MOF Chapter 103
by VolareXie Yiling opened his eyes and found himself lying on the ground. He sat up sideways, a look of inquiry in his eyes.
This was a windless, soundless, boundless snowscape.
Beneath him was snow and sand that covered his shoes, and above him was an inverted snowy ground.
Although he was in the frozen world, he felt no coldness. Instead, his body was enveloped in warmth.
He walked in the snow for a long time, until the accumulated snow under his feet became shallower and shallower, and the touch changed from the solid feeling of rising and falling to a lighter one, until finally it became soft.
With a “buzz,” the sound of oil lamps crackling and the howling of the wind outside the window reached his ears.
Amidst the white expanse, Xie Yiling looked around blankly, searching for the source of these sounds.
“Xie Ci…”
A soft call floated over in the wind and snow.
Xie Yiling reached out to grab it, and a few snowflakes brushed past his fingers, leaving behind a fleeting coolness.
“Xie Ci, it’s time to wake up.”
The voice sounded again. Xie Yiling was about to ask who it was when a pair of hands fell on his shoulders and pushed him forward abruptly.
The snow melted into spring, and a delicate pink flower floated from afar, drifting in the wind, landing right on his lips.
It was a peach blossom.
Xie Yiling’s heart stirred. He took the peach blossom and smelled a faint, cold fragrance, but it didn’t belong to the petals in his hand.
His spirit returned to his body, and his mind became one. He awoke from myriad realms and saw the owner of the cold fragrance in his dream.
The oil lamp crackled, breaking the silence.
“Where is this?” Xie Yiling asked, his eyes fixed on him.
Nangong Ci brushed away a stray hair from his eyes and said, “An inn in Jin City.”
Xie Yiling moved, and his wound throbbed. The idea of sitting up disappeared, and he simply lay on the bed and asked, “We’re back in Jin City? What about the others?”
Nangong Ci’s tone was soft and slow, as if worried that a louder voice would scare his soul away: “They’ve all returned.”
Xie Yiling grasped the hand that was constantly smoothing his hair, seemingly finding it amusing, and couldn’t help teasing, “Nangong Ci, how is it that when I wake up, you’ve become a virtuous husband?”
Nangong Ci’s movements paused, he pursed his lips, and the hand he held remained still.
His sharply defined face flickered in the candlelight, clear and elegant when bright, and captivating when dim.
Beauty was a knife, but Xie Yiling’s head was a mountain of knives.
He licked his lips, raised his chin, and the candlelight bathed his fair neck in warmth. Before he could speak, a smile spread across his face, “Nangong Ci, come closer, lower your head.”
Thump! Thump thump!
As the two grew closer, the sound of a head hitting a wooden board echoed from outside the door.
Xie Yiling sighed with some regret and pushed him away, “Go open the door and see who it is.”
Nangong Ci’s retreating figure made Xie Yiling inexplicably sense a hint of unhappiness.
As soon as the door opened, A Si couldn’t wait to squeeze his head through the crack. Seeing that the person was Nangong Ci, the smile on his face instinctively tried to retract, but after thinking about something, it only half-retracted and then returned, making for a rather interesting expression.
Nangong Ci stepped aside to let him in and closed the door.
“Xie Ci Gege!” A Si ran to the bedside, his eyes teary as he began to complain softly, “He set up a formation outside to keep me from coming in, so I had to knock.”
Xie Yiling said, “No wonder,” and comforted him, “Daozhang is thinking of my safety, not targeting you, don’t be too sad.”
A Si pouted, “I won’t be angry with him.”
With that, he glanced back at Nangong Ci’s expression.
Nangong Ci walked over, “This is my spot.”
A Si was stunned and reluctantly moved to squat at the foot of the bed.
“Don’t tease him.” Xie Yiling pressed his chest, “My injury here…”
“The bleeding has stopped.” Nangong Ci grasped his slightly thinner wrist, preventing him from touching the wound, and gently massaged near his pulse with his fingertips, “Because the heart meridian was injured, I wanted to bring you back to Southern Return to recuperate for a while.”
Xie Yiling breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly asked, “Are the peach blossoms at Southern Return about to bloom?”
Nangong Ci said, “The old ones will bloom, but the ones planted later never have.”
The ones planted later were likely the batch of peach trees of A Yi, A Er, and A San.
Xie Yiling tilted his head and asked, puzzled, “Why? Were they not planted well?”
Nangong Ci said, “I don’t know, maybe they just don’t want to bloom.”
Xie Yiling laughed when he heard that, “Don’t just press here, press somewhere else.”
He offered his other hand and placed it in Nangong Ci’s palm.
A Si whispered at the foot of the bed, “Xie Ci Gege, I’ll massage you.”
Nangong Ci looked back at him.
A Si shrank his shoulders, “I don’t want to massage anymore, I want to sleep.”
Xie Yiling patted Nangong Ci’s hand and asked, “Are there any extra beds?”
“Yes.” Nangong Ci placed his arm back under the covers, carefully tucked him in, and then went to make a bed for A Si.
The room had two beds, both placed against the wall.
Although it was said to be making the bed, the inn had already prepared it. Nangong Ci simply unfolded the quilt, lifted a corner, and motioned for A Si to lie down.
A Si happily laid down, his eyes shining as he looked at him.
Nangong Ci, lacking romantic feelings, turned around and left.
Xie Yiling slept until dawn. When he opened his eyes, Nangong Ci was watching him by the bed.
“Weren’t you sleeping?” He tried to get out of bed, but Nangong Ci held him down and gently lifted the covers, slowly moving his body towards the edge of the bed in a half-embrace.
Nangong Ci said, “I don’t need to sleep anyway.”
Xie Yiling let him do as he pleased.
A Si also woke up, knowing that they were returning to Southern Return, he didn’t fuss or make a scene, quietly following behind Xie Yiling like a little tail.
Usually, he was as boisterous as a mad rabbit, but today he was a well-behaved mute. Xie Yiling couldn’t help but feel concerned.
“A Si.” Just as Nangong Ci went downstairs to get food, he raised his hand and called, “Come here.”
“Why are you so strange today, did something happen?”
He pulled him into his arms, as he had done ten years ago, and A Si’s face deformed in his hands.
“Xie Ci Gege, I’m scared.” A Si whispered, “Will that big platform still use lightning to strike you?”
A chill ran through Xie Yiling’s body. He dispelled it with spiritual power, a faint smile appearing on his lips, “It won’t anymore.”
“Really?” A Si was surprised, happy, and doubtful. After thinking about it, he still believed him, “Xie Ci Gege, it’s okay, I’m also very strong now. No matter what happens, I can protect you!”
Nangong Ci knocked on the door and walked into the room, “Time to eat.”
A Si stretched out his hands, “I’m so hungry! I want to eat.”
Nangong Ci set out the food, hesitating several times before finally saying, “Hold the chopsticks properly.”
A Si shrugged with an expression, trying hard to hold the chopsticks and pick up food.
“What is this?” Xie Yiling looked at the dark mass in his bowl, then looked at the delicacies on the table, a look of disbelief flashing across his face, “Are you abusing me?”
Nangong Ci’s face turned red, “This is, the medicinal soup I brewed for you. I didn’t keep an eye on it and the fire was a little too high.”
Hearing this, Xie Yiling didn’t say anything. He picked up the bowl, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.
“Xie Ci Gege, awesome!” A Si gave him a thumbs up.
Xie Yiling put down the bowl without changing his expression and slowly said, “Help,” before closing his eyes and fainting.
A Si’s hand loosened, and the chopsticks rolled from the table to the ground. He ran to the bedside with hurried steps, just shouting “Xie Ci Gege,” when the person on the bed suddenly laughed.
Xie Yiling clutched his stomach, his eyebrows curved, “A Si, you fell for it again, so easy to fool.”
A Si got upset and said angrily, “You tricked me again!”
“Hey, hey, hey.” Xie Yiling pulled him back, not showing Nangong Ci any mercy, “Who said I tricked you? This medicinal soup is really hard to drink. Ordinary people would faint just smelling it. I drank it all, it’s normal to faint for a little while.”
With one sentence, A Si was coaxed again.
After the three of them finished packing, they flew back to Southern Return Heavenly Pavilion on their swords.
Xie Yiling, because of his injuries, spent every day lying in Fufeng Pavilion. By the time his injuries were completely healed, the peach blossoms at Southern Return were in full bloom.
Accompanied by Nangong Ci, Xie Yiling went out, came to the back mountain, and laughed uncontrollably, pointing at his own grave.
“Ah,” he wiped away the tears from his laughter, suddenly stopped smiling, turned around, and asked seriously, “Does it hurt? Is it bitter? Was it worth it?”
Nangong Ci said, “It doesn’t hurt, it’s not bitter. For you, to the highest heavens or the lowest hells, I am willing.”
Thousands of miles of wind and smoke stretched away, and decades of cold lamps remained silent. What he exchanged for like a moth flying into a flame was exactly what he had longed for in his life.
Looking out from the back mountain, the ten-mile peach forest stretched endlessly. The two walked along the peach forest. As they walked deeper, they heard voices.
“A Yao, run slower.” Mo Wuchou chased after the two people in front, constantly reminding, “Wumian, be careful not to bump into the trees.”
Si Wumian turned his head, his forehead was a little red, suggesting that Mo Wuchou’s reminder was not without reason.
Si Wumian grabbed a handful of fallen peach petals and scattered them on Mo Linyuan, “Wuchou, how can you not even outrun Linyuan?”
Running ahead, he suddenly saw A Si on a tree, his eyes lighting up, “Are you that child?”
A Si had climbed all over the tree but couldn’t find any peaches. He was feeling sad when he heard someone calling him. He looked down and immediately smiled.
“Why are you here too? What a coincidence.”
“Not a coincidence,” Si Wumian winked at him, “I live here, what about you?”
A Si pointed further ahead, “I came with them.”
Si Wumian looked into the distance and saw two figures slowly walking towards this side.
It was Fufeng Daozhang and Xie Shixiong.
“Xie Ci Gege!” Seeing Si Wumian raise his hand, A Si quickly greeted him before he could,
“Fufeng Daozhang!” Not noticing the child’s thoughts, Si Wumian waved with a smile.
Mo Linyuan couldn’t sit still and was looking for flowers everywhere. He held a large bunch in his arms, walked to Mo Wuchou, and then scattered them all over his head.
“Hey, A Yao, you.” Mo Wuchou brushed the petals off his body while reaching out to grab Mo Linyuan.
But Mo Linyuan was extremely fast, and he missed.
Xie Yiling stopped when he saw this scene.
“This is where the trees were planted back then.” He looked around, a trace of past affection in his eyes.
Nangong Ci said by his side, “Yes, they bloomed this year.”
The spring breeze caressed their faces, and the people remained the same.
Xie Yiling rubbed his chin and said, “Do you think I should go pay my respects to the headmaster first?”
Nangong Ci shook his head, “The headmaster is in seclusion.”
Xie Yiling spread his hands, “He’s in seclusion again?”
Not far away, the joyful sounds of Si Wumian and the others echoed in the peach forest.
Xie Yiling’s expression was calm. Everything was the same as in the past, as if nothing had happened.
Only the flowers bloomed and fell, for who knew how many years.
Nangong Ci’s gaze quietly fell on Xie Yiling’s face, watching the fine petals mixed in his hair, and smelling the refreshing peach fragrance.
“A Si, I’m coming!”
Xie Yiling shouted and plunged into the peach forest where red rain was falling.
Nangong Ci’s eyes were filled with smiles as he watched him go away, slowly following behind.
Another gust of wind. Petals surged beneath their feet, flowers danced in the sky above, and figures scattered below. He only looked at one person.
This scene, from the moment the peach trees were planted, Nangong Ci had waited thirteen years for.
–End of Full Text–