Chapter 2: Marrying the Dead

After a brief stunned pause, the couple's faces lit up with delight. Luna Lapwood clasped her hands, practically trembling with excitement. "Good, good, good. I knew my son was the most filial." "Forget one condition. Even if you asked for a hundred, I'd agree." As long as Liam Cutmore married into the Yale family, she would get the thirty-million dowry. With that money, she could pave the way for her real son to get in with Stella Group. Even landing a tiny project from Stella Group would be enough to catapult them into a different world. As for Liam Cutmore? A meek, obedient piece of trash who took whatever was thrown at him. Marrying Olivia Yale, a dead woman, was practically a match made in heaven. "Go on," Noah Cutmore urged, the corners of his mouth lifting. Even his tone softened. "Name your condition. Your mother and I will agree." Liam Cutmore said, "I want to know who my biological parents are." The couple froze again. That was it? They had been bracing for something outrageous. Instead, it was laughably simple. Mud would always be mud. You could never prop it up into a wall. "No problem," Noah Cutmore said smoothly. "But you need to go to the Yale family first and marry Miss Yale. After that, I'll tell you." He kept that little hook in place, afraid Liam Cutmore would back out. "Fine." Liam Cutmore nodded and walked toward the Audi. "Wait." Just as he reached for the door handle, Noah Cutmore hurried over and stopped him. Liam Cutmore frowned. "What now?" Noah Cutmore shot him a look full of open disgust and spoke with icy indifference. "The car's packed with wedding stuff. There's no room for anyone else. Take a taxi." Liam Cutmore glanced inside. The back seat was empty. A cold laugh curled in his chest. From Noah Cutmore's expression alone, Liam Cutmore understood. The man thought a convict sitting in his car would bring bad luck. But Liam Cutmore only cared about one thing: the truth about his biological parents. He couldn't be bothered to argue. He waved down a cab and headed for the Yale family estate. Yet the moment he got in, his gaze caught on the Audi's rearview mirror. A strip of mourning cloth had been tied to it. Liam Cutmore's brow tightened again. A wedding was supposed to be a celebration. Why would anyone hang mourning cloth? Had Monty Cutmore died? Otherwise, how could "good fortune" like marrying Olivia Yale ever have fallen into his lap? His expression steadied a heartbeat later. Whether Monty Cutmore lived or died, whether Noah Cutmore and Luna Lapwood lived or died, he no longer cared. He only wanted answers about his biological parents, and he needed to marry Olivia Yale and complete their first union. When he left prison, his five masters had joined forces to suppress his Vengeful Dragon Poison for only one month. That meant if he failed to perform Dual Cultivation with Olivia Yale within a month, he would die. No exceptions. … The Yale family. As a prestigious clan of Jiangbei, one of the four great families, their estate should have been blazing with lanterns on such an auspicious day, crowded with guests and congratulations. Instead, mourning cloth hung everywhere, and the air felt heavy enough to choke on. After delivering Liam Cutmore to Olivia Yale's parents and exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries, Noah Cutmore and Luna Lapwood left. Back in the car, a thread of unease crept into Luna Lapwood's heart. "Pengzhan… if Liam Cutmore really becomes part of the Yale family, what if he uses their power and shoots up overnight?" "On him?" Noah Cutmore snorted. "The only reason he can marry into the Yale family is because Olivia Yale is dead." "Otherwise, would it ever be his turn?" "Relax. In five years, he hasn't changed at all. Still weak, still useless, still the same spineless trash." "Even if you tossed him into the Heavenly Palace, he'd just be a guard dog. He couldn't stir up a ripple." With that, the couple drove off in high spirits, their voices dripping with contempt for Liam Cutmore. … Meanwhile, Liam Cutmore sensed something was wrong. The Yale family was hanging mourning cloth too. So Monty Cutmore hadn't died. Then why had Noah Cutmore and Luna Lapwood handed him this "good fortune"? Could it be… A chill of foreboding rose in his gut. "Are you Liam Cutmore, the one who just got out of prison?" The sharp bark snapped him out of it. Liam Cutmore looked up and nodded. "That's me." "Hmph! A convict, and you think you're worthy of being my Yale family's son-in-law?" Ethan Yale's face burned with fury. "Get out. We don't welcome you here." He had wanted Monty Cutmore. He never expected Noah Cutmore to deliver Liam Cutmore instead. A flicker of displeasure crossed Liam Cutmore's face. After inheriting the true teachings of his five masters, he had once unleashed Starter‑Strike: Shatter the Titan‑Spire and roamed the world with sword in hand, undefeated. In the Martial World, there had even been a saying: the fastest sword under heaven was Rocky Cutmore's. In the past, if anyone dared speak to him like this, he wouldn't have needed to lift a finger. The bootlickers would have taught Ethan Yale exactly why the flowers were so red. "What, you didn't hear me?" Ethan Yale shouted, seeing Liam Cutmore's expression harden. "A convict has no right to be my Yale family's son-in-law." "Get out, right now. If you don't, don't blame me for being rude." Even if his daughter was dead, she was still a member of the Yale family. Besides, the Yale family was doing this for "joy," for auspiciousness. They absolutely could not allow a man who had been in prison to step through the Yale family's gates. Liam Cutmore's eyes darkened. Before he could speak, Olivia Yale's mother, Gina Warth, sensed the tension and hurried to smooth things over. "All right, all right. Watch your mouth," she scolded softly. "Liam is our Yale family's son-in-law already." She turned to Liam Cutmore with a gentle smile. "Liam, your dad has a sharp tongue, but he isn't a bad person. Don't take it to heart." Then she produced a bank card and placed it into his hand. "Here. Ten million. Consider it your name-change gift from Mom." Liam Cutmore startled and immediately tried to hand it back. "Mom, that's too much. I can't take it." "Too much or not, we're family," Gina Warth said, pushing it back into his palm. "No need for formalities." "And even if you married into our family, a son-in-law is half a son." "Isn't it only right for a mother to give her son money?" She patted the back of his hand, her gaze growing warmer the more she looked at him. She had quietly investigated Liam Cutmore. Yes, he had been to prison, but only because he had taken the fall for Monty Cutmore. To her, that meant loyalty. It meant he valued bonds. Monty Cutmore, on the other hand, had caused trouble and shoved his younger brother into the fire. A selfish coward with no backbone. Compared to background and history, Gina Warth cared far more about character. When Liam Cutmore heard the word "son," something surged in his chest, hot and unfamiliar. From Gina Warth, he felt something he had never once tasted in his life. Motherly love. "Thank you, Mom." He accepted the card, and a genuine smile split his face. "Silly child," Gina Warth chided with a laugh. "Always so polite." Ignoring her husband's objections, she took Liam Cutmore by the hand and led him upstairs. "All right. We can talk later. First, I'll take you to Olivia." Because it was a ghost marriage, the Yale family chose to keep everything simple rather than disturb Olivia Yale's body. They planned to have Liam Cutmore and Olivia Yale perform a basic Three-Bow Ceremony, and that would be that. At the door to Olivia Yale's room, Gina Warth's expression crumpled into raw grief. After a quiet instruction, she wiped at her tears and went back downstairs. A bad feeling slammed into Liam Cutmore. He pushed the door open and strode inside. A young woman in a pure white wedding dress lay motionless on the bed, her beauty so flawless it felt unreal. Judging by her looks alone, Olivia Yale deserved the title of Jiangbei's number one beauty. Even in stillness, she carried a cold, otherworldly grace, like an immortal who had stepped down from a moonlit palace. But when Liam Cutmore realized there was no trace of life in her, his heart lurched hard. So it was true. No wonder Noah Cutmore and Luna Lapwood had "gifted" him this fortune. They wanted him to marry a dead woman. What crushed him most was this: Olivia Yale possessed the Frost Immortal Physique. If she was dead, then one of the nine was missing. Without her, Ninefold Unity could not be completed, and the Vengeful Dragon Poison could not be lifted. Which meant he was finished too. "Hm?" Liam Cutmore's eyes shifted. He sensed something, something subtle, and his expression changed. "No… that's not right…" In the next instant, he lunged forward and ripped the hem of Olivia Yale's skirt clean off.