Chapter 68

“Hmph, I knew it. You must sneak here every day in order to wait for my Da-ge. As expected, I guessed correctly.”

Hearing this voice, Mo Laoda’s face paled. Yin Xiaoxiao thought that this voice sounded very familiar while Mo Dayi was alarmed and harshly asked, “Mo Laoer, you followed me?”

Yin Xiaoxiao suddenly realized that this was Mo Laoer! No wonder he thought the voice sounded familiar!

“Follow you?” From amongst the underbrush, Mo Laoda’s younger sister, Mo Laoer, emerged. “I was looking for my Da-ge. How could you possibly think I was following you? Besides, I only just arrived.”

Mo Dayi looked to Mo Laoda. Mo Laoda nodded slightly to indicate that Mo Laoer really had only recently arrived here. With Mo Laoda’s current abilities, it was impossible for a Mo snake to approach Mo Laoda and go unnoticed.

Mo Laoer’s gaze finally turned to Yin Xiaoxiao, and her face was weighed down with even more resentment. “Da-ge, why are you still with this Yin snake?”

“I remember that the last time I spoke, I’d already made that very clear. Xiaoxiao is going to be my partner, now and in the future.” Mo Laoda stated slowly but clearly.

Mo Laoer looked hatefully at Yin Xiaoxiao for a moment and “hmph”ed heavil,  but didn’t say anything to demean Yin Xiaoxiao. It appeared that the last time, when Mo Laoda had thrown Mo Laoer, had made Mo Laoer fearful.

“Da-ge, set this matter aside for now.” Acting as though Yin Xiaoxiao didn’t exist, Mo Laoer, refusing to look at Yin Xiaoxiao, looked only at Mo Laoda. “Dad and Mom said that you should come home immediately.”

Mo Laoda turned his head to look at Yin Xiaoxiao. With a very innocent expression, Yin Xiaoxiao looked at Mo Laoda. Mo Laoda turned back around. “I won’t. When the time comes, I will go straight to the Selection for Clan Head .”

Mo Laoer: “Da-ge, what do you mean by this?! You haven’t even become partners with this Yin snake and you already  are not obeying Dad and Mom. Then, if you really become partners with this Yin snake, are you not going to return to see Dad and Mom for decades?”

Yin Xiaoxiao now not only felt that he was very innocent but he also felt very bewildered. Why would she lay the blame of Mo Laoda not obeying his parents and not coming home as a result of his relationship? Moreover, whether they were together or not was his business. WTF was this?!

Mo Laoda glanced indifferently at Mo Laoer. Mo Laoer’s body inexplicably went cold and she unconsciously recoiled a few steps.

“We are leaving,” Mo Laoda said to Yin Xiaoxiao and Mo Dayi.

Mo Laoer remained in place with an ugly look on her face for a while before she made to leave.

“Laoda, if you don’t return home this evening, then where are you going to stay?” From the rear, Mo Dayi asked Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao. “My parents and Mo Daer are at home, if you go, I fear…”At these words, Mo Dayi specifically looked at Yin Xiaoxiao. His parents wanted Mo Daer and Mo Laoda to become partners. If Mo Laoda went to Mo Dayi’s ¹ family’s home, he was sure to be welcomed. However, Mo Dayi ² feared that it wouldn’t go very well if Yin Xiaoxiao was brought along. That was without mentioning Mo Daer. How to put it. Mo Daer also liked Mo Laoda. Asking her to give Yin Xiaoxiao face ³ , hmph, that was sure to be too much of a problem.

Mo Laoda didn’t turn his head. “I know there’s a cave nearby. Even though it’s not big, it’s more than enough for me and Xiaoxiao. For these few days, Xiaoxiao and I can live there.” After a pause, “If you need to find me, then just go there.”

Mo Dayi agreed.

As soon as they arrived at the cave, after looking back and forth, Mo Dayi left.

“Ah, it seems that your father, your mother, your younger sister and your younger brother don’t like me very much.” Lying on his stomach, Yin Xiaoxiao sighed.

“It doesn’t matter. From now on, there won’t be many opportunities to run into them.” Mo Laoda said, comfortingly.

Yin Xiaoxiao’s lips curled. “Actually, it really doesn’t matter. How to put it, even if my Dad and Pops approved of the two of us being together, since your parents don’t approve, I’m generally the one who suffers the greatest disadvantage!”

Mo Laoda: “…”

The Selection for Clan Head would begin in two days. Until then, Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao stayed in the cave. Because this was the Mo snake area, Mo Laoda didn’t feel assured leaving Yin Xiaoxiao alone as the only snake in the cave, and Mo Dayi spontaneously took on the responsibility to go and look for food, causing Yin Xiaoxiao’s impression of Mo Dayi to greatly improve bit by bit: this guy could certainly be very useful at times.

Two days later at dawn, cough cough, well actually, since Yin Xiaoxiao had been too excited the night before and had trouble falling asleep, he didn’t get up at dawn the next morning. And, with Mo Laoda’s indulgence of Yin Xiaoxiao, Yin Xiaoxiao and Mo Laoda arrived late to the glorious Selection for Clan Head .

Yin Xiaoxiao yawned and followed Mo Laoda, slithering to the area. It should be mentioned that Yin Xiaoxiao was giving Mo Laoda face, so he wasn’t lying on Mo Laoda’s back and having Mo Laoda carry him.

A Mo snake appearing at the Selection for Clan Head wasn’t strange. A Mo snake arriving late at the Selection for Clan Head would catch the attention of a few Mo snakes. But a Mo snake that wasn’t only late but had also brought along a Yin snake was enough to attract the attention of all the Mo snakes.

Yin Xiaoxiao curiously looked all around only to see several hundred Mo snakes forming a large circle. In the middle of this circle stood a Mo snake, and in front of that Mo snake stood several other Mo snakes.

“This is?” asked the Mo snake standing at the heart of the circle. That snake’s voice sounded as though it had experienced the vicissitudes of life ⁴ and was very old.

Mo Laoda had hardly thought to reply when he was stopped by Mother Mo, who was standing not too far away, “Clan Head, that’s my family’s Laoda’s friend. Pay it no mind.”

Looking at his mother, Mo Laoda faked a smile but didn’t agree or deny his mother’s words. The Clan Head didn’t really care to know Yin Xiaoxiao’s identity. Ultimately, the Selection for Clan Head was most important. And as for a Yin snake, it was absolutely impossible for it to interfere with the Selection for Clan Head .

The Clan Head sized up Mo Laoda’s body for a few moments, hints of thoughtfulness and astonishment flashing through his eyes. But, proving himself to be the Clan Head, he very quickly suppressed all emotions and said, “Mo Laoda, come forth.”

Mo Laoda didn’t immediately move to join the other Mo snakes. Instead he first turned and said, in a low voice, to Yin Xiaoxiao, “Xiaoxiao, you stay here. I’m going to join the selection. Remember, absolutely don’t leave here.”

Only once Yin Xiaoxiao nodded his head in answer did Mo Laoda finally walk to the circle.

Mo Laoda had barely moved when Mo Dayi slithered to Yin Xiaoxiao’s side. “Don’t worry! I will protect you!” Yin Xiaoxiao slanted a glance at Mo Dayi. ‘Hmph, in light of your good showing today, I’ll consider treating you a little better in the future!’

Well actually, if Yin Xiaoxiao was left alone in a pile of Mo snakes and even if Mo Laoda wasn’t that far away, Yin Xiaoxiao was sure to feel very scared. But if there was a familiar Mo snake, Yin Xiaoxiao’s would feel slightly reassured.

But back to the story. Mo Laoda slithered to join the other Mo snakes in front of the Clan Head. Just as he came to a halt, the present Mo snakes suddenly erupted in cries of surprise which gave rise to an uproar.

“Heavens! How did Mo Laoda suddenly grow so long?”

“Now Mo Laoda is so dark! I looked at him for a moment and I felt as though I was going to be sucked into his body!”

“Those black scales are really beautiful!”

“I think that this year, Mo Laoda will definitely be able to become the next Clan Head.”

The surrounding Mo snakes spoke on this. As it turned out, just a moment ago when Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao had arrived, the arrival of a Yin snake had attracted the majority of the snakes’ attention, so the Mo snakes hadn’t realized that Mo Laoda had now become so much larger.

The few Mo snakes standing beside Mo Laoda were all the top candidates for Selection of Mo Clan Head. Having clearly seen Mo Laoda’s body and scales, the eyes of several of the present Mo snakes were full of bewilderment as they looked at each other. As they made eye contact, they found that, in each gaze, was some measure of hesitancy and concession.

“If everyone could be calm.” The Clan Head opened his mouth to say. The Clan Head had the greatest authority. As soon as the Clan Head spoke, the formerly noisy spectacle immediately quieted.

“Finally all the candidates are present and the Selection for Clan Head can begin. Before beginning, I want to ask one last time: of all of you candidates present, are there any of you who wish to forfeit?” The Clan Head spoke these words slowly to absolute silence.

A few Mo snakes again looked at each other a few times, to see if any were thinking of withdrawing.

“I, I want to withdraw.” The first to speak out was a Mo snake standing next to Mo Laoda. Perhaps precisely because of standing next to Mo Laoda, this Mo snake was feeling especially pressured. Even at nine meters long, this Mo snake felt that he looked like a child next to Mo Laoda ⁵ , to tell the truth! And this Mo snake ⁶ was already 40 years old!

Following the withdrawal of the first Mo snake, a second snake and then a third snake began to withdraw. By the end, the only candidate who wanted to participate in the Selection for Clan Head , aside from Mo Laoda, was a sole Mo snake.

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Mo snakes capable of assuming the position of viper Clan Head were the strongest among Mo snakes. As the most powerful Mo snake among Mo snakes, naturally the children born to that snake ⁷ would not be anywhere close to inferior, especially so for  the child whose parents were a female Mo snake and the current Clan Head. And this remaining Mo snake was the son of the current Clan Head – Mo Damo.

Among the candidates for Clan Head, there were two popular choices. One was Mo Laoda. The other was Mo Damo. The remaining snakes had only been participating in the Selection because they had hoped to be lucky.

If it originally could be said that Mo Laoda and Mo Damo were completely evenly matched, now Mo Damo couldn’t possibly suppress the current Mo Laoda who had already taken several Mo Grass plants.

Mo Damo was a proud and arrogant individual whose father had held the position of Clan Head three consecutive times. Both as the son of the powerful Clan Head and as the son of the Clan Head and a female Mo snake, Mo Damo was undoubtedly formidable to the point that he considered himself to be capable of becoming even stronger than his father. The selection for Clan Head was held once every ten years, and adults could participate. For Mo Damo who, this year, had turned 31, this was the first time he could participate in the Selection for Clan Head . Mo Damo, of course, was full of confidence. Even if he was confronted with a Mo Laoda who was equal to his own strength, he had still been confident that victory would be his. However, this confidence almost completely dried up when he saw Mo Laoda.

Now here Mo Damo stood. Aside from always having been outstanding, he had never been defeated by another Mo snake. This was also another important reason – he was the son of the Clan Head, the strongest Mo snake. No other Mo snake should be capable of defeating him.

This was Mo Damo’s pride, but it was also his obligation.

T/N: Edited so that proper nouns were capitalized.

Footnotes

<ol>added for clarity added for clarity to give face is to show respect to someone 沧桑: a metaphor for the great changes of life sentence restructured for clarity added for clarity added for clarity</ol>