The return of the Kirin Heir

Embers beneath Ash

Zhou Wei had not expected defiance.

The man he remembered—crippled, silent, living off table scraps—was not the one who now stood tall before him, eyes calm but sharp as a drawn blade. Jin Longwei didn’t shout. He didn’t posture. He simply stood still, like a mountain no wind could shake.

It frightened Zhou more than he cared to admit.

> “You healed without permission,” Zhou said, trying to regain control. “There are laws.”

Jin raised an eyebrow. “Did the law require Elder Ren’s son to die?”

A murmur ran through the crowd. Elder Ren Guo, who had quietly arrived with his wife and a pale but recovering Ren Yi, stepped forward. His expression was solemn.

> “My son was on death’s door. Had Jin Longwei not intervened, we would be digging a grave today.”

Mistress Lian placed a protective hand on her son’s shoulder. The boy looked up at Jin with wide, reverent eyes.

Zhou’s jaw clenched. “That may be—but if anyone can act as healer, what’s to stop quacks and spirit-summoners from poisoning minds? Order must be maintained!”

> “Order without compassion is tyranny,” Elder Ren said coldly. “Jin Longwei did more in one night than any of your appointed healers have in years.”

From the crowd, Mei stepped out timidly. “My uncle… the blacksmith… he coughs blood each night. Master Jin said he would try to help him next.”

Zhou pointed at her. “Silence, child! You’ll speak when spoken to!”

Jin’s voice dropped, cold as the mountain snows.

> “Raise your voice to her again and you’ll regret it.”

The threat wasn’t loud. It wasn’t barked. But it silenced the entire square.

Zhou took a step back.

Then another.

Jin turned to face the villagers.

> “I have no interest in power. I seek no title. But if someone suffers, and I can help them, I will not ask for permission.”

There was a long silence.

Then a voice spoke.

“I support him.”

It was Old Madam Chen, the tea shop owner, who had once driven Jin away with a broom. Now she bowed her head slightly. “My grandson was born weak. If this man has skills, I want him to see the child.”

Others followed.

“I do too.”

“My sister’s lungs have failed.”

“Can he check my father’s legs?”

Within moments, the tide had turned.

Zhou’s face reddened with fury. “This is madness! He has no papers! No training from the capital!”

Elder Ren stepped forward again. “He has our trust. That is enough.”

Zhou scowled and stormed off, shoving through the crowd. His pride had been wounded—but Jin knew this wasn’t the last he’d see of him.

The villagers slowly dispersed, casting admiring or grateful glances at Jin.

Mei lingered.

> “That was amazing,” she said quietly. “You made him look like a squawking chicken.”

Jin chuckled, a sound so rare it startled even him. “Words are only wind, Mei. What matters is what you stand for when the wind stops.”

She nodded, not fully understanding, but storing it away nonetheless.

Later that evening, Jin visited the blacksmith.

Zhang Huo was a broad-shouldered man, once strong, now hunched and wheezing. His forge had gone cold weeks ago. He lay on a bamboo bed, lips tinged blue.

Jin sat beside him, fingers pressing gently against his wrist.

> “The iron smoke from the old furnace. It’s coated your lungs over the years,” Jin said softly. “It’s not a curse—it’s slow poisoning.”

He took out a small pouch and mixed three crushed herbs: green plum root, star moss, and stoneflower. Heating them with a faint pulse of his golden flame, he created a thick paste and applied it to Zhang’s chest.

> “Breathe slowly. This will help loosen the toxins.”

Zhang coughed violently—but then, slowly, his breath came easier. The color in his cheeks returned.

Tears filled Mei’s eyes.

> “Thank you.”

Jin looked away, hiding the strange warmth in his chest.

> He hadn’t saved them all. Not yet. But he was no longer helpless.

The Kirin Flame within him flickered stronger than it had in years.

It was only the beginning.

And across the mountain pass, in a dark chamber lit by spirit lamps, a man in crimson robes opened a scroll bearing Jin Longwei’s name.

He smiled.

> “So… the Kirin Heir has returned.”