Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dear readers, nice to see you here!

i am a new author and this is the first ever story i am writting ! to be honest these are just some of the late night delusions i have. some times from daydreaming in class, while reading other fanfiction or just trying to escape reality...

and when i say writting a book is hard like i mean i am literally nervous like my delusions are about to go public💀...

this book is inspired by "Visions of Tomorrow" by @xiao_xue_yin

like this authors book is sooo good like bro come on that plot is something that only increases my delusions like i got a whole new plot on my mind just beacuse of their book ( i dont know the author's gender-pls dont come after me 🙏)

just to be sure i am not plagerising the author's plot line or the book. i am just inspired by thier writing and the amazing story they have written and my delusions wont just let me sleep and it wants another story with its own plotline! i swear on xie lian's name, trust me bro- i dont want Hua cheng hunting me down or buring me alive like he did to those 33 temples- like Sir, i might be a flammable but i dont wanna cut my life short before i get married😭....I even wrote poems in your honour, please let me live!

english is not my first language yet my delusions are in ENGLISH (my language teachers would be damn proud if i wrote like that in my exam papers)

Chapter Text

Hemara's POV

"ma , just give me your phone will you, please?" i said as i grabbed the mobile from her arms. i could see my mother's annoying look in her face when i said that. I let out and exhausted sigh knowing what comes next

"look at you! we JUST got out of the theatres and you are already looking for your mobile! you do this all time whenever we go outside. cant you give your eyes some rest? 27/7 always looking at the stupid phone!" my mother said in a loud voice.

'must she always do this in public?'

I could see my father look a bit tired from whatever my mother was shouting at me for.

I let out another sigh. "alright alright !!.. ma, just go with appa and get the vehicle out of the parking lot will ya? i will be on the stairs near the entrance. the parking space seems to be crowded and a bit too noisy. if you cant find me just call ok?" i pointed to the stairs as i adjusted my glasses with another hand.

"fine just dont wander around anywhere else ok?" my dad said as he patted my head. "i will not go anywhere else pa, dont worry" i assured him as i waved and made my way to the stairs.

the movie that me and my parents came was for the long awaited demon slayer movie! it took me a long time to covince my parents to take me to watch the movie. if it wasn't for the fact that this was dubbed in my regional language i would have never gotten the chance to convinve my parents to see it with me in the first place. sure the dub might feel a bit funny but hey, atleast i could flex that i saw it with my parents. though mitsuri's outfit almost got me disowned.

'i could swear i saw my mother's worst judgmental look on me'

i made my way to the stairs and found a relatively clean spot and sat down. i unlocked the phone and opened the camera to see if i have any popcorn crumbles or any stuck in my face. seeing none i opened intagram, took a quick photo of the movie banner and added it to my story.

'this day will surely be memorable' i thought to my self feeling a bit succesfull. not every indian parent will take their child to see a anime movie.

"Hema? is that you?" came an sudden voice beside me. i was bit startled at that. i lifted my head up to see my best friend karan in a black t-shirt with the muzan print and dark blue jeans. "karan! you are also here?" i never expected to him here."Dude you could have told me! we could have watched the movie together".

karan gave an annoyed eyeroll when i said that. did his parents scold him or something? "who said i was here see the demon slayer movie in the theatre. my parents said i could watch when they release this movie in nextflix or some shit" karan said in an annoyed tone as he sat next to me. "I am here to see the kantara movie. my parents said this is more exciting and better than watching some stupid cartoon movie"

I could clearly see the dissapointment in his face when said that. he was the one who told me that the demon slayer movie was coming to cinemas in the first place and was pretty excited about it. "tough luck ehh...better luck next time buddy. by the way where is uncle and aunty? did they go to park thier car?" i asked him as i could not see them anywhere.

"first wipe those dusty glasses of yours' you idiot. you wont be able able to see anybody with so many damn fingerprints blocking your already dying eye sight. and second of all i came with my father alone. my mother apparently wanted to see the movie with her friends and dad just went to park the car and besides i already saw the movie already in some website. i just wanted to see the movie in theatres for the feel and authencity" he completed his sentence as he air quoted the last word with a smug look in his face.

"i see, but the parking lot is filled though.do think something happened there? it seems there is too much of hustle and bustle over there hmmm... seems like it will take some more time for my parents to come" i said as i removed my glasses to to clean them with the shirt corner i was wearing.

"by the way did you see this new fan art of wen rouhan? damn he looks damn fine you know? " he asked out of nowhere changing the topic

"which art are you talking about? are you sure? WEN ROUHAN'S fan art?" i asked trying to keep my voice low and not shout

he nodded "mhm"

"in this economy?. oh my dear Jun wu! seems like times are changing"

"yeah , yeah😒.sometimes i wonder if your're not just blind but also colour blind. anyway look at this"

i side eyed the man who was wearing the muzan t-shirt which contradited his statement. 'boy..we share the same Ao3 account.i know what you read'. seems like my look conveyed what i thought and pulled out his phone to show me his fanart.

                               (A/N Note: see end notes for the image link)

"daaammn...that's nice..the donghua wen rouhan could fry and serve me on a silver plator and i still wouldnt complain... by the way nice art of lan qiren even though he's not my type, a thumbs up for that!"

"i know. rouhan is one fine man. the live action really did him dirty"

just as i was about to say something about lan qiren's goatee, i heard my mother call me , "hema, come we need to leave!" well i guess that's the end of our coversation. i let out a small sigh. "ah.. ohh..coming ma, just give me minute". i turned towards karan ,"well... see you tomorrow at school then? or will mr-simp take leave tomorrow?" i asked as i raised my eyebrow at him.

we were having special classes during the holidays and seems like he would rather die then come to school tomorrow. "nah man .. i wish i did but i have to get my physics paper tomorrow".

"sucks to be you i guess... hmmm let me read your fortune.. seems like a dead end to me. good luck tomorrow. you might need a lot of it" i said with my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"says the bitch one who took humanities stream cause it was much easier to do beacuse your brain can't comprehend basic mathematics" he said with a smirk in his face.

"hey!! i still have to suffer in economics cause that thing is filled with unwanted graphs and calculations. that shit is still not comprehensable to any human mind!"

karan seems to a bit offended at this statement as he stood up and pointed his finger at me and said "wanna know what else is incomprehensable? try stu-dying trignomentries in 11 grade right now cau-"

"HEMARA!! come quickly!! we need to leave".

karan's statement was cut shot as my mother shouted my name from the entrance. i let out a sigh as i pinched the brodge of my nose "ugh... well see you tomorrow at school i guess btw send that picture to me" I said as i got up and checked if need to pick up anything else.

" yeah sure . bye " he said as he waved at me "bye" i waved back at him and as i was getting down the stairs i could hear my mother shout "HEMARA come fast we dont have all day!! i still need to complete some housework" i rushed my footsteps as i looked at her shouting and shouted back " I AM COMING MA!! STOP SHOUTING!" my tone showed some anger and annoyance "nobody's gonna die just becau- "

"eekkkk"

"HEMARA!!" as multiple voices shouted in snyc

reason?

soon enough as if regretting my words like my choices in life, I tripped down the last 8-10 steps and rolled down which could have almost given a concussion and blood cause steps were made of metal. did i notice that before? probably not. just praying i aint dying in from falling down the stairs like those fucked up Indian serials. i still have'nt completed reading svsss. i still need to get to the wine part.

i could see my parents and karan coming towards me and as karan lifted me up i could feel the world spinning aroung me. i just hope the people standing out side the theatre did not see this. it would be better if i died right now. i know karan will carve that in my grave stone when i died.

"why is there two appas?".. yeahhh i probably hit my head maybe a little too hard.

"are you alright dear ? you seem to have hit head pretty hard!" my dad said in a worried tone and checked if i was alright releasing me from karan's hold yet he still held my hand as my father firmly held my shoulders and steadied me. "sorry about that. i should have not rushed you. are you alright now? are still dizzy?" mom asked in a worried tone.

"yeah i am fine just hit a bit in the back, nothing wrong with me. shall we leave now!!" i said a bit too rushingly and removed karan's hand from mine.

"bye karan!! see you tomorrow at school i guess? bye" i waved at him and speed walked towards the entrance.

i did'nt notice my mom dad calling me as i went near our? vehicle. could'nt bother evrything was blurry

until .... karan suddenly pulled me towards him

"HEMARA! CARE--"

just as a huge blinding light flashed towards us together.

-full...."

but it was too late..

as the truck hit us both in an alarming force even breaking my glasses as it hit our head together and sending us flying.

my parents? and karan's father? came running shouting our names.

i could barelly stay concious.

all i saw was blood . mine. karan's. blood it was everywhere .

yet karan still held my hand close almost as if even the impact could'nt seperate us.

i looked at him i tried to say

"so--sorr-rry"

"I w-wwill fo- ffo llow y-ou in--to hehell to ma--make y-yoiu reppay" he could barely speak.

from what i could see from blured bloody eyes he meant it with all his heart as gave one small smile and i know what it means.

'we both will be there for eachother and i don't blame you for this or regret what i did '

" i-- hh op e yo u dddo mea an it "

were my last words as my conciousness faded to black

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Previously on The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation and how the transmigraters fucked It Up :

  “Mo Liang! What are you doing here!?”

  “Jiujiu!!”

“Mò liáng, tā zěnme yòu kūle!?”(Mo Liang, why is she crying again!?) The man spoke in a loud voice as he approached the crying baby. He held the crying baby, trying to usher her down, seemingly used to this event in the household.

`Jí- jíujíu! Wǒ fāshì wǒ méiyǒu zuò rènhé ràng mèimei kū de shì!”(Ji-Jiujiu! I swear I did nothing to make meimei cry!) Mo Liang said with worried urgency in his tone. “She just started crying the moment I came to meet her! I’m sorry! I know I shouldn’t have missed my training!”

“A-Liang, we will talk about you missing your training later, get me something to make your meimei stop crying.”

The man held the crying baby, trying to do his best to calm her down. Still, it seems no use since the baby just kept on wailing for a while.

Finally, after a few coaxings and a few beats from a toy drum, the baby seemed to have calmed down, and just some hiccups were left.

“There, there now, my dear, calm yourself now, will you? Look at you—you made both your jiujiu and gege worried.” He said, wiping her tears away with his thumb

Hemara finally calmed down from her inner emotional turmoil. She looked up at the man who held her up and talked in a tongue she could barely understand as she hiccupped.

Sure, her vision might be a bit blurry, but she could feel the man’s affection for her with the way he held her—securely, as though she might fall at the slightest shift he might make in his arms.

‘Maybe… this life could be given a chance’

A few days later.

Hemara’s vision was slowly getting clearer. These past few days, she tried to pick up a few sentences from the broken Chinese she already knew.

She is often referred to as A-Xiu, or Feixue. She doesn’t know if there is more to the name or a nickname they use it call her.

So far, she has Mo Yichen, the uncle from her mother’s side, as he is her jiujiu; that too, the uncle is also a younger brother to my mother, as he calls her jiejie.  An older brother named Mo Liang—though she doesn’t know what the name means- always comes to visit her during the noon and spends time with her till uncle comes and takes him away, yelling at him for some reason. While my mother, who is niang or sometimes Muqin, as her brother called her whenever he got into trouble. (She really doesn’t understand what is going on half of the time, except for the fact that her brother seemed a bit lazy.)  Though she doesn’t know her full name, she is called SuYin or A-Yin by her father. She often carries her around while speaking to her or to other members of the family, which she could barely comprehend.

Speaking of fathers, Xu Tianyu (got the name of the man figured from the courtesy of her uncle who often shouted at him--why the hell is always shouting anyway?) the father’s name seem to related to heaven as tian was in the name, and a maternal grandfather i.e. laoye, she still hasn’t got the chance to hear his name.  He always indulges me and my brother a lot, as he always gives some money to my brother to spend in the market or just gives something to eat for us, though she’s not even sure if babies are supposed to eat half of the stuff he feeds us… Like for her brother, it is understandable, but sir, I am an infant…

Basically, her routine goes like this. She wakes up, has milk, her mother plays with her, or sometimes along with her father, then her brother comes, only to be dragged off by their uncle later, and a little bit of crawling practice then she sleeps again, and finally the day ends with her grandfather tucking both her and her brother in bed as he tells them something that her brother seems very interested in—probably some bedtime story about some demons or ghosts as she was able to identify from some snippets of the words she understood

Days pass like these. It starts to get familiar for Hemara as she is getting adjusted to it each passing day. She has some internal struggles here and there, along with the language barrier. It is getting difficult, but she thought to herself that she would try for it, for the sake of seeing her best friend, as he could also be here.

A few weeks later

The day started a bit more enthusiastically than it had been before. The house was decorated, and everyone was dressed up more formally than they would usually be; even Hemara herself was dressed in more layers of the hànfú. It was starting to get suffocating in this as summer was approaching.

‘Is there any special event that is happening today?’ she thought, wondering about the shift in the normalcy that was there before.

Sooner or later, her father came to pick her up along with her brother, trailing behind him.

“Nǐ kàn, wǒmen de xiǎo bǎobǎo yǐjīng wèi tā de hūnlǐ shèngzhuāng dǎbànle.”(Would you look at that, our little baby is all dressed up for her ceremony)

Her brother, as usual, continued from where their father left off. This time with more enthusiasm than usual.

"Ā diē shuō dé duì! Wǒmen mèimei kàn qǐlái gèng piàoliangle. Wǒ bāng māmā bāng tā dǎbànle! Shì bùshì hěn shénqí ne?" (Father is right! Little sister looks even prettier now. I helped Mom dress her up! Isn't that amazing?)  he told while placing his hand in his puffed-up chest. Seems like someone is proud today.

"Shì de, nǐ zuò dé hěn hǎo, wǒ de xiǎo érzǐ. Nǐ de mèimei jīntiān kàn qǐlái hěn piàoliang!" (Yes, you did great, my little son. Your meimei looks very pretty today!)  Father said as he patted his head with another hand, which he didn't use to hold me. Seems like they were talking about how Gege helped me dress up along with A-niang.

The father and son duo talked with each other as they got out of the room. Now with the sun shining, she could see that she was dressed like a dumpling

They got to the main hall where everybody else was waiting. The main hall was decorated beautifully, as it was a mixture of gold and red. There were silks, scrolls and the air was mixed with the scent of the feast that was being arranged at the table. The smoky scent of sandalwood incense hung in the air. It almost reminded her of a particularly stoic,        love-sick white-robed man that she loved reading about.

There were even a few new faces gathered around, like nearby neighbours and their children, who often came to talk with her grandfather when he took her outside to the stalls.

'I wonder what this gathering was all about. Even Jiujiu seems to speak to someone without yelling at someone. I didn't even know that was possible."

She wondered about this as she looked at her uncle, who seemed to be talking to an old man with a very large bread and dressed more formally than others. That old man seems to be familiar.

‘Wasn’t that man called Tang-di by grandpa? I think I saw that man while he was taking my brother and me around the streets’

Something in her was itching to yank that beard for some reason. She was controlling her instincts as her father passed by them after greeting the two.

Her father carried her towards a beautifully carved wooden chair set up at the head of the room. It was draped over by a crimson red clothe with characters Bǎi rì (Hundred Days).

“Kàn, xiǎo yá miáo,” (look, little sprout,) her father said in a low voice filled with affection, while gently placing her on the chair after adjusting the cushions on it. “Jīntiān, wǒmen qìngzhù nín lái dào zhège shìjiè de dì yī gè bǎi tiān. Zài zhè yītiān, wǒmen qíqiú shàngtiān bǎoyòu nín chángmìng fùguì.” (Today, we celebrate your first hundred days in our world. It is the day we ask the heavens to bless you with a long, prosperous life.)

‘What are you talking about? Bai means hundred as well as white so probably he is talking about the number hundred, as there is nothing white here….wait...there was something about god and blessings in the middle. Could it be my hundred-day ceremony like the ones in the dramas that I saw?’  She asked herself as she looked around, trying to combine the bits and pieces on whatever he father just said

She was pulled out of her thoughts as her brother Mo Liang blabbered something while pointing at the wrapped presents on the table. “Ā-xiù, nǐ kàn! Lǐwù zhēn duō! Jīntiān nǐ de míngzì kěshì yào hǎohǎo niàn yībiàn de!'” (Look, A-Xiu! Look at the presents! You get to have your name given to you properly today!)

 ‘mingzi? Name! I see! I am getting myself and name formaly introduced in the society! ’ she let out a little smile and a sound as she got excited. ‘Maybe I can now finally know my full name!’

Her laoye cleared his throat and addressed the room, drawing everyone's attention.

“Gèwèi péngyǒu, gèwèi jiārén, gǎnxiè nǐmen lái wèi wǒ de sūnnǚ fēi xuě qìngzhù bǎi rì dàdiǎn.”(Friends, family, thank you for coming to celebrate the Hundred Day Ceremony of my granddaughter, Feixue.)

He then gestured towards the man beside him. It was the same man that jiujiu was talking to before, grandpa’s tang-di that is, his younger cousin brother. “Cūnzhǎng, wǒ de táng dì wèi chūn, jīntiān néng chōuchū shíjiān lái cānjiā wǒmen de jùhuì, wǒ shēn gǎn róngxìng”( It is an honour that the County magistrate, my own younger cousin, Wei Chun, has taken the time from his duties to be with us today.”)

The people around cheered while Hemara was left to her own thoughts ‘Oh, so my apparently my grandpa’s cousin is a big shot, apparently’ seeing the people greet the old man with some respect. ‘What was he called again? I remember a pause after tang-di... Oh yeah, Wei Chun! So that’s his name! but I still don’t know my grandpa’s name though’

The man Wei Chun after completing the greetings with the other people, stepped forward, shifting his gaze towards Hemara. He had a deep authoritarian voice that seemed to fill the spaces her jiujiu’s yelling usually occupied.

 “Xiǎo fēi xuě,”( Little Feixue,) Wei Chun said with a kind smile, bending slightly to pat my head, “Wǒmen huānyíng nín jiārù wǒmen xiàn de shè qún, chéngwéi mò shì hé wèi shì jiāzú de yīyuán. Yuàn nín jīngshén cànlàn rú xuě, qiánchéng sì jǐn rú jiānghé.”(We welcome you into the life of our county, into the lineage of the Mo and Wei families. May your spirit be as bright as the snow, and your future as long as the river)

He reached into his embroidered sleeve and pulled out a small, exquisite jade lock carved with a lotus inside, the flower even had a pink shade to it. The pendent was hed together by a gold chain.

She unconsciously reached towards the locket, but it seems like the man had other plans as he shifted himself to give the locket towards her father who stood next to her along her mother. “Zhè bǎ chángshòu suǒ shì wǒ sòng de lǐwù.”(This longevity lock -Chángshòu suǒ- is a gift from the me,)

Hemara, distracted by the shiny jade-gold object, gave a tiny, contented sigh. It was a lot of noise, a lot of fuss, but the collective joy of the day felt warm and genuine. She might be a tiny baby, dressed up like a doll, but she was their tiny baby, and that felt like a good foundation to start a new life.

As the ceremony continued, her mother, Mo SuYin, stepped forward, holding a beautiful red scroll. Her face was soft with emotion as she read out the name that had been decided

“Wǒmen de nǚ'ér jiāng bèi chēng wèi mò fēi xuě” (Our daughter will be known as Mo Feixue)

Mo Feixue. Hemara silently repeated the name. 'Mo' was her mother’s surname, and 'Feixue' was what they called her...

‘Mo Feixue huh…has a nice ring to it...I wonder what it means, though I feel like the ‘xue’ here means snow, I wonder what the ‘fei’ means…’ Hemara, now called as Feixue, thought to herself.

After the official naming, the family proceeded with the next important ritual: the 'Grasping Test' (Zhuā Zhōu). A large, shallow basket was brought out and placed on the ground in front of her chair.

 It was filled with various objects, each symbolizing a different future path:

A brush and ink stone

A copper coin

A small kitchen knife

A toy sword

A book

An abacus

Her father gently placed Hemara on the ground near the basket, and the crowd held its breath, murmuring encouragement.

‘Now this is interesting,’ Hemara thought, feeling the soft wood planks under her little hands. ‘Let's see what this new me is destined for...or what I make my destiny to be. This Feixue is now gonna turn this ceremony into the talk of the town for the village now! Hahahha!’  seems like the internal monologue's evil laugh accidentally came out as the family member also laughed alongside her, unaware of the chaos she was gonna cause right now.

The room, already warm with feasting and celebration, quieted down, everyone eager to see which object the baby would select.

Hemara, or Mo Feixue, felt the familiar weight of being the focus of attention. She stared at the objects, the toy sword—a miniature version of a Chinese jian—catching her eye. In her past life, she had spent hours reading fantasy and perhaps, subconsciously, felt the pull of the martial path from the cultivation world she was vaguely remembering.

With surprising speed for an infant, she lunged. Her tiny left hand closed around the metal of the toy sword, and her right hand grabbed the smooth wood of the writing brush.

A ripple of excited murmurs went through the crowd.

 “Yī wèi xuézhě, yī wèi zhànshì!” (A scholar and a warrior!) cried out an old neighbour.  “Tā jiāng bǎowèi zhège jiāzú bìng shūxiě tā de lìshǐ!” (She will defend the family and write its history!)

“Bóxué xiūxíng zhě zhī lù!” (The path of the knowledgeable cultivator!) Wei Chun, the Village Head, nodded approvingly.

As the noise subsided, Hemara wasn't done. She decided that if she was going to have a chaotic future, it might as well be a wealthy one. She began to crawl backward, as her attention was now on the shiny copper coin at the edge of the basket. It took a bit of struggle but she stretched out a foot and hooked the coin, dragging it towards her.

‘Scholar, warrior, AND rich,’ she thought with smug satisfaction. ‘I'm hedging my bets this time.’

The applause from the guests was loud, but her father, Xu Tianyu, seemed particularly amused.

“Kàn kàn tā, sū yīn! Tā shénme dōu xiǎng yào!”(Look at her, SuYin! She just wants everything!) he laughed, gently nudging a final object closer to her: the abacus.

“Yěxǔ tā xiǎng shǔ yī shǔ zhè bǎ jiàn hé zhè zhī bǐ néng dài gěi tā duōshǎo jīnqián” (Perhaps she wants to count all the money the sword and the brush will bring her.)

Hemara’s tiny fingers instinctively grasped the wooden frame of the abacus. The movement was smooth, as if she were simply adding it to her collection of desirable items.

“Ah, háishì jīnróng dàshī ” (Ah, a master of finance as well!) Mo Yichen, her Jiujiu, grinned, momentarily forgetting his usual yelling. “Ā liàng, tā lái zhǎngguǎn jiālǐ de jīnkù! Yǐhòu nǐ zài yě bùyòng làngfèi qián mǎi tiánshíle”  (She’ll be in charge of the family coffers, A-Liang! No more wasting money on those sugary treats for you!)

The family was happy, concluding that the baby was simply grasping objects indiscriminately, like any curious child.

But then, Hemara’s eyes narrowed. The sound of the wooden beads clicking was a gun trigger. Math. Counting. Calculations. The horror of high school algebra and trigonometry rushed back to her.

With a sudden, violent rush of disgust, Hemara let go of her sword, coin, and brush, and with a surprisingly strong thrust of her hand, she flung the abacus across the hall. It clattered loudly against a decorative screen before bouncing onto the floor.

The room fell into stunned silence.

The laughter and music of the hundred-day celebration vanished, replaced by shocked silence.

Everyone stared at the scattered wooden beads on the floor, then at the tiny baby sitting there with wide eyes — as if she had done absolutely nothing wrong.

 Her grandfather, was the first to speak. He shook his head slowly.
“Āiyā, zhè kě shì tóu yī huí jiàn” (I’ve never seen that before) he muttered trying to control his laughter

Mo SuYin hurried over and picked up her daughter, her face turning pink with embarrassment.
“Āiyā, wǒ de bǎobèi! Shì bù shì bèi xià dàole? Bù néng luàn diū wánjù ya” (Oh, my sweet girl! Did the noise scare you? You can’t throw toys like that) she said softly, trying to calm both herself and the baby.

Mo Liang broke the silence next. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he pulled the hem of the sleve of his father,
“Wā! Mèimei hǎo lìhài! Tā bù xǐhuan shǔ shù! Ā-diē, nǐ kàn, tā yě bù xǐhuan suàn zhàng!” (Ā-diē! Mèimei is so strong! She threw the counting thing! Just like you always tell me to throw my books!)

Xu Tianyu blinked, caught off guard. His face turned red as he pointed right back at his son. “Mò Liàng! Húshuō shénme! Wéi fù zhǐshì… gèng xǐhuan yòng jiàn, bù xǐhuan ná fěnbǐ! ” (Mo Liang! What nonsense! I only said learning is more than just counting! I simply prefer a sword to a stick of chalk!) he said, fixing his sleeve trying to sound dignified.

That was all the invitation Mo Yichen needed.
He burst out laughing and slapped Xu Tianyu on the back so hard the man nearly stumbled.

“Hāhā! Jiějiě, nǐ tīngdàole ma?” (Haha! Jiejie, did you hear that?) Mo Yichen said to his sister between laughs. “Nǐ lǎogōng zhuāng shénme zhuāng shénme, nǐ kàn kàn nǐ nǚ'ér! Tā yǐjīng gēn tā xué guāile ──diūdiào shùzì, ná qǐ jiàn! Tā kěshì dìdào dao de tiānyǔ nǚ'ér a!” (Your husband can pretend all he wants, but look at your daughter! She’s already learned from him — throw away the numbers and pick up the sword! She’s Tianyu’s daughter through and through!)

Mo SuYin sighed but couldn’t hold back a smile. “Kàn lái wǒmen de xiǎo fēi xuě yǐjīng xuǎnzéle tā de lù”(Well, it seems our little Feixue has chosen her path) she said. “Tā xuǎnle yìngbì, wúshìle suànpán, hái fùhèle tā bà de lǎnduò. Kàn lái yǐhòu jiālǐ de zhàng dōu dé zìjǐ suànle!” (She picked the coin, ignored the abacus, and sided with her father’s laziness. I suppose I’ll have to handle all the household accounts myself!)

Mo Liang gasped dramatically. “Mèimei zhēn bàng! Tā huì chéngwéi yī míng fùyǒu de zhànshì! Wǒ yào jiào tā wǒ de éwài mántou mìjué!” (Mèimei is amazing! She will be a rich fighter! I’ll teach her my secret trick for getting extra steamed buns!) he said proudly, stepping away from the fallen beads that fell near his leg.

Wei chun finally stepped in, placing a steady hand on Mo Yichen’s shoulder.
“Gòule, dàjiā,” (Enough, all of you,) he said, though there was a smile in his voice. “Nǐmen tīng qǐlái jiù xiàng gè háizǐ. Wǒmen jiā xiǎo fēi xuě zhēnshi jīngshén juéshuò. Kuài chī ba, bié děng fàn liángle.” (You sound like children yourselves. Our little Feixue just has a strong spirit. Let’s eat before the food gets cold.)

The guests laughed and began talking again, the cheerful mood quickly returning.

Hemara, safely secured in her mother’s arms, listened to the laughter and shouting around her.
She couldn’t understand most of their words, but she didn’t need to — she could feel the warmth.

And as she looked down at the scattered abacus, she smiled slightly.

She had picked the coin, kept the sword, and successfully thrown away the one thing she hated most—that stupid subject of counting!

Chapter Text

Feixue - a few days after the Hundred Day ceremony

Mo Yichen took Feixue outside to the marketplace today. The weather seemed a bit warm and suitable for going outside, and besides, Tianyu took A-LIang to the hunting grounds to teach him how to hunt Birds. For all the training and laziness, those to have an unusually big appetite. He still shudders from the memory of when Xu Tianyu was saved by his sister from the brink of death when she brought him home. It was acceptable when he ate like 5 plates when he was recovering from injuries. Even that is too much.

But nooo, this man had chosen to only increase his consumption even more by 10 bowls when he recovered. Is that a stomach or a pithole one could never know except him, but that man has no memories of his life except his name and a few things. When Mo Liang was growing up, he too had the same appetite as his godforsaken father. He could help but worry for that child and always trained and exercised him regularly to ensure has no digestive problems. he even tried stopping him from eating more than 4 bowls, but that only made him eat 3 more bowls extra the next month. 

'Just what is in that bum's bloodline that makes them like this? oh my Dianxia, I just hope A-xue doesn't inherit that trait, it seems to lead to disasters' he sighed while looking at his baby niece

 Yichen had always claimed he had no favourites, but he couldn't just look away from his precious niece, could he? especially her green eyes, which had a gold hue and pupils that almost resembled those of a cat. Tianyu had the same cat-like eyes, but his were sharper and were black and gold. Mo Liang's eyes were similar to his but had a bit of softness that his A-jie has, which is exactly like his late mother's. 

He was distracted until someone looked at Feixue too loudly.

 The neighbour leaned in to coo at the baby.

Before the poor woman could even warm up her “aww,” Mo Yichen materialised beside her like an offended ghost. 

“Too close.” 

“Ah?! I merely—”

“TOO close.”

The neighbour backed away.

Feixue sneezed.

Yichen softened immediately.
“Aiyah, cold wind startled you? Jiujiu will kill the wind spirit later. Don’t cry.”

The entire marketplace exchanged meaningful looks.

Someone whispered, “Saying he’s not a doting uncle is truly the greatest lie of the century."

Feixue - one and a half years old 

The family has gathered over the dining table for the midday meal. The conversations followed naturally among the family members. Even the old man's cousin Wei Chun joined for today's meal. This was a very lovely and peaceful day. Well, peaceful as it could be with jiujiu still speaking very loudly, but that's a regular occurrence in this family, so all in all it was very good and a normal day.

"Feixue, say ahh," laoye said while bringing a small piece of dumpling towards my mouth. 'Did no one tell him that a baby won't be able to digest this properly? whatever.  i am really am craving that dumpling. I opened my mouth to receive that dumpling when my granduncle intercepted it. "Tang-ge, you can't surely be feeding A-Xue that this early?" questioned Wei Chun.

'Ohh come on!! you can't just tempt gluttony and stop in the middle, old man' she pouted with an angry frown i her face as her grandfather retracted his hand away from her mouth to reply to his cousin, “Chun-di, she has teeth!”

'Yeah, grandfather, defend my honour AND my stomach!!!'

She stared at Wei Chun, feeling her tiny fists clench.
Laoye withdrew the dumpling with a sigh after Wei Chun gave him a look that said You can't be serious, old man
The world turned grey.

And then—

Fexue's mouth moved on its own.

“G… gimme!”

The entire table froze. Even Feixue herself was unable to comprehend herself 'Did I just speak Chinese?'

She slapped her own cheeks in panic. Or, more accurately, she attempted to, but only managed a floppy baby pat.

Too late. The backlash had begun.

“A-Xue… y-you… you can speak?” SuYin whispered with trembling hands.

Feixue, brain short-circuiting, blurted:

“Wan’ dumplin’!”

Silence.

Absolute, spiritual-attack-level silence.

Mo Yichen leaned in dramatically, eyes wide with betrayal, as if she had personally stabbed him with a spiritual sword.

“A-Xue… your… your first word was… DUMPLING?!”

Feixue’s soul combusted. She herself didnt realise she has started to understand chinese properly

'NO, STOP, THAT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO COME OUT!
FIRST WORDS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE “NIANG” OR “GEGE” OR SOMETHING SOFT AND WHOLESOME, NOT—NOT THIS GREEDY-GOBLIN ASS DEMAND!!
OH MY XIELIAN!! SOMBODY STOP THIS  BABY INSTINCTS PLEASE!'

But her body was already in freefall.

She pointed at the dumpling in full auto-poilet mode

“GIMME DIMPIN!”

Her slurred pronunciation only made it more chaotic.

Wei Chun stared at her like she had ascended on the spot.
“tang-ge… your granddaughter… she has incredible willpower.”

Laoye puffed up smugly, stroking his beard as though he had single-handedly trained her.

“Of course she does. She is a child of the Mo family.”

Feixue wanted to sink into the floor.

'No no no, this is not a sign of innate talent, this is a sign of some fucked up FOOD-BASED DESPERATION, SIR.'

SuYin picked her up, emotional, voice trembling.

“A-Xue… say it again!”

Feixue, now fully checked out mentally, muttered:

“Dim… pin…”

Her brother and others lined up near her and wanted her her repeat a few words they were saying, they were amazed that Feixue was able to repeat after them. this went on for a long time. only when she was put to sleep by her father, who was singing some lullaby, did she finally collect herself.

"The gentle breath I once commanded barely stirs the air, A humble mortal whisper lost to worry and to care. I gaze upon the ocean, where my highest fortune fell, And the gale that drove my bright ship now tolls my funeral knell.

I thought the breeze was loyal, a friend that chased the sails, Never seeing the icy depths where true misfortune trails. You were the crushing current that pulls all things below, A solemn, deep resentment that finally had to show.

The wind that once was boundless now only chills my bones, As I watch the bitter wave break against these ancient stones. The wreckage of my splendor floats upon that boundless pain, For you became the dark tide, I could not command, or restrain.

The dark, engulfing current knows no guiding, friendly light, A cold, consuming vengeance, black as the deepest night. It took the strength of spirit, the power that made me high, Yet I remember the calm within the storm's embrace nearby.

My spirit, though earthbound, still catches on the breeze, And seeks a fleeting answer among the rustling trees. For a love that turned to ruin still leaves a scar of grace, And a single, tender warmth that time cannot erase"

 

Feixue always felt that the lullaby her father sang every night always felt a bit sad, however finally understanding the lyrics kinda hits hard. i wonder where he heard it from?

The last note of the lullaby trembled into silence. Her father exhaled softly, his warm palm still smoothing circles on her back, convinced she had already drifted off.

Feixue, on the other hand, was wide awake.

Her tiny eyes cracked open.

“…Wait.”

A beat.

“WAIT—WHAT?!”
(In her head, of course. Her baby mouth could still only “ba-ba-ba” like a malfunctioning chicken.)

She stared at the ceiling, absolutely betrayed by her own brain.
Had she—
Did she just—
Understand. Chinese.
Fluently. Like a native.
Like she hadn’t spent the last one and a half years pretending she was linguistically illiterate, and suddenly, tonight, her brain just decided: “Surprise! You’re fluent now.”

She slapped her tiny hands against her own cheeks in silent horror.
'Bro, not me unlocking the language pack AFTER  ONE AND A HALF YEARS. I’m such an NPC.'

Her father hummed contentedly, completely unaware that his daughter was undergoing a full-blown existential meltdown in his arms.

And then-

The second realisation hit her.

Not only did she understand the language-

She understood the song.

The meaning.

And the meaning was-'WAIT—WHAT?!?!'

Her soul practically jumped out of her body.

 'That’s what he’s been singing every night?! THAT?! And I was just peacefully snoozing through a maritime heartbreak saga like some unbothered shrimp in a tidepool?!

Her soul jolted like someone had thrown cold water on her.

Before today, the lullaby had always been a soft blur—pretty, soothing, a bit sad, like rain on old stone. But now that she could understand the language?

That was NOT a lullaby.

That was a tragedy. That was a full, tragic ballad.

A heartbreak monologue.

A man mourning love, hope, destiny, his entire emotional shipwreck—

And her father had sung that to her every night like it was “Rock-a-bye Baby.”

Feixue mentally slapped herself.

Her inner voice shrieked.

'Sir. Father. WHY ARE YOU SINGING A BREAKUP BALLAD TO YOUR TODDLER?!'

The lines replayed in her mind, now painfully clear:

“The wreckage of my splendor floats upon that boundless pain—”

Her face twisted internally.

'BOUNDLESS PAIN?! I’M ONE AND A HALF YEARS OLD. I SHOULDN’T BE HEARING BOUNDLESS ANYTHING!'

She had spent half the day repeating words like a trained parrot for the family, feeling proud of herself… only to realise now that her prize was emotional devastation via bedtime song

If her transmigration Idol Shen Yuan ever heard this he would will go
“THIS is my reincarnated junior?! Refund!” or “Did your transmigration come with lag? Or were you on airplane mode?”

Feixue groaned internally.

'Of all things to suddenly understand—why couldn’t it have been sword manuals? Martial secrets? Treasure maps? heck it could be my jiujiu's yellings at my brother when he was traing BUT NO. I had to unlock CHINESE during a heartbreak opera disguised as a lullaby.'

Her father’s voice hummed lightly in his chest, calm and warm.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry in this situationshe could do was blink, stunned, while he tucked her closer and continued patting her back.

The tragic lyrics echoed in her newly-enabled brain, each line getting heavier, sadder, more dramatic until—

Feixue let out the tiniest sigh.

Of course.

Of course the first time she manages to understand the local language, the universe rewards her with a lullaby that sounds like a divorce, a betrayal arc, and a cultivation heart-devil all in one.

Trust her life to turn bilingual at the exact moment it hurts the most.

Honestly?

Peak transmigrator experience.

Chapter Text

The Mo House's training grounds were calm when Feixue toddled in, still warm from her nap.
She expected to see her brother practising sword basics.

Instead—

She saw him.

A man

Tall, elegant, pale robes fluttering lightly as he instructed Mo Liang through a series of talisman activations. His hair, tied loosely with jade, moved whenever he turned. His expression was serene, refined, almost ethereal.

Feixue froze mid-step.

…Oh. Oh wow. I could wake up to this every day. Who blessed his face? Why is he glowing?

The family sat at a nearby stone table, quietly observing Mo Liang’s assessment. Feixue wandered over and plopped down beside them without looking away from the healer, eyes wide and shining.

She raised one tiny hand mechanically:

“Keep up, gege.”

Mo Liang brightened instantly…
Only to slowly realise Feixue wasn’t looking at him at all.

His smile stiffened.

Meanwhile, Feixue continued to stare at the healer like she had found a rare artifact.

Look at those fingers… look at those eyes, oh, my ruby red or is it crimson?  eekkkk so pretty!!… he looks like a walking immortal-grade jade… I must study him… for research purposes, of course

Niang blinked, glanced at her husband with a glint in her eyes, and whispered:

“…She seems unusually focused today.”

“A-Ah. Children are curious.” A-die coughed lightly as he replied

Mo Suyin hid her smile behind her sleeve.

“Well, she has good observation skills then.”

Xu Tianyu nodded politely, though his gaze kept drifting to Feixue’s fixed stare. 

The healer bent down slightly to correct Mo Liang’s stance, his voice smooth and calm.

Feixue whispered under her breath:

“…pretty…”

Mo Zhonghai paused his sip of tea, lowering the cup slowly.

Mo Yichen’s brows rose ever so slightly, the corners of his lips twitching as if holding back a question, but clearly he didn't, as he cleared his throat.

“Xue’er? What are you looking at?”

Feixue didn’t even hesitate to answer.“Handsome.”

She was in full fangirl mode, ok? She doesn't get to see a heavenly jade-like figure daily. Last time she saw one like that was in her past life, but they were fictional, alright?! Let her enjoy her moment. She vehemently ignored that she was physically two years old.

A burst of a talisman lifted the silence around her.

Mo Zhonghai's eyes softened with a mix of confusion and amusement.

Mo Yichen quietly exhaled as if accepting some unavoidable truth, muttering about some damed high-level cultivation.

Xu Tianyu hid a small chuckle behind his hand.

Mo Suyin leaned in slightly but kept her voice light:

“Oh? You think so?”

Feixue nodded seriously, gaze still locked on the healer.

“Very.”

She tilted her head at the man, thinking intensely:

If he pats my head… I might die on the spot.

No, wait. If he smiles… I WILL die.

The healer moved to the side table to gather his notes.

His footsteps were quiet, sleeves brushing gently with each step, like a slow-motion scene specifically designed to torment her.

Feixue watched—wide-eyed, frozen—tiny hands gripping the edge of the table.

He’s coming closer. He’s coming closer. HE’S COMING CLOSER.

He paused right beside Feixue

You know that moment in dramas where the world slows down?

The background music fades?

The protagonist realises they’re about to experience a life-changing event.

Yeah.

That happened.

He looked down at her and smiled.

Warm. Soft. Gentle.

A smile that could cure illnesses and break engagements. It could break stable marriages.

OH HEAVENS I WAS NOT PREPARED—

Then…

He reached out.

And patted her head.

Lightly. Affectionately.

His palm was warm, his touch careful, like he actually liked children.

“Such a calm little one,” he said quietly.

Everything inside her denoted 'calm!? My dear brethren...WHERE?!!'

Externally? Feixue let out a sound that could only be described as:

“KYAA—!!”

A full-body toddler squeal.

Legs kicking.

Tiny hands flapping.

Eyes sparkling like someone just handed her a whole lifetime of gacha SSRs.

The adults jumped slightly.

Laoye blinked at the sudden noise. Jiujiu’s eyebrows rose, Niang covered her mouth, A-die choked on the tea that he was sipping and coughed into his sleeve.

But none of them said anything.

Because the healer chuckled softly.Softly.Gently.RIGHT ABOVE MY HEAD.

Oh stars above, he MADE A SOUND.

HE MADE A—A SOFT LAUGH.

WHY AM I TOO SMALL TO HANDLE THIS—

I clutched my chest dramatically (as dramatically as a two-year-old could) and tried not to pass out.

The healer knelt a little to meet my eyes.

“Did I startle you?” he asked, still smiling.

I squealed again.

Higher.

Louder. Possibly breaking through a spiritual barrier. Who cares? I need that man!

Mo Liang, across the yard, whipped around so fast he almost sprained his neck.

“XUE’ER?!”

He ran over immediately, scooping her into his arms protectively.

Feixue reached toward the healer with grabby hands—

Internally:
PLEASE COME BACK I CAN CHANGE I’LL GROW FASTER I SWEAR—

Externally:
Just little reaching hands and soft “aaah—!!”

Mo Liang turned her away quickly, voice stiff:

“She—she’s just excited. Babies get excited. Please don’t mind her.”

But Feixue twisted in his arms like a determined fish trying to get to the nearby water.

She kept looking over his shoulder, eyes sparkling, cheeks red, kicking her tiny feet.

The healer simply gave a gentle nod.

Which somehow made it WORSE.

Sir, stop. STOP. You’re going to make me ascend prematurely. My baby's body can’t handle this level of charm output.

As the healer walked away along with her family members after her mother said something about needing to talk privately, which Feixue paid no attention to as she tried to lunge after Mr Handsome with her whole body, arms stretched dramatically like a tragic heroine:

Mo Liang had never held someone so tightly in his life as he dashed out whatever his mother said. His meimei is not going near Waigong ever again, at least not in his watch.

The main hall smelled faintly of medicinal herbs as the Daifu lit a fresh pair of spirit-calming incense brought by him. He waved the sticks a few times to put out the fire and placed it in its burner. Unlike his steady motions, the air was heavy for reasons other than the incense burning sharp contrast to the chaos caused by the youngest outside.

Mo Zhonghai sat at the head of the table, his posture stiff and his fingers interlocked with each other as he studied the motions of the healer as he took his time settling down. Besides him sat Mo Yichen, and Mo Suyin sat on both sides while Xu Tianyu sat beside the latter, as usual, their postures mirroring the same one as Mo Zhonghai, if not with a bit more concern shown as it made its way across all their faces as they all waited for the Daifu to open their mouth.

As if finally reading the room, the healer 'Wen Qingyuan'  sat opposite to Mo Zhonghai, the former known throughout jianghu for his exceptional medical knowledge and application that even the emperor himself bestowed the title of 'Zhi Zun Yao Shi'- The Sovereign Apothecary. 

Zhonghai broke the silence in the room. "Qingyuan, tell me honestly, my Sūn-zǐ is suffering the same fate as my Nǚxù-twelve years old and still he faces the same problem Tianyu did, spiritual energy enough to move mountains, but the core is yet to be formed..." His voice rushed and was a bit louder than intended. He paused for a moment, then continued,  "You have been observing Tianyu's anomaly for more than 25 years, and now my grandson suffers the same fate as him!" His voice craking as he said the last word, tears threatened to form as his daughter pressed her hand on his shoulder. 

"A-Die, calm down, we have yet to listen to what Jiujiu is yet to say,"  Suyin said even when she herself was facing an inner turmoil.

"Lao Mo",  the healer finally spoke, "I told you when Tianyu was a young man, and I am saying it now again. His condition is not a curse; he is, at the utmost, just different from others. His condition is the sole reason I can  always be optimistic about Liang-er." He paused, letting his words settle in the dense atmosphere before continuing. "Besides, Liang-er's meridians are exceptionally strong and have a well-shaped qi pathway. His qi is active, dense and remarkably stable. There is no blockage and nothing harmful in his spiritual veins."

"Then why can't he still form a core?" Yichen muttered, "This just makes the case even stranger, just like that father of his" 

Qingyuan tapped the table thoughtfully, "Maybe because it isn't a matter of can't, but maybe it is because his qi refuses"

"Refuses?" Tianyu and Suyin blinked simultaneously.

"Yes. It's almost as if his qi is acting as an independent, perfect seal.  Qingyuan's gaze shifted towards Tianyu, "the same pattern we observed in Tianyu back then,, He continued.

Zhonghai exhaled as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes, "Father and son sharing the same fate then, I just hope this is not the case for our youngest when she grows up either" his posture was much more relaxed now.

Qingyuan gave a small nod for that comment. "Even if it happens to be, Sect leader Wen won't sit back simply sit back, Lao Mo, you already know this, for Huamei's children, the Wen clan will leave no stone unturned."

The tension eased slightly at the mention of the Sect Leader—Mo Zhenghai’s late wife's brother.

He gently turned to Suyin and said, "Wàishengnǚ, I know you're worried. It's natural to fear the unknown, but just take a moment to look at your husband. See? He's doing well. Your son and daughter will grow up happy and safe, too."

Tianyu perked up at the mention of his name when his wife exhaled, "Your Jiujiu is right, A-Yin, A mystery is not always a malady, Just look at how I turned out to be! Am I not mighty and handsome?" He said, puffing his chest while Suyin's cheeks flushed.

"You turned out to be an idiotic Glutton, that's what you are!"  Yichen snapped back 

"You already eat ten plates for a single meal, and that alone does not include the side dishes, and following you, your son also started to eat five plates!"

"A growing child naturally eats more", Tianyu retorted back "god forbid a child eats more and a grown man appreciates his wife's cooking"

Whatever tension that was left now quickly faded away in their banter. Before these two brothers-in-law could start another silly banter, Suyin intervened."Alright now, let's stop fighting like kids, shall we? We have enough food to go around. It's like my cooking is bad, is it?" Her eyes narrowed at the former sentence.

Zhonghai cleared his throat, at the final comment, "Enough, it has been a long conversation, the kids must be waiting outside for us, I suppose Qingyuan will be staying for the night? Or at least a few days? You still need to be formally introduced to our youngest child after all, she seemed pretty excited to meet you," he let out a small snicker at the final words.

"AH! Yes indeed, Lao Mo, I am truly intrigued by that grandchild of yours. From what I heard from your letters, she seems to have caused quite an incident during her Bǎi rì qìngdiǎn (Hundred-day ceremony). Too bad the Wen family was not present."

"You missed a spector indeed! That child is nowhere near the possibility of being predictable, and one might think they might have seen that while raising these three"

"A-die!/Fuqin!" the mentioned three voices yelped at the same time, while the two men let out a heartfelt laugh

Chapter Text

Unlike the main hall, the inner courtyard of the Mo House had officially lost all dignity.

Mo Liang was sprinting in frantic, uneven circles, clutching Feixue under her arms like a sacred offering to the heavens or possibly a very loud, very opinionated turnip. His robes were flapping. His breathing was ragged. His expression was that of a man who had made peace with death but not with embarrassment.

“FORGET THE FACE, MEIMEI!” he shouted, pivoting sharply around a stone lantern. “LOOK AT THE FISH! THE KOI ARE VERY EDUCATIONAL! THEY ARE ORANGE! THEY ARE ROUND! "He's gone, meimei! He's inside talking to A-Die about boring adult things like taxes and spiritual meridians!"

Feixue, meanwhile, was undergoing an internal spiritual catastrophe.

Behind her chubby cheeks and wobbling legs, her fifteen-year-old soul was screaming as it had just walked into a forbidden pavilion.

'I have seen the peak, she thought faintly. I have gazed upon the summit of Mount Handsome. And it is a man sculpted by moonlight, silk, and unfair narrative favouritism. How is this legal? Is there a sect rule against symmetry like that?'

“Gegeee…” she slurred, her toddler mouth valiantly failing to keep up with her enlightenment. “Put… down… Wan’ go… Pwetty Man…”

“He is our JIUGONG!” Mo Liang shrieked, skidding to a halt so abruptly they both nearly tipped over. “He is Great-Uncle Wen! He is an elder! He is a medical authority! He is basically a cultural relic! You cannot want a cultural relic!”

Her internal monologue screeched to a halt.

Feixue squinted at him.

Jiugong… grand-uncle?

…Really, bro?

REALLY?

You’re pulling the grand-uncle card now? Just because he’s handsome? Is this what we’re doing today? You see one ethereal face, and suddenly you’re aging him up two-three generations out of pure jealousy?

She eyed Mo Liang with deep suspicion.

Bro. Be serious right now.

This isn’t family hierarchy, this is jealousy with a name tag. Slap whatever title you want on him, it’s not going to nerf the visuals.

Nice try though. Very transparent.

Eventually, she flopped backwards bonelessly in Mo Liang’s arms, staring at the sky like a heroine who had just survived her first romance arc.

Something in her facial expression made Mo Liang snap.

“That’s it.”

He reached into his sleeve and produced the ultimate weapon.

A sugar-glazed lotus pastry.

Feixue’s eyes flicked to it.

Just for a second.

Mo Liang seized the moment like a seasoned general.

“Look,” he said brightly. “Pastry.”

Feixue hesitated.

Her soul wavered. 

Pretty healer…

Sugar…

damn it! The glutton in her always gets the best of her

She looked back at him stubbornly. “He h'd hands, w'am pat.”

Mo Liang thrust the pastry closer.

“This one has filling.” he said with a smirk on his face, assured of his victory.

"..."

She accepted the pastry as both of them laughed for completely different reasons.