Chapter 190: Returning to the An Family (Part Two)

Goodness: You were never a good person.
Sin: I was never human to begin with.

The two voices in the depths of her heart grew louder and louder. Mo Lan suddenly opened her eyes and roared, "Stop talking!"

An Feng, who was driving, was startled. He shook his head, finally steadied himself, glanced at Mo Lan, and noticing the aura she had just released, asked cautiously, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Mo Lan steadied her mind, exhaled a foul breath, and closed her eyes once again. She was overthinking things; her inner demons had come for her. She must not think that this was the extent of their ability; the thought of them driving her crazy was out of the question.

An Feng glanced at the night outside, then looked back at the two corpses. His gaze returned to Mo Lan, and with a sigh, he said softly, "Get some sleep for a while. Tomorrow, you have a hard battle to fight."

Mo Lan did not open her eyes; she kept them tightly shut, embracing the darkness she could see. She nodded slightly without speaking. Indeed, she needed rest. Tomorrow's grueling battle would be one of the soul. She was not confident that she could accept everyone's accusations and curses. She was indeed guilty. It was because she had run off that Xiao Qi and Liu Fei had been harmed; it was all due to her self-will, otherwise the two of them would not have died.

Time passed exceptionally quickly while driving. The road grew shorter as the sky began to grow light and then dark again. The thoughts of the four people gradually drifted away as they contemplated the future, even considering how to defeat the boss.

On the morning of the third day, they finally returned to the An estate. Elder Xian and Qian Yin quickly stepped out of the vehicle, feeling utterly exhausted. They had been driving continuously without a break, resting at most only briefly along the way. The mere thought of being able to see them filled their hearts with joy as they clutched the herbs and hurried toward the house.

Xiaobei had originally planned to go out to buy some things, and dashing out, he almost collided directly with them. Seeing Qian Yin return, he happily stepped forward and spun her around in a hug. Qian Yin stood there in a daze, letting him do as he pleased.

Elder Xian became unhappy on the side. Why was his disciple so popular while he, the master, was left out in the cold? Youth might be capital, but after all, he was a being of supreme experience and wisdom. These children simply didn't take him seriously at all.

"Cough, cough!" Elder Xian dropped the basket of herbs onto the ground with a thud and coughed violently a few times.

Coming to her senses, Qian Yin hurriedly pushed Xiaobei away, stepped forward to pat Elder Xian on the back, and anxiously asked, "Are you alright?"

Elder Xian had been exhausted for days, and one could even say that throughout the entire journey to Yun Mountain, Elder Xian had not rested well. Qian Yin was deeply worried about his health; for an elderly man to give so much for them was truly not easy. If not for the thousand-year-old ginseng given by Cold-Blood, how could Elder Xian have returned with them?

"I'm fine. I just can't stand how some people don't take me seriously, don't care about me at all. Is it easy for an old man like me?" As Elder Xian spoke, he glared fiercely at Xiaobei. This fellow only had his Sister Qian Yin in his heart and treated everyone else like an outsider.

Xiaobei smiled sheepishly and retorted, "I was just missing my sister, wasn't I? Of course, it's even better that you've returned safely, Elder Xian."

Elder Xian let out a cold snort, picked up the herb basket once more, and walked excitedly toward his own courtyard. He needed to research and brew the medicine immediately; that would be best for everyone. Qian Yin smiled, glanced at Xiaobei, and instructed, "Go prepare some food for Elder Xian. I need to wash up properly and catch up on some sleep."

Xiaobei nodded earnestly. Seeing the dark circles under Qian Yin's eyes, he understood how exhausted she was. He felt a deep sense of helplessness. How much had his sister sacrificed for the Mo family, and yet what had she truly received in return? If this continued, his sister would day by day lose her former cheerful and lively personality, as well as her beautiful and healthy body.

None of them went to see Old Master Mo first, nor did they tell anyone about the recent situation of the Mo family. This was because they wanted to visit Old Master Mo bearing a mysterious gift, and approach the Mo family carrying the hope of the future.

An Feng originally wanted to drive straight home and get a good rest, but pressured by Mo Lan's firm and intimidating gaze, he had no choice but to drive the car outside the police station. It was still daytime, and the police personnel were still on duty. Upon hearing that Captain An had returned, someone immediately went into the office to call the chief out to welcome him.

Mo Lan gently picked up the corpses, placed them softly on the ground, and with a heavy thump, dropped directly to her knees without saying a word. This action startled the surrounding police officers, who stepped forward one by one to help her up, but Mo Lan shook her head in refusal.

An Feng leaned against the car with a helpless expression as he watched this scene. In truth, when he thought about it, he also shared some responsibility. If he hadn't taken Xiao Qi and Liu Fei away back then, perhaps the two of them wouldn't have died. Perhaps they could still be living happily within the police station.

Upon hearing that they had returned and having not seen Xiao Qi for so many days, the police chief was also deeply worried. His steps were quite brisk as he quickly reached the entrance, but when he saw the scene before the door, he froze in shock.

Who were the people lying on the ground? His heart skipped a beat, and he rushed forward to inspect them. They were two cold corpses wearing smiles, completely devoid of any warmth. Were they people who had just died? When he clearly recognized that it was Xiao Qi and Liu Fei, the police chief collapsed onto the ground, looking in disbelief at the kneeling Mo Lan.

"What is the meaning of this? How did the two of them die?" The chief asked with reddened eyes and raging fury. His gaze looked as though he wanted to tear Mo Lan into a thousand pieces; anyone looking at the situation could immediately tell that this matter was connected to Mo Lan.

"I'm sorry. It was my own self-will that harmed them." Mo Lan did not want to make excuses for herself. She closed her eyes, waiting for whatever punishment might come, and uttered only a single sentence of apology. She truly needed to apologize.

The chief stood up angrily, drew his gun, pointed it at Mo Lan's head, and cocked the trigger. Perhaps in the very next second, a bullet would pierce through Mo Lan's skull.

"Chief!" The surrounding police officers immediately cried out in alarm. The chief must not act so rashly. No matter how much fault Mo Lan had, he shouldn't execute her by shooting on the spot. Nothing had been investigated yet, and acting this way was far too reckless. After all, Mo Lan was an officer about to be promoted to the senior police department, and her status was now different.

An Feng quickly stepped forward, snatched the pistol, tossed it onto the ground, and then looked quietly at the chief. He bowed to him to express his apologies, and then recounted the entire matter from beginning to end, hoping the chief would understand.

The people around them cast curious gazes toward this direction, wondering what had happened. Not daring to get too close to the police officers, they could only stand far away and watch, occasionally catching a sentence or two of angry shouting.

"What on earth happened here?"
"Why is Captain Mo kneeling on the ground?"
"Whose corpse is that on the ground?"
"Why is the chief so furious?"

People pointed and discussed among themselves. These citizens had plenty of time on their hands, and they simply stood nearby, staring directly at the unfolding situation. The murmurs and discussions of the crowd were by no means quiet and quickly reached the ears of those involved.

Mo Lan kept her eyes tightly shut, listening to these remarks, hearing the chief's roar, and even hearing the sound of the trigger being cocked, a faint smile gradually forming on her face. Yet, as she listened to An Feng defending her, her heart ached terribly. She began to reflect upon her own mindset—from Cold-Blood to Xiao Qi and now to this fatal incident, she had held many views that differed from others, leading to conflicts that ultimately harmed both herself and those around her.