The Sorrowmender

Chapter 26 – What is evil, what is sin?

The story is long, so let's take it slow.

The road is not short, so let's travel it slowly—

From beginning to end, Ning Feng's life was brief, even shorter than this night.

The evening breeze still blows, words fall into melancholy, memories linger, this is a melody full of ups and downs, played with stirring emotions.

In the Cangyue Empire, there are one hundred and six cities, this realm is one, and Linfeng City is another.

And this Ning Feng is a native of Linfeng City.

It is said that the lord of Linfeng City raised a group of death warriors, bought into the city from a young age, trained in the most brutal ways, and grown to handle unspeakable deeds.

Ning Feng was one of them.

Rising through blood and slaughter, he survived to this day, breaking through to the Innate Stage, Ninth Layer.

In the first half of his life, his world revolved around one word: kill.

Killing to survive.

At first, he killed his companions, then he killed dissenters, and now, whoever the lord orders him to kill, he kills; whatever the lord orders him to do, he does.

The Ning Feng in his story is nothing like the Ning Feng Xu Qingzhou knows, who understands etiquette and propriety.

Instead, he is a cold-blooded killer through and through.

Of course, in Xu Qingzhou's eyes, he is just a pitiful person, a soulless being.

As the saying goes, only when you can control your own body can you control your life, and clearly, he cannot.

They were cursed from a young age, needing to take an antidote at regular intervals, or they would suffer the pain of heart-devouring and blood-burning, worse than death.

Xu Qingzhou also understood why there was always a melancholy in Ning Feng's eyes, it must be because of this.

In the end, Ning Feng made Xu Qingzhou see him in a new light, a killer born in blood, a god of slaughter, yet able to restrain his edge and killing intent so well, how rare.

It shows that his mind is strong, otherwise, he would have long been lost, like that brute in the morning, drawing his sword at a disagreement.

And so he died.

"What a pity, what a pity, a fine young man, ruined by the struggle for power, born in such a world, truly beyond one's control."

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, feeling a pang of compassion.

Ning Feng's voice gradually faded, and in the end, he looked up at the bright moon above, a thin layer of crystal glistening at the corner of his eyes, as transparent as the moon in the sky.

His deep voice rose with the wind.

"If I had a choice back then, I think I would have been a good person, but in the end, there was no choice, and no 'if'."

If he could, would he want to be a good person?

This question unexpectedly stirred something in Xu Qingzhou's heart.

He looked at Ning Feng's back and said.

"In that case, maybe you wouldn't have lived to this time."

Ning Feng was puzzled and asked, "Mister, why do you say that?"

Xu Qingzhou smiled lightly, "Because good people don't live long, in such a world, being a good person is hard, being a living good person is even harder."

Ning Feng furrowed his brow, he did not refute, because what Xu Qingzhou said was true, the words were simple, but the truth was there.

If he were a good person, could he have lived to now, he couldn't help but ponder in his heart.

"Then Mister, do you think I'm bad?"

"You shouldn't ask me, you should ask yourself."

"I should be bad."

"Why do you think so?"

Ning Feng smiled bitterly, "Because many people say I'm evil."

"Who are these people?"

"The ones I've killed, but unfortunately, they're all dead."

Xu Qingzhou was speechless, "If you put it that way, it's no wonder."

"Do you think they're right?" Ning Feng asked.

"You shouldn't ask me, you should ask yourself, if you were killed, do you think the person who killed you is good or bad, kind or evil." Xu Qingzhou once again threw the question back.

Ning Feng lowered his eyes, thinking for a long time.

"If someone kills me, then I believe they must have a reason to do so, just like I have reasons to kill them, in my view, this is not evil, maybe they also had no choice."

"Then you are not bad." Xu Qingzhou said matter-of-factly.

"Well—then Mister, do you think my killing is a crime?"

Xu Qingzhou was silent, is it a crime, what is a crime?

"That depends on who makes the law."

"Ning doesn't understand, what does Mister mean?"

"First there is law, then there is crime, whoever makes the law, decides what counts."

Ning Feng's eyes flickered, teasingly, "So, like good and bad, Mister thinks I'm also not guilty?"

Xu Qingzhou shook his head, his eyes becoming more serious.

"No, no, in my view, you are guilty."

Ning Feng pulled the reins, staring at Xu Qingzhou, confused, "Mister, what do you think Ning Feng's crime is?"

Xu Qingzhou feigned deep thought, sitting upright, and said word by word:

"Your crime, Ning Feng, is just one word."

"What word?"

"Weak."

Ning Feng was startled, the bewilderment in his eyes deepened, he exclaimed, "Weak?"

Xu Qingzhou flicked his sleeve, resting his hand on his waist, and chuckled softly:

"That's right, weak, you are too weak, so you are guilty."

Ning Feng felt his mind in turmoil, his thoughts chaotic, falling into deep thought, Xu Qingzhou's word 'weak' still echoing in his mind.

"In my view, in this world, there is only one crime, and that is weakness, the strong make the rules, the weak follow the rules, the strong act with impunity, the weak bow and scrape."

"As long as you live, weakness is the original sin, like those you've killed, why did they die, because they were too weak, even without you, there would be another you, death seemed destined for them, because they were weak, they became the ones to be killed."

"Their death, ultimately, is just a word, weak."

"Take you, Ning Feng, for example, why are you controlled by others, bowing and serving, why are you a puppet for others, because you are too weak, so you are guilty, everything you hate and resent now, you can't blame others, only yourself for being too weak."

"Weakness is the original sin, survival of the fittest, the laws of nature allow for killing."

"If, as you think, killing is a crime, then who in this world is innocent, if killing people is a crime, then what about killing all things, is that a crime?"

"Tigers kill deer, deer eat grass—isn't that also killing?"

"The world is inherently survival of the fittest, living means following this most primitive natural law, of course, you can also reason like me, but—"

Xu Qingzhou's eyes widened, grinning, "You have to be as strong as me, because I said, only the strong can make the rules, reasoning from the strong is called reasoning, it's convincing, the weak reasoning with the strong is self-humiliation."

Xu Qingzhou's words were like a bolt of lightning striking Ning Feng's mind, leaving him stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

His ears buzzed, deafening, his heart stirred by these words into a stormy sea, rolling and surging.

Such reasoning he heard for the first time in his life, yet he agreed so much.

The strong make the rules, the weak follow the rules.

Survival of the fittest—

There is only one crime in this world, and that is weakness.

Each sentence was so shocking, leaving no room for argument.

How could he be innocent?

Only after sixty breaths did he return to his senses, in that moment, his gaze changed, the reins slipped from his hands, he clasped his fists, bowing deeply to Xu Qingzhou.

"Mister is truly a sage, your words are like thunder in my ears, enlightening Ning Feng, thank you for your guidance, I offer you my respect."

[Fantasy world, do not judge by modern standards, the author is expressing that weakness is the original sin, some readers misinterpret it as blaming the victim, which is incorrect, even in today's society, the weak are bullied, between nations, between people, or in nature, survival of the fittest is an eternal truth, even with laws, it cannot be eradicated.]

[The protagonist also said, you can reason, but you must be strong, we can reason because we live in a strong country, where the strong have created the conditions for reasoning, because those great strong ones have supported the sky above us, it is not about promoting victim-blaming.]

[This is about the worldview in a fantasy setting, depicting the natural law of survival of the fittest.]