Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

Mo Yun's fingertips rested on the window sill, and the ice particles melted into water marks on his fingertips.

"When she left, did she say when she would be back?"

"I didn't say it."

Xiaoqing shook her head.

"At that time, I urged her to come back early, saying that when she came back with new herbs, we could make tea for my sister together. She just smiled and left with the medicine bag."

Mo Yun looked in the direction outside the Moon Gate. The fog there was thinner than before, and he could vaguely see the path leading to Yunyou Valley.

The chaotic energy exploded with such a loud noise, it was impossible for Mingyue not to hear it given her alertness.

But she never showed up from beginning to end - was it because she walked too far and didn't catch up, or had she noticed something a long time ago and deliberately avoided the chaos?

"Did she tell me about Bai Tang before she left?"

He asked again, his voice deeper.

Xiaoqing thought about it for a moment, and suddenly exclaimed:

"Oh right! She even touched the stone table where Bai Tang usually stayed and said, 'Something's not quite right.' I didn't understand at the time, but now I think about it... maybe she had already noticed something was wrong with Bai Tang?"

Mo Yun said nothing and slowly closed the window.

The cold wind was blocked out, the heat from the stove enveloped the room again, and the bitter smell from the medicine bowl spread, making people feel a little clearer.

If Mingyue had noticed earlier that the chaotic energy in Baitang was unstable, she might not have returned to Yunyou Valley for the herbs.

Perhaps he wanted to find a way to suppress the chaotic energy before it completely erupted;

It's even possible... that he's afraid that if he stays here, "Bai Tang" will use him as a bargaining chip to contain him.

"Give the medicine to your sister first."

He turned and walked towards the bed, his tone much calmer than before.

"Then go to Yunyou Valley and take a look. If you see Mingyue, tell her not to rush back and to stay there for now."

"Hmm~"

Xiaoqing responded, picked up the medicine bowl and walked to the bed.

When passing by Mo Yun, she saw that her brother's fingertips were no longer trembling - his mind, which had been disturbed by "white sugar" just now, seemed to have quietly calmed down when he thought of Mingyue.

Another piece of icicle fell from the window, but this time neither of them was startled.

Mo Yun watched Mo Zi drink the warm medicine, and suddenly an idea came to his mind: Perhaps in this chaos, there is always someone in an invisible place, quietly paving a way out that can make people feel at ease.

……

Mo Zi had just finished drinking the medicine and fell asleep when he heard very light footsteps outside the door.

Mo Yun was about to stand up and put away the medicine bowl when she saw Xiao Qing glance towards the door and whispered:

"It's mother who's here."

When Molan came in, she was still carrying the cold air from outside the courtyard. However, she did not look at Mo Zi first as usual. Instead, her eyes paused on Mo Yun's red fingertips, then swept across the red marks on Xiaoqing's back of the hand. Finally, she said softly:

"Yun'er, come out for a moment."

Mo Yun's heart moved, and he followed her to the corridor.

As soon as I stood still, I heard my mother's voice above my head, gentle but with undeniable weight:

"I saw the fight between you and that Chaos Qi from upstairs just now."

Mo Yun lowered her eyes and looked at the unmelted ice on the blue bricks:

"mother……"

"You don't need to explain."

Molan interrupted him, and gently stroked the ice pattern on the pillars with her fingertips - that was left when his rhythm power lost control just now.

"You are right to protect Qing'er and Zi'er, but your heart is in turmoil."

She raised her hand and put a warm handkerchief into Mo Yun's hand. The handkerchief had a faint orchid fragrance and had just been warmed by the stove.

"When you attacked that 'White Sugar' just now, your rhythmic energy was tainted with hostility. The ice silk should have been stable, but you were too eager to trap him. The ice shield should have been strong, but you exposed its flaws because of a few words from him."

Mo Yun clenched the warm handkerchief tightly, and her fingertips rubbed across the orchid pattern embroidered on the handkerchief.

He remembered that when he chased her into the corridor just now, Bingsi was indeed more restless than she should have been, and even her mother noticed it.

"The rhyme power of the body sect should be like an icy lake; no matter how big the storm, it should sink to the bottom."

Molan's voice was very soft, but it struck my heart like an icicle.

"But you were like muddied water just now. When he mentioned the icy lake, you rushed to protect your foundation. When he mentioned Zi'er, you were busy trying to detect her presence. Think about it, is this how a disciple of the Body Sect should behave?"

The wind outside the corridor blew the broken snow past, and Mo Yun suddenly felt a stiffness in the back of his neck.

He always thought that he was "protecting", but he didn't expect that this extreme concern had already made his mind the most vulnerable soft spot.

"I……"

he wants to say

"I'm afraid something might happen to them," the words got stuck on the tip of his tongue.

"I know you're afraid."

Molan looked at him, her eyes showing heartache, but more sobriety.

"But you are the Young Master of the Shen Sect, the older brother of Qing'er and Zi'er. What will they do if you lose your composure first? That's what the Chaos Energy wants—not to hurt anyone, but to unsettle you first."

She raised her hand and gently pressed it on Mo Yun's shoulder.

A gentle yet steady rhythmic force flowed through his palm, like warm water flowing over an ice surface, slowly melting his tense muscles and bones.

"You must remember that true protection isn't about clenching your fists, it's about standing firm. As long as you can stand firm, no matter how chaotic the energy is, it won't overturn this courtyard."

Mo Yun looked into her mother's eyes, where the ice lanterns under the corridor were reflected, shining steadily, as if they had never been disturbed.

He suddenly remembered the threat from "Bai Tang" just now, and the panic he felt when he clenched the ice silk, and his cheeks felt slightly hot.

"I understand, mother."

He took a deep breath, and the warm handkerchief in his palm gradually warmed the icy feeling on his fingertips.

"Not next time."

Mo Lan then smiled and turned to walk towards Mo Zi's room:

"Go in. It's okay to guard your sisters, but first calm your breath. Once you can gather the cold air in your palm and spin it three times without releasing it like you normally do, then think of other things."

Mo Yun stood in the corridor, watching her mother's figure disappear behind the door curtain.

He raised his hand and spread out his palm, and the ice-blue rhythmic energy slowly floated up. This time it no longer trembled, but just flowed quietly between his fingers, just like his mother said - sinking to the bottom.

From afar came the sound of the night watchman beating the watch, one beat after another, very steady.

Mo Yun clenched the handkerchief in her palm and suddenly understood what her mother meant: as long as she could calm her mind, the coldness in the yard would eventually dissipate.