Morning mist coiled around the Azure Wind Peaks, softening the jagged cliffs into shapes of pale ghosts. The Feng estate stirred with life—maids sweeping courtyards, guards sharpening spears, disciples reciting sword mantras. Yet beneath the bustle, unease lingered. The crimson moon's omen had never been forgotten by those who lived within these walls.
Feng Li, Patriarch of the Feng family, sat in his hall upon a seat of sandalwood carved with phoenix wings. His brows were furrowed, his tea untouched. He had been restless since dawn, as though his warrior's instincts whispered of oncoming storm.
That storm arrived before noon.
A voice like a blade cut through the gatekeepers' shouts: "Announce me. I bear the will of the Lin Clan."
Gasps rippled through the courtyard.
The guards dropped to one knee, their faces ashen. No one dared block the figure who strode across the polished stone. He wore robes of deep sable, embroidered with a dragon coiling around a blood-red sun. His hair was tied high with a black clasp, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. Demonic Qi rolled from him in suffocating waves.
The Lin Clan.
The name alone could silence a city.
Feng Li rose to meet the man at the threshold of the hall. "The Feng family has not invited a guest from the Demon World," he said coldly. "What business do you bring here, emissary?"
The man bowed faintly, a gesture of courtesy that felt more like mockery. "I am Lin Qingxuan, humble envoy of the Sixth Realm. I come by the will of the Demon Sovereign himself."
At the mention of that name, servants nearby trembled. Even Feng Li's hand twitched near his sword. The Demon Sovereign of Ten Thousand Tribulations—Lin Fei's father. His very breath could topple sects.
Qingxuan's smile was thin. "Four years ago, the heavens bled crimson. Such an omen cannot be mistaken. The Sovereign believes a child of extraordinary bone was born that night… in this household."
Feng Li's eyes hardened. "You accuse too freely, Envoy. My son was born ordinary."
"Ordinary?" Qingxuan's laughter echoed like steel on stone. His gaze swept the manor, burning with demonic light. It slid across courtyards, tore through walls, pried into shadows. Servants collapsed to their knees, their souls quivering beneath the weight of his sight.
In the inner chamber, Lin Fei clutched her son tightly. "Do not fear," she whispered, though her own lips were pale. "Mother will protect you."
Xieyun, seated calmly in her arms, felt the gaze pierce toward him. For a breath, it was as though his soul hung suspended in the envoy's grasp, stripped bare. His Dao Bone pulsed in alarm, ready to flare.
Then the System's voice rang coldly in his mind:
> [Warning: Host is under scrutiny.]
[Concealment Protocol — Engaged.]
A veil of silence wrapped around him. His aura folded inward, his crimson spark dimmed until he was nothing more than a drowsy child. The envoy's gaze passed over him—hesitating for an instant, but finding nothing.
Lin Qingxuan's brow furrowed. "Strange…" He turned back to Feng Li. "Your halls echo with hidden power, Patriarch. Do not mistake secrecy for safety."
Feng Li's hand tightened on his sword. "And do not mistake my patience for weakness, Envoy. The Feng family stands beneath the heavens, not beneath your clan."
The tension thickened like a drawn bowstring. One wrong word, and blood would stain the jade floors.
At last, Qingxuan chuckled. "Very well. Perhaps I was mistaken." He bowed once, too deeply for sincerity. "But remember—blood calls to blood. If the child exists, the Sovereign will find him. Sooner or later, all secrets return to the clan."
He turned and strode from the hall, leaving silence in his wake.
---
But the storm did not end with his departure.
That night, as moonlight spilled through the pine branches, Feng Li and Lin Fei argued in hushed voices within the inner chamber.
"He knows," Lin Fei said, her voice shaking. "Perhaps not with proof, but he suspects."
Feng Li's expression was grim. "Then we hide deeper. Until Xieyun can protect himself, he must be unseen."
Lin Fei's hands trembled around her son. "And if the clan comes for him? My father will not show mercy."
Feng Li's gaze softened, only for a moment. He reached out, brushing her hand. "Then we will defy fate together."
Unseen in his mother's arms, Xieyun listened in silence. His child's face betrayed nothing, but his thoughts were sharper than any blade.
They fear. They prepare to shield me. But I will not hide forever.
As his parents' voices faded, the System stirred again:
> [DING — Emergency Sub-Quest Triggered.]
[Task: Establish First Mask.]
[Objective: Convince at least three observers that you are a harmless, ordinary child.]
[Failure: Concealment weakened. Detection risk increased.]
Xieyun's lips curved faintly. A child's smile, but tinged with something far older.
He would not only hide. He would deceive. He would weave masks so perfect that even gods and demons would be blinded.
---
The next morning brought a twist neither he nor his parents expected.
While the estate still whispered about the envoy's visit, a new guest arrived—this one not clad in demonic robes, but the azure silks of a sect from the human realm.
The Azure Heaven Pavilion.
Their elder, a silver-haired man with calm eyes, announced: "We have come to recruit promising youths. Though your son is young, Patriarch Feng, fate often favors early roots. Allow him to join the Pavilion for training, and he may yet bring honor to your house."
Feng Li froze. Send his son away? When the Lin Clan already prowled like wolves?
But before he could refuse, Lin Fei spoke softly. "Perhaps… perhaps this is safety. In the Pavilion's shadow, even the Lin Clan would hesitate to move."
Feng Li looked down at Xieyun. The boy's gaze was steady, his small face unreadable. For an instant, he swore he saw something unnatural flicker in those eyes—wisdom far older than five years.
And Feng Xieyun, within his heart, heard the System whisper:
> [New Quest: Enter Azure Heaven Pavilion.]
[Reward: Demon Scripture, Hidden Chapter Fragment.]
He lowered his head, hiding his smile.
The Lin Clan sought to claim him. His parents sought to shield him. The Pavilion sought to recruit him.
But none knew the truth—that behind the mask of a child, he had already begun his ascent.
And in ascent, there is no mercy.