Death… and me

Mo Xing Chen had no alternative but to force a smile on his face as he said, "Dear Nephew Dong, this saber seems to be a divine weapon." He grabbed the saber, and tried to hold it in his hands. However, his hands were being pulled down towards the ground by its weight. He exerted all his strength to hold the saber as he didn't wish to humiliate himself in front of everyone.

[What's with this saber? How is it so heavy?]

A high-pitched 'clank' sound was heard as he drew the saber out. Suddenly, a cold and black aura started to radiate in all directions as the saber's murderous energy spread throughout Mo Clan's residence. The temperature inside the residence instantly dropped by more than ten degrees as a result.

The body of the saber was plain and simple. However, its edge was sharp enough to cut through mountains, and turn them into shambles. Anyone could tell that this was a fatal weapon.

Such a saber could easily slice a sledgehammer into two parts.

"This saber has the capacity to cut through iron like mud. Its sharpness is no less than that of the saber that my Big Brother gave to Xiao Wu – the 'Dreaming of a Gentle Dance' Saber…" Dong Wu Shang concealed his hint in his words.

"'Dreaming of a Gentle Dance' Saber…" Mo Xing Chen was dumbfounded. He seemed to believe every word spoken by Dong Wu Shang.

He was aware of the name given to that saber.

"This is a magnificent saber…" Mo Xing Chen couldn't resist the temptation to keep on holding that saber in his hands. But, he had to put it down reluctantly in the end. [Ah, even a King level expert of our clan might not be capable enough to wield this weapon. A blade such as this can be used to its full extent only by the members of the Black Saber Clan.]

[This is too heavy, ah!]

Dong Wu Shang took the saber back with a smile on his face. "This saber was given to me by my Big Brother as a present."

Mo Xing Chen was taken aback once again. His mind was overcome with speculations about this mysterious Big Brother's capabilities, ['Dreaming of a Gentle Dance' Saber is such an exceptional weapon…]

[What kind of an extraordinary inheritance would allow a person to give away such an earthshaking divine weapon as a present… and that too not just one, but two of them?]

"Dreaming of a Gentle Dance Saber… Its name contains 'Qing Wu' which is derived from Miss Xiao Wu's name," Dong Wu Shang said in a heavy tone. "Uncle Mo, I request you to refrain from betraying the name of the saber."

Mo Xing Chen was barely able to smile as he was unable to interpret the feelings inside his heart.

"Oh! I have to go and see Xiao Wu now. Big Brother has sent me to deliver some gifts to her," Dong Wu Shang smiled in a mischievous manner. "These things are mostly to amuse little children… Uncle Mo, you must be busy, right? I'll be leaving soon. So, please ignore me if I don't bid you farewell."

Mo Xing Chen raised his head and nodded; he was looking a bit disconcerted.

[If Dong Wu Shang informs his Big Brother about Xiao Wu's bitter life in the Clan…]

Dong Wu Shang advanced towards Mo Qing Wu's courtyard to have a conversation with her. Mo Qing Wu was naïve; she stared at Dong Wu Shang with puzzled eyes as he whispered into her ear, "You mustn't describe Brother Chu Yang's appearance to anyone here. You mustn't disclose any information about him either; irrespective of who enquires. Alright?"

"But… why?" Mo Qing Wu blinked her big eyes.

"…because your Brother Chu Yang might get into a grave danger if you tell them… He might even die," Dong Wu Shang replied.

"He might die?!" These words frightened Mo Qing Wu to the core.

"Then, I won't say anything to anyone," the little girl nodded her head fiercely. The bowknot she wore made a humming sound as she nodded.

Dong Wu Shang soon left.

A plethora of thoughts and doubts continued to trouble Mo Xing Chen. So, he eventually decided to ask his daughter about the entire situation.

"Xiao Wu, the person who had saved you that day… how did he look?" Mo Xing Chen sat down beside Mo Qing Wu, and asked warmly, "It was very kind of that person to save you. So, it's our duty to repay him for saving your life."

"I… I forgot," Mo Qing Wu replied whilst blinking her eyes.

"You forgot?" Mo Xing Chen was surprised.

"Yes," Mo Qing Wu nodded with all her strength. "I completely forgot."

Mo Xing Chen wanted to ask her again, but he saw a hint of fear and hatred in his daughter's eyes… He was left shivering with a weakness which seemed to be spreading throughout his body.

He could clearly make out that he was the reason behind the fear and hatred in his daughter's eyes.

[How can she look at her own father with an animosity as intense as that for a mortal enemy?]

[She is just a child; a little girl who hasn't even turned ten!]

[Why is she enduring so much pain?]

Mo Xing Chen softened as he looked at his trembling daughter. He extended his hand to gently caress her. However, Mo Qing Wu began to tremble even more vigorously. Her body cowered back as she tried to avoid the touch of his hand, while her eyes remained glued to his face.

Mo Xing Chen's hand stopped in midair as his soul got filled with pain.

He gently pulled his hand away, and sighed sadly.

[Why wasn't I able to see it? My treatment towards Mo Qing Wu has drastically changed during the recent days. Such a cold treatment can make her immature mind traumatized for life.]

Suddenly, Mo Xing Chen realized that Mo Qing Wu would never be able to forget the events that had taken place over these past few days. He could sense that she may never be able to rid her heart of this pain; no matter how much she changed over the course of the future.

However, he had no other choice. He was the Lord of the Mo Clan.

He felt obligated towards his duty as the Clan Lord of the Mo Clan. His work was meant to be for the benefit and survival of the Mo Clan. So, he had no time to be a father to her.

He would never be able to enjoy the affection of a family as long as he served in this position.

However, Mo Xing Chen hadn't realized that Mo Qing Wu was still secretly hoping to be caressed by her father; she longed for his warm embrace.

She had started to feel even worse as she had had some bitter experiences with her father. Therefore, she had subconsciously acted like any little girl with a temper would. However, she would've jumped into her father's arms while bursting into tears of joy if her father was to extend his hand towards her one more time.

She had been hoping to cry in her father's embrace for a long time… She had even dreamt about being hugged by him.

However, her tiny heart went into a state of complete despair the moment she saw her father's hand drawing back.

[Is he not even willing to… hug me now?]

She had felt that Ji Mo, Luo Ke Di, and Dong Wu Shang had come to visit her out of affection even though they were outsiders. Therefore, she had started to feel even more alienated from her father.

Mo Qing Wu's big and beautiful eyes had turned gloomy… Her beautiful red lips had become pale… as if there wasn't any blood left in them.

She recalled Dong Wu Shang's words.

[Your Brother Chu Yang might even die if you tell them about him.]

[It's like what Brother Wu Shang had said. Father didn't come here to see me. He just came in to gather information about Brother Chu Yang… so that he can kill him.]

Mo Qing Wu felt her heart turning cold.

She hatefully looked at the man who was supposed to be the closest person to her in this entire world. Her mind yelled out, [Why? Why are you being so unfair to me? There are only a few people in this world who are good to me. And, you want to hurt Brother Chu Yang now? Why?]

[Will you be satisfied only when nobody in this world is being good to me?]

Mo Qing Wu lowered her head in despair.

"Xiao Wu, please stay inside the room. It's very cold outside," Mo Xing Chen lowered his head, and heaved a deep sigh. He then said, "Don't run around carelessly all the time… It's time for you to learn needlework and handcrafts from your mother."

This was perhaps the longest sentence that he had spoken to his daughter in a long time. He had spoken these words out of deep concern for his daughter.

He finally gave-up on questioning her. He wanted some good memories of him to remain in his daughter's heart. As for the matters of the future… they were matters for the future.

However, her father's last sentence had broken her heart. [Learn needlework…]

"I know," Mo Qing Wu said in a low voice. She then lowered her head. After that, she turned to walk towards her room without raising her head. She turned around to look at her father one more time.

Tears started to drop onto the stone steps as she walked towards her room. She then entered her room, and gently shut the doors behind her.

It seemed to her that not one but two doors had closed. She had locked herself away from her clan, and from the rest of the world.

She had sealed her tiny heart from this moment onwards.

Mo Xing Chen clearly understood one thing as he stood outside and stared at the closed door – he had lost his own daughter.

It seemed like his daughter had locked her heart up, and was never going to open it in her life again.

A bitter smile spread across his face, [That's not possible. After all, she's just a kid… a little girl who has recently turned ten.]

He turned around, and walked away.

[Mo Qing Wu's Saber –'Dreaming of a Gentle Dance' is a gift from a personage with a great backing. I must immediately discuss this matter with the Clan Elders. We can't afford to make a powerful enemy.]

[We must come-up with a foolproof plan. This great person may come to visit our Mo Clan. So, we need to find a way to retain that saber. Moreover, we need to build a powerful alliance with his clan by making full use of his relationship with our Mo Qing Wu.]

[This is the best way to use my daughter for the prosperity of our Clan.]

*** ***

Mo Xing Chen went up to the Elders Pavilion, and explained the purpose behind the meeting.

The Great Elder smiled as he started to relate Dong Wu Shang's words. The Great Elder then stated with slanting eyes, "Is the one-sided story told by the Second Young Master of the Dong Clan enough to shake the Mo Clan Lord?"

"I think that this… this shouldn't be false," Mo Xing Chen said. "I had always known that Xiao Wu had been saved by some great expert. After all, that saber can't be a gift from an ordinary person."

"That may or may not be true," Mo Wu Xin contemplated. "But, this matter can't be neglected either. We'll quietly observe her from the sidelines, and act according to the changes in the situation. It'll be wonderful if this so-called highly-skilled person visits her and ends-up matching-up to his abilities. We may even find a way to use him for our benefits."

"Alright. But, what should we do about Qing Wu's saber?" Mo Xing Chen couldn't resist the temptation to ask.

"You've started to think about handing an extremely precious saber over to a cripple who has no future in the clan… just because the Second Young Master of the Dong Clan has said so? What if it's the Dong Clan's plot to snatch the saber away from us?"

Mo Wu Xin's eyelids dropped down as he argued, "You do know what the consequences will be if something like that happens, right? The Dong Clan is also known as the Black Saber Clan. All of you people should know that. They're the real experts of the 'saber arts'."

"The Great Elder is correct." Mo Xing Chen remained silent for a long time. Then, he bowed and said.