There was a small path on the West Mountain where vehicles were unable to pass.
Mochizuki Ken led Mofan and Mochizuki Chihaya into the path. To their surprise, there was a small sacrificial altar hidden in the valley. There were some fresh flowers on it that had not wilted yet. It was obvious that someone had come to pay their respects to it not long ago.
"I was just like you back then, reckless and reckless. I didn't think about the consequences of my actions. The boring life of the East Guardian Tower made us curious about anything new. When he found the Essence Orb, he was so excited that he wanted to bring it out with him, "Mochizuki Ken raised a jar of wine and poured it onto the altar.
Mofan went closer and saw a name carved on the altar.
"Kazuaki?" Mochizuki Chihaya stared at the altar blankly. It took her some time to collect her thoughts.
"Yeah, he's actually the father of your brother, Iwata. He's also my best friend, "said Mochizuki Ken.
"Did you bring the Essence Orb out with you too?" asked Mofan.
"It's quite complicated. Chihaya's mother, Masako, was the most popular girl in the Shuangshuang Pavilion … ugh, in modern terms, she was a goddess. Iwata's father, Kazuaki, managed to win her heart. Not long after that, Iwata was born …" said Mochizuki Ken.
"Stop, stop, stop talking about old lovers. I want to know more about the previous Red Demon." Mofan seemed to be losing his patience.
It was related to the mysterious death of Ling Ling's father. Mofan was eager to know more about the Red Demon. After spending so much time with Ling Ling, the dark red soul mark was the reason why the little girl was always acting like an old man. If he could find out the truth, it would be the best way to heal Ling Ling's soul.
Back in Shanghai, Ling Ling had helped him without asking for anything in return. Mofan believed it was the only thing he could do for her.
He had stumbled upon the special dark red soul mark by accident. Either way, Mofan had to find out the truth and give Ling Ling an explanation.
"Here's what happened back then. Kazuaki and I were the first to discover the Essence Orb. I told Masako and Tegami about it. Masako told us to inform the clan, but Tegami suggested that we refine the energy inside it to improve our strength and stand out among the clan. When we absorbed its energy, we shared it among the four of us, so we didn't notice anything unusual. Our cultivation even improved significantly. However, Masako, Tegami, and I had a huge change in temperament. At first, we found joy in torturing the demon beasts. We even started killing the prisoners in the East Guardian Tower … "Mochizuki Ken said.
"Are you bewitched by the evil Essence Orb?" said Mo Fan.
"That's right, we fell deeper into it. Tegami even suggested that we should imprison more prisoners in the East Guardian Tower, so the Essence Orb could absorb more energy from their souls and provide us with greater strength," said Mochizuki Ken. He did not want to talk about the past.
During that period of time, he had done a lot of things that he could not help but shudder when he recalled them. The cruelty and evil thoughts had grown endlessly, and had taken root deep inside their hearts …
"So how did you get rid of it?" asked Mofan.
It was obvious that Mochizuki Ken had become gentler and kinder after what happened back then.
"It was Kazuaki. He was the most rational among all of us. After he realized that the evil bead was actually the condensation of the dead souls of all the prisoners, he started to stop us from using the evil bead to cultivate … Sigh, we were truly lost at that time. "The old man Mochizuki Ken let out a long sigh filled with endless sorrow and regret.
"So you killed him?" said Mofan.
"Enough with the nonsense!" Mochizuki Chihaya glared at Mofan.
"As a matter of fact, we did do it. The three of us plotted together to kill Kazuaki, who was trying to stop us …" Mochizuki Ken's voice was extremely soft. He did not even dare to look into Mochizuki Chihaya's eyes.
"What … you killed Iwata's father, and even my mother agreed to it!?" Mochizuki Chihaya exclaimed.
Kazuaki and Masako were husband and wife back then. Mochizuki Chihaya's mother was the kindest and gentler woman in the world. She would never do something so cruel.
Mochizuki Ken knew Mochizuki Chihaya was having a hard time accepting the truth, yet he had no choice but to tell her the truth, "As a matter of fact, she was the one who suggested it … oh, you shouldn't hold a grudge against your mother. She was even more lost than we were. I believe you know how it feels. "
Mochizuki Chihaya recalled the scene where she attacked the civilians. It was true that it was not her.
"It's so scary when you think about it, the person beside you is trying to kill you …" sighed Mofan.
"Luckily, Kazuaki was a smart man. He knew what we were trying to do. We thought he was going to leave us, but he didn't. He stole the Essence Bead and took that horrible thing away from us. Back then, we tried to hunt him down, as we thought he was trying to take the orb for himself. We were furious. He was forced into a corner by us, but he disappeared for some reason. After that, we never saw Yiqiu again. As time passed, our minds gradually became clear. Your mother, Masako, also blamed herself for this matter and left this world early. Masako and I did not dare to mention this matter. However, we did not know how to repay the guilt we felt toward Yiqiu. "Old man Mochizuki Ken said.
It had been so many years, and he had grown from a young man to an old man. However, he still remembered what happened back then. Mochizuki No Ken could not help but tear up when he recalled it.
"Is that why you cared so much about Iwata?" asked Mochizuki Chihaya.
Mochizuki Ken nodded. He took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, the only thing we could do was to take care of his son. Unfortunately, we realized it too late, and we were still holding a grudge against his son. Iwata suffered a lot when he was young, and Masako hated him even more … when Masako finally realized Kazuaki's sacrifice and suffering, Iwata had already grown up. He thought our kindness was fake, and he didn't need it."
"Iwata …" Mochizuki Chihaya felt a lump in her throat when she recalled what her brother had gone through.
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