Chapter 3: Blood in the Moonlight
The forest surrounding the Dawnriver Kingdom was a realm of eternal shadows, its gnarled trees clawing at the moonlit sky like skeletal claws. The air was thick with damp earth and the scent of death, the mist coiling like a serpent, muffling all but the faint pulse of qi. Lin Xuan moved through the underbrush, his sixteen-year-old frame deceptively frail, his jet-black hair clinging to his sweat-soaked brow. His almond-shaped eyes, tinged with a crimson glint from Mo Tianyin's soul, scanned the darkness. At the 1st Layer of Qi Gathering, his senses were sharp, his body thrumming with power honed by centuries of cunning.
He sought herbs to bolster his cultivation, but his instincts screamed of danger. The Zhi Clan, a 3rd-rate rival, hunted Liu Yue and her family, driven by greed for the Scriptures of Severed Unity. Lin Xuan's heart—tainted by the boy's emotions—burned with rage at the thought of Liu Yue's tearful eyes. Sentiment, he thought, shoving it aside, yet his grip on the jade hairpin tightened.
In a moonlit clearing, three Zhi Clan disciples harassed a girl with auburn hair, their cultivation at the 1st to 3rd Layer of Qi Gathering. The leader, a lanky youth with a pockmarked face, leered. "Run, little rabbit. Liu Yue's next—our young master will break her."
Lin Xuan's blood boiled, the boy's emotions fueling Mo Tianyin's fury. He stepped into the clearing, his presence chilling the air. The disciples froze, eyes widening at the bloodstained servant boy.
"Who's this?" the leader sneered, drawing a spirit blade. "A Qi Gathering brat?"
Lin Xuan's smile was predatory. "You talk too much." He lunged, Tooth Dagger manifesting jagged bio-energy blades from his knuckles, their serrated edges gleaming. The first disciple's blade rose, but Lin Xuan's fist tore through his chest, blood spraying as the blades caused relentless bleeding. The others roared, their qi erupting in fire and wind. Lin Xuan countered with Celestial Glide, dodging a flaming axe with fluid grace. His Iron Body Art—a demonic technique—hardened his skin, mitigating a grazing blow. He struck, shattering a disciple's ribs with Tooth Dagger.
His Demonic Devouring Art drained the fallen disciple's qi, pushing Lin Xuan to the 2nd Layer of Qi Gathering. The third disciple's wind qi blade slashed, but Lin Xuan wove through it, his Tooth Dagger tearing the man's shoulder. The leader summoned a fiery tiger claw, scorching the ground. Lin Xuan gritted his teeth, burns singeing his robes, but Energy Devour siphoned the leader's qi, weakening the attack. A final Tooth Dagger strike pierced the leader's heart.
"Liu Yue… won't escape…" the leader gasped, collapsing.
Lin Xuan crouched, eyes cold. "You shouldn't have said her name." He devoured the qi, stabilizing his cultivation. The auburn-haired girl stared, awestruck. "Who are you?"
"No one you need to know," he said, vanishing into the woods. He gathered Spirit Bone Grass and Moonshade Root, returning to the inn. In his room, he ignited a silver-blue flame, its radiance hidden, refining the herbs into a glowing blue pill. He reserved it for Liu Yang, his mind on the Zhi Clan's next move.
Danger loomed. The Zhi Clan sent Black Talon, a 6th Layer Qi Transformation assassin. Lin Xuan sensed his deathly qi, leading him to the Mist Forest to protect Liu Yue and her family.