The Guardians: The Swordsman of the Moon

Fox father and fox children.

After losing Mo Shan, Mo Xian went with Li Huan who promised to take care of him from now on.

Originally Mo Xian was reluctant to leave, he still wished Mo Shan was still alive because Mo Xian did not see Mo Shan's corpse himself. Mo Xian thought that one day Mo Shan would return to his hut if he waited for him.

However, Li Huan said that the forest was very dangerous and there were many types of wild beasts that roamed the forest. Mo Xian was about to refute that because for five months he had lived in the forest with Mo Shan, he had never seen a wild beast other than a rabbit and a partridge. However, while recalling he also saw an extremely terrifying giant beast, Mo Xian could not refute and reluctantly left the forest with Li Huan. Hoping that if Mo Shan was still alive, Mo Shan would come looking for him wherever he was.

On his way out of the forest, Li Huan occasionally invited Mo Xian to rest and take care of his injuries. Li Huan looked at the still grief-stricken little boy still resisting as he offered him food and drink. 

Li Huan did not force his will to have the child eat the food he gave. He understands that everything must go through a process that is not easy. As well as to forget and let go, he remembered the first time his parents left him with his two little sisters, Li Huan also refused to eat and dissolved in grief. 

Li Huan looked at Mo Xian stroking his black cat while looking ahead. A valley overgrown with wildflowers. There was a wild adult fox hunting rodents given to three little foxes playing and rolling around in the grass.

Li Huan who saw Mo Xian was so focused on seeing the fox family's interaction became smiling.

"It will be winter soon" said Li Huan who managed to attract the attention of Mo Xian who immediately looked at him.

Li Huan stroked the head of the child who was still feeling the loss.

"The father and mother of the fox must meet the needs of her children before winter arrives. They have to hoard fat for their children so they can survive the winter."

Mo Xian suddenly became interested. Initially, Mo Xian noticed the hunting foxes just to spend some time waiting for Li Huan to rest and take care of his injuries. The wound that Li Huan suffered was not only in his eyes, but also in his stomach. Mo Xian had already seen Li Huan change the bandage several times each time the blood came back out from his stomach. Mo Xian wanted to help, but he did not know what to do, and he was still saddened by losing Mo Shan.

However, Mo Xian did not expect that Li Huan was the kind of person who did not give up easily to comfort Mo Xian in his own way. Like this time, when he conveyed how the fox family had to survive to get through the winter.

When Li Huan explained that the fox parents were trying to make fat for the fox children in order to get through the winter, Mo Xian saw one adult fox who kept running around catching rodents for his three children tirelessly.

"Dad fox or mother fox?" mo Xian asked curiously as there was only one adult fox there.

Li Huan smiled. "That's fox's father."

"Where's the fox mother?"

Li Huan smiled again when he saw the adult fox managed to catch the rodent again and ran up to his children. The fox children began scrambling for food while the fox father returned to look for prey.

"The fox, they're clever beasts, Xian'er knows? When the fox has decided to have a family and have children, the fox is a very responsible animal. When the fox father goes hunting to find larger prey and has to travel far, the fox mother will stay and make sure their children are fine and not starving," li Huan said as he looked at Mo Xian, and Mo Xian looked back at him.

"As well as the other way around, when the mother leaves, the father will be in charge of ensuring the safety and needs of their children until the mother returns with a big catch."

Mo Xian was suddenly very interested in the knowledge Li Huan had imparted. 

"Is their mother going hunting now?" asked Mo Xian.

Li Huan nodded.

"Mm, if it's lucky their mother will come back with a big meal."

"What does that mean?" asked Mo Xian.

Li Huan smiled faintly, there was a look of sadness on his face. "Sometimes the one who leaves can't always come back" he replied.

Mo Xian instantly understood his intention and could not help but hide his sorrow. Mo Shan appeared within his memories and Mo Xian returned to shed tears.

"While abandoned, all who are given life have a responsibility to themselves. For his body, his soul and his mind."

Li Huan looked at Mo Xian who was now looking at him with a puffy face.

"Everyone has their own story. We won't know what path we'll meet up ahead, but we'll have to keep going. Silence will not produce anything, there will only be complaints, sadness and emptiness. That's why we have to keep moving and moving forward."

Mo Xian seemed to ponder over the thought while stroking Xiao Hei's fur, while Li Huan looked at Mo Xian with a look of admiration. After all, meeting a child who was so mature at such a young age was extremely rare. 

Li Huan had already decided to take care of Mo Xian and raise him into a child. However, Li Huan had not been able to reveal his intentions to Mo Xian. He wanted to give the child time to overcome his grief.

***

Eleven days had passed since Mo Xian had followed Li Huan and Mo Xian did not expect that the forest he was living with Mo Shan had turned out to be very far from human life.

They traveled on foot and sometimes Li Huan also used body lightening arts so that they could move faster to cut travel time. 

Mo Xian still remembered the first time Mo Shan had brought him into the forest and found their hut, it had not taken more than half a day since they had left the inn and entered the forest that was right across the river.

However, now that Mo Xian did not see the great river that Mo Shan had passed through and he also did not see the city that Mo Shan had last used to stay over. 

Li Huan said, it is a forbidden forest that ordinary humans rarely step on, cultivators usually come to that forest once a year in search of magic herbs and magical beasts. However, it was also very rare because besides being dangerous, the forest was also too far away from human civilization. 

The forest was surrounded by a magical grassy valley, ordinary people who went inside would usually get lost. Aside from being surrounded by valleys, it was also surrounded by mountains and hills which according to myth could move and erase the traces of incoming cultivators and leave them confused, from which way they come and from which way they must return.

When Mo Xian heard the story, he, it was difficult for Mo Xian to believe because Mo Shan who looked like a weak and lazy young master had already often taken him out into the forest to eat at the city restaurant when Mo Shan was lazily lighting up fire to boil vegetables and yams.

They only needed to take at most half an hour to get to the restaurant and half an hour to return to their hut. However, when Mo Xian saw for himself from the top of the mountain that the forest was completely surrounded by valleys and mountains, Mo Xian inevitably believed Li Huan's words. And Mo Xian began to wonder who Mo Shan really was.

"Then, what did Uncle do in the woods? Is uncle looking for something?" mo Xian asked Li Huan as they rested at the top of the mountain while looking at the forest that was actually not that vast.

Li Huan nodded. "Mm, I'm looking for a medicinal plant." 

Mo Xian looked at him. "What medicine?"

Li Huan smiled wryly. "It's a rare medicine" he said, looking at the forest that now looks far dark green.

Mo Xian understood his point, so he did not ask any more. It seemed that Li Huan did not want to say it either.

Realizing Mo Xian was silent and did not ask after he said that. Li Huan looked at Mo Xian who was now busying herself with her sweet black cat. Li Huan's conjecture day by day about this child was increasing. 

The child that Li Huan found in the forbidden forest was definitely not an ordinary child and that person called Mo Shan-Xiansheng was also definitely not an ordinary person. However, until now Li Huan still did not understand how this boy called his uncle Xiansheng, and not Shushu.

Until now, Li Huan could only conclude that this child was brought by a person named Mo Shan to look for something important. However, however bringing a child into the forbidden forest was clearly very inappropriate, the forest was too dangerous and not everyone could get out alive if their knowledge was not high. Or, another possibility that the person named Mo Shan did have a high knowledge, but why did he suddenly disappear and leave behind a child. 

Perhaps this was called fate, because Li Huan would also not have expected himself to find a child in the forbidden forest. The good and mature child seemed to be sent by the gods for all his prayers.

Monday, 24 August 2020.