The Shi family didn't expect her to come back.
Not so soon.
Not walking.
Not alive.
Shi Mu arrived at the gate alone this time. No Fu Yunshen, no crowd, no warning. Just herself—injuries mostly healed, eyes sharp, presence undeniable.
The guards saw her and froze.
No one tried to stop her.
They already knew what she was capable of.
She entered the ancestral hall like it still belonged to her.
The elders were in the middle of a family meeting. The tension in the room thickened the moment she crossed the threshold.
Heads turned.
Conversation stopped.
The silence that followed was colder than the wind outside.
Zhao Yilan stood first.
"You dare come here again?"
Shi Mu didn't flinch. "I'm still a registered member of the Shi family, am I not?"
Zhao Yilan's lip curled. "You're a disgrace."
"Then let's talk about what that word means," Shi Mu said calmly, "and who in this room best fits the definition."
Shi Yue, pale and trembling, avoided her eyes.
The second uncle cleared his throat.
"Enough. What do you want, Shi Mu?"
She stepped forward.
"You faked my death. You held a funeral. You burned my documents."
"And?"
"I'm here to claim my life back."
[System Notification]
Formal Identity Reassertion Attempt Initiated
System Response: In Progress – Legal Anchor Notified
Brotherhood Value +250 (Rightful Confrontation + Legal Path Activated)
Current Total: 11,155 / 1,000,000
Zhao Yilan laughed bitterly. "You think just walking back in changes everything?"
"No," Shi Mu replied. "But a public hearing does. And I've already filed."
Gasps around the room.
Someone muttered, "The court...?"
Zhao Yilan's voice cracked. "You wouldn't dare!"
Shi Mu met her gaze, unwavering.
"I already did."
The second uncle slammed his palm on the table.
"This is a family matter. We do not air our shame outside!"
Shi Mu looked around the room.
"All I see is shame you never planned to take responsibility for."
She turned to leave.
At the doorway, she paused.
"I was never the problem," she said. "But now I'll be the solution."
And with that—
She walked out.
The house behind her didn't feel like home.
But it no longer felt like a cage, either.