Hearing this, Master Xuan Jing of Wubei Temple sighed. “Amitabha, Mo-gongzi really isn’t Sect Leader Xue’s nephew. What a bad fate.”

     Another person reacted. “Ah… it’s him?”

     The cultivators around him asked in confusion, “What do you mean by him?”

     “The child mentioned earlier, who came up with the idea of locking Mo Ran in the dog cage,” the man said. “He’s about the same age as Mo Ran, and he’s Miss Mo’s son.” As he pondered, he suddenly came to a realization. He patted his head and said, “I understand now. So you killed the mother and son, then occupied the magpie’s nest not because of greed but because of hatred.”

     Some people felt that this analysis was very reasonable. They all looked at Mo Ran with both contempt and pity.

     “If that’s the case, then it makes sense.”

     “Sigh, there’s always pity for the hateful.”

     Amidst the discussion, Mu Yanli cleared her throat, and the surrounding area immediately quieted down.

     She said, “Mo-gongzi, I’ve heard that you didn’t have enough to eat all year round in the House of Drunken Jade, and you were even mistreated. The madam always beat and scolded you, right?”

     Mo Ran said, “...Yes.”

     “The madam’s son was the child who came up with the idea of locking you in the dog cage. Is that right?”

     “That’s right.”

     Seeing that their guesses were confirmed, everyone sighed even more heavily, nodding their heads. “Ah, you see, the killing intent was indeed born out of hatred. He must have hated this mother and son pair bitterly.”

     They were right. How could he not hate them? Mo Nian was the same age as him, but he was much stronger. Because he was the madam’s son, no one in the building dared to offend him. This child had been fierce and naughty ever since he was young. If he had nothing to do, he would just vent his anger on Mo Ran. He made trouble, and then often framed Mo Ran, letting him take all the blame for his dirty deeds.

     But Mo Ran was a very meek person. Even if he was wronged, he didn’t dare to retaliate against Young Master Nian.

     At that time, he only had one biscuit to eat every day. If he dared talk too much, he was afraid that even this last bit of food would be taken away. Therefore, whether he was beaten, scolded, or wrongly accused, he wouldn’t say a word. If he really couldn’t take it, he would just curl up in the woodshed where he slept during the dead of night and cry quietly for a while.

     He didn’t dare to make a sound. If he woke someone up, he would be beaten again.

     “Do you hate them?”

     Mo Ran raised his eyes with a hint of ridicule. “...What else can I do?”

     Mu Yanli said, “But you still took her surname. You hated her so much, but you never thought about changing it later?”

     Mo Ran said, “Mo is the surname of the House of Drunken Jade. Many of the servants who sell themselves here used this as their surname and called Miss Mo ‘Madam’ or ‘Godmother.’ Everyone was like this. I am used to it, so there’s nothing to change.”

     “Did she treat each of you badly?”

     “...No.” Mo Ran said, “It’s just that she never liked me very much. Later, when I let Xun Fengruo go, she hated me even more.”

     “Then how badly did Miss Mo treat you?”

     Mo Ran had lived in the building for so many years, but he could only eat a piece of crescent meat on New Year’s Eve, which was the half-eaten piece of fatty meat left by the guests. Other than that, he could only eat one biscuit every day while doing the most heavy work. If he wasn’t careful, the slightest mistake would get him whipped.

     But he didn’t want to say anything more. He simply said, “I don’t want to talk about this.”

     “Alright. That’s fine. Then let’s talk about something else.” Mu Yanli continued, “Because she treated you very badly, when she asked you about Mo Nian’s whereabouts, did you lie? Did you already have plans in mind?”

     Mo Ran replied, “No.”

     How could he have dared to lie? His life, clothing, and food were all in the palm of the madam’s hand. So when he heard the madam’s question, little Mo Ran was like a dog that was used to being beaten and scolded. He first shrank back, then said quietly, “Nian-gongzi has gone to the private school…”

     Miss Mo knew her son best, and she thought to herself, How can that be? That boy usually doesn’t like studying, so he probably went somewhere to play. But the investigator was sitting next to her, so she coughed lightly and nodded, “Ah, that child of mine is so serious and sensible. Xiansheng, look, he’s out to attend class again.”

     The investigator smiled and said, “Ah, it’s a good thing to be diligent and eager to learn. How about this? I’ll first write a letter to the Sect Leader of Sisheng Peak. When the time comes, the uncle and nephew will naturally recognize each other. There’s no rush.”

     Miss Mo stood up and bowed excitedly in gratitude. “Thank you, xiansheng. In the future, when I have wealth and glory, I will never forget your kindness.”

     After the investigator left, Miss Mo sat there in a daze for a long time, lost in thoughts and emotions. Sometimes she cried, and sometimes she laughed.

     After being stunned for a long time, she realized that Mo Ran was standing in the corner, looking at her fearfully.

     Perhaps because she had seen that Duan Yihan’s experience was too similar to hers, or perhaps because Mo Ran was so bold to actually let a good profit escape, but for whatever reason, just as Mo Ran recalled, she didn’t like this little beast, and her dislike was only growing.

     She glared at him and said, “What are you looking at?”

     Little Mo Ran hurriedly lowered his long eyelashes. “I’m sorry.”

     “You say you’re sorry, but in your heart, do you think it’s ridiculous for me to cry and laugh like this?”

     “...”

     Seeing that he didn’t say anything and only obediently lowered his head, Miss Mo scanned him up and down, then said with disdain, “Forget it. I won’t bother with you. What do you know? You’re just an ungrateful son of a bitch.”

     Mo Ran was long used to the madam calling him a son of a bitch, so he lowered his head and didn’t speak.

     Miss Mo said, “Don’t just stand there. I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t hit you. Go and fetch Young Master Nian—don’t lie to me, I know he’s not a private school—and bring him back. I have something important to tell him. Go quickly.”

     When he heard that he was asked to find the young master, Mo Ran trembled subconsciously, but in the end, he nodded meekly and whispered, “Yes, godmother.”

     “Don’t call me godmother in the future.” Miss Mo wrinkled her nose. “This House of Drunken Jade, I will soon… Forget it. I won’t tell you any more. You go first.”

     That evening, Mo Ran followed the madam’s instructions and anxiously looked for Young Master Nian in the vicinity of the House of Drunken Jade.

     He didn’t know whether he wanted to find this person quickly or slowly. If he found him, he would undoubtedly be scolded by Young Master Nian for ruining his good mood. If he couldn’t find him, Miss Mo would also blame him in every possible way, dismissing him as useless.

     The small figure walked helplessly under the setting sun.

     At that time, Mo Ran didn’t know that his fate was about to be exchanged for Young Master Nian’s.

     He searched everywhere.

     He went to all the places Young Master Nian frequented—the river bank, the casino, the brothel, the yard… and was ridiculed and chased away.

     Finally, after several inquiries, he learned that Young Master Nian went to a mill on the outskirts of the city this afternoon with a group of his disreputable friends. He was also said to have been carrying a large sack.

     Mo Ran didn’t think too much and hurried to the mill.

     The mill had long been abandoned and was surrounded by cemeteries. Usually, there was no one there. But before Mo Ran even got close, he heard a commotion coming from inside the mill. A group of disheveled teenagers rushed out led by Young Master Nian, who was tying his belt.

     Mo Ran hurriedly said, “Gongzi, godmother is calling you back. She said it’s—”

     He didn’t finish his sentence.

     Because he found that the group of teenager’s faces were filled with a kind of impending disaster. A few of them were crying in fear, shrinking to the side and shivering.

     Mo Ran was stunned for a moment. Years of being bullied and humiliated had made him develop a sense of vigilance. When he saw Young Master Nian looking at him with bloodshot eyes, he immediately shuddered and turned around to run away.

     Young Master Nian reacted very quickly and shouted, “Catch him!”

     Mo Ran was no match for these children. He was pressed to the ground in three strikes and brought to Young Master Nian.

     Someone whispered, “What do we do, A-Nian? This is trouble.”

     “It’s too late to escape. This kid saw us.”

     “Why don’t we include him…”

     Mo Ran didn’t know what they were talking about, but these young faces were ferocious and malevolent. That was his first impression of the words “evil spirit.”

     Young Master Nian narrowed his eyes. He was the calmest and gloomiest of these people.

     He thought for a moment and said, “Don’t kill him.”

     Mo Ran looked up in horror.

     Kill?

     These people had beaten, scolded, and humiliated him in the past, but he never thought that the word “kill” would be uttered from the mouths of a group of fourteen-year-old boys.

     For a moment, he was at a loss and couldn’t even react.

     Young Master Nian said, “Lock him in the mill.”

     “...” The surrounding people looked at each other with dismay. Then a young man with a sharp tongue was the first to react. He was flushed red, his eyes teary, and his nose still dripping with snot. He said in a shrill voice, “Good, good! What a good idea!”

     One after another, the others understood. “Ah, so that’s what he meant! A-Nian is still the best!”

     These people originally stared at Mo Ran as if they were staring at a mortal enemy with a blood feud. But now, their eyes fell on him like a pack of starving wolves staring at a fat lamb.

     Mo Ran was pushed into the mill without any explanation.

     He first hammered at the door and struggled, but the door was quickly blocked. There were no windows in the mill, only the scattered sunlight seeping through the cracks of the wooden boards.

     Mo Ran shouted, “Let me out! Let me out!”

     Someone outside shouted, “Go report to the officials! Quickly, go report this to the officials!”

     “Quick, quick! We’ll watch from here. Anyone fast enough, go report to the officials!”

     Mo Ran shouted and hammered on the door for a while, but found that it wouldn’t open no matter how hard he shouted or hammered, so he gave up. He turned around in a daze, and through the dim wisps of twilight, he saw another person lying in the room.

     It was a girl.

     She looked familiar, and he later remembered that she was the daughter of the tofu seller on East Street. Young Master Nian had been pestering her recently.

     The girl’s clothes had been torn to shreds, and her young naked body was lying on the ground. Her arms and legs were spread out, and her body was mottled with bruises. Her private parts were in even more of a mess…

     She had been disgraced to death by these beasts. When she died, her eyes were still wide open, the tears on her cheeks not yet dried. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, staring in Mo Ran’s direction, staring at the door.

     Mo Ran was stunned for a moment before letting out a miserable scream. His back slammed against the door, and his pupils shrank—he finally understood what those people outside had done and what they wanted to do.

     It turned out that Young Master Nian had repeatedly harassed the girl, so he had evil intentions. He knew that this girl was a soft persimmon with no family background, so she was easy to bully. He and a few of his friends brought her to the mill and took turns defiling her. The girl’s body was weak, and that gang of bastards was very rough. In the end, the girl died in the middle of it.

     Mo Ran murmured, “No… No!!” He turned around and began to wildly beat against the door.

     As if hearing his pleas, the door of the mill suddenly opened.

     Mo Ran wanted to rush out, but his hands were roughly held down by the group of teenagers.

     The leader was Young Master Nian. He was vicious and merciless as he said, “I almost forgot. Make it look more realistic.”

     Then he ordered his companions to strip off Mo Ran’s clothes and smear some blood and fluid from the girl on Mo Ran’s body.

     As this was happening, Mo Ran kept crying and struggling, but the group of teenagers was too strong, and their desire to live suppressed everything. Their eyes flashed with a wild, beast-like light, and whether this child was begging or crying, they all turned a deaf ear to it.

     There was even one person who, after being bitten by Mo Ran, even raised his hand to slap Mo Ran several times and said fiercely, “Shut the fuck up. You’re a murderer! A rapist! Violent criminal! With so many witnesses, how can you still explain it clearly?!”

     “No… It’s not me! It’s not me…”

     But no matter how much he resisted, what could he do? They beat his body until he was black and blue, and threw him in the mill, locking him in naked with the dead girl. Then they shouted to catch the thief and reported it to the officials.

     Mo Ran was unable to defend himself. In the magistrate court, he was severely punished with thirty strikes. His skin was lacerated, and his flesh was badly mangled. He was then sent to prison to wait for the final sentence.

     The prisoners in the same cell ridiculed and cursed him. Several prisoners with daughters heard about his behavior and couldn’t help but beat him. Some even wanted to rape him, but the cell leader didn’t want things to get out of hand, so they stopped.

     Miss Mo came that night. She already knew the whole story in her heart, and she was angry with her son for not living up to expectations.

     But so what?

     As a mother, she would always protect her child.

     She was afraid that when the trial began, the officials would investigate everything in detail. If they found out that her Mo Nian was the culprit, how could the mother and son leap onto the branch and become phoenixes?

     The investigator’s letter had already been sent out, and someone from Sisheng Peak would pick them up. She had waited for so many years, and her hair had already turned white.

     Whether it was glory or status, she and her child deserved it.

     She wouldn’t allow anything to go wrong.

     So she rushed all the way here and bribed the jailer and officials enough money for them to turn a blind eye and put all the blame on Mo Ran alone.

     However, because of her uneasy conscience, after bribing the officials, she went to the prison to visit Mo Ran. She even brought a bowl of red braised meat to Mo Ran.

     “It’s not poisonous. I won’t poison you.”

     Mo Ran huddled in the corner and looked at her, his pair of black and purple eyes flashing with distress and helplessness, grief and pain. It was the kind of expression cattle, sheep, pigs, and dogs would have when they were about to be slaughtered.

     Fear and sadness.

     But there was also the calmness of a person who had lost all hope.

     Miss Mo suddenly felt her heart tremble a little.

     She was shocked and frightened by her own emotions. She suddenly stood up and hardened her heart, saying resolutely, “Anyway, you’re a child without a father or mother. Although you are pitiful, no one will be sad if you die. I have raised you for so many years. It’s about time you repay my kindness.”

     “...” Mo Ran didn’t say anything, not agreeing or disagreeing.

     Miss Mo gritted her teeth and said, “This bowl of red braised meat is my farewell gift to you. If you eat it, don’t blame me in the underworld… I don’t have a choice either.”

     With that, she turned around and left.

     Mo Ran had never eaten red braised meat in his life.

     Now that he had a bowl in front of him, he stared at it for a while but didn’t eat it. He turned the bowl upside down on the ground, the juices flowing. He stared at it for a moment, thinking about the blood flowing under the girl’s body, and suddenly felt an indescribable nausea. He turned around and threw up violently.

     He couldn’t spit anything out.

     He was a person who only ate a biscuit a day.

     The bread had long since been digested, so all he could spit was acidic water.

     That night, he couldn’t sleep. The blood covering his body formed a shell, which gradually became brittle and hard, falling to the ground like rust powder when touched.

     He was in his cell, not talking to the other prisoners. No one knew what he was thinking. No one knew whether he was dead or alive.

     He curled up alone and slowly thought through many things.

     In that dark, dirty cell filled with a sour smell and the aroma of braised meat, the honest Mo Ran died. What came back to life was Emperor Taxian-Jun, who made the entire world of mortal cultivators tremble in fear—his earliest appearance.

     Later on, the Eight Sufferings Long Hatred Flower bloomed because of this.