She Holds the World After Being Reborn-Chapter 321 - 320: All of This, You Owe to Your Elder Brother

Chapter 321: Chapter 320: All of This, You Owe to Your Elder Brother

Westward bound, they approached the Temple of Light, nearest to the sun.

As the setting sun slanted in the sky, upon high cliffs that soared into the clouds, there stood a palace, exquisitely crafted as if by supernatural artisans.

The woman lying in the ice coffin had a lifelike visage, tranquil as if she was a painting.

Inside the great hall, it was dead silent when suddenly, her eyes snapped open, dazed at first before clarity returned, and she blinked.

A deep-seated hatred burst forth from her mind, swiftly spreading through every vein.

"Yan Wanqing, you never expected this, did you? I have returned... This time, it’s a fight to the death!"

...

Meanwhile, Yan Wanqing leaped down from a windowsill, stealing the show before leaving with her entourage.

She had completely forgotten about Huai Yu, who was still sitting in the teahouse.

She had thought that Yan Wanqing would return to the teahouse, but waited in vain until the moon rose, and still the accursed woman did not return.

When she returned to the Marquis Residence, Wu Zhen immediately came to her.

"Tomorrow, you will present a visiting card to the Commandery Princess and invite her to the Summer Sacrifice."

"Summer Sacrifice?" Huai Yu almost forgot about it, "Isn’t the Summer Sacrifice closed to outsiders?"

"She is your fiancée and not an outsider. You will take her with you," Wu Zhen’s brows knitted with a dark cloud, seeming to hide a heavy worry.

Huai Yu frowned, "Mother, you clearly know that I am—" How could she possibly take Yan Wanqing to the Summer Sacrifice?

It would spell disaster for her!

The Summer Sacrifice was an annual ritual held in the Northern Border.

On this day, adults of age dressed in their finest, singing and dancing. Those committed in their affection would consume the Concentric Gu to ensure unity and fidelity. Should betrayal occur, the Poisonous Insect would cause the betrayer to bleed from all orifices unto death.

"Your father and I did not pass the ritual of the Summer Sacrifice, and that’s why he repeatedly took concubines to spite me. Deliver the card first; I already have news of your brother. If he can return before the Summer Sacrifice and consumes the Concentric Gu with the Commandery Princess, this matter will be resolved," Wu Zhen slowly revealed her plans.

"If your brother cannot return in time, you and the Commandery Princess may consume it together. Who can say for certain that the Concentric Gu only affects men and women? As long as it binds the Commandery Princess, making the second branch give up entirely, the Marquis Residence will be at our beck and call! Once your brother returns, you can switch back, and this matter will stay between us and the heavens. Who else would know?" Wu Zhen spoke swiftly, her eyes filled with an unfathomable darkness.

"Mother!" Huai Yu could hardly believe what she heard, "Have you considered the consequences of this at all?"

"If you are worried about the risk of the Concentric Gu, I can arrange for two maids to test it tonight," Wu Zhen continued.

Huai Yu interrupted sharply, staring at the once graceful lady before her, the weight of years etched in the corners of her eyes, as if she had never truly known her.

"This is unfair to the Commandery Princess, I do not agree."

"Slap—!" As soon as Huai Yu refused, her face was struck to one side.

Wu Zhen’s face twisted into a snarl, hysterical, "What right do you have to refuse! If it weren’t for you crying to be nursed back then, why would I have left your brother alone on the side? How else could he have been kidnapped? All these years, you’ve enjoyed the best of everything in the Marquis Residence using your brother’s identity. Have you ever thought about what kind of life your brother has had to endure outside? Huai Yu, why wasn’t it you who was taken?!"

Why wasn’t it you who was taken—

That sentence echoed endlessly in Huai Yu’s ears.

She felt as though she was hallucinating, her gaze slightly vacant.

Half her face still bore the fresh imprint of a slap, and she mustered all her strength to hook the corners of her lips into a smile, tugging painfully at her facial muscles.

"So this is what you have thought all these years..."

She resented herself for taking everything that belonged to her brother, resented that it wasn’t her who had been taken away back then.

She had always thought that Wu Zhen was just a bit harsh in her treatment, but at least she was her birth mother, and aside from their differing stances, there was still the bond of kinship between them.

But today, that sentence struck her like a thunderclap,

and it left Huai Yu completely stunned.

"I don’t care what you’re thinking now, Yan Wanqing has a gold mine in her hands, the very thing that everyone at the Northern Border is vying for! Huai Xin from the second branch has already started to study diligently, just waiting for the Summer Sacrifice to show off in front of her. If you don’t use some tactics, when your brother comes back, how will you have the face to hand over this precarious Marquis Residence to him!" Wu Zhen’s voice was cold and threatening, "If you don’t do it, then I never gave birth to you!"

"Mother..." Huai Yu’s voice was choked with sobs.

Wu Zhen turned her head away, "If you think a mother’s words no longer matter, and you no longer need me as a mother, you can leave the Marquis Residence, leave the Northern Border now, and we’ll sever our mother-son ties."

"...I’ll do it." Huai Yu’s heart was wrenching, she felt like even breathing was difficult at that moment. freёnovelkiss.com

"Don’t chase me away, I’ll listen... to you," she pleaded.

Don’t chase me away.

With her head bowed, Huai Yu looked like a marionette being puppeteered, her complexion ashen and pallid, suddenly drained of all vitality.

"I’ll be obedient," she whispered.

Only then did Wu Zhen seem satisfied, extending her hand to rub her head, "That’s my good daughter."

Huai Yu remained silent.

Wu Zhen could not see the tears welling up in her lowered eyes, which she desperately held back, not letting a single one fall.

For so many years, she strived to be the perfect Young Marquis of the Northern Border Marquis Residence.

Day in and day out, she went through untold hardships, and for just one word of satisfaction from Wu Zhen’s mouth, she could go seven consecutive days without sleep, using her frail shoulders to sustain the future of the entire Marquis Residence.

From the beginning, no one had ever asked her if she was willing.

Even now, no one asked her if she found it tough.

At present, with news of her brother’s whereabouts, her mother resolutely pushed her into danger, telling her that all of this was her debt to her brother.

This name, this identity, even the entire Marquis Residence, it was all her debt to her own brother.

"Haven’t you always wanted to be a lady?" Wu Zhen softly said, "When your brother comes back, you will have everything you want."

The last glimmer in Huai Yu’s eyes was completely extinguished by the darkness.

"This is an invitation, remember to deliver it tomorrow. Get to bed early tonight." Wu Zhen, having received the answer she wanted, left in a better mood.

She placed the invitation on the table.

Huai Yu waited until the door was closed before finally lifting her head, her eyes bright red and brimming with tears.

She wiped her face roughly with the back of her hand, then picked up the invitation and held it against her chest.