dark descendent lurking fate

1. The Request

Inside the quiet, incense-laced chamber of the Lin Family Pill House, Ash sat calmly across from Lin Yue, while Qi Rong paced nearby.

Jars of rare herbs lined the walls, golden-inked manuals sat sealed behind glass cases, and the scent of lotus root and spiritual grass filled the air.

Lin Yue sipped her tea slowly, still unsure what to make of the strange boy sitting across from her.

> "So," she finally said, "what exactly are you looking for?"

Ash didn't hesitate.

> "I need a high-grade medicinal elixir. Something that recovers internal spiritual flow—preferably one that nourishes spiritual energy and stabilizes core turbulence."

Lin Yue blinked.

> "That… isn't something we give to wandering cultivators lightly."

Ash reached into his storage pouch, and from within, he pulled a long, black velvet cloth. He placed it gently on the table between them and, with one motion, unrolled it.

Inside rested a blade.

It gleamed under the lamplight with a strange, layered luster—dark crimson veins running through near-black metal, its edge humming softly with contained power.

Lin Yue leaned forward instinctively.

Qi Rong gasped.

> "W-What… what kind of sword is this?"

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2. The Ghost Forger's Work

Lin Yue's breath caught in her throat.

She didn't even dare touch the blade.

> "This isn't a mortal forge," she whispered. "This… this metal—what is it? Spirit-tempered obsidian? No… even higher. These vein lines… did a beast spirit get embedded during forging?"

Ash said nothing.

He simply let the weapon speak for itself.

Qi Rong reached forward slowly, then jerked her hand back as her fingers tingled.

> "It feels like it's alive!"

Ash nodded once.

> "It was made by someone… you could say, beyond this realm."

He chose his words carefully. Shen Mu's warnings echoed in his mind. No one must know that the forging spirit Vulcan lived and worked within him.

> "I'll offer this sword in exchange for the elixir. That should be more than fair."

Lin Yue still stared.

> "Fair? This weapon could fetch a fortune at an imperial auction! My grandfather would kill to study the forging pattern alone!"

> "Then?" Ash pressed.

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3. Hesitation and Temptation

Lin Yue hesitated. Something didn't feel right. This boy—young, clearly skilled, walking with a beast tamer girl from the woods—and yet, here he was, offering a blade that shouldn't even exist in their world.

> "This sword... it's not stolen, is it?" she asked quietly.

Ash's eyes turned sharp.

> "I forged it."

That lie was smooth. Untraceable. But it struck true.

Qi Rong looked at him in disbelief.

> "Wait, you forged this? You're a blacksmith too?! What aren't you!?"

Ash ignored her.

> "Will you take the deal?"

Lin Yue bit her lip. The sword was too tempting. The material alone could fund research for a year. If her grandfather studied it, it could raise their Pill House's status to a major sect branch.

> "Yes," she finally said. "We have something that should work. But you'll need to let my grandfather see the sword after the exchange."

Ash frowned.

> "You can show him. But don't speak of it to anyone else."

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4. Behind the Curtain

Qi Rong followed Ash into a side room after the deal was done.

> "Ash…" she said hesitantly, "you can trust me, right?"

He looked at her, expression unreadable.

> "I hope I can."

> "Then please tell me—what exactly are you? You've got strength, you've got spirit beasts, you're a forger, and now you have this wind throne thing. Are you from a hidden realm?"

Ash looked away.

> "Something like that."

> "Then why come here?"

Ash's voice dropped, quieter than before.

> "Because coming here… was never my choice."

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