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Nie Huaisang barely remembered his mother. Not only because he had only ever seen her two or three times in his entire life, although of course that was a factor. But there was also the way her features had always been somewhat undefined, hard to pin down and even harder to recall. In retrospect, he supposed he hadn't had enough hate in him to give them form, back then.
Now, sitting in a room of an inn where Nie Huaisang had paid quite a bit to make sure they wouldn't be disturbed, she was unnervingly similar to Jin Guangyao. For a moment, he wondered if this was how Meng Shi had looked like. Then he pushed that thought far back into the depths of his mind. It was too humanizing and therefore too dangerous.
"I want to take him down," he said. His mother gave him a long, considering look.
"There will be a price," she replied. "Even for you."
"I know how it works. And I want to take him down."
She smiled. He didn't think his mother had ever smiled at him before. He thought perhaps he should feel resentment about it, but there was something else instead, some kind of fierce pride.
"He rose too high, too fast," she said. "He has to fall. It will be very enjoyable to see that, yes. But, of course, you still have a choice. You could simply kill him, and then you wouldn't need my help."
This time, he was the one with the knowing smile. It wasn't a choice at all. It was a test, and he'd made his decision long ago, anyway.
"We both know that's not enough."
"As I expected. You are a Nie, after all, and you are also my son. If the world never sees you coming, they will only have themselves to blame." She put down her tea bowl and looked at him straight in the eye. "Very well, then. I will help you take everything from him. But there must be a sacrifice."
"Anything," said Nie Huaisang, and he found that he meant it.
"Hm. An eye for an eye… A reputation for a reputation. Are you able to do that?"
Ah. So that was how it was going to be, then. He knew better than to say it aloud, but he had expected worse. He flicked his fan open, giggled behind it without any trace of dignity.
"What makes you think I'm able to do anything?"