Mu Yuhan, as head of the Mu family, was always busy. Since Mu Li had arrived in this world, she had only seen him once—on the day of the annulment.
At that first meeting, Mu Li had been focused entirely on following the plot. All she wanted was to quickly break off the engagement with the male lead and sever ties. She hadn’t paid much attention to anyone else, only remembering that the Mu family head carried great authority and had looked very grim at the time.
But Mu Yuhan was a Golden Core stage cultivator. If he discovered that his daughter’s body had been taken over by an outsider’s soul, would he simply reach out, seize her spirit, and crush it—leaving her to vanish completely from this world?
The thought made Mu Li uneasy. She couldn’t help but wonder why Mu Yuhan had summoned her now.
Had he noticed her differences? Or was this about the annulment? But that had already happened days ago.
When she arrived, she found not only Mu Yuhan but also her second uncle, Mu Yucheng.
Mu Li greeted them both respectfully, then stood quietly to await questioning.
It seemed Mu Yuhan hadn’t realized his daughter’s soul had changed. He first asked a few casual questions about her recent cultivation progress. Once satisfied with her answers, he shifted to the real matter.
“You agreed to Xuanyuan Yunfei’s annulment so readily the other day. Did he speak to you beforehand? Or did you hear something elsewhere?”
So Mu Yuhan had heard about Xuanyuan Yunfei and Su Xuening?
The male and female leads were Heaven’s favored children. Mu Li wanted no entanglements with them—only to stay far away and preserve her life. Of course, if she could occasionally seize an opportunity to increase her chances of survival, she wouldn’t refuse.
She shook her head. “No. I just felt the gap between us was too great. If we forced the marriage, it might turn into enmity instead of alliance, which would go against the original intent of both families. Better to cancel early.”
Before Mu Yuhan could respond, Mu Yucheng, already impatient, scolded sharply: “You shouldn’t have decided such a major matter on your own. This should have been left to the elders.”
Mu Li lowered her head, appearing humble and receptive to criticism, though inwardly she was full of complaints.
The Mu family surely didn’t want to lose this marriage. Xuanyuan Yunfei was a rare genius with limitless prospects. If Mu Li became his Dao partner, the Mu family would reap endless benefits.
But Xuanyuan Yunfei was determined to annul. The Mu family’s refusal would be useless—dragging it out would only offend the male lead further, and the worse the offense, the more tragic the eventual outcome.
Mu Yuhan had only one daughter. Though he usually indulged his younger brother, seeing him scold Mu Li in front of him displeased him. “Li’er is just a bit impulsive. The Xuanyuan marriage was bound to end sooner or later. Better to annul now, before Xuanyuan Yunfei reaches Golden Core, than later. This way, our Mu family appears forthright.”
“But perhaps the Xuanyuan family never intended this,” Mu Yucheng argued, his face clouded. “Our families have been close for years. Li’er’s talent isn’t bad—she’ll reach Golden Core sooner or later.”
“By then, Xuanyuan Yunfei may already be Nascent Soul. The gap would be too wide. Forming a Dao partnership would only burden him.”
In the cultivation world, the most ancient Dao partner contracts shared lifespan. For the stronger party, this was a disadvantage. Thus, cultivators were extremely cautious in choosing partners—scrutinizing age, talent, and comprehension more thoroughly than modern blind dates.
In truth, most cultivators avoided such contracts altogether, simply being together without binding agreements. Many variants had evolved from the original contract, but though they were still called “Dao partner contracts,” they essentially reduced the lower-level cultivator to a dependent of the higher one.
Either way, if it weren’t the original contract, Mu Yuhan would never agree—even if Mu Li herself wanted it.
“But—” Mu Yucheng began, only to be cut off.
Mu Yuhan waved his hand. “Enough. What’s done is done. Li’er was impulsive, yes, but in recent years, the Xuanyuan clan has grown arrogant thanks to Xuanyuan Yunfei. They look down on the other families of the Southern Continent. Let them. We don’t need to cling to that connection.”
He paused, then added: “Back then, countless families in Ling City wanted their children betrothed to Li’er. Yet now, when people mention her engagement to Xuanyuan Yunfei, they act as if our Mu family took advantage.”
Mu Li had a single wood spiritual root. Xuanyuan Yunfei had a rare mutated lightning root. Both were outstanding, of similar age, and the families had been satisfied when the betrothal was arranged.
No one had expected Xuanyuan Yunfei to be such a prodigy. Even though Mu Li was excellent compared to ordinary cultivators, she had still been left far behind.
“Xuanyuan Yunfei is indeed rare,” Mu Yucheng said regretfully, as though mourning the loss of a brilliant son-in-law.
“Many geniuses die halfway,” Mu Yuhan replied calmly. “He hasn’t even formed his core yet. Golden Core and Nascent Soul are full of hurdles. Only if he passes them can he be called a true genius. The marriage is canceled, and that’s that. From now on, we must push our younger generation to cultivate harder. In this world, strength is the only foundation.”
Though his words were directed at Mu Yucheng, they were clearly meant for Mu Li. She looked at his composed expression and thought: truly worthy of being the family head—his vision was long-term.
Mu Yucheng, realizing the matter was settled, stopped pressing. But he worried aloud: “The Xuanyuan family originally said they’d choose two suitable children to marry, to strengthen ties. Now that Li’er’s engagement is canceled, will they pick someone else?”
If the families still wanted marriage, the Mu side would likely choose from Mu Yucheng’s children. He himself had dual spiritual roots, mediocre talent, and his children had inherited the same. If they could marry into the Xuanyuan family’s outstanding line, it would be a huge gain.
“Xuanyuan hasn’t made any move yet. We’ll wait and see.” For the first time that day, Mu Yuhan frowned.
The Xuanyuan clan had reason for pride—not only Xuanyuan Yunfei, but many other talented juniors. By contrast, the Mu family had only Mu Li worth watching.
But she was still young, lacking tempering. Sigh…
Mu Yuhan turned to Mu Li, his expression stern. “You were too rash this time. I’m confining you at home for one month. Do you have any objections?”