Give Your Life Back!

A cold glint flashed in Chen Han's eyes as he began the final cultivation of the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique (Proficiency Stage).

Days turned into weeks, and the door to Chen Han's residence remained tightly shut. Had it not been for the regular flicker of lamp light each evening, his neighbors might have assumed he had already died inside.

In the blink of an eye, two and a half months had passed. Autumn departed, winter arrived, and snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.

The wind and snow were fierce, as if the entire world had been draped in a white shroud.

The biting cold wind made people gasp, their necks hunched deep into their collars, afraid to straighten up. There were far fewer pedestrians on the road, and the occasional ragged beggar was a rarer sight than before.

"It's snowing..."

Shen Yue watched the snowflakes drifting outside, murmuring to herself, heavy with worry.

I wonder how Big Brother is doing now. Is he eating well? Is he sleeping soundly? Is he cold...

With her bright eyes and pearly teeth, her skin was fair, and the youthful naivety on her face seemed to be slowly fading, perhaps due to the long-standing gloom in her heart.

But come to think of it, the time was nearly here. In another two months, she would turn fifteen; once she grew a year older, she would be a proper young woman.

Watching the snow outside, she once again thought of her somewhat inscrutable, even mysterious, brother-in-law.

She desperately wanted to ask what all of this was about. Her mind was filled with questions about her big brother, yet they had remained unanswered for far too long.

However, her eldest sister had told her not to ask, lest she bring trouble upon him, so she had suppressed her curiosity.

She thought back to that rainy night and the scene of her brother killing three men in a row. Though it had been shocking then, thinking of it now made her heart palpitate with intense fear.

Because she hadn't seen her brother in a long time and had no news of him at all, she was terrified that he might have abandoned them, or perhaps become a ghost under someone else's blade.

The more she thought, the more frightened she became, so she simply stopped thinking about it altogether.

"Yue'er, come and try the porridge Mother made for you."

Shen Yue looked back at Lu, her eyes filled with the same old desolation, but she forced a smile. "You eat it, Mother. I have no appetite."

Lu sighed and did not try to persuade her further.

On the other side, at the Li Mansion.

"I'm telling you, Muyun, how could you not consult me about such a major matter? That was three hundred taels of silver!"

Squire Li wore a look of utter exasperation.

"Father, at that time, our benefactor had suffered such severe injuries. I was anxious and didn't think it through..."

Squire Li looked at her with a mix of disappointment and frustration, but after a long moment, the hurtful words he wanted to say remained unspoken.

"You, oh you. I remember you used to be so clever. Why did you lose your head over such an important matter?

That Chen Han tricked you into a spin with just a few words, even making you go behind your own father's back to engage in such underhanded dealings!"

"Father, Chen Han is not the person you think he is. His actions must have had reasons that he couldn't easily disclose."

Li Muyun kept her head lowered, yet she refuted him without hesitation.

Squire Li's anger surged, his face turning red and his neck thick with rage. He shouted at his daughter in a rare display of temper: "Li Muyun! Can you still not see it? That brat Chen Han only came to our Li family with the intention of playing a long game to catch a big fish!"

"Perhaps he was looking for a way to survive at first, but the boy is calculating. He must have investigated our entire family in secret."

"For all we know, the incident where he saved you was nothing more than a play he staged with hired actors, all to win your favor and swindle you!"

"Father, isn't it a bit too much to say that about our benefactor? At the very least, he taught Mubai with all his heart. Otherwise, who knows how long it would have taken Mubai to successfully break through the barrier."

As soon as Li Muyun said this, Squire Li was rendered speechless.

It was true; just a few days ago, his son Li Mubai had successfully broken through the barrier and become a Mingjin martial artist.

This was largely thanks to Chen Han.

"Regardless of what you say, the fact remains that we were swindled out of three hundred taels."

Both were left with nothing more to say. After a long silence, the bearded Squire Li finally spoke.

"Fine. You're grown up now, and I can't control you. Since I can't control you, you might as well find your own way."

Li Muyun looked bewildered, her pretty face stunned, thinking she had misheard. "Father, what do you mean by that? Are you saying you don't want me anymore?"

Squire Li's expression suddenly turned complex. After a long pause, he stammered, "The Mu Family in the east of the city approached me privately a few days ago."

"The Mu Family..."

As soon as this information was out, Li Muyun knew exactly what it was about.

"You mean that dissolute eldest son of the Mu Family, right? Father, you know what kind of person he is, don't you? He bullies men and oppresses women, he's deceitful and cunning, he even dared to..."

"Ahem..."

Squire Li interrupted her.

His expression was stern, devoid of emotion. "The Mu Family is powerful and wealthy, with the Black Mountain Gang as their massive backer. If our Li family can establish a connection with them, our trade influence and martial prowess will surely reach new heights."

Tears welled up in Li Muyun's eyes, her gaze filled with disbelief. She could not understand why the father who had doted on her since childhood would say such hurtful things today.

"So, you intend to use your daughter as a bargaining chip, selling her to a morally bankrupt piece of trash in exchange for profit."

Squire Li's gaze was cold. "My dear daughter, you don't need to look at me with those eyes. You shouldn't be unfamiliar with this sort of thing. Which woman among the generations of royalty and nobility isn't used for family or royal marriages to secure benefits for their kin? Why is it that when it comes to you, it suddenly becomes unacceptable?"

"That young master of the Zhao Family is indeed of questionable character, but that is something that can be changed. Rest assured, your future Uncle Zhao has already promised me that he will discipline him strictly."

Squire Li usually appeared harmonious with his kin and kind to his servants, but whenever the major interests of the family were at stake, his mind was always absolutely rational and cold.

Three hundred taels of silver meant nothing to him, and while he felt pity for a daughter, she was of little consequence compared to a family legacy passed down through generations.

He would absolutely not allow the family legacy, handed down through the ages, to decline in his hands!

Watching Li Muyun press her lips together, she looked at her father; the figure that had once seemed tall and imposing was now one she could not bear to look at.

"I do not agree!"

Li Muyun recalled a phrase Chen Han often used to teach his younger brother: "Seize your destiny!"

Human destinies are as varied as the autumn leaves, and the destinies people wish to seize are as colorful and vibrant as a kaleidoscope. Yet, in this world where the great waves wash away the sand, how many can truly control their own lives and their own fates?

Therefore, one must practice martial arts and become strong!

Only the strong can control their lives and their destinies, remaining unbound by the great trends and unwashed away by the surging tides!

She, too, wanted to become the kind of person her benefactor spoke of—one who controls their own life and destiny.

"You have no choice!"

Squire Li slammed his hand against the table and stood up, completely unmoved.

Li Muyun was startled, but she immediately forced her expression back to normal.

What did it matter to her if others were willing to be puppets in a marriage alliance? She, Li Muyun, was unwilling, and even more so, she refused!

With a resolute gaze and pursed lips, she suddenly drew the short blade she kept at her waist for self-defense and pressed it directly against her throat, her eyes firm yet trembling.

"Father, if you only brought me into this world to trade for profit, then today, I shall return this life to you..."