The Calm Before the Storm
Scene One — Moonlit Stillness
The moon hung low over Azure Cloud City, its silver halo spilling across rooftops like woven silk. The Lin residence was quiet tonight — almost unnaturally so — as if every tile and stone sensed a coming change in fate.
Inside his secluded courtyard, beneath the age-old plum tree that had witnessed three generations of the Lin bloodline, Lin Xian sat cross-legged. His breaths rose and fell in disciplined rhythms, each exhale stirring faint ripples in the night air.
Shadowbane rested on the ground beside him, its obsidian blade pulsing with a subtle glow. The sword seemed to breathe with him, resonating gently as if newly awakened.
A thin layer of mist wrapped around him, faintly crackling with the remnants of Void Qi. That same qi had been devoured, tamed, and woven into his Heaven-Slaughter Nirvana Scripture — a volatile force subdued beneath iron will.
Lin Xian opened his eyes. Their depth had changed again — colder, yet alive, like a star burning in darkness.
"The fusion is complete," he murmured.
"This power… stable, yet waiting. As if it knows a storm is coming."
Before he could sink deeper into thought—
"Brother Xian~! You're hiding here again!"
The voice was bright, warm, and full of life.
He turned.
A slender girl sprinted across the courtyard, her long black hair tied into lively ponytails that bounced like small bells with each step. At twelve years old, Lin Xue'er carried the innocence of childhood and the earnestness of someone who believed her brother could carry the sky itself.
Before he could respond, she barreled into his arms.
"Brother! You didn't come for dinner again! Father said you're becoming a hermit!"
Lin Xian chuckled softly, flicking her forehead.
"A hermit who keeps the clan alive, perhaps."
She puffed her cheeks dramatically. "Excuses!"
Her glare only lasted two seconds before dissolving into a bright grin as she spotted the small golden shadow perched on his shoulder.
"Xiao Jin! Come here!"
The kitten leapt straight into her arms, purring loudly, tail flicking like a proud banner.
"See, Brother? He likes me better!"
"He likes whoever feeds him spirit snacks," Lin Xian replied dryly.
"Lies! Xiao Jin says I'm his favorite!"
The kitten meowed as if endorsing this shameless claim.
Lin Xian sighed, lips twitching. "Traitor."
Xue'er giggled — a sound so pure the plum blossoms trembled faintly, dropping petals over them like slow snow.
But her joy faded slightly as she looked up at him.
"Brother… will you stay safe? Father said the Zhao Clan has been acting strange."
For a moment, the courtyard shifted — warmth stolen by wind.
Lin Xian placed a hand gently atop her head.
"Don't worry. As long as I stand, no one touches our family."
She studied his face, then nodded seriously.
"Good! I made soup for you. You can't cultivate on empty energy!"
Lin Xian finally smiled fully — a rare sight.
"Then I'll eat it all."
"Promise!"
She ran toward the kitchen, Xiao Jin trotting beside her like a miniature golden guardian deity.
When the courtyard fell quiet again, Lin Xian raised his gaze toward the moon.
"Peace never lasts long," he murmured.
"But for her sake… I'll hold it as long as I can."
The wind rustled the plum blossoms gently, as if whispering its fragile agreement.
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Scene Two — Shadows Over Azurecloud (Zhao Clan Manor)
The Zhao Clan manor towered above the city like a throne carved from shadow. Red lanterns flickered along the eaves, casting trembling crimson light across the courtyard.
Inside the grand hall, tension clung to every pillar like suffocating smoke.
Zhao Qingtian, Patriarch of the Zhao Clan, slammed his palm onto the stone table. Cracks webbed outward instantly, dust spilling like sand from a shattered hourglass.
His expression was twisted with fury.
"My nephew is dead?! A squad of Spirit Foundation cultivators wiped out by a brat from a declining clan?!"
The hall trembled with his rising qi. Elders lowered their heads, fearful even of breathing too loudly.
Finally, a thin, trembling elder stepped forward.
"Patriarch… our scouts confirmed it. Lin Xian returned unharmed. The squad you sent— none lived."
Zhao Qingtian's jaw clenched. "Useless trash! A mere boy—"
Another elder, older and far more composed, cleared his throat.
"Patriarch, striking directly risks the city lord's interference. But there are… quieter methods."
Zhao Qingtian's eyes narrowed to slits. "Speak."
"The Lin Clan's trade routes. Their pill business. Their contracts with the academy and noble houses. If we strangle them economically—"
A younger elder smirked, finishing the thought.
"—their alchemy collapses, their partners flee, and their reputation rots."
The hall hummed with dark approval.
Zhao Qingtian slowly rose from his seat, his aura sweeping across the room like a storm.
"Break their contracts. Corrupt their shipments. Ruin their name. Spread rumors that their pills are contaminated."
Murmurs rippled.
"And Lin Xian…"
His eyes gleamed with murderous satisfaction.
"Bring him to me alive. When the Lin Clan crumbles, I want that boy kneeling before me—broken."
Lightning cracked outside, briefly illuminating his vicious smile.
"Azurecloud belongs to the Zhao. It's time the Lin remember their place."
The hall responded as one:
"Yes, Patriarch!"
The Silent Watcher
In the shadows behind the hall's tall pillars, a pair of calm eyes watched everything.
A quiet figure dressed in gray robes — neither elder nor servant — stood without breath or presence. Even the flickering lanterns ignored him.
He listened to every word, but his gaze wasn't on Zhao Qingtian.
It was on the window, on the direction of the Lin residence.
"That kitten… that aura… you fools have no idea what you're provoking."
A faint golden symbol flickered in his pupils — his aura identical to Xiao Jin's
"If the Chosen One awakens further…"
His expression darkened.
"…the Zhao Clan won't just fall. Azurecloud City will be erased without a trace."
He vanished without a sound.
Only the echo of his whisper lingered, unheard by mortal ears:
"Do not touch the boy. Do not touch the beast. Or this world will burn."