"I brought the towels." The voice sounded.
Xuan glanced over his shoulder, spotting Lin Ran standing near the entrance of the house with a stack of towels in her embrace. Her gaze flickered briefly to his bare upper body as the cool night air brushed against his exposed skin.
"Just… put them down on the side. Thanks." He turned back quickly. His voice coming out a bit more rigid than he intended, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks.
Lin Ran stepped closer, her footsteps light on the stone path, but Xuan kept his gaze fixed on the water, focusing intently on the rippling surface as though it could wash away his awkwardness.
"I hope the wound isn't too bad." Lin Ran's voice was soft, almost concerned, as she moved a step closer. Her fingers slipped between the folded towels, brushing against a hidden handle. Her grip tightened slightly as she gathered her nerve, her eyes flicking briefly to the back of Xuan's neck.
Just one strike, and—
"It's nothing serious," Xuan said, turning around abruptly. His sudden movement caught Lin Ran off guard, and she froze, her hand still gripping the hidden knife beneath the towels. For a moment, their eyes met. She was standing far closer than either of them had realized, the space between them uncomfortably small.
Lin Ran's pulse quickened, not just from being startled, but from the proximity. Scrambling for something to say, she forced a smile and blurted out, "You must really like tattoos."
Xuan blinked. "Tattoos?" he echoed, confused.
Lin Ran nodded quickly, gesturing vaguely toward him. "Yeah, you have that one on your hand and… the big one on your back."
"Wait, what?" his brows furrowed as he instinctively turned his head, trying to catch a glimpse of his back, which of course was impossible. "I don't have a tattoo on my back."
"Uh… you do," Lin Ran said, sounding more certain this time. "It's huge. It looks… well, it looks kind of scary, like some kind of monster."
Xuan's confusion deepened. He hesitated before speaking again, his voice a little more serious. "Can you describe it in detail?"
"Okay…" the girl blinked confusedly, then gave a small nod. "Turn around. I'll tell you what I see."
Xuan turned his back toward her, lowering his shoulders slightly to give her a better view. Lin Ran stepped closer, eyes scanning the intricate pattern sprawled across his back. Her initial nervousness subsided as she realized this was another opportunity. Slowly, she slipped her hand toward the concealed knife between the towels while speaking.
"It's… it looks like some kind of creature, coiled along your back. Its body is long and serpentine, like a dragon, but the scales… they remind me of fish scales—thick and overlapping, almost like armor. "
"A Kun?" Xuan tensed as he murmured to himself.
"What?" Lin Ran asked, caught off guard.
He shook his head quickly. "Nothing. Keep going."
Narrowing her eyes, Lin Ran continued, her tone hesitant. "It has red eyes, and its mouth is open. And there's… blood." Her voice slowed, growing uneasy. "Its mouth is stained with blood."
Xuan jolted slightly at the mention of blood, instinctively turning around to face her causing Lin Ran to freeze just a bit before the knife was pulled out. His intense gaze locked onto hers.
"Are you sure? A bloody mouth?" Xuan asked, his voice low and urgent.
She swallowed hard, forcing a nod. "Y-yeah. There's definitely blood."
Xuan turned back around, his mind racing as he stared at the stump where his right arm should have been.
Just as he was about to get lost in his thoughts, Lin Ran's voice cut through the haze. "And there's something else…" She hesitated, fingers tightening around the knife handle before pulling it slightly from between the towels. "It looks like there's a piece of green fabric stuck on one of its teeth."
He spun around again, eyes frozen wide in shock. Lin Ran, now familiar with his sudden movements, quickly shoved the knife back between the folded towels, feigning calmness.
Xuan thoughts spun wildly, dragging him back to that day. His chest tightened, and he glanced down at the stump of his right arm, his breathing turning shallow.
I wore a green shirt that day.
Xuan took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice despite the storm raging inside him. "Thanks, Lin Ran," he said quietly. "I… need to think about something. You should head back."
Lin Ran hesitated, her eyes flicking toward him. "Alright…" she said reluctantly, placing the towels neatly on the stone bench nearby. Her fingers hovered over the stack, subtly adjusting them as she smoothly retrieved the knife, concealing it within the folds of her robe.
She straightened, giving Xuan a final glance. "If you need anything, just call me," she added, her tone unusually soft.
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away. There would be more chances in the future.
Xuan didn't watch her leave. His thoughts were elsewhere, tangled in the unsettling revelation of the tattoo on his back. Ever since he had blacked out after that day's events, he'd noticed the spider-like tattoo on his hand—and now he learned that there was a monstrous tattoo on his back as well.
But he had no idea what they meant, how they had appeared, or why they were there.
Absentmindedly, Xuan dipped his fingers into the salve and began applying it to the rest of his wound. Lost in thought, he didn't even register how oddly gentle Lin Ran had been this time, her unexpected kindness overshadowed by the shock of the tattoo revelation.
>>>
Later that day, Xuan made his way back to the Resource Hall, the torn robe bundled in his hand. Big Sis Yue greeted him with her usual playful grin, teasing him lightly about how he managed to ruin a perfectly good sect uniform so quickly.
After a brief inspection of his wound, she handed him a fresh robe, reminding him to take better care of himself. Her teasing tone didn't bother him as much this time—it even brought a faint smile to his face. Somehow, being around her made things feel lighter, and the weight of the omnious tattoo on his back lifted slightly, enough for him to push it to the back of his mind, at least for now.
Feeling a bit more at ease, Xuan left the hall and made his way across the sect grounds. His steps were steady, purpose clear in his mind.
Before long, he arrived at a towering building, its stone facade lined with ancient carvings depicting various battle stances and weapons. The air around it felt heavy, charged with the presence of countless martial arts that had been practiced and perfected over generations.
This was the Martial Arts Hall.
It stored all the martial skills the Venomthread Sect had to offer. For Xuan, this was the next step in his journey.
It was time to learn a skill.