A thin mist wrapped the valley as dawn began to rise between the silver pine trees of the Perak Forest. The morning air carried the scent of damp earth and foliage. Dew droplets hung from the tips of leaves, falling one by one with faint, nearly inaudible chimes. Liang Feng stood still, letting the morning chill brush his face before checking the water pouch at his waist. It had been three days since he left his village in search of rare herbs for Grandma Li. But this morning, fate would lead him to something far more extraordinary.
Small, light footprints in the muddy soil caught his attention. Not a deer's, nor a fawn's. These tracks looked like claws, dragging between tangled roots. Liang Feng knelt down, touching the imprint, then pressed his ear to the ground. No sound of animals. No breathing of any creature. But his nose caught a scent blood. Faint, yet sharp enough to sting his senses.
"Who are you…?" he murmured quietly.
His hand reached for his waist and drew out a single edelweiss flower he had kept there, a white bloom believed to suppress spiritual energy. He clenched it tightly, on guard.
The tracks ended at a thick bamboo thicket beside a narrow path. Liang Feng moved carefully, drawing his white-dragon-engraved sword, his eyes narrowing in caution. The wind stopped blowing, as if the forest itself held its breath.
Suddenly, the bushes rustled violently. Leaves flew. Liang Feng stepped back and shouted, "Who's there?"
A white blur shot out from the foliage. Liang Feng instinctively raised his sword, but what he saw caught him off guard a snow-white fox, its body covered in wounds, its fur stained with dried blood. The fox looked majestic, though barely holding on. Its eyes shone with calm, but also a deep fear.
Liang Feng froze. The fox's aura was unlike any normal creature. The morning mist around it shimmered faintly, as if reacting to its presence.
"Easy… I don't mean you harm." Liang Feng whispered, slowly reaching into his bag.
He took out a piece of white silk, a keepsake from his father often used by Grandma Li to wrap rare herbs. Carefully, he approached the fox and wrapped its wounds. The scent of edelweiss drifted from the cloth, and moments later, a faint silver light glowed from the fox's injuries, as if renewing its strength.
"Bai Xue…" a name floated into his mind.
The legend of Bai Xue, the spirit fox guardian of the forest, had been passed down for generations. It was said Bai Xue only appeared when the balance between the human and spirit worlds began to falter. Yet no one had truly seen it until now.
The fox stared at Liang Feng. Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind, not a physical sound, but the voice of a spirit.
"Darkness… follows me. The Gate… nearly open…"
Liang Feng was stunned. He had heard myths of the Great Gate, said to connect the spirit and human realms, but always thought them folklore. But if Bai Xue itself was warning him…
"I'll take you somewhere safe." Liang Feng said. "Grandma Li will know what to do."
He carefully lifted Bai Xue into his arms and began walking down the path toward the village. But before they got far, the mist thickened again, and a chill seeped into his bones.
A shadow darted between the trees. A tall figure with wings of smoke, eyes glowing crimson, watched from the darkness. Liang Feng gently set Bai Xue down, unsheathed his sword, and gripped the white wooden staff he always carried.
A faint blue glow emerged from his chest, the Tianlong Mark, proof of his dragon-blooded lineage. The light responded to the coming threat.
"Spirit Hunter…" he hissed. "A predator of spirits…"
The creature lunged, releasing black projectiles, either spikes or shadow venom. Liang Feng leapt, forming a dragon sigil with his left hand. A shield of green and silver light formed around them.
The projectiles struck the shield and bounced off. Liang Feng swung his staff, unleashing a wave of energy that sent the creature crashing into a large tree before it vanished into the gloom.
Bai Xue curled up. But from its body, a gentle silver light spread, forming glowing wings like a phoenix. The light blinded the Spirit Hunter, forcing it to retreat into the darkness.
Liang Feng bent down, breath ragged. He touched Bai Xue's fur. "Are you okay?"
A reply echoed again in his mind. "Seal… help… before it's too late…"
Liang Feng nodded. "I don't fully understand, but I'll find Grandma Li. We need to survive first."
They continued in silence. Their footsteps stumbled down the valley, piercing the thinning mist. By dusk, they arrived at the small wooden hut of Grandma Li. Candlelight flickered behind the window. The scent of camellias and incense welcomed them.
Liang Feng opened the door. Grandma Li stood in the middle of the room, her blue shawl fluttering slightly in the breeze from the tiny window.
"Feng… you're late today." she murmured.
But her eyes widened as she saw the white fox in her student's arms. She walked over immediately.
"Bai Xue…" she whispered.
The fox opened its mouth and in a faint spiritual voice, said, "By the river… the seal is broken…"
Without delay, Grandma Li prepared silver elixirs, sacred silk, and candles made of a hundred-petal flower. Incense smoke coiled in the air, circling Bai Xue's body as it began to calm.
Liang Feng sat on the floor, still breathing heavily. "I found it at the forest's edge. But then… we were attacked. That creature… a spirit hunter. And Bai Xue spoke of a seal, and the Gate…"
Grandma Li looked at him for a long time. "This is only the beginning. I've felt strange tremors from the forest for a while now. The Great Gate is not a mere legend. It exists. And now, it's starting to crack. The world of spirits and ours… are slowly merging."
Liang Feng lowered his head. "What does it mean…?"
"You, Feng. The Tianlong blood within you proves one thing, you are the future Gatekeeper. The world's protector."
Silence filled the room. The candles flickered, their flames dancing on the walls.
Bai Xue slowly opened its eyes. Silver light poured out, casting a glow on Liang Feng's face. The fox's final words echoed:
"You… are the last hope before darkness consumes all…"
Liang Feng looked at Grandma Li with determined eyes. "I'm ready. Whatever I must do. For the forest. For Bai Xue. For the world."