Re-birth: The Beginning after the End - Chapter 95

Chapter 95: ONE MORE LOOK

The cool night air carried no answers, only the weight of growing certainty that something had gone terribly wrong. Her brothers needed her—she could feel it in her bones, in the way something stirred restlessly within her heart. But where had Old Xiao taken them? And more importantly, how was she supposed to get to them?

The sound of shifting fabric drew her attention to Mo Xing, who lounged on an elegantly crafted stone bench like it was an imperial throne. His presence commanded attention even in repose, moonlight catching in his dark hair and tracing the sharp angles of his face. Those honey-brown eyes held power that seemed to draw in light itself, and his casual posture—calculated in its carelessness—spoke of centuries of practiced grace. A spark of mischievous interest danced in his gaze as he watched her.

This man, she thought, fists clenching at her sides. Why hadn’t he left? He’s like a stray dog that refused to leave once you showed it the slightest kindness—except Mo Xing wasn’t drawn to kindness at all. No, what attracted him was the mystery of her soul, how it had traversed worlds to inhabit this young body. And that made him far more dangerous than any mere dog.

The grass whispered beneath her feet as she approached him, each step measured under the weight of his attention. “Why are you still here? Don’t you have better things to take care of?”

Mo Xing’s lips curved into that dangerous smile—the one that made her pulse skip in a way that had nothing to do with fear. “I should be attending to a thousand other matters,” he murmured, each word a silken thread woven with mischievous intent, “but the mystery of you is far too intriguing to resist.” His eyes gleamed up at her from beneath dark strands of hair.

“Tell me,” his voice dropped to a whisper that somehow bridged the distance between them, seeming to caress her skin despite their separation, “does it unsettle you to know that your soul draws me more than all my duties combined?”

Li Hua couldn’t help but roll her eyes, even as she silently cursed herself for responding to his provocations. “You’re insufferable,” she muttered, turning to look back at the battlefield. The scorched earth and deep craters served as a grim reminder of what truly mattered. This was no time for whatever game he was playing—her brothers needed her.

“What is it, little tempest? What are you waiting for?” Mo Xing asked, a hint of genuine curiosity softening his usual teasing tone.

She gave him a wary side-eye, but the worry that had been gnawing at her chest was becoming harder to contain. Finally after a short hesitation she said, “My brothers left with an elder to the sixth realm.” The words felt inadequate to convey the growing dread in her heart but she also had to remain vigilant with this man.

Mo Xing’s eyebrow lifted slightly as he waited for her to continue, his eyes studying her with an intensity that made her want to step back—or forward, and that confusion frustrated her even more. She hated how he could unsettle her with just a look, how his mere presence seemed to draw out reactions she’d spent years learning to suppress.

“Old Xiao was supposed to return for me, but…” she waved her hand in frustration, then immediately regretted the emotional display. Every gesture, every reaction felt like giving him more power over her, yet she couldn’t seem to maintain her usual perfect control in his presence.

“Old Xiao is always punctual,” Mo Xing stated as a matter of fact, then straightened on his stone bench. A flicker of curiosity crossed his features, gone so quickly she might have imagined it. “I could take you to him.” His lips curved into that infuriating smile again. “Though I do need to make a stop in Jade City first—I have some matters to attend to. An old friend and my spirit beast are waiting for me there.”

Li Hua’s eyes narrowed. “You know old Xiao? And the sixth realm?”

“Mmm,” he hummed noncommittally, a cryptic smile playing at his lips. “Our paths crossed once, briefly. The sixth realm can be… an interesting place.”

Li Hua nodded her head. She didn’t care how he came to know either—what was important was finding a lead to her brothers.

“So, what do you say? Care to take a little detour with me? Unless you’d prefer to wait here alone for an elder who’s broken his perfect record of punctuality…”

The choice crystallized in her mind with brutal clarity. Whatever game Mo Xing was playing, whatever ulterior motives lurked behind that dangerous smile, none of it mattered as much as finding them. She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze with steel in her own. “Lead the way.”

Mo Xing’s smile widened with predatory satisfaction as he spread his arms with elegant theatricality. Power rippled around him like dark silk, making the air thick with spiritual energy. “We’ll need to travel by void-walking,” he said. “The distance is too great for conventional movement, and the only way to traverse the void safely is if I carry you.” His eyes sparkled with barely contained amusement. “A necessity, I assure you.”

She stared at his outstretched arms like they were poisonous snakes.

“I don’t need to get there safely.”

Mo Xing’s arms dropped to his sides, “Then I guess I’ll have to tell your brothers why their sister arrived in pieces scattered across—”

“Fine.” She spat out. With all the dignity she could muster, she allowed him to gather her into his arms, her body tensing at the contact. The mask of indifference she tried to maintain cracked as her traitor heart accelerated at his touch. This close, she could feel the hardness of his chest against her side, and the scent of nightbloom flowers enveloped her—a fragrance both alluring and dangerous, like everything else about him.

Her thoughts scattered as reality of what was about to happen struck her. “Wait, please.”

The vulnerability in her voice made him pause. For once, there was no teasing in his response, as if he understood.

“Let me take one last look.”

Mo Xing turned them both to face the courtyard house in the distance. Li Hua’s eyes traced over every detail—the worn stone steps, the crooked roof tile they were supposed to fix next month, the flowering plum tree that had grown tall and sturdy. For eight years, these walls had sheltered not just their bodies but their dreams of a peaceful life. Now, like everyone else, she must leave this home behind.

She turned to him and nodded, “Ok, I’m ready.”

Short and simple words to mark the end of eight years of peace.

In less than a breath their bodies were swallowed up by swirling darkness as reality folded around them, leaving behind only an empty battlefield and moonlight dancing across frost-covered ground. The void-walk pulled them through liquid shadow, each heartbeat stretching into eternity as they passed through spaces that shouldn’t exist.

They emerged in a burst of displaced air before towering jade-green walls that seemed to pierce the clouds themselves.