He thought about the disturbing mask of the mysterious man he encountered twice and was immediately alarmed. What was his intention? Why was he always here in the Fantian Palace, where all outsiders were denied entry?

He remained his composure and slowly stepped ash.o.r.e. He put on his clothes and tidied himself. With a yawn, he declared lazily, "I am famished! Time for some food."

Slowly, he walked towards the direction of the tree. All of a sudden, he launched a strike towards the top of the tree. Half of the tree, which used to be covered in leaves and branches, was gone instantaneously, as a result of his powerful strike! However, he realized there was nothing hidden behind the leaves. Had he been overreacting due to his own anxiety?

Shen Nianmo shook his head to stop him from overthinking. While he was ready to depart, he turned and saw two figures standing not too far away. There were a man and a woman. It was a delight to the eye to see the couple, looking as beautiful as ever.

Shen Nianmo was taken by surprise. The couple was, apparently, his own parents. They were back.

Shen Jiuli took a look at the tree that was almost bald now. Then, he turned to look at his son, who was standing under the tree. "Are you in a bad mood?" He asked, politely.

Shen Nianmo shook his head and denied his father"s a.s.sumption. "No." His successful attempt at breaking through the wizardry barrier had been a great pleasure.

"Did the tree offend you in any way?" Shen Jiuli continued.

"Nope."

"Why did you empty its branches, then?"

Shen Nianmo did not know what to answer.

"Come, tell me honestly. Were you mad at me, so you had to vent your frustration at the innocent tree?" Shen Jiuli sounded gentle but was incorrect.

Shen Nianmo denied it immediately. "It was not like that. I thought that someone was there on the tree, trying to peep while I was taking a bath. I was only trying to hit the stalker."

Shen Jiuli let out a laugh before answering. "It sounds so reasonable that I almost believed it myself."

Shen Nianmo was speechless. His father disregarded his honesty so swiftly.

Shen Jiuli continued, "Little Nianmo, did you know that I have planted and grown the tree myself? The tree is here to provide shade for your mother. Also, the tree has started to display some level of spirituality. Every time your mother comes into its shades, it will gather up its leaves to keep her cool. I appreciate its effort. Now that you have trimmed off almost the entire tree, tell me, what should I do with it now?"

Shen Nianmo was utterly surprised. Was his father trying to bluff him? No one had ever told him about the powerful feature of the tree. Was his father trying to play tricks with him?

Shen Nianmo quickly asked for his mother"s support instead. "Mother, everything that I said was true. I really thought that someone was watching me in the dark. It must be the mysterious man with a disturbing mask."

Ning Xuemo chose to believe her son. "Has anyone broken into the Fantian Palace?" She asked her husband.

Knowingly or unknowingly, Shen Jiuli swept his eyes across the sky and saw a small cloud. He then shook his head to rea.s.sure his wife. "No outsider has even broken into the premise. Only people of our own side can come in."

Ning Xuemo trusted her husband entirely, so she safely a.s.sumed that her son was reacting for being held captive in the wizardry barrier over the past couple of days. He needed to release his frustration, thus. .h.i.tting the tree out of spite and ruining the Fantian Palace"s surroundings was his goal.

Although it was an understandable mistake to make, she still thought that her son"s temper was wrong. He should not keep it as a habit by breaking things when he was moody. Therefore, she agreed with her husband to give him a punishment.