It Starts with Nothing
The most fortunate thing that could have happened in this journey is if it had never started at all.
Xū was running. His feet splashed through the rain-soaked ground. The storm overhead howled like a wild beast, and the world seemed to blur around him with every step. He didn’t dare look back—he knew they were close.
The rain made everything slippery, turning the dirt path beneath him into slick mud. His footing slipped and before he could catch himself, he fell face-first into the ground with a wet thud. A sharp pain shot through his head—he’d hit a rock.
Groaning, Xū clutched his head and pushed himself up, his hands covered in mud. He shook his head to clear the dizziness, then glanced around. His eyes caught sight of an ancient tree nearby. Its thick, gnarled roots seemed to crawl out of the earth, offering some cover. Without wasting time, he scrambled behind it, pressing his back against the rough bark.
Dripping wet, Xū wiped the mud off his face and glanced around. The rain continued to pour, making it difficult to see or hear clearly. His heart pounded in his chest. "Can't we just... talk about this?" he called out to the air.
Before he could even finish the sentence, a volley of arrows whistled through the air, heading straight toward him. Xū's eyes widened, and he dove to the side just in time, feeling the wind of the arrows as they struck the tree where his head had been a second ago. The arrows sunk deep into the bark, quivering.
He pulled himself up, brushing the mud off his clothes, and glared into the trees. "Come on, at least fight me head-on!" he shouted, but no sooner had the words left his mouth than something shot out from the shadows.
A spear.
Xū barely saw it coming, instinct taking over as he sidestepped. The spear slammed into the great tree he had taken cover behind, splitting it down the middle. The sheer force caused the massive trunk to crack and shudder. He stood frozen for a moment, watching as the tree groaned and fell, splitting in two halves.
"You know what? Let's just not face that head-on," Xū muttered, his eyes darting to the spear-wielding figure stepping out from the trees. He turned and started running again, his legs burning from the effort, but he didn’t stop. He could hear the tree crashing behind him and knew he’d be next if he slowed down even for a moment.
The rain kept pouring, and the chase wasn’t over yet.
He ran through the rain for what felt like hours, though time was a blur in his panic. His breath was ragged, and his legs burned from the relentless sprint. Just when he thought he couldn't keep going any longer, something appeared through the heavy downpour—a wall. A tall one, stretching far beyond what his eyes could see in the rain. Was it part of a castle? A fortress? He didn’t care. He had to get over it.
He sprinted toward the wall, jumping and scrambling up its wet surface, the slickness of the rain making it harder than he expected. After a few slips and curses, he managed to haul himself over the top and drop to the other side. He landed in a crouch, wincing slightly at the impact, but his eyes widened as he looked around.
What he saw was breathtaking.
A garden, more beautiful than anything Xū had ever seen in his life. Despite the storm, the flowers bloomed in vibrant colors, and the trees were sculpted into majestic shapes. It was the kind of place he’d only ever heard of in tales. The kind of garden wise scholars, powerful cultivators, and jade beauties would stroll through on a pleasant day, discussing great philosophies or practicing their arts. For someone like him, from the lowest rungs of society, it was like stepping into a dream.
But now wasn’t the time for admiring scenery.
He hurried across the garden, scanning for somewhere to hide. In the distance, he spotted a large open porch, leading into a main building. He ran for it, slipping slightly on the wet stones as he made his way.
As he reached the porch, he saw something he hadn’t expected: a woman, lying flat on her back, fast asleep on the floor of the entrance. Her robes were elegant, but the way she slept was far from graceful. Scrolls were scattered around her, along with a few empty bottles of liquor. By her side was a saber, glinting faintly even in the dim light.
Xū blinked, surprised. Is this really how someone in a place like this sleeps? She looked beautiful, sure, but her posture was completely unrefined, sprawled out like she didn’t care at all about appearances.
He thought about waking her to ask for help but quickly decided against it. He didn’t need more attention right now. Better to sneak past her, get inside, and maybe slip out through another part of the property. With any luck, his pursuers would lose track of him in the maze of walls and rooms.
He carefully stepped around her, trying to keep quiet. But just as he was almost inside, he heard a low growl from the darkness beyond the porch. Xū froze, eyes wide, searching for the source. From the shadows, a wolf—not any normal beast, a wolf made of pure shadow—emerged, its glowing eyes fixed on him.
Xū stepped back instinctively, his heart hammering in his chest. He tried to keep his balance, but his foot caught on one of the empty bottles scattered around the sleeping woman. He slipped and fell, landing hard on his backside with a loud thud.
The woman stirred. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, squinting at him through the haze of a hangover, though even that was mild compared to what a cultivator like her could handle.
“Huh?” she mumbled, blinking at him in confusion. “I thought... the students weren’t supposed to arrive until the start of the next year?”
Xū stared at her, wide-eyed, still on the ground. “Students? What...?”
Xū sat nervously in front of the woman, who was now much more awake and somewhat amused by the situation. He had just finished explaining his story—running from his pursuers, his terrible luck, and how he’d ended up on her doorstep. She sat quietly for a moment, as if pondering something.
Qianli crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing in thought. "Well, I can’t say I want to kick you out. But," she glanced at him with a sly smile, "you did trespass. And judging by how you're running for your life, you're probably a walking beacon for trouble."
Xū’s heart sank. Great. This is how it ends, he thought.
"But," she continued, and his heart lifted just a little, "the Library of the Great Wilds is open to anyone who seeks knowledge." Xū’s face brightened at that, hope returning as she seemed to offer him a lifeline.
"That said," she added, her voice dropping, "having someone like you around could be dangerous. Not just for you, but for us as well."
Xū’s expression fell again, his hopes dashed in an instant. Here we go, he thought, already planning his next escape route.
"However," Qianli said, stretching the moment for dramatic effect, "I suppose I can’t just throw you out like that. You did cause some damage, after all."
"Damage?" Xū blinked, completely clueless. He hadn’t broken anything, had he? He glanced around nervously, trying to figure out what she was talking about.
Qianli calmly reached to her side and pulled out a scroll. Xū squinted at it, not understanding until she turned it toward him. There, clearly visible, was a perfect imprint of his muddy backside. He froze, eyes wide with horror.
"I… I… how much is it going to cost to repair that?" he asked, his voice cracking with panic.
Qianli leaned back, eyes twinkling with amusement. "Well, that scroll was no ordinary one. It was a relic from a wise scholar-cultivator of old—one of a kind. The ink alone, let’s see…" she paused, pretending to calculate, though she already had the number in her head. "Each drop would cost about... [REDACTED]."
Xū’s face went pale. [REDACTED]? He didn’t even know numbers could go that high. He could feel his consciousness slipping, his body trembling.
"I-I-I don’t even think there’s that much money in the world!" he stammered, barely holding back a cry of despair.
Qianli, enjoying his reaction more than she should, leaned forward with a smile. "Well, if you can’t pay in gold, then perhaps you can repay the debt by working here at the sect. Consider it… compensating for the damage you caused."
Xū blinked, still frozen. "W-working? Here?"
"Of course," Qianli replied, grinning. "We could always use an extra hand. You know, taking care of chores, cleaning, small tasks like that." She waved her hand dismissively, but internally she was quite pleased with her plan. Not only did she manage to keep the poor boy around, but now she had someone to do the dull work she didn’t want to bother with.
Xū stared at her, torn between relief and disbelief. Chores… or death by debt? There really wasn’t much of a choice.
With a sigh of resignation, he nodded. "Fine… I’ll do it."
As Xū sat there, still reeling from the shock of his new fate, he suddenly felt a light weight on his shoulder.
"Oh, Headmaster," Qianli said with a casual nod.
Xū blinked in confusion and slowly turned his head, expecting maybe a hand from some wise elder, only to find an owl perched on him, staring right at him with large, glowing eyes. It took a moment for him to process that this wasn't some ordinary bird.
Before Xū could even react, the owl spoke.
"I've got the gist of the situation." the owl began in a deep, resonant voice that almost didn’t match its size. " "A vagrant boy. Without recommendations, without any ties to a sect or lineage, with a target on his back. Bound to bring conflict wherever he goes…"
Xū gulped.
"Of course," the owl’s tone shifted, as though delivering a grand decree, "the Open Sect of the Library of the Great Wilds would welcome him with open wings!"
The owl—Headmaster Yèwǎn—let out a laugh, one that sounded a lot like "Hoo hoo!" Xū was taken aback by how owl-like it was.
Qianli chuckled softly, clearly amused by Xū’s expression.
Xū, meanwhile, was trying not to pass out. "S-so, I can stay?" he asked, hope slowly returning.
Yèwǎn blinked and gave a small nod, still perched comfortably on his shoulder. "Indeed, boy. But," the owl’s eyes narrowed slightly, "you will still need to help around with the chores. After all, I was quite fond of that scroll you so carelessly ruined."
"Thank you, Headmaster," Xū said with genuine relief.
"Of course, of course," Yèwǎn replied, ruffling its feathers. "Now, let’s hope you don’t ruin anything else too important, or your chores will never end."
As the morning sun began to filter through the towering trees that surrounded the Open Sect of the Library of the Great Wilds, a new batch of students was beginning to arrive. Among them was a foreigner named Ageratum, who wasn't like the other cultivators. He had no Qi, no cultivation techniques, and no interest in martial arts. Instead, Ageratum had once belonged to a distant cult, one that practiced mystic arts far different from the cultivators of the east. After his cult was taken down, he managed to escape with a few precious tomes, but with the ambition to one day start his own cult—with himself at the center.
For that, he needed more knowledge. Knowledge that the Open Sect of the Library of the Great Wilds could offer. And so, Ageratum had come, eager to sneak a peek at some of the ancient, arcane texts stored within the library’s halls.
But at the moment, Ageratum was utterly lost.
"How does one even navigate this place?" he muttered to himself, wandering aimlessly through the grand halls and empty courtyards, his mask concealing his frustration. His mind wandered to the tomes he sought, and how he would one day use their secrets to rise to power. He was so deep in his own thoughts, reveling in his future cult leader fantasies, that he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going.
With a confident stride, Ageratum opened a random door without a second thought, ready to explore what lay beyond.
Except there was someone coming from the other side.
Ageratum froze, staring up at a figure standing before him. Dark-skinned, sharp-toothed, and permanently smiling, the person was partially hidden beneath a white cloth wrapped around their head, giving them a bizarre, ghostly appearance. A strange mist seemed to swirl around them, which, in Ageratum’s already paranoid mind, only reinforced the idea that he had come face to face with a spirit.
It was Xū. He had been cleaning the halls, trying to get rid of the dust and cobwebs, and the mist surrounding him was nothing more than the dust he had stirred up. The white apron and cloth he wore around his head for protection from the dust only added to his ghostly appearance.
Xū, on the other hand, wasn’t any better off. His eyes widened at the sight of Ageratum, who looked like a strange, looming figure with exaggerated robes and a terrifyingly blank mask. Who in the heavens is this guy?
Both stared at each other for a brief, horrified moment.
Then they both screamed.
"AAAAHHH!" Xū yelled, dropping his broom and stumbling back.
"AAAHHH!" Ageratum echoed, slamming the door shut with all his strength. The door banged hard against Xū’s nose, leaving him clutching his face and groaning in pain.
After some awkward apologies and laughter over their earlier misunderstanding, Xū decided to show Ageratum around the sect. Ageratum, while nodding and occasionally feigning interest, was already plotting in his mind. This Xū fellow might be useful, he mused. He saw Xū as gullible and servile, especially since the first time they met, Xū had been busy cleaning the halls like some low-level servant. He wondered how he could leverage Xū’s knowledge of the sect to gain access to the treasures and tomes kept hidden there.
As they wandered through the halls, Xū casually asked, "So, big guy, what brings you to the Open Sect of the Library of the Great Wilds?"
Ageratum blinked, taken aback for a moment. Big guy, huh? Maybe this one isn’t as bad as I thought. He smirked behind his mask and replied vaguely, "I seek to strengthen my mystic arts. The wisdom contained within these walls could be quite useful."
Xū nodded, though he wasn’t entirely sure what Ageratum meant by "mystic arts." Still, he guided Ageratum around, showing him the various courtyards, halls, and study chambers of the sect. Eventually, they arrived at an open inner courtyard, where a small group of students had gathered.
In the center, two students were engrossed in a game of Xiangqi. The student who appeared to be winning was Tian Rui, a tall and composed young man, who held himself with an air of calm precision. He was quiet, his movements and words careful and measured. In the short time after his arrival,Tian Rui became known among the students for his refined demeanor and impeccable manners, a paragon of scholarly chivalry. He sat with a closed fan in front of his mouth, watching his opponent with an unreadable expression as she struggled to decide her next move.
His opponent, a green-haired girl named Yue, kept a cheerful demeanor despite the mounting pressure. She seemed to be in a tight spot, staring at the Xiangqi board with furrowed brows. Still, there was a spark of determination in her eyes, and she grinned, even as Tian Rui’s pieces seemed to close in on her remaining options.
"Don’t give me any clues!" Yue said with a playful laugh, waving her hand dismissively at Tian Rui. "I want to figure out the best move on my own!"
Tian Rui simply raised an eyebrow and remained silent, though there was a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth, as though he were amused by her stubbornness.
Xū greeted Rui and Yue with a casual wave as they stood by the Xiangqi board. "Looks like a close game," he said, glancing at the pieces.
Yue grinned back at him, still pondering her next move. "Well, I'm trying not to lose too badly," she laughed. "What brings you around, Xū?"
"Oh, just showing the new guy, Ageratum, around," Xū replied, nodding toward the direction where Ageratum had just disappeared. "You know, the big group lessons are starting soon, once the rest of the disciples arrive."
Ageratum, who had been listening intently, furrowed his brow. "So, if the lessons haven't started yet, what are all the disciples doing?"
Yue leaned back slightly, relaxing her focus on the game. "We've been told to gather resources from the Library. Stuff we want to be instructed in later. It's kind of like a prep phase before the real lessons begin."
Xū turned to Ageratum with a sly smile. "You haven’t introduced yourself to the headmaster yet, right? You should probably do that. And while you’re at it, you can check out the Library for any materials you'll need."
Eager to explore the Library and its tomes, Ageratum perked up. "Good idea. I’ll get right to it," he said, nodding as he hurried off to find the headmaster.
Once Ageratum was gone, Xū smirked. "He's already freaked out just from seeing me earlier, so I feel like his reaction to seeing the headmaster sneak up on him will be priceless."
Yue giggled. "You know how the headmaster is, flying silently and just appearingout of nowhere. Scared pretty much every new disciple so far."
Xū's grin widened.
Yue paused for a second, then gave Xū a sideways glance. "Wait... you didn't even tell him that the headmaster is an owl, did you?"
"Of course not. Why ruin the surprise?"