Re-birth: The Beginning after the End - Chapter 125

Chapter 125: MEETING OLD XIAO

“Old Yu!” A tall man in a hooded robe approached them, his black staff tapping against the grey stone path.

Li Hua’s eyes narrowed at the sight – the figure could have been the false elder’s twin. She felt her brothers tense beside her, their reactions immediate and visceral. Anger and fear flashed across their faces as they instinctively stepped back, and Li Hua understood perfectly. After all, how does one remain calm when confronted with the mirror image of your tormentor? Even after all their training, after strengthening their bodies and cultivation, emotional wounds ran deeper than any physical scars – some traumas couldn’t be erased by mere power.

“Old Xiao.” Grandmaster Yu called back, but he felt the siblings tense beside him, their chaotic essence flaring with remembered trauma.

He turned to them, voice softening with grandfatherly concern. “It’s not him. I give you my word. I understand your fear, the memories of torment and betrayal you carry, but Old Xiao is most definitely not like that.”

As if to confirm their grandfather’s words, the hooded figure’s movements carried none of the predatory grace that had marked their captor. Instead, there was a scholarly awkwardness to his step, reminiscent of Li Wei’s own manner. When he pushed back his hood, they saw kind eyes crinkled with laugh lines – a face that, despite its similarity to the false elder’s, held warmth where the other’s had shown only cruel calculation.

She felt her brothers loosen their defensive stances, but their eyes never left him, watching his every movement with careful attention.

“And who might these children be?” Old Xiao asked, his scholarly demeanor a stark contrast to their memory of his impersonator. There was something almost gentle in the way he leaned on his black staff, like a teacher preparing to greet new students.

Grandmaster Yu turned to Li Hua and her brothers, “These are Li Ming and Yu Ling’s children.”

“Ah? They had three? And there so big already??” Old Xiao’s face transformed completely, the scholarly severity melting into genuine warmth. His eyes softened with fondness as he looked at each sibling in turn. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen your parents and now look at the precious children—”

Old Xiao suddenly stopped talking, his eyes fixed on Li Hua’s eyes with an intensity that made her want to step back.

The siblings looked at each other in confusion and then up at Grandmaster Yu, who seemed unsurprised by this reaction.

Before he could say anything, Old Xiao suddenly shouted, “Beautiful!” The exclamation echoed through the grey landscape.

“They’ve grown to not only be quite good looking like their mother but strong just like their father, perhaps even stronger,” Grandmaster Yu chuckled.

Old Xiao nodded. “Yes, a perfect balance,” he said, slipping his hand into his pocket. After fumbling for a moment, he stepped forward and stood before Li Hao. “Stick your hand out,” he instructed.

Li Hao hesitated, muscles tensing instinctively at the elder’s approach. His eyes darted briefly to Li Hua before he slowly extended his hand, years of training keeping him ready to withdraw at the slightest threatening movement.

A small sweet materialized in his palm, and Li Hao’s eyes widened – not just at the unexpected gift, but at its impossible color. Unlike everything else in this monochrome realm, the spirit-honey candy retained its jade-green hue and golden swirls, the kind cultivators used to make centuries ago – when sugar was considered precious enough to infuse with spirit energy. The translucent confection defied the realm’s colorless nature, its surface showing swirls of spiritual essence trapped within like golden threads in jade.

Old Xiao’s eyes crinkled with grandfatherly affection. “Your mother used to love these when she was here. I always kept some in my sleeves for when I would run into her.” He reached into his robes again, producing similar candies for Li Wei and Li Hua. “Nowadays, I keep them in my pocket for when I crave something sweet… or when I miss the old days.”

The siblings exchanged glances as they felt Old Xiao’s aura shift, the warmth of his earlier cheer giving way to something more mournful. Whatever memories these sweets held for him seemed to carry both joy and sorrow in equal measure.

The bittersweet moment stirred something in Li Hua’s heart, and she found herself warming to the simple gift in her palm. More than just spiritual essence, it carried memories of her mother, of a time before secrets and sacrifices, when she too had walked these grey paths with the taste of spirit-honey on her tongue.

“Thank you.” The siblings said in unison, bowing to show their appreciation.

Old Xiao laughed, the sound warm and genuine as his aura shifted back to its grandfatherly warmth. “It’s nothing, really! I wasn’t expecting such precious guests today or I would’ve prepared a better first meeting gift. Please enjoy them – and don’t hesitate to ask for more, I always keep plenty!”

“Old Xiao, would you please call a meeting with the other Keepers?” Grandmaster Yu’s tone suggested this was more than just a casual request.

Old Xiao nodded, his gaze drawn back to Li Hua’s shimmering eyes one last time, as if unable to resist confirming what he saw there. “Yes, yes, of course. They should all meet the siblings.” He turned and tapped his black staff against the grey stone path. The sound resonated oddly, seeming to travel much further than it should have. “Follow me, the meeting chamber isn’t far. Well, not in the conventional sense of distance, at least.”

The siblings followed close behind their grandfather and Old Xiao, watching as the path beneath their feet seemed to twist and reshape itself with each step. What had appeared to be a straight walkway now curved impossibly, leading them through archways that shouldn’t have connected and past windows that showed vistas that couldn’t exist. The grey landscape shifted around them like a living thing, responding to Old Xiao’s staff as if it were conducting a silent symphony of space and distance.