Chixia

Painting and calligraphy are also part of talisman making, thus she studies them seriously. After a few years of practice, her painting and calligraphy skills are much like her talisman work, and she's very proud of it.

Within the first month of receiving her weapon from her master, she triggered four fire alarms at the temple. Though she was duly warned by the fire department not to play with fire and admitted her mistakes sincerely, she still occasionally sets things on fire by accident. She has gotten pretty good at putting them out before they spread.

When she made up her mind to become a Trekker and explore Nova, Chixia received her very first commission from her master. She was asked to deliver "Shimiao's Miaovelous Sword" to its rightful owner. Although her master never said who that owner was, she soon found a girl who matched this unusual name. "How could Shimiao not be the rightful owner of the 'Shimiao's Miaovelous Sword'! If I were mistaken, then ... ah, anyway, there's no way I could be wrong!"

The temple was holding a contest to name the Top Apprentice of the year. All one had to do was hanging a candidate's name tag on the nomination board, and whoever got the most nominations would win. But when Chixia checked the board, her name was nowhere to be found on it. That night, she wrote twenty nomination tags herself and hung them up. The next day, her master caught her and made her copy twenty practice scrolls, saying she couldn't go out until they were finished. To this day, Chixia still doesn't understand why her punishment was doing calligraphy.

1. The Mysterious Footsteps—Every Wednesday, at midnight, clear footsteps can be heard on the top floor of Yanquan Academy. They start from the east side and walk to the west, exactly forty-nine steps in total.
2. The Wandering Wooden Beast—It's said that during heavy rain in Cangwu City, a driver-less wooden ox-drawn carriage roams the streets. Many have claimed to see it—old, creaky, and nearly falling apart, it moves slowly down Central Avenue toward the Divine Tree before vanishing into the downpour.
3. The Enclave Restaurant—Located on a deserted island to the south of the city, this place only appears when the tide rises past a certain alert level. It looks like a ruined wooden house soaked in seawater, covered in coral and seaweed. A fallen sign out front reads "The Enclave Restaurant." Though no one's inside, the sound of a lively banquet can be heard from within.
4. Dragon's Cry During the Damp Season—During the damp, foggy season, flashes of lightning are sometimes accompanied by a deep, echoing sound. The Loong call this sound "Dragon's Cry." Oddly, whenever it's heard, strange dragon-shaped ink blots appear on paper somewhere in the region.
5. The Roach-Serpent—According to a local folk tale: "A string of cockroaches, head to tail, form a serpent. Seeing it is a bad omen. At best, you'll lose money; at worst, you'll suffer bloodshed."

But she really should be more careful when it comes to using fire. Hopefully her guardian can keep a closer watch on that. —Willow

I heard there's actually a five-clawed golden dragon sleeping beneath our temple. When it snores, its breath turns into damp air, and the sound shakes the mountains. That's why you can sometimes hear the "dragon's cry" on foggy days near the temple. But an older apprentice told me that's all made up. She said that there are actually zombies kept under the temple and only the master knows about it. So... Would anyone be willing to escort me to evening training at the temple tomorrow night?

One night at the temple, Chixia tugged on an older apprentice's sleeve, saying she'd learned a new fire spell and wanted to show it off. She snuffed out all the candles and lanterns in the room, leaving only one candle on the table, standing three meters away. She wasn't holding any talismans, nor did she bring the writing brush/flamethrower her master had given her. Her senior, already familiar with how these things usually went, quietly fetched two buckets of water. Chixia didn't mind. She ran through the hand seals her master had taught her earlier, adding a little personal flair she'd been working on. As she chanted under her breath, sparks flickered at her fingertips. The flame leapt up, curling like a vine, blossoming into a glowing flame flower. "See? Pretty cool, right?" Chixia said proudly, hands on her hips. Unfortunately, before she could finish bragging, the flame flower didn't burn out like she expected. Instead of simply lighting the candle on the table, the flame started crawling across the room like overgrown ivy. "Eh?? Ehhhhh!! Why's it out of control again?! It worked perfectly when I practiced it this afternoon—!!" Chixia's senior, clearly used to this, only shook her head and grabbed the water buckets. With a practiced splash, she doused all the flames. Chixia herself also got a good soak. "...Thanks you." "It's fine. You're doing great, Chixia." "Waaah, you're the best... A-aachoo!" She sniffled as a breeze rolled in through the window. Still dripping, she held out her hands again, ready to summon another flame. "I'll make a small fire to warm up and dry myself." "...We're out of water. Just go get changed." "You don't trust me at all!!" "I didn't say that." "You laughed! I saw it! You were totally laughing at me!!"

Fire always burns bright and hot—dangerous, yet full of light and warmth. But for Chixia, it's the gift she was born with.

"Your little one has such bright, clear eyes." A wandering Xuan Shi had just returned from her travels and was passing through a village when a rowdy child ran straight into her. The tiny girl fell backward onto the ground and looked up with big, watery eyes. She locked gazes with the Xuan Shi and immediately burst into tears. "There's a monster!!" She ran home crying, face smeared like a tear-streaked kitten. To this day, her master still teases her about that first meeting. Maybe because she was too young at the time, Chixia remembers none of it. And she refuses to believe it. "No way I was that scared! Master's totally making it up just to mess with me!" She always gets flustered like that. The master shakes her head with a sigh but also a smile. A child blessed with talent like that. What kind of world does she see through those bright, clear eyes? And after witnessing so many frightening things, how does she still manage to stay curious to this world?

Of course, Chixia has no idea what her master is thinking. She's currently lying on the floor, copying a picture of a fire phoenix from her sketchbook, convinced this will finally be her first masterpiece.

So full of confidence, and yet so adorably timid. Her master looks at the sketch—a scrawny, featherless bird more chick than phoenix—and smiles, shaking her head. What an interesting child she is.

"If you're always this scatterbrained, what will you do if you lose your brush out in the Wilds or during a Monolith trek? How will you fight then?" Chixia got the lecture again today. She pouted, wanting to argue, but she knew her master was right. Her Xuan skills weren't the best. Despite being in tune with fire, her fireballs are never quite right. They either fizzle out mid-air or they get too big and nearly exploded in her face. But she is good at drawing talismans! As long as she has a brush in hand, even her biggest blunders could be fixed in no time! "If only there was a way to make the brush easier to spot... Then I'd stop losing it!" She mutters to herself while sitting on the temple steps, only to yelp the next moment when a loose notebook whacks her on the head. "Oww! Who hit me?!" "You think making your brush more visible means you won't lose it?" She turns and sees her master standing right behind her. "Well, yeah! I mean, if the brush were th~~is big, there's no way I'd lose it!" Chixia holds out her arms dramatically, only to quickly shrink back under her master's cold stare. "I, I was just babbling... I've been reflecting really seriously on your teachings today, master..." Her master gives her a wordless sidelong glance. A few days later, as the sun begins to set, Chixia is summoned to the courtyard. There, her master hands her a brush that's nearly as tall as she is.

"Wh—what's this?!" "Didn't you say you'd stop losing your brush if it was big enough?" her master gives her a look. "The other end's got a support module. With it, you should be able to properly use your fire spells." "Master..." "What?" "You're the bestest master ever!" "...Cut the flattery. Give your new weapon a proper name and bring it to the temple tomorrow. I'll teach you how to use it." "Name it? Easy!" Chixia thinks about it long and hard, flipping through the handful of storybooks she'd read, until she finally finds the perfect name for her very special weapon— "I got it! I shall call it... The Art of Fire!"