Chapter 4

I held the Taotie, a mythical beast, in my arms, my fingers threading through its thick fur, pressing it gently to feel it calm down before I continued speaking.

Watching the deep bond between father and daughter, I felt a bit nauseated.

"Engaging in a fight with your mount, destroying dozens of houses, and burning down half the forest-you should be fined a year's salary and receive ten lashes with the mystical whip.Father, you cannot mix personal matters with official duties."

Whispers spread around us; my father looked uneasy under the scrutiny but couldn't bring himself to punish his youngest daughter. "Your sister is so badly injured, yet you still push her like this. Have you no family loyalty? You have great talent and a strong body, and since this was caused by your mount, you should take her place.After all, you are sisters." Father's instructions were taken for granted.

Instantly, silence fell.

Everyone's eyes turned to me; they didn't care who was at fault, as long as someone bore the cost of their losses.

This wasn't the first time I had to clean up after my sister. No matter what mistakes she made or what damage she caused, it always ended with the line: she's still young, I'm her sister, and I should take responsibility.

I had exceptional talent and received many resources from the family.

Father always allocated my resources to support my sister, saying that since we were both his children, everything should be equal treatment.

Since my aptitude was better than my sister's, naturally, I should receive less.

In my previous life, I accepted these arrangements, not because I feared his authority, but because I hoped that if I complied a little more, perhaps he would love me a little more.

As he said, everything should be fair.

I pulled the corners of my mouth into a smile. "Sorry, I refuse. I have my own mount to care for."

From the moment I was born, I had no choice.

As the eldest daughter of the Mu family, it seemed I was destined to suffer constant injustices.

Suddenly, I wanted to live for myself, just once.

I took a deep breath and swore to fate's decree, "Under the divine judgment, I, Rachael, subject myself to the divine lightning, cutting all family ties and breaking away from the Mu family!"

Surviving the celestial trial, I severed all ties.

In an instant, the skies changed dramatically, dark clouds gathering above.

The heavens had answered my vow!

"Make way for the divine trial! Quickly, clear the field!"

Taotie licked my nose, jumped down, and ran out of the trial's range, watching me with concern.

Bolts of divine lightning struck down.

Powerful lightning bolts coursed through my veins, breaking and reassembling them.

I quietly endured the excruciating pain, only letting out a groan when it became unbearable.

After eighty-one bolts of lightning, I lay on the ground, my body scorched, yet my mind was clearer than ever.

Taotie was the first to rush over, checking on me, and its gentle spiritual energy flowed into my veins.

Cory stared at me in shock, as if seeing me for the first time. "You... "

Renee tugged at our father's hand, stopping his words, her eyes filled with resentment as she looked at me.

She let out a cold laugh. "Now that she has the Taotie, she looks down on our small family?"

I popped a healing pill into my mouth, cast a cleansing spell, and stood up slowly, suppressing the aches throughout my body.

I understood her mindset. In her view, in my past life, I had taken the Spirit Snake, humbled myself, and catered to her every whim. In this life, I chose the Taotie, which she saw as arrogance, even severing family ties.

But there was no need for that anymore. Having been reborn, there was no need to associate with rotten people, only to end up tainted myself.

Holding Taotie, I prepared to leave.

"You think you can just leave?" My sister blocked my path, glaring at me like a venomous snake. "Do you think the Mu family is a place you can come and go as you please?"

A commotion erupted around us.

"Isn't it too much to stop someone from leaving after they've survived a divine trial?"

"No matter what happened before, Rachael has always stood by her sister."

"Yeah, if it weren't for Rachael backing her up, who would have agreed to her becoming the young master?"

"Do you think we can remove her as the young master? Why choose someone inferior?"

The murmurs around us twisted Renee's expression into one of rage. She screamed, "Shut up, shut up!"

The disdainful looks from those around her provoked my sister.

It was as if she was back to her days of being disfigured and powerless, where everyone only mocked and belittled her, assuming she was worthless while my sister was the genius.

Cory was stunned too, looking at the undisguised malice in Renee's eyes, as if he no longer recognized the daughter he had favored and spoiled since childhood.

In a single night, everything changed.

The elder daughter changed, and so did the younger one. Was it that they had changed, or had he never truly known them?

He couldn't say.

The pills our father gave Renee mended her broken ribs, though the pain lingered.

She staggered around, her vicious gaze seeming to swallow everyone whole.

Finally, her eyes locked onto my face.

"Leaving the Mu family won't be that easy! You've taken advantage of the family's resources for years, and you think one divine trial will erase that?"