Upon hearing of his grandfather's tragic death, Mu Fan was desperate for revenge. But his heart turned to ice the mont he learned his enemy was likely a Heavenly King. On the way ho, he wrestled with his thoughts and ultimately decided to abandon any hope of vengeance. He had his own family, a wife he loved. To run off and get himself killed, only to drag his wife down with him, was utter foolishness. He couldn't bear to see her suffer such a miserable fate...
"For you, I was willing to abandon a blood feud, yet you tell you're going to marry my enemy?!"
A blazing fury scorched his body and mind. His eyes bloodshot, Mu Fan looked like a madman. With a final roar, he turned and stord out the door.
"Ah..." Li Xinyuan let out a long, sorrowful sigh. She felt she had sacrificed far too much to save her worthless husband's life, yet he simply couldn't understand. It was just as they say... fate is a cruel mistress.
Mu Fan ran until he didn't know how far he'd gone. Finally, he collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. His throat felt like it was smoldering, and his lungs seed ready to explode.
"You must be Mu Fan, the Li Family's useless son-in-law. Soone paid good money for your life, so..."
Suddenly, several n surrounded him. After comparing his face to a photo, they sneered and drew their weapons.
"Die!"
Mu Fan's pupils constricted. His body went rigid, completely devoid of the strength to fight back. He could only watch, paralyzed, as death ca for him.
At the critical mont, his old butler ca through for him. The butler appeared and, in less than ten seconds, dispatched the desperados. He then inford Mu Fan that the n had been hired by Li Xinyuan's father—Mu Fan's own father-in-law—who had paid millions to have him killed.
"Young Master, haven't you figured it out yet?"
"Heh, heheh..." Mu Fan lowered his head, his face hidden in shadow as he let out a low chuckle. Millions... He had slaved away for the Li Family, enduring endless humiliation as their live-in son-in-law. He'd never received a single cent of spending money, yet he'd lost count of how many tis they'd called him a freeloader. To think that when it ca to killing him, they could be so generous, spending millions without batting an eye.
"The essence of this world is the law of the jungle. Everything else is a lie. Only power is real... I crave power!"
Mu Fan clenched his fists, a chilling voice seeping through his gritted teeth. "From this mont on, I officially assu the role of Patriarch of the Mu Clan. Take to the ancestral cave of inheritance. Imdiately."
"This old servant obeys!" The old butler knelt, overco with excitent and relief.
Soon, under the butler's arrangent, they boarded a helicopter and flew straight toward the Mu Clan's ancestral cave. The cave was located deep in the mountains, a natural grotto that the Mu Clan's ancestors had protected with mysterious and bewildering Formations. Anyone unfamiliar with Formations who stumbled upon it would find themselves rely walking in circles, trapped by an unseen force, never able to reach the true altar.
Naturally, Mu Fan t no such resistance and successfully arrived at the altar.
What greeted his eyes was a giant, two-headed, eight-ard humanoid statue. It was pitch-black with a bizarre, unsettling design. The statue sat cross-legged, cradling a deep, vertical pupil made of densely packed crystals. Beneath it was not a lotus pedestal, but a writhing mass of mushrooms and fungi that resembled grotesque, fleshy worms. A river of rcury flowed silently around the altar. Though there was no wind, a constant whooshing sound filled the air, like the sighing of restless spirits.
THUMP!
With a grave expression, Mu Fan knelt in a specific spot. With the butler's help, he slit his wrist, letting a large amount of blood drip into a groove in the altar.
Once the statue's vertical pupil began to glow with a faint, bloody light, Mu Fan rose to his feet and began to... dance.
While performing the strange dance steps, he let out bizarre, wailing cries. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he'd gone insane.
As he danced, however, the flow of rcury around the altar quickened. The air grew thick, seemingly filled with a host of indescribable shadows. Mu Fan's expression grew vacant as he slowly sank into a hallucinatory state.
Finally... he "saw" a colossal mushroom that blotted out the sky, its face a mask of both laughter and tears.
Whispers like the cries of a baby reached his ears. "Believe in ... rge with ... release ..."
It felt as though countless parasites were squirming beneath his skin. His body began to twist, becoming grotesque and distorted. He let out a sharp scream and fell to his knees again, coughing violently as countless fungal filants erupted from his mouth, nose, and eyes.
WHOOSH! The filants shot out and wrapped around the old butler.
The old butler showed neither fear nor resistance. He allowed the mycelia to pierce his flesh, a wet, gurgling sound echoing in the silence. He smiled kindly at Mu Fan.
"Patriarch, forgive this old servant for being unable to follow you any further. But I will accompany and protect you forever in another form! This... is farewell!"
CRACK.
His head snapped back at an unnatural angle, his neck broken. A mass of thick mycelia tore through his throat, writhing and spreading outwards.
"Beco one with ..." At so point, Mu Fan had appeared behind the old butler, wrapping him in an embrace. A swarm of mycelia enveloped them both, consuming and rging them into one.
「An hour later.」
Having inherited the old butler's potent agility and skill, Mu Fan was no longer the weak, helpless man he had once been. He sprinted out of the deep mountains with incredible speed.
The pilot, slling the unique scent of mycelia on him, imdiately fell to his knees, kowtowing in terror. "Greetings, Master!"
Mu Fan, expressionless, boarded the helicopter and returned to Xinlan City.
He arrived ho, alone. The appliances, the kitchenware... he had set up every last thing himself. The place exuded a warmth he had cultivated. He'd thought moving out of the Li Family villa would be a fresh start, a chance for him and Li Xinyuan to slowly beco a true husband and wife.
He never expected this.
The house was cold and empty. His wife was gone.
Only a divorce agreent and a bank card lay on the table—a mocking testant to his failure. The na "Li Xinyuan" was already signed.
"My love, you will always be mine. I won't let you leave ..."
「The Li Family villa.」
Aunts, uncles, and all manner of relatives from the Li Family had gathered, all to cheer on Li Xinyuan. They had high hopes for her, and they sward around her, offering advice and strategy while helping her with her makeup and attire.
Li Xinyuan said helplessly, "What's the point of dressing up now? Wouldn't it be better to prepare all this once we reach Jiangbei?"
"Hey, what do you know?"
"Of course we have to start now!"
"From the mont you step out that door, we'll have reporters taking pictures to build up the hype. You must maintain a perfect image the entire way to Jiangbei, without a single misstep!"
Li Xinyuan fell silent. I'm so tired. Whatever. Just let them do what they want.
By the ti they were done, she was dressed even more magnificently than she had been for her own wedding. The grand doors swung open. She walked out, step by step, as all her relatives sent her off with their best wishes. The air was thick with celebration, filled with the crackle of fireworks.
Suddenly, she froze, her gaze fixed on sothing just outside.
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
The Li family mbers turned to look, and their faces instantly changed.
There stood Mu Fan, all alone. He was still in his cheap loungewear, wearing a pink teddy bear apron and holding a small bouquet with only a few flowers. His face was full of devotion as he t Li Xinyuan's gaze. "My love," he said earnestly, "co back to . We can still be husband and wife. I promise I'll treat you better than ever before. I'll cherish you and never let you suffer again."
"Why are you doing this?" Li Xinyuan whispered, her lips trembling as she shook her head in bitter resignation.
"Mu Fan, you worthless piece of trash, who let you co back?"
"Didn't we already pay you to get lost?"
"If you truly love Xinyuan, then be smart and let her go! Don't stand in the way of her happiness!"
"What the hell were those assassins paid for? How is this kid still alive?"
"You shaless dog! How dare you show your face here and embarrass us further!"
"I'll give you to the count of three to get lost. If you don't, we'll cripple you for good! Three... two..."
The Li family mbers spat their insults.
Mu Fan ignored them completely, his eyes only on Li Xinyuan. "Do I still have a chance?"
"I've told you already," Li Xinyuan said, taking a deep breath, her voice turning cold as ice. "It's over between us. Don't humiliate yourself any further. Leave now, or even I won't be able to protect you..."
"Hahaha—" Mu Fan laughed. It was a desolate, maddened sound. He laughed and laughed until tears stread down his face.
The Li relatives, thinking it was a pathetic act, were nearly sick with disgust.
"n, cripple him!"
"Yes, sir!" The Li Family's bodyguards surged toward Mu Fan, the worthless trash they had always scorned.
Li Xinyuan's face paled, and she opened her mouth to plead for him, but the words caught in her throat as she froze in shock.
The rest of the Li Family was equally stunned.
They watched, horrified, as rope-like tentacles of mycelia erupted from the holes in Mu Fan's face, instantly skewering the charging bodyguards.
"What is that monstrous thing?"
"My God, that's horrifying!"
"Is that still Mu Fan? He's a monster!"
"Help !"
"Ahhh..."
Amid the screams, the Li family mbers tried to flee, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, they were all reduced to nutrients for the ravenous mycelia, which pierced and absorbed them completely.
Li Xinyuan's mind went blank. Shaking all over, she watched him approach step by step.
"You..."
"We'll be together forever now. I love you," Mu Fan said, opening his arms and pulling her into a tight embrace. It was the first ti he had ever held her so close.
He was smiling, but large tears rolled ceaselessly down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." he kept repeating, as the mycelia sward out to envelop her as well.
When the mycelia receded, only Mu Fan remained, standing alone in the empty villa.
Where there was once a single face, there were now two halves: one his, the other Li Xinyuan's.
His half was twisted in a sinister smile; hers was streaked with tears.
"Long Tianji... Long Tianji!! I WANT YOU DEAD!!!!!!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers