Black Greed

TWENTY SEVEN

She had collected enough for ten years after their first encounter with the weird creatures emitting a disgusting resentful energy with the help of Li Duan.

Li ChangJin had been quiet for those years, no one had seen or heard about him. Rumors believe that he ran away to somewhere.

But rumors are meant to be rumors; it's up to the person who will listen and spread it if it's real or not. Will they make it believable enough or as gossip to pass times? Wei MeiLan needs to see it herself if that is real or not.

So she went back to the forest where she met Li Duan to meet him up.

"Master Li," Wei MeiLan didn't bother to make unnecessary things and bravely asked the person. "This will sound rude, but can you tell me what did those people did to you? If you still remember it?"

"I don't mind telling you, but why asking this? That resentful energy pumped to us is a bane of every cultivating people." Li Duan asked her.

"My idiot brother practices demonic cultivation, so I'm not bothered. Anyone can have the cultivation they want, as long as they use it in a right way," she answered. "I'm only after those people who uses it in a bad way."

"Such a righteous person."

"Please don't mistook me as saint, Master Li. I've done many things to keep my family safe. I even failed to save them no matter how hard I tried to do it. For now, all I want is peace until my brother returns."

"Still righteous for me," Li Duan insisted. "Women of our era can't do that, for they only follow the will of their husbands and parents. But you, you overlooked those matters and you do your way. You disregard the fact that women had no to little rights to do what you have done. You can lift up your weapon to protect your loved ones and risk yourself to unknown dangers."

Li Duan stood up and took something under his bed and put it on the table. A box with no design yet made from a special wood. "A redwood box? It's rare, where did you obtain one?"

"When we were sold off, we were brought to this forest on foot, blindfolded. We were huddled in a cell altogether, and we are mostly 'criminals' that needs to be punished." Li Duan started to speak.

"When it was my turn, they dragged me to a room that stinks with death. They drugged me, making me hallucinate with voices and faces. I don't know how long I was there, but I keep hearing voices, telling me to give up, surrender myself, and be their vessel.

"I did give up, I lost my wife, my job and I was framed. If those voices can avenge me, then why not? So I permitted them. I thought they will just occupy my head, but they took my entire body and remained what was my shape as human.

"I do get a glimpse of as to who started that, like my whole ego isn't completely devoured, so I willed myself. That I will control them than they control me. So when I got a chance, I took time to plan and fled to the eastern part of the forest. It's a risky move, the east part is often visited by hunters.

"Then I keep in mind to look for a woman surnamed Wei. They plan to kill you to prevent you from stopping them from their plans. Your surname is well known, but not you. I heard about the Yiling Patriarch using demonic cultivation to defeat a certain clan.

"You weren't mentioned, until I heard a rumors that you blocked off the night hunt information when something happened to your brother. Then that's when I concluded that you can do something that other cultivators don't. You can look ahead of time which others fear of. You can see what will transpire and you can change it."

"Master Li, there are some points that is wrong," Wei MeiLan said melancholy. "I can't change the fate of death. I've known how my loved ones will die, yet I never managed to stop it.

"I begged my parents not to join back then for they will die, but they insisted that they should and whether they die or not is according to their abilities." She stared at the window of the shack.

"I told my brother what will happen to Elder sister, as what I've told our Jiejie as to what will happen to Aunt and Uncle. I wish they hated me, but they accepted the fate. That's why Master Li, this time, if I can do something to deviate the timeline, to prevent more deaths, I will do it. And whoever that shithead is planning to kill me, I will make sure I will reach them before they reach you."

"Young Lady, having some suicidal thoughts like that isn't good for you. Refrain yourself from those things."

"Master Li, I never had any thoughts of like that. I willed myself back then when we tried to fend off ourselves from those dogs when we were kids that I will do everything to survive and keep my loved ones safe." Wei MeiLan smiled.

Li Duan opened the red box, revealing an item. The shape is incoherent, like a lump of clay, but darkness and all negative energy is oozing out of the item. "I don't know what is this material. But when I come to my senses, this item caught my attention and hid it. It releases pure resentful energy, it's like a supplement, but a dangerous one."

Wei MeiLan took the item and lifted it. "A yin metal. A different one from my brother though."

"You know this item?"

"Yes, Master Li. This piece of a junk has been the reason why my brother was killed back then, and now this is the reason why you are like that," She put the item back inside the box. "Its seems like this time, I need to visit the Gusu Lan Clan."