The Lin Clan estate blazed with light.
Rows of crimson lanterns hung beneath carved jade beams, their warm glow painting the ancient courtyard in gold and red. Silk banners danced in the evening wind, each embroidered with golden dragons and frost phoenixes—the symbols of the Lin Clan and the Mu Clan.
Tonight was supposed to be a night of celebration.
The marriage alliance between the Lin Clan's young master, Lin Hao, and the Mu Clan's precious daughter, Mu Xue'er, was meant to secure peace between two rising powers of the Azure Cloud City.
Guests from every major clan had gathered.
Sect elders in flowing robes.
City lords with jewelled crowns.
Young masters with proud smiles.
Everyone had come to witness the grand union.
At the centre of the wedding hall stood a tall, broad-shouldered man in black-and-gold robes.
His long hair was tied behind him, streaked with silver at the temples, and his presence alone carried the pressure of a mountain.
This was Lin Tianyu, Patriarch of the Lin Clan.
His sharp eyes swept across the hall before settling on the young man standing stiffly before the ceremonial altar.
His son.
Lin Hao.
"Why are you still standing there?" Lin Tianyu's deep voice echoed through the silent hall. "The auspicious hour has arrived."
Lin Hao's jaw tightened.
His handsome face was filled not with joy, but anger.
His fists clenched at his sides.
"I will not marry her."
The words struck the hall like thunder.
Every conversation died instantly.
The music stopped.
Even the dancers froze.
At the bridal side, beneath a crimson veil, Mu Xue'er's slender fingers trembled.
A wave of murmurs spread through the crowd.
Lin Tianyu's expression darkened.
"Hao'er," he said coldly, "do you understand what you are saying?"
Lin Hao turned, his eyes blazing with stubborn determination.
"Father, cultivation is the only path that matters. Marriage will only become a burden on my Dao heart."
The words caused several elders to exchange grim looks.
Lin Tianyu's aura grew heavier.
"This marriage was decided years ago. Both clans have prepared for this day. Do you wish to humiliate the Mu Clan and disgrace the Lin Clan before the entire city?"
Lin Hao's voice rose.
"I don't care!"
The hall erupted.
Gasps filled the air.
Several Mu Clan elders stood up in fury.
At the bride's side, Mu Xue'er's shoulders trembled faintly.
Lin Tianyu took a slow step forward.
Each step carried invisible pressure.
"Do not act like a fool," he said, his voice now sharp as steel. "A true cultivator shoulders responsibility."
Lin Hao laughed bitterly.
"Responsibility?"
He stared directly into his father's eyes.
"You only want me to become a tool for the clan!"
Lin Tianyu's gaze sharpened.
SLAP!
The sound echoed through the hall.
Lin Hao staggered back, one hand pressed to his cheek.
The guests fell silent.
For a moment, only the sound of the lantern flames flickering remained.
Lin Tianyu's voice was cold.
"I raised you to become the future patriarch, not a selfish child blinded by his own ambition."
Lin Hao's breathing turned ragged.
His humiliation, in front of every major power in the city, ignited into fury.
"Enough!"
He lunged forward.
"Don't force me!"
Lin Tianyu reached out to stop him.
But in that instant—
Lin Hao shoved him.
Hard.
The push was not meant to kill.
But Lin Tianyu, already weakened by an old injury from a beast tide battle years ago, lost his balance.
His foot caught the edge of the jade steps.
His body stumbled backwards.
CRACK!
The back of his head slammed against the stone dragon pillar.
The sound froze the entire hall.
Blood.
A thin crimson line trickled down the carved white jade.
Mu Xue'er gasped beneath her veil.
Lin Hao's face turned pale.
"F-Father…"
Lin Tianyu's body collapsed heavily onto the cold stone floor.
The wedding hall fell into dead silence.
Then chaos erupted.
"Patriarch!"
"Call the healers!"
"Move aside!"
Elders rushed forward.
But Lin Tianyu's vision had already begun to darken.
The lantern lights blurred.
Voices became distant.
The last thing he saw was his son kneeling beside him, face white with horror.
Then—
darkness.
Far away.
In another world.
A man sat behind a desk piled high with files.
Computer screens glowed around him.
The city lights outside the office window flickered against the glass.
He rubbed his tired eyes.
Thirty-five years old.
No wife.
No lover.
No life of his own.
Everything he had earned had gone to his parents, siblings, and the family business.
Every dream.
Every desire.
Sacrificed.
His phone buzzed.
A message.
You always live for others. When will you finally live for yourself?
He stared at it for a long moment.
Then pain exploded in his chest.
His vision blurred.
The office chair tipped backwards.
The world spun.
Darkness swallowed him.
"Patriarch!"
A sharp voice cut through the void.
His eyes snapped open.
Bright red lanterns.
Ancient jade pillars.
Hundreds of stunned faces.
The smell of incense and blood.
His head throbbed violently.
"What…"
His voice came out hoarse.
He slowly pushed himself up from the stone floor.
The entire wedding hall went silent.
An elder stared at him in disbelief.
"Patriarch… you're alive?"
The man's mind exploded with memories.
Lin Tianyu.
Lin Clan.
Wedding.
Son.
Death.
His eyes widened.
I transmigrated?
Before he could process it—
A cold mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Heaven-Seizing Legacy System Activated.]
His breath caught.
The voice continued.
[Mission Detected: Complete the wedding ceremony.]
[Reward: Heaven-grade Spirit Pill, Lifespan +20 years, Random Skill Chest.]
Lin Tianyu slowly lifted his head.
At the centre of the hall stood the trembling bride in crimson.
His son knelt nearby, face pale and filled with guilt.
The guests watched with breathless anticipation.
A slow smile formed on his lips.
This life…
would be different.
Very different.