Chapter 2: Planting the Seed of Life

On the stage, a little girl of about four or five years old was lying on the ground, picking up rose petals. Then, cupping them in her hands, she threw them forcefully into the air, cheering as she twirled in the rain of petals. Her sparkling eyes were not only sharply defined in black and white but also carefree and bright.

“What a wonderful child! So beautiful, so happy!” Seeing Xue Wen’s emotions gradually stabilize, Xiao Ziguang added, “Has she started kindergarten?”

“No. Lele doesn’t have a household registration, and I can’t afford the tuition…” Xue Wen said, lowering her head.

Life could never be smooth sailing. Although Xue Wen had tried her best, she still couldn’t live the life she wanted.

“A single woman with a child, without support from her family, indeed has a very hard and bitter life.”

“How about I help you, and you help me? After all, children grow up; sooner or later, she needs a household registration and to enter kindergarten. You wouldn’t want other kids to discriminate against her just because she doesn’t have a father…”

Xiao Ziguang couldn’t bring himself to say the word “illegitimate.” Although it was true, it might anger Xue Wen.

Looking at Xiao Ziguang coldly, Xue Wen said, “Fake will always remain fake. It can never become real! I’m helping you now to save face for you and the Xue family. But when Xue Shuyu returns, she will make things difficult for me, she will…”

Others might not understand, but Xue Wen knew her sister too well. Though she appeared obedient and gentle, beneath that facade lurked a cold and venomous snake.

“If you’re so afraid of her, why not take this chance to replace her?”

Cold light flickered in Xiao Ziguang’s eyes. “Shuyu has bullied you since you were little. Even this child—she got you drunk and caused you to lose your virtue; you don’t even know who the father is! I don’t believe you don’t want to trample Shuyu underfoot.”

Staring at the somewhat stunned Xue Wen, Xiao Ziguang continued, “Your sister ran away from the wedding, and you resemble her by about seventy percent. I am her fiancé and a son-in-law to the Xue family; if I say you are, then you are.”

“As long as the Xue family doesn’t object, no one can say you’re fake.”

Xiao Ziguang grasped Xue Wen’s hands firmly, looking straight into her eyes. “Even if you don’t think of yourself, you have to think of the child. Lele is growing up; you can’t let her be mocked by classmates as a fatherless illegitimate child.”

A woman may be gentle, but as a mother, she becomes strong.

If Xue Wen was a delicate white flower, then Lele was her inviolable core. Moreover, Xue Wen had been bullied by Xue Shuyu countless times; to say she did not hate her would be a lie.

In truth, Xue Wen had always wanted to trample Xue Shuyu underfoot.

——

Now that there was a chance to take her place, Xue Wen’s heart stirred, but she said, “Fake will always be fake, unless you have the courage to kill! If Shuyu returns, everything I’m doing now is just making a wedding dress for her. She won’t be grateful, so I’m unwilling to do such thankless work!”

Her words were not only a stance but also full of probing, even a resolute “don’t act until you see results.”

Empty promises would not win Xue Wen’s support. To make her bet, sufficient benefits had to be offered.

Xue Wen was no naive girl sheltered in an ivory tower; life had tempered her into a very practical woman. Xiao Ziguang took a deep breath and decided to speak plainly.

“The reason the Xue family accepted me as a son-in-law is to perform a ‘vital planting’ ritual for the old master…”

‘Vital planting’ is a feng shui ritual where a symbolic tomb is made for a living person, a grand scheme to deceive the heavens and steal a bit of life. This requires preparing the old master’s clothing and also sacrifices.

And Xiao Ziguang himself was the sacrifice!

Wait! Suddenly, Xiao Ziguang realized something was wrong. He looked at Xue Wen suspiciously, then seriously at Lele on stage. The little girl’s lips were rosy, teeth white, eyes lively—so full of life, with no sign of an untimely death.

A flash of lightning struck through his endless thoughts; everything that had puzzled him in his previous life suddenly made sense!

So that was it!

No wonder in his past life, after his leg was broken, he always felt dizzy—it was due to depletion of vital energy and blood!

No wonder the wedding hadn’t even ended, Lele was lost, and when they found her, the little girl was lifeless. Not long after, Xue Wen went mad and was locked in a mental hospital.

They were all sacrifices for the ‘vital planting’ ritual!

“Thinking about what? I’m telling you, don’t set your sights on Lele! Or else…” Though Xue Wen sounded fierce, she could not utter words that threatened Xiao Ziguang.

“I know why Xue Shuyu ran away from the wedding—not because she didn’t want to marry me, but because she didn’t want to become a blood-draining sacrifice!”

His words were abrupt and puzzling. Xue Wen frowned and gestured for him to explain.

“Vital planting requires sacrifices. I, the son-in-law, am a sacrifice. Xue Shuyu, the bride, is also a sacrifice. Now that Shuyu has run away, who else is there in the Xue family of appropriate age to marry?”

Faced with this question, Xue Wen already had an answer and immediately retorted, “What if I refuse?”

——

“If you refuse, they will turn their sights on Lele. After all, the blood of the Xue family flows through her veins…”

“Are they insane? So heartless?” Xue Wen’s voice trembled, filled with disbelief, but her heart already knew the truth.

If the Xue family truly needed it, Lele would become the sacrifice.

“So now we’re ants on the same rope. Even if not for me, you must be strong for Lele. After all, you’re no longer a little girl; you are Lele’s mother. Would you watch your daughter be sacrificed, her blood drained?”

Xue Wen was on the verge of breaking down, shaking her head repeatedly. “Why the vital planting? Why Lele? Why such feudal superstition? Don’t they fear retribution?”

Xiao Ziguang placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her. “The Xue family is the top aristocratic clan in Tianhai City. The old master has connections that reach heaven and earth, with disciples spread across both the underworld and the law enforcement.”

“He’s now critically ill. Whether it’s superstition or not, even if there’s only a one percent chance, his sons will give one hundred percent effort.”

“Anyone who dares oppose is unfilial! If it means the old master can live twenty-four more years, then the Xue family’s wealth and glory can last twenty-four more years.”

“Don’t talk about one Lele, even ten Lele, they would abandon them all.”

“To them, you and I are mere ants. Whether three hundred or five hundred die, it means nothing to them.”

“So this is our fate. We can either accept it proactively and try to change it, or passively bear the consequences. Xue Wen, you’d better be smart and take the initiative.”

Bang! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The banquet hall door was kicked open. A squad of men in black suits rushed in briskly, each muscular and sporting crew cuts, looking very unapproachable.

Upon seeing Xiao Ziguang, they immediately surrounded him…