Chapter 151: The Meaning of Living

Chapter 151: The Meaning of Living

"A-Wei! Come out and eat!"

Fan Siwei's thoughts, deeply immersed in the plot of *Flame Fist*, were suddenly interrupted by his mother's call.

He looked at the clock hanging in his room—6:32 PM! Without realizing it, the entire afternoon had slipped away. He had originally planned to read only the first volume of *Flame Fist*, but now, 50 chapters had passed, and he was already on the fifth volume...

But Fan Siwei wanted to keep reading, just like when he had first read *Edgewalker*. He wanted to finish *Flame Fist* in one go! However, skipping meals wasn't an option, and there was no way he could tell his mother "no" just because he wanted to keep reading.

Otherwise, his mom would show him what "A loving mother's rod makes her child's body sound" truly meant, or worse, he might end up witnessing a real-life "Parents' Love Story: Mixed Doubles Edition."

So, reluctantly, he left his room to eat. But even while eating, his mind was elsewhere.

Fan Siwei was completely disconnected from the delicious meal his mother had lovingly prepared. His thoughts were entirely consumed by the plot of *Flame Fist* replaying in his mind...

The tragic beginning of Agni's life...

The meaning of living...

The darkness of Besim Druck using humans as fuel...

A world sustained by lies...

Yuda's equally tragic life...

The significance of so-called gods...

Dema's notion of "correct education"...

Ligeta's torment over his identity and his love for movies...

And the haunting words: "Use Flame Fist on him."

The powerful, emotionally charged scenes of the manga flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

All these elements led Fan Siwei to think, to involuntarily ponder.

What is the meaning of living?

What is the truth of this world?

Is living within this web of lies a blessing or a curse?

These thoughts made Fan Siwei's breathing grow slightly heavier. The story of *Flame Fist*, combined with Lin Qingshan's masterful ability to convey deep emotions through his art, infected the minds of the manga's fans like a virus, making it impossible for them to stop thinking about the philosophical questions posed by the story.

Fan Siwei continued to absentmindedly eat his meal, his mind lost in thought. His unusual behavior did not go unnoticed by his mother, who gradually became more serious.

"Sigh... Sigh!" Fan Siwei's mother nudged his father, "Old Fan!"

Fan's father was fully focused on his meal and hadn't noticed Siwei's strange behavior. His wife's sudden urgency startled him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Siwei... Look at your son! He seems troubled...," Fan's mother said with concern. "Aren't you going to ask him about it?"

"You should just ask him directly..."

Fan's father finally noticed Siwei's distant look and immediately asked, "Siwei... Siwei?!"

"Uh... Ah?!"

Fan Siwei snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his father, "Dad... What's wrong?"

"You're not eating any of the dishes, just the plain rice," his father observed.

[Translator: sauron]

"Oh, right..."

Realizing his odd behavior, Fan Siwei quickly grabbed some vegetables with his chopsticks and added them to his bowl, trying to act as if nothing had happened.

"Siwei!" his father suddenly called out, his tone serious.

"Huh? Dad, what is it?" Fan Siwei looked at his father, puzzled.

"Is something bothering you?" his mother asked gently. "Is it something at school? Or are you troubled by something else?"

This was their usual routine—his father playing the stern role, his mother the gentle one.

"No..."

Fan Siwei thought for a moment and then sighed, "Mom, do you think... we're all living in a lie?"

His words stunned both of his parents.

They exchanged worried glances, and then his father softened his tone, "Siwei... What do you mean by that? Living is about experiencing the joys of life; there are so many beautiful things in this world. That's the meaning of life."

"Yes, your father and I are still here, and you are our hope, so you must keep living," his mother added.

However, when Fan Siwei heard the words "keep living," he visibly flinched. The phrase reminded him too much of Agni's painful journey in *Flame Fist*—how he had endured so much suffering just to stay alive because of his sister Luna's final words, "Keep living."

Then Ligeta told him the same—"Keep living"—forcing him to continue on despite his agony.

But Agni had suffered so much for those words. Fan Siwei recalled a moment when Agni, on the verge of despair, had said, "It would have been better if Luna and I had died together."

Indeed, if they had died together at the beginning, it would have spared so much pain. Why... Why tell Agni to do something as cruel as "keep living"?

"But living on with someone else's hope... isn't that more painful?" Fan Siwei asked. "Living like that... it's too heavy a burden."

His gaze was heavy, as if he were carrying an unbearable weight.

Fan's father and mother were now completely alarmed. Could it be that they had put too much pressure on him lately?!

They remembered the recent times when they had scolded him after noticing a slight drop in his grades, thinking it was the right way to motivate him.

Could it be... that their words had caused this shift in him?

"Ah-Wei! Don't feel burdened! We won't push you to get higher grades anymore!"

His mother was now visibly panicked, trying to reassure him. "Think about happy things... happy thoughts!"

Fan Siwei was baffled. Though he had been contemplating the meaning of Agni's suffering in *Flame Fist*, he wasn't feeling any of that despair himself!

(Chapter ends)