Envy, rage, sloth, greed, gluttony, lust. He had experienced all six original sins, one by one. In the illusion, he was dominated by each sin, then committed an irreparable mistake. That regret, that pain, felt like it was etched into his bones.
The scene changed. Mo Yi opened his eyes in front of the cage of envy. In the illusion, he was driven by envy and plotted to murder Mo Tianjiao to become the head of the Mo family. He miscalculated, was killed by Mo Tianjiao and his body was thrown into a deep well. That feeling, being submerged in the cold well water, looking up at the sky through the water with despair, was chilling to the bone, leading to despair and regret.
“Next is the last one, pride.” Mo Yi exhaled slowly, turned to the man and said.
The man shook his head slightly, as if he found Mo Yi's foolish persistence laughable and sigh-worthy.
Mo Yi walked to the end of the corridor and stood in front of the last cage.
“Anything you want to say to me?” Mo Yi asked the man who shadowed him.
“……” The man remained silent, just looking at Mo Yi, unable to tell if it was a smile or sadness on his face.
Mo Yi stretched out his hands and grasped the iron bars tightly!
Water droplets fell to the ground, creating ripples in the puddles, and a clear sound echoed throughout the corridor.
Nothing happened. This time, Mo Yi was not pulled into the illusion.
“The last sin—pride.” Mo Yi released his grip on the iron bars and looked at the empty cage, murmuring to himself, “It’s not here.”
The man remained silent, watching Mo Yi. After a long time, he said, “It's getting late. If you can go out with me and get rid of the six sins, the last sin, ‘pride,’ will also appear in due time.”
“Really?” Mo Yi chuckled. “Then let's go.”
The man's face relaxed slightly, but it returned to its original state in an instant. He turned and walked ahead, saying, “Let’s go.
”
In an instant, a gust of wind howled!
The man looked back sharply. He saw a heavy, blood-stained axe! Mo Yi had always carried the axe with him!
The man retreated violently, but Mo Yi's attack was already close. He could not dodge!
“Bang!”
The man opened his eyes. He found himself bound, with a row of silent “Mo Yi” beside him.
Mo Yi was sitting at a rosewood round table. Beside him was a plate of matcha cake and a cup of steaming hot tea. The blood-stained axe and the dirty flour sack were casually thrown on the table.
“What are you doing?” The man stared at Mo Yi and asked.
Mo Yi's face was a mix of gloom and a smile. He just sipped his tea casually, watching the sunset that was half-submerged by the horizon. “Everything is clear now, isn't it?”
The man's face darkened. “I don't understand what you're saying. The sun is about to set. You've bound me here, and you'll never find the seventh sin, pride!”
Mo Yi didn’t look at him, but just quietly sipped his tea and said, “You said this is an illusion… it’s my spiritual world, right?”
The man didn’t answer. He just stared at Mo Yi, and a rare trace of anxiety appeared in his pupils.
“Since it’s a spiritual world, then everything here, this ship, these seven sins, this sea, sunlight, are all projections of my inner world in the real world. In other words, the answer to leaving the illusion has always been around, I just haven't noticed it.”
Mo Yi held the matcha cake and said lightly, “You said that after I killed these six sins, you would bring the seventh sin to me. Just that point made me suspicious.”
“Every word I said is true!” The man said in a deep voice. “You have to trust me! I am your last resort!”
“No, no, no...” Mo Yi chuckled and shook his head. “You are not my last resort. My last resort is myself, and only myself.”
“Everything in this world should have meaning, including this ship, oh, you know the ram’s head on this ship? I really like it.” Mo Yi smiled. “Sheep are lovely creatures, sheep’s milk can be used as food, their fur can be used as clothing, and their flesh can also be used as food. In the hands of humans, everything about them has precious value, including the ram’s testicles… haha.”
The man said nothing and watched Mo Yi. Things were taking a turn for the worse.
“Maybe it's because sheep have made so many contributions to humans that they were included in the twelve zodiac animals.” Mo Yi said with a sigh. “The eighth animal in the twelve zodiac is the sheep, Weiyang.”
“What does that mean?” The man asked in a low voice. “It’s just a coincidence.”
“Why are you so eager to tell me it's just a coincidence when I haven’t said anything yet? I was going to say, sheep are ranked eighth in the twelve zodiac, so there should only be eight people in this world, and your so-called pride doesn’t exist.” Mo Yi looked at the man kneeling on the ground coldly. “The so-called ninth person, pride, doesn’t exist!”
“What about pride? There are only six of the seven sins here, how do you explain that?!” The man said angrily. “You are being unreasonable! You will kill yourself!”
“The seven sins have never been missing. They are right here, right now.” Mo Yi looked at the seven people in front of him and said softly.
The man was struck like a thunderbolt. His whole body froze. He slowly lowered his head, staring at the deck, which was bathed in the blood-red light of the setting sun, his expression was eerily similar to the six sins beside him.
“You think you are clever, but in fact, you are foolish.” Mo Yi mocked. “Pride has always been you.”
The man suddenly raised his head and looked directly into Mo Yi's eyes, and he roared word by word, “I am not pride! I am completely different from you! I am not you!”
Mo Yi suddenly picked up his teacup and drank the tea in one gulp. Then, he slammed the cup on the ground. With a crisp shattering sound, he stared at the man, and said word by word, “Yes, you are different from me, but you are me! My past… self!”
Memories receded like the tide, revealing everything that had been buried. The man’s face gradually became clear. This handsome yet debauched face… was the one who had accompanied Mo Yi for decades in his previous life!
The man stared at Mo Yi, and he unconsciously laughed. “You still remember me! Mo Yi! I thought you had forgotten me!”
Mo Yi looked at the man in silence and said softly, “How could I forget myself.”
The man's eyes narrowed and he roared, “You are not me anymore, you have changed, you have become a completely new person!”
“So?” Mo Yi’s eyes carried a predatory glint. “You are going to devour me? Make me take your place and become pride, then you will occupy this body and enjoy the pleasures of the outside world? Go ahead and dream on.”
The man sneered, stared at Mo Yi and said, “Yes, I want to kill you after you kill the other six sins. When the seven sins are all gone, I can take your place and become the new ‘Mo Yi.’”
“It's not just that, is it?” Mo Yi sneered. “We are both psychologists, so you must also know that if a person loses their seven emotions and six desires, they are nothing more than an empty shell. A person without the seven sins is a dead corpse!”
“Heh, who said I don’t have the seven sins, I am the seven sins!” The man's expression suddenly twisted, pride, envy, rage, sloth, greed, gluttony, lust, all these expressions appeared on the same face! What a terrifying and frightening expression!
Mo Yi stared at the man expressionlessly, and lightly parted his lips, “Yes, you are my original sin, the original sin of my past life. You have all seven sins, so now you are a living… human!”