Volume One, Chapter 17: Tang Qian’s Past! The Cycle of Cause and Effect!
“Big sister... big sister is gone... Father and mother are gone too, killed by villains!”
The little girl pouted, tears welling uncontrollably.
Wang Mu’s expression grew complex as he gently patted the girl’s shoulder in consolation.
Originally, the little girl had a somewhat happy family—an elder sister and parents—living by fishing on a remote island.
Until one fateful day, their entire family was wiped out, all brutally slaughtered.
The deaths were gruesome, with their souls forcibly extracted and completely erased.
The island was so isolated that Li Yuanhua could only uncover so much.
When reporting to Wang Mu, he suspected foul play by an evil cultivator.
The merciless method of killing and soul-erasing was unlike anything an ordinary cultivator would do.
After all, the laws of heaven are clear, and karmic retribution is inevitable; cultivators especially uphold this principle.
Li Yuanhua was also amazed that the little girl managed to escape with her life, remarking that she was truly blessed.
“Blessed indeed,” Wang Mu sighed inwardly. This was undoubtedly a protagonist’s fate—but the tragic kind.
With Wang Mu’s comfort, the girl’s emotions slowly steadied, and she began to recount the events.
It all started when her sister found a man by the sea.
The man was gravely wounded, washed ashore on the nameless island by the waves.
Her sister cared for him tenderly; over time, love blossomed, and they married. She was even pregnant.
Later, the man left, saying he was going to seek immortality and enlightenment, promising to return and provide a better life for the family.
But the day he returned became the family’s catastrophe.
In a single night, the entire household was annihilated.
Her sister, about to give birth, was beheaded, and her bones shattered.
Only the little girl narrowly escaped death.
“Do you remember that man’s name?”
“I do!” she gritted her teeth. “His name was Tang Qian!”
Wang Mu clicked his tongue in disbelief.
What a staggering coincidence!
In the past, his mother, Luo Xuanshuang, had set out to slay a peerless demonic immortal to rid him of a curse within his body.
That demonic immortal had fathered a son with a human—by chance, that son had married into the Penglai Business Association.
His name? Tang Qian.
Wang Mu snapped his fingers, and before him appeared a portrait of a radiant, spirited man.
“Is this him?”
“Yes... that’s him!” The little girl clenched her jaw, hatred blazing in her eyes. She could never forget that face, even if she turned to ashes.
So it was not a mere coincidence of names.
Judging by the timeline, Tang Qian must have just fled to the Northern Domain then, before joining the Penglai Business Association.
The truth began to clarify.
Filled with hatred and bent on overthrowing the Wang family, Tang Qian could not have wasted his time on that nameless island.
He left to strengthen himself, but unexpectedly encountered the daughter of the Penglai Business Association’s leader, sparing himself countless years of arduous cultivation.
However, his legitimate wife back home became his fatal weakness.
If the Penglai heiress learned he was already married and that his wife was pregnant, even if she did not mind, the business association would never approve.
Thus, the silencing—murder—was a natural consequence.
Wang Mu stroked his chin, suddenly finding the matter absurdly intriguing.
Years ago, his mother had accidentally spared a child of destiny.
Now that very child had become a great threat to the Langya Business Association.
And Tang Qian, taking on the role of a modern-day Chen Shimei—betraying his wife and committing evil—had also spared a child of destiny.
Indeed, one must do good deeds.
Evil acts will surely bring retribution.
“Never thought the new son-in-law of the Penglai Business Association would be such a man.”
“Tsk tsk, you can’t judge a book by its cover! That Tang Qian falls miles short of our young master!”
Nearby, Zixia and Li Yuanhua shook their heads in lament.
“Beast, truly a beast!”
Wang Mu pointed at Tang Qian’s portrait, cursing loudly, “A man of stature, yet for wealth and status, he cruelly abandoned his lawful wife, and worse, murdered her while she was with child!
I, Wang Mu, can never forgive such a vile scoundrel!”
The little girl hesitated, gazing at Wang Mu. “But he’s very powerful now.”
Wang Mu sneered, “There’s always someone stronger. No matter how powerful Tang Qian is, there will always be a prodigy greater than him.”
Li Yuanhua clapped his hands enthusiastically, “Excellent! Our young master’s ambition is as vast and boundless as the ocean! I admire you greatly!”
The little girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Wang Mu.
Wang Mu said, “I’m not talking about myself, but about you!”
The little girl was speechless.
Zixia was too.
Li Yuanhua exclaimed, “!!!”
“Me? I... can I really?” The girl’s gaze dimmed, a bit lacking in confidence as she lowered her head.
Originally, she had come to test her spiritual root, hoping to cultivate and someday avenge herself.
Yet the test results were disappointing—an inferior spiritual root, destined for limited achievement, with revenge a distant dream.
Wang Mu smiled faintly, “Aren’t you curious why I’m so particularly concerned about you?”
The girl said seriously, “Isn’t it because you’re lecherous?”
Wang Mu replied righteously, “Of course not! It’s because I see something extraordinary in you. Though your spiritual root is inferior, you possess an innate heart seeking enlightenment...
With some guidance and a few opportunities, you could transform like a dragon in a single leap!
But if you sink into despair and abandon hope, you would be no different from a walking corpse.”
The girl looked at him skeptically. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”
Wang Mu chuckled softly and pointed to Zixia. “She’s my personal attendant, has been by my side since childhood, and knows me best. Zixia, be honest—have I ever lied to anyone?”
Zixia looked between the girl and Wang Mu, her lips twitching for a long moment. “Never. The young master is the most sincere person under the heavens!”
After saying this, Zixia slowly turned away, clutching her chest.
Oh no—her conscience was missing!
Just then, a guard hurried in.
“Reporting to the young master, the goods from the business association have arrived!”
“So soon? Bring them here quickly!”
Wang Mu’s eyes lit up as he took a spatial ring from the guard. The next moment, a bronze jar appeared in his hand.
He lifted the jar’s seal, releasing a faint, refreshing fragrance that instantly filled the room.
Li Yuanhua’s nose twitched, his pupils contracting as he stared at the ceramic jar in Wang Mu’s hand. “Could it be...”
Wang Mu plunged a hand into the jar, pulling out a dozen or so golden, delicate tea leaves, placing them into a cup and steeping them with boiling water.
The aroma intensified.
Li Yuanhua and Zixia felt their minds go blank in that instant, as if their souls were gently caressed.
“No mistake, no mistake!”
Li Yuanhua’s breath quickened. “It’s the Enlightenment Tea!”
“Here, drink it!” Wang Mu handed the tea cup to the little girl.
“What’s this?” she sniffed, her eyes brightening. “It smells so good.”
“A precious elixir, very nourishing. Drinking it will make you smarter!”
The girl eyed him warily. “Wang Mu, are you trying to trick a child?”
Wang Mu was speechless.