The birthmark was small, no larger than a finger. Crescent-shaped and originally pale, it had grown progressively darker since his half-elf blood spread through his body and he completed the foundation ritual in the great tree's heart. Now it glowed with an intense green hue, as if it might burst forth from his flesh.

As Wood Rent revealed, every half-elf bore such a birthmark used during blood awakening ceremonies. Their positions and shapes varied wildly at birth, determined arbitrarily by each mother when their children were born.

Wood Coldstar had been one of the five elders ruling Xiluo City two decades ago. If she hadn't seen this mark before, why would she suddenly react with such expression? Nie Kong bit his tongue - too careless to let her spot it now!

If she recognized the mark, doubts about his true identity might already be forming in her mind. At that moment, Nie Kong discreetly activated his spiritual energy for emergencies.

Wood Feihuo stared dumbfounded nearby. He'd never seen his mother display such an expression since childhood - what could possibly cause this shocking reaction?

"Feihuo, go outside."

Wood Coldstar suddenly sat down calmly now.

"What?!" Thinking he misheard, Wood Feihuo couldn't believe she wanted him to leave while keeping that stranger alone in the shop. "Wait outside until I call you back!" Her tone grew stern.

"That doesn't sound too bad."

Eavesdropping on their exchange, Nie Kong eased slightly - with her cultivation level, if she meant harm there'd be no need for this performance.

"Arggh!"

Wood Feihuo raged furiously but stopped when he noticed his mother's narrowing eyes. That was her pre-anger warning sign! Defeated like wilted vegetables, he trudged out and shot a death glare at Nie Kong before leaving.

Wood Coldstar rose again, heading up the stairs: "Mukong, follow me." Though still cold-faced, an unexpected softness crept into her voice.

Noticing this subtle shift in tone, Nie Kong found it equally strange. Better to go along with whatever she wanted. With that thought, he stood up and followed her upstairs.

They soon reached a second-floor private room. The moment the door closed behind them, Wood Coldstar's fingers moved like butterflies through flower petals - layers of energy ripples spread across space until an invisible barrier sealed their little chamber completely.

Sitting face to face with Nie Kong, Wood Coldstar stared for a long time before asking: "Mukong, how long have you been in Yinxu?"

If Nie Kong hadn't already prepared thoroughly, he might have cracked under this sudden ambush. He sensed she couldn't possibly deduce his identity just from the crescent mark - there were countless half-elves with similar birthmarks in Yinxu after all. So he feigned surprise before smirking: "Third Elder is asking about my age? I turned twenty exactly, so it's been twenty years since arriving here."

In Nie family records, Nie Qingyang had claimed the day he was found as his birthday - but even considering Nie Qingyang discovered him just a few days after birth, he wasn't yet fully twenty. However, once entering Yinxu, such precision no longer mattered.

"Twenty?"

Wood Coldstar's lips curved slightly in amusement, "Well then. Let me ask another question - has your half-elf blood awakened completely?"

"Certainly."

Nie Kong remained composed as his right hand swept across his brow. A miniature "Qingyue Huanxin Lan" bloomed in his palm. "Third Elder, this is my true essence manifestation - 'Qingyue Huanxin Lan.' Such herbs only grow in the Moon Ruins."

He had no fears about being exposed by lies. The Moon Ruins were Yinxu's most dangerous and mysterious territory. No one except Wood Zu could fully understand it, not even Wood Qingyi.

"You clever little devil,"

Wood Coldstar's eyes showed approval, "You definitely need caution here in Yinxu now - but you don't need to be so careful with me. Mukong, do you know what our relationship is?"

Nie Kong frowned, "My mother grew up in Moon Ruins as I did. She never mentioned knowing Third Elder."

"Sigh,"

Wood Coldstar shook her head, "If I don't reveal some truths now, you'll keep denying it."

"Your mother Muxueyi was sisters with the five elders. When you were born at Muling Hall, we all stood by your mother's side - we personally saw your birthmark. You, your older brother, and your mother each had one on their left armpits. Your mother bore a full moon mark while you two brothers were crescents. But your elder brother's pointed downward, yours upward."

Here she sighed wistfully: "At that time, your mother joked about having two more sons - one with left-pointing crescent and another right-pointing. Combined, their marks would form a perfect full moon again. The other city leaders envied her greatly. In Yinxu births of male infants were rare. Others struggled to have just one son while she birthed two brothers effortlessly! If nothing had gone wrong, you might now have two younger brothers."

Nie Kong was stunned by this revelation about his absent mother. Wood Coldstar wasn't doubting his identity but actually confirming it for sure. Realization struck - if he could gain her support, success would be much more likely. Yet the five elders including Elder Wood Coldstar had done nothing when his mother was sealed by Wood Qingyi, something that still needed caution.

Suddenly Wood Coldstar seemed to sense his thoughts and sighed: "Mukong, your reluctance must stem from our failure to help your mother. We weren't unhelpful - just completely powerless."

"Right after you were born, we received urgent messages about problems in the 'Zushi Space' at Yinxu's center..."

"The ancestors living there are responsible for bloodline inheritance and daily awakenings through that space. We had to investigate immediately - only to be ambushed by Wood Qingyi along the way..."

"Originally she was just newly ascended to Heaven Level cultivation, comparable with us five. But when we confronted her, her power suddenly surged beyond our levels! Even in direct combat we couldn't match her let alone face ambushes."

"You can guess what happened next - though not killing us, Wood Qingyi controlled all five of us through spiritual threads. That wasn't mercy but a calculated move to use our titles for controlling Yinxu."

"Back at Yin Yue City later, we learned about the Muling Hall coup. We had no choice but to accept her leadership position as Elders - only that way could we protect Yinxu's people from massive casualties if we died in Wood Qingyi's hands..."

"In recent decades we've worked nonstop on countering 'Yanling Heimo Teng' poison essence. Those five toxic herbs I tested earlier were cultivated using its properties. Though I've developed three classes of antidotes, there are still two more types needed to fully neutralize all five poisons..."

"Recently hearing Feihuo mention someone can dissolve 'Qianshi Mo Long Bian' toxins gave me hope. If we find such individuals working together, developing these antidotes would accelerate greatly. That's why I sought you out - you didn't disappoint by completely countering one poison type. But what truly shocked me is that you're actually Xueyi's son who returned to Yinxu."

"Years ago, the maidservant Muxin was supposed to bring you both out of Yinxu, but she was attacked immediately upon exit by Wood Qingyi."

"With 'Yanling Heimo Teng' poisons, Muxin couldn't have survived. Without her protection, your chances were slim - even if surviving, suppressing half-elf blood would be impossible. Reaching eighteen should've been miraculous..."

"You're about to turn twenty now? How long have you and your brother actually lived in Yinxu? Don't tell me you both stayed at Moon Ruins permanently!"

Her gaze softened as she looked at Nie Kong.

"I haven't been here for more than a month yet."

Nie Kong stopped hiding - trying to feign ignorance would be too suspicious now. With Elder Wood's cultivation, if she wanted to side with Wood Qingyi she could've sent him directly to the Great Yan Hall.

"How... impossible!"

Shock flashed across her face - less than one month in Yinxu meant he had power before arrival! This was unheard of for half-elves who couldn't cultivate effectively before blood awakening!

Nie Kong smiled, "That's exactly what happened. I reached ancestral tree space through spirit channels and completed my foundation ritual there. The ancestors bestowed my essence form then sent me out."

"I thought you forged your cultivation using fake essences after Wood Rent helped..."

"Niang... didn't survive past eighteen."

His smile faded into a wry expression. In truth, neither Nie Qiong nor the original Nie Kong had survived past eighteen either - only his soul's strange attachment to this body saved him from burial in Niang City.

Silence fell before Wood Coldstar sighed heavily: "If Xueyi knew her elder son died, she'd grieve terribly. But you're still here at least. However, without your mother for true awakening... She's been sealed in Muling Hall by 'Yanling Heimo Teng' nearly twenty years now..."

"She is alive."

Nie Kong smiled again, "Indeed as you said, the ancestors were also ensnared by Wood Qingyi and can't sense Yinxu anymore. But since Muling Hall was built by them, knowing what's inside isn't difficult."

"Xueyi being alive really is good news."

A trace of excitement flickered in her eyes before fading quickly. "After Wood Qingyi became the new head elder, I haven't seen the ancestors again. That she could outwit them despite just reaching Heaven Level is beyond belief..." Though expecting this, hearing confirmation still felt surreal.

"She never had that power herself - someone from the 'Duoluo Deep Abyss' was behind her."

"At Duoyue Pavilion..."

Wood Feihuo stood listlessly by the closed sign outside. As night fell and Nie Kong & Wood Coldstar remained upstairs too long, he paced anxiously multiple times ready to barge in before retreating each time.

"Why aren't they coming out yet?!"

Muttering angrily, his eyes caught a group of men with two women walking past - this triggered wild thoughts about Yinxu's brutal social norms where Heaven-level cultivators could abduct men for pleasure. A wave of humiliation reddened Wood Feihuo's face like an enraged bull charging up the stairs.

He barely reached halfway when soft footsteps echoed from upstairs. Elder Wood Coldstar and Nie Kong descended one after another.

She frowned: "What are you doing here?"

"I-I-"

Wood Feihuo stammered, his eyes darting between them searching for clues. Soon he noticed something - her icy demeanor had indeed softened slightly!

Noticing her son's curiosity while approaching the door, Wood Coldstar said: "Feihuo, Mukong is your little brother from my long-lost younger sister. He just came out of Moon Ruins and needs guidance. From now on you must accompany him daily and follow his instructions."

"Wha... let ME follow HIM?!"

"Correct,"

She turned to Nie Kong with a warning: "Feihuo isn't mature enough - if he misbehaves, especially if I catch himwith women again, feel free to discipline as before. Just don't kill him."

Wood Feihuo stared blankly: "Mother! Are you still my mother?!"

Without another word, Wood Coldstar simply disappeared into the crowd after leaving Duoyue Pavilion. After watching her vanish for a while, Wood Feihuo turned back and saw Nie Kong smirking at him. His anger flared as he growled: "Nie Kong! What did you tell my mother?! And what were you doing upstairs all that time?!"

"Guess what we could possibly do?"

Nie Kong chuckled as he sat down.

After their deep conversation, Nie Kong felt his burdens lightened significantly. With Elder Wood Coldstar and the other four city leaders' assistance, his plans would certainly succeed - especially since she'd deduced through information from ancestors that the spiritual threads controlling them weren't actually from Wood Qingyi but originated from the Deep Abyss' divine entity.

Now Elder Wood had unfinished business to attend to first. Leaving this guy with him was Nie Kong's idea too - having her accompany him everywhere would be inconvenient, and keeping him nearby prevented any potential leaks about their relationship.

As for whether revealing his connection might cause complications in the "heart dictionary" trials against Wood Qingyi, he wasn't worried. From what Elder Wood implied, Wood Qingyi had already known about her poison-cultivation efforts for years but never paid attention. He was just a nobody after all, and someone like Wood Qingyi with divine entity's spiritual threads would barely notice him.

Wood Feihuo hissed: "What nonsense about my long-lost aunt! What nonsense about being my younger brother! Nie Kong if you so much as touch my mother I'll-"

Nie Kong hadn't expected this absurd suspicion. A flicker of anger passed through him - what an idiot to distrust both himself and his own mother! His eyes suddenly flashed sharp blade-like coldness: "Do you even know what you're saying?"

"I-I-..."

Remembering Nie Kong's ruthlessness in Nan Li City, Wood Feihuo backed up fearfully. This contrast between Elder Wood Coldstar's formidable presence and her son's pitiful state made Nie Kong sigh - truly, Yinxu wasn't raising any real men.

He huffed, his gaze now devoid of amusement but filled with compassion: "Remember what your mother said. From now on you must stay within my sight at all times, no more chasing women!"

"You-!!!"

Wood Feihuo's cheeks flushed crimson from Nie Kong's pitying look.

"Oh? So quiet here and closed for business?"

A melodious voice suddenly rang out as a tall, slender girl walked in with bright eyes. Her stunning beauty resembled divine craftsmanship - rosy baby cheeks and flowing black hair gave her the cute anime-style appearance he remembered from past life.

"Nie Kong! I'll keep messing around with women if you can stop me!" Wood Feihuo hissed at Nie Kong's ear before clearing his throat dramatically, stepping in front of the girl like a flash. Puffing out his chest in self-styled coolness, he smiled: "Little sister needs dinner? Come on - my treat!"

As he reached to grab her white hand...

"Ah!"

The girl jumped back with wide eyes and glared furiously: "I have my own Yin Yue stones! Why would I let you pay?"

Wood Feihuo chuckled slyly, "Little sister don't be silly. It's getting dark - we should eat first then do something more important. You've heard about it before right? Wondering if you want to try it too?"

"Ew that smile is disgusting!" The girl scoffed, "Even if I wanted to try, I wouldn't pick out a useless loser like you!"

"You! You rejected me and called me useless?! You have no idea who you're dealing with here! Wait until-"

Before he could finish, his back suddenly hit the wall from a powerful slap - Nie Kong had silently approached behind.

"Nie Kong you..." Turning to see Nie Kong's dark expression, Wood Feihuo flinched but seeing the beautiful girl nearby made him furious: "Don't forget I'm your cousin! Dare hit me like before?!"

Nian Kun scoffed coldly, his right hand seizing Mu Feihuo's collar. He hoisted the thin man's gaunt frame and strode toward the back courtyard with purposeful steps.

Mu Feihuo let out frantic cries as he writhed violently in his captor's grip, but to no avail. The moment he reached for Heart-Phase, a sharp slap across his forehead sent him reeling—dizziness blooming behind his eyes, golden stars dancing at the edges of his vision.

The girl watching Nian Kun's retreating figure chuckled softly under her breath. Her eyes darted with calculating lightness before she slipped away in their wake.