" mother?" Lin Yan who standing the nearest to Mother Lin felt his heart being pierced by an arrow, his mother's words were like molten glass being poured down in his ears " what - what did you...what did you just say? You told Wan Wan to go to that temple?"

Mother Lin looked down at her hands, she knew that she could no longer hide it anymore. So, she took a deep breath and nodded her head " that's right, this morning Wan Wan came to me and asked where did I get the string from, I knew why she was asking this or you can say I had an inkling when she asked I pretended not to know what was going on in her head and then - gave her the name of the temple and the address as well. I am sorry, I should have told you all, where she went earlier but I couldn't"

" what do you mean you couldn't? Mother?" Lin Chen was having a hard time controlling his voice. He tried to lower his voice but it only made it more awkward " you saw us running around, worrying for Wan Wan. Even Aunt and Uncle in law were worried so why didn't you tell us?"

Mother Lin lowered her head even further, half of her conscience told her that she was in the wrong. But the other half said that she was right, as a mother she chose the right path but just because she thought that it was the right thing to do, it's not necessary that others would think the same as well, she twiddled her fingers while clenching her hands together " because I didn't want you to stop her - I wanted her to finish for what she went there if you all found out for what she went there.  You might have tried to stop her, and I couldn't let that happen not when it was finally happening"

The more Mother Lin spoke the more the Lin brothers got confused. They exchanged a glance with each other, trying to ask their questions without hurting their mother. Lin Yan sighed and then softened his voice, he knew his mother, he also trusted her that she would never do anything wrong, so he wasn't willing to believe that his mother was in the wrong " mother, what exactly are you trying to say why - why didn't you want us to stop Wan Wan? That temple has a total of five hundred steps, how can - I mean why did you keep us in the dark? "

" because if you stopped her - " Mother Lin inhaled a deep breath and raised her head to look in Lin Yan's eyes " you would have died, Ah Yan"

Silence spread around the room, other than Su Wan's heavy breathing no sound could be heard at all.

Everyone looked at mother Lin like they couldn't understand or believe on what they just heard. Died? How come - what exactly was their mother trying to say? 

" Mother, I'm afraid I don't understand a thing, aren't I fine then -"

" you always heard weird things Yan and you would always tell me you saw this and that, At first I thought that it was just your imagination" Mother Lin interrupted Lin Yan as she went on with her explanation " but then you started to fall sick, at first I thought everything was fine. But then your condition started to get worse and worse, I got scared and then your father was also gone because of the accident. I was left alone, and I had to take care of you all by myself. I was afraid and your grandmother wouldn't give me the money to treat you, saying that you have gone mad. Then - I had no choice but to go to that temple, your aunt told me that the high priest has a remedy for every trouble. I was on my wit's end and I  - I went to that temple."

Mother Lin paused sniffing slightly " when I went to that temple and met with the high priest. He told me that you were born in the hour of Yama, your Yin energy was a lot more dense when compared to other humans.  Because of this, you were destined to die, this much Yin energy of yours is not something a mere human can withstand.  The high priest said that because of your Yin energy you attract all kinds of ghosts and evil spirits, and it was also because of this you could see them too. Your body wasn't built to withstand that yin energy, and your yin energy kept sucking your life force right out of you. The more it sucked the more your life shortened, in the end, you were supposed to die at sixteen. In the hands of Luo Xin"

" but I interfered, I begged the high priest to save you. But life and death can never be determined by any mortal, the high priest wasn't able to suck the Yin energy out of your body and gave me the string, he told me that the least he can do is to delay your death. The red string delayed your fate but couldn't change it, I - I couldn't see you die in front of me Yan, so I asked for a solution from the high priest. " said Mother Lin wiping her tears from the end of her palm " the high priest refused outright, he said that death doesn't let go of anyone and would at most delay a bit.  But how could I not persist? And accept what he told me? So I just kept bothering him, I kneeled in the temple for three days and two nights - only after that did he give me a solution to your problem"

Lin Yan didn't want to hear what his mother was going to say but he knew that he have to, after all,  it was all because of him, wasn't it? So how could he run away from it? He clenched his fists as he looked at his mother in the eye and asked " and what was the solution?"

Mother Lin once again bowed her head, as her shoulder sagged under the disappointed gaze of her son " for someone to share half of your fate" 

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