My steps were firm and steady as I made my way toward my father's estate. There was no excitement, no fear in my heart. One who had lost everything could no longer fear anything. I already knew what I had to do. And what I would do. My fate no longer depended on the clan, nor on its judgment. I was now the master of my own life.
When I entered his study, my father was seated behind his desk. His gaze, weary as always, carried the weight of wisdom and power, his black eyes coldly appraising me. He was old, yet the aura of his strength remained fearsome. I knew he did not see a son standing before him. He saw a tool, one to be used and discarded.
"You've come," he said, his voice flat, as always. "What do you wish to discuss?"
I stood, making no move to sit. I had no need to seek equality with him. I was here to make a bargain.
"I wish to leave the clan," I said, meeting his gaze. "But not immediately."
He studied me carefully, his face a mask of stone.
"I can have you expelled within seven days," he said, letting his eyes drift over the documents on his desk. "It will give me enough time to find a reason fitting enough for your exile. As you surely understand, it would serve my reputation well. An example for the others."
I exhaled slowly and nodded.
"Indeed. It will restore your reputation," I replied. "I shall become a warning to the rest. And they will fear to follow my path."
For a fleeting moment, his brow lifted, but he said nothing. I continued:
"In return, I ask only three things: first — one entry into the library. I know access is granted at sixteen years of age, and I am but ten. Yet I request but a single chance."
His face remained unchanged, cold and impenetrable.
"Second — ten silver coins. You have always valued wealth. It would cost you little to grant such a trivial sum."
I hesitated a moment before voicing the third condition.
"A sword. I ask for a sword worthy of a disciple of your clan. One sword."
He exhaled and then chuckled quietly.
"You are willing to sever yourself from the clan... for such trifles?"
I did not answer. I let him reach his own conclusions about how this bargain would reflect on his pride. He was too proud to let a bastard leave without consequence. And despite his coldness, I knew he would not refuse.
He leaned back in his chair, observing me with new weight behind his gaze.
"Very well," he said, and I sensed the faintest glimmer of something akin to respect in his voice. "You shall have what you seek. I accept your terms. You will enter the library, and you will receive your sword. The silver as well. But you will still be cast out. In seven days."
I nodded. It was enough. The deal was struck.
I left my father's study, and relief washed over me like a quiet, unseen tide. But ahead of me stood a greater purpose: the library, the sword… and the technique.
When the time came, I made my way to the temple library. The ancient hall loomed before me, its shelves reaching to the vaulted ceiling, filled with books whose spines bore the weight of countless years. Dust hung heavy in the air, wrapping the place in an aura of forgotten wisdom. But I was not an ordinary soul. These secrets were meant for me.
I wandered through the aisles, my fingers tracing the old bindings, feeling the gravity of the knowledge trapped within. I moved deeper, toward a distant corner of the library, where a massive cabinet stood. Examining it closely, I managed with some effort to shift one of the shelves aside.
Beneath it, hidden from sight, lay a small trapdoor. I pried it open and descended into a narrow chamber. Darkness engulfed the room, yet I could feel its forgotten nature. It had been abandoned — but not entirely forsaken.
Under one of the low shelves, I found a box. Carefully, I pulled it free. An indistinct symbol adorned the lid — the image of falling raindrops. It was the Poisonous Rain Technique, a long-lost secret of the Tang clan. I had heard whispers of it before. Yet how it had ended up here, I did not know. Still, it was mine now.
Within the room, I also found two pills. One golden, radiating a soft, gentle light; the other black as the void itself. I lifted them carefully, feeling the faint stir of qi within each.
"The golden pill contains pure light qi," I thought, "while the black one holds dark qi. They must have been placed together to neutralize each other's energy, preventing corruption."
I hid the pills within my bag, tucking the box beneath my clothes. Then, without hesitation, I fled the library, momentarily forgetting the world that awaited me beyond its doors.
The time I could spend here was fleeting, and I did not know what other treasures might have lain hidden. But what I needed, I had already found.
As with everything else in my life.