Chapter 60

Off to the side, Mo Laoda frowned. Hearing this voice, Mo Laoda at once knew who was coming. Nevertheless, Yin Xiaoxiao looked towards where the voice had originated. As it turned out, it was a Mo snake. Yin Xiaoxiao was taken aback then quickly hid behind Mo Laoda. Yin Xiaoxiao could still remember that, the last time he’d seen a Mo snake, Mo Laoer almost bit him.

The Mo snake that had called Mo Laoda’s name slithered over very quickly to face Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao. Disappointment and anger radiated off this Mo snake.

“Mo Laoda, Mother has ordered you to return as soon as possible.”

“Laosan.” Mo Laoda reared up, straightening his upper body. Mo Laoda was already much larger than other Mo snakes, so when he straightened his body like this, Mo Laoda, who was already much taller than Mo Laosan, appeared to be looking down at him from a great height ¹ . “Is this how to speak to your eldest brother?”

Mo Laosan “hmphed” heavily and avoided Mo Laoda’s question. “Da-ge, of course I hadn’t accepted what Er-jie ² said, I didn’t really expect that you had gotten together with a lowly viper! I’m very disappointed.”

Disdainfully, the corners of Mo Laoda’s mouth rose. “What does your disappointment have to do with me? Mo Laosan, mind your own business.”

Hiding behind Mo Laoda, Yin Xiaoxiao furtively extended his head to look at that Mo snake standing opposite Mo Laoda. ‘This is Heitan’s younger brother? Oh, it seems my Heitan is even more black! Hmph hmph, that snake opposite simply can’t be compared with Heitan!’

Mo Laosan realized that Yin Xiaoxiao was gazing at him. He looked ferociously at Yin Xiaoxiao, scaring Yin Xiaoxiao into trembling and withdrawing back behind Mo Laoda. Then, Yin Xiaoxiao’s aggrieved voice rang out, “Heitan, he bullied me!”

With an easy smile, Mo Laoda turned back to look at Yin Xiaoxiao. Then he once more faced Mo Laosan and said in a cold, brittle tone, “Yes, I’ll return in a few days.”

Then he shot a meaningful look at Yin Xiaoxiao and slithered away. Yin Xiaoxiao looked at Mo Laoda’s back, looked at Mo Laosan, whose expression was becoming even more unsightly, stuck out his tongue and then followed Mo Laoda.

Mo Laosan was still very afraid of Mo Laoda. Since Mo Laoda said that he would return, Mo Laosan need no longer follow Mo Laoda. Da-ge’s rage? Better to let Father and Mother bear it.

Yin Xiaoxiao silently followed Mo Laoda, looking all around as he slithered. Sometimes he secretly snuck peeks at Mo Laoda’s back. Although Mo Laoda sensed Yin Xiaoxiao’s gaze, he didn’t turn his head. The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive, the two snakes continued on their way, heads stuffed with melancholy.

When it was noon, Mo Laoda took the lead to stop and said with a heavy voice, “It’s already noon so rest here. I will go and look for food.”

Yin Xiaoxiao obediently agreed, remaining where he was in a brook to wait for Mo Laoda.

With more than half his body soaking in the brook, Yin Xiaoxiao’s tail involuntarily lashed through the water. Actually, it wasn’t that Yin Xiaoxiao wasn’t aware that Heitan was in a difficult position. But if Heitan liked him and he liked Heitan then, even if the heads of both families didn’t approve, he also knew that Heitan absolutely wouldn’t do anything to make him suffer. It felt as though trust had been carved into his bones. He would not harm him, would not betray him, would not make him feel wronged, and would not cause him to feel sad. He was going to go and meet with his family head in order to declare, with the full force of his convictions, that they liked each other. That they were going to be together for a lifetime. But only because Heitan liked him.

Yin Xiaoxiao suddenly felt that he was very selfish. Only because Heitan liked him, he had conveniently taken it for granted that Heitan would take care of him, would show concern and would care for him. He had never been willing to go and ask his heart whether or not he liked Heitan. What was he if not selfish?

He knew shouldn’t avoid this. Even if he was reborn as a snake, so what? With parents who loved him, with people who liked him, why should he hide? So he liked a snake, so what? Even if this snake was selfish, darkly cold, brutally ruthless and arrogant, even if this snake’s way of showing affection was weak, so what? It was enough that this snake ³ liked him. Since he was now also a snake, it was, in any case, an impossible wish to get together with a human.

Yin Xiaoxiao tilted his head. So, did he like Mo Laoda?

Yin Xiaoxiao gazed at the underbrush from which Mo Laoda’s body emerged.

‘If, if the person in front of me was Lan Yiyi instead of Heitan, would I want him?’ Yin Xiaoxiao asked himself. In the end, there was only one answer he had for himself – ‘I wouldn’t want him.’

‘Yes, I wouldn’t want him.’ Yin Xiaoxiao suddenly felt like he’d realized something, but he wasn’t sure what that was. Yin Xiaoxiao recalled that his temperament in his previous incarnation had been mild and slow to warm ⁴ . In his life, people had always been coming and going. From beginning to end, there had never been anyone who had wanted to stop and accompany him, step by step at his side. At that time, he also hadn’t had any favorable impressions of anyone and had believed that his own nature was actually that of a person who naturally had a cold disposition. But now, it seemed that this wasn’t the case. In the end, it had been because he hadn’t had anyone willing to really stay with him. Now it was different from the past. The overbearing Heitan was staying by his side, bringing warmth to him, and he didn’t want to let go of this warmth. Surely it was unlikely that there would be another snake who would bring the same warmth.

Yin Xiaoxiao gazed at Mo Laoda, who was handling his food.Suddenly he smiled and said, “Heitan, let’s go home and plant the grasses. After that, let’s go and meet your parents.”

Mo Laoda, who had been in the middle of lighting a fire, stiffened. Then, with a stutter, he stiffly said, “Yes, yes.”

The smile on Yin Xiaoxiao’s face deepened even further. He raised his head to look up at the sky where a few birds just so happened to fly past – “Heitan, I want to eat bird eggs.”

Mo Laoda helplessly looked at the hare at his side. “Okay, I’ll go and get some for you.”

Yin Xiaoxiao smiled and watched as Mo Laoda disappeared into the trees. Days like this weren’t so bad.

Back on the road, Yin Xiaoxiao noisily asked to go to that place with the waterfall. Mo Laoda was forced to backtrack with Yin Xiaoxiao. Yin Xiaoxiao happily followed Mo Laoda. Up until now, they hadn’t spoken.

“I’ll be great! When we return home, we can sunbathe!” Considering the open space in front of their cave, Yin Xiaoxiao was moved to sigh.

Mo Laoda let out a ‘Yes’ and took the Yan Snake Grass from Yin Xiaoxiao.

Back when Yin Xiaoxiao had taken the offered Yan Snake Grass, he had made a fuss in front of the strange snakes. Now, after having run into Mo Laosan, Mo Laoda felt that it was essential that they have the Yan Snake Grass. After all, Mo Laoda knew a little of the Mo snake’s character. Mo snakes, how could they be good people? Without ruling out the times he was out hunting, Mo snakes could mount a sneak attack on Yin Xiaoxiao. As such, it now seemed that having this Yan Snake Grass was a must.

Before, none of the snakes who had gone below the cliff and who had returned with the Yan Snake Grass had managed to grow it on the mountain. Once the Yan Snake Grass was removed from the soil, it unfortunately wilted within a quarter of an hour.  Vipers didn’t have the same ability as the strange snakes to preserve the Yan Snake Grass and keep it alive until they returned to the mountain, so they had no choice but to give up. Also, although there had been snakes who had suggested calling on the strange snakes for help, vipers were unfortunately afraid of the strange snakes. At the bottom of the cliff, accidentally meeting something that one had never seen before and then, even worse, then going and asking a strange snake for a favor, even the vipers who had proposed asking them for help hadn’t wanted to go and search for a strange snake. At thoughts like this, the grass that had been so desired became viewed as extraneous, and the matter had been dropped.

Mo Laoda looked around and finally decided to plant the Yan Snake Grass in the underbrush in the open area in front of their cave. As for the Huiyan Grass, Mo Laoda avoided looking at it, but finally decided to plant it together with the Yan Snake Grass – so as to avoid having to look for it later. These goods looked exactly like regular grass, and even the odor was the same. Below the cliff, it was possible to find them because the other grasses were all taller in comparison. But on this mountain, these goods came to look just like ordinary grass. If they really ended up being confused with weeds, Mo Laoda would have a very hard time differentiating between them.

Coming to a decision, Mo Laoda planted the Huiyan Grass and the Yan Snake Grass. And by planting ⁵ , he merely used his tail to dig a hole, then took the grasses and placed them into the hole before burying them entirely.

What? You’re saying that it’ll be difficult for them to survive that? Then you must be saying that snakes must know agriculture! Mo Laoda disdainfully tossed his head. Turn to humanity for agriculture and the like, not a snake.

“Heitan! Heitan!” From inside the cave, Yin Xiaoxiao slithered outside to Mo Laoda’s side, filled with emotion. “I want to eat honey!”

Mo Laoda: “…I’ll go and find some for you.”

Yin Xiaoxiao waited inside the cave for a while, then hesitated and went to look for Ji Kang to chat.

“Ji Kang! I’m back!”

“Heheh, I didn’t speak wrongly, right? Wasn’t it interesting below the cliff ⁶ ?” Just as Yin Xiaoxiao’s words dropped into existence, Ji Kang spoke.

“You did, you did! There really were some good people ⁷ !” Yin Xiaoxiao earnestly nodded. “I saw a lot of strange snakes whose names I had only known without knowing their appearance! Seeing them felt very miraculous! I didn’t expect these snakes to actually exist!” Cough, cough. Yin Xiaoxiao spoke only the truth. Seeing the strange snakes, Yin Xiaoxiao absolutely hadn’t felt afraid. Although Yin Xiaoxiao liked history, it wasn’t to the point of obsession ⁸ , but being able to see the actual things written about in history in front of him, his fear was transient like clouds ⁹ 神马的都是浮云: fleeting and incapable of affecting a person[/efn_Note]! Such happiness was normal!

Ji Kang: “….”

“Ji Kang, I have something to ask you.” Yin Xiaoxiao hesitated. “Heitan is going to return home. I said that I want to return with him.”

“Yes, and then?” Ji Kang indicated that he was listening.

“Yes, I mean to ask, would you say that I like Heitan?” Yin Xiaoxiao raised his head to look up at the sky. “That is, that is. How to say it. It’s really, right?”

“Alright, I know what you want to ask.” Ji Kang interrupted Yin Xiaoxiao. “You’re not sure whether or not you like Mo Laoda?”

Yin Xiaoxiao wildly nodded.

Ji Kang was silent for a while then said, “How can I explain this matter clearly? You need to ask yourself whether or not you like Mo Laoda. However, whether you like him or not, you must not regret it in the future.” Ji Kang’s voice became softer and softer until finally Ji Kang mumbled, in a low voice that Yin Xiaoxiao couldn’t hear, “In answer, you must not regret your actions…unfortunately, in the end I still regret mine.”

Yin Xiaoxiao remained where he stood, somewhat lost in thought.

“Xiaoxiao, don’t you want to eat honey? I’ve already found some. Follow me.” He didn’t know when it had happened, but Mo Laoda was already standing behind Yin Xiaoxiao. Surprisingly, in his voice were hard-to-find traces of vulnerability and entreaty.

Still at a loss, Yin Xiaoxiao turned around and stared frankly at Mo Laoda. Mo Laoda spoke that one sentence and then didn’t speak again, also only staring quietly at Yin Xiaoxiao. Slowly, Yin Xiaoxiao’s lost expression became more and more resolute. Yin Xiaoxiao slowly slithered over to Mo Laoda, still staring at Mo Laoda with that resolute gaze. “Yes, I want to eat honey.”

T/N:

Footnotes

<ol>居高临下的样子: idiom meaning to be arrogant and look down on someone 姐-older sister added for clarity 温吞慢热: basically referring to a person who comes across as cool and diffident in relationships added for clarity the raw had 崖下是不是有好东西？or ‘Weren’t there interesting things below the cliff?’ where ‘things’ can also mean ‘people’. For clarity’s sake, I changed the translation a little 东西, again can refer to ‘things’ or ‘people’. I’m choosing people since YXX is discussing the strange snakes 还称不上忘 我的境界: can be roughly translated as ‘still balanced, not forgetting myself’ referring to that point a person can reach where their hobby/job/love supersedes their own wants and needs</ol>