Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Mu Chen rubbed his nose. ’Looks like I really am too naive. I still have a long, long way to go.’ He looked down at the Profound Jade Fan in his hand, which made him think of the Profound Old Ghost. ’If that old man were here, I might be even stronger by now.’ But as soon as the thought appeared, Mu Chen shook it from his mind. That was dependency. If he always relied on others, he could never be called a true master, no matter how strong he became.

"Alright... I’ll stop here for now. It’s early, and you haven’t even had breakfast yet." Lingyun flipped her hand over, quickly stowing the Cyan Blade in her ring. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and asked, "How heavy is your fan? It felt incredibly heavy to me."

Mu Chen smiled and handed the Profound Jade Fan to Lingyun. Startled, Lingyun subconsciously took it. The moment it was in her hand, she felt as if a great mountain had been dropped on her. With a loud THUD, the Profound Jade Fan fell to the ground.

"Th-this..." Lingyun’s face was a mask of terror. She stared at the Profound Jade Fan, which had embedded itself in the ground, unable to speak. "You... you normally fight with this weapon?"

Mu Chen rubbed his nose. "I guess so."

"Gods, how much does it weigh?"

"Twenty thousand pounds, I think."

"Freak..."

It was time for breakfast. Because of Lingyun’s visit, even Wang Mo had shown up at the Mu Mansion bright and early. He was hoping to snag a free meal from the Mu Family and, while he was at it, maybe find a chance to get on her good side. Seeing Mu Chen and Lingyun enter the dining hall together, Mu Gu Tian froze for a second before a wave of delight washed over him. He shot Wang Mo a triumphant arch of his eyebrows. Wang Mo merely pursed his lips and said nonchalantly, "We’re all one family anyway."

Mu Gu Tian, left speechless by the comeback, could only turn to Mu Chen and Lingyun. "Instructor Ling Yun, Chen’Er, hurry up and eat! The whole family’s been waiting for you two. Young people can handle it, but us old folks are starving."

"Yes, yes, us old folks are starving!" the three Elders and Wang Mo all chimed in at once.

Lingyun looked at Mu Chen, who looked thoroughly exasperated, and whispered with a laugh, "Your family is so full of love..."

Mu Chen gave an awkward twitch of his lips, then walked over and sat down next to Mu Bingling. As for Lingyun, being the guest of honor, she was naturally treated with the utmost courtesy.

Seeing Mu Chen eating only his rice and none of the other dishes, Mu Bingling gave a helpless smile. She reached out and placed a variety of meat and vegetable dishes into his bowl. Mu Chen simply offered a small smile in return and naturally popped the food into his mouth. Seeing him eat what she had given him without hesitation, Mu Bingling’s face was filled with a gentle, loving smile.

From the side, Bi Wan glanced at Mufeng, who was sitting nearby. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched her eyes. She then whispered something to him. Mufeng looked at Bi Wan in surprise and frowned. "Is that really okay?"

"Why wouldn’t it be?" As she spoke, Bi Wan placed a piece of meat in Mufeng’s bowl, then went back to eating her own meal as if nothing had happened.

Since Lingyun, despite being a powerful Martial Arts Master, put on no airs and had an exceptionally cheerful personality, the meal was filled with laughter and pleasant conversation. Mu Chen was singled out more than a few times, but he was focused solely on his breakfast, only offering a few half-hearted words in agreement now and then.

After breakfast, Bi Wan suddenly said, "Bing’Er, Chen’Er, come with me for a moment."

Mu Bingling put down her bowl and chopsticks, acknowledged her, and followed. Mu Chen, on the other hand, took two more bites of rice before trailing after them. Along the way, the two of them were whispering to each other, a sight that Bi Wan saw and cherished in her heart. They walked all the way to Bifeng Garden before Bi Wan finally stopped. She led them into a room and had them sit at a table. Mu Chen was a little puzzled. "Mother, did you call us here for something urgent?"

Mu Bingling was just as confused and looked at her questioningly.

Bi Wan looked from Mu Chen to Mu Bingling and sighed. "I did call you here today for a reason, a very important one, in fact. But now that I’m looking at you both, I don’t know how to begin."

Mu Bingling looked at Bi Wan and said softly, "Mother, if you have something to say, just say it. Mu Chen and I are both your children."

Bi Wan smiled. "Bing’Er, you’ve always been so considerate. That hasn’t changed since you were a little girl. Sometimes, I feel so blessed. Having a daughter as kind and understanding as you is the greatest fortune of my life."

Hearing this, Mu Bingling suddenly felt that something was wrong. A look of panic crossed her face. "Mother, what are you saying? I don’t understand."

Bi Wan gently stroked Mu Bingling’s hair and said softly, "Bing’Er, don’t let your imagination run wild. I just want to tell you about when you were little. I remember when Chen’Er was one year old. He was so frail back then, relying on all sorts of medicinal soups just to stay alive each day. Your father and I had already lost all hope. If not for a tiny glimmer of hope in our hearts, we honestly wanted to just leave this world and take Chen’Er with us."

As she spoke of this, Bi Wan’s tears began to fall uncontrollably. After all, it was a memory too painful to revisit. Her story pulled both Mu Bingling and Mu Chen into the past with her. Their spirits sank, and their eyes grew red.

Bi Wan seemed to compose herself and continued, "That day, Chen’Er’s condition was very poor. Your father and I heard that a Holy Cauldron Master was staying outside Luofeng City, so we rushed over at once. Who would have known that the Cauldron Master had only been staying there for a day and had already left Luofeng City? By the time we arrived, the place was empty. Disappointed and desperate, your father and I could only turn back. But on our way home, we saw a two-year-old girl crouching in the snow, shivering. We immediately went up to her, but the little girl didn’t seem to talk much. Her eyes were completely vacant. But she was an incredibly cute little girl. Seeing her face, pale from the cold, your father and I decided on the spot to take her home and search for her parents later."

"But afterward, no matter how many notices we posted or how many inquiries we made, we couldn’t find her family. It was as if she had appeared out of thin air. And that little girl... was Bing’Er. Because your father and I had always wanted Chen’Er to be happy, we decided to give him our complete devotion while he was still alive and focus only on caring for him. That’s why we never had another child. But then, when we saw little Bing’Er, we just couldn’t resist. So we had her stay with us, taking her in as our adopted daughter. But to be honest, though we called her an adopted daughter, we treated her exactly like she was our own flesh and blood."

Bi Wan looked at Mu Bingling, her expression gentle and her eyes full of affection. "It was strange, really. I don’t know if Bing’Er was our family’s lucky star, but ever since she came to our home, Chen’Er’s health slowly began to improve. Although in the eyes of others he was still a frail child, in our hearts, we were already thanking the heavens."

"And Bing’Er seemed to be very fond of Chen’Er, too. No matter how enticing the outside world was, or how much fun the other children in the family were having, she would single-mindedly stay by Chen’Er’s side, taking care of him. I saw this, and while it brought me joy, it also brought me worry."

"Because Bing’Er, you were just so lovable. As you grew older, more and more boys started to like you. So, I became selfish. I had a very, very selfish thought... I wanted to keep you by Chen’Er’s side forever..."

Bi Wan’s words left both Mu Bingling and Mu Chen stunned. Seeing their expressions, Bi Wan continued, "I know what I’m saying is unfair to you, Bing’Er. But back then, I thought, if Chen’Er stayed like that, your father and I would eventually leave this world. Then Chen’Er would be all alone... The thought brought me such immense pain that this idea was born."

"Now, Chen’Er’s health has recovered, and he can even practice Cultivation. Because of this, my desire to keep you by his side has become even more urgent. Where else could I find a girl as kind, as considerate, as beautiful, and who adores Chen’Er as much as you do? And when I think about you marrying into another family and suffering... my heart just can’t accept it, not one bit..."

"Mother..." Hearing the words ’marrying into another family,’ Mu Bingling’s face instantly turned bright red. She cried out in a flustered pout, "What are you talking about? I’m only fifteen! What’s all this talk about marriage?"

Bi Wan stroked Mu Bingling’s long hair and smiled. "Is fifteen really that young? I was only fourteen when I married your father, and even then, I felt it was a little late. The reason I called you both here today is to ask you a question. If another boy were to appear by Bing’Er’s side... Chen’Er, what would you do?"

Bi Wan’s question plunged Mu Chen into a fantasy. Indeed, if another boy were to appear by Mu Bingling’s side...

Panic flashed across Mu Chen’s face. In his alarm, he suddenly felt a sharp pain, as if a blade had pierced his chest. Both Bi Wan and Mu Bingling saw his panic. Bi Wan smiled faintly. "You’re scared, panicked, aren’t you?"

Her voice snapped Mu Chen out of his fantasy. Coming to his senses, he realized his forehead was beaded with cold sweat. It was in that moment that Mu Chen finally understood. Mu Bingling... was his Reverse Scale.

Mu Chen nodded numbly. Bi Wan said, "Your heart has long been occupied by Bing’Er. In other words, you’ve been in love with her for a long time. You just always mistook it for dependency, not love."

Seeing Mu Chen’s affirmation, the knot in Mu Bingling’s heart finally loosened. Bi Wan smiled. "Bing’Er, I’ll be blunt with you both today. If it’s possible... Bing’Er, would you be willing to stay by Chen’Er’s side forever, and take care of him in my place?"

Mu Bingling answered with almost no hesitation. "Of course I’m willing. I’m his older sister."

Bi Wan shook her head and looked at Mu Bingling seriously. "I mean... as his wife..."

"Wife..."

BOOM. The word struck them like a clap of thunder. Not only was Mu Bingling frozen on the spot, but even Mu Chen was completely stunned. But after a moment’s thought, both of them started to blush. The term ’wife’ was undoubtedly an alien concept to them. Mu Chen had spent the last three years almost entirely alone, and he was a complete blank slate when it came to matters of romance.

Being suddenly thrust into this situation, it was only natural for them to feel a little embarrassed.

Bi Wan took in both of their reactions. Mu Bingling had her hands under the table, nervously fiddling with her fingertips, her eyes cast downward as she was lost in thought. Bi Wan had always known how Mu Bingling felt about Mu Chen; for two people who grew up together, their feelings for each other were definitely not as simple as familial affection. In order to keep Mu Bingling by Mu Chen’s side, and also to keep Mu Bingling by her own side, Bi Wan decided to play the villain one more time.