Dragon Turtle

Rolling waves surged, their roar booming like thunder in the ears.

Su He's consciousness slowly awakened within his Heart Aperture. Beneath his feet lay a blood-red lake of raging waves, and the Dragon Turtle Dao Body strode across them, riding the waves.

True blood!

He did not know how long he had been hibernating. The Turtle Longevity Breathing Art had been circulating without pause, and at last, the first drop of true blood had condensed within his Heart Aperture.

The lake beneath the Dragon Turtle's feet was merely a single drop of blood!

When cultivators cultivated, the attributes of their true blood were tied to the Heart Aperture Divine Treasure. The true blood of divine beasts was tied to the Heart Aperture Dao Body. This was a drop of Dragon Turtle True Blood.

The blood surged out along the great river beside the Heart Aperture—the artery of his heart. Like a drop of clear water falling into boiling oil, Su He's entire body crackled like popping beans.

A scalding sensation spread from his heart through all four limbs and a hundred bones.

"Aang!"

A long, distant Dragon Turtle Long Chant rang out from Listening Sea Lake.

All beginnings were difficult. With the first drop of true blood condensed, things would be much easier from here on.

Feng Ya Ya lay sprawled on the ice, her little face pressed against it as she watched the turtle's shadow below. Slapping the ice, she cried out wildly.

"Big Turtle, Big Turtle, are you going to wake up?"

Su He had not awakened. He had merely condensed true blood during hibernation, and that long chant had been instinctive.

Feng Yi Ju, who had been meditating in Eternal Life Hall, opened his eyes. With a flash, he was already above Listening Sea Lake.

Feng Ya Ya's noisy clapping gradually fell silent. Supporting herself against the ice, she slowly raised her head and saw her father standing nearby with his hands behind his back. He glanced at her, his eyes without a ripple, then turned to look at Su He beneath the water.

Feng Ya Ya swallowed, her breathing quickening. She did not like facing her father alone. She especially disliked seeing him in reality, outside the Water Mirror Technique.

Distant. Silent.

Frightening.

Feng Ya Ya climbed to her feet and secretly peeked at him timidly. Seeing him observing the Big Turtle, she hesitated several times before gritting her teeth and bravely sweeping snow over the ice, blocking Feng Yi Ju's line of sight. "Do you... do you want to eat the Big Turtle?"

Feng Yi Ju looked at her without answering.

Her voice trembled as she asked again, "Y-you want to..."

Once those two words left her mouth, she could say no more. Her voice had already taken on a tearful quaver.

Feng Yi Ju raised a hand as if to touch her head, but in the end it stopped in midair. The outstretched hand slowly withdrew, and with a flash, he Disappeared.

Feng Ya Ya's tiny body suddenly crumpled onto the ice.

That drop of true blood was like a spark setting an entire mountain ablaze. Even in hibernation, Su He felt as though his whole body were burning.

He was scorching hot from head to toe.

Yet that heat did not interrupt his hibernation, as though it were only an illusion. If someone lay on the ice and looked down now, they could even see a faint layer of ice crystals forming over Su He's entire turtle body.

His scales and shell creaked beneath the penetrating freeze of the ice crystals, like Trees shriveling in the winter cold.

Feng Ya Ya did not come on the second day.

Nor did she come on the third.

Not until the fourth day, before dawn had broken, did Feng Ya Ya's bell-like cries appear over Listening Sea Lake, accompanied by a camel's huffing complaints.

"Wow! Da Zhuang, look! The turtle mountain on Big Turtle's shell has melted!"

Feng Ya Ya had already recovered from her fright, and everything returned to normal. She came to inspect him at irregular times each day, sometimes carrying a book satchel, sometimes holding a small sword.

She had Woke Up, and classes at Li Nan Courtyard resumed with her.

But every day after school and before school, she would run to Listening Sea Lake.

After a Great Snow, Old Daoist Ge came as well, in person and without drinking.

The Matter of the Three Rivers Wasteland had been settled. He had brought back every disciple he had taken with him, whole and sound. The newly returned disciples heard as soon as they entered the sect that it now had a Sect-Protecting Divine Beast.

A Dragon Turtle, currently hibernating.

At once, the entire Azure Origin Sect became lively again. Dragon Turtle stone sculptures and snow sculptures even began appearing throughout the sect from time to time.

The sect had a divine beast. Never mind whether that divine beast was still young or whether it was powerful at the moment—their face was upheld.

Time slowly passed amid Feng Ya Ya's repeated cries of, "Mother, the Big Turtle is glowing." "Mother, the Big Turtle got smaller again." "Mother, the Big Turtle ate your sword..."

Winter slipped away unnoticed. All things revived, and ice and snow melted.

Elephant Water thawed first; only afterward did Listening Sea Lake thaw.

Fish leaped joyfully, and Water Birds returned.

Su He still had not awakened.

Green Snake swayed out of her cave. She had not yet transformed into human form, but every movement was even more alluring. One could foresee that she would become an Enchantress capable of toppling kingdoms.

She lingered by Listening Sea Lake for a long while. Not seeing Su He, she did not enter.

Green Snake slithered back toward Azure Origin Sect. Having missed an entire winter of lessons, she had to Rush Back.

The crocodiles had crawled out of their caves as well, but they had not begun hunting. One by one, they lay by the shore basking in the sun after drinking their fill, waiting for their bodies to slowly recover.

In a single winter, three of the crocodiles had actually grown to a full three zhang in length, their colors becoming even deeper.

Feng Ya Ya could not come. Without ice, she could not enter the water. She knew no Daoist arts—only how to use her fists.

Awakening of Insects had passed, Spring Equinox had passed, Qingming had passed, and even Grain Rain was about to pass.

Had something happened to Big Turtle?

Feng Ya Ya grew even more worried.

Outside the window was pitch-black. Without Mother around, Feng Ya Ya could not sleep. The camel stubbornly lingered beside the pool, sleeping soundly.

Feng Ya Ya hugged her legs and gazed out the window.

Crack!

A thunderclap rang out, and rain began leaking through the roof. Torrential rain poured from midnight until daylight, with no sign whatsoever of stopping.

Classes at Li Nan Courtyard were about to begin. This batch of disciples was about to leave, and these past few days, the instructors had been introducing the differences among the seven lineages for the new disciples to choose from.

Feng Ya Ya did not understand. She had grown up in Azure Origin Sect and was already thoroughly familiar with the seven lineages. Why did Mother force her not to miss a single lesson?

Feng Ya Ya dressed, then plunged headfirst into the curtain of rain. She let the rain soak her clothes and wash away the gloom in her heart, finally crying out in delight.

The camel ran over, hopping about as it splashed through the water with her. Once they had played enough, Feng Ya Ya suddenly looked up. "Da Zhuang, let's go find Big Turtle!"

Ever since the ice had melted, she had not seen even a trace of Big Turtle. She missed him.

Da Zhuang could clearly avoid water, yet he would not take her down there.

Huff, huff—the camel protested.

Feng Ya Ya understood, but did not care. In all of Azure Origin Sect, she was the only one who could understand Beast Language without taking beast form.

She jumped onto the camel's back and sat between its two humps, laughing as she shouted, "Go! Go!"

"Take me there, and I'll take you to steal wine!"

The camel's eyes lit up. It spread its four hooves and galloped away—down the mountain, across the river! Their destination: Listening Sea Lake! The rain grew even heavier, lightning flashing from time to time. While they were still more than ten li from Listening Sea Lake, they heard a long, distant Dragon Turtle cry:

"Ang~~"

Feng Ya Ya's eyes lit up. "Da Zhuang, run! Run! Big Turtle has woken up!"

The camel became excited too. It leaped straight into Elephant Water, trampling across the water's surface as it headed directly for Listening Sea Lake.

Rushing into Listening Sea Lake, they saw from afar, amid the rolling waves, a Dragon Turtle black as ink yet crystalline and translucent, roaring at the sky.

Feng Ya Ya laughed loudly. "Big Turtle has changed! He has a dragon head now!"

Just then, from within the roiling dark clouds high in the sky, a bolt of lightning struck down.

Crack!

It struck Su He's turtle shell directly.

A mountain's shadow appeared upon the shell, blocking the lightning.

Su He raised his head and let out a long cry. "Ang!!"

Crack!

Another bolt of lightning struck down.