Death… and me

"Haha…" Ji Mo laughed awkwardly as he was clueless about the hidden meaning. His face reddened as he continued in a lower tone, "It's crucial that I spend my birthday with my mother. I was told that she fell seriously ill giving birth to me."

After listening to what Ji Mo had to say, the four people seemed very forlorn. When it came to topics regarding the elders especially someone so thought highly of like mothers, no one dared to fool around. They shared the common consensus that parents were the most respected people in this world. Anyone who was unfilial to their parents would greatly be despised. Among a hundred kinds of good deeds, filial piety definitely came in first, being the core moral in the Nine Heavens.

"Haha, big brother Chu yang, when is your birthday?" Rui Bu Tong joked harmlessly and said, "We must have a grand celebration that day."

Rui Bu Tong's words immediately touched Chu Yang deeply. He was at a loss of words to say as his heart wrenched up, a feeling Chu yang had not felt in a long time. "I, I don't know when my birthday is." Chu Yang's voice remained very calm although he stuttered slightly initially. Everyone could tell that behind this calm was a fierce storm brewing up. The edge of his eyes twitched subconsciously as his voice became hoarse, "My master was the one that found me…" After saying that, he immediately fell silent. He then looked up letting the icy snowflakes in the air fall on his face and continued, "To be honest, I don't even know who my parents are and needless to say, I have no clue what their names are."

"Also, I never had a birthday." Chu Yang let out a faint smile and let out two dry coughs. Pausing for a moment, he continued softly saying, "I also do not know how birthdays feel like. I definitely do not know about my mother's birthday… the kind of feeling… ahh!"

His voice began to falter but he tried his very best to keep cool. He even managed to smile a little. However, it was obvious that within that enduring voice, Gu Du Xing and the others could clearly sense that Chu Yang's heart was bleeding in excruciating pain.

It was as if his heart was slowly breaking apart into smithereens.

"Big brother, don't worry! You still have us!" Luo Ke Di became anxious as he could not handle the sight of their leader falling apart. For some reason, he felt tears welling up in his eyes gradually. Rui Bu Tong, along with Ji Mo and Gu Du Xing's eyes were also glistening with tears that they tried to hold back. As they tried to stay strong for their leader, they turn to look at Chu Yang and shouted reassuringly, "Yes! Don't feel alone, you still have us."

"Yes, I still have all of you." Chu Yang managed to crack a genuine smile and said, "I mean, you could say that a birthday is just honestly another day right?"

"No! All of our birthdays will also be your birthday!" Gu Du Xing exclaimed emotionally, "This way, you will have at least five birthdays in a year! All of us will make it up to you!"

"No! Six of you!" Chu Yang smiled gratefully and continued saying, "There is another junior martial brother under me. His name might seem truly strange; he is called Tan Tan."

"What are you talking about?" The other four were astounded and surprised as they could not figure out why would anyone would have such a peculiar name.

"The word 'Tan' represents an Epiphyllum flower." Chu Yang smiled warmly and said, "All of you have not met him yet but trust me, he is a very interesting person." He laughed as he introduced Tan Tan to them, "I can guarantee you that if anyone of you happens to meet him, you would definitely befriend him almost immediately."

"His ultimate charm point would be his personality. What makes his stand out is the fact that he is very narcissistic and that usually drives people away." As he spoke, Chu Yang pondered on Tan Tan's demeanors and could not help but let out a grin.

"Oh really! Hahaha… We must meet him then! A well-liked person with such a personality is indeed a rare sight." Gu Du Xing and the others immediately took interest in meeting Tan Tan.

…

In the Nine Heavens, it was snowing heavily in Lower Three Heavens. Amidst the funeral in Iron Cloud, Chu Yang and his brothers were chatting among themselves to pass time while Cheng Yun He was battling the chilling wind and snow. Diwu Qing Rou was still in the minister mansion planning and waiting for a response from the others.

The battle at the border came to a halt for the time being.

In Middle Three Heavens, it was very cold, but there was not snowing.

It had already been seven days since Mo Tian Ji had returned to the clan with Mo Qing Wu. During these seven days, the Mo clan seemed to have put on a new facade. Mo Tian Ji sat cross-legged in his abode. In front of him was a miniature delicate tea table. Steam was rising up and the brewing of tea filled the entire room with a pleasant aroma. At first glance, he seemed to be very laid back. However, under scrutiny, it would have been obvious that Mo Tian Ji was just putting on a facade as he displayed a slight hint of restlessness and anger.

Mo Tian Ji had never displayed any joy or anger as he always had his emotions under control. His composure was a sign that the situation had gone way beyond his control and there was nothing he could do about it.

Recalling the day he returned back to the clan, Mo Tian Ji felt an uncontrollable rage growing in him that he almost burst out in anger.

It surprised him that his eldest brother, Mo Tian Yun, who was supposed to be traveling in Lower Three Heavens was also home on the day of his return. As he held his little sister's hand and walked in, he bumped right into Mo Tian Yun.

Mo Tian Ji's original intention was to quickly return to the clan and avoid Mo Tian Yun. He would then be able to explain his sister's situation without the judgment of his eldest brother and his clan. Everyone would be more lenient and understanding towards the predicament he was facing with his sister. At the very least, he would have been able to stall some time for himself.

However, he never thought that he would run into Mo Tian Yun the moment he entered the gates of Lower Three Heavens. Judging the looks of it, it seemed to Mo Tian Yun was actually anticipating for his return.

"Oh, you're back! That was quick." Mo Tian Yun's mouth curled up, revealing a charismatic smile. Compared to a calm and composed Mo Tian Ji, Mo Tian Yun had supple face complexion with slender eyes which tend to be narrowed. The unintentional menacing gaze in his eyes usually sends shivers down people's spine. In fact, this was what Mo Tian Ji hated most.

Mo Tian Ji thought to himself, "It is alright if you are terrifying to people. You already know that you are terrified but why must you try to exude the vibe to others that you are dangerous all the time? Are you afraid that people wouldn't know how dangerous you are?" Mo Tian Ji never failed to look down on this flaw of his elder brother.

"How long have you been back?" Mo Tian Ji asked collectedly. Mo Qing Wu diffidently held onto her second brother hand and retired behind him. With a timid and soft voice, she greeted her eldest brother out of respect.

"Hey little sister, welcome back." Mo Tian Yun looked at Mo Qing Wu and smiled genuinely. He immediately looked up at his younger brother and continued casually, "Yes, I've already been home for seven to eight days."

"Hmm, you must be tired from waiting at the door for these seven or eight days." Mo Tian Ji replied spitefully. Anger rose from the depths of his eyes as the rage inside him grew. He did not want to engage in any conversation with Mo Tian Yun but at this moment, he could not control and hide the anger inside himself.

There was no way that he would take it lying down given that his little sister was the only person he cared about most and she was hurt.

Mo Tian Yun revealed that he had returned seven or eight days ago which meant that he was in Lower Three Heavens for less than a month before immediately returning back. This was something Mo Tian Ji could not comprehend.

Mo Tian Ji pondered to himself, "During this entire time, how could he be unaware that his little sister and I were viciously attacked? He still had the audacity to act as if he knew nothing about it! What is even more infuriating was the fact that he was already waiting for our return at the door acting as if he is concerned about our wellbeing."

Brooding over this issue made Mo Tian Ji think of some things truly terrifying as evil as menacing thoughts started to emerge, accompanied with fiery anger.

"Is it exhausting waiting at the door every day? Definitely not." Mo Tian Yun said softly. "In order to see second brother and little sister return safely, I would be willing to wait at the door for the rest of my life."

"Thank you eldest brother! I would never be able to repay your massive love for us." Mo Tian Ji gently breathed in as he replied Mo Tian Yun sarcastically. He was trying his very best to suppress the heavy emotions inside him.

Mo Tian Yun took a glance at Mo Tian Ji's expression and the only thought that came to his mind was that he wanted to beat him to a pulp! Mo Tian Ji had always been like this. No matter what happened, he would still remain a straight face and would never show the slightest bit of emotion. Now that he was showing an expression of gratitude, it was hard to tell if it was genuine or fake.

"I heard that little sister was injured?" Mo Tian Yun asked with concern.

Mo Tian Ji nodded his head in shame, "I am useless! As her older brother, I am no better than an animal. I have the heart of a wolf and stomach of a dog. I did not try my very best to protect her with all I have and allowed her to get injured. This older brother deserves to be chopped into a million pieces by a thousand blades!"

Mo Tian Yun was very triggered by Mo Tian Ji's words. Mo Tian Ji seemed as if he was scolding himself for his wrongdoings but in actual fact, he was cursing at Mo Tian Yun.

"Second brother, you don't need to blame yourself like that. Good and bad things happen all the time, it is all heaven's will and that something we cannot alter." Mo Tian Yun said matter of factly, "Even if the little sister was injured, it is not necessarily a bad thing for her. She will not need to roam around in Jiang Hu anymore and risk her life in the process anymore."

Mo Tian Ji smiled and replied somberly, "Yes, eldest brother is right. Even leaders in this world will change periodically and there is no say as to when their empires might fall into chaos and confusion. It is heaven's will. There is no way anyone could have predicted all that."

After Mo Tian Ji was done speaking, the two brothers did not bother to engage in any conversation any further. One of them stood from the inside of the door while the other stood from the outside and stared at each other intently. The two pairs of eyes were filled with belligerence. However, they continued to smile at each other intimately as if they were loving brothers who had not seen each other for an eternity.

Mo Qing Wu hid behind her second brother in fear. Her small and delicate face was completely pale, as white as a sheet of paper. When she was younger, the two older brothers having confrontations like this terrified her the most. This time, the two big brothers were smiling lovingly to each other while having lively discussions every now and even praising each other at times. Although she seemed to comprehend what they were saying, she felt as if she did not understand anything as she could feel an intimidating and chilling aura around them. She could not help but shudder in fear as she could not assess the situation she was involved in.

At that point in time, the two King level masters stood behind Mo Tian Ji did not utter a word. There were also two King level masters behind Mo Tian Yun that stood as still as statues.

"Oh, I must have been oblivious!" Mo Tian Yun smacked his own forehead in embarrassment, "My little brother and sister are home and I am blocking the front door. If outsiders were to see this, they would think that I am picking on you two. Second brother and little sister, come in quickly! Father has been talking about you nonstop for the past few days. He even said that you two are bright and if we three were to work together in the future, the Mo clan would really flourish and prosper in victories. He even said second brother's intellect is second to none in this entire world and you would be the best assistant I could ever ask for in the future!" Mo Tian Yun was full of praises and it was hard to say if he meant every word he said.

"Big brother is right. Standing at the door like that definitely looks as if you are blocking the way. If anyone were to see this, they would think that this little brother is being arrogant and won't let big brother pass through." Mo Tian Ji joked intimately.

However, Mo Tian Ji was secretly thinking, "With me here, don't even think for a second that you can pass!"

The two brothers proceeded to walk side by side and headed in.