Chapter 564: Chapter 564: A Word of Awakening

"I won’t hit you. When have I ever broken my word? Get over here, now," Mu Wan said, looking at Mu Chengzhen with a dark expression. Seeing this, Mu Chengzhen timidly stepped out from behind Lin Kuang. He watched his sister warily, terrified she would hit him. After all, she was truly ruthless when she struck.

"Sit down," Mu Wan ordered, glancing at him.

Mu Chengzhen obediently sat on the sofa, watching her cautiously.

Lin Kuang couldn’t help but smile slightly. This kid really needs Mu Wan to sort him out.

"Speak. What exactly is going on? Who was that woman? Instead of learning anything good, you’re out there messing around. Do you think that’s fair to your father?!" Mu Wan demanded, her voice filled with anger.

"I... I just don’t like the army. It’s so much freer out here," Mu Chengzhen muttered softly.

"Bastard!" Mu Wan lunged forward, but Mu Chengzhen scrambled back in fright. At that moment, Lin Kuang stepped in and blocked her.

"Wan’er, just let Chengzhen talk. Let’s hear what he really wants to do," Lin Kuang said, trying to soothe her.

"Speak. What do you really want? And what’s the deal with that woman?" Mu Wan asked again.

"I don’t want anything. I just don’t like being constrained. The woman from earlier is He Xue, the daughter of the boss of Hangcheng’s San Ye Sect. If I get with her, her father will hand the sect over to me. Then, I’ll be the new boss. Hmph, I’ll be the one calling the shots..." The more Mu Chengzhen spoke, the more excited he became, completely oblivious to Mu Wan’s darkening expression.

"Mu Chengzhen, you’re such a damn fool!" Mu Wan was practically shaking with rage, ready to beat him.

Mu Chengzhen dodged in a panic, and Lin Kuang once again blocked his sister.

"Alright, Wan’er, let me talk to him. Stop trying to hit him all the time. Look how scared he is," Lin Kuang said irritably.

"Talk to him? What is there to say to this bastard? He’s a complete idiot! For the sake of a title, he’s getting involved with some cheap floozy who’s been passed around! Do you really think they’ll let him be the boss? He never uses his brain!" Mu Wan said furiously. This was her brother; how could she just stand by and watch him spiral downward?

Hearing this, Lin Kuang nodded and turned his gaze to Mu Chengzhen.

"Chengzhen, have you ever considered that the boss of the San Ye Sect is just using you? Do you really think you’ll become the head of the sect just by being with his daughter? Have you thought about what would happen to your father if you actually married that woman? At that point, there would be no escaping the fact that the commander of the Hangcheng military region is related by marriage to the head of an underground force. How would outsiders see that? What would your father do if someone used your position in the San Ye Sect against him?

"Furthermore, why are they so interested in you? Do you think you’re that remarkable? Don’t be foolish. They’re interested in your father’s power. I can say with absolute certainty that if you get involved with the San Ye Sect, they will definitely use you, or rather, use your father’s influence for their own ends. Chengzhen, you’re not a child anymore. You need to think things through before you act."

Listening to his words, Mu Chengzhen was stunned. To be honest, he had never considered any of this; he simply hadn’t wanted to. Now, replaying Lin Kuang’s words in his head, his expression soured.

He’s right. What ability do I have to make the San Ye Sect’s boss take an interest in me? Isn’t it just because of my dad’s status? If they’re trying to win me over like this, even if they can’t do anything directly to Dad, they’ll at least try to leverage his power. If my father’s reputation is tarnished, the consequences will be severe!

At this thought, fine beads of sweat formed on Mu Chengzhen’s forehead.

"Is... is it really that serious?" he asked, his face pale.

"Of course. It’s probably even more serious than that," Lin Kuang said earnestly.

Hearing this, Mu Chengzhen fell silent, his complexion growing even grimmer.

"Okay, okay, I understand. It’s just... I owe the San Ye Sect a huge sum of money. If I don’t pay them back, things will get ugly," Mu Chengzhen stammered.

"How much?" Lin Kuang asked with a smile.

"Not... not that much. Eighty million," Mu Chengzhen said.

"What? Eighty million?!" Mu Wan was so angry she looked ready to pounce on him. Even their mother, Zeng Yuxiang, turned deathly pale. For their family, eighty million was an astronomical sum.

"Chengzhen, how could you do this?!" Zeng Yuxiang said, her face ashen, her eyes filled with exasperated disappointment.

At that, Mu Chengzhen couldn’t hold it in any longer. "Mom, Sis, it’s not my fault!" he said, sounding aggrieved.

"The San Ye Sect has a casino, and one day, on a whim, I followed He Xue there. When we arrived, she gave me some chips and told me to just play around. I figured I’d try my luck, so I started playing. In no time at all, I had won several million. I was about to stop, but He Xue told me my luck was too good to waste and asked why I was in such a hurry to leave. I... I couldn’t resist the temptation, so I kept gambling.

"The next thing I knew, the millions were gone. I was so desperate to win it back that I lost all sense of reason and started taking money from the casino. I lost eighty million in that single night. That’s how it happened," Mu Chengzhen explained, his face filled with regret.

He knew He Xue had set a trap for him, but by the time he realized it, it was too late. Back then, the San Ye Sect had promised him that if he got together with He Xue, the debt would be forgiven, and he could even become the new boss. Naturally, he had agreed—he’d even been happy about it. But now that Lin Kuang and Mu Wan had snapped him out of it, he knew the money had to be repaid.

Listening to his story, Mu Wan was so angry she pointed a trembling finger at him. "Mu Chengzhen, Mu Chengzhen, you’re an idiot! Someone sets a trap, and you just jump right in! You’re a complete and utter moron!" She was panting with rage, her chest heaving.

"I... I was just bewitched at the time," Mu Chengzhen whispered, looking at his furious sister.

"Alright, I’ll take care of this debt for you," Lin Kuang said with a smile. "However, we’re not just going to hand them the money. You lost it in a casino, right? Then we’ll go to the casino and win it back."

"Brother-in-law, we can’t go there! That place is full of cheats!" Mu Chengzhen said in a panic.