Because I won't be able to get my thing up..

Except her…

Bai Qingyue's words kept echoing in his mother's ears, with his cold unfeeling voice, deprived of any emotion. Simply stating the facts.

She wanted to rush and slap the unruly whelp, but his words alone caused her to stagger from her seat.

"…." Said Hong Meigui.

What am I supposed to even say in retort?!

Mother and son stared eye to eye.

It was almost like gazing at one's own reflection.

While Bai Qingyue received the same white coat from his paternal family, and his insufferable personality from his deserter of a father, Hong Meigui could say in certainty that the rest he took from her.

The same bewitching golden eyes and moonlight skin. Both Hong Meigui and the previous Sovereign Lord were attractive looking gods, as the rest of their fox spirit kind usually is. Bai Qingyue's father had a formidable commanding presence, exuding charm and Hong Meigui was the enthralling, bewitching type. She was certainly the embodiment of the foxes you only hear of in tales, having been captured by their beauty, mortals will no longer be able to look at anyone else ever again..

Seeing her bleeding son on the ground with that very same enthralling appearance as hers only made Hong Meigui all the more vexed.

What was beautiful even good for? What was working hard so good for, when in the end she was left alone by the man she loved the most..

It was for the same nonsense reason her son was spouting that she was not 'his' true intended. 'He' couldn't even bear to touch her.

Visions of the past clouded her mind and filled her with agony.

Hong Meigui's eyes glinted with madness as she materialized a long leather whip in her hands and lashed her son's back.

As if I would let him repeat his father's mistakes!

Bai Qingyue did not utter a single sound. Realizing his mother is so far gone, speech would only be a vain attempt.

"Stupid child, I'm doing all this for your own good! What do you mean "her"?! That stray mortal you decided to pick up! Would you like ill bred whelps running through our sacred halls? Let go of this madness. I won't allow you to follow your father's footsteps!" Hong Meigui's shrill voice resonated in the halls.

Bai Qingyue's back robe was shredded long ago, the sewed in crest of the nine tailed fox scattered to dust.

The strikes were so intense, his flesh split and torn. He looked like a mangled pile of meat.

"Mummph…" Eventually, he couldn't help himself and retched. With his mother's aggressive Qi plummeting him unto the ground and the whip strikes, he ended up puking his stomach juices mixed with blood.

Hong Meigui kept on.

"You can forget about her. I will never allow it, you hear?! Your mistakes will take you thousands of years to suppress me, by then you would be settled down with my maternal clan, princess Chun. Mother is doing all this for your sake, you must understand."

Bai Qingyue let her vent the madness within. He took it upon his body. That was the least he could do, because after tonight he would no longer be able to call himself filial anymore.

Sovereign Lords were not only born stronger in order to lead the "herd", but they were trained rigorously from birth. Their upbringing cultivated to suppress the rest in all means possible. His mother was right, having lost half of his cultivation, he was not her match. However, a true tactician does not rely on a sole method alone.

Recalling how he "lost" his power, the pain he felt had lessened as he grew numb.

Actually, He didn't lose his powers, but gave them away..

He really couldn't believe that such a misfortune would turn into grace, and shortly after collapse into tragedy.

The Bai people had been surviving for eons in solitude without having found their other half, he was considered young in their clan's terms.

And yet, against all odds he found his fated person.

The moment he saw her, it was already difficult to look away. When he recognized her, he finally understood why his father left. It was as though the girl imprinted her existence on his soul and he was unable to breathe without her.

Her touch, her scent, her voice, and her soul. Everything about her called to him.

Upon sharing their intimacy he perceived his damaged dantian warming up and healing. With every caress they shared, he grew more powerful.

His internal energy recovered so swiftly that he concluded, by the time they would join their bodies as one he would be able to restore all of his lost cultivation.

Not that he would complain if they needed to put more effort into the restoration...

When he carried his woman out of the burning brothel's remains, he found a pond in a forest, thick with healing essence. His girl was unconscious during the whole time. After part of his cultivation restored, he made quick work of summoning a few servants to the mortal realm and have them cater his wife.

He regretted calling those servants, foolishly unaware was he at that time of his mother's schemes as she monitored his every move with the use of the attendants.

Watching his sleeping beauty adorned in the ceremonial robe representing the head wife of the Bai Clan filled him with a sudden burst of pride. She would probably be frightened, a little mortal girl joining the ranks of gods, but he would handle her with tender care, and explain all that was needed to explain in due time.

When they were both clean, groomed and attended to, he cradled his fated woman back into his arms and ascended.

The attempt failed miserably.

He quickly realized that his woman was but a mere mortal. Unable to reach higher planes of existence..

She would need thousands of years to cultivate into a celestial being.

Bai Qingyue shook his head. There was no way he would wait so long.

He decided to give the girl the remaining cultivation of his godly fox form.

She received the aura of a god.

It might have been a loop in the system in order to bypass thousands of years for a mortal to ascend, but she was his woman, so what if he gave her his powers? It was his and he could choose to do with his cultivated internal energy whatever he pleased.

The plan wasn't a bad one. After ascension, Bai Qingyue planned to cultivate with his bride and replenish his inner powers again, as well as assist with her personal growth.

Having given her his remaining cultivation, she should be able to ascend.

Yet it was at that moment when Hong Meigui, his very own mother snatched him from the mortal realm at his weakest point and imprisoned him. Separating the pair.

Bai Qingyue was knocked out cold. By the time he woke up, his wife wasn't by his side any longer and he was confined in the palace by his mother. Unable to retaliate since her had given all his cultivated inner strength away.

He had to bide his time carefully until he could confront his mother.