Most likely, people would change. Even if it was the same person at first, they would have the same appearance. However, because of various circumstances and circumstances, after ten or twenty years, their temperament and circumstances would no longer be completely the same.
In fact, when he had planted the curse on Mo Ran, Shi Mei was also a person with a heart as cold as iron and a will as firm as steel.
In his eyes, other than his own revenge and his own pursuit, there was no room for anything else.
But at that time, when he looked at the actions of his other self in the mortal world, he asked himself in his heart. He suddenly wanted to know if Hua Binan had ever felt the slightest bit uncomfortable in her heart, or if she had been cold to him for a moment.
In the end, he still followed Hua Bi'nan's instructions. At this point in time, he had no way to back down.
He clearly knew that personal feelings would ruin his plans. There was nothing more important than stabilizing Mo Ran and protecting himself.
In any case, he had been acting for so long and wearing a mask for so many years. He was disgusted to the bone and had become numb to it. Acting according to the circumstances, acting contrary to one's appearance, even if Chu Wanning died, it wouldn't change anything.
He just carried the Soul-Guiding Lamp given by Master Huaizui and stood by the Bridge of Helplessness, not going anywhere. When he couldn't resolutely go through water and tread on fire for the person he loved, he couldn't help but feel envious.
If only he could be like Xue Meng and Mo Ran, making decisions for his own life, or thinking that he could make decisions for his own life, that would be good.
However, fate didn't control him. He was like a scholar in a pear garden, unwillingly but silently managing the booklet in his hands that only he could complete.
In the beginning, he seduced Mo Ran.
Mo Ran smiled at him and said, "Shi Mei, I really like you."
Later, he used Xu Shuanglin.
Xu Shuanglin lazily tossed oranges and squinted his eyes. "I've been wandering my whole life. I didn't expect to meet a friend like you. Thank you for being willing to teach me the forbidden technique of rebirth. When that trash Luo Fenghua comes back to life, I'll definitely make him cook a bowl of tangyuan for you. You don't know, but his tangyuan is the best. I'm only willing to give it to you because I respect you. "
In the end, the dagger was revealed.
It was the same as the worst-case scenario that he had discussed with Hua Bi'nan. He had no choice but to make some sacrifices of his own to distract his master and friends, so that the space-time door would open smoothly at that critical moment.
He was a chess piece in his hands.
But ten years later, when he came, he also became his chess piece.
The feeling of being controlled was actually not good. It was not that he did not hate it, but the obsession in his heart was too strong, and his wish was too deep. He did not want to give up so easily.
However …
He really, really didn't know that the so-called "small sacrifice" referred to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and the collapse of a mortal world.
It was only after he opened the Gate of Life and Death that he saw the cruel truth.
This Shi Mingjing was not that Shi Mingjing after all. He didn't experience those ten years, didn't experience those days of falling into enemy hands.
At this moment, he really couldn't understand his past self after ten years.
But there was no way to retreat.
At this moment, he was no more than an abandoned chess piece. Like all the black and white armors on the chessboard, he had lost his edge and was no longer in a position to be used.
"Master." The dim light shone on his beautiful face. He was still calm and gentle. "Actually, I've been thinking about this for a long time … I was thinking that Mo Ran could start all over again and become a different person. I was thinking that if I could turn back, would I also make a different choice because of a single mistake? "
The room was very quiet, and only his voice could be heard.
"But now, it's too late." Shi Mei said, "I know that Master already hates me, Mo Ran also hates me, and Young Master will no longer treat me as a friend … No matter whether I hesitated or not, I finally became like him."
He put his hand on Chu Wanning's hot cheek and quietly gave him healing spiritual power.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Master," he said. "The only thing I'm thankful for is that I'm blind, so I don't have to see you hate me."
After a pause, Shi Mei smiled, and the room was filled with spring.
"The last thing I saw was you guys feeling sorry for me. That's enough. "
He untied the Immortal Binding Rope on Chu Wanning's hand, removed the forbidden spell on the bed, and then destroyed the spell on the stone door.
After doing this, Shi Mei turned around and slowly left the secret room.
He walked far away and was swallowed by darkness.
At the same time, in the Qi area of the Heavenly Music Parlor.
The teacher, Mr. Ma, had just returned from the private school. He rubbed his sore shoulders and entered the room. As usual, he went to the kitchen to make a cup of Eight Treasures Tea.
He pushed the door and entered. It was dark.
Mr. Ma couldn't help but frown. He rubbed the lampstand and shouted, "Madam? It's so late, why didn't you even light a candle? You are … "
With a clank, the fire knife and flint were polished.
Mr. Ma was speechless and stood in the middle of the room in horror. He saw that all the servants in his house had been strangled to death, like a string of wind chimes hanging on the beam. His wife had been cut open, and her bloody intestines flowed all over the floor. Her eyes and mouth were open, and she turned her head in the direction of the door.
"Ah …" Mr. Ma wanted to shout, but what came out of his mouth was a very vague and weak moan. After a while, he screamed with numbness in his scalp, and feces and urine flowed, "Ah!!!!"
"Tsk. What's the noise. " A man came out of the inner room, holding a book of Shangshu in his hand. He scratched his neck with the book and yawned. "Haven't you seen a dead person?"
"You … You, you, you!! Mo — Mo …!! "
The man snapped his fingers and explained lazily, "The Sound Loss Spell."
"What, what spell?"
"The Sound Loss Spell, you don't even know this." The man rolled his eyes. "I was reading the classics in your house, so I know it's not good to disturb the neighbors' rest in the middle of the night. Come. Now you can shout as much as you want. If anyone can hear it, please blame me. "
Mr. Ma's face was as white as a ghost, and his legs were standing on both sides. He was usually very calm, so he had never seen such a bloody scene. He was already scared out of his wits, sweating all over. After a while, he said in a trembling voice, "Mo … You devil … Devil … You … Shouldn't you be at the Heavenly Sound Pavilion's execution field … You … You …"
"Heavenly Sound Pavilion's execution field?"
The man raised his eyes, which were so dark that they were almost purple, and smiled.
"Yes, I went there to see it. Otherwise, how could I hear the teacher's opinion the day before yesterday? "
As he spoke, he threw the book away, straightened his tall and straight body, and slowly walked toward the teacher.
The candlelight shone on his handsome face. Who else could it be but the Emperor Ta?
The Emperor Ta smiled brightly, and his dimples were deep. He actually bowed to the teacher. "I admire scholars the most in my life. It's rude of me to come here and kill your whole family. Greetings, teacher. "
This strange tone of voice, coupled with the people who had died in vain, was not something the Emperor Ta could handle.
Even if the man surnamed Ma had seventeen or eighteen times more courage, he still wouldn't be able to do it. He fell to the ground with a thud and gasped for breath, "What are you doing … What are you doing!!"
The Emperor Ta just smiled. He raised his hand, and a Mo Sword appeared in his palm.
He looked sideways at the teacher. "Guess?"
"Don't kill me!!!" Mr. Ma screamed and kept moving backward. "Don't kill me!!!"
As he moved backward, he bumped into something. He turned his head and saw his wife's open eyes. He cried out, "No, no, no!!! No, no — Don't, please … Don't … Ah, ah, ah!! Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!! "
The response was a stab, which stabbed straight into his thigh and went straight to the ground.
"Ah —!!!"
The Emperor Ta narrowed his eyes and smiled kindly and sweetly. "Dare I ask … What's the difference between Le Ling and a prostitute?"
"What, what?" Mr. Ma was stunned. He was in so much pain that he could not think. He just cried, "What …"
"You said it yourself." The Emperor Ta said slowly, "Teacher once said it in front of the Tianyin Pavilion. Le Ling, prostitutes, they are all people who do not know self-respect and have no sense of shame. These days, there are actually people who speak for prostitutes. I didn't expect that in the Upper Cultivation World, the morality has fallen to such a low level. "
He imitated the tone of the teacher's speech, and his tone was calm and composed.
After he finished speaking, he paused for a moment and sneered. He turned his handsome face.
"Are you familiar with the memorization, teacher?"
Mr. Ma finally had some vague consciousness in the midst of his shock. He remembered that these were the words he had said when he had attacked Mo Weiyu's mother. He hurriedly said with tears and snot, "No, no, no, I'm confused! I'm confused! This … "He swallowed his saliva, and his face was full of sweat." A prostitute is a prostitute, Le Ling is Le Ling … No, it's not the same, it's not the same … "
"How is it not the same? I think what you said is very reasonable. " The Emperor Ta walked over with a fake smile and raised his Mo Sword again. "Speaking of which, my brain is not very good, and I always lack someone to guide me. Since you have such a clever tongue, why don't you give it to me, hmm? "
"No … No, no, no!! Grandmaster, please spare me!! Please spare me!! "Mr. Ma said incoherently. He was sweating profusely." Please, I beg you, great kindness, great benevolence … "
The Treading Celestial Lord smiled. "What Grandmaster? Do you have ears? You should call me Your Majesty. "
"Your … Your Majesty?" Mr. Ma was stunned. But who cares, as long as he was alive, he could call him father. Then he said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Please spare me, Your Majesty! Please spare me, Your Majesty! "
The Emperor Ta squatted down, pinched his chin, and said with a smile, "Hey. Moral model, let me ask you, is it me who is unscrupulous, or is it you who is unscrupulous? "
"Me, me, me! It's me, it's me! It's me … it's me … "
But what was the use of sparing his life?
The Emperor Ta exerted force in his palm, and in the midst of his pleas and cries, he broke his entire throat with a smile.
After doing all this, the black-robed man looked around the room and confirmed with satisfaction that no one was alive. Then he stood up, wiped the blood off his hands, and pushed the door open to walk out of the courtyard.
Outside, Hua Bi 'nan was waiting for him.
"Are you done venting?"
"More or less."
"Can you go back to the Tianyin Pavilion with me to prepare?"
The Emperor Ta looked at him. "Okay."
Hua Bi 'nan shook his head. "I really don't know what to do with you. You want to be so calculative over such a small matter. I only said a few words about your mother, do you have to — "
"Then do you want me to say a few words about your mother?"
"…"
Hua Bi 'nan's expression changed slightly. Finally, he turned his face away and did not answer.
"Let's go. Didn't you say that you would put Grandmaster Mo's heart back into my body when you get it tomorrow? Then what are you waiting for? I can't wait. "
As the Emperor Ta spoke, his robe flapped, and he strode towards the Tianyin Pavilion.
The golden light shone through the clouds, and the sky soon brightened up.
Accompanied by a horrified scream, the bodies of Mr. Ma's family were discovered by the neighbors who had woken up early. Such a murder case should have caused a big stir in Qi, but it did not.
Because at this moment, there was an even more eye-catching sentence being carried out.
On the execution platform of the Tianyin Pavilion, torches were burning. The wax melted, giving off the fragrance of pine and cypress. Two maids of the Tianyin Pavilion in golden silk robes lit up the lampstands on both sides of the execution platform.
Strangely enough, the guards of the Tianyin Pavilion were all extraordinarily good-looking. The men were handsome, and the women were alluring. It was not known whether this was caused by the mantras of the Tianyin Pavilion, or because Mu Yanli valued appearance when she took in disciples.
"Heaven and Earth have their own wisdom. Good and evil will be rewarded."
One by one, the bestial bronze candles lit up. The flames were like bright red silk, drifting and swaying.
There were people everywhere.
On the platform, below the platform, north, south, east, and south.
The execution platform was packed. Xue Meng sat on the seat at the peak of life and death, trembling slightly.
In these three days, Xue Zhengyong had been begging people everywhere, but to no avail. Those cultivators believed in the fairness of the Divine Martial Scale, but they were also afraid of Mo Weiyu, who controlled the exquisite chess game.
"He saved us."
The people at the peak of life and death tirelessly tried to explain to everyone who could be persuaded. "That day, he scattered the spirit core to save us. If he was plotting something, why would he do this?"
But there were too many doubts about Mo Ran, so there were still no sects willing to stand on their side. Even Lonemoon Night and the Treading Snow Palace remained neutral, remaining silent.
—
The First Forbidden Art that had been lost for thousands of years suddenly reappeared. Compared to the First Public Hearing Hall that had stood for thousands of years,
Only a fool would choose to believe the former.
That was why Xue Zhengyong's running seemed so stupid, and the arguments of the peak of life and death seemed so weak and feeble.
Xue Meng had vaguely thought, why don't we break into the prison?
But he knew it was impossible.
There were guards of the Tianyin Pavilion everywhere, and there were also sect masters and disciples of other sects. Below the platform was a sea of people.
Countless pairs of eyes were watching, and there was no way to escape.
So, digging out the spirit core alive was still Mo Ran's end.
"The Tianyin Pavilion will announce the punishment in three days. The punishment has been decided." Mu Yanli looked down at the endless sea of people solemnly and elegantly. She rang the bell in her hand. "Bring the criminal Mo Ran."
From the confessional to the execution platform. Mo Ran was being escorted. A person with a broken spirit core was being watched by dozens of disciples of the Tianyin Pavilion.
They were vultures. And he was going to die. Not many people could survive after digging out the spirit core alive. The vultures smelled blood, and their eyes flashed.
"Mo Ran, who has committed a serious crime, will be punished by having his spirit core taken away at noon today." Mu Yanli's voice was clear and cold. "There are ten crimes, and I will announce them to the world."
The rain had stopped, but the ground was still wet. Mo Ran stood in the puddle, and the shadows of the sky and clouds circled around his feet. He looked up and found Ye Wangxi in the crowd.
He stared at her with his dark eyes, as if he was asking her a question. He wanted to ask if she had followed his instructions to the people at the peak of life and death. He wanted to ask if she was clear about the things that he couldn't let go of.
Ye Wangxi nodded at him. Mo Ran's lips curled into a bright and gentle smile, and his eyes were shining.
The weather was good.
The rain stopped.
"First crime, slaughtering the people and disregarding human life."
Mu Yanli's voice echoed in the Tianyin Pavilion, solemn and dignified.
"Second crime, setting fire to the building to avenge a personal grievance."
The incense in front of the Buddha burned, and the gods and Buddhas in the heavens were praying in the clouds, either angry or kind. They sat down and held their rings, looking down at the masses. All these years, Mo Ran didn't like to look at the sky. If there were really gods in the sky, he was afraid that he would be discovered because he had hidden sins and evil intentions in his eyes.
But at this moment, he finally relaxed. He looked up at the sky. The sunlight was like a wash, soaking his dark purple eyes into a light brown glaze, looking pure.
He looked at the sky. The sky was sparse and clear, and even the clouds were light.
Mu Yanli's voice was so distant. He closed his eyes.
He didn't look at the peak of life and death, nor did he look at any of his old friends' faces.
"Sixth crime, secretly learning the forbidden arts, violating the great precepts."
He suddenly thought of something, and there was some regret and affection between his eyebrows.
Originally, he wanted to treat Chu Wanning well in this life. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it. Even the first time he had promised to have a real relationship with her ended in a mess.
It ended in failure.
He really wasn't a good person. He was a jinx, a god of plagues, and a lame joke.
These two lives.
He wanted to protect his mother, but he didn't succeed.
He wanted to repay her kindness, but he didn't get what he wanted.
When he was a child, he wanted to be a hero. Later, he wanted to be Master Xue's nephew. When he was at the end of the road, he sacrificed his heart to be the most cold-blooded and heartless Emperor Ta in the world.
But it was all left unsettled.
"Emperor Ta, Mo Weiyu, Grandmaster Mo …" His eyelashes trembled slightly, and his Adam's apple moved. In the end, he sighed with a sneer and regret that only he could hear.
"You are really the most ridiculous person in the world."
With a sigh, he raised his head and gazed towards the sky. The wind ruffled his fine hair. He narrowed his eyes and then thought, where is Chu Wanning right now?
Probably because he had received too much and used up all his fate. So in this life, in the end, he couldn't see her again.
Pretty good. He narrowed his eyes and chuckled on the execution platform.
At least, he didn't have to let Wan Ning see him in such a sorry state.
"The time is coming! Prepare for execution —! "
A dignified chant sounded, and the horn was blown.
It was as if a nightmare cast a shadow, as if the sound of "prepare for execution" came into the eardrum from thousands of miles away. In the secret chamber of Jiao Mountain, Chu Wanning suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in shock.
"Mo Ran!"
The candlelight flickered. He gasped for breath, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.
He trembled slightly. Almost subconsciously, when he opened his mouth, he said the name that had troubled him for two lifetimes. Then, his Adam's apple moved up and down, and his eyes were a little blank.
He seemed to have seen the shadow of the knife just now, and a strong sense of fear rose in him. His heart was like a drum, and he didn't know why he was so frightened.
"…"
Sitting on the couch, he rubbed his face hard with his palms. His sweat gradually cooled down, and he came back to his senses.
Memories kept flashing in front of his eyes, but those memories didn't belong to him. Half of his soul had stayed in Mo Ran's body for too long, so when it returned to him, it actually brought with it many memories that belonged to Mo Ran. Those were swallowed by the Eight Bitter Everlasting Hatred Flower and abandoned.
Important memories that even Mo Ran himself didn't remember.
Chu Wanning saw it all …