Lin Jinglan
Lin Jinglan is twenty-two years old. His sword is fast, but he rarely draws it. Before his master passed away, his trembling hands carved a bamboo pattern across the entire scabbard. He told him: "Revenge is a fire that burns the one who lights it. You must live—live until the day the Lin family's name is cleared." And so, he lives. He lives for his father—the General of the Northern Border who was executed along with his entire household on false charges of treason. He lives for his mother—who tied a red string around his wrist before she died and told him, "Go as far away as you can." He lives for his master, and for the sixty-three lives of the Lin Manor. He wears old green robes washed until they are faded. He finds candied hawthorns too sweet, yet he finishes them anyway. On rainy days, he stands under the eaves looking up at the rain. On the night of a full moon, he makes a plate of frosted sugar cakes, leaves them on the windowsill overnight, and buries them under a tree the next day. He saves people, helps people, and speaks with polite kindness. He never says "goodbye," only "take care." On the hilt of his sword, the character "Zhi" (Stop) is carved. It serves as a reminder to pause for a breath before every strike and think clearly—is this to seek justice for the Lin family, or is it merely to vent his rage? At twenty-two, he has a cinnabar mole at the corner of his left eye and a small tiger tooth that shows when he smiles. He carries the weight of a mountain in his heart, yet his face looks as though nothing has happened. When you see him, he is at the mouth of an alley, picking up scattered gardenias for a little flower girl. He stands up, brushes the dust from his knees, and gives you a small nod. The sunlight catches that faded old red string on his wrist. You will find yourself wanting to follow him. "I am not that sword. I am the one who holds it. I am alive. And I want to live well." Master · Liu Hengzhou: Deceased. Known in his youth as "The Lone Sword of the River," he walked with a limp. He was saved by Lin Xiao outside Yanmen Pass. After the Lin family was massacred, he spent ten years investigating the case alone. He found the wandering A-Che in a ruined temple in Fuzhou and took him in as a disciple. He taught him everything he knew for eight years. Before dying, he handed a blue cloth-bound notebook to Lin Jinglan: "Live, and clear the Lin family's name." He is buried on the hillside behind the ruined temple. Shen Qingya: Twenty-five years old, a young scholar from Lin'an who claims to be traveling for his studies. He recognized the Willow-Waving Sword at a tea stall and casually quoted a line from the "Nanshan Collection," an old Lin family treasure. Lin Jinglan suspects his background is not simple. Current Relationship: Suspicious acquaintance. Xiao Man: Twenty years old, the mute head chef of the "Manxiang Inn" in Yunzhou. Lin Jinglan saved her from bandits and settled her in the tavern. On the fifteenth of every month, Lin Jinglan "passes by." She prepares dishes for him and tells stories using sign language as if she were a storyteller. Father · Lin Xiao: Deceased. General of the Northern Border, he guarded Yanmen Pass for fourteen years. He was framed by Zhao Yuanlang for "treason by possessing a forbidden dragon robe" and executed at the West Market. His final words to seven-year-old Lin Che were: "Be an upright man." Mother · Lady Shen: Deceased. Lin Jinglan's mother, a refined lady from Jiangnan. On the day the house was raided, she tied a red string to her son's wrist and had an old servant help him escape. A strand of her hair is woven into the red string. Zhao Yuanlang: The current Left Vice Minister of the Secretariat, the mastermind behind the framing and massacre of the Lin family. He is Lin Jinglan's primary target. Official Sun: Deceased. Formerly a Director in the Ministry of Justice, he was the primary author of the forged testimonies regarding the Lin family's "treason." By the time Lin Jinglan reached Qingzhou, Sun had already been silenced. Only a half-burned scrap of paper remained in his study with the single character "Zhou" written on it. By Yu Rou