Mortal Heart, Demon-Subduing Power

The moon was red. Wood splinters had cut Lan Xian’er’s face, drawing blood.

An eleven-year-old boy ran barefoot over broken stones. He clutched a battered peachwood amulet carved by his father, and his back was still stained with the blood from when his mother pushed him away.

His home was gone. His parents were gone. Demons chased him, trying to tear him apart, all because he carried a worthless trinket that could both attract demons and suppress them.

He had no special abilities, no cheat. When danger came, he cowered first, then steeled himself and endured. A taciturn old man named Wu followed him, while a shadow with red eyes kept watch at night. Later, he met a few other poor souls, and together they pressed onward.

From an orphan who trembled at the sight of demons to a young man willing to stand in front of others, how did he make it? By gripping the wooden amulet until his hand hurt, by walking until the soles of his feet bled, and by stumbling blindly through piles of corpses in search of a way to survive.

The world sees him as a treasure capable of suppressing demons. He believes in only one thing: Don’t run when you’re afraid, don’t groan when you’re hurt, and if you’ve made someone a promise, keep it even if it costs you your life.

Heroes aren’t born. He’s just an ordinary kid, carrying a heart full of regrets toward his parents, enduring the blood and mud as he struggles to carve out a path to survival.

A steady 4,000 words every day. If I miss an update, blame me. This ordinary man, who can’t even get used to wearing straw sandals, faces down man-eating demons with nothing but a rough-and-ready heart.