Reborn Ouyang Ke: From The Condor Heroes to the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 11 Fighting the Firebird Again, Mo Chou's Heartfelt Feelings!

The next morning, as dawn broke.

Ouyang Ke and Liu San got up early, packed their belongings, and continued their journey south on their donkeys. The mountain road was rugged, and the two did not walk fast. The sound of the donkeys' hooves echoed leisurely through the valley.

After traveling for less than half an hour, Ouyang Ke suddenly turned his head slightly and glanced back out of the corner of his eye.

Dozens of feet behind, a slender figure followed at a leisurely pace. The figure wore a bamboo hat, obscuring her face, but the green robe and light steps made it clear that it was none other than Li Mochou.

Ouyang Ke withdrew his gaze and gently shook his head.

This girl is really sticking close.

He didn't say much, pretending not to know, and continued on his way.

The Qinling Mountains are mountainous, and the paths are rugged and difficult to traverse. Fortunately, they had switched to donkeys yesterday; if they had been driving a horse-drawn cart, they would probably be stuck in some mountain ravine by now, unable to move forward or backward. Liu San thought to himself, secretly relieved, as he drove the donkey.

After traveling for more than two hours, at noon, the sky suddenly darkened.

Liu San looked up and saw dark clouds rolling in, blotting out the sun. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh dear! It's going to rain heavily!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a torrential downpour began.

Fortunately, Liu San was used to traveling and was well-prepared. He quickly took out two oil-paper umbrellas from his bag. The two opened the umbrellas, barely enough to cover their heads. But the rain was too heavy and torrential, and in no time, their trouser legs were soaked.

Ouyang Ke turned around and saw Li Mochou standing not far away, surrounded by bare ground with only a few short saplings offering no shelter. The heavy rain soaked her blue robe, which clung tightly to her body, outlining her slender figure. She stood in the rain with her arms crossed, stubbornly refusing to approach.

Looking at her appearance, Ouyang Ke couldn't help but shake his head.

He said in a low voice, "I don't have many rain gears. If you don't mind, we can share one."

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou looked up at him, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

Ouyang Ke sat on the donkey, which was not very big to begin with. If she went over, the two of them would be squeezed together, their bodies pressed together. Although she was young, she knew that this was inappropriate.

Ouyang Ke noticed her hesitation and said nothing more. He got off the donkey, handed the reins to Liu San, and sat back in the wooden wheelchair that had been tied to the donkey's back.

"Thank you for pushing me, young lady."

He held up an oil-paper umbrella in his right hand, sat in his wheelchair, and looked calm, as if it were just an ordinary thing.

Li Mochou looked at him and was suddenly slightly taken aback.

She naturally understood that he had dismounted from the donkey and switched to a wheelchair for her sake. This gesture not only avoided the awkwardness of them sharing a donkey but also provided her with shelter from the rain.

Without further hesitation, she stepped forward and grasped the handles of the wheelchair with both hands.

An oil-paper umbrella couldn't really shield two people. But strangely enough, ever since she stood behind Ouyang Ke, the rain stopped falling on her.

The rain poured down, accompanied by lightning and thunder.

One thunderbolt after another struck, with almost no interval between the lightning and the thunder. Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted as a large tree at the edge of the woods was struck by lightning and burst into flames.

Liu San was so frightened that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground. The two donkeys were also quite startled, braying and kicking wildly, refusing to take another step forward.

Li Mochou was also startled by the thunder, and her body trembled slightly.

But Ouyang Ke remained calm, his right hand steadily holding the oil-paper umbrella, unmoving, shielding the two from the wind and rain.

Strange lightning bolts streaked across the inky black sky, sometimes like tree branches, sometimes like spears. Large swathes of white light appeared and disappeared, sometimes illuminating Ouyang Ke's indifferent face, and sometimes reflecting Li Mochou's charming countenance.

Another dazzling white light flashed, followed by a deafening thunderclap!

The thunderclap exploded not far away, and Liu San and the two donkeys cried out in pain, falling to the ground and being knocked unconscious.

Li Mochou's face was pale, and she gripped the handles of her wheelchair tightly with both hands.

Ouyang Ke merely raised his head slightly, glanced at the spot where the lightning had struck, and said indifferently, "The Thunder God certainly knows how to pick his place."

Hearing him say this, Li Mochou's fear inexplicably dissipated a bit.

After another meal's time, the thunder gradually faded away, and the heavy rain slowly subsided. A little while later, the clouds parted, the sun shone through, and golden sunlight streamed down.

Li Mochou exclaimed in delight, "The rain has stopped!"

She subconsciously released her wheelchair, took a few steps forward, and looked up at the long-lost sunlight.

Suddenly, she glanced behind her and froze.

Ouyang Ke was sitting in a wheelchair, his lower clothes were already soaked, and rainwater was dripping down his trouser legs.

She then realized that during the heavy rain, he had been shielding himself with most of the oil-paper umbrella.

She stared blankly at his soaked legs, a feeling she had never experienced before welling up inside her.

She grew up in the ancient tomb, and her master, being aloof and cold, rarely showed her any affection. Her daily needs were mostly taken care of by Granny Sun. While she didn't think much of it, she had never experienced such meticulous care before.

At that moment, looking at the person who had gotten soaked to the bone while shielding her from the rain, she suddenly felt a strange sensation.

It felt warm and sour, I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Her cheeks flushed inexplicably, and she lowered her head, her voice much softer: "Why...why did you do this to me?"

Ouyang Ke raised an eyebrow, his expression remaining calm, but his tone carried a hint of matter-of-fact: "In the middle of nowhere, if you, a young woman, get your clothes wet, how will you change them? I'm a grown man, tough and resilient, what's a little rain to me?"

Upon hearing this, the heat on Li Mochou's face subsided slightly, but a strange sense of loss welled up in her heart.

It turns out... he just thought she was a woman and needed to be taken care of.

She was lost in thought when she suddenly heard Ouyang Ke say, "Look!"

She followed his gaze and saw a ball of flame rolling and leaping beside the large tree that had been struck by lightning and was still burning. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was the blood-red bird!

Li Mochou exclaimed with delight, "It's that bird!"

She instinctively reached out to grab him, but Ouyang Ke stopped her with a raised hand.

"Don't rush." ​​Ouyang Ke's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "This bird is extraordinary; we must not be reckless."

Li Mochou then recalled how she had been tricked and humiliated by the bird the day before, and immediately suppressed her temper and nodded.

She had followed Ouyang Ke all this way, originally intending to learn from him how to subdue the snake so she could tame this magnificent firebird. The firebird was naturally intelligent and couldn't be lured out by ordinary means. She was determined to follow Ouyang Ke and find an opportunity eventually.

At this moment, Liu San also slowly woke up and stood up, leading the two still-shaken donkeys.

Unable to contain herself, Li Mochou used her lightness skill, her figure gliding gracefully as she waved her left hand, reaching straight for the firebird.

Having learned its lesson yesterday, the firebird dared not linger in battle now that someone was approaching.

With a "coo," it flapped its wings and fled.

It flew extremely fast and was about to disappear from sight.

Just then, a pebble came hurtling towards it, precisely blocking its path!

The firebird was indeed intelligent; sensing the power of the attack, it made a sharp turn in mid-air and flew backward.

But as soon as it turned around, a sword light appeared in its face! Li Mochou was already poised to strike, and with a flick of her right hand, she blocked its path.

The firebird was forced to turn again. It was small and flew fast, so there was almost no resistance when it turned around. But every time it was about to escape, a pebble would precisely block its path and force it back to its original position.

After several such encounters, the firebird seemed to understand—the truly troublesome one was the person in the wheelchair!

It suddenly let out a low "coo" and turned around, pouncing straight at Ouyang Ke! It flew extremely fast, as swift as a shooting star, and in the blink of an eye, it had already pounced on Ouyang Ke!

"Good bird!"

Ouyang Ke was not surprised but delighted, and he struck out with both palms!

In an instant, palm shadows appeared one after another, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes left, sometimes right, unpredictable and ever-changing. The palm shadows seemed gentle, yet they wove an invisible net, firmly trapping the firebird within.

The firebird darted left and right, but couldn't fly away no matter what it did.

Li Mochou was stunned by what she saw.

Born into the Ancient Tomb Sect, she naturally possessed extraordinary knowledge. However, compared to the "Heavenly Net and Earthly Net" technique passed down by her sect's founder, Ouyang Ke's palm technique was in no way inferior, and was even more exquisite!

She was naturally unaware that after Ouyang Ke achieved minor success in cultivating the Nine Yang Divine Skill, his internal strength had greatly increased, and the power of his palm techniques was no longer comparable to what it used to be. If it were before he went to Shaolin, he would never have been able to do it so easily.

After a short while, the firebird finally became exhausted. Ouyang Ke swept his palm, and the firebird's wings struck the ground, rendering it unable to fly again.

Li Mochou was overjoyed. She reached out and grabbed it, gently cradling it in her hands. Looking at Ouyang Kexi, she exclaimed, "I caught it!"

The firebird was exhausted, its eyes pleading. Seeing this, Li Mochou said softly, "You must be a good girl and listen to me, I won't hurt you."

Seeing her delighted expression, Ouyang Ke couldn't help but chuckle, "If I remember correctly, I was the one who caught this firebird, wasn't I?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou pouted and said, "You stingy little thing! Here, take it back!"

Despite her words, she held the firebird tightly in her hands, showing no intention of returning it.

After a while, she reluctantly handed the firebird to Ouyang Ke.

Ouyang Ke took the firebird and saw that it was barely breathing, knowing it was exhausted. He took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket, poured out a pill, and fed it to the firebird with water.

This porcelain bottle contains a miraculous healing medicine made by my uncle Ouyang Feng using snake gallbladders; its effects are extraordinary.

The firebird swallowed the pill, and after a moment, its strength gradually returned. It looked up at Ouyang Ke, its gaze showing a hint of friendliness, and gently pecked his finger.

Li Mochou looked on with envy and quickly stepped forward, saying, "Little bird..."

The firebird closed its eyes and ignored her completely.

Li Mochou was immediately disappointed and quickly said, "I want to feed it too!"

Helpless, Ouyang Ke had no choice but to hand her a pill. Li Mochou took it and carefully placed it near the firebird's beak.

The firebird did take the pill, but after it was finished, it still kept its distance from her and refused to let her get close.

Li Mochou pouted and said, "You heartless bird..."

The firebird tilted its head and didn't even glance at her.

Liu San, standing to the side, said, "Young master, this bird is truly wondrous. Let me weave a cage for you to keep it from flying away."

Ouyang Ke shook his head and said calmly, "No need. Divine objects have their own spirits. You can imprison it for a while, but you can't imprison it forever."

Having said that, he released his grip, setting the firebird free.

Once the firebird was free, it flapped its wings and flew away as fast as a shooting star, covering several miles in the blink of an eye.

Li Mochou exclaimed, "Oh no, it flew away!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, the firebird flew back from a distance and began circling above Ouyang Ke.

A few breaths later, it slowly landed on Ouyang Ke's shoulder and gently pecked his cheek with its beak, showing affection.

Ouyang Ke smiled slightly and took out another pill from his pocket and handed it over.

The firebird swallowed the pill and immediately became radiant, cooing repeatedly with great joy.

But a moment later, it looked longingly at Ouyang Ke, still wanting more.

Seeing this, Ouyang Ke was both amused and exasperated: "You little rascal, you certainly have quite an appetite."

This elixir was refined by Ouyang Feng using the gallbladders of several venomous snakes, and its effects far surpassed those of ordinary snake gallbladders. The firebird, being naturally extraordinary, could discern its superiority and inferiority; having tasted its benefits, it was unwilling to give up.

Ouyang Ke fed it two more, until it swallowed three in a row, reaching its limit. Only then was the firebird satisfied, hopping around on his shoulder with great joy.

Watching this scene, Li Mochou felt both envious and puzzled, and couldn't help but ask, "Why won't this bird let me get close?"

Ouyang Ke glanced at her and said calmly, "This firebird is a naturally intelligent creature with its own temperament. Since you failed to capture it just now, it is naturally resentful towards you."

That's exactly what happened.

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou gave a coquettish snort and turned her head away: "What's so great about it? I don't care!"

But not long after she turned her head away, she couldn't help but secretly look back, her eyes filled with envy as she watched the firebird hopping on Ouyang Ke's shoulder.

Seeing her like this, Ouyang Ke suddenly said, "I still have a long way to go south on this journey. How long will you stay with me, young lady?"

Li Mochou was taken aback upon hearing this, then raised her chin proudly and said, "Who said I was following you? Is this road for you to walk alone?"

Ouyang Ke shook his head, his tone calm yet serious: "Where the young lady wants to go is none of my business. But you've been away from the ancient tomb for many days; aren't you afraid your master will worry?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mochou's expression changed slightly.

She thought of her master and junior sister in the ancient tomb, and of her master's aloof face, a sense of fear rising in her heart. Although her master wasn't particularly close to her, he had never mistreated her. She had only been able to sneak away because her master was in seclusion these past few days. If her master discovered she had been away from the mountain for so long without permission…

But then she looked at the magnificent firebird on Ouyang Ke's shoulder and felt a pang of reluctance.

She bit her lip and didn't say anything.

Ouyang Ke saw through her thoughts and suddenly said, "This firebird is of great use to me for now, so I can't give it to you, Miss. However, once I've finished my business, I can lend it to you for a while. But whether it will want to stay with you then is beyond my control."

"Okay! It's a deal!" Li Mochou's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly agreed, afraid that he would go back on his word.

She had already made up her mind that she would practice her skills diligently after returning home. Right now, she had only mastered the "Soft Net Style" and had not yet mastered the "Heavenly Net Style" of her sect. When the time came, she would definitely make this firebird obey her!

Li Mochou then asked, "Where should I look for you then?"

Ouyang Ke said, "I am going to Xiangyang and will be staying there for at least several months. If you cannot find me in Xiangyang, you can inquire in Sheyang County. I have a place to stay there."

"Okay!" Li Mochou nodded vigorously.

She turned and took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned back and called out, "My name is Li Mochou, remember it well, Ouyang Ke!"

After she finished speaking, her face flushed slightly, but she looked at him calmly.

Ouyang Ke smiled slightly, cupped his hands, and said, "I will remember that, Miss Li."

Seeing his reaction, Li Mochou felt a surge of inexplicable emotion. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent. She simply gave him a deep look, then stamped her foot and turned to walk away.

After taking a few steps, she couldn't help but turn back.

Ouyang Ke was still in his wheelchair, the firebird perched on his shoulder, gazing in her direction. Seeing her turn around, he nodded slightly as a farewell.

Li Mochou bit her lip, finally stopped looking back, quickened her pace, and disappeared into the mountains and forests.

She walked very fast, as if afraid that if she slowed down, she would be unable to resist turning back.

She was very confused.

She couldn't explain what that feeling was like.

But... something seems to have inexplicably appeared in my heart, something warm and bittersweet.

It also seemed like there was some reluctance!

But she really should go back.

When she secretly went down the mountain, her master was still in seclusion, but if she didn't go back soon, Granny Sun wouldn't be able to keep it a secret anymore.

Although my master is aloof, she values ​​rules above all else. If she finds out I've been away from the mountain for so long without permission…

She shuddered and dared not think any further.

But as she walked, she suddenly remembered Ouyang Ke's last words—

"I've heard that the immortal Chongyang left behind some inscriptions and mechanisms inside the stone coffin in the ancient tomb. After you return, young lady, you might as well look for them; you might find something unexpected."

She moved.

Chongyang Zhenren? An ancient tomb? A mechanical relic?

How did he know all this?

Li Mochou stopped and looked back in the direction she had come from.

The mountains are layered with green hills, shrouded in mist, and the figure of that person can no longer be seen.

She stood there, staring blankly for a long time.

It wasn't until the mountain wind ruffled her clothes that she snapped out of her daze, sighed softly, and turned to continue on her way.

This time, she didn't look back.

P.S.: It feels like a single-player game, there's no one here!

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