CHAPTER 225: CHAPTER 23 MADNESS

Mo Zijin’s expression returned to its original state. Shen Changqing didn’t speak, because he knew Mo Zijin had more to say. Everything that had happened since his arrival at Minor Hillock Mountain had been unexpected. Mo Zijin’s current state was clearly evolving in a positive direction, provided he wouldn’t lose control again as he had before. If he maintained control, all would be negotiable; but if he lost it, things would become troublesome.

Mo Zijin, unaware of Shen Changqing’s inner thoughts, turned around, his demeanor calm.

"Brother Shen, are you willing to listen to some of my stories?"

"I am eager to hear the details." Shen Changqing nodded.

Mo Zijin strolled to the center of the hall, gazing at the hanging calligraphy and paintings, his voice slowly spreading out.

"I was born into a butcher’s family. Although we were not a prominent household, we had some silver coins. From a young age, I loved reading and hoped to one day pass the examinations to bring honor to my family and ancestors. Moreover, it was during a time when Demon Evils plunged the world into chaos, and human lives were as worthless as grass. A moment’s inattention could lead to being devoured by Demon Evils. Scholars were said to cultivate a mighty righteousness that protected them from Demon Evils, which was another reason for my studies."

In that era, with Demon Evils causing disasters, ordinary people hardly had any chance to survive. From his words, Shen Changqing could sense the despair of ordinary folk when faced with Demon Evils.

"Unfortunately, I was simply not meant for scholarly pursuits. After years of diligent study, I repeatedly failed the examinations. Consequently, my father hoped I would abandon literature for martial arts, or perhaps take up healing, but I failed at those too." Mo Zijin’s face remained calm, his eyes reflecting remembrance. "If it were merely a matter of not achieving anything, it wouldn’t have been so bad. At worst, I could have taken over the family’s butcher business and maintained a living without falling into a wretched state. However, as the saying goes, all is well if peace prevails. But when Demon Evils brought calamity, it spelled doom for commoners."

"That year, I believe it was the 132nd year of Great Qin—" Mo Zijin’s eyes gleamed with recollection, his thoughts drifting far away. Under the flicker of candlelight, his expression became unpredictable.

The 132nd year of Great Qin! Shen Changqing thought. He vividly remembered the records he’d seen in the Scripture Pavilion, and upon hearing Mo Zijin’s words, he couldn’t help but interject.

"In the 132nd year of Great Qin, Demon Evils brought disaster to Guangyuan Prefecture."

"Indeed, in the 132nd year of Great Qin, Demon Evils brought disaster to Guangyuan Prefecture. That year, the once-peaceful Guangyuan Prefecture fell into complete chaos, with corpses everywhere." A trace of fear appeared on Mo Zijin’s face, as if he had returned to that time.

Shen Changqing softly said, "Leaving home, nothing met the eye but bones covering the plains!"

"Yes, leaving home, nothing met the eye but bones covering the plains!" Mo Zijin laughed derisively at himself. "Brother Shen truly has a way with words; your description is apt."

"Even with the Imperial Court’s forceful intervention, the chaos brought by Demon Evils could not be completely mitigated. Us commoners were merely drifting with the tide, fleeing our homes to escape Guangyuan Prefecture, seeking refuge elsewhere. But before we could leave Guangyuan Prefecture, we were ambushed by Demon Evils!"

"It was my first encounter with Demon Evils, and it turned out to be my last. Within a group of hundreds, including strangers and familiar friends, as well as my own parents, all perished at the hands of Demon Evils, their Essence Blood drained dry, their bodies like long-weathered desiccated corpses. I too should have perished by the Demon Evils’ hands, but in his final moments, my father sacrificed himself to feed the Demon Evils, allowing me to escape with my life."

Mo Zijin’s gaze was hollow as he quietly recounted his experiences. At this moment, as he spoke of Demon Evils, fear and hatred were visible on his face. He didn’t appear as the dreaded Natural Disaster whose very name made people pale; instead, he seemed like a helpless commoner, filled with resentment and fear towards the Demon Evils.

"My only thought then was to flee, to escape from that accursed place, not even daring to harbor thoughts of revenge because I was afraid, terrified. Demon Evils, to me, were an invincible existence. Yet, as a scholar with no strength to even truss a chicken, where could I flee on my bare feet?" Mo Zijin laughed mockingly at himself.

"Before long, because so many had died, an epidemic raged in Guangyuan Prefecture. I was careless and became infected. Just as I was about to leave Guangyuan Prefecture, I was stopped by the Imperial Court’s men. According to them, those infected with the plague could not leave Guangyuan Prefecture."

"Later, like the other plague-infected individuals, we were all driven back and the city was sealed off. No one infected with the plague could leave. The Imperial Court’s army was stationed outside the walls, and anyone daring to flee would be shot down with a barrage of arrows. It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it? The Imperial Court we revered and respected ultimately became our executioners." As Mo Zijin spoke, his expression twisted, the hatred in his eyes greater than when he mentioned Demon Evils.

He hated. He hated the Demon Evils that slaughtered his parents, and he hated the Imperial Court that had acted as the Executioner.

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing fell silent. He had no retort to the other’s words. If I were in Mo Zijin’s shoes, at that time, I too would have harbored great hatred towards the Imperial Court.

Mo Zijin paused then, turning his head to look at Shen Changqing. "If you were in my place, Brother Shen, would you hate the Imperial Court?"

"I would!" Shen Changqing did not hesitate and gave a direct answer.

Receiving this answer, Mo Zijin smiled. "Brother Shen and I truly see eye to eye. Indeed, at that time, who wouldn’t hate the Imperial Court?"

"The city gates were sealed, with no way for anyone to leave, and there was no food inside the city either. Some people, driven to extreme hunger, even ate the corpses on the ground. At every moment, people would die from the plague or hunger. It was the true Human Purgatory. I didn’t want to die; I wanted to live. To survive, I stuffed anything I could eat, and even what I couldn’t, down my throat, clinging to the fleeting hope that the Imperial Court would find a way to cure the plague and save us."

"But—"

"There was nothing. No one cared about our survival; the city was littered with skeletons. Those who were alive struggled within the city walls. People even resorted to exchanging children to eat them; such horrors became commonplace. I was just an ordinary person; I couldn’t save others, much less myself. Though I was unwilling to die from the plague, I had resigned myself to my fate. But I hated—hated the Demon Evils’ brutality, hated the Imperial Court’s cruelty. Perhaps, Brother Shen, you might say that isolating the plague was to prevent more people from being infected and dying."

"However, I am no Saint. I can’t be so selflessly benevolent. I am also unable to sacrifice my life for the sake of others. I thought that when I died filled with hatred, everything would completely vanish." Mo Zijin paused here.

Shen Changqing, however, listened intently. He knew that what Mo Zijin would speak of next was how he himself became a Natural Disaster.

As for how Natural Disasters were formed, honestly, Shen Changqing was quite curious too.

Mo Zijin said, "After dying, consciousness ceased. But I don’t know when it started; mysteriously, I began to hear many shrill, unwilling wails, just like the sounds the desperate people in the city had made as they died. I heard the cries of my parents, as well as the screams of others. At that moment, I suddenly understood. They were unwilling—unwilling to die just like that. Gradually, the unwillingness of those who had died transformed into a force that awakened me from the void, allowing me to be reborn on Minor Hillock Mountain."

"But when I was reborn, my memories had severely faded, perhaps because the energy spent was too great, or for other reasons. There were many things I couldn’t recall at all. Only later, as time went on, did my memories gradually begin to repair themselves."

Hearing this, Shen Changqing was beginning to understand how Natural Disasters were actually formed. Perhaps it’s the collective resentment of the unwilling souls, he mused. From what I know, every time a Natural Disaster appears, it’s preceded by a major catastrophe that leads to the deaths of numerous people. Only then does the Natural Disaster emerge. Combining this with what Mo Zijin has said, it becomes apparent: the emergence of Natural Disasters is due to the lingering, unwilling thoughts of those who died in such catastrophes. Their collective resentment interweaves to give birth to these entities. The Mo Zijin before me might not be just a simple individual; it’s very likely he’s a composite of many souls.

"I later realized that I survived not because I was lucky, but because they chose me. They hate this filthy world, hate the Demon Evils’ brutality, hate the Imperial Court’s indifference, hate all sorts of injustice. They weren’t willing to just perish utterly. Therefore, they gave all their strength to me, hoping that I could build a world without any Demon Evils, any disasters, without any injustice!" Mo Zijin’s expression was somewhat manic. In his view, his rebirth carried a mission: to forge an entirely new world, a world without Demon Evils, without any calamities, without any injustice.

Upon hearing this sentence and seeing the other’s frantic expression, Shen Changqing felt a jolt in his heart.

"Brother Mo—"

"Brother Shen, I can guess some of the reasons you came here. There have always been people from the Imperial Court outside Minor Hillock Mountain. You being here, I believe you are also one of the Imperial Court’s people. Recently, a Demon Evil came here wanting to persuade and ally with me. But how could I lower myself to associate with Demon Evils? Therefore, all the Demon Evils that came here were killed by me. And the Imperial Court expecting to win me over is wishful thinking. Brother Shen, you represent the Imperial Court. Ordinarily, I shouldn’t have hesitated at all. After all, in our eyes, whether it be Demon Evils or the Imperial Court, they are all of the same ilk, and their deaths are of no regret."