Veil of the Hidden Flame
737 Words
Not far from To Dou Village lies a hidden realm known as the Crescent Moon World. Invisible to ordinary eyes even those in Heaven Ascension Phase cannot sense it. It cannot be accessed by just anyone. Only those who receive an invitation may enter, while those who dwell within it can pass in and out freely. In the world, echoes of a voice lingered in the empty room.
"Yue Ling… Yue Ling…"
Grandfather Yue’s voice echoed through the empty room, but the girl was nowhere to be found. His heart, ever so gentle, skipped a beat as his eyes narrowed in confusion. He turned to Butler San, who stood stiffly, avoiding his gaze.
“Where is Ling’er?” Grandfather Yue asked, his voice thick with worry.
But Butler San remained silent, his face flushed with shame. He had been tricked. Yue Ling had disappeared under the guise of feeding the spiritual pigs.
“Since when did she start feeding the pigs?!” Grandfather Yue bellowed, fury breaking through his usually composed demeanor. His eyes flared with a sudden heat. “Find her. Now!”
Butler San nodded quickly, though his expression betrayed guilt. The master knew, as well as anyone, where Yue Ling would go when upset. She always went to the cliff—the only place where she could sit alone, brooding over her inability to cultivate like the others.
Far beyond the hidden world, in a quiet village, the air shifted. The villagers felt it before they saw her.
“The ugly duckling is here.”
“The useless one is here again.”
The whispers echoed in the streets, and the warning spread like wildfire. Stalls were quickly shut. Dangerous tools hidden away. Faces were turned, not wanting to meet the girl who had become a living curse to the village.
Yue Ling, ever mischievous, had once again slipped out, this time disguised as a boy. Her sharp wit, her knack for causing trouble—these were her companions. And she roamed the village with the confidence of someone who could not be touched.
But this time, someone had tipped off the villagers. They had grown tired of her antics. Tired of her defiance. And so, they set a trap.
She was sitting in a corner, her mind swirling with schemes, when it happened.
A cold, disgusting splash. The sharp stench of urine soaked through her robes. She sprang to her feet, eyes blazing, her body moving on instinct.
The boy who’d thrown the bowl ran, but Yue Ling was faster. Fury fueled her, pushing her to chase him down.
But it was a trap.
They were waiting for her.
The village men surrounded her. They beat her mercilessly, mockingly calling her names. Yue Ling fought back, every blow pushing her into a frenzy, but it wasn’t enough. They overpowered her.
Her vision blurred. Her body ached, and then... nothing.
Blood pooled beneath her, her once-strong body broken on the dirt. Unbeknownst to the assailants, they had spilled her blood in the very place where an ancient power had slumbered for millennia.
The meadow trembled.
Then—
Crack!
A small ring, buried deep in the earth, awakened. The ancient artifact trembled, its voice echoing in the silence.
"What? This... this is my master?" it cried, its voice full of disbelief. "A non-cultivator? Am I fated to die unfulfilled with such a useless master?"
It wailed, its power flickering as if in despair.
But then... power.
An immense force, rising like a tidal wave, approached. It was Grandfather Yue.
The ring trembled, recognizing the mighty presence. Without hesitation, it shrank, transformed, and attached itself to Yue Ling’s ear, disguising itself as a simple earring.
Grandfather Yue found her, broken and bloodied. His heart twisted with grief and fury. His gaze, usually calm, now burned with an emotion too raw to contain. He lifted her gently into his arms, cradling her as though she were fragile glass. His lips parted, but no words came.
For a long moment, he said nothing. He simply waited.
Back in the hidden world, he tended to her wounds himself, his hands steady as they moved over her broken body. His love for her was evident in every touch, even though he said nothing.
The weight of the moment hung between them.
The ring, now bound to Yue Ling’s ear, was silent, watching with growing unease. The cycle had begun again.
- Writer
