Chapter 7: The Wolf Cub
Mu Changnian knew his eldest son had already shown great restraint. The fact that the young man could retreat to this extent was entirely for the sake of the family’s reputation.
"Father, you call me a disgrace? Then what does that make you?" Mu Xiaolin’s temper flared, his youthful face filled with rage. "You hid me and my mother away for thirteen years, wasn’t that for your own sake?"
Since childhood, he had been called a bastard, a wild child with a mother but no father to raise him. This so-called father of his could never understand that feeling. Once, he had yearned for his father, believing that entering the Mu family would change everything. Yet, he never imagined that this father of his would do nothing but call him an unfilial son or a disgrace.
Mu Changnian’s breathing grew ragged, his eyes reddening. At this moment, Mu Lichuan quickly stepped in to soothe him. "Father, don’t be angry. The reason my younger brother is like this is because he never received a proper upbringing. Why bother arguing with a child?" Though his words were meant to mediate, they only poured fuel on the fire.
In his eyes, a wild child would always be a wild child. Perhaps, given time, he might transform, but unfortunately…
In his past life, after his mother’s death, he had poured all his emotions into his studies and seizing control of the Mu family’s power. He had never cared for this so-called "illegitimate younger brother," which was why the boy had grown so formidable. In the end, he had died at this person’s hands, even his soul was used as a sacrificial offering.
Even though he hadn’t been reborn for long, and he wasn’t sure whether cultivators truly existed, he had read some cultivation novels written by others. They all followed orthodox teachings and never mentioned anything about soul sacrifice. This meant Mu Xiaolin was most likely a demonic cultivator. How else could he have progressed so quickly in such a short time? Of course, this was just speculation. Many things remained unverified, and he didn’t even fully understand what cultivation was.
"A child? Is a thirteen-year-old still a child?" Mu Changnian’s face flushed red. "Bai Ping, I’m disappointed in you. I thought you were a cultured and reasonable woman. I never expected you to raise such an unfilial son."
Though he was considered trash within the family, in the mortal world, he was still a man of status. All the family’s secular affairs were managed by him.
Bai Ping’s face twisted with grievance. Softly, she said, "Master, I don’t know why Xiaolin has suddenly become so sharp-tongued. Perhaps he just hasn’t adjusted to life in the Mu family yet." Her heart ached, but what could she do? She needed a family’s protection, and the Mu family was her best choice.
"If he can’t adjust, then he should be disciplined first. At the very least, he must learn basic manners. It doesn’t matter if we lose face, but the Mu family’s reputation must not be tarnished, and neither must the master’s." Zhang Xiao spoke softly. As the matriarch, she had waited until now to speak, already showing great consideration for Bai Ping and her son.
Just as Mu Xiaolin was about to retort, his mother cut him off. "Xiaolin, I’m begging you...please behave and listen." She had thought slapping him would calm him down, but to her surprise, he had only grown more aggressive.
Mu Xiaolin’s face darkened, his hatred impossible to conceal. But he had a weak-willed mother, and the Mu family’s aptitude test was still ahead. For now, all he could do was endure. "Father, I know I was wrong. I won’t act like this again. Please give me another chance." As for his conflict with Mu Lichuan, he deliberately left it unmentioned.
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