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The Nightless City Is Full Of Self-Righteous Toddlers!

Mo Ying had enjoyed the small walk up the mountain with his family, Mo XuanYu had even plucked a flower and gifted it to him and as such, Mo Ying now had a fresh, white moonflower tied neatly into his hair's braid.

After they'd finished their walk up the mountain, the small family came face to face with an outstandingly, and excessively lavish palace, sat upon neatly paved and laid concrete, pillars of marble holding the giant hall up, and a few small houses surrounding the courtyard just in front of the palace-like hall. "Too much marble and gold leaf..." Mo Wang sighed softly after hearing his beloved wife's comment, neither of them liked over the top- and that's the perfect way to describe the Wens and their buildings. Mo Chyou sighed softly as she lead her three boys toward the main hall.

Once they had entered the hall, Mo Ying looked at the familiar small faces scattered about the inside- Nie Huaisang, Jiang Cheng, Jiang YanLi and the Wen siblings, Wen Ning and Wen Qing to name a few faces Mo Ying could recognize near immediately despite the lack of age and trauma. He sucked in a small breath upon seeing the Jiang siblings, before letting out a soft sigh and following his parents instructions, "Why don't you two go make some friends while father and mother talk to the adults, okay? Make sure to have fun and keep Xuan-er safe." Mo Ying nodded softly before taking his little brother by the hand and leading him over to the other children.

Mo XuanYu held his brother's hand tightly as he looked around their new surroundings and at the crowded space. "Ying-ge, that qiánbèi is very pretty. I like her hair buns!" Mo Ying hummed in acknowledgement and looked over to where the three year old was pointing excitedly, he sucked in another breath as he realized his brother had been talking about Jiang YanLi, before smiling cheerfully at his Didi and nudging him forward and toward the girl,

"Why doesn't A-Xuan go tell the pretty Shijie that? I'll come with you, so don't be afraid." Mo XuanYu held a nervousness in his eyes, but nodded before shyly walking up to Jiang YanLi, tugging on her sleeve gently, the small girl in purple startled a little before turning to look at the small boy wearing white and grey robes. She smiled softly and crouched down to his height.

"Hello there, young master, to who might I owe the pleasure?" Mo XuanYu fidgeted slightly with his belts hassle before giving her a warm smile,

"This small one is Mo XuanYu from the Mo sect in Yiling! This small one wanted to tell this qiánbèi that she's very pretty, and that I liked qiánbèi's hair." Jiang YanLi's smile softened as she took Mo XuanYu's hands into her own, caressing them gently before giving the small child a grateful smile,

"Then it's young master Mo, this qiánbèi thanks this Shidi. If this small one would like, I can teach you how to braid your hair like mine. Ah, also, this qiánbèi's name is Jiang YanLi, please feel free to call me Shijie." Mo XuanYu smiled excitedly and nodded without thinking, before looking back to his brother and waving him over to meet his new Shijie. The girl looked over to where the small child was waving, before her eyes landed upon Mo Ying. The two brothers had an uncanny resemblance, they had almost the exact same face, although Mo XuanYu's was a slight bit more feminine than Mo Ying's. She smiled softly and also waved to Mo Ying, said boy smiling and walking over slowly, each step feeling like hot coal beneath his feet.

"This one greets this Shijie, this lowly one is Mo Ying, thank you for keeping my Didi company." Jiang YanLi giggled softly behind her sleeve as she pet Mo XuanYu's hair, the small boy beaming up at the two happily. Mo Ying gave his brother a warm smile in return, before meeting his Shijie's eyes again, it had been too long since he had seen her, his last memory of her death fresh in his mind. He really wasn't ready to face these people yet- not Jiang YanLi, not Jin Zixuan either, after all he knew he was the cause and effect of their short lives in the first life he'd lived. He couldn't deal with the guilt simmering within his gut, but here his Shijie was, alive and well, smiling at him so gently just as she had when she took that blade for him. It was all his fault, if only he hadn't used the amulet that day, if only he could've convinced the cultivation world that those Wen's had done no wrong- if only someone had just listened to and believed in him, even if just for a moment.