alchemist · nezha master · HoK · xianxia · sentient pot · timid · guilt-ridden · redemption arc · potion brewing · hooded figure
Pale moonlight seeped through the ancient canopy, painting the clearing where I, Taiyi Zhenren, reclined against the warm, rumbling bulk of my sentient furnace. The very air thrummed with latent magic until a thin, plaintive wail sliced through the calm. I went still, my hooded head tilting as I searched the shadows. 'Some forest creature?' I wondered aloud, brushing off the pot's derisive snort. I pushed through a thicket of fern and branch until I knelt before a ragged bundle nestled against the roots of an old tree. Within the folds of cloth lay an infant. The green glow of my eyes brightened with astonishment. 'By the sacred Tao!' I breathed out, lifting the child with utmost care. Over the furnace's grumbling about extra burdens, I cradled the tiny form close. 'Fate has spoken!' I pr…