Volume 1, Chapter 4: Secrets from Years Ago

As soon as Eldest Sister Jiang Qing finished speaking, the others chimed in, their eyes filled with doting affection as they looked at Jiang Mu.

Feeling the genuine warmth radiating from his sisters, a wave of bittersweet emotion surged in Jiang Mu’s heart. It was a sensation he had never experienced before.

Hastily wiping away the tears that had welled up in his eyes, Jiang Mu nodded heavily. "Sisters, I have taken your words to heart. I don't need anything else; just having you treat me as your brother is enough!"

He was a man on the brink of death, and having never dared to hope for anything all these years, receiving such familial warmth in his final moments was more than he could have asked for.

The women, however, did not overthink his words. They merely rolled their eyes at him with playful mock annoyance.

"What a silly boy!"

"You will be our brother for the rest of your life, whether you like it or not. Since you can't think of anything you want, we will take the initiative and give you some gifts. Just tell us later if you think of something else!"

Jiang Qing signaled to her younger sisters, and they immediately produced various items from their robes or conjured them out of thin air, piling them all in front of Jiang Mu.

"Little Mu, Eldest Sister doesn't have much to give you, but take this *Return to Origin One-Qi Scripture*. Although it is only a quasi-god-tier mental cultivation method—hardly comparable to the ones we have in our own family—it will help you build a foundation. Keep it and practice it whenever you like!"

"Eldest Sister, that gift is hardly sincere. Little Mu, look at what Second Sister has for you. Knowing you were coming home, I specially commissioned the continent's greatest blacksmith to forge this sword using Mysterious Sky Crystal. It is currently at the god-tier level, but once you cultivate a sword spirit, it will surely become a sacred artifact!"

"Little Mu, here is what Fourth Sister has..."

The six women chattered incessantly, stuffing carefully prepared gifts into Jiang Mu’s arms. But Jiang Mu’s senses had gone numb the moment he heard Jiang Qing’s words.

Quasi-god-tier? Was Eldest Sister losing her mind, or was he dreaming?

A cultivation method of this caliber—let alone the Lin family—was something not even a single clan in the entire Northern Territory could produce. It would be a treasure fought over by all major factions across the Qingxiao Continent. Yet, his eldest sister gave it away as if it were a triviality.

She even claimed that this quasi-god-tier manual couldn't compare to the ones they had at home!

"Eld... Eldest Sister, this... this is too valuable. I cannot..."

Jiang Mu instinctively tried to refuse, but before he could finish, Jiang Qing shoved the parchment scroll containing the technique into his arms.

"Don’t be such a stranger with us. Everything we have is yours!"

Jiang Yuan finally spoke up as well. "Mu’er, this is your sisters' heartfelt intention. Just accept it!"

Jiang Mu hesitated for a moment, then offered a bitter smile. "Father, Mother, sisters, thank you. But... I’m afraid I cannot use these. I... I have no martial talent. I fear I will never be able to cultivate."

The moment these words were spoken, the courtyard fell into a brief silence, followed by a sudden, boisterous roar of laughter.

Jiang Mu was bewildered, unable to grasp the reason for their reaction.

"Silly child, how could your talent be something that ordinary people could detect? Let me tell you, you are the greatest prodigy our Jiang family has ever seen. I saw your potential the moment you were born; there is no mistake!"

Jiang Yuan said with absolute certainty, his tone filled with conviction.

This left Jiang Mu confused. A dark suspicion flickered in his mind—could it be that they had identified the wrong person?

"But Father, I was tested for martial talent at the Lin family three years ago. They clearly stated that I had no possibility of cultivation, and besides..."

Jiang Mu hesitated, debating whether to tell his parents that he did not have long to live, but Jiang Yuan’s next words left him completely stunned.

"Haha, did they also tell you that your constitution was weak and that you would not live long?"

Jiang Mu stared at Jiang Yuan, unable to fathom how he knew.

Both Jiang Yuan and his sisters were smiling, their expressions devoid of any concern. Jiang Mu seemed to realize something and asked cautiously, "Father, am I not actually sick?"

"Of course not. How could a son of Jiang Yuan be a sickly weakling? It is a complicated story. Shortly after your mother gave birth to you, we ran into trouble. Fearing that our enemies would target you, I placed a secret curse on you, intentionally turning you into a person with no talent."

Jiang Yuan sighed, his tone filled with self-reproach. "I never imagined that you would be kidnapped by a villain later on. By the time I caught up and killed the rogue, I could no longer track you. Because of the secret art, even I could not sense the bloodline within you. It was this twist of fate that caused you to suffer for all these years..."

Listening to Jiang Yuan’s account, Jiang Mu was at a loss for words. It turned out that everything was a lie! He was not sick at all; he was actually a cultivation genius of immense potential!

If the Lin family knew this, would they regret their actions?

But this thought lasted only for a fleeting moment before Jiang Mu cast it aside. Having come to a realization, he shook his head at Jiang Yuan.

"Father, you need not blame yourself. Perhaps this was my destiny. I should thank you; if you hadn't sealed my talent, I might have been exploited by those who coveted it. Even though I have endured cold shoulders all these years, it has allowed me to see the true nature of the world. I will make those who looked down on me regret it!"

Unexpectedly seeing Jiang Mu let go of his grievances so quickly, Jiang Yuan nodded in admiration and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good. You are indeed my son. It seems you have truly grown up. Rest assured, from now on, I will not let a single soul dare to look down on you. Whatever you wish to do, your mother, your sisters, and I will support you with everything we have!"

Meeting Jiang Yuan’s burning gaze, Jiang Mu pursed his lips and looked around. His sisters had gathered around him, surrounding him like stars around a moon, each of their faces filled with genuine concern and support.

This was his true home. The Lin family had only ever intended to use him.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Mu spoke. "Father, I want to cultivate. Can you break the seal within me?"

However, as soon as Jiang Mu said this, Jiang Yuan grew awkward.

"Mu’er, this..."

Jiang Mu’s heart sank. "Father, is there a difficulty? Or is it... that my seal cannot be broken?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and smiled bitterly. "That is not the case. The seal can certainly be broken, but... our family’s spiritual energy is insufficient. Once the seal is broken, your body will inevitably absorb a massive amount of spiritual energy to compensate for the years of loss and ensure your foundation is not damaged. Given the current density of spiritual energy here, we cannot meet your needs. If you want to break the seal, there is only one place you can go for now!"