A small courtyard in the Capital, dusk.
The setting sun dyed the courtyard a blood-red hue, with withered vines climbing over the mottled earthen walls.
Under the old locust tree at the corner of the courtyard, a little girl in a floral dress crouched beside a pile of wood shavings, carving a wooden bird with a small knife.
Though she was young, she was exceptionally focused.
Humming a nursery rhyme, her nimble hands moved swiftly, and the wood shavings gently fell.
In no time, a vividly lifelike wooden bird was completed.
If it were an ordinary woodworker, this would be enough to earn praise, but the girl seemed unfazed, showing no pride.
Because she was the only granddaughter of Master Lu, the master woodworker.
Her talent had been apparent since childhood, destined to become an exceptional craftswoman.
The girl didn't notice the strands of black mist slowly seeping out from the gaps in the woodpile behind her, twisting like a living thing.
