"What about Black Tiger?"
Xiao Mo sighed and said, "Alas, I told him to go down for dinner just now, but he overdosed on the cold medicine and died. The saying 'A good swimmer dies from drowning; a good warrior dies from a sword' is absolutely true."
Xiao Nuo laughed angrily: "Yes, of course he has to die. Even Gu Zi'ang is dead, how could he possibly live!"
Xiao Mo said softly, "I know you and Zi'ang have always been on good terms..."
"It seems like my brother's relationship with him is even closer than mine, isn't it?" Xiao Nuo's voice was filled with sorrow. "Twenty years of friendship, and you actually did it..."
Xiao Mo sighed softly, "He brought this upon himself; he deserves to die."
"Then what about the twenty years of brotherhood?" Xiao Nuo suddenly raised his voice, "Twenty years of brotherhood, your second brother and you share a deep bond, yet you schemed against him and tried to kill him. What was your purpose?!"
He finally broke the ice and told everyone everything! But you can't blame him for doing so; Xiao Mo's righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor was just too disgusting!
That's right, it's him! He's the real mastermind behind Seventh Brother, the mastermind behind all the trouble!
Unfortunately, with Gu Ziang dead, all clues have been cut off. Even if we know it was him, without any evidence, we are probably helpless against him.
Sure enough, Xiao Mo smiled after hearing Xiao Nuo's words and said, "What are you saying, Third Brother? I was the one most worried when Second Brother was in trouble. When Miss Feng suspected Second Brother, I was the one who tried my best to protect him. How could you say that I was plotting against him?"
“That’s right. In the secret room that day, you blocked the incense burner and prevented my sister from discovering Lei Jun. You risked making yourself a suspect just to show that you were protective of your brother. This way, everyone would suspect your second brother even more and think that you had nothing to do with it. Killing two birds with one stone, eldest brother is indeed a good man!”
Xiao Mo sighed leisurely and said, "It's really hard to be a good person in this world... If you don't step forward, you're said to be selfish and cold-hearted; if you do step forward, you're said to have ulterior motives. Helping is wrong, not helping is also wrong."
Xiao Nuo said in a deep voice, "On one hand, you bribed You Li to put the Cold-Taking Powder in Second Brother's food, and on the other hand, you had Zi Ang disguise himself as Seventh Brother to contact the people of Fortune Valley to bring in poisonous fungi. During the martial arts competition, you ordered You Li to sneak into Lu Shuang's room and kill Second Brother's opponent. Second Brother became a suspect, and you pretended to be kind and helped to catch the murderer, but secretly increased the dosage of the Cold-Taking Powder, causing Second Brother to fall into a coma due to the poison during the pursuit. When you saw that Sister Feng suspected You Li, you killed her and even arranged for Second Brother to fight for the Cold-Taking Powder and accidentally kill You Li. Then you deliberately relaxed the guards in the mansion, allowing Second Brother and Sister Yumi to leave. In this way, murder, drug use, and adultery, three major crimes are piled up. Whether Second Brother really killed Lu Shuang is no longer important. He has nowhere to turn and is ruined!"
"How strange. Youli liked Second Brother and secretly put Cold-Fighting Powder in his food in an attempt to control him. When she failed to control him, she was killed by Second Brother instead. What does that have to do with me? I only learned about the relationship between Yumi and Second Brother after Madam Yu came to cry and complain. How did you, Third Brother, know that Zi'ang was colluding with the people of Fortune Valley?"
"You ordered Little Wine Immortal to kill and silence witnesses, but you didn't expect that the people of Fortune Valley have been practicing martial arts diligently for the past ten years and are no longer the same as before. Moreover, one of them managed to escape and impersonate Little Wine Immortal to return to Zi Ang's side and seek revenge, didn't he?"
"Was it that escaped Fortune Valley person who told you that?" Xiao Mo shook his head with a smile. "Fortune Valley is notorious in the martial arts world for its despicable and shameless behavior. Can you trust what they say?"
I sighed inwardly. Yes, no one would believe what the people of Fortune Valley said, which was why I thought it wouldn't make a difference if Qi Laosan stayed. Therefore, Xiao Nuo's accusations against him seemed even more weak and unconvincing at this moment.
Watertight, Xiao Mo is so meticulous in his actions, truly watertight!
Xiao Nuo continued, "You knew that Sister Feng would continue to investigate the Black Tiger matter, so you ordered him to set a trap to lure us into following the wrong lead about 'Big Brother.' However, we didn't fall for it. Instead, we pretended to be wealthy merchants from Jiangnan and used the elixir as bait to lure Seventh Brother out. You simply turned the tables and had Zi'ang deal with us. On one hand, you wanted to obtain the formula for the elixir, and on the other hand, you wanted to get rid of Sister Feng. Unexpectedly, the trap didn't trap Sister Feng, but it trapped me. I discovered Seventh Brother's true identity in the dungeon, and his black-clad bodyguard made a mistake. You knew you could no longer hide it, so you struck first and killed Zi'ang!"
Xiao Mo gazed at Xiao Nuo quietly for a while, then a smile reappeared on his lips: "So you've done so much for my second brother in secret. He must be very happy to know. Hmm, traps and dungeons, it seems Zi Ang's ambitions are greater than I imagined. This kind of person really can't be allowed to live. I'll execute him on the spot, which will be a way to vent your anger and rid Baili Town of a scourge."
The more he laughed, the more pained Xiao Nuo's expression became, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Big brother! Why did you do this? Please tell me why you did this!"
"You're asking me? I'd rather ask you!" Xiao Mo's eyes sharpened. "What makes you so sure I orchestrated all of this? It's all my fault for spoiling you too much, making you disrespectful to your elder brother and lawless. Anyone can make empty promises. I could also say it was your sister Feng who did all this, would you believe me?"
I was taken aback and my eyes widened immediately.
Xiao Mo said, "We all know Feng Chenxi's background. Back then, her master tried to harm my mother but failed. So, thirty years later, she sent her disciple to seek revenge. As for her mastery of harmful substances like Thunder Fungus and Cold Powder, I'm afraid none of us can compare to her. Moreover, these things couldn't have happened earlier or later; they just happened one after another after she arrived in Baili City. When it comes to suspicion, who is more likely to be the prime suspect than her?!"
"You!" I never expected that Xiao Mo would not only deny it, but also turn around and bite me. I have never been insulted like this before!
"My sister has always been with me. If my brother says this, does that mean he's going to suspect me too?"
Xiao Mo raised an eyebrow and sneered, "That's not necessarily true. My third brother has been pretending to be crazy for seventeen years, fooling everyone. That skill alone is enough to make all the actors in the world ashamed."
This time, it was Xiao Nuo's turn to be shocked. She stared at Xiao Mo in utter disbelief and said, "So that's how it is... So you're this kind of person... I've always wanted to hear your explanation because I still held onto a sliver of hope that you had some hidden reason, that you were forced to do those things. From childhood to adulthood, in terms of martial arts, my second brother is naturally the best, but in terms of character, everyone agrees that my eldest brother is the best. Even I'm closer to you. I'm naturally playful and can't stand any constraints. To gain freedom, and also to avoid competing with my two brothers..." What? So, from childhood to adulthood, you've always been easygoing and accommodating, always giving in whenever possible. The most important thing is for the family to be happy together. I thought you, my elder brother, were also a gentleman of simple tastes, but I never imagined you'd always harbored resentment towards your second brother, resentment that our parents favored him the most, resentment that the city's residents admired him the most… There was no hardship, no compelling reason; you were simply born this way. You're utterly wicked, your ambition inflated, so you want to eliminate your rivals as quickly as possible! You're this kind of person, and yet I still had illusions about you. How laughable, truly laughable! Hahaha…”
He laughed louder and louder, almost manic, clearly heartbroken. I thought to myself that this couldn't go on; we couldn't possibly implicate Xiao Mo, and continuing the argument would be pointless and exhausting. As long as we knew he was the murderer, we would eventually find evidence to convict him. So I tugged at Xiao Nuo's sleeve and said, "There's no point in saying more, let's go."
“It’s time to go back and get some rest,” Xiao Mo interjected. “Playing dumb for too long might make you too immersed in the role and actually turn you into a fool, rambling on and on for so long.”
I glared at him and forcibly dragged Xiao Nuo away. His whole body was stiff and his eyes were empty. He looked really scary.
Upon reaching the lakeside, Xiao Nuo suddenly crouched down, clutching her head, and refused to walk any further. A breeze blew across the lake, and the chaotic afternoon was drawing to a close. As dusk fell, the clouds on the horizon grew thick and heavy, layer upon layer, like a depressed heart, pressing down on one and making it hard to breathe.
I pursed my lips, then pursed them again, deciding to do something to break the dull atmosphere. I held out my right hand, holding something in front of Xiao Nuo.
Xiao Nuo glanced at me: "What?"
“This is happiness,” I said to him sincerely.
His brow remained furrowed, and it was clear he wasn't interested in the poison in my hand.
So I added, "I think your older brother might need this. He's done so many bad things, yet he managed to get away scot-free. He must be quite pleased with himself. Let's make him truly 'happy' for once." Of course, I didn't really intend to poison Xiao Mo. I just hoped Xiao Nuo could smile and stop looking so dejected.
Xiao Nuo finally reacted, first with surprise, then with understanding, and said with a wry smile, "Sister, I never knew you could be so humorous."
"It's good that you can smile," I said softly. He used to have that innocent, naive, silly smile on his face all day long, which annoyed me a little. But now that he wasn't smiling, I realized how precious that smile was, how it had unknowingly become an indispensable part of his life. When I can't see it, my heart aches, filled with panic and confusion.
Xiao Nuo whispered, "Sister, why did this happen? Why did everything turn out like this?"
"Human desires are insatiable, and the ways of the world are unpredictable." When I said this, I thought of my master. Was she like that back then, blinded by momentary selfishness, thus losing the only chance that might have brought her happiness?
Tragedy always repeats itself, and now it's Xiao Mo's turn.
As the sun sets and night slowly falls, lanterns light up the pavilions and towers in the distance. The night remains as tranquil as ever, but many things have changed, and we can never go back to the way things were.
I sat down beside Xiao Nuo, hugging my knees, and gazed at the scattered lights on the ripples of the lake. I asked, "What do we do next?"
"What can we do? We can only wait for my father to come back and let him handle it." Xiao Nuo smiled bitterly. "I really am useless. Was I really the one who vowed to catch the real culprit, clear my second brother's name, and reunite the family? Did I really say such a thing?"
"Don't get hung up on it. We've already done our best. But things in this world are never perfect. They never were before, they aren't now, and they never will be."
Xiao Nuo also gazed at the lake and remained silent.
That night, Xiao Nuo and I sat silently by the lake until dawn. That night, it seemed as if only the two of us remained in the world, both bound by sorrow, frustration, and powerlessness, unable to break through the darkness and unable to see a ray of light... That night, our hearts drew closer than ever before, and we spent the night lingering in each other's eyes.
The sky seemed to brighten suddenly.
The sun rises over the eastern mountains, its rays shining brightly, pure and seemingly without a trace of impurity, so intense that they appear capable of dissolving all the evil in the world. But can they truly do so? People say, "Heaven's justice is cyclical, and retribution is inevitable," but why is it that when the time comes, things don't turn out that way?
I stared blankly at the sky, my mind filled with countless thoughts, until a series of hurried and flustered footsteps suddenly came from the lakeside.
Xiao Nuo and I exchanged a glance, then simultaneously stood up and looked back. But what we saw startled us!
A woman in red was seen running towards them like a madwoman, carrying someone in her arms. Her hair was disheveled and her body was covered in blood. Although she was bathed in the morning sunlight, she looked like a terrifying demon from hell.
Before I could move, Xiao Nuo had already leaped forward and grabbed her arm, saying, "It's you!"
Her long hair swayed, revealing a beautiful and alluring face. It was none other than Hongxiu, who had impersonated Seventh Brother.
"What's wrong with you?" Xiao Nuo looked at the person she was holding and was startled again, "Big brother!"
I rushed over and saw Xiao Mo lying in Hongxiu's arms, his face still showing a trace of indescribable fear. A gold hairpin was stuck in his chest, and his skin was blue all over, but he had stopped breathing.
What...what's going on here?!
Hongxiu looked at Xiao Nuo in confusion, then at me, and murmured, "If you want to kill me, I will kill you too... You also said that you only have deep feelings for me and that you had no choice but to give me to Zi'ang. Is there anything true in what you said?"
"What did you say? You killed my elder brother?" Xiao Nuo grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently. But Hongxiu remained unmoved, continuing, "You lied to me, you lied to me... You said you would bring me back to your side when things were done, and then you would marry me openly and honorably. But now that Zi'ang is dead, you want to kill me. You want to kill me, why? I love you so much, I've done so much for you, why do you still want to kill me..."
This happened so suddenly that my mind went blank for a moment. Before I could react, I saw Hongxiu push Xiao Nuo's hand away and continue walking. As she walked, she said, "Mo Lang, you have betrayed me, but I still can't bear to leave you. I can't bear to leave you, so I will walk with you, walk with you..." As she spoke, she jumped up, splashing a huge spray of water.
I rushed to the lakeside and saw ripples spreading across the surface of the lake. A figure flashed past me; Xiao Nuo had jumped into the lake to save someone, but when he returned to shore with Hongxiu in his arms, he shook his head at me sadly.
I took her pulse with my fingers, and after a moment, I looked up and said, "She's dead. She was seriously injured before jumping into the lake, and nine out of ten of her heart meridians were broken."
Upon hearing this, he suddenly recalled Hongxiu's dying words, "If you want to kill me, I will kill you too," and he suddenly understood.
Xiao Nuo understood, and whispered, "It was my older brother again who did this. He really has a cruel heart..."
I looked up at him. Sunlight illuminated his face, which was covered in water droplets, indistinguishable between lake water and tears. I sighed softly. Yes, Xiao Mo, how cruel he is! This Hongxiu must have been his lover, yet he gave her to Gu Zi'ang, partly to curry favor with Gu Zi'ang, and partly to send Hongxiu to monitor him, lest he have any ulterior motives. Xiao Mo promised Hongxiu that he would marry her after the deed was done, but with Gu Zi'ang dead, Hongxiu lost her usefulness and was more likely to reveal his secrets, so he tried to kill her. Unexpectedly, Hongxiu was prepared and instead stabbed him to death with a poisoned hairpin… A couple who were once deeply in love and affectionate turned against each other, and Xiao Mo, who once thought no one could harm him, died at the hands of his closest lover… Who could have imagined such an ending?
Recalling the lingering fear on Xiao Mo's face, I couldn't help but wonder what exactly made him so terrified? Was it death itself, or did he finally understand, in the moment before his departure, that "the cycle of karma and retribution are real"?
Is there truly some mysterious force at play, one that ensures no one who deserves punishment can escape its wrath? If so, why is it invisible and intangible? If not, how do you explain Xiao Mo's fate?
I turned my head again to look up at the sky. In that instant, there seemed to be a power in the world that filled me with awe, and I almost couldn't help but bow down and worship it as if it were a god...
How to judge winning and losing
No matter how many bad things a person does in their lifetime, whether intentionally or unintentionally, once they die, everything will vanish like firecrackers, disappearing with a "bang".
Whether you admit it or not, death is indeed the only eternal thing in the world; once it comes, there is no possibility of changing it.
This is what people often refer to as death ending everything.
Xiao Mo is dead. No matter how much pain his actions caused others, no matter whether the relatives of the deceased will never forgive him, it is no longer related to him... Everything in this world is no longer related to him, including his family's longing for him.
Yes, they miss him—although he was utterly wicked and deserved to die, he was, after all, the biological son of Xiao Zuo and his wife, and the elder brother of Xiao Jian and Xiao Nuo. As family members, they could hate him for his insidious actions, blame him for being blinded by jealousy and ambition, and even remove his name from the ancestral genealogy, but they could not help but miss him.
This is what family is. In this world, only your blood relatives will love you like this, no matter who you are.
If Xiao Mo knew that his mother was not only grieving the loss of her son after learning that he was such a wicked person; if he knew that his father, whom he always thought favored his younger brother and only cared about his younger brother, had turned gray overnight in front of his coffin; if he knew that his younger brother Xiao Jian, whom he had always considered a thorn in his side, still called him "elder brother" in front of his coffin after learning the whole truth... if he knew, would he still have done those things?
He won't, absolutely not!
Therefore, when you feel that the dark side of your personality is urging you to do something that will hurt others, you might as well think about the love your family has for you, and think about whether doing so would hurt them. In this way, perhaps the bright side of your personality can overcome the dark side, and fewer tragic things will happen in the world.
In reality, many things depend on a single thought...
One day in mid-October, after his coffin had been kept for forty-nine days, Xiao Mo was buried simply according to the local customs of Baili City. In his lifetime, he was ambitious and did not hesitate to harm his own younger brother in order to inherit the position of city lord. He once successfully became the acting city lord and was very famous. However, at his burial, he was surrounded by only a few people: Xiao Zuo and his wife, Xiao Nuo, Feng Chenxi and Cai Bo, and Xiao Jian, who was framed for all kinds of injustice and ran away with the eldest daughter of the Yu family.
In recent days, the people Xiao Mo sent to find him almost ran themselves ragged, but none of them could have imagined that he was hiding in Tianshui Yixian Pavilion, where Xiao Zuo and his wife were recuperating, with Yumi, who was already pregnant.
Indeed, none of the Xiao family members are fools—this fact has once again proven to be true.
However, Feng Chenxi added to this point. "Not only are there no idiots, but there is also a genius who knew how to feign stupidity to gain freedom when he was only three or four years old..." She smiled and looked at Xiao Zuo, saying, "Based on this alone, I'm afraid there isn't a single person among the hundred people in the He Zun Mansion who is smarter than this person."
"Oh?" Xiao Zuo said calmly, "I wonder who this genius you're talking about is?"
Feng Chenxi smiled again, her gaze shifting slightly.
They were now in the main hall of the Xiao residence. Although the hall was large, there were only three people there: her, Xiao Zuo, and Xiao Nuo.
Feng Chenxi's gaze was fixed on Xiao Nuo's face.
"Ahem!" Xiao Nuo coughed lightly and said, "Mother is too heartbroken, I'll go to her room to comfort her."
"Nuo'er," Xiao Zuo called softly.
Xiao Nuo had no choice but to stop and turn back, a bitter smile on her face.
Xiao Zuo calling out to him was within his expectations, but the gentle tone was really hard to bear. He would rather his father be furious and yell at him, at least that would mean he wouldn't die a terrible death, but now... now... Xiao Nuo gritted his teeth and shot Feng Chenxi a look that said, "You've ruined me."
Feng Chenxi shrugged, indicating that she couldn't help. Ha! This is what they call reaping what you sow. He's been playing tricks on his family for so long, shouldn't he let them get some balance? Besides, this matter concerns her bet with Xiao Zuo, and it also involves her master's plan. She has to win no matter what.
Xiao Nuo, forgive me, pray for your own good fortune!
Meanwhile, Xiao Zuo slowly approached him, saying, "Nuo'er, hello there, you're really very nice."
As the number one martial artist, his former wickedness and mischievousness had transformed into dignity and composure many years ago. But at this moment, he seemed to have reverted to the lazy, roguish, cunning, and unpredictable boy he was thirty years ago.
Upon seeing his expression, Xiao Nuo felt a sense of foreboding and stammered in horror, "Father, what... what are you going to do? I'm your son! I was just pretending to be stupid for fun..."