Chapter 22: The Weight of Secrets
Lin Ma stood motionless, his hands clenched tightly at his sides. The ancient, stone courtyard stretched before him like a battlefield, each crack in the cobblestones reminding him of his fractured life. The air felt heavy, thick with secrets that had waited years to be unveiled. His mind was a storm of thoughts, trying to reconcile his old life with this new one, the one where he was a son-in-law, unwanted and despised. Yet, beneath that despair, there was a flicker of determination that refused to die. He would not let this world consume him.
"Lin Ma!" The voice rang out harshly from behind him, breaking his reverie. "You're still standing there, doing nothing?"
He turned to see his father-in-law, the old patriarch of the Ji family, his eyes cold with disdain. The old man's wrinkled face twisted into a sneer, his cane tapping rhythmically against the stones as he hobbled toward him. "I didn't bring you here to be useless. If you don't start pulling your weight around here, you'll regret it."
Lin Ma's gaze hardened. He had long ago learned that words from the Ji family were daggers aimed at his pride. But he wasn't the same man who had been humiliated in his previous life. The pain, the shame, had changed him, tempered him like steel forged in the heat of a thousand flames.
"I'm working on it," Lin Ma said through clenched teeth, his voice colder than he intended. "I'm learning. Slowly, but surely."
The patriarch's lip curled in derision. "You should be doing more than just 'learning,' boy. Don't forget, you're here to serve this family, not to lounge around like some pampered prince."
Lin Ma stood straighter, meeting the old man's gaze. He was tired of being the subject of ridicule. There was a fire in his chest now, one that could no longer be ignored. "I understand," he said, though his voice betrayed no fear. "But the time will come when you will see my value."
The patriarch snorted, dismissing him with a flick of his hand. "Keep dreaming, son-in-law. Just keep dreaming."
As the old man hobbled away, Lin Ma turned his attention to the vast estate that stretched before him. The Ji family was ancient, their roots buried deep in the soil of the land. But beneath their grandeur, there was something dark, something rotten that only Lin Ma could sense. He didn't know what it was, but the nagging feeling gnawed at him.
He moved toward the back of the estate, his feet carrying him to the secluded garden. The heavy scent of jasmine hung in the air as he walked, trying to clear his mind. The sounds of birds chirping filled the silence, but even nature's serenity couldn't quiet the storm in his heart.
When he arrived at the edge of the garden, Lin Ma paused, his eyes narrowing. There, in the far corner, was something he hadn't noticed before — a strange, old stone tablet, half-covered by creeping vines. Intrigued, he approached it cautiously, brushing away the thick foliage that obscured the carvings on the stone.
As his fingers traced the ancient symbols, a surge of energy shot through his fingertips, and his eyes widened. The symbols seemed to pulse with a faint, glowing light.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts. "What do you think you're doing?"
Lin Ma spun around to see Ji Yanyu, his wife, standing a few feet away. Her gaze was cold, her arms crossed in front of her. She looked every bit the daughter of the Ji family — proud, beautiful, and unapproachable. But beneath that mask of arrogance, Lin Ma could see the faintest flicker of concern in her eyes.
"I was just... looking at something," he said, his voice uncertain. "I didn't mean to intrude."
Ji Yanyu stepped forward, her eyes narrowing at the stone tablet. "That thing... it's dangerous. No one in this family is supposed to touch it. It's sealed away for a reason."
Lin Ma frowned. "What is it?"
Her lips pressed together in a thin line. "It's an ancient relic, one that has been passed down through generations of the Ji family. It contains powers that no one should meddle with."
Lin Ma felt a strange pull toward the stone. It was like the tablet was calling to him, whispering in the back of his mind. He ignored the warning bells ringing in his head and took a step closer. "What kind of powers?"
Ji Yanyu hesitated, her eyes darting to the stone and then back to Lin Ma. "I don't know," she admitted softly. "My family has always kept the secret. But they say it's dangerous. Even my father refuses to speak of it."
Lin Ma's curiosity deepened. "Then why keep it here? Why not destroy it?"
A flicker of pain crossed Ji Yanyu's face, but it was gone before he could decipher it. "Some things can't be destroyed. They must be hidden away."
"Hidden away," Lin Ma echoed, his mind racing. The strange pull from the stone was growing stronger, more insistent. But something told him that touching it again might unlock something... dangerous.
Ji Yanyu took a step closer, her eyes softening for the first time since Lin Ma had met her. "Please, don't. It's not worth it."
But Lin Ma wasn't listening anymore. Something inside him had shifted. He felt a strange connection to the stone, as though it held the key to something greater. Something that could change everything.
As he reached out to touch it again, a sharp, sudden pain shot through his hand. He gasped, stumbling backward, his mind reeling from the wave of power that surged through him. But before he could react, a bright light engulfed him, and everything went black.
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End of Chapter 22