Tiger Saint Cliff – Bing Village

A pale morning settled over Bing Village, the sky a muted gray, as if mourning alongside the earth.

The carriage trundled down the muddy path, its wheels dipping into shallow ruts, rocking gently with the undulating muddy path.

A small, silver-haired girl—no older than ten—stood motionless at the village's edge, her tiny hands clenched at her sides. The tears that have welled in her wide streamed down her cheeks, desperate as she watched the figures inside the carriage drift farther and further away.

"Big Sister, don't leave…"

Her voice, fragile as falling snow, barely reached beyond the cold morning air.

Beside her, an elderly woman, worn by time and sorrow, she appeared to be in her late seventies, rested a frail hand on the child's shoulder.

But the girl did not move, her feet rooted to the damp earth as if staying still could somehow bring her sister back.

Yet the carriage rolled on, vanishing down the winding road, carrying with it a piece of her heart.

Fei Ning and Fei Yue, two orphans navigating childhood in the quiet, unremarkable Bing Village.

Having lost their parents at a young age life had never shown them much kindness, but they had found comfort in each other. Fei Ning, the elder at sixteen, carried the quiet resilience of someone who had long learned to endure, while ten-year-old Fei Yue still held onto the delicate hope that only childhood allows

The sisters had only each other, their bond the last shelter in a world that had taken too much.

Orphaned by a mysterious plague, they clung to fragile happiness in Bing Village, surviving day by day.

Their only kin, a frail grand-aunt, could offer little beyond a roof—a place to return to, but never home .

"Yue'er when I become a strong noble, I will come an take you away from this village" the last words of her big sister revibrated in her mind, as she watched the carrage dangles steadily into the horizon.

...

Meanwhile inside the carrage...

"Master, why can't I return?" The young girl's voice wavered, her silver-white hair cascading down her back like threads of moonlight. She looked no older than fifteen, yet the sharp angles of her face bore an uncanny resemblance to Fei Yue.

Across from her sat a middle-aged woman with long green hair, her presence as cold and unreadable as the night itself. They rode in a lavish wooden carriage, its craftsmanship seemed exquisite, yet the air inside felt suffocating.

Outside, four massive warhorses—black as the abyss—prepelled them forward with relentless power.

As the girl spoke, the carriage lurched violently, nearly unseating her. She gripped the edge of her seat, her fingers tightening as unease curled in her chest.

The woman, however, remained utterly still, unmoved by the carriage's violent jolts. It was as if the turbulence itself dared not touch her. Her emerald-green hair cascaded over her shoulders, undisturbed, her expression unreadable beneath half-lidded eyes.

"You will understand why soon enough," she murmured, her voice as smooth and cold as polished jade. Then, without another word, she closed her eyes, retreating into silence as if the conversation had never existed.

The girl swallowed hard, gripping the seat beneath her. The carriage rattled on, carrying her farther from the only home she had ever known—and deeper into a fate she could not yet comprehend.

Not wanting to offend her master, the white-haired girl swallowed her words, forcing herself into silence. She had never been coerced—her departure had been her own choice. Yet even as she sat in the swaying carriage, she could still feel the weight of what she had left behind, the lingering warmth of a life now abandoned.

She took a slow, steady breath, willing her resolve to harden like tempered steel.

"Yue'er, forgive me. When I am strong enough, I will come back."

Her fingers curled into a trembling fist, nails digging into her palm. The road ahead was uncertain, but there was no turning back now.

The green-haired woman noticed the shift in the girl's demeanor and gave a slight nod. 'Good. Now she has something to hold on to. It will serve her well. Perhaps, against all odds, she might even survive this cruel world.'

Without another word, the woman raised her hand and snapped her fingers.

A sudden surge of energy rippled through the air. The four warhorses shuddered, their bodies convulsing as long, feathered wings burst forth—two on each side, unfurling with an eerie, unnatural grace. With a single mighty beat, they lifted off the ground, the heavy carriage rising effortlessly into the sky.

Another flap, and the horses began to glow, their forms dissolving into streaks of golden light. The carriage surged forward, piercing the heavens like a shooting star, vanishing beyond the horizon in a flash of ethereal brilliance.

...

Though the sight of a noble was a rare spectacle for the humble Bing villagers, daily life did not wait for awe. One by one, they drifted away, returning to their chores until the village was once again swallowed by routine.

Before long, the bustling crowd had vanished entirely, leaving only Fei Yue and her grand-aunt. Together, they stood in silence, their gazes fixed on the distant horizon, where the last traces of the carriage had disappeared.

The old woman released a deep sigh, then with a slow and deliberate motion she placed her wrinkled hand in Fei Yue's shoulders.

She knew Ning wasn't coming back.

It was a great honor, almost Devine for Ning to walk the path of nobles, but it was a journey of trials, an existence far removed from the life of commoners.

The old woman had mostly never left the Bing village, but since she was a child he's heared talks, romors.

They spoke of nobles who would lived for a thousand years, their bodies untouched by time, their faces as youthful as the day they first set foot on the path. Terrifying. A thousand years was an eternity.

By then, Fei Yue would have long lived her life. She would grow, she would age, and she would die—just another flickering candle in the vast stretch of time..

She herself was already 78 and was quickly nearing the end of her lifespan, she could feel the cold hands of time bearings it's fangs at her, her body waning it wouldn't be long now.

Her only regret was that she would not be there to guide Yue'er, to shield her from the cruelties of the world. Another deep sigh escaped her lips, carrying the weight of unspoken sorrow.

But she could not afford to dwell on regrets. There was only one path left to take. She would find someone—a man strong enough to protect Yue'er in the years to come.

"Yes, that is what I must do."

With that resolve hardening in her heart, the old woman gently brushed her hand across Fei Yue's silky white hair. The strands were soft beneath her fingertips, as fragile as the girl's uncertain future.

"It will be okay," she murmured, though whether the words were meant to comfort Yue'er or herself, she did not know.

Sniff!

Fei Yue stifled her tears, biting down the sob that threatened to escape. She felt her grand-aunt's fingers brushing gently through her hair, a fleeting comfort against the ache in her chest.

"She will come back for me," she whispered, clinging to the fragile hope like a lifeline.

Scoff!

A sharp, derisive sound cut through the air a few meters away. Fei Yue's head snapped toward the source of the noise, her heart pounding. But her the old woman remained unfazed, her fingers continuing their slow, deliberate path through Yue's silken locks.

She made no move to acknowledge the presence of the intruder, as though didn't hear anything.

A few meters away, a figure loomed within the fog—a presence woven from shadow and malice. The swirling mist curled around it, shaping a mockery of a human form. But it was anything but human.

It had no hands, no legs. Only a head crowned with twisted horns, their tips curling skyward like withered branches. Where a face should have been, a gaping maw stretched wide, lined with rows of jagged teeth. Above it, hollow pits stared, empty yet watching.

"Your sister is not coming back, child," the mist whispered, laced with mockery. Its mouth never moved, yet the words slithered through the air, reaching Fei Yue all the same. Her expression darkened, a deep frown settling on her face—she had heard it.

It's voice sounded like a mixture of roar and muffled sounds, coated with sacarsm, the abomination seemed to be making fun of Fei Yue.

"She promised, she will come back" the child retorted, glaring at the floating black mist, voice was a mix of determine and defiance.

"yes Yue'er, Ning'er promised, she will visit you soon" the old woman had clearly misinterpreted Fei Yue remarks, she pulled her into a hug.

While in the old woman's embrace, Fei Yue pouted with her red tongue between her teeth tounting the abomination in a childish manner, before pressing herself closer to her grandaunt.

The dark mist flickered a bit before merging with Fei Yue's shadow, disappearing from the world.

Fei Yue suddenly noticed a golden star that piece into the clouds it only appeared for split second before it disappeared.