Wei Ying chooses to relive! COMPLETE (Edited)

23: A hypothetical question

After placing his things in his room, Wei Ying walked around the grounds with his hands behind his back as he let his mind turn things over. So not one of them really had any idea about resentful energy being used already, even though the puppet was lying right there in front of them. And worse than that, I was the one to give the worm the idea to use the resentful energy in the head.

Wei Ying started to let his mind wonder about the changes that would happen because he had already changed certain things by bringing so many to Lotus Pier and smoothing over many other problems between sect heirs.

He had already figured out that the worm and the traitor had become more ... cunning.

Also, on the face of it, it looked like neither knew each other that well but instinct told Wei Ying that they were already colluding behind everyone's backs.

Some how, Lan Qiren had become a little more aimed at him, even more resentful of him and his ways.

Were there other things that he just didn't see yet?

After half an hour Lan Zhan was there and before he could be dragged to the library to copy the sect rules he spoke. 'Don't tell me, I'm copying sect rules?'

'..... Yes.'

'Then first Lan Zhan, may I ask you a question?'

'Yes.'

'If we did not meet on the roof and break the ice, do you think you would talk to me if I spoke to you about .... Anything.'

'Yes.'

'Lan Zhan think about it. You, who is known to be the quietest person, who did not mingle with others, who will never start a conversation .... You are going to stand there and say you would definitely have spoken to me so openly. Can you, in all honesty say that we would be friends if we didn't meet on the roof and talk. One small change in the past is more than likely able to change the future.'

'....'

Wei Ying instantly knew the look in Lan Zhan's eyes so held up his hand to stop him from saying it. 'Don't say it. We are friends and I insist on this.' He grinned for a short time until it failed. 'Lan Zhan, sometimes things are needed in the past to set the future up ... do you agree.'

'Yes.'

A short distance away, XiChen had followed his brother to help him look for Wei Ying but was happy when he seemed to have instantly found the young man. He was shocked that Wei Ying had been able to read his brother's small expression and stop him from saying they were not friends. Yes, they will be good friends. Wei Ying will coax my brother out to express himself more and WangJi will settle the man down a bit ... if he even needed it. His expression before he took off from the class is a worry. It looked like he had just seen the most horrific vision before he almost ran. And the way his mind works through a question is different ... like someone who is much older and had time to think about it. XiChen decided to stand back and listen to their conversation.

Lan Zhan watched Wei Ying as a look filled his eyes, something bothered Wei Ying ... he wanted to understand what troubled him.

'What if a few things were changed in the past ... people changed and this caused an empty place in the future ....' Wei Ying took a small step towards Lan Zhan as he spoke.

'Explain.'

'Well, it's along the lines of us not meeting when we did and what would happen to us after that.' he chose one of the gaps he was sure he had caused but he was worried about what that would mean in the future. Mainly because Wen Chao had not arrived to drop off a couple of the Wen Sect Members, who were to search for the Yin Iron in the back hills. 'Say a very young child was so put upon, homeless, no family to care for or protect him and everything. He lives his life on the streets alone, fighting just to survive. Now let's say one day he craves a sweet and tries to steal it when one falls to the ground as they are being loaded onto a cart. The owner of that sweet catches him and .... Cuts off his little finger as a warning to all thieves. This along with all the other pains in his life twists his heart and soul to the point that when he grew up he hated everyone and everything; he didn't care about anything but his own needs because that is what he was taught from a young age. One day a sect leader asks him to kill a small sect off .... As it happens to be the family of the man who hurt him .... He does it with all the joy he can muster to wipe the whole sect out .... And to him that brought him a lot of joy. Then he set about killing small sects off at the behest of the same sect leader.'

'Why would he want small sects killed off?'

'Lan Zhan, if you gather every member of just the small sects and off shoots, do you realise they would out number the top sects members. By about nine to one if I am right. If you want to do anything on a large scale, and you know that none of the other sects would agree without a war, you need to lower the number of people who will gather to wipe out your sect. By eliminating all the small sects, your plan would be easier as you would only be fighting about one ninth of the original number ... there are other acts he can use to bolster his numbers and lower the other sects moral ... I think so anyway.' I almost said way too much just then. I know I need input but I have to be careful not to let them know ... or maybe I should?

'How would he do that?'

After a while just frowning into Lan Zhan's eyes he decided to just say it and see his reaction. 'Puppets Lan Zhan. You kill someone and you can make a puppet. You kill off all those people and you have an army of puppets ... but you need to be able to control them all. And as that is not something that .... can be done by anyone out there on a large scale ...'

'The rest?' Lan Zhan felt his heart tremble at the thought of puppets being used like that.

Wei Ying had been standing there wondering if he had said too much and almost jumped when Lan Zhan asked the question. 'Well, let say someone intervened when the child was young, before his finger was cut off, before he had too much damage done to his soul. He grew up a good person in an honest sect and people liked and respected him and he in turn felt the same. Now he is out of the picture for this sect leader who wants to wipe out this first small sect and many others .... Do you think the sect leader would not think of killing them now? This is not the likely path, I'm sure. Would he send his own sect members to eradicate them .... No, he does not want his sect connected to the slaughter of the small sects until the point of no return ... or ... would he try to seek out another person whose life had been twisted. Fate can not serve up one man, so it serves up another. More than likely that is what wi .... What would have happened? Am I thinking of this right Lan Zhan?' he stopped the pacing he didn't realised he was doing and stood directly before Lan Zhan and waited for his answer.

XiChen thought on the question and he had to agree, fate will always supply even if it is on the side of evil.

'I do understand the premise of the discussion, however if the first person was no longer available or even there to pick, I would say the sect leader would search for another person to do his bidding. The saying fate will not be denied fits this idea perfectly.' Lan Zhan said this slowly so he was understood.

'Fate will not be denied.' He trembled at those words. Did that mean that he could not fight against his own death ... the deaths of all those he was fighting to save. No, I refuse to let them all die again. 'I know ... I just needed your opinion .... So you think there is no way this sect leader would stop his actions just because one person was changed?'

'None. Theoretically, if this sect leader was set on killing smaller sects off, he would not forget about it just because that one person was no longer there. He would find another.'

'Then if all of that was true and the side of good got .... More people in it ... do you think that the other side ... would become worse also, more .... Vengeful, greedy, manipulative ... resentful?'

'Fate will always balance the scales.' He waited as yet again Wei Ying looked like he was fearful of something before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath then looked at him.

'I know ... it's just that .... Just once I want fate to stand close enough to me so I can give it a damned good kick in the ...'

'Wei Ying, it's time for you to come with me to the library. You have a month of writing the rules. No class until it is finished.' He cut him off before he could finish the sentiment, then watched Wei Ying nod his head then proceeded to usher him to the library for the punishment.

XiChen stood there watching them walk off. He was not just in shock of how much his brother spoke, but ... it almost sounded like Wei Ying was trying to ... change the future, sidestep fate? He sighed and hurried back to the class.