Chapter 1218: 18.56 First Grey Star - Trial of Sin III
Chapter 1218: 18.56 First Grey Star - Trial of Sin III
Even though Mo Yuhan no longer thought about the past events, the mere fact that the ancestor had caused such pain to his cousin made him feel a hidden anger in his heart toward that person. Lu Ming appears to be in the same place as he is, and Mo Yuhan pats his friend's shoulder as he congratulates him. He had watched the whole process of his friend's trial.
It can be said that Lu Ming's experience is easier than what Mo Yuhan has undergone.
Lu Ming's trial of wrath passed more easily than Mo Yuhan's because, unlike Mo Yuhan, he had long since reunited with his big brother and resumed their brotherhood; additionally, Ye Jieye helped him hunt the god-grade oyster mushroom in the Tornado Mountain Ranges, which greatly increased his strength.
After witnessing such a huge difference in strength, Lu Ming admired his cousin more and put everything in the past to be forgotten.
Mo Yuhan said, "That's an easy trial for you? I had a hard time with mine."
"You still passed it, so there is no problem. Moreover, mine was only easily resolved after I reunited with my brother in Somatic Town under the orders of my cousin. If not for that, I might still feel hatred for what happened in the past," Lu Ming explained.
Mo Yuhan said, "It's that you resolved yours. Mine involves my ancestor; I might not be able to resolve it in this life."
"Is it about your cousin's situation?" Lu Ming asked, but no longer asked further when he saw Mo Yuhan nod.
Even now, the two clans—the Mo and the Lu—never got along and stopped getting involved with one another because of that tragic event, which also involved the two former heirs of each clan. As a result, the two heirs no longer give a damn about their own clans and lead independent lives apart from their roots.
Sigh~
Lu Ming said, "Forget about it. It is enough that they are together again. This time, we only need to protect them together."
"This... I shall agree." Mo Yuhan bumped fists with Lu Ming. It was only at this moment that they fully accepted each other as friends or even as sworn brothers.
"Okay, enough with this talk. I wonder what my sister-in-law will do in this trial," Mo Yuhan said.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "It should be easier for him. My Xiao Jin should be fine."
Though he knew they were both orphans, I believe that someone who lives a normal life in Somatic Town under the protection of Doctor Sen, Su Jin, and Ji Yoonjun should not have suffered too much; after all, the past that should be forgotten should not have already been forgotten.
What he does not know is that Su Jin's soul is not the innocent teenage version of himself anymore; instead, it is another Su Jin who lived another lifetime.
Before Lu Ming and Mo Yuhan, a screen appeared that displayed the images from Su Jin's trial. While they had anticipated a straightforward scene with people mocking orphans, what they saw instead was an adult Lu Ming, Ji Yoonjun, and Su Jin.
Su Jin was a terrible sight on the ground, his face bloated and his eyes full of hate and tears; even Lu Ming and Mo Yuhan, who were merely onlookers, could sense the intense hatred that was inside the mature Su Jin, who had been mistreated.
The adult Ji Yoonjun spoke, "You took my place, my identity, and everything that is supposed to be mine. Su Jin, is what you did worth it all?"
Just as the adult Su Jin was about to recreate the original scene of his downfall, the current Su Jin took over, and there he was, glaring at the two men in front of him. This is the exact scene where Ji Yoonjun confronts him and destroys all his scheming. This is also the day the man he loves the most turned his back on him.
His heart hurt, his soul felt like it was breaking, and he was uneasy inside and out, but he could not take his gaze off the figure of his brother, who was feigning coldness from the outside, but inside his eyes were tears and pain, not from his betrayal but from something that was out of his control.
At that moment, Su Jin remembered what the current Ji Yoonjun had previously said to him: Original characters, the world's so-called beloved children, cannot change the fate that has been assigned to them; even if they had not chosen to do such a thing or for that circumstance to arise, it would still occur because it was predetermined.
{Your brother, as soon as he finished his role and removed his restrictions on himself, destroyed your previous world after your death. He will no longer exist in your world and no one knows where he ended up.}
Su Jin finally realized that his brother had never hated him for taking his place and standing by Lu Ming. Whenever I was in danger of being discovered, he would always show up by my side and ask if we could meet. Each time, he would teach me something that I could use to keep Lu Ming close to my heart.
If all of those interactions were planned, does that mean that his brother has been urging him along a path that would allow him to be with Lu Ming?
But what was going through my mind at the time? I always assumed that he was coming to replace me, so I pushed him away and repeatedly injured him. Now, however, he is beginning to wonder if it is really Ji Yoonjun or Lu Ming who is more significant in his life.
Su Jin's realization upon meeting the adult Ji Yoonjun's eyes was that he had never once looked directly into his brother's eyes; instead, his hatred clouded his vision and prevented him from seeing the truth; he is destined to fall in love with Ji Yoonjun because he was his opponent in a previous life, and the thought of all those stupid yet sinister plans he had made in the past made him feel even worse.
Tears well up in his shock; Su Jin's hands cannot even lift his face to hide his brother's tears; he finally reaches out and grasps the hand that has always supported him from behind—the same warmth that carried him through childhood and kept him safe until he was an adult—the most priceless thing he has ever pushed away with his own hands.
His voice was raspy, with undertones of beseeching, yearning, and admiration; this time he clutched those hands as if they were the last straw of his life, choking as he screamed, but the words lodged in his throat; he was not willing to leave them there.
"Brother, I'm sorry. I will listen to you. I will no longer ignore you. I will go home with you too," Su Jin said, but the Ji Yoonjun before him didn't respond to his words.
Just as he was about to despair further, Ji Yoonjun picked Su Jin up. He helped him arrange his clothes and hair, even healing his swollen cheeks.
Ji Yoonjun rustled Su Jin's hair and said, "Xiao Jin, this time live the life you wanted to."
"B-Brother?" Su Jin calls, but the scenery before him is abruptly cut off, and he is thrown out into the white space like the others.
But this time, it was not just Su Jin who thought Ji Yoonjun was too real when he moved at that last second; Lu Ming hugged Su Jin when he suddenly materialized in the white space, startled to see another version of himself, and knew instantly that the man was him when he met his eyes.
Meanwhile, the onlookers were equally taken aback; in particular, wardens with the ability to see through souls, such as Lu Ming and Leica, were finally able to decipher the nature of the being responsible for this trial.
Lu Shang mumbles, "That Ji Yoonjun just now felt too real."
"Hm. It had more control over itself than the others who appeared in that realm. It must be because that soul was a being that learned the truth of his world and was no longer a part of this world," Leica said.
Ji Yoonjun was shocked and asked, "Does that mean that he (Original Ji Yoonjun) is still in this world?"
"No. That's impossible. Those who break away from their world and choose to fulfill a wish instead of longevity cannot return to their original world. They will be placed in another world instead," Lu Shang said.
Ji Yoonjun asked, "Then how did he appear in this world just now?"
Mo Xuejing, who had been listening quietly, just now spoke up. "Dreams. If there is somewhere in which you can meet another version of yourself, it's only in your dreams, right?"
The incarnation of Hei Anjing should not have known this information, but for some reason, when he realized they were different from others, he did not seem surprised or show any emotion. Lu Shang, Leica, and Ji Yoonjun, who had forgotten about the existence of an original character like Mo Xuejing, were dumbfounded. They had started talking about something beyond this world.
Mo Xuejing was squeezing System Yue in his hands as if playing around with it and didn't mind keeping the gaze of others to himself.
"Don't look too surprised. When A'Ye brought me inside that small world or when I met these little ones (systems), I knew you guys were not from this world. After all, you are too powerful compared to others in this world. A'Ye also explained a lot of things to me.
Even though I couldn't understand everything, I knew right from the beginning that I was different from the rest that existed in this world," said Mo Xuejing.
Leica asked, "My Lord, lately, have you been meeting another of you in your dreams?"
"Yes. A version of me that feels a bit mischievous yet cold at heart. He felt different yet similar. That's why I know he is also another version of me," Mo Xuejing answered.
The two systems, Zhi Yang and Zhi Yue, and the two wardens, Lu Shang and Leica, saw that Lord Hei had connected with his incarnation in this world through the dream realm and that the only way he could be able to move unhindered in the dream was with the assistance of the current dream god, who was Lord Hei's biological cousin and one of the children of Sovereign Ruler Shen and Sovereign Ruler Mo.
Leica asked, "My Lord, did that version of yourself say something to you?"
"He said a lot of nonsense, but... he said if I didn't want him to take over, I must take back my memories and not appear before my original body anymore," Mo Xuejing said as he glanced at them. He realized that the dream must be real for these guys to react like this. That man must definitely be another version of himself.
---
Back to the trial...
The voice that spoke to them before had once again started talking. This time, Lu Shang, Leica, and Mo Yuhan were on their highest guard the moment he spoke.
{That was something unexpected. I never expected that one of the souls I invited into a dream would be able to move and talk on its own like that. I was so surprised that I ended that realm in an instant. That one must have woken up in his reality.}
Su Jin said, "What do you mean? Is that really my brother!? Is that the real Ji Yoonjun!?"
The proprietor of this space was taken aback by Su Jin's query, as were Lu Ming and Mo Yuhan. If Su Jin claimed that the Ji Yoonjun he had met during the trial was the genuine Ji Yoonjun, then who was the Ji Yoonjun who had been waiting for them outside the trial?
Stunned and confused, Lu Ming asked, "Xiao Jin, what are you talking about?"