Chapter 62

The author has something to say:

Mini theatre:

Fast forward to Yin Xiaoxiao having children ¹ , the children are still in their eggs.

Yin Xiaoxiao: Heitan, what are we going to name our children?

Mo Laoda appears thoughtful: Name them Mo Dayin, Mo Eryin…Mo Xiaoyin is good ² . If a Yin snake, then reverse it.

Yin Xiaoxiao: No!

Mo Laoda: Then what names do you want?

Yin Xiaoxiao appears excited: Call Mo Datan ³ , Mo Ertan…Mo Xiaotan. If a Yin snake, call Yin Dachi ⁴ , Yin Erchi…Yin Xiaochi!

Mo Laoda: …

PS: Hey, don’t take this mini theatre seriously! If you take it seriously, you will lose ⁵ !!

—

Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao looked at each other. In Yin Xiaoxiao’s eyes, Mo Laoda looked nervous. In Mo Laoda’s eyes, Yin Xiaoxiao looked tranquil. But without exception, the same state of mind was reflected in the eyes of the two snakes. This state of mind could be called adamant. Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao smiled at each other and slithered forward with the same purpose.

It was unknown whether Mo Laosan kept watch everyday by the mouth of the cave or whether he was simply lucky today but, when Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao were only several hundred meters away from the cave, Mo Laosan slithered out from inside the cave.

Slithering out of the cave, Mo Laosan first looked astonished at seeing Mo Laoda. After that, he unconsciously looked around Mo Laoda and immediately saw Yin Xiaoxiao beside Mo Laoda. Mo Laosan’s expression became very ugly. But, contrary to expectations, Mo Laosan didn’t cause grief for Mo Laoda. He hesitated for only a moment before once more entering the cave. Yin Xiaoxiao snuck a glance at Mo Laoda beside him and found that Mo Laoda was still expressionless.

Soon they covered the several hundred meter distance. Mo Laoda didn’t enter the cave and only stood in front of the cave entrance.

“Not going in?” Yin Xiaoxiao asked, puzzled.

Mo Laoda looked inside the cave and subsequently answered, “There’s no need. They will come out very soon.”

Indeed, Mo Laoda had barely finished speaking when a few Mo snakes exited the cave.

Slithering in front were two Mo snakes whom Yin Xiaoxiao had never before seen. However, it could be assumed that they were Mo Laoda’s father and mother. Behind these two Mo snakes followed two other Mo snakes, a little smaller in size. Yin Xiaoxiao knew these two Mo snakes. One was Mo Laoer, the other was Mo Laosan.

“Dad. Mom,” Mo Laoda called.

Yin Xiaoxiao looked at Mo Laoda. Cough, cough. This one, how should this one refer to himself? Mo Laoda’s meaningful glance landed light as a feather on Yin Xiaoxiao. Yin Xiaoxiao trembled all over. He hurriedly followed Mo Laoda, calling, “Dad! Mom!”

Unfortunately Yin Xiaoxiao’s two rather quite resounding words of “Dad” and “Mom” were magnificently ignored by Father Mo and Mother Mo. At the same time, he caught Mo Laoer and Mo Laosan both rolling their eyes. Yin Xiaoxiao rubbed his face with his tail and, feeling wronged, ducked behind Mo Laoda – this was purely to bring more suffering down upon himself ⁶ .

The four Mo snakes stopped in front of Mo Laoda. The Mo snake at the head sized up Mo Laoda and was the first to speak. “I haven’t seen you these past few years. I didn’t expect that you would grow to be larger than your mother and I. You are indeed worthy of being one of the candidates for clan head.” Saying this, Father Mo’s tone of voice held recognition and satisfaction for Mo Laoda.

Father Mo had barely finished speaking when Mother Mo interjected, voice somewhat shrill, “Laoda, you always followed along and played with Mo Dayi and Mo Daer. I have also met that young girl, Mo Daer, and she seems quite good. This year she’s finally an adult. Like this, by the time you grow to adulthood, you can form a partnership with Mo Daer. So the matter is settled.”

Hiding behind Mo Laoda, Yin Xiaoxiao abruptly felt cold. He couldn’t help but shiver. Puzzled, Yin Xiaoxiao looked at the sky. Even though it wasn’t noon, it still shouldn’t be this cold. It wasn’t cloudy and it wasn’t rainy. So how come the temperature suddenly dropped so much?

Well, the cause was actually Mo Laoda. Yin Xiaoxiao finally discovered that the cold air was coming from Mo Laoda’s body, and he couldn’t help but extend his neck and look at Mo Laoda’s face. After looking, he trembled a little and immediately hid his head behind Mo Laoda again. ‘Heavens, this is the first time I’ve seen such an ugly look on Mo Laoda’s face! I’m afraid that, if Mother Mo says anything else, Mo Laoda’s face will cause it to hail.’

Yin Xiaoxiao used the point of his tail to jab Mo Laoda, then grumbled, “Heitan, you’re making me cold, okay. I’m cold!”

Mo Laoda turned his head and smiled apologetically at Yin Xiaoxiao. By the time Mo Laoda turned back around, Yin Xiaoxiao found that the temperature had returned to normal. He stretched his tail out in front of Mo Laoda. Yes, a cold wind was still blowing.

Father Mo, Mother Mo, Mo Laoer and Mo Laosan: “……”

Father Mo coughed twice. “Laoda, your mom is right. I’ve also met that child, Mo Daer. She’s really quite outstanding and, what’s more, Mo Daer also likes you. By then…”

Mo Laoda impatiently interrupted Father Mo mid-sentence. “If you all understand, there’s no reason to explain.”

“This….” Father Mo hesitated.

However, Mother Mo couldn’t help but open her mouth. “Laoer and Laosan explained it to me. I cannot agree to this.”

“We don’t agree, either!” Mo Laoer and Mo Laosan spoke in unison.

“I don’t need your ⁷ approval of my business.” Mo Laoda’s tone was indifferent.

But the snakes who were listening didn’t have that same tranquil attitude. Mo Laoer was the first to burst out with, “Da-ge! Where did you meet that Yin snake you’ve fallen for? Mo Daer and I are good friends so I know the best how much Mo Daer likes you! The one you should get together with is Mo Daer!”

Mo Laoer was a precious and uncommon female among the Mo snake clan. Although, in the viper clans, reproduction wasn’t only possible between males and females, and males and males could as well, for the viper clans, which hadn’t yet shed all their beast-like characteristics, females were precious. Males and males only gave birth to males with clutches that were ⁸ small in number and whose abilities suffered from degeneration ⁹ . Males and females gave birth to both males and females and, compared to male-male couples ¹⁰ , the clutch sizes were larger ¹¹ and the abilities of the parents were preserved so that those good genes were sure to be inherited. Then, add in that Mo Laoer’s parents are quite powerful – this could be known from how Mo Laoda’s family lived close to the center of the gathering area – Mo Laoer had many suitors. Just like Mo Laoer, it was the same for the female Mo Daer.

At this point, there’s no choice but to explain another way in which the Mo snake clan is different from the other viper clans. Other vipers form partnerships because they like each other. The biggest reason Mo snakes form partnerships is to have children that are even more powerful – in order to compete for the position of clan head. Under circumstances like these, females were naturally the object of many males’ courtship. And when a Mo clan female selects a male, how could that male refuse for an outsider? To Mo Laoer, it was a credit to her family’s Da-ge that Mo Daer liked Mo Laoda. And so, to Mo Laoer, Mo Laoda had to form a partnership with Mo Daer.

Mo Laoda only glanced indifferently at Mo Laoer. Apart from this, he was silent.

Mo Laoer was so angry that her black face turned blue-green. She slithered forward two steps to say something, and was whipped away and into the air by Mo Laoda’s tail. Brutally, she hit the cliff wall outside the cave and, just as brutally, fell..

Mo Laoda’s voice was cold, harsh and cruel. “Who gave you permission to approach me?”

“Laoda! How can you do this?!” Mother Mo cried out in alarm. She rushed to look over Mo Laoer to see if she was injured anywhere. Finding that there were no injuries, she sighed, then turned to face Mo Laoda and roared, “This is your younger sister! You would actually strike your younger sister over some lowly snake?”

After that, a very fast shadow flashed by everyone. Mo Laoda, as fast as a sudden clap of thunder that left none time to cover their ears ¹² , rushed Mother Mo and used seven inches of his tail to constrict Mother Mo. He tightened his hold and, with a dark and fierce voice, said, “Even if you are my mom, do not think to interfere with my decisions!”

And then in a blink of an eye (oh, snakes don’t blink), Mo Laoda once again returned to his former position. Behind Mo Laoda’s back, Yin Xiaoxiao used his tail to wipe off the cold sweat that absolutely did not exist and stuck out his tongue. ‘Huhu ¹³ ,  in the future be sure not to anger Heitan.’ Just as Yin Xiaoxiao stuck out his tongue, Yin Xiaoxiao accidentally glanced over and saw that Mo Laosan was glaring at him. Immediately, he retracted his tongue and assumed an expression of “I didn’t do anything just now”.

Mother Mo had never before seen Mo Laoda look like this. Mother Mo’s impression of Mo Laoda was that he was always very detached, taciturn, not easily angered, and very obedient towards her and Father Mo. As a result, even though Mo Laoer and Mo Laosan said that they’d discovered that Mo Laoda was together with a Yin snake, Mother Mo and Father Mo didn’t pay it much attention. Mother Mo and Father Mo believed that, as soon as they spoke, Mo Laoda would surely renounce that Yin snake and select the partner they had already chosen for him.

Unfortunately, the truth smashed Mother Mo and Father Mo’s presumptions. After the passing of a few years, their impression of Mo Laoda was now a few years out-of-date and Mo Laoda had already changed a lot while they weren’t looking. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that Father Mo and Mother Mo had never really known Mo Laoda.

Father Mo’s eyes narrowed. Although, in his heart, he was very angry, he was nevertheless now restrained by his fear of Mo Laoda, and he didn’t rush to scold Mo Laoda like he had in Mo Laoda’s ¹⁴ childhood. The current Mo Laoda was already more powerful than Father Mo to the point where even the four Mo snakes present combined was no match for Mo Laoda.

Father Mo thought and suddenly said, “Laoda, if you really must be together with this Yin snake, it’s not impossible. But first, you must voluntarily renounce your candidacy for head of the snake clan. You must know that the Mo snakes are unlikely to allow a Mo snake,m whose partner is a Yin snake, to become clan head.”

Mo Laoda sneered and unyieldingly said, “As long as I am strong enough, what does it matter that I’m not clan head?” These words spoken by Mo Laoda were already quite presumptuous. The clan head of the Mo clan was, at the same time, also the head of all the viper clans, and so the head was the most powerful viper. For Mo Laoda to dare to say this meant that he was provoking the clan head, and the clan head had the power to kill Mo Laoda – provided that he defeated Mo Laoda.

Father Mo absolutely did not expect Mo Laoda to actually, over a Yin snake, have no desire to become clan head. Puzzled, Father Mo looked behind Mo Laoda. What was so good about this Yin snake that made his outstanding son value it so much?

“Da-ge, could it be that you actually, for such a lowly…Yin snake, are abandoning Father, Mother and your younger siblings?” Mo Laosan shouted. “Da-ge, if you’re determined to choose this, henceforth I don’t acknowledge you as my Da-ge!”

Mo Laoda narrowed his eyes and in a cold tone asked, “Mo Laosan, are you threatening me?”

Mo Laosan suddenly cowered but immediately then after, he straightened his body. “I didn’t threaten Da-ge. I believe Da-ge will choose best ¹⁵ !”

But he only heard Mo Laoda state, “Regardless of whether you ¹⁶ approve or don’t approve, Yin Xiaoxiao is certainly my future partner.”

Hiding behind Mo Laoda, Yin Xiaoxiao heard Mo Laoda speak like this. At first he stared blankly but, soon after, he used his tail to jab Mo Laoda. Mo Laoda ignored this.

Mo Laoda continued in a serious tone, “I will not change my decision. I won’t now and I also won’t in the future. If you let me know that you ¹⁷ are planning some dirty trick behind my back, I don’t mind settling matters with you ¹⁸ personally.”

Mo Laoda tossed these words out then used his tail to drag Yin Xiaoxiao away.

‘Mother Mo, Father Mo, Mo Laoer and Mo Laosan look at me. I look at you. No one speaks. No snake chases after the departing Mo Laoda. The emotions displayed in the eyes of the whole family of snakes indicates that they absolutely are not prepared to leave the matter at this.’

Mo Laoda dragged Yin Xiaoxiao very far before releasing him. In Mo Laoda’s threatening gaze, Yin Xiaoxiao obediently followed at Mo Laoda’s side.

As Yin Xiaoxiao slithered, he couldn’t help but look back. Finally, unable to bear it, he said, “Heitan, it’s not good like this.” Although Yin Xiaoxiao saw that Mo Laoda’s family and his family were very different, in the end they were still his parents and younger siblings. If Mo Laoda had a falling out with his family because of him, Yin Xiaoxiao would always feel somewhat guilty.

Mo Laoda moved closer and kissed Yin Xiaoxiao’s forehead. Appeasingly, he said, “It’s alright. If my manner didn’t clearly show that I am ardent and unyielding, Dad and Mom would have been unlikely to seriously reflect on the subject of you and me. Don’t worry, they will surely agree to us.”

Only then did Yin Xiaoxiao finally realize that Mo Laoda was deliberately adopting a very ruthless appearance, and he finally felt a little relieved.

But even if his own Dad, Pops and elder brothers opposed, even if Father Mo, Mother Mo, Mo Laoer and Mo Laosan opposed, he still wanted to continue on together, following this snake beside him. Yin Xiaoxiao turned his head to look at Mo Laoda to his side. ‘Heitan, I can’t say for sure, but maybe I had already come to like you.’

T/N: Everyone, stay safe out there!

Footnotes

<ol>孩纸: literally ‘paper children’. Slang used on the internet all these names start with Mo, as in Mo Laoda, and end with Yin, as in Yin Xiaoxiao the tan as in the tan in Heitan chi is the character for idiot in Little Idiot 当真你就输了: meaning that if you’re serious on the internet, you’ll only end up making yourself angry 殃及池鱼: idiom meaning to suffer accidentally plural added for clarity reworded for clarity added for clarity added for clarity 迅雷不及掩耳: idiom meaning happening incredibly quickly 呼呼: another way to express laughter; can also be used to express happiness added for clarity 最好: MLS used the characters 最好 which can mean ‘best’ but also means ‘you’d better do as suggested’ plural plural plural</ol>