NOVEL WEB 143 Sorry for killing you.
A heavy waterfall, almost akin to the Niagra Falls on Earth, was the first sight that Yue Li witnessed as her eyelashes fluttered open. Then, as the panic started to rise, she felt herself leaning against her son's chest and immediately breathed out a sigh of relief.
But once more, her gaze shifted to the great waterfall and panic once more rose up in her guts. She also realized that they were now high up, on top of a large tree, to be exact. It was so tall, looking up, she felt as if the clouds were not that distant.
She felt Han Li gently kissing her nape and turned back to him, her eyes bright. "Where are we?" she asked.
"Inside the Sacred Demon's empty space," Han Li replied, a slight smile on his face.
Yue Li looked towards the sky, the sun was still barely visible, but it was already nearing dark. "So realistic, Xiao Li, it's almost like the real world," she said in awe, full of reverence. "Will your Empty Space become like this too?"
Han Li looked at her curiously, not interrupting her amazement. With a smile, he said, "I don't know, maybe it might. But my theory is that all Sacred Stage Cultivators have Empty Spaces similar to this, a World of its own inside them. Maybe that is their source of god-like strength."
His mother nodded enthusiastically and decided. "When your Empty Space becomes like this, we will set up a mansion in the middle of the world, and then, I don't know… we will do something interesting."
Han Li couldn't help but smile. How cute. "After I get it, sure."
She squinted at him. "So tell me, what will we do in this world? Explore? Have sex? You were so stiff when we were flying. But you seem to be in a better mood now. And why are we on top of this tree? Also, how long was I sleeping?"
"In this world…" Han Li grew serious, "we survive."
Her words got caught on her throat and she looked at his red eyes with a frown. It was also then that she noticed her son was wearing something she had no recollection of buying for him or him buying. He was not in those clothes when they came here too.
"Where did you get those clothes?"
"I told you when we were flying here, until we get out, no questions, and you will obey all my words," he replied calmly, looking far west, on the opposite side of the waterfall.
Yue Li looked at him with a disgruntled expression, even a bit pale. "I am not your slave, bastard. Tell me, did you kill once more?"
Han Li looked back at her. "Look west, I mean, there." He pointed.
She looked west, and Han Li said calmly. "There is a Power Born there, and there, inside the cave behind that great waterfall, a Power Born also flew into it a second ago."
"So what?" she asked.
"So, my lovely mom, tomorrow, they will come to kill us. In about 24 hours from now, a Trial will begin, but before that, there will be many fights, and today, at least thousands will die for no reason. I killed, yes, I killed. But due to that, I might not have to see you die, understood?"
Yue Li took a deep breath and, deep down, felt a coldness take hold of her heart. She involuntarily slapped Han Li. He looked at her calmly.
"How many did you kill?" she asked.
"Three today."
"Do you know? They might have a mother like me waiting for them to return home, a family that is reliant on them to survive. How…" she gritted her teeth gently, "could you break our promises so coldly."
Han Li didn't speak; he was far beyond such simple guilt. And as his mother started to tear up and sob, he could only comfort her silently. He knew this would happen. That was why he had climbed up the tree even when there was a chance he would find a precious Life Type resource if he took the chance. But of course, coming here had its use—they were rather safe up here.
It took about half an hour for his mother to calm down even a bit, and even then, her face was still very pale. "…Xiao Li, you killing them is the same as me killing them. I failed to teach you, *sob* I feel sick…"
After that, she fell onto his chest, crying, making Han Li feel slightly guilty for the first time. Not because he killed, but because he made her sob. But she would get through it, he knew.
"Me killing is just that, Mom," he said, "Nothing more, nothing less. You have no part in this."
She shook her head. "I always remembered it when I read fantasy novels on Earth: all of the main characters slowly become like you. Black-hearted and callous, only caring about their own benefit… our world is different from those, but it has its similarities and... I don't want you to be like them! Even Liyue would hate you if she knew this."
"Do you hate me?" he asked.
She looked at him coldly and slapped him once more. She was angry as much as she was sad. Han Li understood that just then.
"I… know, Xiao Li," she said, biting her lips. "I always knew we would have to kill one day; that was always how it had been in those books, and they were all written by people much smarter than me. So, I always knew this would happen. I am more affected that you don't feel sad than even killing, and I feel horrible for saying that, too."
"What about this?" Han Li asked, looking at her calmly. "I will kill anyone I feel threatened by inside this World, and after this event, both of us go to some temple and become monks for a while. Does that help?"
A long silence followed. He looked at her intently, too; he knew her morals were different from just simple things like obeying the laws. Anyone who based their morality on legality was an idiot, and even though his mom was a fool, she was foolish enough not to bother with the rules.
Her morals were simple; she wished to live happily, but in that, she never wished to hurt anybody. It was not that she hadn't taught him her morals well; it wasn't that she failed as a mother; it was just that he had seen the world for what it had to offer.
He didn't mind being a monk, even the most righteous man alive, if that would help him achieve his goal of eternal life and gain control over life and death. But he knew the easier path was being a Demon—and he felt no regret in being a Demon. Other than hurting her, that is.
It wouldn't matter who he killed or who he saved after he achieved that level after all; then it would be easy for him to change anything. Heck, there might be people out there who could already do that; from a small speck, he had to become a giant; that was the only way.
He loved his mom. He loved her really much. He hated seeing a wound on her fair skin; he didn't like seeing tears on that fair face, and he didn't like how her voice broke. But he knew.
'No one saves us but ourselves. No one can, and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.'
"So here is the deal, Mom, I will not kill unless they threaten me, and in return, you accept all that I say. Once outside, I will do what you say."
Yue Li saw the plea in his face, and her own gaze lowered.
"…You will also help, not half-heartedly, but with full heart, every family that you hurt by killing them. If you lose money or even pride, let it be."
"Okay."
"Do you remember the names of the people you killed? Were they unknown?"
"I know who they were."
"Okay, we will both bear this sin together. Remember Xiao Li, now it is also my goal to make you have the power to revive people."
Han Li looked at her, and his heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were sparkly with tears, but her words didn't stutter. "I had always wished to be a part of that great ambition of yours, so now, it will have one more meaning." She closed her eyes, settling her heart. "You will one day become the controller of Life and Death and will revive each and every one you killed. And I will apologize to them for the mistakes my son made."
This was the difference between a person with a Heart of Cultivation and one without; she could keep calm in confusion; if it was Liyue, she would be jittery now, but not Yue Li. She could atleast process the information and think.
She had at first seen his ambitions as a joke, but she wasn't his mother for no reason. She had seen him train like a madman, and if that was a joke, she didn't know what wasn't.
"You will… apologize to the people I killed?" he asked, amused.
"You will, too. And then only will I consider you a great son. So work hard."
Han Li chuckled with a rather amused expression and gently cleared her tears using his sleeves.
"That seems interesting. We will make Liyue apologize too. It was her husband who killed them after all."
"Then, you might as well include Li Yao, too. She is your mistress? Is that the word? Or Mother-in-law, I guess…"
"Then I have to make Ruo apologize, too."
"…Ruo?" Yue Li frowned, a displeased expression immediately plastering itself on her face. "Who is this wench I don't know about?"
"I haven't seen her yet, either, but she would be in this Demon World. You won't call her a wench once you see her; believe me, she is gorgeous."
But he was a bit worried about her situation in this world. It could totally end up dangerous.
"Mom, it's time to find a Life-Type fruit and trade it. Then we go find our Little Ruo. It would still take hours for Power Borns to begin their rampage. We have to find her before that."
But he had some confidence she wouldn't be in danger at this point—or he wouldn't have wasted time sweet-talking his Mom, and there was a reason for that confidence. ill-placed as it was.