achieved, the main goal remained.
It was a massage technique that could potentially help the child have a solid foundation in their following years and ease their way through cultivation.
And given how his mother coupd perform it so amazingly implied that she'd learnt it or some other similar technique.
No way anyone would have the talent to not only memorize but also put it to practice within a few days.
'If she were so talented, would she settle for this... ordinary and isolated life?' Qi Shou wondered, but wasn't too sure.
After all, there were all kinds of recluse and hidden masters living among common people or in unrealistic locations.
So who knew if his parents were the same type.
However...
'If I can somehow confirm that my parents-in-law are also cultivators, then things will be easier...'
His fists clenched as he doubted the possibility of it all, but retained some sense to know it wasn't that easy to verify.
If he'd repeat the same trick, it would be revealed given their 'talks'.
Of course, Qi Shou assumed those living in obscurity would at least have some things to discuss, hidden from others.
It was all an assumption.
'But didn't it come true?' He mused to himself with a slight smile, looking at his mother tying down the restless Mingzhu after the massage session.
"Calm, Mingzhu, calm, Grandma needs to do this," Mother Qi cooed to placate her granddaughter, aware that it was for Mingzhu's better growth.
Unknowingly, she walked into a trap set up by her own son.
A cultivator's instincts were naturally sharp, but not without softness and loopholes.
Like those close to them, their family.
Despite countless tales of betrayal among sworn brothers, sworn sisters, or even blood relatives, one couldn't throw out these emotions.
Humans were inherently complex.
What one thought of as the perfect way to achieve something might as well be disdained upon and ruthlessly rejected by another.
And they both might be correct or wrong, it didn't matter.
People only judged based on their perceptions, not with anyone else's, unless and until they were truly blind.
And Qi Shou's past life had seen his fair share of such matters too.
That's why he used this harmless trap for his parents to fall into.
Naturally, he wasn't naive enough to believe only his mother was a cultivator.
The possibility had always been them as a couple, or else, would he have the talent to somewhat see spiritual energy, or Mingzhu having a talent high enough to be the only one across billions?
Not to mention future Mingzhu, even his talent would be coveted by many accomplished cultivators.
It mattered little what path he mastered, forging, alchemy, medicine, artificing, esoteric arts, formations, runes, treasure hunting, appraiser, blade, sword, spear, daggers, axe....
Of the endless paths, any one would covet his gift and he could literally walk through them with the minimum amount of difficulty.
Spiritual energy was inherently invisible to humans before they could "sense" it inside their bodies and made it their own or used it in attacks.
The only exception being spirit stone mines where the energy was too dense to be invisible, but even then it was far too faint for even the most sharp-sighted cultivators.
Yet here he was, wasting such an envied-upon gift.
Truly, Qi Shou lamented his lack of cultivation manual every day.
If only he could begin...
Or rather, if only he regained his sealed memories and cultivation...
Then, life would be completely different for him.
...
A few days of mundane life later.
Qi Shou sat in a private room with Qin Jiyue inside a teahouse that costed the cheapest tea at hundreds of silver.
However, the two were drinking the most exquisite tea available at the teahouse.
"So... brother-in-law, what were you saying again?"
Qin Jiyue broke the silence first, his eyes blazing with hope and curiosity.
He wanted revenge, something Qi Shou knew, but not the reason.
Still, the intensity of the gaze startled him as he considered his words.
"I was saying... what if, just what if, we could cultivate?"
The words brought about a mystifying silence as the peace was broken with a dry chuckle from Qin Jiyue in disappointed, as if the words "What did I even expect?" were on the tip of his tongue.
Being sharp, Qi Shou noticed the dimming light in Qin Jiyue's eyes and his lack of response.
'Does he know something that I don't?' Qi Shou wondered, blissfully unaware of the traumatic memories hidden in Qin Jiyue's memories, far worse than any memory sealed inside Qi Shou or Qin Hanliu.
Qin Jiyue had led the charge back then, unlike the two of them, who were the hope of their clans and sects, and thus could only be left in safer places with trustworthy guards, lest something untoward happen.
He'd seen betrayals from within, causing their lining to finally fall.
Yet their grit, blood, sweat and sacrifice was erased from the annals as if to raise someone else—Shu Yuxian.
Qin Jiyue didn't understand the intricacies of it all.
In his eyes, that guy was the cause of it all.
If the Imperial Court could help them, why did it not respond to their pleas of help, even when countless cultivators and commoners died without any chance to fight back.
Since the Imperial Court was heartless and only wanted Shu Yuxian to shine, then Qin Jiyue took it upon himself to kill Shu Yuxian, or at least destroy him if he couldn't cripple that bastard.
Yes, Qin Jiyue had only one goal—cripple the glorious hero, so that there will enough agony and pain, with words of hurt echoing his ears.
Only then would Qin Jiyue be satisfied.
Unfortunately, Qi Shou didn't know how deep the resentment and desire for revenge burned within Qin Jiyue, or Qi Shou wouldn't have bothered to come here.
"I mean... Isn't it a wonderful thought?"
Qi Shou finally asked again after getting no response from the man sitting opposite him.
The air of calm and peace Qin Jiyue always used to be hmmed as he sipped his tea and answered, as if speaking from a long forgotten memory, "Truly, it would be a wonder. We'd be playing around in mid-air, trying to outrun each other, outshine each other based on tools and loot, play with beautiful fairies, meet races beyond human..."
At those words, Qi Shou frowned as he didn't seem to remember much about other races, but his concern was the expression on Qin Jiyue's face.
It seemed to be an expression of.... melancholy, longing, nostalgia, joy, and... reluctance.