Eighteen years ago, Dark River, Moon Shadow Pavilion.
"Zi Zhe, for what do you live?" asked the elderly man seated on the high platform as he sipped his tea.
Below, a handsome young man dressed in white robes clasped his fists and replied, "I live for the glory of the Mu Family!"
"Oh? How so?" The old man glanced at him.
"I, Mu Zi Zhe, will elevate the Mu Family, ensuring that in the next generation, the Mu Family truly leads the three great houses!" The young man's eyes shone with unwavering determination.
"And what of you, Ci Ling? For what do you live?" The old man turned to the slightly younger boy, whose expression seemed somewhat absent-minded.
The boy, chewing on a blade of grass, had been lost in thought and only snapped back to attention upon hearing the old man's voice. Hesitating, he mumbled, "Hmm..." In truth, he hadn't caught the question and was merely pretending to ponder.
"Ci Ling, for what do you live?" The old man, well aware of the boy's little tricks, repeated the question.
"Elder, why must you always ask such profound questions..." the boy sighed in resignation.
"Ci Ling, show some respect!" Mu Zi Zhe scolded angrily.
The old man took another sip of tea, his demeanor calm and unhurried. "Profound, you say? Then answer with the simplest truth in your heart."
"Then of course, I live for myself," the boy declared boldly.
"Oh?" The old man set down his teacup. "For yourself?"
"The Mu Family is made up of every living member of the Mu lineage. If each member can truly live for themselves and grow into a formidable force, then naturally, the Mu Family will prosper and naturally, it will lead the three great houses." The boy met the old man's gaze with burning intensity.
The old man sighed softly. "Ci Ling, you are quite fixated on becoming the strongest, aren't you?"
"If I become the strongest in Dark River, then the Mu Family will naturally be the strongest in Dark River," the boy said with a grin.
Mu Zi Zhe looked at the boy, and in that moment, a wave of confusion and even envy rose in his heart.
Their talents were nearly equal, but compared to Mu Zi Zhe, Mu Ci Ling was far too simple a person.
If someone hit him, he hit back.
If someone tried to kill him, he killed them first.
If someone forced him to bow his head, he would stubbornly rise instead.
"Haah!" Mu Ci Ling gripped his Horse Chopping Sword and slowly pushed himself up.
Mu Zi Zhe's white robes fluttered as his fingers danced across the zither strings, each one nearly bleeding from the strain, yet the Blade Net pressing down on Mu Ci Ling was gradually being torn apart.
Mu Qingyang gasped in shock. "He actually broke through the Ninefold Heavenly Sound Zither without using the Yama Palm technique!"
Su Zhetian cheered excitedly, "I won, I won! I knew I wasn't wrong about him."
Su Changfeng, however, frowned slightly. "It's not over yet."
"Butterfly Transformation, Thousand Machine Dance!" Mu Zi Zhe roared. The ancient zither suddenly emitted a ghastly shriek, and the strings snapped instantly. Mu Zi Zhe coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the instrument.
At the same time, the Blade Net shattered, and the Puppet Silk lashed out wildly toward Mu Ci Ling. Mu Ci Ling first retreated swiftly, catching his breath for a brief moment before brandishing his Horse Chopping Sword in a frenzied dance. The crisp clang of metal rang out, followed by the sound of flesh tearing. Mu Ci Ling's shoulder, abdomen, and arms were all wounded in quick succession.
"No good." Mu Qingyang gripped his sword, ready to step in and help."The bet isn't over yet. You can't interfere." Su Changfeng held him back.
Su Zhetian nodded. "That's right. The bet isn't over yet."
"He doesn't bear the Su name, so of course you don't care." Mu Qingyang frowned.
"I don't care what his surname is. All I know is that he doesn’t want your help either. If he wanted to win, why wouldn’t he just use the Yama Palm technique to break this exhausted sword formation?" Su Changfeng retorted.
"None of it is difficult!" Mu Ci Ling gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands and lightly traced a circle in the air. Then he took a step forward—suddenly, the entire Horse Chopping Sword shattered into fragments, clattering to the ground. But the sword formation had already been completely destroyed. Mu Ci Ling was drenched in blood, yet the corners of his lips still curled with that defiant smirk.
Mu Zi Zhe gave a bitter laugh and sighed softly. "I've lost."
"Yes! You've lost!" Mu Ci Ling roared, swinging his fist as he charged toward Mu Zi Zhe, his stance clearly intending to smash both Mu Zi Zhe and the Ninefold Heavenly Sound Zither into pieces.
"St—stop!" Mu Qingyang swung his Peach Wood Sword, blocking Mu Ci Ling for a moment before leaping in front of Mu Zi Zhe, snatching the Ninefold Heavenly Sound Zither and darting aside.
"This is a treasure of the Mu Family, Ci Ling. Don’t act rashly." Mu Qingyang then glanced at Mu Zi Zhe. "As for him..." Mu Zi Zhe had once been the head of the Mu Family and was, in a way, Mu Qingyang’s half-mentor. Though he had joined The Other Shore, effectively severing ties with his former master, there was still some lingering sentiment between them.
"You really think becoming the head of the Mu Family gives you the right to decide my life or death? I lost to Mu Ci Ling, not to you." Mu Zi Zhe sneered.
After being forced back by the Peach Wood Sword, Mu Ci Ling regained his composure and didn’t immediately press the attack. He turned away. "Let him go. We have no grudge between us."
"If the two of us had joined forces, why would Su Changhe and Su Muyu be the ones leading Dark River now?" Mu Zi Zhe said darkly.
"That’s the difference between you and me. I never ally with anyone," Mu Ci Ling replied.
"Hahahaha!" Mu Zi Zhe laughed heartily, then spread his arms wide. Countless Paper Butterflies fluttered up from the shadows. Su Changfeng and Su Zhetian immediately drew their swords. "Why won’t this guy just give up?"
"Today, I finally understand the meaning behind Master’s question back then." Mu Zi Zhe raised his head as the Paper Butterflies swirled around him, enveloping his entire body. Then, the butterflies burst into flames, the roaring fire instantly consuming him. By the time the butterflies had burned to ashes, Mu Zi Zhe’s body had vanished without a trace.
"Turned to ashes?" Su Zhetian clicked his tongue in disbelief.
"Hopeless," Mu Ci Ling muttered, taking a few steps forward before collapsing to the ground from exhaustion. Yet he continued speaking. "Master’s question back then was utterly meaningless."
"If it was meaningless, then how did you know exactly which question Mu Zi Zhe was referring to before he died, decades later?" Mu Qingyang crouched beside Mu Ci Ling and asked.
Mu Ci Ling smirked. "Because every word that old fool ever said was meaningless. Dark River is meaningless. The Mu Family is meaningless. Killing is meaningless. The only thing that has meaning is my existence—Mu Ci Ling’s own meaning.""Quite the philosopher!" Mu Qingyang feigned astonishment.
"Idiot." Mu Ci Ling rolled her eyes and fainted.
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