Chapter 90: Young Master Mu's Ambition
Su Xiaomei kept vomiting blood, her face twisted with intense hatred. "Who are you? Why are you meddling in other people's business?"
Back then, even her own sister had invited Taoist priests to perform rituals, but it had been useless. Yet, against all expectations, a mere young man had ruined her meticulously planned scheme—years of effort destroyed in an instant.
"It just so happens that the person you harmed is connected to me. That’s all," Mu Lichuan replied indifferently. "Shao Xiaoya should be waking up soon. Her body still needs some adjustments." With the root cause eliminated, the remaining issues would be easy to handle.
Su Xiaomei was taken into custody, while Mu Lichuan returned to Shao Xiaoya’s room. He channeled his spiritual energy to repair the damage inflicted on her body. "After suffering from the curse for so long, her body has been affected, but it’s nothing serious. Just avoid unclean places from now on."
By "unclean," he naturally meant spirits. Those who had been cursed often had weakened bodies that easily attracted such entities—better to be cautious.
"Thank you, Mu Lichuan. We understand," Shao Yu said respectfully. He had always liked his aunt, never imagining she could be capable of such sinister deeds.
Knowing full well that he and his father opposed superstitions, she had exploited that very belief to harm his sister. How cruel could a person be? His sister had been so young back then, completely innocent in all this.
Just as Mu Lichuan was about to speak, Shao Xiaoya slowly opened her eyes. When she saw her crush, her dull eyes instantly lit up. "Mu Lichuan?"
"Mn. Rest well," Mu Lichuan nodded before standing up to leave.
Shao Xiaoya watched longingly as the boy walked away, her brother following shortly after. Only her mother remained. "Xiaoya, focus on recovering. Soon, you’ll be able to run and jump again."
"Really?" Shao Xiaoya’s eyes sparkled. Since childhood, her greatest wish had been to run freely against the wind. She had thought it impossible in this lifetime—until now.
"Yes. It’s all thanks to Mu Lichuan. Consider it your fate. Once you’re better, you must thank him properly," Su Xiaoran said sincerely.
"Mn." Xiaoya lowered her head and drifted back to sleep, exhausted from the ordeal.
By the time Su Xiaoran went downstairs, the young man had already left—clearly unwilling to entangle himself further with the Shao family. "He really is…" The middle-aged woman’s face was full of gratitude.
"Indeed. People like him are rare," Shao Yiyun sighed. Then, the couple turned their attention to the barely conscious Su Xiaomei.
Slap!
Su Xiaoran struck her hard across the face. "I treated you so well, and this is how you repay me—by harming my child?" Her expression was filled with loathing.
Su Xiaomei spat. "You treated me well? You stole the man I loved, and you call that treating me well? My only regret is not killing your daughter outright, leaving you to grieve for life! But now—" She had planned for Shao Xiaoya to die, followed by Su Xiaoran wasting away in despair, leaving Shao Yiyun for her. But everything had been ruined.
Shao Yiyun looked at Su Xiaomei coldly. "Even if your sister hadn’t existed, I would never have married a venomous woman like you."
Sometimes, a single sentence from a man could plunge a woman into utter despair.
"Impossible! Without her, I would have—" Su Xiaomei’s face twisted in disbelief. Back then, she had been far more beautiful than her sister, yet the man she loved had chosen otherwise.
"Su Xiaomei, I married a virtuous wife, not a poisonous schemer like you," Shao Yiyun said. "I was already planning to break up with you, but you refused to let go."
Later, when she seemed to have moved on, he thought she had accepted reality. She never showed hostility toward his wife, so how could he have guessed she would direct her hatred toward an innocent child? Exploiting his disbelief in the supernatural, she had made his daughter suffer for years.
"No… That can’t be! You loved me! You only married her for the alliance!" Su Xiaomei’s face darkened with shock and resentment, her once-elegant demeanor completely gone.
"Ah—!"
She collapsed in agony, writhing as the backlash of her curse consumed her. Su Xiaoran stumbled back in horror as the woman’s flesh withered away before her eyes, leaving behind nothing but bones. The price of such dark magic was terrifying—what kind of madness would drive someone to trade their life for vengeance?
Mu Lichuan had no interest in the Shao family’s affairs. Normally, ghosts only appeared at night, but now even daylight wasn’t safe. The sheer volume of malevolent spirits spoke volumes about the corruption spreading through the world.
These evil spirits could possess humans and walk freely under the sun—proof they weren’t native to this realm. They had slipped through cracks from another dimension, already disrupting the mortal world.
He wasn’t one to meddle, but if the barriers at Leshan and Shengshan weren’t repaired, the influx of dark energy would only worsen. Eventually, panic would spread, plunging the entire planet into crisis.
"Made up your mind?" Xiao Mo’s voice suddenly sounded beside him.
Mu Lichuan scoffed. "Weren’t you the one who said this had nothing to do with me?" A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like him stood no chance against the demonic energy of the Two Realms Mountains—it’d be suicide.
"True, but you’re the only one with soul power and Yin-Yang Eyes. Detecting the source of the corruption is your specialty. Besides, this will benefit your cultivation," Xiao Mo said, slightly guilty.
Originally, his soul had been fragmented, his memories scattered. But after reclaiming what belonged to him from Mi Shen, he recalled many things—including this young man’s role in the grand scheme. Training him was necessary.
"Oh? So there’s no hidden scheme this time?" In his past life, he had been an ordinary person. Why was this life so troublesome? And when he first reincarnated, nothing about him had changed—except for one thing: his soul had been tempered by Mu Xiaolin.
Xiao Mo had no rebuttal. He couldn’t very well say: Every trial you face is rigged in your favor—the Heavenly Dao won’t let you die.
"Relax, there’s no conspiracy. You’ve always crushed the ghosts, never the other way around," Xiao Mo added. As for humans? In this lower realm, no one stood a chance against him. He could protect Mu Lichuan until they ascended to the upper realms.
Mu Lichuan burst out laughing. Initially, Xiao Mo had been cold and aloof, referring to himself as "This Sovereign" like some emotionless puppet. Now, he was far more expressive. Had something changed? But if Xiao Mo wasn’t volunteering an explanation, Mu Lichuan wasn’t foolish enough to pry.
Noticing passersby staring, Mu Lichuan quickly schooled his expression, not wanting to be mistaken for a lunatic.
When he returned home, the two elders were waiting. "I’ll do it, on one condition. You must vow to protect my grandfather for the rest of his life." He didn’t know if he’d survive this mission, but with his family secure, he could focus fully on the task.
"Lichuan!" Mu Xiaoran trembled. How could the hope of their Mu family throw his life away like this?
"Grandfather, I know what I’m doing," Mu Lichuan reassured him. Cultivation was a path of trials—without hardship, how could one attain the Dao?
Mi Rong and Min Yong exchanged delighted glances. The boy had refused so firmly before, yet here he was, agreeing so soon.
"My request isn’t excessive, is it? Swear it on your inner demons!" Mu Lichuan’s tone was deadly serious.
For cultivators, an oath on one’s inner demons was absolute. Breaking it meant eternal stagnation, or worse—soul annihilation.
The two men solemnly nodded. "Not excessive." Then, they swore the oath.
Once they left, Mu Xiaoran’s eyes welled with tears. "Lichuan, your old man will be fine. Why must you be so reckless? Even if you cultivate normally, you could still—"
"Grandfather," Mu Lichuan interrupted, "has anyone from this realm ever ascended to the upper realms?"
"None. Lichuan, what are you planning? That’s a den of demons! How could you survive there?"
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Here, all I learn is ghost-hunting and feng shui. To truly cultivate, I must go to the immortal realm—not this mortal world." The boy’s eyes burned with determination. Having chosen this path, he would not waver.
After a long silence, Mu Xiaoran sighed. "If that’s your ambition, then go. But you must protect yourself at all costs!" He was old. He couldn’t stop his great-grandson from chasing the Dao.
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