Preaching Was Useless on Him

"Dio, was everything Mr. Steve said true?"

Hearing Fang Mo’s words, Jonathan could not help shouting as well. "You bastard… You would even spit on your own father’s grave?!"

"It’s… it’s over…"

Dio’s pupils contracted violently, and cold sweat instantly drenched him. "I… I idiot! I actually… actually let something like that slip! Damn it… Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!"

"Dio! I’m telling Father about this!"

Seeing this, Jonathan immediately shouted, "I’ll let him see your true face! You really are a complete and utter bastard!"

"JoJo… you…"

Dio had been panicking, but after hearing Jonathan’s words, he suddenly became furious. He glared at Jonathan with a twisted expression, gritting his teeth. Yes, he could not afford to provoke this mysterious mage right now. He was still a child, after all, with no ability to contend against an adult. But since when did Jonathan dare step on Lord Dio’s head?

But Dio knew that at a moment like this, he absolutely could not act rashly. He had to stay calm!

So in the very next second, all the hatred and savagery vanished from his face for no apparent reason, replaced by an expression of grievance and sorrow. With a thud, he dropped to his knees.

"Mr. Steve… I… I was wrong…"

Dio knelt on the ground, doing his best to look as though he were weeping bitterly. "I shouldn’t have done that… But Father really went too far! He killed Mother!"

"W-What?"

Jonathan was still just a child. Hearing Dio’s words, he was stunned as well.

"Go on."

Fang Mo’s expression did not change much.

"Father became addicted to gambling and drinking. Whenever he lost a bet, he took it out on Mother. He beat her, and he took all the money from the house to pay off his debts. Ever since I could remember, Mother never had a single full meal. She worked herself to the bone, but Father stole every penny she earned to buy alcohol." Dio accused him through tears. "It was because of his exploitation and oppression that Mother died young from hunger and cold!"

"How could that be?!"

Jonathan’s face filled with disbelief. "How could anyone treat their own family like that…"

Of course, Jonathan also had some doubts in his heart.

Hadn’t Mr. Steve said that Dio’s father loved his mother dearly? But this did not seem like it at all. What was going on?

However, before Jonathan could figure it out, Dio suddenly jerked his head up and looked at JoJo through his tears.

"JoJo, today was my fault. Please forgive me!"

As he spoke, Dio pressed his forehead hard against the ground. The veins bulged on the hands clutching the dirt, and his shoulders trembled nonstop. "I didn’t mean to treat you that way. I… I grew up in such a difficult environment that when I saw you, I was just too jealous. Please forgive me!"

"Uh…"

Jonathan had never seen anything like this before. The little grievance in his heart instantly vanished.

"I-It’s all right, Dio."

Jonathan took a step forward of his own accord, crouching down in an attempt to comfort him. "If I had grown up in a family like that, maybe I would have been just like you. I forgive you, Dio. Let’s be friends from now on."

"JoJo…"

Dio did not raise his head. He only clenched the dirt in his hands even tighter.

"…"

Fang Mo watched the scene before him without saying anything.

He had read the original story, so of course he knew about Dio’s family situation. Dio was not lying. Dario truly was a complete piece of trash. It was indeed Dario’s reckless spending and alcoholism that caused his wife to leave this world so early.

But how should he put it?

Dio had not lied about this part.

But not a single word of his apology to JoJo was sincere.

Dio looked as though he were kneeling there in repentance, but he was actually just furious… Why did he keep his head lowered? Most likely because he was so enraged that he was about to have a stroke, his eyes bloodshot. Didn’t Fang Mo see him digging his hands viciously into the dirt?

Would a normal person squeeze dirt that hard while apologizing?

What, was he trying to imitate Nuwa making humans?

That was where Dio’s scheming lay. He was only twelve years old, yet he already knew how to weigh the pros and cons, how to yield when necessary. When he encountered someone he could not defeat, he would temporarily lower his head and show weakness, then look for a chance to retaliate later.

Jonathan thought Dio was apologizing because he wanted to let bygones be bygones and become friends.

But Dio did not see it that way at all. In his eyes, all of this was Jonathan’s fault. It was Jonathan who had made him reveal such an ugly side of himself. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to chop Jonathan to pieces and feed him to dogs.

He simply did not have the ability to do so yet, so he could only endure for now.

"Hmm… Dio."

Fang Mo looked at the "tearful" Dio and spoke after giving it some thought. "I don’t intend to judge your childhood or your personality. I only want to teach you one thing."

"What?"

Dio wiped his face and looked up at Fang Mo.

"Only those prepared to be shot have the right to fire." Fang Mo slowly walked over to Dio and spoke calmly. "I don’t know whether you can understand it or whether you are willing to believe it, but I only want to remind you of one thing… No matter who it is, anyone who does wrong will bear the consequences."

"Today, you threw a stone at Jonathan’s leg and made him twist his ankle. You were the one in the wrong first, so I will make you suffer the same injury."

As Fang Mo spoke, he leaned down and picked up a stone, then threw it at Dio’s leg.

The stone struck Dio’s leg. His eyes immediately widened in agony, and his mouth hung open like a fish out of water. It took him a long time to recover, after which he curled up on the ground, clutching his leg and trembling.

"Mr. Steve!"

When Jonathan saw this, a look of pity appeared on his face. "I… I wasn’t hurt that badly. Please don’t punish Dio anymore. He was only confused for a moment. You just need to lecture him a little."

"A lecture? Him?"

Fang Mo glanced at Dio on the ground. Even now, Dio’s eyes gleamed with the viciousness of a venomous snake. Seeing that, Fang Mo could not help shaking his head with a smile. "Preaching is useless. Broken bones make better textbooks."

"Dio, remember what I said today."

Fang Mo said, "If you do wrong, you must bear the consequences. Debts must be repaid, and murder must be paid for with one’s life. This has been an ironclad rule since ancient times. I won’t pursue what you did to Dario before. I know your brain works better than JoJo’s, so I hope you think carefully. Don’t do anything foolish again just because of a momentary impulse."

"!?"

Dio had been clutching his leg and enduring the intense pain, but upon hearing Fang Mo’s words, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. An extremely ominous suspicion surfaced in his mind, turning his face deathly pale.

This guy…

Could he possibly know how that old bastard died too?