Lin Feng awoke to the scent of incense and the rhythmic sound of wind chimes. His body ached all over, and his vision blurred before sharpening again to the sight of wooden beams above him—his home. He blinked twice, slowly sitting up.
The jade saber rested beside him on a silk cloth, its green glow now dim, as if asleep.
"You're awake," came a deep voice.
Lin Feng turned and found his grandfather sitting at the table, pouring tea into two cups. His face was calm, but his eyes—usually warm and wise—now held a glint of something sharper. Not anger, but something Lin Feng couldn't name.
"I… What happened?" Lin Feng asked, his voice dry.
"I was hoping you would tell me," Lin Mu replied, placing the tea in front of him.
Lin Feng hesitated, then recounted everything—the smoke, the pendant's pulse, the shrine, the beast, and the saber that emerged from the jade. He told it all, watching his grandfather's expression remain unreadable.
When he finished, silence hung thick in the air.
Lin Mu stood slowly and walked to the wall, pulling down an old, locked chest. He opened it with a bronze key from around his neck and removed a bundle wrapped in black silk.
From within it, he pulled a scroll—old and frayed at the edges.
Unrolling it, he laid it on the table before Lin Feng. The scroll depicted a man in flowing robes wielding a jade saber, standing atop a sea of corpses. Above him, in ghostly ink, the words:
> "The Whispering Jade: Heir of the Hidden Line."
Lin Feng frowned. "Who is that?"
Lin Mu looked him in the eye. "That is your father."
The words hit Lin Feng like thunder.
He had long believed his parents were simple villagers, victims of a bandit attack—nothing more.
"My father was a cultivator?" he whispered.
"Not just any cultivator," Lin Mu said, voice heavy. "He was the last wielder of the Whispering Jade Saber. He belonged to a sect that no longer exists—The Hidden Lineage. A clan so old, it predates the Five Great Houses. They were guardians of ancient secrets, custodians of balance. Until they were destroyed."
"By who?" Lin Feng asked, breath shallow.
Lin Mu's eyes darkened. "By those who feared them. The Five Great Sects. The Hidden Line's final stand ended in blood. Only a few escaped. Your father… and your mother."
He took a long breath, then added, "They sealed the saber into that pendant to keep it from being found. You were just a child. I fled with you to this valley, far from the eyes of the martial world."
Lin Feng stared at the saber. "But… why did it awaken now?"
"Because," Lin Mu said, "something has stirred the old powers again. The spirit beast that attacked you—it was drawn to the saber's energy. There will be others. Worse. Now that the seal is broken, they will come."
Lin Feng's heart pounded. The quiet valley that had been his entire world suddenly felt small—like a bubble that had just burst.
"I don't understand," he said. "I couldn't even gather qi yesterday. I couldn't cultivate. Everyone says I'm—"
"—rootless?" Lin Mu interrupted. "Yes. I told them that. I told you that."
Lin Feng blinked. "But why?"
His grandfather sat down slowly, looking more tired than ever.
"Because if you had awakened your qi early, the saber might've surfaced before you were ready. And if anyone in the martial world sensed it, they would've killed you without hesitation. The saber's return threatens balance. You were safer being weak."
Lin Feng felt like the floor was falling away beneath him.
"So all this time… you've been hiding who I am."
"I was protecting who you are," Lin Mu corrected. "But the time for hiding is over."
---
That night, Lin Feng sat alone under the plum tree in their yard. The moon was high, and the jade saber lay across his knees. It no longer glowed, but it pulsed faintly—like a heartbeat.
He traced his fingers along its smooth edge, sensing the cold silence beneath its jade surface.
A weapon of legacy.
A key to a ruined past.
Suddenly, the saber hummed softly.
A voice echoed in his mind—not his grandfather's, not his own. Deeper. Older.
> "Your blood remembers. You are not rootless. You are rooted in fire and memory."
Lin Feng gasped, dropping the saber. The hum ceased.
He wasn't imagining it. The saber spoke.
But before he could process it, a sudden gust of wind blew through the trees. The scent of incense vanished, replaced by something bitter—burnt iron.
And then came the sound of footsteps. Soft, deliberate.
Lin Feng turned toward the gate—and found a man standing there. Cloaked in grey, face hidden by a wide hat, only his mouth visible beneath the shadow of the brim.
"Beautiful night," the man said, voice like silk over steel. "Shame that it must end in death."
Lin Feng backed away. "Who are you?"
The man took a step forward. "I am a Seeker of the Sky Lotus Sect. My duty is to erase all remnants of the Hidden Lineage. Including you."
Lin Feng gripped the saber instinctively.
The man chuckled. "Still untrained. Still weak. This will be quick."
He raised his palm—and a surge of blue qi roared forth like a tidal wave.
But before it could reach Lin Feng, a flash of steel cut through the air. The wave dispersed with a howl of wind, scattering dust into the trees.
Standing between them now was Lin Mu, sword drawn, eyes glowing with golden qi.
"You dare come here?" the old man growled.
The Seeker chuckled. "So the old dog still has bite. But can you still protect him?"
Without warning, the man leapt forward, his sleeves billowing as sharp tendrils of qi burst from his fingertips. Lin Mu met him with a fierce strike, and the two clashed in a blur of movement—one like wind, the other like a mountain.
Lin Feng could barely follow their movements. Trees cracked, stones split, and the sky seemed to ripple with each blow. It was the first time he'd ever seen true cultivators fight.
And it was terrifying.
But then—Lin Mu staggered.
A slash of blue light struck his side, and he fell to one knee.
"Grandfather!" Lin Feng shouted.
The Seeker turned toward him. "Your turn."
As the man raised his palm again, Lin Feng stepped in front of his fallen grandfather, gripping the jade saber tightly.
"I won't let you hurt him!"
The Seeker smiled. "Then die with him."
He struck.
The world slowed.
Lin Feng closed his eyes and slashed with everything he had.
The saber sang.
A shockwave of jade energy burst from the blade, meeting the Seeker's attack midair and shattering it. The force sent the man flying backward, crashing into the stone wall with a crunch. He slumped, stunned.
Lin Feng panted, the saber glowing brightly in his hands.
The Seeker looked up, blood on his lips. His eyes narrowed.
"…You awakened it already? No… It's too soon."
Then, with a flash of blue light, he vanished—leaving only the scorched imprint of his feet in the earth.
---
Lin Mu groaned softly.
Lin Feng rushed to his side, lowering the old man gently. "You're hurt."
Lin Mu chuckled weakly. "Only my pride."
They both laughed, though Lin Feng's voice trembled.
"I… I used the saber. I stopped him."
Lin Mu placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've taken your first step."
"But he said others will come."
"They will. That's why you must leave this valley."
Lin Feng's face froze. "What?"
"You must find the ruins of the Hidden Lineage," Lin Mu said. "Seek the Vault of Whispers. Only there can you learn to control the saber's full power."
He reached into his robe and handed Lin Feng a scroll—sealed with red wax and marked with an old sigil.
"This will guide you. But go quickly. By dawn, more will come."
Lin Feng nodded, tears stinging his eyes.
"I don't want to leave you," he whispered.
"I've protected you long enough," Lin Mu said. "Now it's your turn to walk the path."
And so, with the jade saber on his back and the scroll clutched tightly in his hand, Lin Feng looked one last time at the valley that had been his home.
Then he turned and walked into the night.
---
End of Chapter 2.