Whispers of the Jade Saber

Dawn in the Crimson Mirage Woods

The trees bled red.

Not with blood, but with the hue of their bark and leaves—twisting shades of crimson and orange that shimmered strangely with the rising sun. It was a place of illusion, known to cultivators as the Crimson Mirage Woods.

Even the wind whispered lies here.

Lin Feng walked cautiously beneath the forest canopy, the Jade Saber on his back glowing faintly—its warmth pulsing like a heartbeat, as if trying to warn him.

Beside him, Liang Yue moved in silence. Her wounds had healed enough to walk without strain, but she remained on edge. Her fingers brushed the handles of her twin blades every few steps.

"This place…" she murmured. "It's said to reflect your worst fears... and your deepest desires."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow. "So if a roasted chicken walks out of the mist, I should stab it?"

She didn't laugh.

"Not everything here can be cut through," she said. "Some illusions don't come from outside—they come from within."

---

The Mist Deepens

After an hour of travel, the air grew denser. Fog rolled in, wrapping around them like ghostly fingers. Lin Feng couldn't see more than ten paces ahead.

Suddenly—he was alone.

"Liang Yue?" he called.

No answer.

He turned. The path was gone. The trees unfamiliar.

Then—

A familiar voice, soft and warm:

> "Feng'er… is that you?"

He froze.

His mother's voice.

He turned to see her—young, dressed in the old traveling robes she used to wear, smiling the way she hadn't in years.

She reached out.

"Come home, son. The world doesn't need your fight."

His knees nearly buckled. He hadn't heard her voice in so long.

But something in her eyes…

Too perfect.

Too peaceful.

He gripped the jade saber.

"No," he whispered. "You're not her."

The illusion cracked like glass.

---

Liang Yue's Trial

Elsewhere in the forest, Liang Yue stood before a different vision.

She was kneeling in the Snow Lotus Courtyard, surrounded by her former clan.

Jian Su stood behind her, his fan bloody.

"You defied us," the elders said in unison. "You abandoned order. You let emotion guide your blade."

She looked down at her hands—and saw a child, burned and crying.

The girl from the village she had saved.

"You killed your brothers," Jian Su said, stepping forward. "For this?"

"No," she whispered. "I saved someone when no one else would."

The mirage sneered. "You broke your oath. For weakness."

Liang Yue stood slowly. "No. I broke my oath… for compassion. And I would do it again."

The illusion faded like snow in summer.

---

The Guardian Appears

The fog began to swirl, drawing inward.

From the center of the clearing emerged a creature of legend—The Seven-Tailed Flame Fox.

It stood tall as a horse, fur glistening like molten gold, eyes burning like embers. Seven tails flicked behind it, each shimmering with different-colored flame.

It stepped between Lin Feng and Liang Yue—now reunited—and spoke, not with a mouth, but with thought:

> "Two hearts have faced truth. One by blood, one by choice. The trial ends, but judgment begins."

Liang Yue bowed instinctively.

Lin Feng stared up, pulse steady. "Are you a spirit beast?"

> "I am the last guardian of the Ashen Scrolls, left by the Hidden Lineage to test the worthy. My fire sees all—past, pain, purpose."

It turned its gaze fully to Lin Feng.

> "You carry a weapon not meant for war, yet stained with death. What will you do when your blade demands more than justice—when it demands vengeance?"

Lin Feng stepped forward. "Then I'll tame it. Not the other way around."

The fox's eyes narrowed.

> "Even if it burns everything you love?"

"I'll burn only what must be burned."

A pause.

Then the fox nodded slowly.

> "Then you may face me. Survive—and the scrolls are yours."

---

Trial by Flame

The air around them ignited.

The fox leapt, a comet of fire and power. Lin Feng rolled aside, drawing the jade saber. It sang with heat, reacting not with fear—but recognition.

They clashed in a burst of crimson flame.

Each of the fox's seven tails struck like blades, each with different elemental fire: blue for frost, green for poison, white for soul burn.

Lin Feng moved with newfound grace—ducking, weaving, striking.

But he was still human.

Still too slow.

A tail struck him in the ribs. Pain exploded through his body.

Another came—until Liang Yue appeared beside him, blades intercepting the fox's tail in midair.

"This isn't your fight," Lin Feng gasped.

"It is now."

---

Bond Forged in Flame

Together, they fought—fire against fire. Ice techniques from their shared manual blending with Lin Feng's saber strikes.

The fox's movements slowed.

Its gaze changed—from predator to observer.

> "You do not fight as two, but as one."

It rose to its full height.

> "Enough."

A pulse of energy sent them sliding back—but not injured.

The fox sat, regal and calm.

> "The trial ends. You have passed."

A scroll appeared in midair, bound in silk and tied with golden flame-thread.

> "The Ashen Scroll of the Hidden Lineage. Use it well. Let it guide your fire… not fuel it."

With that, the fox shimmered—and vanished into sparks.

---

The Scroll's Gift

That night, back at their new camp, they opened the scroll.

Inside were techniques of unimaginable power—blending saber art with flame-channeling, emotion-forged strikes, and forms tied to one's deepest convictions.

Lin Feng could barely believe it.

"This… this is a path made for me."

Liang Yue leaned against a tree, smiling faintly.

"You've earned it."

He looked at her, gaze soft. "We did."

She met his eyes.

And in the firelight, something unspoken passed between them—something warm, and quiet, and undeniable.

---

End of Chapter 9