Chapter 35: So-Called Family Bonds
Mu Lichuan was somewhat surprised that his father would say such a thing. "You’re expelling me from the Mu family?" His voice was light, yet carried a profound undertone.
"What? With the way you’ve bullied your younger brother and disrespected your mother, shouldn’t you be driven out of the Mu family?" Mu Changnian was particularly furious with his eldest son’s behavior. The elders had already advised him to placate them, if they were provoked again, who would be left to clean up the mess?
Originally, Mu Lichuan had no intention of refuting his father’s words, but upon hearing him mention "mother," his stubbornness flared. "My mother has long been dead. What ‘mother’ are you talking about?"
"Father, if you want to marry this woman, I won’t oppose it. But don’t expect me to call her ‘mother.’" After saying this, the young man turned and left. If he stayed any longer, he might do something irrational.
"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!" Mu Changnian’s face flushed red with anger. How dare his eldest son walk out on them like this?
Bai Ping, seeing the situation, finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least the master of the house was still on their side—otherwise, she and her son would have no standing in the Mu family at all.
"Master, don’t be angry with him. This child… he probably resents me because of his mother’s death." Bai Ping glanced at the corpses and felt a wave of disgust. Their deaths were horrifying, as if they had been drained of something, their eyes wide open, as if dying with unresolved regret.
Mu Changnian took a deep breath before saying, "Ah Ping, take Xiaolin upstairs and comfort him. I’ll handle these bodies."
His second son was a genius - a rare ice-attribute spiritual root talent. As long as the dark energy inside him could be extracted, he would still be able to cultivate. And as his father, Mu Changnian would gain immense prestige. Let’s see who would dare look down on him then.
So Bai Ping helped her trembling son upstairs. Such a gruesome sight was best avoided to prevent psychological trauma. At the same time, she knew that the Mu family’s cultivators might try to kill her son. She had to find a way to contact that person. Even if they had the Mu family’s protection now, who knew how they would treat the two of them later?
Indeed, Bai Ping had always known that the child was not Mu Changnian’s, nor was he even hers. As for who the boy’s real mother was, she had no idea. Years ago, that person had sought her out and entrusted the child to her care, instructing her to integrate him into the Mu family. The arrangement would last no more than thirteen years, after which he would return for the boy. He had also implanted a protective energy within the child to ensure his survival in times of danger.
Mu Changnian felt somewhat comforted that they still obeyed him. At least they still regarded him as the head of the family, unlike his eldest son, who was truly infuriating.
Mu Xiaolin was still terrified. "Mom… did I really kill those people?" Even though he had visited the graveyard, it was only to strengthen himself, perhaps even gather some ghosts to suppress Mu Lichuan. But he had killed people… without even realizing it.
"Child, they deserved to die. If you hadn’t killed them, they would have killed you." Bai Ping’s expression was ruthless. If they didn’t act decisively, others would surely harm them.
A glimmer of hope flickered in Mu Xiaolin’s eyes. "Mom… I won’t go to jail for killing them, right? They really deserved it?"
"Of course they did. And you won’t go to jail, you’re still young. The Mu family will take care of everything." Bai Ping gently pulled her son into an embrace.
What they didn’t know was that their every move was being monitored by Mu Lichuan.
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