An Unpaid Debt

Night had fallen, and moonlight spilled across the ground.

Mo Xie strolled along a path, the streetlights stretching his shadow across the pavement.

Cicadas chirped from the dense woods, heralding the arrival of summer.

Then a ringtone shattered the quiet.

He pulled out his phone. The caller ID read [Xiaofan].

He answered, and Mo Fan's voice came through.

"Bro, where are you?"

"I'm out. What's up?"

Mo Xie stepped on his own shadow as he walked, asking casually.

"Nothing much. Monkey and the others are at Uncle Liu's food stall with me. Want to come?"

"Sure. I'll be there in a bit."

After a moment's thought, Mo Xie decided to go.

He had just eaten dinner, but they had not ordered much, and the hotel's portions had been small.

There had been about enough for Jiang Ya and Lin Jiayu, but Mo Xie was still growing. He needed more food.

He hung up, left the residential complex, and stopped.

He had left his bicycle at the office... Mo Xie slapped his forehead. No wonder something had felt missing.

With no other choice, he called a car on his phone.

When he reached the food stall, Mo Fan and the others were already drinking at a small table in the corner.

"You started without me?"

Mo Xie walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"Bro, you're here... Uncle Liu, another set of utensils, please!"

Mo Fan waved to Uncle Liu nearby.

Uncle Liu came over with the utensils, and his face lit up the moment he saw Mo Xie.

"Xie! It's been a while since you ate here."

"I've been busy lately, Uncle Liu."

Mo Xie greeted him with a smile.

"No matter. Eat your fill! You'll have this whole section to yourselves. I'll go make you two more dishes!"

"Thanks, Uncle Liu!"

He was so enthusiastic that Mo Xie and the others could hardly refuse. They thanked him.

"Now that my brother's here, I have a big announcement to make!"

Mo Fan took a long swig, then spoke with a grave expression.

"I awakened magic. And it's the Lightning Element."

"What?"

"You awakened magic?"

"The Lightning Element?!"

Zhao Kunsan, Zhang Xiaohou, and Mu Bai stared at Mo Fan in shock, trying to process what he had said.

Mo Fan watched their reactions with satisfaction. That was exactly the effect he had wanted.

Beside him, Mo Xie quietly ate his food and sighed inwardly.

He knew Mo Fan's personality. Of course Mo Fan had to show off to Mu Bai and the others after awakening magic.

Mo Xie had prepared himself for it that morning, but he had not expected it so soon.

Not even a day had passed, and Mo Fan had already told them. Wasn't this the sort of thing he should keep to himself?

Awakening early might not compare to awakening on one's own, but it was still no small matter.

If someone else overheard, they might jump to unpleasant conclusions. It could even cause trouble.

If Mo Fan was only telling Mu Bai and the others, though, Mo Xie would let it go. The three of them could be trusted.

Still, he shook his head inwardly. Xiaofan was not steady enough yet. Awakening two elements had gone to his head.

He could hardly blame him. Mo Fan had only just crossed over from the Science Plane and did not know the dangers of the wider magical world.

Unlike his old society, governed by law, the magical world let the powerful do almost anything they pleased. Ordinary people without backing were lambs to the slaughter.

The old Mo Fan had been much the same, but people grew up eventually.

Given time, Mo Xie believed he would become more mature and levelheaded.

Zhang Xiaohou recovered first and looked at Mo Fan with delight.

"Congratulations, Brother Fan! You awakened the strongest element, lightning. Doesn't that make you unbeatable?"

"Heh. It's mainly because my brother got me a Lightning Element Guiding Stone."

Mo Fan scratched his head and grinned smugly.

"Magic Awakening plus a Lightning Element Guiding Stone? How much must that have cost?"

Zhao Kunsan counted on trembling fingers, stunned.

"Not that much. I'm a big customer there, so they gave me a discount."

Mo Xie smiled modestly.

He was not lying. It really had not cost him much by his standards, and he would earn the money back anyway.

"Even with a discount, that's a lot! It's an astronomical sum to us!"

Zhang Xiaohou stared at him. The price of Magic Awakening alone was beyond what an ordinary family could afford.

"Congratulations."

Mu Bai said nothing more than those two words.

Of course he wished Mo Fan well for awakening the Lightning Element. They were friends; there was nothing to resent.

But if he claimed he was not envious, he would be lying.

Valuable resources like Awakening Stones were generally controlled by schools, the military, and the Magic Association.

Great families rarely bought Awakening Stones, partly because they were expensive and partly because they were scarce.

So those families did not focus on Magic Awakening. They provided their younger members with cultivation resources instead.

That was why their children awakened at schools or the Magic Association rather than within their own families.

And the Bocheng Mu Family was only a tiny branch of the main family.

Even direct descendants fought over cultivation resources. What right did Mu Bai, a branch descendant, have to ask for an early Magic Awakening?

Great families would never agree to it. A student who got into a magic high school received one free chance to awaken, so why waste money doing it early?

Besides, early Magic Awakening carried potential risks. If it were harmless, why did mages wait until they entered magic high school at sixteen to study magic, rather than starting at fourteen, twelve, or even younger?

Their predecessors had reached that conclusion step by step. It was not without reason.

Two months early, however, should not be much of a problem.

Two extra months of cultivation would already put someone ahead of the pack!

Only Mo Xie, a financially independent older brother who doted on his younger brother, would spend so much to help Mo Fan awaken magic.

In truth... Mu Bai sometimes envied Mo Fan for having a brother who cared so much about him.

His own father had died early. He and his mother had only each other, though he also had an uncle who looked after him.

He had once had an older sister, too, but a Swiss couple had adopted her when they were very young. They had not been in touch since.

His sister had been close to Mo Xie. What Mu Bai remembered most clearly was something she had once said.

I want little Xie to be my future husband!

Mu Bai glanced at Mo Xie, who had nearly become his brother-in-law, and found himself smiling.

"I wonder what element I'll awaken?"

Zhang Xiaohou rested his chin in his hand.

"Want to find out? I can help."

Mo Xie smiled at Zhang Xiaohou's dazed expression, then looked around at the others.

"If you want, I can help you awaken early."

"Y-you mean it?!"

Zhang Xiaohou stared at Mo Xie in disbelief. Zhao Kunsan's mouth fell open, and Mu Bai sat frozen too.

"Well? Have you made up your minds?"

Mo Xie tapped a fingertip on the table, watching the three very different expressions with interest.

Conflicted, Mu Bai finally shook his head.

"Forget it. I have nothing of equal value to offer in exchange. But thank you."

"Yeah, Brother Xie. One Magic Awakening costs too much."

Mo Xie lowered his head and considered it for a moment before speaking again.

"How about this? Just owe me a favor. You can repay me once you're strong enough. What do you say?"

No one spoke. Silence settled over the table.

"All right. I accept!"

Mu Bai gritted his teeth and broke the silence first. He raised his head, his expression solemn.

"I, Mu Bai, owe you this favor. I'll repay it someday!"

He did not want to live at someone else's mercy. He wanted to make something of himself, to give his mother a good life, to... be worthy of standing beside Mo Xie.

"In that case, Brother Xie, thank you!"

Zhang Xiaohou dropped his playful grin and spoke just as earnestly.

"Right, me too. I don't know what'll happen in the future, but if I can't repay you with my strength, I'll repay you with my life."

Mo Xie looked at Zhao Kunsan in surprise. It was the first time he had heard him say anything like that.

"All right, then. To a bright future—cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Five glasses clinked together, ringing with the promise of a future to come.