Back to Wushan Town

The morning after his Dragon Transformation, Lin Yun made a decision: he would return to Wushan Town.

The thought had been circling in his mind since the night before. The Green Spirit Fruit had purified his bloodline and given him the ability to undergo Dragon Transformation. He had to tell his father about it. More importantly, there was an urgent matter he needed to deal with!

Hogg had endured too much over the years: the decline of the clan, the disappearance of his wife, and the futures of his three sons. All the burdens rested on his shoulders alone. When the bloodline test results came back, neither Linley nor Lin Yun had a high enough concentration to undergo Dragon Transformation. Wharton's bloodline met the requirements, but he was only twelve and was still studying at O'Brien Empire Academy. Hogg hadn't said anything, but Lin Yun could sense his disappointment. The Baruch Clan had passed down its Dragonblood Warrior bloodline for thousands of years, yet in this generation, only one child had any hope of inheriting it.

Now, at last, he could give his father an answer.

Lin Yun rose from the bluestone and stretched. The Green Spirit Fruit's energy had not yet been fully absorbed. He could feel a lingering warmth inside him, slowly nourishing his bloodline.

He changed into clean clothes, put on his Space Ring, and followed the path down from the back hill to the dormitory.

The courtyard of Dormitory No. 1987 was quiet. Yale and Reynolds's doors were closed; they were probably still asleep. There was no movement in George's room, either. Linley's door stood open, but the room was empty. His bed was neatly made, and several books on Wind Element magic lay on the desk.

"He still hasn't come back." Lin Yun stood at the doorway, looking into the empty room with a slight frown. Linley had been in the Magic Beast Mountain Range for nearly three months, a month longer than planned. Lin Yun had faith in his strength, but it was impossible not to worry.

But now was not the time to dwell on that. Lin Yun left a note on the desk telling Linley he had returned to Wushan Town and not to worry when he got back. Then he turned and left the dormitory.

Walking from Ernst Institute to Wushan Town took more than half a day. At his current speed, the distance was nothing. Besides, he wanted to take the opportunity to get a good feel for how his body had changed after his Dragon Transformation.

The country road lay beneath a thin veil of morning mist. Green shoots stretched across the fields on either side, and dewdrops sparkled on their leaves. A few early birds flew overhead, chirping brightly.

Lin Yun moved quickly, yet his steps were light. The Green Spirit Fruit had transformed his body, making him far stronger than before. Each stride carried him several meters, yet he barely made a sound when he landed. It was a technique he had learned from the secret art Wind Spirit Movement: he blended the power of the wind into his steps, making his body as light as a feather. The same secret art was far more powerful in the Coiling Dragon World than in Swallowed Star.

He encountered no trouble along the way. Now and then, a few low-level magic beasts darted out of the roadside woods, but the moment they sensed the aura around him, they tucked their tails between their legs and fled. The spiritual pressure of a Level 9 Mage was more than low-level magic beasts could withstand.

In barely an hour, the outline of Wushan Town finally appeared in the distance.

The town looked much as it had when he left: low houses, narrow streets, and mountains faintly visible in the distance. The old locust tree at the entrance was unchanged, its branches thick with leaves. A few old men sat beneath it, playing chess.

Lin Yun slowed down and entered the town.

Baruch Manor stood at the far end of town, so he had to cross all of Wushan Town to reach it. Along the way, many residents recognized him and greeted him.

"Master Lin Yun, you're back?"

"I heard you're studying magic at Ernst Institute. That's the best Magic Academy on the continent!"

"Master Lin Yun, you've grown taller. You look just like your father when he was young."

Lin Yun smiled and responded to everyone, but he never stopped walking. He could feel his heart beating faster. It wasn't nervousness, but a complicated feeling that came from being close to home after a long absence.

At last, the gate of Baruch Manor appeared before him.

The manor was just as he remembered it: weathered stone walls, a rusted iron gate, and a courtyard overgrown with weeds. Everything was exactly as it had been when he left, yet somehow it all felt different.

Lin Yun pushed open the iron gate and went inside.

In the courtyard, Hogg sat on a stone stool beneath the Dragon Stone Sculpture, holding a yellowed book and apparently studying something. He wore an old robe washed nearly white, and there were more gray hairs at his temples than when Lin Yun had left.

Hearing footsteps, Hogg looked up. When he saw Lin Yun standing before him, the book nearly slipped from his hands.

"Lin Yun?" Hogg stood up, delight filling his eyes. "Why are you back today? Is the academy on break?"

"No." Lin Yun walked over to his father and looked at his gaunt face, a pang of sadness welling up inside him. "I just wanted to come see you."

Hogg looked his son up and down, a note of satisfaction in his eyes. "You've grown taller and filled out, too. Looks like you've been working hard at the academy."

He paused, then asked, "What about Linley? Didn't he come back with you?"

"Big brother is still training in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. He'll be back after a while," Lin Yun replied.

Hogg nodded and asked no more. He had faith in both his sons. Linley was steady and dependable, while Lin Yun was exceptionally gifted. Neither was the sort of child who caused him worry.

"Wharton's at O'Brien Empire Academy. He wrote last month and said he was doing very well there. He's already a Level 6 Warrior." Hogg smiled. "That boy's never given me anything to worry about."

Lin Yun smiled. Wharton was only three years younger than him and Linley, and was twelve that year. The three brothers had grown up together and were close. Wharton was much more lively than Linley and quite talented, too. When his bloodline concentration had tested high enough at the age of six, Hogg had sent him to O'Brien Empire Academy—the best Warrior academy on the Yulan Continent.

"Have you eaten? I'll ask Martha to make you something." Hogg turned and started toward the house.

"Father." Lin Yun stopped him.

Hogg paused and turned back.

Lin Yun took a deep breath, then slowly entered his Dragon Transformation state.

Blue-green scales emerged from beneath his skin, quickly covering his arms, torso, and legs. Sharp claws grew from his fingertips, dragon horns sprouted from either side of his forehead, and a dragon tail extended from the base of his spine. In just a few seconds, a Dragonblood Warrior stood before Hogg, his body covered in blue-green scales, a pair of horns on his head, and a tail like a spear.

The courtyard fell utterly silent.

The book slipped from Hogg's hands and hit the ground. His eyes widened, his lips trembled, and he stood frozen in place as if under a binding spell.

"Father." Lin Yun's voice came from beneath his scales, carrying a faint metallic rasp. "I can undergo Dragon Transformation."

Hogg didn't answer. His eyes reddened, and tears welled up before silently rolling down his cheeks. He raised a trembling hand and reached toward Lin Yun, gently touching the scales on his son's arm.

The scales were hard and cold, but Hogg touched them as if they were the most precious thing in the world. His fingers traced every line and every ridge.

"Dragon Transformation..." Hogg's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "You really did it..."

He abruptly raised his head, seized Lin Yun by the shoulders, and stared at him. "When did this happen? How did you do it? Your bloodline concentration... it wasn't high enough when you were tested..."

"Just yesterday." Lin Yun gave him a brief explanation. "I obtained a miraculous fruit during my training. It purified my bloodline and raised its concentration enough for Dragon Transformation."

Hogg stared at him for a long time, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed. His laughter held joy and relief, along with the exhilaration of finally releasing emotions he had suppressed for more than a decade.

"Good! Good! Good!" He said "good" three times in a row, then slapped Lin Yun's shoulder with all his might. "The Baruch Clan's bloodline hasn't ended! It hasn't ended!"

Lin Yun ended his Dragon Transformation. His scales, horns, and tail slowly disappeared, and he returned to being an ordinary young man.

Hogg sat on the stone stool, bracing his hands on his knees and lowering his head. His shoulders trembled slightly. After a long while, he finally looked up. His tears had dried, but there was a light in his eyes that Lin Yun had never seen before: hope.

"Lin Yun." Hogg's voice steadied, but his tone held a solemnity unlike anything before. "What level have you reached?"

"I'm a Level 9 Mage and a peak Level 8 Warrior. In my Dragon Transformation state, my Warrior strength can reach the peak of Level 9," Lin Yun answered honestly.

Hogg sucked in a sharp breath. A fifteen-year-old Level 9 Mage and peak Level 8 Warrior who could, after Dragon Transformation, rival a peak Level 9 Dragonblood Warrior—among the younger generation on the entire Yulan Continent, that put Lin Yun among the very best.

"What about your big brother?" Hogg asked. "How strong is he now?"

"A Level 6 Mage and a Level 5 Warrior," Lin Yun replied. "He's improving quickly, too."

Hogg nodded and fell silent for a long time. Then he stood up and looked at Lin Yun, a complicated emotion flickering in his eyes.

"Lin Yun, come with me."

He turned and headed deeper into the manor. Lin Yun followed behind him, already guessing what this was about.

Hogg led Lin Yun through the main house and the vegetable garden in the back courtyard, to a small stone hut at the very back of the manor. Lin Yun had seen the hut since childhood, but Hogg had never let him or Linley enter. Its door was made of heavy iron, secured with a large, rusty lock.

Hogg pulled an old brass key from his robe and pushed it into the lock. It took considerable effort to open it. The iron door creaked sharply, and a damp, musty smell drifted out.

The stone hut was dim, lit only by faint rays filtering through a few cracks in the roof. Lin Yun followed Hogg inside and waited for his eyes to adjust before he could make out the furnishings.

The hut was small, barely a dozen square meters. A portrait hung on the opposite wall. It showed a beautiful woman with long chestnut hair, gentle eyes, and a faint smile. She held two babies in her arms, while a young man stood behind her—Hogg in his youth.

Lin Yun's heart clenched.

That was his mother. The woman in the portrait overlapped with the image of her in his memories. Although she had "died" when he was three, his soul still held those hazy recollections: her warm embrace, her gentle singing, and the faint floral scent of her hair.

Hogg stood before the portrait, gazing up at the woman's face in silence for a long time.

"Lin Yun." At last he spoke, his voice hoarse. "Your mother didn't die giving birth to Wharton, as we were told."

Lin Yun's body trembled slightly. He knew his mother hadn't died in childbirth, but he hadn't expected Hogg to reveal the truth now.

"When your mother became pregnant again, we were both very happy," Hogg said softly, as if recounting a distant story. "But Wushan Town's medical facilities were too poor, so your mother and I set out for Fenlai City. She safely gave birth to little Wharton there. He was adorable, and we were both overjoyed."

He paused and drew a deep breath.

"Not long after little Wharton was born, your mother and I took him to the Radiant Temple to pray for him. We were both very happy that day. Afterward, we left the temple and spent the night at a hotel in Fenlai City."

Hogg's voice began to tremble.

"That night, a group of mysterious people came to the hotel and took your mother by force. I was outnumbered. I could only save Wharton."

Pain filled his eyes, as if he had returned to that desperate night more than a decade ago.

"I saw a red spider birthmark on the arm of one of the kidnappers."

"I knew they weren't ordinary people. Even the weakest was a Level 4 Warrior, and the strongest was more powerful than me. It was only because they were after your mother that I survived." Hogg's voice was low and heavy. "A group like that wouldn't be led by nobodies, even in Fenlai City. I didn't dare raise the alarm. I brought little Wharton back and told everyone that your mother had died in childbirth. Only our butler, Hiri, and your Uncle Hillman knew the truth."

Lin Yun stood there in silence for a long time.

He knew his mother was still alive. He knew the Radiant Church had sacrificed her to the Lord of Light, transforming her into a Twelve-Winged Angel and turning her into the Lord of Light's weapon of war. He knew that to save her, he would have to kill the Lord of Light—the man who stood at the very peak of the Coiling Dragon Universe.

But he couldn't tell Hogg any of this. It wasn't that he didn't want to; he couldn't. Hogg had already endured too much. Telling him that his mother was alive but had been transformed into a fighting machine with no sense of self would only bring him greater pain.

"I couldn't tell you boys. For more than a decade, I've kept this secret buried deep inside me." Hogg's voice grew quieter. "I didn't dare tell anyone... I couldn't even investigate on my own whether your mother was alive or dead, or who those people were. I was afraid to look into it."

He turned to Lin Yun, tears filling his eyes.

"I'm the heir to a Dragonblood Warrior Clan. At the very least, I had to raise you boys. I couldn't let the Baruch Clan die out. I endured it year after year, but every night I lay awake, tormented by the question of whether your mother was alive or dead!"

Hogg's voice suddenly rose, filled with all the pain and anger he had kept bottled up for more than a decade.

"You and Linley have made me so proud. First, you were accepted to the best Magic Academy on the Yulan Continent, then you became geniuses at Ernst Institute. I have so much faith in both of you. Wharton's Dragonblood Warrior bloodline concentration also met the requirements, and he's doing very well at O'Brien Empire Academy. I'm so proud—all three of my sons are so outstanding. I've done right by the ancestors of the Baruch Clan! But even now, I still don't dare investigate what happened to your mother, because Wharton still needs a great deal of money for his expensive tuition."

He paused and looked at Lin Yun, tears finally rolling down his cheeks.

Lin Yun stepped forward and took his father's hand. He felt a deep ache for this man before him, who had shouldered so much for the clan.

When he was twelve, he had obtained a large number of gold coins and Magic Crystal Cores in the Magic Beast Mountain Range. But he hadn't given the money to Hogg. He knew that if Hogg got his hands on it, he would go investigate his mother's whereabouts without any reservations—and return badly wounded, only to die not long afterward.

At the time, Lin Yun had been only a Level 7 Warrior. He couldn't yet undergo Dragon Transformation and didn't have enough strength to help Hogg get revenge. But things were different now. As a peak Level 9 Dragonblood Warrior, he feared no one as long as no Saint Realm experts appeared!

Hogg's hand trembled, and so did his whole body. For more than a decade, this secret had weighed on his heart. Now that he had finally spoken it aloud, he didn't feel relieved. Instead, it was as if every ounce of strength had been drained from him.

"Father." Lin Yun's voice was calm and firm. "Mother might still be alive."

Hogg jerked his head up, disbelief shining in his eyes.

"What did you say?"

"I have no proof, but I can feel it," Lin Yun said. "Mother is still alive, somewhere. Those people didn't take her to kill her, but for some other purpose. I don't know what that purpose is yet, but I'll find out."

He didn't tell Hogg about the angel transformation. That truth was more than Hogg could bear right now.

Hogg stared at Lin Yun for a long time, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something. In the end, all he managed was, "You... how do you know?"

"Instinct," Lin Yun said. "Besides, Mother was just an ordinary person. Why would those people go to so much trouble to abduct her? They could have killed her on the spot. The fact that they took her means she was useful to them. People who are useful don't get killed easily."

Hogg froze. He had never looked at the question from that angle. For more than a decade, he had believed Lina was dead and had only wanted revenge for her. But now Lin Yun had given him a new possibility to hold on to.

"Father." Lin Yun looked into Hogg's eyes and spoke one word at a time. "I'll find the people who kidnapped Mother, and I'll bring her back. I promise."

Hogg opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to close up, leaving him unable to speak. He squeezed Lin Yun's hand tightly, then let go and turned back to face the portrait.

"Your mother's name was Lina." His voice was soft, as if he were speaking to the woman in the portrait. "She was the gentlest woman I ever knew. When she married me, the Baruch Clan had already fallen into decline, but she never complained. She always said that as long as we were together as a family, it didn't matter where we lived."

Lin Yun stood behind his father, looking at the portrait of his mother.

Lina. He had heard that name countless times in his memories, but now, spoken by Hogg, it carried a completely different weight.

"I'll find her," Lin Yun said softly, as if promising his father—and the mother in the portrait.

Hogg said nothing. He only stood there, looking at the portrait, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Lin Yun stayed with him for a long time.

By the time they left the stone hut, the sun had already set.

Hogg locked the hut and slipped the old brass key back into his robe. Then he turned to Lin Yun, and something appeared in his gaze that had never been there before: trust, and a willingness to entrust the task to him.

"Be careful," Hogg said. "Those people are powerful, and they were able to abduct someone right under the Radiant Church's nose in Fenlai City. They're clearly closely connected to the Radiant Church. If you expose yourself..."

"I won't expose myself," Lin Yun said. "Don't worry, Father. I won't act rashly until I'm sure I can handle it. I'll just investigate first and see if I can find any more clues."

Hogg nodded and said no more. He knew his son had grown up and had learned to make his own decisions.

Lin Yun stayed with his father in Wushan Town for a few days, then set off for Fenlai City. He had someone to capture—and he was going to collect a little interest first!