Ms. Diviner: The Prodigal Daughter's Return

”Who actually ended up with the Heavenly Destiny Star Plate?” Mu Hanyan continued to ask.

”No one got it. According to the information we have, the Heavenly Destiny Star Plate should be hidden somewhere in a forbidden area of Longyan Academy. Though the Mu and Yan Families wield some power, they can’t just barge into Longyan Academy and take it by force. What’s more, they don’t even know where it’s hidden, so there’s nowhere to begin if they wanted to snatch it,” Mu Beichen sighed as he answered.

”What if we knew where it was hidden?” Mu Hanyan felt her grandfather’s words had a deeper meaning, so she couldn’t help but ask.

”Little girl, do you really think your grandfather would be the type of person to resort to any means to achieve his goals? Even if we knew its location, could the descendants of our Mu Family stoop to thievery like those petty crooks?” Mu Beichen glared at Mu Hanyan and said with an air of integrity.

Mu Hanyan immediately showed her respect, ready to ingratiate herself with some flattery, but then she heard him casually add, ”However, if we were to stumble upon it by accident, we can’t be blamed.”

”Pfft!” Mu Hanyan nearly spat out her tea. As expected, she guessed right. They hadn’t made a move solely because they didn’t know the exact location. But had they known, they would have made their move long ago. Of course, ”finding it” is not the same as stealing, let alone robbing. She was glad she hadn’t started buttering him up yet; otherwise, she might have bitten her own tongue.

Looking at her grandfather’s righteous face, Mu Hanyan suddenly thought that many things must indeed be hereditary. That a face so full of righteousness could utter such shameless words must be a ”fine” tradition of the Mu Family.

”Not even knowing where the Heavenly Destiny Star Plate is, both the Mu and Yan Families are already falling out. Isn’t that too hasty?” Mu Hanyan said.

Ordinarily, families fall out over an uneven distribution of spoils. Yet here they were, quarreling over it without even having seen the ”loot.” Given the status of the Mu and Yan Families, they shouldn’t be so short-sighted.

”You don’t know the full story. The Heavenly Destiny Star Plate is not something anyone can possess. Only those who have undergone a Bloodline Awakening, the Descendants of God, are eligible to sense its aura and eventually find its location. I’m not entirely sure how many of the Guardian of the Gods’ descendants are left on the Holy Court Continent, but it’s certain for the Yan Family. As members of the Beijing Families, we both received the news. If nothing goes wrong, the Heavenly Destiny Star Plate should naturally end up in the hands of either the Mu or the Yan Family.

Better to settle matters early, than to have chaos break out later and reach an unmanageable state, as was the lesson taught by the Zhao Family incident. After all, we are descendants of the Guardian of the Gods, and there’s no need to end with the loss of the family and lives,” Mu Beichen commented with a sigh.

”What exactly happened between the Zhao Family and the Mu Family back then?” Hearing this, Mu Hanyan asked, piqued with curiosity.

Not knowing the Zhao Family’s history was one thing, but now that she did, she found it somewhat incomprehensible. As descendants of the Guarding Gods, their ancestors had fought side by side, sharing life and death. Even if compassion had grown cold among the later generations, there should still be some sentiment left. How could they have reached a point where they were at each other’s throats, with no chance for reconciliation?

”The Mu and Zhao Families, known as the two great families of the Capital, held positions second only to the Anyun Royal Family because their ancestors were both Guardians of the Gods, so the families got along harmoniously.

Much like today’s situation, both families received news of the Heavenly Destiny Star Plate at the same time but did not communicate with each other. Instead, they each sent their elite members to search for the whereabouts of the Heavenly Destiny Star Plate.

The Mu Family sent Senior Tian Lie, who had awakened his bloodline, while the Zhao Family sent someone named Zhao Lingfeng, who was said to have also undergone a Bloodline Awakening. Both went to an ancient ruin in the Longyan Mountains. However, it was Senior Tian Lie who got the Heavenly Destiny Star Plate first. Logically, the Zhao Family should have given up then, but during Senior Tian Lie’s return journey, the Zhao Family dispatched a group of elites to ambush him.”

Fortunately, Senior Tian Lie had already begun to comprehend the secrets of the Heavenly Destiny Star Plate and greatly increased his strength by then. The Mu Family sent people for support, slaying the Zhao Family’s elite on the spot, even Zhao Lingfeng fell to Senior Tian Lie’s hands.

Had it been anyone else who died, it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but Zhao Lingfeng was considered a peerless talent of the Bloodline Awakening, regarded as the mainstay of the Zhao Family. His death led to a complete fallout between the Mu and Zhao Families.

Thereafter, the Zhao Family resorted to despicable tactics, continually assassinating several Mu Family Elders and did not spare even the younger generations of the Mu lineage. Many of the talented descendants of the Mu Family were ruthlessly murdered by the Zhao Family.

The Mu Family had no choice but to fight back. A series of deadly battles ensued, implicating other noble families of the Capital and even several county families who could not remain neutral. The conflict between the two escalated and stirred up a storm across Anyun Country. Faced with such a chaotic war, even the Anyun Royal Family found themselves helpless, and it was only with the Holy Court issuing the Life and Death Order that the turmoil in Anyun Country finally ceased.

In that final battle, the Mu Family’s chance of victory was slim. Thankfully, Senior Tian Lie emerged victorious after a year of seclusion, having finally deciphered the secrets of the Heavenly Destiny Star Plate, that allowed him to turn the tide and defeat the Zhao Family, driving them out of the Capital.

Although it was a narrow victory for the Mu Family, it also resulted in a great loss of strength and thus led to the subsequent rise of the Eight Great Families,” Mu Beichen said with a tone filled with sighs.

Mu Hanyan also felt somewhat emotional, understanding now that the millennia-old grievance between the Mu and Zhao Families had such hidden complexities. She had previously wondered why the Holy Court did not attempt to resolve the feud between the Mu and Zhao Families, instead sending the Life and Death Order, compelling them to a fight to the death?

She had assumed the Holy Court simply overlooked the importance of these two great families, only to realize now that it was not out of disdain, but rather a lack of options. After all, being descendants of the Guardian of the Gods, their conflicts were something the Holy Court could only turn a blind eye to.

”If the Mu and Zhao Families had discussed the matter beforehand, it might not have escalated to such a point, and the Zhao Family might not have met such a fate,” Mu Beichen sighed deeply as he spoke leisurely.

Being descendants of the Guardian of the Gods themselves, he couldn’t help but lament the tragic end of the Zhao Family.

”Even with discussion, perhaps the outcome would have been the same,” Mu Hanyan offered comfortingly.

She had personally witnessed the cunning and ruthless nature of Zhao Yuanji and Fourth Miss Zhao. Listening to her grandfather’s account of how the Zhao family’s ancestors sent people to ambush Mu Tianlie, and after their failure, they even attempted assassinations on Mu Family Elders, sparing none, not even the younger generation. It was clear that they were not good-hearted folk. Even if there had been prior discussions, she suspected that deceitful tactics would have still played out in the shadows, leading to the same outcome. Only this time, it might not have been the Zhao Family who suffered, but rather, it could have been the Mu Family.

Therefore, Mu Hanyan did not believe there was anything wrong with the Mu Family’s utter defeat of the Zhao Family.

To repay evil with kindness is a nice idea, but if everyone repaid evil with kindness, then how would one repay goodness?

In any case, as far as Lady Mu was concerned, if you gave her an inch of respect, she would give you a mile back. If you wronged her by an inch, it wasn’t just about returning a mile of retribution; she would go to great lengths without any remorse, clear in her grievances and not pretending to be a saint.

”You’re right, it’s in their nature, and some things are perhaps destined,” Mu Beichen said with a casual laugh. As the head of the family, he would merely indulge in occasional reflections, but no one should expect him to mourn for the world.

”So, what was the result of our Mu Family’s negotiations with the Yan Family this time, and how did it lead to a fallout?” Mu Hanyan asked.