Death… and me

Mo Tian Ji twice gave a hollow laughter. He then hastily extended his hand to welcome his guest, "Brother Chu, please come in."

"I'll obviously go in since I've arrived at the entrance of your clan… Did you think that I'd keep standing on the street?" King of Hell Chu rolled his eyes. He didn't show the slightest amount of politeness as he strode in. He entered the Mo Clan's courtyard while whimpering.

Mo Tian Ji blinked. He felt very confused at this moment despite his heaven-reaching wisdom. [Has this guy… taken a drug or something today? Or… have I offended him in some way?]

[Why does he seem to argue whenever his mouth opens?]

"Brother Chu… the present situation in the Jianghu…" Mo Tian Ji and Chu Yang sat down on the host's and the guest's seats respectively. Then, Mo Tian Ji started to speak with a smile.

"Tea!" Chu Yang lifted his hand. He then again rolled his eyes, and interrupted him. He put stress in his voice, and said, "The special Tian Ji tea!"

Mo Tian Ji had only said half-a-sentence, but had been interrupted. However, his self-restraint was excellent. He didn't get angry in any way, "Oh, I forgot to offer you tea… It's my fault." He hastily steeped tea.

He put a cup of steaming tea in front of Chu Yang after a short while, "Brother Chu, please." Mo Tian Ji had assumed a low and humble stance. He had no other choice but to lower his attitude since he needed help from Chu Yang.

[I'll make this guy flatter me for a while.]

"There is no… poison in this tea, right?" Chu Yang suspiciously looked at Mo Tian Ji.

The corners of Mo Tian Ji's mouth twitched. Even his excellent self-restraint failed miserably in the face of this verbal attack. His spring-breeze-like smile immediately turned stiff… He gave a dry smile, "No way! He-he… Brother Chu must be joking."

"Oh well, poison doesn't affect me anyway," Chu Yang held the teacup in his hand, and took a sip. Then, he said with a lively smile, "You're right. I was just joking."

Mo Tian Ji became depressed.

[We're not meeting for the first time. So, you don't need to be so cautious of me. I don't understand why you pull a long face every time we meet…]

[This kind of behavior is… senseless.]

Chu Yang sipped the tea. He then narrowed his eyes, and looked at Mo Tian Ji. Then, he thought in his heart, [Oh, you feel wronged? Fu*k you motherfu*ker… I was destroyed by your betrayal in my previous life… Do you love your sister? … Who the hell are you…? Fu*ker!]

[You both are brothers and sisters for god's sake! You didn't have to go as far as to go after my life…]

[As for me… I'm the one who Qing Wu loves! I'm the man who's going to be with her for the rest of her life!]

[So, I have to teach you a lesson now. Otherwise, I won't be able to get over my grievance of being besieged by you in the last moments of my previous life.]

[You think I'd let you off that easily? I had cried at that time, you know…]

"Brother Chu." Mo Tian Ji gasped for breath… A polite smile was hung up on his face. He was sitting leisurely across from Chu Yang. He said while confiding in Chu Yang with entire sincerity, "Brother Chu, I don't know why I had felt that you're the kind of person that I can rely on when I had first seen you in the Lower Three Heavens. I had felt that we could be close friends… I became friends with Brother Chu because I admire him wholeheartedly… But…"

"But what?" Chu Yang was clearly playing dumb. However, he was also pretending to be frank and honest. So, he straightforwardly said, "Brother Mo, feel free to share what's on your mind."

Mo Tian Ji swallowed a breath. He hesitated for a while, and then finally said, "But, it seems that Brother Chu is vigilant of me… We had a nice conversation in the Lower Three Heavens. But, I had got a feeling that you were somewhat wary of me. Then, Brother Chu had been even more resentful towards me when we had met at Mt. Dingjun… I feel helpless. I've searched my soul, but I couldn't figure out how I had let Brother Chu down…"

Mo Tian Ji sincerely said, "I request Brother Chu to be generous, and guide me if I've done something wrong. And, I'll right my wrongs!"

He slightly sighed, "After all, we're now in the same boat under the wind and rain… And, it'll naturally lead to destruction if our hearts aren't in-line… We must eliminate the knots in our relation before the war breaks out. Sincerely speaking… I'm opening my heart to you… I'm giving my bare heart into your keeping. I request Brother Chu to not hold any animosity, and tell me frankly."

Mo Tian Ji was an extremely intelligent person. So, he had clearly judged by the few exchanges so far, [Chu Yang has some grievance against me. But, the current phase is very special… We both belong to the leadership class. So, it'll lead to the doom of the several great clans involved if there is any enmity between us.]

Therefore, Mo Tian Ji hadn't started with the formal talks right away. He wanted to resolve this issue first. It didn't matter what was said… Chu Yang had saved Mo Qing Wu, and then gotten rid of Mo Tian Yun with his brilliant scheme. Moreover, he had arranged for Mo Qing Wu to be the apprentice of two Senior Level Experts…

It could be said that Chu Yang had done big favors on the Mo Clan! And, Mo Tian Ji would never forget those favors and violate justice even if he was unhappy in his heart. He would never bite the hand that had fed him. These bonds mattered a lot to Mo Tian Ji. Otherwise, Chu Yang might've been kicked out long ago if he were to put on airs in front of him…

Mo Tian Ji naturally didn't know that Chu Yang was just venting out his anger. Moreover, Chu Yang wouldn't have waited for such a critical time to try to trip Mo Tian Ji even if he had a grudge against him. He only wanted to teach him a lesson… That was all.

Mo Tian Ji naturally didn't know when he had offended this King of Hell Chu. He had apparently offended Chu Yang so much that Chu Yang would try to pull his legs left-and-right every time they'd meet.

Mo Tian Ji believed that he was innocent. So, he couldn't imagine that he had offended Chu Yang… and that too in the most awful manner… as if he had given him a lifetime's worth of offense.

Mo Tian Ji was the 'Master of Calculation and Manipulation'. But, how could he possibly know the load of King of Hell Chu's mind?

"Brother Mo, you're worrying too much…" Chu Yang assumed a frank and open-minded stance. He deeply sighed, "Brother Mo probably knows that my biggest enemy in the Lower Three Heavens was Diwu Qing Rou…"

Mo Tian Ji nodded. However, he thought in his heart, [Why is he suddenly mentioning Diwu Qing Rou?]

"Diwu Qing Rou was a top strategist. He was tranquil and indifferent. He was able to determine the final outcome of a battle from a thousand miles away. I had suffered a great loss at his hands." Chu Yang sighed. Then, he shook his head, "And, Brother Mo's appearance has been like that of a wise man. You've always had a free and easy attitude towards everything. And, you always have a card up your sleeve. So, I can't help but recall Diwu Qing Rou whenever I look at you… He he he… I become like a 'bird startled by the mere twang of a bow'. Brother Mo, don't mind me."

[What kind of reasoning is this?]

Mo Tian Ji didn't know whether to laugh or cry. [You're reminded of Diwu Qing Rou when you look at me? What comparability do I have with Diwu Qing Rou?] However, Mo Tian Ji didn't know that he and Diwu Qing Rou were equal in Chu Yang's mind.

Therefore, he only cursed in the secrecy of his heart. [Going by your reasoning… One would think of the Upper Three Heavens if they were to see a stone here, right? After all, the stones of the Upper Three Heavens and the Middle Three Heavens are all same.]

[This is absurd!]

"Brother Mo, you must be somewhat dissatisfied by this explanation. But, I feel embarrassed in saying this." Chu Yang smiled in a carefree manner, and said, "Drink tea. Drink tea. Please, please."

His mannerisms suddenly switched from that of the guest to that of the host.

"Please Brother Chu, let's talk frankly and openly!" Mo Tian Ji's expression was solemn. "I must admit my mistake if I've made one. In fact, I won't complain even if Brother Chu scolds me."

"You won't complain?" Chu Yang slowly put down the teacup.

"Of course." Mo Tian had a determined look.

"You'll let me scold you?" Chu Yang narrowed his eyes.

"I'm willing to be scolded if I've made a mistake!" Mo Tian Ji seriously said.

"Um… I'll feel embarrassed if I don't scold you now that you've said so. Good… Then, I'll scold you. Um… I say, did your brain fall into water? Huh?" Chu Yang suddenly exploded… He slammed his hand on the table with a bang. He opened his eyes wide, became furious, and thundered without any prior indication, "You tell me, how will you justify what you did! Huh?! Your head may have been clamped between the doors… Your head may have been kicked by a donkey… But , how could you do it? Are you stupid? Are you a retard?!"

Mo Tian Ji became dumbstruck. He hadn't expected that this guy would be so rude. He had only said a few words out of courtesy, and this guy had started to scold him like his heart had been filled with righteous indignation.

This senseless tongue-lashing left Mo Tian Ji gob-smacked. He was left scratching his head. He thought, [Could it be true that I've unintentionally done something that has made this man furious-enough to complain like this?]

A film instantly started to roll in his mind as he recalled everything that he had recently done. However, he couldn't think of anything in particular.

Mo Tian Ji blinked. [Where is this… this scolding coming from?]

However, he didn't know that Chu Yang had been giving him two lifetimes-worth of scolding. Mo Tian Ji hadn't made any mistake in this life. But, Chu Yang was still being rude and was scolding him to vent his anger! Besides, Chu Yang had got Mo Tian Ji's weak-point to pinch.

"Mo Tian Yun wanted to kill you at that time. He wanted to kill Xiao Wu as well. And, you weren't oblivious to this, right? You knew this, right? Still, you brought along just four King Level Experts? Four King Level Experts are nothing but a fart! Right? You thought you could protect her with just that?

"Then, you were blinded by greed. You threw away your sister, and went on a treasure hunt. Pardon me for being insensitive, but let me ask you this… Was that treasure more important for you than your sister? She's your blood sister… damn it! You're the reason Xiao Wu got injured. She had been depressed up until now because of her injury. She couldn't forget that incident… It gnawed at her mind every day. However, you still haven't realized your mistake? You're still at a loss while I'm scolding you? Is your head filled with shit, huh?!

"Had I not told you to use discretion while talking after you came back? I had told you to brag as much as possible! I had told you to brag with all your strength! Could those old and stubborn farts who 'bully the weak and fear the strong' have dared to do this to Xiao Wu if you had listened to me and bragged in a proper manner?

"You could've turned things upside down. But, you didn't brag. On the contrary, you took away the 'Dreaming of a Gentle Dance' saber from Xiao Wu, and left her to hold a broken scabbard and cry there every day. Then, you care-freely patted your buttocks, and went to the Cang Lan Battlefront!

"Moreover, you didn't leave any person behind with whom she could talk?! Do you know how cruel this is for a ten-years-old girl? Huh?!

"The most outrageous thing is that you had been gone for a long time since you didn't want to face Mo Tian Yun and wanted to build your team's strength. You didn't come back to see Xiao Wu in a long time… until she finally ran away from her home! It was too much! You keep on saying that Xiao Wu is a piece of your heart and your treasure… Should you have treated your so-called treasure like that? That was simply heartless!"

Mo Tian Ji repeatedly hiccupped. He had a lifeless look in his eyes at the moment. His forehead was sweating profusely because of all the scolding. These words had been bombarded on him like cannon-fire. They had made him so confused and disoriented that he couldn't regain his composure for a while.

[So, King of Hell Chu is angry because of this matter… Now I see.]

[Moreover, I'm indeed at fault for being so inconsiderate in this matter… I had it coming. But… why does it feel on looking at King of Hell Chu that he's using public office to avenge private wrongs?]

"And, take a look at the plan that you had made this time. What kind of a joke was it? You're no Master of Calculation and Manipulation. You're just a dumb-fu*k! You had planned for everything in the Jianghu. But, nothing went according to your plan. What's wrong? Has your brain gone numb? You don't know what to do, huh? Are you at the end of your wits? Are you on the point of death? Are you fu*ked?"

Chu Yang heartily gave vent to his anger, and kept on scolding him. He felt incredibly nimble and refreshed in all 365 acupuncture points, the linked meridians, and his spirit. He raised the teacup, and drained the cup in one gulp. Then, he heavily put it down on the table. He then glared at Mo Tian Ji, and said while scowling fiercely, "Pour more tea! Why are you gawking like that? You're so inattentive that it's aggravating! I can't believe that you're still called the Master of Calculation and Manipulation. Can't you see that my teacup is empty?"

….