The Weight of Weakness
The night bled into dawn.
A thin mist hung over the forest, heavy with the scent of iron and damp earth. Lin Xian trudged through the undergrowth, one hand pressed to his bleeding shoulder, the other clutching his cracked sword.
Each step was heavy, every breath ragged.
> Too slow. Too weak…
He looked down at his blade. Once smooth and silver, it was now chipped and dark with blood. One clash with Zhao Rui's greatsword had nearly shattered it.
> "This weapon can't even handle half my strength," he muttered bitterly. "And this body—" he clenched his fist, veins bulging— "still too fragile."
The golden kitten perched on his shoulder tilted its head, mewing softly, its round eyes filled with worry.
> "What? You think I'm complaining?" Lin Xian exhaled and gave a faint smile. "You eat, sleep, and look adorable, while I bleed for every breath of progress."
The kitten pawed at his cheek, meowing again — softer this time, like a plea.
> "Even you have more spirit than I do," he said, half amused, half weary.
---
The Forest Shelter
By nightfall, the rain had begun to fall — soft but unrelenting. Lin Xian found an abandoned hunter's hut nestled beneath a cliff. The roof was half-collapsed, yet the stone hearth still stood.
He set down his cracked sword and sank to the floor. The pain in his shoulder burned like fire.
The kitten, sensing his exhaustion, leapt from his shoulder and landed beside him. Its fur glowed faintly in the dim light, golden and warm.
> "Go on, rest," Lin Xian murmured, voice hoarse. "I'll… be fine."
But the little creature refused. It pressed itself against his chest, curling protectively around his wound. Threads of gentle warmth flowed from its body, faint and pure, weaving into his meridians like healing light.
Lin Xian blinked, momentarily stunned.
> "You're… protecting me?"
The kitten only gave a soft "mew," eyes narrowing in fierce determination.
Despite the pain, Lin Xian chuckled weakly.
> "So stubborn… you remind me of someone I once knew."
He paused.
His gaze drifted toward the flickering firelight — and in it, he saw a ghost from his past.
> "Wrath," he murmured softly.
Memories unfolded like fading embers — a boy kneeling under crimson skies, fists bloodied, eyes burning with defiance.
He remembered Wrath's voice echoing through the training hall:
> 'Master, I will surpass even your shadow — no matter how many times I bleed!'
A faint, bittersweet smile touched Lin Xian's lips.
> "He was reckless, loud, and utterly impossible to control. But when I fell… he stood alone against the heavens."
His hand brushed the kitten's back gently.
> "You have that same fire… that same unwillingness to yield."
The kitten purred softly, pressing closer. Its warmth deepened, surrounding Lin Xian's heart with a faint golden glow.
> "Perhaps the heavens left you here… to remind me not everything worth protecting has to be powerful."
The faint hum of rain blended with his quiet breathing. His vision blurred, drifting between wakefulness and sleep, the kitten's warmth steady against his heartbeat.
For the first time since his rebirth — he slept soundly.
Outside, the rain whispered across the forest floor while golden light pulsed faintly within the hut — a kitten guarding its wounded master through the long night.
---
The Morning After
When dawn broke, mist wreathed the trees once more. Lin Xian stirred awake, the pain duller but still deep. His clothes were stiff with dried blood, yet his pulse had stabilized.
The kitten stretched beside him, yawning loudly before climbing onto his lap.
> "You didn't sleep either, did you?" Lin Xian murmured.
The kitten meowed proudly, puffing its tiny chest as if to say, I guarded you all night.
He smiled faintly.
> "Then I owe you one, little monster."
---
At the Forest Spring
At a nearby spring, Lin Xian washed his wounds. Cold water stung torn flesh as ripples distorted his reflection — white hair, pale skin, and calm golden eyes glowing faintly in the light.
> "A Heavenly King brought this low…" he murmured. "If those six Zhao dogs were only scouts, the Lin Clan wouldn't last a day against their elders."
He clenched his bloodied fist.
> "I need power, spirit stones, herbs, and pills. Without resources, even skill is useless."
A vision of alien claws tearing through realms flashed before his eyes — echoes of the calamity that once destroyed everything he knew.
> "Otherwise… it'll all repeat."
---
By the Fire
Later that night, Lin Xian sat before a small flame in the ruined hut, crushing herbs with a stone bowl. The kitten curled beside him, golden fur glimmering faintly.
> "If only I had a proper cauldron," he muttered. "Knowledge without materials is dust."
He glanced at his cracked sword.
> "Even my weapon cries under my techniques. Spirit iron, celestial jade — all beyond reach."
The kitten yawned, then pressed its paw against his wounded hand, channeling a faint golden warmth that dulled the pain.
Lin Xian blinked, then chuckled softly.
> "So you can channel energy… Heh, perhaps you'll prove useful yet, little glutton."
The kitten meowed proudly, tail flicking with pride.
The night bled into dawn.
A thin mist hung over the forest, the faint scent of rain mixing with blood and damp earth.
Lin Xian sat cross-legged inside a small wooden hut he had found near the edge of a ruined village. His wounds had stopped bleeding, though his meridians still ached with every breath.
Beside him, Xiao Jin curled in a small ball, tail covering its nose, golden fur dimly glowing in the flicker of dying firelight.
Occasionally, the little creature's ears twitched at the slightest sound outside — watchful, guarding its injured master.
> "Even in sleep, you're more loyal than most humans," Lin Xian murmured softly.
The kitten opened one eye, gave a soft mrrp, and promptly went back to sleep.
A faint smile touched Lin Xian's lips.
He leaned against the cold wall, exhaustion creeping through his bones. His hand pressed lightly to his bandaged shoulder.
The wind outside howled once, and the night settled back into silence.
---
An Unexpected Knock
By the time the first light of dawn touched the forest, the drizzle had returned — soft and constant.
Then, a gentle knock echoed on the door.
Lin Xian's eyes snapped open. He sensed two presences — one weak, one flickering like a candle in the wind.
Xiao Jin stood instantly, fur bristling, tail sparking faint arcs of golden lightning.
> "Easy," Lin Xian said quietly. "If they meant harm, I'd already smell blood."
Moments later, a frail voice came through the rain.
> "Young man… forgive the intrusion. We mean no harm."
Lin Xian opened the door halfway — and paused.
An old man stood beneath the dripping eaves, supported by a girl who seemed too delicate for the storm.
---
She was like a painting brought to life — slender, poised, and almost ethereal against the gray morning mist. Her long black hair cascaded down like silk, bound loosely by a pale jade ribbon.
She wore a snow-white robe trimmed in faint silver thread, damp from the rain but still carrying an air of quiet grace.
A silver hairpin shaped like a crescent moon rested above her ear, gleaming faintly even in the dim light.
Her beauty was not ostentatious — it was quiet, serene, and otherworldly. Yet her eyes carried the calm of someone who had seen hardship far beyond her years.
She does not belong to the common crowd, Lin Xian thought.
Her bearing… not simple at all.
The old man beside her leaned heavily on a bamboo staff. Though his face was pale and drawn from sickness, there was grace in his movements — the composed dignity that only long years of cultivation could bring.
Even near collapse, his presence was gentle, steady — like a lamp that refused to flicker in the wind.
---
The First Words
The girl bowed lightly, her voice soft and clear as a bell.
> "Forgive our intrusion, senior. My grandfather is gravely ill. We have traveled through the night seeking help. No one in the nearby towns could heal him."
Lin Xian's gaze swept over the old man. His pupils narrowed faintly.
The black veins beneath the skin pulsed irregularly, spreading like ink through parchment. His qi was fragmented — tainted by something foreign.
He spoke before touching the man's wrist.
> "Your veins feel heavy, do they not? Pain deepens whenever you circulate qi. At night, your bones feel as though gnawed from within, and your breath turns cold."
The old man's eyes widened.
> "You— how did you know?"
Lin Xian's tone was calm, almost detached.
> "The faint dark mist under your nails, the cold air from your lungs, the dull flicker in your pupils — symptoms of corruption by void essence. Not poison, not curse. Something not of this world."
The girl's eyes widened in astonishment.
Even Xiao Jin tilted its head, tail twitching in approval, as if proud of its master.
> "You have keen eyes, young man," the old man said hoarsely. "Few could see through it at a glance."
Lin Xian gestured toward the fire.
> "Sit. If I don't examine your pulse soon, the corruption will spread to your heart."
---
As the two entered the small hut, the girl's eyes caught the sight of Xiao Jin — the golden kitten lounging arrogantly atop the table, tail flicking as if it owned the place.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
> "Ah! What a cute little creature! What's his name?"
Lin Xian blinked. For a moment, he froze.
He had fought beasts, ghosts, and men — yet never thought to name the small being that followed him everywhere.
He turned toward the kitten, who met his gaze with molten-gold eyes, unblinking, proud.
A faint, almost wistful smile tugged at Lin Xian's lips.
> ""Since you fell from the heavens with this golden fur… 'Little(Xiao) Gold(Jin)' is the only name that fits. I'll call you Xiao Jin."
The kitten meowed softly, chest puffing out as though approving the name.
The girl giggled, the sound like a bell through the quiet hut.
> "Xiao Jin? It suits him perfectly."
Lin Xian smirked faintly.
> "Arrogant and gluttonous — yes, it fits him well."
For a brief moment, the heavy tension melted away. Even the old man managed a small, weary smile before his body trembled again.
Xiao Jin leapt from the table and settled protectively beside Lin Xian's feet, eyes narrowing toward the sickly aura clinging to the old man.
---
The Examination
Lin Xian guided the old man to sit by the fire and then pressed two fingers gently against his wrist.
Instantly, a chill surged up his arm — biting, chaotic, filled with whispers.
Void essence.
His golden eyes glimmered faintly, the irises rippling like molten sun.
> "This energy… it devours both life and soul," he murmured.
"Where did you encounter such a curse?"
The old man's breathing grew ragged.
> "Near the edge of Blackveil Forest," he rasped. "A shadow without form struck me. Since then, this darkness grows stronger each night."
"Blackveil Forest…" Lin Xian's eyes narrowed. "So it begins again."
Xiao Jin growled softly, fur bristling, faint sparks crackling around its paws.
> "Can it be cured?" the girl asked, worry etched across her beautiful features.
Lin Xian withdrew his hand slowly. His expression remained calm, though his heart stirred. The corruption was ancient — far too refined for any ordinary encounter.
Still, he had faced worse.
> "I can suppress it temporarily," he said at last. "To cleanse it entirely will require rare materials — void-purging herbs, high-grade spirit stones, and a spirit essence catalyst. None of them cheap."
The girl bit her lip, anxiety flashing in her gaze. But the old man only nodded, serene despite his pain.
> "If you can save me, boy, I'll pay whatever you ask. Name your price."
Lin Xian folded his arms.
> "Then my request is simple — bring me spirit stones, golden lotus roots, or rare metal essence. With those, I can restore balance to your veins."
The old man regarded him for a long moment, then smiled faintly.
> "Agreed."
---
Night's Silence
Lin Xian nodded.
> "Rest now. I'll stabilize your qi for tonight."
He pressed his palm lightly against the old man's back.
A soft golden radiance rippled through the hut as Lin Xian's energy poured into him, forcing the void taint to retreat.
The old man gasped softly, relief flickering through his eyes for the first time in weeks.
> "Remarkable… your energy feels… unworldly," he murmured.
> "A remnant of what I once was," Lin Xian said quietly.
He turned toward the rain-beaten window, eyes distant.
For a moment, the fire's glow softened his pale face, and melancholy lingered in his golden gaze.
Xiao Jin nestled beside him, its golden fur shimmering like a small sun in the dark. The girl, silently watching, felt her heart stir — unable to decide if she stood before a youth or a being older than time itself.
Outside, the storm whispered through the forest.
And within that humble hut, one small flame continued to burn — stubborn, bright, and defiant against the night.