Re-birth: The Beginning after the End - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: MO TAO ENERGY

“Mo Xing! Best friend! Most magnificent brother of my heart!” Each variation of the name came out with increasing dramatic flair as he clutched his chest. “You bring a maiden to our humble abode without warning? And such a young—” His theatrical gasp cut off abruptly as Mo Xing’s foot connected with his shin, though somehow the movement looked as elegant as a dance step.

“Mo Tao,” Mo Xing’s voice carried that familiar mix of exasperation and fondness, “if you could control your natural impulse to be… yourself… for just a moment?”

“Control myself? When you appear with a mysterious girl after disappearing for days?” Mo Tao pressed the back of his hand to his forehead in an exaggerated swoon. “Next you’ll ask me not to breathe! Not to—ow!” He hopped on one foot as Mo Xing’s elegant footwork found his other shin.

From inside the room, Mian Mian’s voice carried a note of resigned amusement. “And here I thought we might have one peaceful evening…”

Mo Tao suddenly froze mid-dramatic pose, his eyes narrowing as he finally registered Mo Xing’s transformed appearance. “Wait… wait, wait, wait—” He circled them like an overexcited crane, his robes swirling with each turn. “You’ve taken your younger form? The one from the Academy days?”

Before either could respond, he launched into a rapid-fire barrage of questions, somehow managing to speak without seeming to breathe: “Anyways, who is she? Where did you find her? Why are you carrying her? Also, why did you change your form? Are those celestial diamonds in her ears? Is she from a noble family? Which realm? Why does her spiritual essence feel so strange? Is she your disciple? Or wait—” he gasped dramatically, “—is she your secret daughter from that time you disappeared for a century? No, impossible, the timing’s wrong. Unless—”

Li Hua’s head spun trying to keep up with his questions. Even Li Hao at his most excitable had never achieved this level of overwhelming enthusiasm. Where her brother’s curiosity came in playful bursts, Mo Tao’s seemed to pour out like a waterfall, each question spawning three more before the first could be answered.

“Mo Tao,” Mo Xing’s voice carried a warning edge, though his lips twitched with poorly concealed amusement.

“But she’s so interesting!” Mo Tao protested, bouncing on his toes like an eager child. “Look at how she carries herself! And those daggers—I’d recognize Steel Mountain craftsmanship anywhere. Oh! Is that why you’re in disguise? Are you two on a secret mission? Are we being hunted? Should I change my form too? I could be your loyal servant, or perhaps a wandering merchant, or—”

“If you don’t stop talking,” Mo Xing interrupted smoothly, “I’ll remind everyone about your recent… appreciation of the Third Princess’s spirit beast. Even though I managed to dissolve the betrothal, I’m sure she’d be delighted to hear you’re still in the city. Last I heard, she’s still keeping those preserved heads of her former suitors in her chamber—the ones she makes recite poetry during dinner.”

Mo Tao’s face drained of color, his mouth snapping shut with an audible click. “You promised never to mention that again,” he hissed, eyes darting nervously toward the windows. “Do you know how hard it was to convince her I wasn’t actually possessed by an ancient demon? Though in retrospect, maybe I should have stuck with that story instead of complimenting her spirit beast’s fur…”

From inside the room, Mian Mian let out a long-suffering sigh. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation inside? Before Mo Tao’s dramatic retelling of his near-marriage attracts attention. I heard some of the princess’s servants are still carrying around those wedding robes and exorcism talismans, just in case.”

They moved into the room, Mo Tao practically diving through the doorway in his haste to get away from any potential princess-related dangers. Mian Mian’s ethereal form materialized fully once they were inside—her black feathers shifting like ink in water as she perched on an elegant wooden stand near the window.

Mo Xing traced complex patterns in the air with his free hand, and Li Hua felt the privacy barriers ripple into existence around them. Layer after layer of protection settled into place: sound barriers, concealment arrays, even formations that could redirect spiritual sense. It was far more security than a simple inn room should require, but then again, nothing about this situation was simple.

Finally—and with obvious reluctance—Mo Xing moved toward the large bed that dominated one side of the room. His arms loosened their hold on Li Hua with deliberate slowness, as if he was giving himself time to think of another excuse to maintain contact. When she finally felt her feet touch the soft mattress, she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at his theatrical sigh of disappointment.

“There,” he said, though he remained standing close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. “Safe and sound, my little tempest. Though I believe there are still many dangers you should be protected from…”

Mo Tao, who had been practically vibrating with contained questions this entire time, finally burst out: “Now will you explain why you’re in your younger form? And who is she? And why—” He cut himself off with a yelp as both Mo Xing and Mian Mian fixed him with warning glares.

“You could answer his questions,” Mo Xing suggested to Li Hua, his eyes still glaring daggers at Mo Tao. His younger form leaned casually against one of the room’s ornate pillars, somehow making the simple position look elegant. He turned to face her then, his eyes catching hers. “Or we could ignore him entirely. He’s quite used to that.”

“Hey!” Mo Tao protested, but his indignation was cut short by another warning look from Mian Mian, whose dark feathers rippled with barely contained curiosity as she studied Li Hua from her perch.

Li Hua took in her surroundings with careful assessment. The room was deceptively simple at first glance—a large bed, a few chairs, a wooden table near the window where Mian Mian perched.

“I need to find my brothers,” she said finally, ignoring Mo Tao’s curious stare. “Old Xiao was supposed to return for me but never did.” Her hands unconsciously tightened at her sides.

At the mention of Old Xiao, both Mo Tao and Mian Mian’s expressions shifted subtly. Mo Tao’s perpetual enthusiasm dimmed for just a moment, while Mian Mian’s feathers rustled with what might have been concern.

“Old Xiao?” Mo Tao asked, his voice unusually serious. “Tall fellow, always wearing those hooded robes, carries a staff made of black wood?”