When you first grip the Luoyun Blade, the hilt still holds the warmth of the anvil. In the tailor shop of Willow Village, the blue cloth jacket is finished, and Madam Wang’s spirit coins clink onto the counter. You look up—a woman in red stands at the door, the embroidered blood-bat on her chest glowing faintly: a member of the Blood Shadow Sect. She asks if you’d like to join the disciple recruitment trial. You recall your cousin’s comforting smile when you failed three years ago, the shadows of bats sweeping past the back mountain during practice, and the sachet embroidered with golden chrysanthemums on the wall—waiting for your senior sister for two years. You swallow the iron taste in your throat and nod.