"Did you hear…"
"About what?"
"The man who lives on the peak of Wei Mountain…"
"Isn't that place cursed?"
The old man shakes his head.
"It's not the place that's cursed... it's the man... He—"
An old lady rushes in, shushing the man, her eyes widened, hands shaking.
"Don't speak his name or you'll curse us all! Haven't you heard? The entire Yin clan burned down from his mere presence. They say he was dissatisfied with their food..."
"I heard he was kicked out from his own clan for practicing demonic cultivation... he even tried to summon the great dragon!"
The old man spoke up once again, this time looking more mad than frightened.
"That damned dragon, what's his name? Shen Yuan? Hadn't he abandoned us to fend for ourselves in that cursed war! We might as well get him off our history books."
As the old man's words were spoken, a robe of deep black adorned with gold embroidery caught the group's eye. It was him. The man who lives on the peak of Wei Mountain. Hei Yue.
"What was it that you were talking about?" His grey eyes sharpening, the warning in his voice clear.
"A-Ah…Hei-gongzi… We were just… speculating."
"Hm… Is that so? Well then, I suppose since it's just speculation," he paused, glaring at the man, "all is well."
They all breathed a sigh of relief.
"Say, where's the closest market? I need traveling goods."
"Just down the main road, turn right at the tea shop," the old lady replied hastily, pointing with trembling fingers. "You'll find Chen's Market there; they have everything a traveler might need."
Hei Yue nodded curtly, his dark robes billowing as he turned away from the group. The villagers watched his retreating figure with bated breath, only daring to move once he was well out of sight.
"That was close," whispered the old man, wiping sweat from his brow. "Too close."
The old lady clutched her chest, her heart still racing. "Did you see his eyes? Like storm clouds before a tempest. We're fortunate he didn't take offense to your loose tongue about the dragon."
"I heard from my cousin in the next village," a young man chimed in, lowering his voice, "that Hei Yue hasn't left Wei Mountain in three years. If he's seeking traveling supplies now..."
The group fell silent, each lost in their own dark thoughts about what could drive such a feared cultivator from his isolation. Whatever the reason, they all silently prayed it wouldn't bring trouble to their humble village.
As if echoing their concerns, a cold wind swept through the street, causing the lanterns to flicker ominously.
---
Hei Yue blinked, momentarily blinded by the rays of sunlight streaming in through the bedroom window early in the morning. He groaned, sitting up. "Good morning, world, thanks for letting me sleep in." He sighed, annoyance lacing his voice, rubbing his eyes to adjust.
A small, quiet voice sounded from where Hei Yue remembers his door is. "Ge…? Time to get up…"
"Coming, Yin-er, calm down." He sighed, getting up from bed and getting dressed into some travelling clothes. It was his turn to go foraging in the forest near the base of Wei Mountain. He opened the door to see his little sister, Hei Yin, standing there. He gently ruffled her hair, smiling down at her petite figure. "Look at you, being a big girl and waking Gege up. Thanks, Yin-er." She preened under his attention, never regretting an opportunity to make her brother proud.
After breakfast, Hei Yue made his way to the mountain, waving goodbye to his mother, who called after him, "Be safe! May the grace and the protection of the dragons be with you!" and his sister, who added, "Bring back lots of food!"
Ah yes, the dragons, the protectors of the land. Those magical beasts had saved them from peril countless times in the past and were now worshiped as gods. Other clans found it odd, the way the Hei Clan didn't worship the Buddha or follow Taoism. But the dragons gave them strength, courage, and protection.
In the mountain, Hei Yue found lots of mushrooms, some wild vegetables, a few berries, and some pretty flowers, all of which he would bring back to his family later on in the day. As he foraged, Hei Yue came across a small patch of lily of the valley flowers in peak bloom. The small, blue, dew-ordained flowers shone in the sunlight. These will make a good offering, Hei Yue thought to himself. The Hei clan and all those who lived in the vicinity worshipped the dragons, offering a great yield of their crop, their finest, purest livestock, and most notably, white and blue flowers.
---
Hei Yue began his descent from the mountain when he spotted smoke rising in the sky where his clan — his home — should be. Greatly weighed down by the full harvest basket on his back, Hei Yue ran down the mountain, hoping he was simply hallucinating. He was not. His face drained of all color as he saw the entire settlement ablaze, far too few people standing outside.
Ash and embers burned the bottoms of his feet, his eyes watering from the smoke and his lungs ablaze. Hei Yue had long since dropped his hat and harvesting basket, running inside his burning home, hoping — praying — to find someone, anyone, alive. As his lean, slim body slammed against every door, Hei Yue heard an ear-peircing scream, the voice all too familiar.
"YIN-ER?!"
He broke into the family room, but by then, the scream had gone quiet. On the floor, unconscious and burning, a small child-like body lay covered in blisters and partially hidden by a blaze of fire.
Hei Yue froze. He couldn't move. He wanted to run to her, to hold her in his arms and whisper soft assurances to her as though calming one of her nightmares. But he couldn't.
After the attack on the Hei clan settlement, Hei Yue bore witness to two things.
One, the cursing of the dragons. Enraged at their lack of support, the villagers burnt all remaining symbols of the dragons. They had failed to show up — to protect the lost.
Two, the mass vigil held for his family and all other families who were destroyed or had lost others in the blaze. Next to his sister's picture, Hei Yue placed the lily he had collected that day, withered and dull in color, as he held in his tears.
---
Deep in his heart, guilt pooled, the tide rushing like a typhoon. Despite being taken in by the Jiangs, Hei Yue held a deep resentment for the dragons in his heart.
How could they? They left us all — they left Yin-er — to burn!
Alongside his studies with the Jiang clan, Hei Yue continued to pray to the dragons — to Shen Yuan, their leader — for answers. His prayers went unanswered for far too long. Eventually, with nowhere else to turn, Hei Yue took up demonic cultivation in hopes of forcing the dragons to atone for their neglect of their most reverent worshipers.
One night, under the cover of darkness, Hei Yue snuck out into the woods, a small bag with lily flowers, purified water, and three candles slung over his shoulder. He plucked the petals of the lily flowers, arranging them in a circle, placing the three candles in the center, and pouring a small ring of water around them. He stepped back, concentrating the dark qi that now flowed through his meridians and in his core and directing a small flow into the water that was seeping into the grass, chanting softly.
"Hail, great spirit, waters deep, Guardian where secrets sleep, Ripple, current, wave, and tide, Hear our call, now arise!
Scales of azure gleam and glow; eyes of jade, fierce winds blow. Whispers ride the river's song, Summon you, come swift, come strong.
Tides awaken, storms reply, Wings unfold, soar the sky. Ancient one, heed our plea, In your presence, we shall be."
Silence echoed through the night. Hei Yue had failed. He groaned in defeat, turning around to begin collecting his things. A small boy, no older than ten years old, was watching him. Hei Yue's heart dropped to his stomach.
---
Hei Yue paced back and forth in front of the Jiang residence headroom. Shit- Shit- Shit! Let's hope they'll be merciful….
The events that occurred in the headroom were a blur, but at the end of the day, Hei Yue was banished to Wei Mountain, exiled to live on the peak of said mountain for the rest of his life. Years of solitude passed, Hei Yue fighting off madness and fury — not only at the Jiang clan but also at Shen Yuan in specific — and one day, he had finally had enough. As he prepared to leave the mountain, his demonic spirit raven — named Kuro, as it meant "dark," black"—brought some interesting news.
"A dragon had been spotted in the lower realm of heaven! Squawk! It has been banished to the mortal realm! Master should look! Look!" Kuro's raspy voice blared in Hei Yue's ear. "Shhhhh! Quiet, Kuro! What did we say about screaming in my ear…?" Hei Yue said, wincing at his companion's volume. The raven hung its head in shame, landing gracefully on Hei Yue's shoulder. "I swear… One of these days you're going to make me go deaf."
Despite his annoyance at his silly raven, Hei Yue couldn't help but ponder the news it brought. A dragon banished to the human realm? he thought. Maybe they'll be able to help me get to Shen Yuan! With this new goal in mind, Hei Yue set off for the village, intent on preparing himself for his travels.
End of Chapter 2