Chapter 32: Father of Mo

“I am a human, who was fighting this…. Metal space giant.” I started making stuff up. “Very strong and rare creatures, it swallowed me whole before I was able to destroy it from the inside.” I sighed dramatically.

“Unfortunately, it was able to shift space in its last moments, what are the chances it would crush somebody?” I shook my head. “For this, I am sorry.”

The anger still burned in Zhu Gen’s eyes, but as nothing here made any sense in Zhu Gen’s mind, he was forced to take this explanation at face value.

“And that tail?” Zhu Gen questioned.

“Just a technique of mine…You know.” I deflected. “Secret technique.” I quickly added, having read and seen the media on Earth. I knew that everyone loved secret techniques.

Zhu Gen nodded. The anger in his eyes fading, as a man, he too was enticed by secret techniques. Furthermore, the way he saw this man casually lift that massive metal giant, scared him to his core. Lightning draped on his body like a robe. This must be a domain stage cultivator.

He himself had only just reached the outer field stage, with a specialty on beast phantoms. He knew how to act in front of the strong.

He smiled, clasping his hands together, lowering his shoulders slightly, and speaking in friendly tones.

“What the senior says makes sense.” He spoke politely.

“Senior? Don't call me that.” I was a little offended, how old was I even?

“What should I call you?” he inquired.

“Say John Star, it would be hilarious.” Lord of Stars chimed in randomly.

“Star is fine.”

“No surname?”

“Nope.”

Zhu Gen eyed me up and down. He was suspicious of my origins, but who wouldn't be? I just came out of a wormhole while I was inside of a metal giant, which killed some random man.

He was saddened by the death of Mo Wan, but it wouldn't have been such a different result either way. He was planning on cutting ties with him anyways. It must be fate, surely.

Zhu Gen politely excused himself.

“Well, I must be getting back. Sir Star, it was a pleasure to meet you.” He didn't have any flashy methods of travel, and just walked away with his posse.

The entire time we spoke, a woman was on her knees, eyes stained red from tears. She simply stared at the flattened corpse of Mo Wan. It was truly ironic that the one man who had clearly wanted to love and take care of her, died without feeling her touch. She was always a free-spirited woman, but when facing him, she wanted to run. Afraid of the permanence of love.

In a large open field of green grass and hills there was only a crushed man, a kneeling woman, a beast pretending to be a human, and the empty corpse of a metal giant.

“Why are you sad?.... Why did you hurt him? What exactly did you hope to accomplish here?” I asked her three questions in a row.

She said ‘I don't know’ three times in a row.

I wondered what to do next. A whole new world lay before me, but this a less than ideal start. First thing, I should clean up this mess. I looked for some sort of identifiable token on Mo Wan’s body, and found a necklace on the inside of his robe. A shattered necklace, holding within a picture of a happy family.

“Where are his parents?” I asked the crying woman. She looked up at me, completely dazed still. The death of this Mo Wan was strangely crushing to her, even though she was in the process of hurting him when he died. If anything, I imagine that death was a great way to escape the lingering feeling of humiliation.

She got up and started walking, presumably to the home of his family. I quickly buried the man, unceremoniously, it was all I could do.

In the next life, may you find your guiding star.

The ‘Mo Clan’ was a desolate and large estate. Few servants walked around, the grounds were covered in leaves and dust. Even fewer cultivators were to be found, all wearing the same green and yellow robes. The intricacy of the engravings varied, as their symbol of a deer would grow more gorgeous with longer antlers on the robes of the inner disciples.

I made my way to the main villa, a nice comforting home, beige colored and covered in vines.

The woman led me to the main hall inside. There sat a lone clan elder with closed eyes, in an empty hall, chairs scattered loosely, tables covered in dust. He opened his eyes, a small smile on his face, wrinkles scattered across his skin.

He was balding with gray hair, he wore a green robe with the finest yellow decorations.

“Jia, what's the matter?” He referred to the woman as Jia. She did not respond, and meekly looked down. The clan elder surely knew of her ways, and the fact his son was in love with her, but did not once condemn her.

“Are you Mo Wan’s father?” It was best to get to the point.

He nodded, a fearful look appearing in his eye.

“I'm sorry, but he’s dead. I…fell on him.”

An awkward silence…. a long awkward silence.

His face changed from fear, to sorrow, to anger and confusion, to more sorrow. He looked at me many times as if to speak, but he struggled to contain his emotions.

At last, he screamed in fury, smashing the hall apart with his fists. After the destruction, tears flowed down as he laughed pitifully to himself. He suddenly stared at me like a wild beast and lunged at me, arm cocked back, ready to strike.

I did not move, I deserved to be battered for this. At least for a little while. But when you came just feet away from me, he stopped himself still. Eyes staring down at my open palm.

There lay a necklace with a photo of a child and his parents.

He grabbed the necklace and looked at the picture, after a long moment, he closed the necklace, and sighed, his voice still shaky. After awhile, he composed himself

“I suppose…it's for the best.” he very weakly exhaled as he returned to his old stone throne.

“Thank you for coming to me, and being so honest.” he appeared to not hold a grudge, but was clearly sorrowful

“But I don't understand how you fell on him.” he spoke while sniffling.

“It would just be easier to show you.” I replied.

I took him to the site of my initial landing, the metal giant shell was not going to disappear anytime soon. I used the same lie as before, as it was so much easier to explain. I told him it was some beast that teleported randomly at the moment of its death.

He didn’t have any suspicions. He explained what it meant to have D grade talent. It meant that one would never get past the Dantian stage. His son was fated to never stand amongst the strong, unfortunately, it was his only goal in life. He had prepared himself well for the day he found his son had died.

He thanked me for burying him, still breathing unevenly and sniffing. I could tell he was a resilient, yet sensitive type. He managed to joke to me, his own son's killer, not even an hour after his death.

“At least this creature makes for a magnificent tombstone.”