novelraw Chapter 1131: Samsara (1)
Chapter 1131: Samsara (1)
In the dimly lit room, the lone eye of the roaring Demon was bloodshot with dense red veins… blood trickled slowly from the corner of his eye.
Due to the strain, the wounds caused by the Pipa Lock continued to bleed.
He looked like a vengeful ghost.
Mo Mo instinctively took half a step back.
Before he left the mountain, his master, Daoist Changhe, had told him—this world was not only filled with beauty, but also with unimaginable evil and filth.
“You're scared! You backed away!!” the bloodied Demon grinned viciously. “You're ashamed of what you people have done! You're hesitating… you're hesitating!”
Mo Mo lowered his head, silently listening to the mockery. Only when the other finally ran out of breath from all the shouting did he quietly respond, “Once, a senior told me that the coldest thing in the world is the human heart… but the warmest thing is also the human heart.”
The battered Demon kept panting. The red in his eye didn't fade. That piercing, unyielding gaze—sharp, wild, terrifying—was like his only weapon now.
Mo Mo took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked directly at him. “I believe that this also applies to Demons… and to Daoists. The world has darkness and filth, yes—but even more, it has peace and calm. Most people live their lives with no ill will. You could say they’re insignificant, or you could say they live quietly… There are nations, laws, morals—good outweighs evil. I understand your hatred, but I cannot agree with what you’ve done—sacrificing millions.”
“Bullshit!!” the Demon roared, “What do you understand?! Were your loved ones brutally murdered in front of you? Did they cry tears of blood and beg for help while you were powerless?! Have you watched your own child starve to death?! No!! Everything you're saying is bullshit! BULLSHIT!! I don’t need your approval!!! I had nowhere to vent my hate. I lived a quiet life in the mountains! I followed the rules of the Three Realms, restrained my people from ever stepping into the human world… What did I do wrong?! And now, you want to impose your justice, your morals onto me!!! You humans tortured us, yet forbid us to retaliate! You eat our flesh, drink our children’s blood, but won’t allow us to kill, to resent, to resist?! Bullshit! DOGSHIT!!! If one day, demons and humans switch places, and I slaughter your family, eat your lover’s flesh and drink her blood—would you still smile at me?! Can you swear you would?! Can you?!”“I…” Mo Mo faltered… and finally looked away.
“Get lost! Don’t act righteous in front of me!” the Demon gnashed his teeth and yanked the Pipa Lock, pulling the chain tight and straight. He got within half an arm’s length of Mo Mo—his absolute limit.
“You little brat!! You don’t know the suffering of the world, the cruelty of the human heart! You don’t understand our… hatred!! If you can’t wipe away all the injustices of the world, if you can’t rid the world of all evil… then don’t pretend to be kind! And don’t preach to others!! If you can't do it yourself, don’t talk big!! Don’t disgust me!! Get lost!!”
In that instant, a violent and deranged aura surged from his body.
The dark room seemed to fill with something that had broken free from the depths of an abyss… a face made up of countless crying, desperate, hollow-eyed faces.
—Help me…
—Help me…
—Don’t kill me…
—Father…
Wailing.
Mo Mo instinctively and frantically backed away… until he found himself outside the room. He hastily shut the door, hands trembling as he sealed it, then collapsed to his knees, completely drained.
Fear.
He still hadn’t seen the full truth.
Mo Mo stared blankly at the patch of blue sky amid the thick mist… and suddenly realized why that senior had once told him he wasn’t ready.
“I… deep down, I was resisting the truth all along… wasn’t I, Senior?”
…
…
The underground infirmary door creaked open.
The young nurse who had been working tirelessly—without proper rest for a long time—was dozing off, but easily startled awake.
Hearing the sound, she slowly looked up and saw the silent Mo Mo walking in. Mr. Mo Mo had spent most of his time here accompanying the patient inside. Often, he would sit silently for hours, hardly saying a word.
A quiet person… but he looked like someone who should be full of sunshine.
“Mr. Mo Mo, would you like some hot tea? You look pale,” the young nurse approached with a warm cup of tea.
Mo Mo silently looked at her. Her face wasn’t particularly delicate, but it was pleasant enough to look at. She seemed ordinary, but her smile was the kind that could infect others with warmth.
He instinctively reached out and took the cup, holding it without moving.
“What’s wrong?” seeing him just holding the cup blankly, she asked curiously, “Is something bothering you… are you worried about what’s going on outside?”
Mo Mo forced a smile, seemingly trying to comfort this hardworking girl.
The nurse stuck out her tongue. “Honestly, I’m scared too… I thought being in medical would be safer. I never imagined I’d be sent somewhere this terrifying.”
Mo Mo was stunned, then noticed that her body was trembling slightly.
She had no magical aura and wasn’t a martial cultivator—just an ordinary person. In this Croaching Dragon Estate where dragons and demons mingled, even with Daoists and powerful Demons restraining themselves, the unintentional pressure still made it feel like a massive dye vat. How could a mortal endure it?
Thinking for a moment, Mo Mo gently grabbed her wrist. Seeing her startled expression, he shook his head. “Relax.”
A warm current flowed from his hand into her body, spreading warmth throughout her.
“You can’t withstand the atmosphere here with just your body,” Mo Mo said gently. “Let me cleanse the demonic energy that’s clinging to you. Otherwise, you’ll develop chronic ailments later.”
“Ah! Thank you so much, Mr. Mo Mo!” she said in delight, feeling clearly better from the warmth inside her.
“That’s all I can do,” Mo Mo replied with a bitter smile, releasing her wrist.
“But that’s already amazing!” the nurse said brightly, “I never knew there were so many powerful people in this world, or Demons and monsters. Ever since joining the Management Bureau, my worldview’s been blown apart!”
Her face flushed.
Mo Mo chuckled. “Do you regret it?”
“Of course!” she shrugged. “How could I not? I haven’t even told my family about any of this… The Bureau says we have to keep it secret, but keeping it bottled in like this—I feel like I’m gonna explode!”
“Then why do you—”
“Mr. Mo Mo…” she suddenly clutched his arm tightly, her eyes filled with panic, “We… we’ll be okay, right? I haven’t been home in over a month… I didn’t even go back for the New Year. I can’t reach my parents—they must be so worried. I… I just want to go home! Can you take me away from here? You’re a powerful Daoist, right? I saw how respectful Chief Yan was to you… Mr. Mo Mo, I’m begging you, please? I… I don’t want to stay here anymore!”
“I…”
Looking into her panicked eyes, the slight color in her cheeks had already drained away… she had long reached her breaking point.
“What are you doing?!”
Suddenly, the girl pressed Mo Mo’s hand against her chest. “I… I’ll do anything if you’ll just take me away from here.”
The touch was incredibly soft… a place Mo Mo had never experienced before.
“I really will…”
She stood on tiptoe, lips trembling, awkwardly pressing them against his. It wasn’t warm—just dry and forceful.
The body pressed tightly against him, arms clinging to him with all their strength—it was as if she wanted to melt entirely into him… so afraid.
“Please…”
Mo Mo instinctively wrapped his arms around her, gently placing his palm on her back… and felt her trembling intensify at that moment.
A stream of spiritual power quietly flowed from his palm.
Caught off guard, the girl felt her eyelids grow heavier… until finally, she slumped into Mo Mo’s embrace.
He gently moved the young nurse to a nearby chair and laid her down, then found a piece of clothing and draped it over her.
—If you can’t wipe away all the injustices of the world, if you can’t rid the world of all evil… then don’t pretend to be kind!
—What do you understand?! Were your loved ones brutally murdered in front of you? Did they cry tears of blood and beg for help while you were powerless?!
Mo Mo clenched his fists tightly, then suddenly sat down cross-legged, forcing himself into a meditative state.
He gradually emptied his heart of all worries, holding on to just one thought… and before long, he felt as though he were falling into a bottomless abyss.
“Mr. Mo Mo, you called for me.”
At last, a voice whispered in his ear.
…
Mo Mo slowly opened his eyes—he was still in the underground medical room, not the other place he had visited before.
But the young nurse was nowhere to be seen. Nor was Zhan'er, the patient in the isolation ward. The entire place felt like a different space—a mirrored world.
Only he and… the Boss remained.
“Just so happened I was nearby.” The Boss’s calm voice and gentle smile had the same soothing effect as always.
“Senior…” Mo Mo took a deep breath and stood up. “This time… I want to know.”
“You really want to?” Luo Qiu looked at Mo Mo and smiled faintly.
Mo Mo shook his head.
“Then what do you want?”
“Before that…” Mo Mo took another deep breath and seriously asked, “Senior, how do you define good and evil? You once told me the coldest thing in this world is the human heart, but the warmest is also the human heart. So what is good? What is evil? Why do black and white exist… and gray?”
Luo Qiu was silent for a moment. “We do offer consultation services for our guests. But I’m sorry, Mr. Mo Mo—your question is one I can’t answer.”
“Does it require a price?” Mo Mo was briefly stunned, then remembered… this senior was the Boss of that place.
“That’s not it.” Luo Qiu shook his head. “You should understand that so-called answers live within each person’s heart. If someone gives you an answer, is it worth using? Is it worth becoming your answer? It’s difficult… Even the smallest deviation can lead to a completely different outcome. Even if I told you my answer, it would only represent me. I don’t speak for others—and I certainly don’t speak for you. So knowing or not knowing, is there really a difference? And if you force yourself to accept my answer, will you later wonder if I was deliberately guiding you toward an outcome I desired?”
“You’re not that kind of person, Senior.” Mo Mo shook his head. “If you were, then… the first time we met, I might have already become one of your customers. So please—tell me. Even if it’s just for reference.”
Luo Qiu thought for a moment, then said, “I still won’t tell you my definition of good and evil. But I can offer you a paid service—something for you to experience and understand for yourself. How about that?”
“Paid…” Mo Mo muttered, then took a deep breath. “Alright!”
“Don’t worry. Even if it’s paid, the price isn’t high,” Luo Qiu smiled gently. “After all, it’s more like a kind of… experience. How about thirty years of your lifespan in exchange for two reincarnations?”
“Reincarnations?” Mo Mo was stunned.
Luo Qiu raised a hand—and in an instant, an immense force pulled Mo Mo into a swirling vortex.
As the vortex vanished… the underground medical room shattered like a mirror. Every image fractured and disappeared—until everything returned to how it was.
The young nurse still slept on the chair, and inside the isolation ward, Zhan’er’s breathing continued steadily, accompanied by the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor.
“Good and evil… black, white, and gray…” Luo Qiu murmured softly. “I’d like to know too.”
…
…
A sudden jolt knocked Mo Mo’s body to one side—his head hit something, and he woke up.
Blinding sunlight hit his eyes, and before him was a vast sea shimmering with silver light… He was on a mountain road, on an old village bus.
“Next stop: Lu Village…”
Mo Mo blinked in confusion, wondering how he got here… then remembered: he had recently descended from the mountain for training and heard that some supernatural events had occurred in Lu Village, so he was planning to check it out.
(End of Chapter)