Chapter 1: Prologue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1: Prologue
It was a night the moonlight spilled across the river in a gentle arc.
A man knocked on the gates of the manor.
With his long ears and beautiful face, his appearance seemed to transcend the mortal realm. He offered to provide medical treatment in exchange for a single night’s lodging, and the gatekeeper, unnerved by his mysterious features and the scent of fresh grass that clung to him, dared not treat him with disrespect.
The master of the manor happened to have a newborn son. Hoping to have the child’s pulse examined, he welcomed the long-eared man inside.
Holding the infant and looking down at him intently, the man spoke.
“He will not live to see twenty. It is the nature of his constitution.”
“You mean he will die young? His mother died giving birth to him. Is he truly cursed by heaven?”
At the manor master’s words, the man’s brows furrowed as if he had heard something utterly vile.
“Is that a question for a physician? I don’t care how ignorant a country bumpkin you are…”
“Then what is his condition?” the manor master asked, clearing his throat.
“So you do have a father’s heart after all. His condition is similar to the Nine Yin Severed Pulse. In all my life, I have never seen anyone whose Baihui Point—the Hundred Meetings—was so wide open. The lid of his head is completely open, so to speak.”
“I thought the Nine Yin Severed Pulse was fatal because the meridians hardened.”
“So you’re not entirely ignorant. But this child will die because the acupoint at the crown of his head is far too open. It’s a condition people commonly call ‘ascension.’”
“Feathered Ascension? You can’t be serious. Isn’t that when a Taoist master of profound cultivation departs for the Immortal Realm?”
“You actually believe such nonsense?”
Stroking one of his long ears, the man began to explain.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a select few supreme masters utilize the Upper Dantian in their heads. They become intoxicated by the sheer energy of nature pouring down from the heavens, only to find themselves unable to withstand it. Crossing the Sanzu River as a result—that is the true meaning of Feathered Ascension. The stories you’ve heard are nothing but twisted myths.”
“It seems he truly has been cursed by heaven.”
“What a narrow-minded fool. And you call yourself a father…”
The man clicked his tongue, his brow furrowed in distaste. The manor master leaped to his feet, pointing an angry finger at him.
“I’ve heard enough! You carry yourself like a man of the martial world, but what is your standing? Even if you are one of the Brightfolk, your insolence is unbearable!”
“Standing? You dare question my standing? If your grandfather’s grandfather stood before me, he would still—!”
The man, still mid-insult, was promptly thrown out. Their conversation never made it past the manor walls.
* * *
“Had he been raised among the Heterodox Sects, he would have become the Heavenly Demon. Had he grown up in Shaolin, their 72 Supreme Arts would have doubled in number. Yet, born as an unloved child in a desolate place like this, he is destined to die young in some forgotten corner of the countryside with no hope of survival.”
Shaking his head, the man went on his way.
“Unless, of course, he figures it out on his own…”