The night Kai was born, a blood-red moon hung low over the village of Blackthorn. The air was thick with an oppressive energy that made even the most seasoned cultivators uneasy. In a humble hut at the edge of the village, Lin Mei's screams pierced the silence as she went into labor.
Her husband, Zhao Wei, paced outside, his weathered face etched with concern. He was no cultivator, just a simple farmer, but even he could sense that something was amiss. The village elder, Old Man Chen, stood beside him, his gnarled hands clasped tightly around his walking stick.
"This night," Chen muttered, his milky eyes fixed on the crimson moon, "it bodes ill."
Inside the hut, the midwife worked feverishly. Lin Mei's body was wracked with pain far beyond what was normal for childbirth. With each contraction, waves of raw, untamed Qi pulsed through the room, causing the flames of the oil lamps to flicker wildly.
"Push, Lin Mei!" the midwife urged, her voice tinged with a mix of excitement and fear. She had never felt such powerful Qi from an unborn child.
With a final, agonizing scream, Lin Mei gave birth. The cry that filled the air was not the wail of a newborn, but a sharp, piercing sound that sent chills down the spines of all who heard it.
The midwife gasped as she held up the child. His skin seemed to glow with an inner light, pulsing with Qi that should have been impossible for an infant. But what truly shocked her were his eyes—open and alert, they gleamed with an intelligence that no newborn should possess.
"Heavens above," she whispered, "all his meridians... they're open!"
Outside, Old Man Chen's eyes widened. He stumbled, leaning heavily on his stick. "Impossible," he muttered.
Zhao Wei rushed to his side. "Elder Chen, what is it? Is something wrong with my child?"
Chen's voice was grave as he replied, "Your son... he is born with all his meridians unlocked. Such a thing hasn't been seen in a thousand years."
"But isn't that good?" Zhao Wei asked, confusion evident in his voice. "Doesn't that mean he'll be a powerful cultivator?"
Chen shook his head slowly. "Power beyond measure, yes. But at what cost? The ancient texts speak of such children. They are destined for greatness... or to bring ruin upon the world."
Inside the hut, Lin Mei reached out weakly for her child. The midwife hesitated for a moment before placing the infant in his mother's arms. As soon as Kai touched his mother's skin, he stopped crying. His eyes, far too knowing for a newborn, locked onto Lin Mei's face.
Lin Mei felt a chill run through her body. This child... there was something unnatural about him. She could feel his Qi intertwining with hers, as if he were drawing strength from her very essence.
"Kai," she whispered, giving him the name she and Zhao had chosen. "My little Kai."
As if in response, the infant's lips curled into what could only be described as a smirk. In that moment, Lin Mei knew with terrifying certainty that she had brought something dangerous into the world.
Outside, the blood-red moon seemed to pulse, casting an eerie glow over the village of Blackthorn. In the years to come, many would look back on this night and wonder if they should have heeded its warning. For on this night, under the watchful eye of a crimson moon, Kai entered the world—a child destined to reshape the very foundations of the martial world, for better or for worse.