She stopped behind her mother, staring into her mother's eyes' reflection of Liz's shoulder. "Mom?" she repeated, this time the syllable little more t...an a whisper to her mother's ear. "What is it?" H-he doesn't want me any-anymore," her mother sobbed without turning."Who doesn't -- " And then she cursed herself for being dense. Derek, of course.Had he told Liz of the afternoon tryst? "Why not, Mom?" she asked uncertainly, half-afraid of the answer."H-he says I'm old and sagging and -- Oh,. “No, it’s nothing like that. Just hearing you, sweetheart, that’s enough for me.”“Are you sure?”“Yes, I’m sure. Now go away and make an honest man of Francis.”Sue laughed. “Hey, who rang who here? You’re the one who reached out to me. Now you’re telling me to go away.”“Actually, you’re the one who rang me,” I teased her, unable to resist my trademark academic pedantry. “But I know what you mean, honey. Look, I’ll leave you guys in peace. I love you, darling. I’ll see you tomorrow.”“Love you. They apparently were distant relatives of his that recently made a breakthrough from the Peak of the D level Earth’s Core Holder and since then were received by the same Mor, a cultivator of a high class family who helped them overcome quite fast the Beginner and Intermediate phases of their new level.The sixth cultivator was actually at the Advanced phase of the Mist Master level, a gray haired, hunchbacked grandma. As it so happen, she was the relative of another of Zax’s friends from the. "Now I'm going to tell you everything. If you have any questions, please wait 'til I'm finished. Other wise I may not have the courage to keep going."I took a big breath and then went on, "Soooo ... here is my story, warts and all. I come from a well to do family. I have a mother and father, and an older brother and sister, though in all honesty I don't consider them family. You and the Ricci family in Siena are far and away more like family to me! A hundred times ... NO! A thousand times more,.