[Flashback: The Day Before Chen Ying's Wedding]
Dark clouds loomed over the Chen family estate, a prelude to the storm brewing within its walls. Inside an ornately furnished pavilion, fragrant incense burned low while the winds whispered through the open latticed windows. Shadows danced across the marble floor as Han Fei paced back and forth like a restless tiger in silk robes.
She clenched her jaw, her long nails tapping her chin as she muttered under her breath.
"Why her? Why him...?" she whispered.
Chen Jin, the First Young Master of the Chen Household, sat leisurely nearby with a jade cup of tea he hadn't touched. His golden robe shimmered under the lantern's light, but his expression twisted with disdain.
"Mother, I like Yan Mei..." he grumbled, narrowing his eyes. "But that worthless trash Chen Ying got engaged to her. All because of some dumb music talent?!"
He scoffed and rolled his eyes, tossing a spirit fruit against the table in frustration.
"He doesn't deserve her. She's supposed to be mine."
Han Fei spun on her heel, her silken sleeves flaring as she stomped the ground.
"That wretched son of a thief gets all the attention in this household—more than my son!" she growled, her eyes blazing. "And now the elders have the nerve to engage him to the Yan Family's daughter?!"
Her fists tightened, knuckles white from rage.
"I won't allow it."
Chen Jin stood, cracking his knuckles with a dark grin on his face.
"Even her brother told me I should've been the one to marry her... Not that weakling." His voice dropped into a cold murmur. "He'll live for only a hundred years—if that-and die a mediocre man. But I… I deserve Yan Mei."
Han Fei moved close to her son, her face softening only for him. She gently stroked his hair, her voice dripping with venomous affection.
"Jin'er… You will have her. That obstacle—Chen Ying—will be removed." She paused, her voice low and trembling with hatred. "I won't forgive that woman... She's already dead—but her son... her son will be the sacrificial lamb."
She turned toward the flickering lanterns as if seeing her past reflected in their flame.
"Chen Ying's mother..." she began bitterly, "...she was my friend. My dearest friend—Qiyue. She knew I loved Chen Hao. She knew. But she still took him from me."
Han Fei's hands shook, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears of fury, not grief.
"Chen Hao... he was the first man I ever loved. A rising star, owner of the family's most successful restaurant chain. I watched him shine—and then I watched him fall into her arms. Qiyue… that flower shop girl. She captured his heart, married him, and birthed that cursed child, Chen Ying."
Chen Jin blinked, hearing the venom behind every word.
"Qiyue was weak—she couldn't even break through the Meridian-Sealing stage. When her health declined, Chen Hao searched day and night for resources to save her. But the spirit essence backfired... and she gave birth early."
She took a deep breath, voice shaking with pain and malice.
"Chen Ying was born with a Yin constitution—a trait meant for women. He was frail, sickly… but because of it, he was blessed with unnatural beauty and spiritual potential. Even the heavens favored him."
She clenched her robes at her chest, the weight of her jealousy suffocating.
"And yet... even after all that... Chen Hao still chose her." Her voice cracked.
Then she turned to her son, eyes cold and mad with grief.
"So I killed him. I drove a poisoned blade into his back—into the man who should've been mine. I married your father afterward, but it was never the same..."
Unknown to them, a soft gasp echoed behind a lattice screen. Mian Mian, the quiet girl often overlooked in the Chen household, had overheard everything. Her face was pale, lips trembling in horror as she pressed herself against the wall, frozen.
Suddenly, footsteps approached.
A cloaked figure emerged from the shadows, their spiritual pressure subtle but suffocating. Han Fei straightened, wiping her tears and approaching the old man with controlled grace.
"Is it ready?" she asked coldly.
The cloaked elder handed her a dark wooden box etched with forbidden runes.
"This… will eliminate Chen Ying," he said grimly. "If you cannot invade his soul with it, slip it into his food or drink. It's poison has no antidote—his death will be inevitable."
Han Fei nodded with grim determination, but—
CRACK.
A twig snapped.
All eyes turned sharply. Mian Mian gasped—she had stepped on a branch. Her eyes met Han Fei's.
"You—!" Han Fei's eyes widened with fury and panic.
But Mian Mian didn't wait. With a swirl of her skirt, she turned and ran, her heart pounding like thunder drums, knowing her life was now in danger.
Mian Mian! Stop her!" Han Fei shouted, sending out a pulse of killing intent.
The Present
Gasps echoed through the grand hall as Mian Mian finally spoke, her voice trembling yet resolute as she addressed the gathered elders and disciples. Tears clung to her lashes, but her spirit remained unbroken.
"Madam Han Fei discovered I was eavesdropping on her conversation... She tried to kill me," Mian Mian said, bowing deeply. "If not for Young Master Chen Xin, I wouldn't be alive. He took me to a remote village where I stayed hidden for some time. When I heard rumors of Chen Ying's death, I knew I had to return… but the estate wouldn't let me in without an invitation. Then I received a letter—Chen Ying was alive!" Her voice cracked with relief and emotion. "I came as fast as I could!"
The hall was silent for a moment before the Patriarch's aura flared in fury. His spiritual pressure shook the ground beneath their feet.
"You KILLED Hao'er?!" he bellowed, his eyes burning with golden light. "How DARE you betray this clan?! Guards! Take her away!"
But just as the guards moved forward—
"Do you think she could kill me so easily?"
A calm, commanding voice echoed through the hall like thunder.
From the shadows of the grand entrance, a powerful aura surged forth, shaking the pillars and rippling the air. A tall figure stepped into the light—elegant, stern, yet emanating overwhelming strength. His long robes flowed like waves of divine qi, and in his hand gleamed a radiant spear.
It was Chen Hao.
"C-CHEN HAO?!" gasped several elders in unison.
"He's alive?!"
"That aura… It can't be...!"
"Early stage of Dao Manifestation?!" another elder whispered in awe, his voice trembling.
Han Fei's knees buckled. She collapsed to the floor, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Impossible… I killed you…"
Chen Hao's gaze was sharp, unforgiving. "The man you stabbed was not me… It was my Taoist Clone, crafted in my early Core Formation days." He narrowed his eyes. "Your poisoned knife nearly destroyed my soul, but I survived. Only a few knew the truth, and they swore to keep it secret."
The revelation struck the room like a thunderbolt. Even Chen Ying, who stood stoically to the side, blinked in surprise as fragmented memories from his body's spiritual merging with the past stirred within him.
Without hesitation, Chen Hao's expression darkened. He raised his spear.
"This is justice."
SHHHK—!!
The tip of his spear pierced straight into Han Fei's chest.
"AGHH—!" she screamed, blood spurting from her mouth as she gripped the weapon, her hands trembling.
"Chen Hao…" she hissed, her expression twisted between pain and hatred. "All because of Qiyue and that son of hers..."
Chen Hao's voice roared with righteous anger. "You tried to destroy my son out of envy and bitterness. You plotted in shadows because of the one woman I loved—Qiyue—because she had what you never could: my heart."
He gritted his teeth and drove the spear deeper. Han Fei gasped, clutching at him.
"You want to know why I chose Qiyue? Because of the lies you spread, false rumors that we were lovers. It nearly ruined my reputation and destroyed my restaurant's name. I rejected you, and you never forgave me for it."
Han Fei choked, blood staining her lips, her voice weak. "Qiyue was a commoner… she didn't deserve you…"
Chen Hao's eyes narrowed. "She was no commoner in my heart. Her cultivation might've been low, but her soul was pure. She was everything you're not."
With one final pull, he yanked the spear from her body. Han Fei collapsed, blood pooling beneath her, her breath shallow.
But with the last of her strength, she sneered.
"You... you may have won... but the Han Family… the Apothecary Sect... they won't let this go. Die with me!"
Her spiritual energy surged, forming poisoned needles in the air. They launched at blinding speed toward Chen Hao, glinting with deadly energy.
"BE CAREFUL!" Chen Ying shouted, his voice laced with alarm.
But in a flash, Yan Mei stepped forward, her robe fluttering like phoenix feathers. With a flick of her jade fingers, frost flakes formed in the air, colliding with the needles.
CRACK—!!
The needles shattered mid-air into shimmering dust.
Chen Hao gave a grateful nod to Yan Mei before turning his gaze to Chen Ying. For a long moment, father and son stared at one another in silence.
The Patriarch stepped forward, his voice solemn. "Chen Hao, welcome home… This clan is whole again."
He then turned to the lifeless body on the ground.
Dispose of Han Fei's corpse. Let it rot away from this sacred ground. As for Chen Jin, he is hereby exiled from the Chen Clan. His name will be stricken from our records. I'll send a letter to the East Branch of the Chen Family."
A murmur spread among the elders. No one dared to object.
Chen Ying silently left the hall, his figure calm yet unreadable. His robes flowed like mist as he passed by Yan Mei, who turned her head slightly, eyes filled with a mixture of longing and restraint.
She sighed quietly, then turned back to join the welcoming of Chen Hao's return, but her thoughts lingered on the lone figure walking into the shadows.