Re-birth: The Beginning after the End - Chapter 96

Chapter 96: JADE GARDEN CITY

Li Hua tried to wriggle free from his arms, but Mo Xing merely tightened his hold, seeming more amused than troubled by her attempt.

“Don’t you think you look a little too old to be carrying me?” She suddenly asked, trying a different tactic.

Mo Xing chuckled and reality rippled around him like disturbed water, and suddenly she found herself held by a younger version of Mo Xing—still devastatingly handsome, but now appearing no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. His honey-brown eyes retained their power even in this younger form, glinting with dangerous promise as he smiled down at her. “Do I look more suitable now?”

Li Hua darted a quick glance at his transformed face before looking away, cursing the warmth that crept into her cheeks. She gave a curt nod, hoping he hadn’t noticed her reaction.

But his chuckle told her he had noticed, and that only made the heat in her cheeks burn hotter. She scowled, reminding herself that whether he appeared sixteen or a thousand, he was still the same insufferable man who seemed to delight in her discomfort.

Li Hua focused her attention on their surroundings, grateful for the distraction. Before them stood Jade Garden City, where ancient trees pierced the heavens themselves, their massive trunks spiraling upward like jade pillars. Buildings seemed to grow organically from these living towers, their green-tiled roofs and white walls emerging from thick branches like particularly elaborate blooms.

Market streets wound through the arboreal maze like streams of flowing water, their paths marked by ethereal flowers that bloomed in shades of jade—from spring’s pale green to winter’s deep emerald. Red lanterns hung from branches like luminous fruit, while streaming banners fluttered between the trees, advertising everything from spiritual herbs to basic cultivation resources. Even the morning mist seemed to twist into intricate patterns of leaves and petals as it wound through the streets.

Merchants and cultivators alike moved through the crowds below, their voices rising and falling like wind through branches. The aroma of street food—steamed buns and grilled meats—wafted through the air, mingling with the subtle fragrance of spiritual herbs and the fresh scent of living wood. This was a city where nature and civilization had grown together, where even the simplest shop might sprout from a branch as thick as a house.

“Put me down, please,” Li Hua demanded, her tone edged with irritation, though her gaze stayed locked on the captivating scene unfolding before her.

Mo Xing had insisted on carrying her through this arboreal maze—claiming there were many dangerous people in this area. But the way his lips curved into that knowing smile, the deliberately slow pace he set through paths that wound between tree-towers where children played freely, and how he seemed to take the longest possible route while pointing out various wonders… it was painfully obvious he was simply making excuses to hold her longer.

The worst part was that he didn’t even try to make his excuses convincing. “Oh look,” he said with exaggerated concern, nodding toward a group of elderly women tending to luminous spirit herbs that grew from a nearby branch, “more potential threats. Better keep you close, little tempest.”

She sat in his arms unamused, though her eyes couldn’t help but trace the elegant lines of his profile every now and then. Even in his younger form, Mo Xing possessed the kind of beauty that made cultivators and mortals alike stop and stare. It was unfair, really, how he managed to look devastatingly handsome even while being absolutely infuriating.

Their meandering path through the market finally brought them to a three-story building set slightly apart from the busy streets. The Peaceful Rest Inn wasn’t particularly grand—no golden pillars or jade steps like the luxury establishments closer to the city center. Instead, it carried an air of quiet dignity: clean white walls decorated with simple ink paintings, dark wood trim polished to a soft gleam, and carefully tended pottery filled with common but fragrant flowers. The courtyard’s stone path had been swept clean enough to eat from, and the gentle splash of a modest fountain provided a peaceful counterpoint to the distant sounds of the city.

“An unglamorous choice for someone of your standing,” Li Hua observed dryly, hoping he’d finally set her down now that they’d reached their destination.

His smile widened, honey-brown eyes dancing with that ever-present mischief. “You must think very highly of me, my little tempest.” He shifted her slightly in his arms, making no move to set her down despite having reached their destination. “But sometimes the most valuable treasures hide in the plainest boxes. Besides—” his voice dropped lower, taking on a more serious note, “—those who truly understand power rarely feel the need to display it so… obviously.”

Li Hua caught his meaning. The modesty of the inn itself was a form of concealment, far more effective than any gaudy display of wealth could be. Important figures seeking privacy would naturally avoid the luxurious establishments where they might be recognized. Which meant…

“How many of the guests here are actually what they appear to be?” she asked, her instincts suddenly alert to the deceptive tranquility of the courtyard.

Mo Xing’s smile turned appreciative at her quick understanding. “Clever girl. Though perhaps we shouldn’t discuss such matters out here in the open.” His eyes flickered briefly to a seemingly ordinary merchant reading a scroll by the fountain. “Some conversations are better held behind closed doors.”

Mo Xing carried her up the polished wooden stairs, his footsteps deliberately silent despite the aged wood. The second floor corridor was dimly lit by paper lanterns that cast soft shadows along the walls, their gentle light barely touching the darker corners. Li Hua noticed how the shadows seemed to move oddly in those corners, as if they were alive—formation arrays for privacy, though far more sophisticated than anything she’d expect to find in a simple inn.

They stopped before a door that looked identical to all the others, yet Li Hua’s refined senses detected the faint ripple of powerful concealment formations layered into the wood. Mo Xing shifted her slightly in his arms, then rapped his knuckles against the door in a precise pattern: three quick taps, two slow, then four in rapid succession. A pause, then two more deliberate knocks.

The silence that followed felt heavy with anticipation. Then, from behind the door came an answering series of taps—but not from human knuckles. These sounds were sharper, like claws against wood, following the same rhythmic pattern but adding three distinct scratches at the end.

“Ah,” Mo Xing’s smile softened with genuine affection. “She’s annoyed with me.”

“Your spirit beast—Mian Mian?” Li Hua asked, remembering the ethereal black bird whose feathers shifted like ink in water, drifting through shadows. She’d seen the spirit beast before, watching her with ancient eyes that seemed to be searching for something just beyond sight.

Before Mo Xing could respond, a voice called out from behind the door—young, female, and carrying that familiar mix of dignity and irritation that was uniquely Mian Mian’s. “Master, you better have a good explanation for being gone so long. And why do I sense another person with you?” There was a pause, then softer, almost to herself: “The girl from the cave…”

Li Hua could have sworn she heard Mian Mian’s ethereal feathers rustling with sudden interest behind the door.

“A girl?” A voice shouted from inside. The door immediately burst open, making the privacy formations ripple, and Mo Tao appeared—a tall man slightly shorter than Mo Xing, dressed in elaborate robes that somehow managed to look both expensive and slightly disheveled. His eyes were so wide Li Hua thought they might pop out of his head entirely.