Re-birth: The Beginning after the End-Chapter 216: FOR YOU

After a long moment, Mo Xing spoke again, his voice casual yet somehow weighted. "They found her."

"Who?" Li Hua asked, her brows furrowing slightly.

"The otherworldly soul that resides in the Beast Sect."

Li Hua's eyebrows arched in surprise, her teacup pausing midway to her lips. "Who?"

"She is the top elite student of the beast tamer sect," Mo Xing explained, his golden eyes reflecting the dying sunlight. "She was away on a mission for several months. According to my shadows, she returned to the sect a few days ago."

Li Hua nodded slowly, absorbing this information before meeting his gaze directly. "Does that mean you'll be leaving now?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral despite the subtle tightening in her chest.

Mo Xing's smile widened, a rare genuine warmth replacing his usual calculated charm. He reached for her free hand, his movements deliberate yet gentle as he turned her palm upward. "Not yet," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the sensitive skin of her inner wrist where her pulse quickened beneath his touch. "Not when there's still so much I want to do with you, for you."

Li Hua felt warmth bloom across her cheeks as anticipation fluttered in her chest, her own desires mirroring what she glimpsed in his golden eyes.

She found herself genuinely surprised by his patience. When they'd first encountered each other—first in the caves and later in her bedroom—she could never have imagined this mischievous, playful, and mysterious man would show such restraint.

Behind his teasing smiles and golden eyes lay a depth of consideration she was only beginning to understand, a complexity that drew her to him as surely as cultivation drew essence from the air.

As weeks passed in close proximity, the undeniable tension between them had only intensified, a current of unspoken desire that seemed to electrify the very air whenever their eyes met or when their fingers touch.

Mo Xing was handsome—no, that was an understatement. He possessed the sinful elegance of an immortal who seemed to have walked both among the stars and crawled out of the depths of hell, collecting the best qualities of each. With features that appeared carved from divine jade yet shadowed with secrets no cultivator should possess, he moved through the world as if it existed merely to frame his presence.

If Mei Lin had glimpsed his true features rather than the calculated disguise he maintained, Li Hua was certain the beast charmer wouldn't be content with merely watching from afar.

Mo Xing's proven strength and intelligence impressed her, but what truly captivated her was how he had weathered her attacks without flinching.

For a woman accustomed to being the most dangerous presence in any room, there was an unexpected thrill in meeting someone who could match her—perhaps even surpass her in certain skills. The vulnerability this created wasn't weakness, she realized, but a different kind of strength. For the first time in her existence, she understood the appeal of surrender, of placing her trust completely in another's hands.

Warm fingers grazed her lips, pulling her back from her wandering thoughts. She blinked to find Mo Xing leaning closer, his face mere inches from hers, golden eyes studying her with undisguised interest. A mischievous smile curved his lips as he asked, "Stormy, what thoughts have you so captivated that you're biting your lip like that?"

Li Hua attempted to pull back, but Mo Xing caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, gently guiding her face toward his once more. With a subtle gesture of his free hand, he conjured a privacy barrier around them. One eyebrow quirked upward as his voice dropped to a silken murmur. "Tell me, my Little Tempest."

Li Hua couldn't stop the blush that surged across her cheeks, warming her skin beneath his touch. Though her thoughts had begun innocently enough, she was acutely aware of where they might have wandered had he not interrupted them—a trajectory that only intensified her embarrassment under his knowing gaze. The way his golden eyes seemed to see through her every defense left her feeling pleasantly vulnerable in a way she'd never experienced before.

She cleared her throat, trying to summon dignity despite her flushed cheeks. "I was just thinking that you're quite handsome. That's all."

"Hmm, that's all?" His gaze narrowed playfully as he moved to cup her chin, gently squeezing her cheeks between his fingers. "Such innocent thoughts causing such a delightful blush?"

Li Hua nodded, her lips forming an involuntary pout from his gentle grip.

Mo Xing's laugh was low and melodic, but she noticed the way he visibly restrained himself as he released her and leaned back. Something heated in his gaze cooled with deliberate control. She sighed—partly in relief, yet with an undeniable undercurrent of disappointment.

"Well," he said after collecting himself, his voice carrying a hint of huskiness despite his composed exterior, "I think you're quite beautiful as well, my Little Tempest."

Li Hua felt her stomach flutter with a strange, twisting sensation—like butterflies taking wing beneath her ribs. Acting on a sudden impulse of playfulness she'd only ever witnessed in her previous life but never indulged in herself, she tilted her head slightly, a coy smile forming on her lips. "Really? What about me do you find beautiful?"

Mo Xing's gaze darkened, pupils dilating slightly as his voice dropped to a dangerous velvet tone. "Little Tempest, if this is the game you wish to play, you should be prepared for consequences beyond mere words—ones that would not only make you blush but might render you entirely speechless."

The sudden intensity in his response caught Li Hua off guard. She coughed slightly, her momentary boldness evaporating under the heat of his promise. With deliberate casualness, she turned her attention skyward, where twilight had deepened to true night, the canopy now framing a tapestry of emerging stars.

"It's gotten quite dark," she observed unnecessarily, her voice slightly higher than usual. "The constellations here appear different from those visible at the Beast Tamer's Sect."

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Though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel Mo Xing's amused gaze—and his silent acknowledgment of her tactical retreat.

She settled into her cultivation position, drawing her legs into a lotus posture.

It wasn't fear of Mo Xing's response that motivated her retreat—quite the opposite. The anticipation of what might follow such dangerous flirtation sent a thrill through her that rivaled the rush of combat.

But practicality prevailed; with the disciples located nearby and their destination so close, the risk of drawing unwanted attention outweighed the temptation. Some hungers, she decided, were better satisfied away from prying eyes and gossip-prone disciples.