The cave was hidden deep within the mountains, far from the territory of any clan. Cold air clung to the stone walls, and the only light came from a small fire burning weakly near the center. Lin Yue sat beside it, calm on the surface, but his solitude spoke louder than words.
Mo Shan stood near the entrance, scanning the empty surroundings.
"You're living here alone," lin yue said slowly. "There's no one around you. I Heard people talking that your clan doesn't want to take you back… but can you tell me why? Why did they abandon you?"
Mo shan fingers tightened slightly. He did not answer right away. For a long moment, only the sound of the fire filled the cave.
"I didn't want to tell this story," Mo Shan said at last. "But since you're asking… I'll tell you everything."
He rose to his feet and walked toward the cave wall, his shadow stretching long and broken.
"I wasn't exiled because I was weak," he said. "And I wasn't exiled because I disobeyed orders for personal gain. I was exiled because I protected someone the clan wanted dead."
Lin yue froze. "Protected who?"
"My mother."
The words were quiet, but heavy.
"She wasn't born into the Snake clan ," Mo shan continued. "She came from a clan that was destroyed years ago, accused of betrayal. When the elders discovered her true identity, they said her blood was cursed. They claimed her existence threatened the purity of the clan."
lin yue jaw tightened. "So they punished you for that?"
"They ordered her execution," Mo Shan said calmly, though his eyes darkened. "And they ordered me to stand aside and prove my loyalty."
He laughed bitterly. "They wanted me to watch her die."
The fire crackled sharply.
"I couldn't do it," Mo Shan said. "She was the only one who ever protected me when I was powerless. So I helped her escape."
Lin yue breath caught. "That means you fought them."
"Yes," Mo Shan replied. "I injured two elders and broke the spirit seal guarding the eastern gate. That night, I became a traitor in their eyes."
He turned back, his expression steady but wounded.
"They spared my life only because I carried the clan mark. But they stripped me of my name, my rank, and my bond. My claim was ordered to forget me."
Lin yue finally understood. "That's why he Exiled, but what is his fault ?
Mo Shan nodded. "It's not hatred. It's fear. If clan chief accept me, the clan members will destroy him too."
Silence filled the cave once more.
"I don't regret my choice," Mo Shan said firmly. "Even if I live alone here forever, I would do it again."
lin yue stepped forward. "Then you shouldn't be alone anymore." when feng lihan come for you can live with us I can ask him....
Mo Shan looked at him, surprised. For the first time in a long while, the loneliness in his eyes began to crack.
Ok... slightly smile.