In the central lands of Tian Lan, hundreds of martial experts gathered in one place. The location was imposing, with its ancient stone walls, and the air thick with a mysterious energy that seemed to pierce through the bones. This was the tomb of the Grand Master, where all had come for a single goal: to claim the sole inheritance of this legendary man.
Hundreds of men stood before one person. Yan Mu stood at the center of the courtyard, calm as the mountains, showing no trace of fear or hesitation.
One expert stepped forward with firm steps, his voice booming like thunder:
"Yan Mu, you scoundrel! Who do you think you are? Do you think you can take the great inheritance alone? You are nothing but a mortal man! How dare you challenge all of us?"
Yan Mu laughed—a hysterical laugh that pierced the silence, carrying with it endless mockery.
"Yes… yes…" he said, wiping a mock tear from his eye. "Do you really think you can stop me? If only you truly possessed real power! If that were true, you would have claimed the inheritance before I did!"
Then his voice shifted suddenly, sharp and cold:
"Why didn't you? Because you were afraid! Afraid of the wrath of the Lost Forest Fairies!"
A stunned silence fell upon them. The bitter truth struck their faces like a slap.
Yan Mu continued with a savage smile:
"Never mind… they will never know. This miserable pit will become your tombs!"
At that decisive moment, Yan Mu spread his arms wide and produced a small cocoon from his sleeve. It glimmered faintly, as if holding indescribable power.
Yan Mu gazed at the cocoon briefly, then crushed it with his hands.
A tremendous explosion! The ground shook beneath everyone's feet, the ancient stone walls cracked. Rocks flew in every direction, and a dense cloud of dust enveloped everything.
Fifty years earlier…
In one of the Han Clan's chambers, a young man in his twenties sat on his modest bed. It was Yan Mu—but in his youthful body—looking around with eyes full of astonishment and confusion.
He whispered to himself softly:
"I've achieved my goal… this story was real. So, that old fool wasn't lying after all."
Yan Mu looked around the room: the simple wooden furniture, the window overlooking the clan garden, the curtains embroidered with the family emblem. He sighed deeply, realizing what had happened.
"So, this really is the Han Clan… how annoying to return to this moment in time!"
At that moment, the sound of light footsteps approached the door. A servant entered, carrying a tray of food, a hidden smile trying to creep onto his face.
"Young Master," the servant said politely, "here is your meal for tonight."
Yan Mu looked at him with childlike, emotionless eyes, as if watching a farcical play.
The servant continued, placing the tray on the small table:
"It's a soup prepared by Miss Shiro with all her effort… so please enjoy it."
Yan Mu pretended confidence, lifting the bowl to his mouth. But in a flash, he fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
The servant laughed wickedly:
"Hahaha, you fool! You've fallen into my trap! Paralysis poison! Now you're in my grasp!"
The servant approached Yan Mu, rubbing his hands in vengeful delight:
"Now… the fun begins!"
Then, in an instant, Yan Mu spat the soup onto the servant's face!
The servant screamed in pain:
"My eyes! My eyes! What have you done to me, scoundrel!"
Yan Mu wiped the soup from his mouth calmly, then stood as if nothing had happened. He kicked the servant forcefully to the ground, then poured the rest of the soup over the trembling man.
The servant begged with a faltering voice:
"Master… please… forgive me… I wasn't alone… they forced me!"
Yan Mu looked at him coldly, as if staring at an insect. Then he began kicking the servant's head again and again, each blow shattering the skull, the screams growing louder with each strike.
The noise was so loud that other servants rushed to the room, shocked by the scene: their young master standing over a servant drenched in blood, kicking without mercy.
The chief servant hurried forward, feigning shock:
"Master! What are you doing? This servant has always been obedient! What happened?"
Yan Mu knew their performances well—he had suffered from this man's schemes for years.
At that moment, the uncle overseeing clan discipline entered, a man in his forties with piercing blue eyes and short black hair. He looked at the scene in surprise:
"What is going on here?"
The chief servant stammered deliberately:
"Young Master… he… he struck this poor servant! He has always been kind… especially Miss Shiro… I don't understand what suddenly happened!"
Yan Mu spoke softly and coldly, as if the scene were a boring play:
"Enough."
The chief servant froze. He had not expected the young master to intervene so decisively.
Yan Mu continued, looking at him with childlike, emotionless eyes:
"Also tell them… that this obedient servant, whom you love so much… sneaked into my room in the middle of the night."
Silence filled the room.
"…And brought me the soup himself… out of loyalty, of course." Yan Mu gave a faint smile. "…And insisted I drink it all."
The servant on the floor trembled violently.
"But unfortunately… the soup contained paralysis poison."
Expressions changed. Shock and confusion spread among the servants.
Yan Mu stared at the chief servant:
"And after I fell… this loyal servant approached me to kill me."
Then he slowly gestured at the servant's face covered in soup:
"But it seems his plan failed." His voice grew colder: "As for why I burned him…" Then a faint smile: "…it's because he tried to kill his master."
The servants exchanged nervous glances. The uncle squinted suspiciously at the trembling servant.
Yan Mu laughed inside. Fools… even after fifty years, the same tricks still work.
He looked at the chief servant and said slowly:
"Or… do you want to claim that I lied?"
The room froze. To say yes would mean accusing the young master of outright lying. To stay silent would make it undeniable truth.
The chief servant sweated, thinking quickly: This scoundrel is using the situation to scare the rest of us! Until yesterday he was just a foolish child! What should I do now? Either choice is bitter, and I will lose either way.
Yan Mu, as if reading his mind, said:
"Oh, I have an idea!"
He looked at the chief servant with cold, childish eyes:
"How about you kill him?"
Everyone froze. If the chief servant killed the person he knew well, all other servants would know he could abandon them at any moment. He would lose all authority forever.
The uncle looked seriously at Yan Mu:
"Isn't that cruel? Though the servant erred… his clan has served ours for generations. Our fathers stood with theirs through thick and thin."
Silence returned.
But Yan Mu did not get angry. On the contrary, he smiled faintly.
"Cruel?" He looked at the trembling servant. "He tried to kill his master." Then to the uncle: "Is defending oneself cruel now?"
The uncle hesitated, struck by this sharp logic.
Yan Mu continued calmly:
"But… you are right, uncle."
Everyone was surprised, even the uncle widened his eyes slightly.
"Killing the servant outright might indeed be cruel."
The chief servant relaxed slightly.
But Yan Mu added coldly:
"That's why… I will not kill him."
The servants' eyes widened in shock.
He continued:
"We will send him to the Investigation Hall."
The servant trembled violently, knowing what awaited him.
"He will be investigated before everyone." Yan Mu looked directly at the chief servant. "Of course… anyone who was in contact with him will also be questioned."
Suddenly, the chief servant's expression changed completely. His internal smile vanished, replaced by clear worry.
Yan Mu added with a cold smile:
"It is unreasonable to think that a single servant would dare poison the clan master… isn't that so?"
A heavy silence fell. The uncle squinted further. The servants exchanged worried glances. The chief servant began sweating profusely.
Yan Mu laughed inside: As expected… he's so nervous. How long will he endure this?
He sat down slowly and gracefully, as if a king on his throne:
"Take him away."
The guards approached and dragged the screaming servant:
"Master! Master! Please! I wasn't alone! There's—"
The chief servant froze. His lips quivered.
Yan Mu smiled:
"There… the fish is opening its mouth."
Before the servant could finish, the chief servant moved like an arrow. In a moment, his sword pierced the servant's neck. The head rolled to the floor, blood splattering everywhere.
The chief servant sweated from shock, barely realizing he had executed him before everyone, when he could have done it quietly in the prison.
Yan Mu looked at the body coldly, then at the trembling chief servant. He smiled faintly:
"Must the cat devour her kittens with such cruelty?"
All the servants froze. The comment carried a heavy meaning: Yan Mu was clearly saying, You orchestrated this and now disposed of your partner.
The chief servant's face paled further.
The uncle suddenly interrupted, sensing things might spiral out of control:
"Enough. And you, Yan Mu… I'll make sure this never happens again. Now you may return to your room. We will handle the rest."
Yan Mu looked at the uncle, then the trembling chief servant, then the fearful servants. He smiled faintly:
"As you wish. I will go."
He stood slowly, cast a final glance at everyone, and walked to his room with confident steps.
Outside, the moon shone brightly in the sky. Yan Mu stood by his window, gazing at the stars for a moment.
He whispered to himself:
"Fifty years… and I return to the beginning. But now, I must