A Song For The Ages

The wind was soft that morning, whispering down the mountain paths as Feiyin, Ruan Lianhua, and Baiyu made their way back toward the capital. Baiyu, coiled loosely around Feiyin's shoulders, flicked her tongue and hissed softly every few paces, her crystalline scales catching slivers of dawn light. Ruan walked beside them in silence, her posture relaxed but guarded, her twin daggers sheathed at her back.

Feiyin glanced at her with a faint smile. "You're awfully quiet."

"I speak when I have something to say," she replied, her tone as flat as ever.

He chuckled. "So it seems. But you chose to follow me now. That makes us allies. I'd like to know more about the people beside me."

Her red eyes slid toward him, studying his profile. She said nothing for a moment. Then: "What do you want to know?"

"Anything, really. Likes, dislikes. Favorite food, whether or not you sleep with one eye open," he teased gently.

"Dried meat," she said. "And yes. I do."

Feiyin raised a brow. "To the first, or the second?"

"Both."

Baiyu gave a soft hiss that Feiyin interpreted through his oscillation sense as amusement.

He laughed. "You and Baiyu might get along. She doesn't talk either, but she's very expressive."

Ruan looked at the white serpent and tilted her head slightly. "She's loyal."

"She is," Feiyin said. "Been with me through a lot. But she also gets annoyed when I leave her alone too long. Isn't that right, girl?"

Baiyu gently but pointedly flicked her tail across his cheek, and Ruan gave what might have been the ghost of a smile.

For a while, they walked in companionable silence, the kind only forged after conflict and trust. When the mountain road split, Ruan came to a stop.

"My mission is in the opposite direction," she said.

Feiyin nodded. "Be careful."

She met his gaze directly. "I always am."

"Still," he said, "don't forget what we talked about. Your path is yours now. No one else's."

She said nothing, but her nod was slower this time. More thoughtful.

Then she turned and walked away.

Feiyin watched her vanish into the trees before turning back toward the capital with Baiyu.

--

The city was bustling upon his return. Xu's administration was busy adjusting to their new status under the Red Lotus Mercenaries' protection, and Feiyin walked unnoticed through the streets cloaked in the same low-level aura he used to conceal his true strength. After reporting on his mission and handing over the jade slip containing the mine's map, he left and headed to the estate granted to him. Once inside, he left Baiyu to sleep under the sunlight by the window of his bedroom and made his way directly to his refining chamber.

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He placed his saber on the worktable. The weapon had served him well, it was his companion through countless battles. Now, it deserved more. With the knowledge gleaned from the alchemy jade slip within the ruins, particularly the section on high-grade weapon refinement, Feiyin had carefully prepared a process to reforge it properly, preserving its essence while elevating its potential.

He activated the forging array beneath the anvil. Pillars of subdued sigils pulsed to life, the glow matching the brown and gold streaks flowing within his essence qi. His three nexuses spun with refined harmony, channeling both Earth and Metal elemental essence qi.

Earth stabilized the process. Each movement carried weight and serene control, grounding the volatile forging energy and keeping his own posture anchored like a boulder in a storm. Metal, by contrast, surged like a living current, flowing with precision, sharpness, and edge. Its affinity honed every stroke into a scalpel of transformation.

As he lifted the saber, his fingers brushed its surface. Metal remembered. It responded to him, vibrating softly. This wasn't mere steel anymore. It was an artifact bound to its wielder by shared will.

Feiyin closed his eyes.

His spiritual sense unfolded like a net, mapping every thread of impurity and structural stress within the blade's lattice, some of it lingering from the brutal pressure and heat of his recent battles in the trial ruins. His oscillation sense tuned itself to the metal's innate frequency, tracking the resonance across each segment with precision. His touch, now enhanced by Earth and Metal-infused qi, felt even the subtlest ridges, temperature shifts, and structural shifts, as if the saber whispered its needs directly into his palms.

He began.

The hammer rose and fell. Each impact was guided by elemental intent, Earth reinforcing the inner matrix with unmatched durability, Metal carving pathways of balance and lethal elegance. Sparks flew, absorbed by the blade as it glowed with internal light.

With every breath, Feiyin refined it. He worked with silence and purpose, pouring in his Saber Intent, shaped by both patience and edge. It was a dance of stone and steel, grounded but unrelenting.

Bit by bit, the blade transformed. Ridges became seamless arcs. Its density increased, heavy yet balanced, like a hidden mountain waiting to move. The edge gleamed silver-white, lined with lethal clarity, no longer just sharp, but precise beyond comprehension.

Baiyu, resting near the wall, observed with tranquil interest. Her crystalline scales shimmered with the reflections of both forge-flame and essence light, silent witness to her companion's craft.

Feiyin exhaled slowly. The final layer of energy locked into place. He raised the reforged saber and turned it in his hand.

It was no longer the same weapon.

It resonated with the gravity of Earth and the sharpness of Metal, both guided by the clarity of his own will.

To test it, he stepped back and performed a slow serie of movements across the wooden floor of his quarters. Each motion was fluid, grounded. When he swung the saber, the wind whistled, no, sang, through the air. There was no need for excess flourish. The weapon answered to him like a living extension of thought and body.

He smiled faintly.

After sheathing the blade, he stepped out into the city to breathe, leaving Baiyu to sleep. The streets where he was, near the center of the city, were alive with music, vendors, and dancing children. Colorful streamers fluttered between buildings and incense from reputed shops.

It was an effort by Xu's officers, he realized, to keep the people calm and reaffirm the new order. It was working. The crowd was cheerful, hopeful.

Feiyin wandered quietly, observing woodcarvers, incense-makers, and even a few minor cultivators showing off charms and parlor tricks. His eyes lingered on a row of hand-carved flutes, then on a woman painting blossoms onto paper fans. He passed stalls offering fragrant tea blends, handmade trinkets, and carved pendants said to carry minor blessings. One stand even displayed spirit beast plush toys, stitched with care and humor.

And then, his thoughts drifted, to his companions back in the sect, Ren, Yue, and Mu. The three who had shared danger, training, and laughter with him. They would soon turn fifteen, stepping into adulthood by the customs of the world. It was a milestone, one he could not ignore.

He wasn't sure when he would be able to return, but even so, the thought of preparing gifts for them took root in his mind.

They each deserved something meaningful. So he spent some time browsing through the wares displayed by merchants and wandering peddlers, taking note of things of interests while shelving some gift ideas that could be used. He didn't want to buy a present, but wanted to make something with his own hands, something meaningful.