Re-birth: The Beginning after the End-Chapter 254: PAST & PRESENT

"Eldest Brother, meet Zhang Nia," Li Hua gestured formally. "Nia Nia, my eldest brother, Li Wei."

Li Wei began to bow with his characteristic formality, but was caught off guard as Nia Nia circled him once, her head tilting in frank assessment, her smile deepening with each step. "Very handsome," she declared without a hint of hesitation.

Li Wei's ears reddened slightly, but he quickly cleared his throat, attempting to regain his dignified bearing as he turned stiffly toward the dining hall. "We should go."

Li Hua bit back a laugh—it wasn't often someone could ruffle her composed brother's feathers so easily.

Through the dining hall's entrance they walked, Nia Nia leading them confidently to a private table in the inner disciples' section. The evening crowd parted respectfully—whether for her status as the sect's top disciple or simply her commanding presence, Li Hua couldn't be sure.

Li Wei maintained his scholarly dignity despite the earlier fluster, though Li Hua noticed how his eyes occasionally darted to Nia Nia with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. It was clear he sensed something different about her, perhaps the same fierce energy that had drawn Li Hua to trust her in their past life.

"So, Eldest Brother," Nia Nia said as they settled at the table, her voice carrying that familiar mischievous tone that Li Hua knew so well. "Your sister tells me you've been studying advanced beast-taming arrays. I might have some insights that could interest you..."

Li Wei's scholarly nature couldn't resist the offer of knowledge, even as he tried to maintain his composed demeanor. Li Hua watched with amusement as her past and present worlds began to blend, creating something entirely new—something precious.

"Particularly about the spatial resonance patterns in higher-tier formations," she continued, her expertise evident despite her casual tone. "Most disciples focus on the surface configurations, but there are deeper layers that interact with a spirit beast's core essence."

Li Wei's reserved demeanor cracked slightly, genuine interest breaking through. "The theoretical texts mention these deeper patterns, but the practical applications aren't well documented."

"Because most can't perceive them," Nia Nia explained, summoning a small formation in her palm—a demonstration that would have seemed ostentatious from anyone else but appeared effortless from her. "See how the energy flows here? It's not just about the visible arrays..."

Li Hua watched her brother lean forward despite himself, his scholarly passion overtaking his initial wariness. She smiled, remembering how Nia Nia had always been able to read people perfectly, knowing exactly how to approach them. Even in this new world, that skill hadn't changed—she'd identified Li Wei's love of knowledge immediately and used it to bridge any awkwardness.

Li Hua summoned Little Firefly to her shoulder, a habit since arriving at the sect. The small spirit beast chirped happily, its eyes fixed on Nia Nia with obvious recognition.

As they ate, conversation flowed naturally between cultivation theory and practical applications, with Nia Nia occasionally dropping insights that made even Li Wei's eyes widen with appreciation of rare knowledge.

"Wait, Nia Nia, do you have any siblings?" Li Hua asked, genuinely curious about her friend's life in this world.

Nia Nia nodded, setting down her teacup. "One elder sister, but she's at the Combat Sect. You should've seen how surprised I was when I—" She paused and cleared her throat, catching herself and mouthed silently to Li Hua, "When she came to visit me."

Li Hua chuckled at the near slip, her eyes conveying understanding while Li Wei remained oblivious to their silent exchange.

"She's a year older than me. I'm nineteen," She finished smoothly.

"Wait. How did you two meet?" Li Wei suddenly asked, his perceptive eyes narrowing slightly. "Aren't you the top student here? I don't recall seeing you together before."

Li Hua winced internally. Sometimes her brother's sharp mind was too clever for comfort.

"I had actually gotten lost and stumbled upon Nia Nia rejecting a male disciple," Li Hua explained, laughing at the memory. "Poor boy looked like he'd rather face a den of spirit beasts than hear her answer."

"Not interested," Anna stated flatly, though her eyes gleamed with that familiar mischief. "I already have a committed relationship with common sense and cultivation."

Li Hua bit her lips and nodded. "Probably because his cultivation level couldn't compete with her dagger collection."

Anna laughed, gently shoving Li Hua's shoulder—the familiar gesture making them both laugh, a moment of unguarded joy that spoke of years of friendship rather than days.

Li Wei looked between them, his eyes clearly noting how their interaction seemed too natural, too comfortable for such a recent acquaintance.

Li Hua cleared her throat, catching his questioning gaze. "We kind of... hit it off instantly."

Anna nodded, and Li Hua caught the glint of mischief in her eyes before she added, "Yes, like sisters from another life."

The irony of that truth disguised as a casual comment almost made Li Hua laugh again.

She watched as her brother shook his head, finally accepting their response despite his lingering suspicions. Li Wei might not understand their connection, but he recognized its authenticity.

After dinner, the three left the dining hall together, the evening air cool against their faces as they stepped into the courtyard.

"Good night, Eldest Brother," Li Hua said as she hugged him.

"Good night, Eldest Brother," Anna echoed with that familiar mischievous tone, her emphasis on the title slightly teasing.

Li Wei shook his head and managed a dignified "Good night" before making a swift retreat to his residence, the tips of his ears betraying a slight pink tinge. Even his scholarly composure, it seemed, was no match for Anna's natural ability to fluster people.

After Li Wei's hasty departure, Anna turned to Li Hua, her expression shifting to something more serious. "Now that the ceremony is over, you should be on a schedule, right?"

Li Hua shook her head, "I've got more to tell you. Let's go to my room."

Anna nodded and followed after her. The moment they entered her quarters, Li Hua activated several privacy barriers.

The she reached for Anna's hand, and suddenly their environment shifted completely. The familiar scene of her inner space materialized around them, its eternal twilight welcoming them both.

"Woah, what the..." Anna's composure shattered as she took in the scene before her, her mouth dropping open in shock. She pointed at the modern/traditional courtyard house that seemed to defy the laws of both worlds they'd known. For once, the fierce woman was at a loss for words.

"You gotta be fucking shitting me..." Anna whispered, her usual fierce demeanor giving way to pure amazement.

Li Hua laughed but shook her head.

"Master!" Little Firefly greeted cheerfully from the courtyard house.

"He can talk???" Anna's eyes widened even further, each revelation seeming to strip away more of her carefully maintained composure.

Li Hua rolled her eyes and dragged Anna over. "This is Little Firefly. He's the reason why I survived the bombing."

Anna's eyes widened and suddenly bowed deeply, all traces of her usual brashness replaced by sincere gratitude. "I don't know how, but thank you." The words carried the weight of years spent mourning her closest friend, only to find her miraculously restored.

Little Firefly's golden feathers seemed to blush a deeper shade as he fluttered awkwardly, unused to such formal thanks from someone as formidable as Anna. "I-I just did what any spirit beast would do for their master..."

"Wait!" Anna's head shot up, her eyes wide with realization. "You both were bonded in our previous life?"

Li Hua nodded, "Yes. As a matter of fact, it was about four years after you and I met."

"How did I not know about this?" Anna asked, her voice a mixture of confusion and something close to hurt. As Li Hua's second-in-command, she had prided herself on knowing everything about her leader's operations. "I mean, I knew you had some secret source of information, some way you always seemed to know things before anyone else, but..."

"Little Firefly couldn't exit this space until quite recently actually, so he remained hidden," Li Hua explained gently. "Even from you. It was safer that way, especially given what we were dealing with back then."

Little Firefly hopped closer to Anna. "I watched over both of you," he admitted. "All those times you thought Master had incredible intuition about incoming threats? That was usually me feeling our surroundings."

Anna's eyes widened as pieces of the past suddenly clicked into place—all those times Li Hua had inexplicably known about ambushes, had avoided traps, had found hidden enemies. "So that time in Singapore, when you knew about the warehouse setup..."

Li Hua nodded, a small smile playing at her lips as she watched understanding dawn on her old friend's face.

"Incredible..." Anna whispered. Then, in a burst of unrestrained joy, she scooped up Little Firefly and twirled around, "You're so clever!"

Little Firefly yelped at the sudden movement, his golden feathers ruffling in surprise.