1304 Who Blew the Dandelion Grass? (2/2)

”What kind of reasoning is that?” Shao Ru snapped.

”In simpler words, if there's someone better than me around, there's no way I will volunteer myself like an idiot. If it's obvious that I'm going to die for sure, I'll be the first to run!” Mo Fan said.

”But I heard what happened in the Ancient Capital was pretty grim too, yet you still stepped forward, didn't you?” Shao Ru said.

”Oh, I was going to die either way, I just chose to die in glory,” Mo Fan replied forthrightly.

”...” Shao Ru was lost for words.

Shao Ru had been wearing a cold face all along. She did not seem grateful, even though Mo Fan had saved her life. As a matter of fact, Shao Ru had known who Mo Fan was for a long time. She knew his Innate Talent was ranked fifth, she knew what he had achieved in the World College Tournament, and she also knew he was declared the hero who had saved the Ancient Capital during the calamity. Shao Ru always imagined the man to be righteous and courteous. Every action he did should have had the demeanor of a trustworthy leader. Otherwise, how could he possibly achieve so many remarkable deeds...

She never thought she would meet the legendary man when she was dying from serious injuries. To her surprise, the man was no different than the usual perverted men. He even acted like a hypocrite. She was left speechless most of the time after hearing his words. It was even worse when he was speaking to his friend Zhao Manyan.

As a result, Shao Ru's impression of the two reputable representatives of the national team had crumbled completely. Her eagerness to duel Mo Fan and her curiosity toward him had dropped by more than half. She initially thought she could defeat a few national representatives to prove herself...

”Someone like you managed to resolve the calamity that even Forbidden Mages struggled against. How lucky were you?” Shao Ru had to ask.

”It's not luck,” Mo Fan was displeased by Shao Ru's words. He knew many people were biased against him. He said, ”It's just that people have the urge to bind an achievement to a specific person and purposely make him a hero so everyone else can remember what happened. I just happened to win the World College Tournament, so when Han Ji revealed it to the public, many people just thought I was the person that saved the Ancient Capital. Do you want to know what happened exactly?” Mo Fan replied as they continued on their way.

”Sure,” Shao Ru was indeed interested.

”The Clock Tower Magic Association was planning to kill ten authorities in order to get their hands on Salan. We are speaking of ten Super Mages with superior status who have contributed greatly in the past... They were willing to sacrifice them just because it was their best chance at getting rid of Salan, the Red Cardinal of the Black Vatican! However, the Black Vatican was willing to compromise. They told us the secrets of the Dark Abyss in exchange for Salan's life. It was a glimpse of hope for the Ancient Capital. In order to make our way to the Dark Abyss, we did something very inhumane. We sacrificed innocent lives to bait the undead just so we could clear a path; those people were not even Mages. They were defenseless against the undead. They sacrificed themselves just to serve as a distraction. Meanwhile, the troop clearing a path to the Dark Abyss only had a plan on how they were going to reach the Dark Abyss, but they never planned how they were going to make it back to the city. My friends and I were in the center of the troop. They did not allow us to use a single spell. They only asked us to try our best and find the ancestor of the undead in the Dark Abyss. As we made our way to the Dark Abyss, people just kept dying around us, including Intermediate, Advanced, and Super Mages. I don't remember many of their names, but I do know that human lives were the lowliest at that time. They could not even afford to cast an extra glance at their closest comrade who died... I can never be like them. I was more afraid of dying than any of them, but unfortunately, I was the one being protected, just because I was allowed to enter the Dark Abyss...

”So many people died, but not many people are going to remember them. They were all volunteers, even though they didn't even know one another's names. They died, I lived, so I ended up becoming the hero. It was like I was the only person contributing… screw that, there's no way I could do it on my own. I'm only proud that I was able to crush the opponents from all over the world during the World College Tournament. As for the Calamity of the Ancient Capital, I don't think it was my doing. Besides, I'm not the person who saved the Ancient Capital. They won't mention that person's name even now.”

Shao Ru was stunned after hearing Mo Fan's words. She turned around and looked at Mo Fan. His face had a grim expression, even though he was explaining the details with a calm voice.

”I'm sorry,” Shao Ru said softly.

”You seem to be particularly interested in what happened at the Ancient Capital. Did any of your close ones die there?” Mo Fan asked. He knew Shao Ru was placing a lot of attention on the topic.

”My father was there. He wasn't a Mage. I kept hearing things about you, and every time I hear your achievements, it reminds me of the letter he left for me...” Shao Ru said.

”What did the letter say?”

”He said that he had made a decision that a man should make. It did not feel significant, but he did not regret it,” Shao Ru said.

”Was he one of the people that was sacrificed as bait?” Mo Fan quickly deduced.

”I went to the Ancient Capital. I wanted to kill the person that came up with the idea of using civilians as bait. I spent a long time searching for the person, but I eventually found out that the man had also volunteered as bait… from that moment on, I knew it wasn't easy surviving the Calamity of the Ancient Capital,” Shao Ru said.

Mo Fan understood why Shao Ru seemed to be holding a grudge against him, even though he had saved her life.

Her father had died namelessly, but he had ended up with all the glory!

She was apologizing for being biased against him.

”Let's discuss it some other time. We should focus on the problem at hand for now,” Mo Fan pointed down.

They had gone past the territory of the demon sparrows and reached the spot right above the Bronze-Fang Hillman. The creature had no clue that two pairs of eyes were watching him closely from the branch above it.

”We'll strike when there are fewer Hillmen around it,” Shao Ru said.

”Mmm, you should be careful, too. Just like Lingling, there's something that keeps bothering me...” Mo Fan murmured.

”What is it?”

”It seems like the Hillmen aren't responsible for all the Dandelion Grass that is flying here… so, the question is, who's helping the Hillmen hunt the humans?” Mo Fan wondered aloud.