Chapter 1: Betrayal and Rebirth
Mu Lichuan held a dazzling golden diamond ring in his hand, his face glowing with happiness. He had returned early from his business trip to surprise his fiancee - after all, they were now at the age to marry.
“Young… Young Master Mu…” The butler’s face was filled with panic when he saw Mu Lichuan. Wasn’t the young master supposed to return in two days? Why was he back so early?
Mu Lichuan was no fool. Frowning at the butler’s flustered expression, he asked, “Is something wrong with Shanshan?”
Just as the butler, Uncle Fu, was about to speak, his body trembled slightly when he saw the disheveled clothes scattered across the living room.
Mu Lichuan noticed it too. Pushing past Uncle Fu, he headed straight for the second floor of the villa. Since he and Mo Shanshan were engaged and had grown up together, they were completely familiar with each other’s homes, coming and going as they pleased.
Standing outside Mo Shanshan’s door, Mu Lichuan took out his key. With a click, the door opened. Past the sofa, he saw two figures entangled on the bed.
Mo Shanshan was too lost in pleasure to notice the intrusion, still lost in her own ecstasy…
The man on top, however, spotted Mu Lichuan immediately, a hint of provocation flashing in his eyes.
“Get up. We have a guest.” The man stood, revealing a pale, sculpted chest.
Mo Shanshan turned at his words, her face twisting in horror when she saw Mu Lichuan. “Lichuan…”
“What’s there to fear? I’m here.” The man chuckled, then waved his hand. To Mu Lichuan’s shock, clothes instantly draped over his body.
Hearing this, Mo Shanshan’s expression shifted to a coy smile, as if her earlier terror had never existed. Yet her hands moved swiftly to cover herself.
Mu Lichuan remained rooted in place, his eyes icy with murderous intent. “You adulterous scum!” One was his fiancee, the other his half-brother from a mistress.
The Mu family was a prestigious clan in Chuanshi, their business thriving. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that this bastard from an outside branch would dare steal his fiancee, truly seeking death.
“Lichuan, I…” Mo Shanshan met his gaze, her eyes filled with terror. She knew exactly what Mu Lichuan was capable of.
Mu Xiaolin smirked, though his eyes held no warmth. “Shanshan, don’t be afraid. He’s just trash. I could kill him with one hand.”
Enraged by his arrogance, Mu Lichuan lunged forward, only to freeze mid-motion. His body wouldn’t obey. “You… What is this…?”
“Ugh—!” Mu Lichuan crashed heavily to the ground, blood trickling from his lips. A beam of light had pierced straight through his abdomen.
Mu Xiaolin kissed Mo Shanshan, who smiled brightly in return. “Mu Lichuan, did you really think I loved you? I was just making things easier for Xiaolin. A worthless piece of trash like you, what right do you have to marry me? I’m the prized jewel of the Mo family!”
“What do you mean?” He was the Mu family’s prodigy, the youngest global leader of their empire. Yet in his fiancee's eyes, he was worthless trash.
Mu Xiaolin laughed. “How pathetic. You’ve been used by the family so thoroughly. On the surface, the Mu family is an ancient business dynasty, but in truth, we’re a cultivation clan. And you? A cripple with blocked meridians. If not for being the legitimate heir, you’d have been abandoned long ago. Managing the mortal world for the family was a fine consolation prize, but then you had to steal the woman I love. Naturally, I took her back.”
Mo Shanshan, though a mere mortal, was a rare beauty - a perfect plaything.
“You…” Mu Lichuan was baffled. “Mu Xiaolin, you’ve got some nerve!” Though furious at the unknown revelations, he remained eerily calm.
Mu Xiaolin sneered. “You’re beyond pitiful. Let me remind you, I'm the family’s true heir. As for you? Even if you die, the family won’t bat an eye.”
“Enough talk. Just kill him already!” Mo Shanshan, still a mortal, couldn’t withstand the fear in Mu Lichuan’s gaze.
With a thud, Mu Lichuan’s heart was pierced. Blood pooled around him as his soul drifted free, only for Mu Xiaolin to grin.
“Tsk tsk… Who knew your soul would be so pure? Perfect for a sacrificial offering.”
“Mu Xiaolin! In my next life, I’ll never let you go!” Mu Lichuan felt his soul tearing apart in agony before everything went black.
“Ah—!” Mu Lichuan woke drenched in cold sweat, gasping for air, his face pale from the nightmare.
It had been three days since his rebirth, yet the memories of his past life, especially the torment his soul endured after death still haunted him. He had expected eternal suffering, but then, inexplicably, a light enveloped him. When he regained consciousness, he was fifteen again.
The Mu (慕) family - the Tomb (墓, Mù) family. A burial ground for souls, with no chance of reincarnation.
“Young Master, the master has brought home a young boy… and a new mistress.” A servant hurriedly reported.
Mu Lichuan recalled: on his fifteenth birthday, his father had gifted him a half-brother, and his mother had committed suicide.
“Good, very good. I was just wondering where to find them.” Though young, the aura he exuded was far beyond his years.
In the living room, several figures sat while the family matriarch, Lin Xiaoru, wept softly, powerless against her husband’s actions.
“Come, greet your elder brother.” The young mistress urged as Mu Lichuan descended the stairs.
“Brother…” A boy of twelve or thirteen called shyly.
Mu Lichuan studied him, then smiled faintly. “Oh? You’re really my brother? Funny, you look nothing like Father. Isn’t that right, Dad?”
His father was indeed the family head, but like him, only in charge of the mortal world, with no real power. The true master of the Mu family was the patriarch: his great-grandfather.
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