Flamling#

Amidst joy, a gentle spirit gleams, In anger, darkness sows its schemes. Beneath the earth, a silent foe, Flames within, slyly aglow.

Ancient texts speak of Flame Ore, bearing a resemblance to cinnabar ore but being non-toxic and more potent for pill refinement. Its sought-after properties for enhancing both yin and yang energies attracted many pill crafters. Yet, this rare substance of the mountain spirits remains elusive and priceless.

Then there was Cheng Ming, a man obsessed with oddities, scorned by his family for his poverty. Learning that Flame Ores were formed within Flamlings, he set out to profit from it. Selling all he had, he plunged into the mountains, fixated on capturing a Flamling.

Days turned to weeks with no news, save that his makeshift shelter mysteriously burned down. Raging at his misfortune, he saw a large red worm emerge from the ground before him-half-buried, half-exposed, with the innocent face of a child, much like a disciple of Guanyin's. Startled by Cheng Ming's fury, it wept. Cheng Ming shouted to scare and silence it, but it only angered the Flamling, who swiftly burrowed away.

It was only then that Cheng Ming realized it was a Flamling. He leaped about, hoping to lure it out again. Finally, the guai, annoyed perhaps, burrowed out and struck him with a fireball. The clothes and skin of Cheng Ming caught on fire, and he rolled on the ground in pain and despair.

He broke down in tears, realizing that he couldn't seize the Flame Ore by himself. Then, amused and curious, the Flamling drew near him. For this one time, Cheng Ming chose to be brutal and resolute; he smashed its head with a rock until it was completely shattered.

Cheng Ming continued this merciless act and harvested plenty of Flame Ores, but he kept his methods a secret. His growing sales of the ores eventually earned him fame as a renowned medicine gatherer far and wide.