NOVEL WEB Chapter 1: Chapter 1:The Monster's Birth
The Storm Begins
Rain poured heavily on the Luo Clan's ancestral compound. Thunder roared, shaking the wooden roofs, and lightning lit up the night sky like angry white veins. Inside the main hall, the clan elders huddled around a flickering oil lamp, their faces tense.
Madam Li, the clan patriarch's wife, screamed in pain as she labored to give birth. The midwives wiped sweat from their brows, whispering nervously. "Something's wrong… the baby won't come out!"
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The Cursed Child
After hours of struggle, the baby was born. But the moment the midwives saw him, they gasped and dropped him onto the blood-stained sheets.
The Baby's Appearance:
His face was twisted, one eye larger than the other.
His arms and legs bent at odd angles, like broken twigs.
Purple scars covered his tiny body, glowing faintly under the lantern light.
"A monster!" one midwife cried, backing away. "This child is cursed!"
The Elders' Decision:
The clan's head elder, Elder Mo, sneered. "This creature will bring disaster! Throw him into the forest!"
But Madam Li, weak and trembling, begged, "Let him live… please."
Elder Mo compromised. "He'll stay in the old storage hut. No one is to speak his name."
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The Abandoned Hut
The baby was carried to a small, rotting hut on the edge of the clan's territory. The roof leaked, and the floor was covered in mouse droppings. A kind old servant, Granny Wen, volunteered to care for him.
First Moments:
Granny Wen cleaned the baby with a torn cloth, humming a lullaby.
She noticed his eyes—though one was misshapen, they sparkled with life.
"You're not a monster," she whispered. "You're just… different."
The Amulet's Secret:
While sweeping the hut, Granny Wen found a black jade amulet under a loose floorboard. It was cold to the touch, but when she placed it near the baby, it glowed faintly, like a distant star.
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The Naming
The clan refused to give the child a proper name. The servants called him "Luòguǐ" (落鬼)—Fallen Ghost.
But Granny Wen secretly named him Luo Feng (洛风), meaning Wind of the Luo River. "Like the wind, you'll rise above this," she whispered, rocking him to sleep.
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The First Night
As the storm raged outside, Luo Feng wailed in hunger. Granny Wen had no milk, so she fed him goat's milk stolen from the clan's stable.
The Amulet Reacts:
When Luo Feng's tears fell on the amulet, its glow brightened. Symbols carved into the jade pulsed like a heartbeat:
A serpent coiled around a mountain.
A star bleeding black ink.
Granny Wen hid the amulet under his blanket. "Sleep, child," she said. "Your journey has only begun."
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Elder Mo's Warning
At dawn, Elder Mo visited the hut. He threw a sack of moldy rice at Granny Wen's feet. "Keep that thing alive," he spat. "But if it causes trouble, I'll drown it myself."
Granny Wen's Promise:
After he left, she held Luo Feng tightly. "I'll protect you… even if the world hates you."
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Foreshadowing
As the storm faded, the amulet's glow dimmed. But deep in the forest, a golden serpent slithered through the shadows, its eyes fixed on the Luo Clan.