Spirit Beast Companion

Chapter 7 — Spirit Dawn Ring

The sun dipped low, nearly vanishing beneath the horizon, painting the sky over Zhou City in shades of orange and red. Mulan walked home looking more disheveled than usual, her clothes damp and faintly musty from her fall into the dishwater basin, yet a bright smile graced her small face.

In her small hand, she carried a strip of Dried Pork Strips... a consolation prize from Big Brother Zhang, who took pity on her after hearing the story of her "Mad Dog" heroics.

Even though she had faced a bad day... seeing a real Spirit Warrior hunting a criminal was still the most exciting experience of her life. And now... she had something delicious to take back and make a nourishing soup for Grandfather and Grandmother. This alone was enough to make the young girl forget all the bad things.

She hummed happily as she turned onto the final dirt path leading straight to her house... but then... her song suddenly caught in her throat.

The smile on her face froze...

The sight before her eyes made her heart drop to her stomach.

The small vegetable garden that Grandmother loved so dearly... was now trampled flat against the earth. The Chinese cabbage and spring onions she had watered every day were snapped and ruined. Part of the low wooden fence had collapsed, and the front door, which should have been closed, stood wide open as if it had been kicked in...

"Grandfather! Grandmother!"

Her voice was hoarse and trembling. The Dried Pork Strips in her hand fell to the ground without her even realizing it. Her small feet raced as fast as they could into the house.

And the sight inside... made her whole world crumble even further...

Every single item in the house was scattered across the floor. The rice jar was shattered into pieces, the white rice mixed with dirt and dust. Old clothes had been completely ransacked from their chests. The bowls and dishes once neatly arranged lay in shards... The house that was once a warm shelter was now no different from a place hit by a storm.

In a corner of the house... Grandfather and Grandmother sat huddled together on the cold wooden floor. Both were trembling, their eyes staring blankly ahead. They didn't cry... but the silence and that broken look in their eyes... was more painful to witness than a thousand tears.

"Grandfather... Grandmother..." Mulan knelt before them, the tears she had been desperately holding back finally bursting forth. "What happened? Are you both alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

She hurriedly inspected both their bodies in a panic. Seeing no external wounds, she felt a small sense of relief before flinging herself into a tight embrace with them.

Grandfather slowly raised a wrinkled hand to gently stroke his granddaughter's head. "Grandfather... and Grandmother are alright, my dear... we are safe."

"Then... then why is our house..." She couldn't continue speaking, her sobs cutting her words short.

"The Constables... they were chasing a thief... they thought the thief was hiding here..." Grandfather recounted in a weary voice. "...so they... searched our house."

Hearing only this... Mulan understood everything immediately.

Images of the group of Constables and the Night Thief she had seen that afternoon flashed back into her head... The house that thief had run past... was her own home...

The sadness... the shock... remained... yet there wasn't a trace of resentment mixed in. She slowly wiped away her tears with hesitation before pushing herself up to stand, a different look in her eyes... one filled with determination and resolve.

"It is alright... it is alright," she spoke to comfort them both with a smile through her tears. "It is just a few things damaged. No one was hurt... let us consider the misfortune gone now."

She helped Grandfather and Grandmother up to rest in the corner of the room that looked the tidiest. "Both of you are unwell. You must take your medicine... I will go find some rice to eat with the medicine right away. Please sit and wait for me here."

With that, the young girl set to work immediately. She wasted no more time lamenting. She quickly surveyed the damage, sweeping up the shattered shards of bowls to throw away, and rummaged for a clay pot that was still in good condition. Fortunately, the medicine pot and medicine pouches were not destroyed. She quickly lit the stove, boiled the medicine, and cooked the rice remaining at the bottom of the jar with practiced skill.

She fed the medicine and rice to Grandfather and Grandmother with patience and gentleness until both fell asleep from exhaustion.

When the caretaking was finished... the restoration work began...

Under the moonlight streaming through the door, Mulan began to tidy up and put the scattered belongings back in their place, one by one... piece by piece... she folded the discarded clothes neatly... arranged the surviving dishes on the shelf... and swept up the spilled rice mixed with the dirt...

She worked in silence, though deep down her heart still grieved at the sight of the damage before her... yet in her mind, she kept reflecting...

'It is alright...' she told herself while trying to set the fallen water jar back in its place. 'The Constables... they were just doing their duty... the thief might have hidden stolen goods... they have to search... to catch bad people so they cannot hurt anyone else... it is just our own house that was unlucky... being in their way...'

She walked out to the front garden... looking at the mangled vegetable plants with sorrowful eyes before slowly kneeling down... gently propping up the ones that still had hope to stand upright again... slowly scooping soil to cover their roots...

'It is alright... we can plant them again tomorrow... everything will return to the way it was...'

The little girl worked tirelessly to repair her small world that had just crumbled... with a strong heart full of understanding... without knowing that this "misfortune" had left a certain "seed" of destiny... already hidden within her home...

After working hard nearly all night, the small house finally returned to a state that could be called a home once more. Although many things were broken and damaged, cleanliness and order had been restored by Mulan's two small hands.

The dawn of another day arrived. Mulan woke up with a weary body but immediately hurried to tend to Grandfather and Grandmother first. Seeing that both were still asleep, she intended to quickly gather firewood, boil water, and prepare hot rice porridge to wait for them.

She walked to the dark and damp wood-storage shed behind the house... the place where the Night Thief had hidden yesterday... She didn't think much of it, other than to quickly grab some firewood so she could hurry back inside.

As she was pulling dry logs from the large pile of firewood, her hand touched something soft and different from the coarse texture of the wood... it was a cloth bundle!

Mulan frowned with suspicion. 'What kind of cloth bundle is in the firewood pile?'

Out of curiosity, she pulled the bundle out. It was fine black silk slightly stained with dirt. Upon unfolding the cloth, she found a square wooden box more beautiful than any she had ever seen. The box was made of dark wood polished to a high sheen, intricately carved with Flowing Cloud Pattern... it was something that should never have been in her poor home.

Her little heart raced... the innocent young girl hurriedly opened the lid of the box in excitement.

And what was inside... made her eyes widen in awe.

A silver ring lay quietly atop bright red velvet. The ring was engraved with ancient patterns she had never seen and did not recognize. It looked ancient yet bore no trace of tarnish whatsoever, shimmering with a smooth silver luster under the streaming morning light.

Mulan had heard Master Chen tell stories of "Spiritual Raiment" before. They were equipment for those with Spiritual Power that could enhance their abilities. It was said they could be purchased at large armament shops in the capital, or if one were lucky, found in a mysterious place called the "Spirit Cycle Gate."

But she didn't think this ring was any such magical item... to her, it was just a ring that was... very beautiful... the most beautiful she had ever seen.

In her innocence, Mulan picked up the ring and tried it on the index finger of her left hand. Of course, it was much too large and loose... but then... a strange event occurred!

She felt a cold chill surge from the ring before it miraculously shrank! Its size grew smaller and smaller... until it fit her small finger perfectly!

"Eh!?" Mulan exclaimed in shock.

And in the next second, she felt a sharp pain beneath her finger! As if a small needle had pierced her!

She quickly pulled her hand back to look and saw a droplet of bright red blood welling up from beneath the finger wearing the ring... but even more strangely... that blood drop didn't fall to the ground... instead, it was completely "absorbed" back into that silver ring!

And then, suddenly...!

A voice appeared... not a sound from the outside... but a voice echoing "inside her head"! It was a powerful voice... ancient... and grand... like the voice of a mountain speaking...

"Spiritual Raiment: Spirit Dawn Ring... Bloodline Contract sealing successful."

"Usage Condition: Only for those with Spiritual Power who have not yet formed a Contract with their first Spirit Beast."

"Special Property: When the wearer encounters their first Spirit Beast... the ring will awaken its power... upgrading that Spirit Beast's bloodline attributes to 'Ancient Grade'."

"Mission: Seek out an Ancient Spirit Beast... and perform Soul Binding."

Mulan was frozen in shock! 'A voice! Whose voice is in my head!'

She shook her head violently in fear. "Go away! Get out!" She tried to pull the ring off her finger... but when she looked down...

Her finger was empty... the ring had vanished!

"Eh? Where did it go..." She turned her hand over in confusion, but found not a single trace of the ring. Only a small scratch on her finger remained as evidence that what just happened was not a dream.

'Bloodline attributes... Ancient... Soul Binding...' The strange words she didn't understand continued to echo in her head.

'I... I must be too tired... my eyes must be playing tricks on me...'

Cough, cough, cough...

The sound of Grandfather's coughing drifting from the house immediately snapped Mulan back to reality.

'Ah, that's right! I must hurry and boil the medicine for Grandfather!'

The young girl shook off her confusion. Setting aside the strange event that had just occurred, she grabbed a few logs of firewood and rushed back inside. The health of Grandfather and Grandmother was far more important than any nonsense she might have imagined...

In a corner of the shadows within the Eastern Wilds, the Night Thief 'Faceless Shadow' had stolen the 'Spirit Dawn Ring' from the treasure hall of a great clan. He knew well that this was a precious item kept under the strictest guard. But when he tried to wear it... the ring had no reaction whatsoever... because he already had a partner Spirit Beast, thus lacking the requirements for use... But what he did not know was... by choosing to hide this precious treasure in that house... he had unknowingly bestowed a grand destiny upon a young girl who possessed every required qualification..