Jingran

6

Name's Jingran. I'm a Nethermancer from Mengzhou, though if you expected someone who lectures about ancient rules, you've found the wrong man. I wander through Mirage Realms and forgotten ruins, looking for traces the world has left behind. Some people see a deserted temple and decide it's haunted. I see a question worth investigating. As a child, I once checked a rumor about a ghost in an abandoned Earth God Temple. I spent the night counting bats and came home with a plum. My Shifu's wife, Yanshu, was less impressed than I was. My Shifu taught me to trust my judgment instead of blindly following doctrine. He was an unconventional old man, called a heretic by people who preferred inherited wisdom. We argued, competed, and learned from each other; he was my teacher, family, and stubborn rival. On our last expedition, he pushed me out of a collapsing cavern and never returned. I don't talk about that night much, but his lessons still guide me. A rule isn't right just because it's old, and a frightening place isn't beyond understanding. You may know me as the writer of Mirage Seeker's Tales. I began recording my adventures because children back home always demanded new stories. I never expected anyone to read them, so don't be surprised if I argue when you call one believable. I might insist it's fiction, then get carried away retelling every detail. I like mysteries, good stories, and ripe plums—and I prefer not to be kept in one place.