Fan Lin was looking at the at the clear skies. Currently, he was flying high above the clouds. He was going to meet Xing Mo's relatives and beg for their forgiveness.
Xing Mo would have not died if he didn't took her with him. In a sense, he was responsible for the death of Xing Mo as Qiangu Dongfeng wanted to kill him, she was just caught in the clash between Fan Lin and Qiangu Dongfeng.
"She told me once that her relatives live in a small town near the East Sea city. There are seventeen towns near the EastSea city, how should I find it?"
"Haah, let's do it one by one."
Four hours later.
Fan Lin was standing in front of the cottage of the family that had the relationship to Xing Mo.
He finally found the family on his 13th village.
"Thank God, I have a picture of them together or...?"
*Knock knock*
Fan Lin knocked the cottage door while he was thanking God.
*Creaaak.*
The door opened with a creak. It was an old wooden door.
"Sorry sir, we still need some more time to repay the loan... Spare us holy lord!!!"
Mrs Chen, Xing Mo's relative, opened the door and started to say the words that she had gotten used to saying for the past few months and got the shock of her life.
In front of her stood a man with tanned skin. Short brown hair and greenish eyes and the face that was being shown on every single new channels for the past few days.
"Hi Mrs Chen. My name is Fan Lin and Xing Mo used to work for me a long time ago. Due to my mistakes, she died and I am here to ask for forgiveness. I know that you can never forgive me but please don't think anything ill of Xing Mo. She was the best worker that I had and also the most trustworthy one as well. This was her last salary that she wanted to give to you guys but was unable to personally deliver it. Thanks for your time."
Fan Lin said the words that he had prepared on his way. He was feeling guilty and ashamed but he needed to properly finish it. After saying his words, he left the money that Xing Mo would have earned till now.
Mrs Chen was silently looking at him. As Fan Lin was going to leave. She said what she wanted to say for a long, long time.
"Won't you come inside and drink a cup of tea, son."
??!
"You do know who I am right? It was me that caused the death of Xing Mo and I have also killed a lot of people. Far more than you can imagine."
"I know. Mo'er told me about you long ago. You are still like that."
"Then why did you react like that when you opened the door then?"
"I didn't know that the person that Mo'er mentioned was you."
Fan Lin got inside the cottage. It was small and shabby. There wasn't even a single thing that was new. The things were in a mess and a small box tv was playing the scene of Fan Lin killing Qiangu Dieting with the title ' Evil soul master confirmed'.
A little farther from the TV and closer to Fan Lin was a small wooden table and wooden chair. The cottage was pretty much empty except that.
"Wait here, I will bring some tea for you. Is black tea be fine with you?"
Mrs Chen said to Fan Lin. She went towards the kitchen and started to brew tea.
"I would love to. I have the habit of drinking black tea and coffee so Black tea is more than fine for me."
Fan Lin calmly replied. He wasn't that much nervous at that time. Simply because he was feeling something else.
"You really are weird."
Mrs Chen commented.
"Where is your daughter?"
Fan Lin asked. Xing mo once mentioned that she was saving the money for the usage of her cousin sister as she had talent in cultivation in the beginning year of their cooperation. Around 12-13 years ago.
"She is not here anymore. She died in the Shrek City during the annihilation of Shrek Academy."
Mrs Chen replied.
"That should be impossible, right? The Pavillion master of the Sea god island Atlas Douluo Yun Ming had already said that none of the students died in the destruction of the Shrek City."
Fan Lin calmly replied. Something was wrong and he was unaware of it.
"That's a lie that they said to gain sympathy. I went there and waited for my daughter for three whole days but no news of her came. It wasn't just me. I have seen more parents who didn't get to meet their children in front of me."
Mrs Chen said while crying. She was trying to forget about those feelings but Fan Lin's words made her remember them.
"She is alive. No one died on the day of the destruction of Shrek Academy. Some died but that was due to their stupidity and they were the teachers. None of the students died."
"How can you say that? You were not there. Shrek had already kicked you out an year before that. I have seen the news."
* Hic hic *
* hic hic *
Mrs Chen said while bawling. Fan Lin looked at her and then towards the direction of Shrek.
"Because I saved everyone of them. Be it the students, the civilians, the teachers, the protectors and the guards, the mighty sea god officer and all the Tang sect members. I saved them that night. No one died due to the attack that night. No one. The only people who died were the desperate and brave teachers who didn't think for a second before giving their life to create a barrier to stop the attack. On that night they were the only ones that died. Your daughter is still living. All the students and the civilians of the Shrek city are as well."
"Then why didn't she came to me? Why???"
Mrs Chen shouted those words. Fan Lin didn't have an answer to that. Who was to blame? Shrek for their brainwashing education method or the students that think that they are doing things for the greater good.
Obviously Shrek it is.
"She must have decided to be in Shrek. To serve Shrek and must have given her loyalty and patriotism to Shrek. She isn't the only one to do that, many students have done the same."
Fan Lin told the truth as he knew that what she wanted was the truth of her daughter.
"Why would she not come to me though?"
"I will take you to meet her after the tea. Just ask her yourself. Till the time can you tell me more about your daughter and Xing Mo. You said that she told you about me and I haven't changed, what did you mean by that?"
Fan Lin asked some questions of his own.
*Hic hic*
"Well, Mo'er was a really good child. The incident that changed her life occurred 18 years ago. Mo'er was 15 years old at that time. Her family and my husband were going to deliver some stuff to the Eastsea city for money. I was in the hospital as I was pregnant during that time. They got ambushed by the bandits, on the way. Xing Mo's parents and my husband were killed by the bandits while she and her elder sister were defiled. The guards were able to reach the sisters on time but they were only able to save her."
"On that day, except Xing Mo, all of them died. After that she also went missing and then I got a message for her 7 years later. She said the the people that did that to our family had died and they died a painful slow death at that. Even though it was just a letter, I could sense her happiness and joy in those words of her. Later she told me about her employer. A stupidly rich kid who is ruthless and cute. In the letter that she sent, there was a small card with money in it. That was how she gave me money for the education of my daughter. I don't know how she knew or why she gave me money but I was genuinely happy that she was alive and that my daughter can go to a good school."
"From then, she wrote a letter every month telling me about things that she did and about the things that you make her do without giving enough payment–"
"Wait a minute, why does that sound like I was doing something unspeakable to her?"
Fan Lin complained about the way Mrs Chen was saying the words.
"I can't do anything about that though, she wrote it like that. All the letters were filled with things about you, what you liked or disliked or wanted to do or did or your naggings and lots of things. She loved you. She loved you as a male. As a man. As a partner."
Mrs Chen said with a small smile on her face. She was happy to reminisce about those memories of hers.
"I know. She fell in love even though I have met her for less than three times at that time."
Fan Lin too replied. The other reason why he was not able to forgive himself for her death was this. She committed suicide so that he could escape from them. So that he would not have any weakness left that could be exploited.
"I know. She told me that she started to like this stoic, emotionless, apathetic person whom she had just heard the voice of. Because you were using a voice changer, she thought that the person she was talking to was a buff and brawny man with a grizzly moustache and hairy armpits."
Mrs Chen said while smiling.
"That's quite disturbing in its own way. What happened after that? I... never talked to her except when I had work for her, plus how can she fall in love with a person she had never met?"
Fab Lin asked. He was interested in the matter of Xing Mo as well.
"She was looking for revenge her whole life. She wanted nothing but revenge against those guys. You gave it to her. In a way that she can't thank you enough. Previously, she didn't treasured her body but your words made her treasure it once more. For her, you were the light of her darkness. You made her dreams come true and you treated her like a human being. You never despised her, never lusted for her, never made fun of her past or felt repulsed by her. You accepted her without any ill will. You may not understand it but for her, you were like a god."
Mrs Chen replied to Fan Lin.
"What is with the God complex with everyone (woman) that I meet? Why does everyone (women) think of me as God? It irks me a little you know. I still have a little animosity towards the gods."
Fan Lin complained once again.
"Everyone has different meaning of God Fan'er. For some, God is an omnipotent, omniscient being, while for some, God is someone who gives hope, who fulfills hopes. Someone who helps others without wanting anything in return or someone that could guide a person towards a brighter future. All of them are gods. We are the ones to decide which is the one we want to consider. For her, you were her God."
Mrs Chen said the things that she learnt from her experience.
"Yeah you are right. In that way, you are my God. For you are guiding me towards a brighter future. Not just you. All of them are gods. So what happened after that?"
Fan Lin complemented Mrs Chen.
"For six years, she sent me a letter every month until she stopped. I knew that something bad had happened to her as her last letter said that she was going to do a big mission with you."
"I am sorry for your loss. I was weak and hasty at that time. I was just thinking of myself... You know, one of the reasons why I saved the people of Shrek City was because she wanted to live there for the rest of her life. She liked that city a lot. She had a good relationship to all her neighbours, such that many of them cried when they got the news of her death. But I didn't cry at that time, my thoughts and desires increased at that time. I wanted to finish everything as fast as I could. So that I could escape from this world."
"In this life of mine, I have killed a lot, killed enough that I can form rivers by their blood. Even though I knew that I wasn't killing innocents but it still haunted me. After that, innocents died due to me. Many people were killed in the search of the 'mysterious gang', many houses were ravaged and many of my men lost their lives due to a mole hiding between us."
"Many people would say that I don't have the right to live. Many would even want to kill me but none of them would dare to use that time, that anger, that rage towards the small gangsters, their local goons and all. I can literally kill everyone of them in less than a second yet they would raise their voices against me but they won't dare to stop some gangsters from beating an innocent person. The world is weird. Far more that people make it to be."
"I am Fan Lin and I know of the things that I have done, the people that I have killed. I know all about it. I know that I don't deserve justice or mercy and I don't want it as well. If I need something that I would take it with my own hands. Till the time I am right. This was my mentality. Still is but a lot has changed. Now, I don't want to harm humans till they don't harm me. Once they do, they I will just need to show the world, the terror of Thanos."
"So even after all this, would you forgive me?"
Fan Lin said that while pointing his hands towards himself.
"I am the worst of the criminals of society, I am what the world doesn't want to have. Someone that they detest... fear... loathe... and even pray."
He said to her in a nearly pleading tone.
"I have never hated you. Resented but never hated. So you don't need my forgiveness. She chose to follow you on her own choice and I know that she would have still followed you even if you have left her to die. That's why I never hated you. The person that I know, that she loved and gave her life for, was a kind hearted human that had lost his hope in humanity but still wanted to help them. The one that she wrote about in her letters. Not the one that is known as a Genocider but as the one who did a lot of good things."
"For me, the person sitting in front of me is the man that my Mo'er fall in love with. That stoic, nearly emotionless, apathetic man that she wanted to follow till and even after her death. I have read and seen the things that you have done. My daughter got her first hundred years spirit soul with the money that Mo'er sent me. The money that you provided her with. I have seen countless of families cry in happiness over the fact that their children can get first suitable spirit souls for free. Most of them were not able to afford it. I have seen those citizens smile in joy and elation when the goons and gangsters disappeared from the towns. Everyone was happy. I have seen , read and heard of many more things that happened to change the lives of people; in a brighter way. All of them were connected to you. Even though other institutions claimed it to be their doing. I knew that you were the one who was doing it. For me, the person sitting in front of me is the Gloomy forest that my Mo'er worked for, not the Mysterious Gang leader Fan Lin but Gloomy Forest that changed the world."
"For me, just like Mo'er, you are a God. People like you seldom existed in this world. Someone who knew the pain of severance and the happiness of unity. Someone who has experienced both the light and darkness. You are one of a kind. To me, you never did anything that can warrant my forgiveness"
Mrs Chen said in a soothing manner.
"You are saying all this because you have never seen my side of the world."
Fan Lin retorted in a low voice.
"And neither have you seen the world from my side. From my eyes."
She counterattacked with a small chuckle.
"... You won. Ha haha hahahaha."
Fan Lin said to her and started laughing. All feelings of self loathing disappeared. So were the guilt.
He knew that Xing Mo would have followed him even if she discarded her. Not just her. All of them would have done the same. They were the people that wanted to change the world, they were those that have experienced the loss of their loved ones.
A small part of him knew that they would never loathe him. They would never despise him. It was just him that was feeling that self guilt.
"Talking with the elders really clears a lot of things."
"Who are you saying is your elder. I am just a few years older than you."
They both looked at each other and then Started laughing again.
A good laugh later.
"Would you like more tea?"
"With pleasure."
"Here."
"Thanks. Well, this world lacks Parle-G in it. I so want it."
"Parle-G?"
"It's cookies specially made for tea time. My hometown had a lot of it but Now I can't find it anywhere."
"You can tell me the taste and texture and I will make them for you. I am a baker."
"Let's make it. I have a good place in mind as well. Wanna see your daughter, Mrs Chen."
"Just call me mother and yes let's go."
"Then I will call you Choti maa. It means mother."
"Okay."
In a flash, Fan Lin and Mrs Chen teleported from the cottage.