Chapter 05: Severing Ties

“You ungrateful child, what nonsense are you talking about?!” Shi Wen’s face darkened as he roared, his voice trembling with grief and rage. “What do you mean by ‘selling yourself’? Everything I’m doing is for your benefit! You know that the Xi family is a patriotic enterprise of the Empire, a paragon of law and virtue, and is growing stronger by the day. Once you’re married into their family, you’ll enjoy endless wealth and prosperity. I went out of my way to arrange this great match for you, and yet you accuse your father of such slander!”

Shi Chan stared at Shi Wen, who deliberately displayed his authoritative anger. But Chan didn’t bother arguing about who truly cared more about the Xi family’s wealth and status. With a mocking laugh, he sneered, “Father? Do you think that just because you forced me to call you ‘Father’ since I was young, it makes you the master of some noble family?”

“Oh, right,” Shi Chan added with a faint smile, striking Shi Wen’s most vulnerable point. His tone was light but hit Shi Wen like a hammer. “If I remember correctly, your registered address is still on that remote, backward planet, isn’t it?”

To Shi Wen, that subtle smile was nothing short of blatant ridicule. Rage surged through him uncontrollably, making his entire body tremble.

Shi Wen’s identity had always been his greatest concern. He had spent years scheming to acquire residency on the capital planet, but due to strict vetting processes, someone without background like him could never obtain it. Even marrying Li Manman had been a calculated move to gain access to her capital planet residency.

But now, despite Li Manman securing residency for Shi Chan, Shi Wen’s identification still marked him as from the very backwater planet he loathed to mention.

The furious alpha appeared menacing, veins bulging on his neck, his eyes filled with malice as if he saw Shi Chan as a mortal enemy rather than family.

Seeing Shi Wen about to lash out, Li Manman stood frozen in fear, too terrified to intervene as Shi Wen advanced toward Shi Chan.

“Are you planning to hit me?” Shi Chan asked, unafraid. His beautiful eyes blinked slowly, filled with arrogance.

In terms of physical ability, Shi Chan, at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, far outclassed Shi Wen, an alpha who had spent his life climbing social ladders over cigarettes and alcohol. Chan didn’t even bother to move, sitting calmly in place with an unchanged tone. His next words, however, left Shi Wen unable to take another step forward.

“Do you dare? If I have even a scratch on me, I’ll accuse the Xi and Shi families of colluding to coerce an omega.”

“The Xi family values its reputation. A single smear against a patriotic enterprise’s name is enough to cost them dearly in penalties. And you…” Shi Chan’s gaze bore into Shi Wen as his smile lingered. “Do you dare risk upsetting the Xi family?”

The Empire heavily favored patriotic enterprises with policies and tax breaks. However, the penalties for tarnishing such a reputation were equally enormous.

This constraint had now become a weapon in Shi Chan’s hands.

Shi Chan knew that Shi Wen, who dreamed of currying favor with the old noble families of the capital, would never dare provoke the Xi family. So he sat firmly, his expression tinged with defiance.

As expected, Shi Wen didn’t dare make a move.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

After savoring their discomfort, Shi Chan broke the stillness with a languid voice. “Fine. I’ll marry into the Xi family.”

Hearing this, Shi Wen looked at Shi Chan. But unlike his usual disdain for his omega son, his gaze now held suspicion and doubt.

Shi Wen realized he might have underestimated Shi Chan. His earlier performance didn’t resemble that of a naive, comfort-loving omega.

For a brief moment, Shi Wen regretted his choices. Had he known that Shi Chan was this cunning, he might have treated him better and arranged a match with a truly powerful family instead of a one-time deal.

“What are you looking at?” Shi Chan asked, his crescent-shaped smile brimming with confidence.

Shi Wen hesitated, his regret wavering as he caught sight of Shi Chan’s increasingly striking features.

But the promise of benefits from the Xi family, along with the fear of offending them, pushed Shi Wen to speak. “What are your conditions?”

“It’s nothing much,” Shi Chan replied casually. “Just severing ties with you.”

In his past life as a cultivator, Shi Chan had seen many who died tragically because of family entanglements. Some curses could even affect an entire bloodline.

Although this world seemed devoid of other cultivators, Shi Chan, thoroughly disillusioned with Shi Wen and Li Manman, resolved to sever ties under the witness of the heavens.

Shi Chan could sense the existence of the world’s natural laws—its “heavens.”

“No…” Li Manman suddenly burst into tears, her voice trembling as she hesitated to approach him. She stood frozen, her eyes filled with sorrow as she pleaded, “Chan Chan, are you abandoning your mother?”

Shi Chan fixed his gaze on Shi Wen, waiting for his agreement before turning his eyes to Li Manman.

Her cries grew quieter under Shi Chan’s complex and piercing stare.

Shi Chan finally let out a soft laugh, his gaze melancholic. “…You abandoned me first.”

Shi Chan still vividly remembered the joy and hope he’d felt upon awakening in this world and realizing he had a caring mother.

But that feeling had been eroded, little by little, until it was gone entirely.

No matter how sincere her tears or how heartfelt her pleas, Li Manman ultimately repeated the words and gestures Shi Chan instructed her to, formally severing their ties.

Afterward, Shi Chan silently returned to his room, leaving his two severed blood ties behind.

In this life…

He was alone once more.

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Sia- Happy Reading. ^_^