Chapter 119: Second Son (3)
The instant he felt all eyes and gazes fall upon him, Wuzhi felt a new feeling that he had never felt before. A subtle tension, an electric undercurrent, and even the very air itself felt heavy to breathe. A formless pressure descended upon him and threatened to flatten his body.
'How… curious!' An excited light shone within the very depths of his eyes. 'Is this what it feels to be out in the open? To have your every move seen and judged? How intoxicating!'
He inhaled deeply; the air felt heavy but also rich. Most others might find such a situation to be 'suffocating.' Wuzhi, however, found the atmosphere within the dining hall to be exhilarating.
He felt as if he was a flood dragon that had been released into the river.
He stepped forward, wore the most perfect smile that he could muster, and enthusiastically greeted. "Greetings, everyone! My name is Wuzhi. And I… am the second son of the Golden Sovereign Mu Wudi."
"It is my pleasure to finally meet you all."
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Xinyi stood in awe.
457 seconds, or otherwise, less than eight minutes… that was how long it had taken Wuzhi to become one with the other family members. The initial hostility and alienation that had been directed toward him had simply melted away akin to the last snow during the coming of spring.
His wit was unmatched. His knowledge was unrivalled. His attitude made him appear intelligent, competent, and yet strangely friendly. There was also his voice… deep, soothing, and velvety as if it was silk. Even Xinyi, with all her self-control as a practitioner of the [Wisdom Path], could not stop her heart from throbbing and keep her mind from producing illicit thoughts; the other female members and cousins of the family need not even be mentioned.
Judging from their rosy faces and glazed, heart-shaped eyes, they would've already thrown themselves at him had it not been for the final string of sanity holding them at bay.
As the descendant of two of the most beautiful and handsome people in this world, Wuzhi's charm had always been overwhelming. This was part of the reason why he used a concealment technique while roaming the world.
And now that he had done away with all thoughts of keeping himself to the shadows, Wuzhi appeared magnificent. He seemed akin to an immortal child that had fallen to the earth from the greater realm of Paradise.
Feeling herself being spellbound by his presence, Xinyi quickly turned away and rid herself of such thoughts. A grave expression appeared on her face as she inwardly mused. 'Frightening! He possesses frightening talent! Mother was correct. If he manages to maintain this talent and display ability and competence to the Elders and other senior members of the Household, he might perhaps even be able to shake the iron-like grip that Eldest Brother Yuelong has kept over the 'heir' position!'
'What is my position in all of this? Mother wants me to take a step back, hide within the shadows, and carefully watch my other siblings act while waiting for the perfect opportunity by always being a step ahead. However, against such a person, can I even keep my step ahead?'
'There would at least be some hope if he had been weak and crippled. Alas, he also happens to be a Rank 5 practitioner! That is an entire rank above even Eldest Brother Yuelong, and the latter is a 'Star' for Heaven's sake! Where did such a monster suddenly pop out from!?'
Despondent and depressive thoughts continued to fill her mind. She hadn't even begun competing with her new half-brother and yet had already lost all of her drive.
The Mu Family, which refers to the direct and related family members of the Golden Sovereign's bloodline, was not as peaceful and harmonious as it appeared on the surface. On the contrary, it was far from any peaceful harmony; full of undercurrents and intrigue.
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This world, like any other, possessed a limited amount of resources; be it wealth or authority.
Divided into seven continents with innumerable organizations vying for supremacy, there existed three 'Powers' that stood out in this competition.
The first and strongest of the three was the Heavenly Spirit Empire. Not only were they the oldest and most respected but they were also the strongest and richest organization to exist in this world.
Second came, the Mu Household. While it was relatively new and did not possess a foundation that was quite as firm as the Heavenly Spirit Empire, under the lead of an engaged and driven Sovereign, it managed to rapidly expand its wealth, power, and influence around the world, propping it up to its Number 2 status.
The third and final was the Scarlet Demon Organization. No one knew exactly how large and powerful this organization was since, unlike the other two powers, they were withdrawn and rarely participated in matters of the wider world. However, this organization had the Demon Sovereign Fang Gu as its leader and most of the world knew better than to thoughtlessly provoke this shameless and conniving madman.
There were many other organizations, companies, countries, and sects that were either equal or greater, in terms of wealth, power, and influence than these 'Three Sovereign Powers;' however, their lack of a living World Sovereign made them inferior.
No matter how cultured the world had grown, the ancient saying 'those with the bigger fist possess the bigger say,' still rang true to a certain extent. No power could compete against a World Sovereign; only a Sovereign can compete with another Sovereign.
In short, the person who sits upon the gilded throne of the Mu Household will become one of the world's most powerful people. Their every word and action will have the power to control and shape the flow of history!
So, who could sit on this gilded throne? Why, it was the members of the Mu Family, of course!
The Mu Family was ancient and possessed a long tradition. Its ancestors, learned and wise, had etched a stele in the depths of the Ancestral Hall detailing the process for selecting a leader for each generation. It was an ancient decree that had never been broken or disobeyed to this date.
And having said that, despite what the greater world might believe, Mu Yuelong, Eldest Son of the Golden Sovereign and the presumed 'Heir' of the Mu Household, had yet not met the requirements of this ancient decree and had not yet been crowned its true 'Successor.'
Most assumed that Yuelong had already been named the successor, however, members of the Mu Family knew the truth that this had not yet happened. He hadn't yet been named the 'Heir' of the Mu Family, and by extension, the future leader of the Mu Household.
And until then, the race was on; the spot upon the gilded throne remained open. Moreover, every single member of the Mu Family, be it a man, woman or child, had the chance to compete for this seat.
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Xinyi was worried about this exact matter. Having the blood of the Mu Family running in his veins meant that Wuzhi also possessed the opportunity to compete for the position of 'Heir.' What's more, he appeared to be even more talented and able than the number one competitor: Mu Yuelong.
To say that she did not desire that position herself would be a blatant lie. And it was not just her, every one of her direct siblings, half-siblings, close cousins, distant cousins, and everyone who possessed the slightest trace of the Mu Family Bloodline carried the same desire.
Nobody wanted to see another ascend to the seat of the gilded throne. Nobody wanted to be the servant of another person. As such, everybody used every means, be it fair or unfair, to compete in this competition.
This competition was bloody. Xinyi had personally seen entire branch families be annihilated by another competitor for the sake of removing a competitor. The only advantage that she possessed was that she was the Eldest Daughter of the Golden Sovereign; this meant that her life was more precious and could not easily be dealt with like the others.
That said, her relationship with the Golden Sovereign would've proven to be an advantage had her family been small. Unfortunately, the Golden Sovereign happened to just be the greatest philanderer in the history of this world, resulting in her having many, many siblings; all of whom possessed the same advantage as her.
Not only did she have to compete against the branch families but she also had to compete against her siblings to vie for the gilded throne. And once again, this boiled down to a competition of ability.
Nobody liked the appearance of a strong opponent in any competition. And Wuzhi just happened to be an opponent who could give the strongest opponent –Mu Yuelong- a run for his money.
'Why did such a talent have to appear in the family? And why in my generation?'
This was the thought shared by Xinyi and the rest of the members of the Mu Family.
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Author's Note: One thing that I would like to highlight is this: Mu Family =/= Mu Household. To illustrate with an example.
Imagine the Mu Household to be a 'Fortune 500' company. It is an enormous organization with innumerable employees, managers, workers, etc. The Mu Family is akin to the 'Board of Directors in this organization.
The Mu Family is part of the Mu Household; it's the central branch. That said, the Mu Household is not simply the Mu Family. It is a cluster of interest with many branches, sub-organizations, departments and more.