Jian Zhi was intercepted by Lian on his path to find Scribe Wén. "Your Majesty, today is the designated day for your training session with me," Lian requested with humble formality. Jian Zhi took a moment to deliberate, murmuring quietly to himself, "I shall speak with him upon my return." Having solidified his decision, he nodded in agreement and instructed Lian to lead the way.
Meanwhile, Scribe Wén arrived at the village where his daughter had once made her home. He was scouring for any clue that could lead him to apprehend and punish the murderer of his daughter's family. He questioned the villagers about his daughter and her husband, but no one seemed to recall them. After countless futile attempts, one individual finally remarked, "[Hmmm] Wait… Lín Wèi and Shàn Xìn (善信)? I believe I have heard those names before." Scribe Wén's face began to bloom with the first genuine hope of uncovering a lead, and he invested his complete attention in the man's every word.
The man continued, "Ah, now I remember! I heard about that particular couple from Granny Wēn (温婆婆 - Wēn Pópo). She is the eldest resident in this area, and she is the one who holds the knowledge of all the births and deaths within this village. You may find what you are searching for with her." Scribe Wén felt a surge of hope for finding the killer after this encounter. He thanked the man profusely and proceeded toward Granny Wēn's house. After a brief walk, crossing two narrow streets, he arrived at her dwelling. The house was simple yet humble and comfortable, also functioning as a clinic for pregnancies. He stepped inside with a heart full of hope and eyes burning with newfound clarity.
He found Granny Wēn resting upon her bed. Assisted by her caregiver, she slowly raised herself and sat up to receive him. Scribe Wén introduced himself formally, "I am Lín Wén, father of Lín Wèi. I have come to inquire about any details you may know concerning her." Granny Wēn opened her mouth slowly to reply, her voice frail with age, "A-A-Ah… So you are her father? [She offered a gentle smile.] Hearing her name after all this time fills me with a profound nostalgia. She was someone I could never possibly forget." Scribe Wén sat down, ready to absorb every word of her story.
She continued, "She was the wife of that young man… he was inherently kind and invaluable to everyone in this village, a hard worker who eventually flourished into a successful businessman and your son-in-law. Shàn Xìn, was it? When he was preparing to marry her, he was practically jumping for joy around the village; we could always see him smiling and blushing uncontrollably merely at the sound of her name. [She chuckled softly, Hahaha]" Scribe Wén tried to reconstruct those joyful scenes in his mind, understanding just how deeply the man had loved his daughter.
She went on, "She was so exceptionally beautiful that every woman in this village would talk about her incessantly, every single time they saw her. He took such devoted care of her, and their home was perpetually filled with an overwhelming atmosphere of love and the resonant sound of shared laughter. [She sighed deeply.] But alas, it did not last for a long time." Scribe Wén's expression began to darken with foreboding.
"She gave birth to the curse," Granny Wēn stated gravely. "That child was born on the night of the Lunar New Year, a night utterly devoid of its moon. Even though he missed the auspicious New Year's birth by only a few minutes, he was born on that moonless night. And he brought a profound darkness into that couple's life. The house, once saturated with smiles and laughter, soon became haunted by her desperate cries and agonized screams. Shàn Xìn became severely addicted to alcohol and gambling, losing his entire fortune and all his prospects."
Scribe Wén insisted her to tell him more about the child. She replied, "[A heavy sigh..] That boy was the very first male child born in the entire Province of Cursed Earth (厄土省 - è Tǔ Shěng) for several years. He remains the only male child to have been born in the last twenty-five years. Lín Wèi was so tragically stubborn; she kept that little devil with her even as her life was actively crumbling around her. She always protected her son and cherished him unconditionally. But that kid was a pure example of the apple not falling far from the tree. He was just like her, and he would often protect his mother from his own drunken father. She clung to the belief that her husband would change one day and stubbornly stayed with him, enduring the suffering until that hopeful day would arrive. But they were eventually forced to move to a house near that devil's mountain after losing their home. I heard a rumor that someone witnessed her house being set ablaze and saw a single silhouette escaping swiftly toward the mountain. [She began shredding tears] I.. I truly wish she had been saved that fateful night… and I wish her husband had never started working with Jiǔ Tù."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Scribe Wén meticulously noted down every detail from her poignant confession and stood up to offer a deep, respectful bow. "Thank you for your invaluable assistance. With this information, I will undoubtedly find that bastard and deliver him to justice." She offered him a frail, departing smile in reply, placing her trust in a father's boundless love and unwavering determination before settling back to rest.
In the meantime, within Captain Zhào's quarters, he was meditating with a desperate intensity, striving to re-enter his Xīnyù and uncover the truth behind his sister's death. The space around him shifted violently, and he heard the cold, commanding voice of The Rooster. "Why have you returned here? Have you discovered the answer, Mr. Chicken?" He opened his eyes slowly, his face an iron mask of pure determination, and replied, "I am here to fight back and locate the truth I previously overlooked. I beg you, grant me permission to re-experience that memory and contest it." He knelt, genuinely begging for his guardian's consent.
"You do not require my permission to access that part of your memory; you only require my guidance. Follow me now." The Rooster guided him back to the heart of his traumatic memory. He entered the scene once more, but this time he was dead-focused on identifying his sister's killer. He scrutinized the silhouette that had set the fire, the one who started the horrific pyre. He tried to pursue the figure, but it vanished into the woods of the devil's mountain. From that vantage point, he looked back at the raging pyre and whispered, "I hope you are all Resting In Peace, sis, along with your beautiful family. [A warm, sorrowful smile touched his lips]"
[Rooster]: "It seems you are truly no joke when you are dead serious. Now, look at your hand."
Captain Zhào obeyed his guardian's command and unclenched his fist. There, levitating just above his palm, was a crystal born directly from the embers of his memory—from the very pyre of his sister's family.
[Rooster]: "That is the Cinder of Righteous Fury (义怒余烬). With its formation, your soul has finally achieved its elemental balance."
The entire landscape began to tremble and shake violently, and he fainted from the overwhelming spiritual exertion. When he awoke, he found himself in the depths of an unfamiliar forest.
[Rooster]: "Do not look upon this as a new place. It is the direct result of your elemental balance. Your trauma has become the fire you always lacked, and the regrets of your past have become the fuel for the Righteous Fury that will now propel you forward."
He demanded, "I do not care about any of those things. Just answer me directly. Who is the killer?"
[Rooster]: "Agh? You idiotic brat, you prove yourself a fool even after such a revelation? Go and find the killer yourself, but only after you have dealt with that big guy over there."
He was profoundly unsatisfied with the Rooster's evasive answer and looked crestfallen. Slowly, he began to hear the low, menacing growl of a powerful predator. A massive Grey Wolf started to howl, then launched itself directly at him. He managed to block its razor-sharp claws in the very nick of time.
[Grey Wolf]: "Not bad at all. Let us see if you are truly worthy of me."
Captain Zhào wondered with intense focus how he would possibly manage to tame his Soul Beast while maintaining extreme caution against the dire consequences of failure.
