Chapter 31: They Are Merely a Few Fangs After All

After Old Meng left, Meng Fan returned to his daily routine: attending school during the day and training with Yue Huyang at night.

On the weekend, when Old Meng returned, he looked exhausted and deeply sorrowful.

"Dad, what happened?"

Old Meng looked at Meng Fan, shook his head, and deflected, "This mission was just a bit difficult."

"Oh, is that so?"

Meng Fan sat opposite him and speculated, "If it’s enough to make you look this distressed, have you encountered something that makes you feel terrible again?"

Old Meng lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. He neither nodded nor shook his head, but his silence confirmed Meng Fan’s suspicion.

Suddenly, Old Meng looked up at Meng Fan and said, "Xiao Fan, promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Dad knows you’ve been clever since you were young and have your own ideas, but unless it's absolutely necessary, do not reveal your extraordinary nature in front of other outcasts. I want you to do this to protect yourself."

"The circle of outcasts is not as beautiful as you imagine. There are many cruel things in it—things so dark that I don’t know how many geniuses have met their end. I don’t want you to have to face that."

"I named you 'Meng Fan' with the hope that you would live a simple, peaceful life. But your talent is so exceptional that I cannot bear to see it buried. Yet, the methods our family practices are such that, at my level, they cannot see the light of day..."

Meng Fan naturally understood why Old Meng said these things. Instead of being cowed, he curled his lips, a hint of gloom in his eyes, and smiled. "A tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind; a pile of earth on the bank will be swept away by the current; one who excels above others will be criticized by the crowd. An innocent man is guilty only because of the treasure he carries."

"In this world, most people are not afraid of heaven or earth; they are only afraid of those who are too different from themselves. If you are too wicked or too cowardly, they will destroy you and trample on you."

"If you are too good or too strong, they won't be at ease, either. They will suppress you and alienate you. Only when you are just like them will they feel safe enough to accept you. At that point, they won't even care whether you are good or bad."

"Dad, I understand the logic. But if one isn't strong enough, when the day of reckoning arrives, what do you have to protect yourself?"

"Instead of pinning my hopes on others, it is better to hold the blade in my own hands."

"If they are dark, then I will be darker than them. If they are ruthless, I will be more ruthless. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If I kill them all, won't there be no one left to target me?"

Old Meng stared at Meng Fan, wide-eyed.

For the first time, Meng Fan tore off his mask and began to reveal his true self. Old Meng could never have imagined that the cute, obedient baby he once held would grow up to have such a decisive and resolute character.

Clatter!

A plate fell to the floor outside the door, and fruit scattered everywhere. Meng Fan opened the door to see his stepmother standing there, covering her mouth. He smiled gently. "Mom, you didn't get hurt, did you?"

"No... no..."

She clumsily gathered the broken pieces and the fruit before hurrying away. She had thought that after these few years, she understood Meng Fan well, but his words just now had shattered the image she held of him.

Meng Fan watched her retreating figure, said nothing more, and turned back to Old Meng.

"Dad, I know there are things you can't bring yourself to do. Your current job doesn't suit your temperament; every mission leaves you feeling miserable and reluctant to face reality."

"But merely hiding will never solve anything. Once you start, there is no day of ending. Instead of making yourself suffer every time, why not face it head-on? Don’t you agree?"

"When you kill those scumbags, it is a true act of accumulating merit. Isn't there a saying?"

"'To kill is to save; to cut away evil is not to kill people!'"

"You shouldn't carry such a heavy psychological burden."

Old Meng had been an "odd-jobber" for the Company for several years. Although he never spoke after returning from missions, Meng Fan could feel him becoming more silent each time. Perhaps seeing the cruel truth of the outcast world had shaken his worldview, leading him to instinctively want Meng Fan to "hide" from these things.

But can such matters be resolved by "hiding"?

Take the family of Zhang Chulan, for example. They hid and kept secrets for a lifetime, but in the end, didn't they still have to face it?

Rather than being timid, it is better to strike back with a heavy fist!

Rather than self-destructing, it is better to consume others!

These burdens pressing down on a man as inherently gentle as Old Meng would eventually crush him. A string pulled too tight will snap. If Old Meng didn't try to change his mindset, he would one day become increasingly paranoid—what we call "getting stuck in a dead end."

Old Meng nodded blankly, as if seeing his son for the first time. Meng Fan smiled at the sight.

Just then, Old Meng’s phone rang.

"Hello, Brother Liao!"

"Oh, I’m on vacation right now, nothing else going on."

Then, Old Meng said with a troubled expression, "You want me to come over? Wasn't the mission already over?"

From the other end of the line came the voice of Liao Zhong, cursing the "Medicine Fairy Society" for their madness.

Old Meng understood the situation and asked in disbelief, "What? How could they dare? That is a living human life!"

Clack!

Liao Zhong, on the other end, lit a cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke. After steadying his emotions, he spoke in a dry voice, "Old Meng, can you use your methods to control the蠱 (gu) poison in the body of that 'Sacred Child of the Gu Body'?"

Old Meng pondered for a moment. "I'm not sure how potent the original gu poison you mentioned is, but I can try. Regardless, it’s a human life!"

"Fine. I’ve bought you a ticket for this afternoon's flight. Come over first," Liao Zhong said. "I'm sorry to trouble you, especially since you just got back and probably haven't had time to spend with your family."

"It's nothing, it's what I should do."

Beep, beep, beep...

Meng Fan looked at Old Meng. "Dad, are you going out again?"

Old Meng nodded, looking anxious, and apologized to Meng Fan. "Xiao Fan, there’s an urgent matter at the Company. I need to head back and go on a business trip for a few days."

"Listen to your master while I'm away!"

"Understood!"

Meng Fan watched Old Meng hurry out the door, his mind lost in thought. "Original gu poison, Sacred Child of the Gu Body... it must be Chen Duo."

"But the original gu poison in Chen Duo's body has already merged with her innate *qi*. They cannot be separated; the person is the gu, and the gu is the person. Even if Old Meng goes, I’m afraid it will be of no use."

Old Meng was destined to make a wasted trip, but Meng Fan himself had some ideas.