Ta Lo Village and the Guardian Dragon

As the sun tilted westward, the Life Force within Lin Hai suddenly stirred. He quickened his pace. The bamboo thickets ahead grew sparser, and the sunlight brighter.

With one step, heaven and earth abruptly changed.

The sight before him left Lin Hai rooted to the spot.

A flat, sprawling village lay in a basin surrounded by mountains. Ta Lo Village's buildings had preserved the characteristics of ancient Huaxia architecture remarkably well—solemn yet elegant, practical yet beautiful. Houses of white walls and black tiles stood harmoniously alongside red-brown pavilions, arranged in pleasing layers.

Winding stone paths connected every household. Exotic flowers and plants grew along the roadsides, some even glowing faintly, while strange, unrecognizable animals frolicked together on the grass.

In the terraced fields in the distance, villagers bent over their work. Yet they were not growing ordinary crops, but a kind of rice whose leaves shone emerald green.

It was practically the description from The Peach Blossom Spring—"The land was level and broad, the houses orderly. There were fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo groves. Paths crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard. Men and women came and went, farming and working, dressed no differently from outsiders. The old and young alike lived in contentment and joy."

Lin Hai keenly noticed several details: solar panels had been installed on some rooftops; a calendar from 2001 was posted on the bulletin board at the village entrance; several children were holding tablets and watching something together.

"So Ta Lo Village isn't completely cut off from the outside world..."

After all, Ta Lo Village was different from Peach Blossom Spring Village. Zheng Xian, the director of Huaxia's S.P.E.A.R., knew of Ta Lo Village's existence. Every so often, Zheng Xian would bring his trusted subordinates to the village, delivering large quantities of daily supplies, new technological devices, and news from the outside world. As a result, Ta Lo Village's residents had some understanding of the outside world.

Lin Hai's appearance quickly drew attention.

The first to spot him was an elderly man working in the fields. The old man straightened up, squinted at Lin Hai for several seconds, then shouted in a Sichuan dialect, "An outsider has entered the village!"

Soon, more than a dozen villagers gathered from all directions. Their clothing was unusual—not entirely modern, nor ancient, but a modified style blending tradition with modernity. The men wore front-fastening cloth shirts, though the fabric was impossible to identify. The women's dresses retained elements of Hanfu, yet were paired with light athletic shoes. Almost everyone wore some form of jade ornament, carved with intricate runes.

Lin Hai relaxed and stood still, signaling that he meant no harm. "My name is Lin Hai. I came looking for Ta Lo Village."

The villagers exchanged glances. A stern-faced man of around forty stepped forward. "How did you find this place?"

"With this." Lin Hai held out his hands, which glowed with emerald light.

The crowd was astonished, but they did not ask further questions. Once the man sensed that Lin Hai bore no ill will, he said, "In that case, come with me to the village chief's house."

The village chief's home stood beside a stone tower in the center of the village, a three-courtyard residence. To Lin Hai's surprise, modern communication equipment had been placed in the courtyard, and satellite cloud maps hung on the walls.

"Surprised?" An elderly yet vigorous voice came from the inner room.

Lin Hai turned and saw a white-haired elder emerge, leaning on a vinewood staff. The old man appeared to be at least eighty, yet his back was straight and his steps steady. "Every time Zheng Xian comes, he brings some new toys."

Lin Hai blinked. "You know Director Zheng from S.P.E.A.R.?"

"More than that. I'm the village chief of Ta Lo Village. You may call me Old Chen." The village chief motioned for him to sit. "Ta Lo Village has cooperated with the authorities for many years. Besides, Zheng Xian is both clever and tactful, so our partnership has always been pleasant."

After learning some basic information, Lin Hai told Old Chen why he had been able to pass through the Bamboo Grove Maze and reach this place, then demonstrated his abilities.

Old Chen found it tremendously remarkable. He had never expected someone like Lin Hai, capable of controlling Life Force, to exist in the outside world. Old Chen then gave Lin Hai a general account of Ta Lo Village's origins, though he did not explain the village's circumstances in detail—for instance, that the gate they guarded existed to prevent the Soul-Eating Beasts within from escaping and bringing disaster upon the world.

He simply had not expected Lin Hai to already know all of this.

After warning Lin Hai not to reveal Ta Lo's secrets once he left, Old Chen said that a guest was a guest. In Huaxia, one could not let a visitor go hungry, so he invited Lin Hai to join them for lunch.

Lin Hai readily accepted. He discovered that the food here was extraordinarily delicious, and he quietly guessed, Perhaps the land here was blessed, making its ingredients especially fine and flavorful?

After the meal, Old Chen brought Lin Hai to the shore of the vast lake within Ta Lo Village and told him that their guardian divine beast lived in its waters.

Lin Hai knew it was an Azure Dragon, one of Huaxia's Four Divine Beasts alongside the White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. It was this Azure Dragon's mother who had defeated the Dark Dweller and sealed it, along with countless Soul-Eating Beasts, behind the gate guarded by Ta Lo Village. She had also granted the people of Ta Lo Village the ability to wield natural magic and given them her shed dragon scales to forge weapons and armor.

However, that Azure Dragon had also been gravely wounded during her great battle with the Dark Dweller. Not long after giving birth to the Young Azure Dragon, she died. The Young Azure Dragon thus took up its mother's mantle, guarding both the sealed gate and Ta Lo Village. This was also why the Azure Dragon in the Shang-Chi film was not particularly large and did not appear overwhelmingly powerful.

Lin Hai's thoughts raced. After reviewing his memories of Ta Lo Village's storyline, he arrived at the lakeside terrace built by the village to worship and offer sacrifices to the Azure Dragon.

He stood atop the altar made from blue stone, beneath his feet the coiling dragon patterns carved by generations of villagers. Old Chen stood beside him with his vinewood staff, the rippling lake light reflected in his aged eyes.

"Divine beasts possess spiritual awareness and do not easily reveal themselves," Old Chen said softly. "If it is willing to see you, that will be a tremendous stroke of fate."

Lin Hai nodded as the Life Force within him began to circulate. In truth, he knew even better than Old Chen what was about to appear—the Azure Dragon, rarely seen in the Marvel Universe, yet bearing the ancient power of Huaxia.

When emerald energy spilled from Lin Hai's palm, unnatural ripples suddenly spread across the center of the lake.

Soon, the ripples moved toward the shore, while the water's surface gradually rose. With a loud splash, the curtain of water before Lin Hai parted to either side like strands of pearl.

A dragon head the size of a small car burst from the water. Its jade-like scales shimmered with rainbow hues beneath the sunlight, its whiskers brushed the water like ribbons, and its emerald vertical pupils reflected Lin Hai's figure.

To Lin Hai, the Azure Dragon's head resembled an exquisite work of art, brimming with vivid, lively beauty.

Its horns were slender and elegant, faint halos flowing over them. Its eyes were bright and clear, like emerald lake water. Its whiskers were soft and long, like brocade threads spun from the finest silk.

When Lin Hai saw the dragon's complete head, he felt neither panic nor fear, only familiarity. A resonance that transcended bloodlines trembled within his chest. It was the instinctive affinity for the "dragon" carved into the bones of Huaxia's descendants, the primal stirring of a people before their totem.

The Azure Dragon made no unnecessary movements. It merely watched Lin Hai from a short distance away. Behind him, not a single Ta Lo villager dared make a sound, afraid of disturbing a sight that was rare even to them.

Lin Hai gradually grew bolder. He slowly raised his right hand, and the emerald glow of Life Force condensed into a sphere of light in his palm. This made Old Chen's vinewood staff pause, but the old man did not stop him.

The Ta Lo villagers who saw this began to stir, whispering among themselves. "What is he doing?" "His hand is glowing! Can he use magic too?" "Why is he raising his hand?" "He's holding his palm toward the divine dragon!" "He doesn't mean to touch the divine dragon, does he?"

The villagers had guessed correctly. Lin Hai truly wanted to touch the divine dragon. The dragon seemed not to understand his intention. Its eyes remained fixed on Lin Hai's Life Force-infused palm. After a long pause—perhaps after a long hesitation—it finally pressed the bridge of its snout against his hand.

As the emerald light illuminated the patterns of the dragon's scales, Lin Hai's palm came to rest against the Azure Dragon's snout. It felt cool as jade, yet carried the warmth of living flesh.

The watching villagers let out restrained gasps. Several children had their mouths covered by their mothers, though their eyes were wide and round.

The instant Life Force surged forth, Lin Hai's consciousness was pulled into a torrent of emotions from the Azure Dragon.

Within it were longing for its departed mother, responsibility toward the people of Ta Lo Village, vigilance toward unknown power, and closeness and curiosity toward Lin Hai.

"You're very tired..." Lin Hai murmured unconsciously, as more Life Force flowed of its own accord toward the old wounds beneath the Azure Dragon's scales.

Those wounds had been inflicted by the occasional Soul-Eating Monsters that escaped from behind the sealed gate. Dark energy had corroded them into scars, and under the effect of Life Force, those scars were fading at a visible rate.

Perhaps a long time passed. Or perhaps only an instant did. After Lin Hai had transferred more than half of his Life Force to the Azure Dragon, the dragon contentedly moved its snout away from his palm.

When the Azure Dragon suddenly raised its head and broke contact, Lin Hai staggered back two steps. Before he could react, the Azure Dragon had already soared into the sky!

Boom!

Water exploded like a fountain of crystal clusters. Its twenty-meter-long body unfurled beneath the blue sky, azure scales refracting a dazzling halo. Its circling form reminded Lin Hai of the Tai Chi Master Chen had taught him—soft yet strong, endlessly alive.

"Since I first became aware of the world, this is the first time I've seen the divine dragon dance..." Old Chen's voice trembled. "Child, what did you give it?"

Lin Hai looked at the lingering emerald motes on his fingertips. "Nothing much. Just a little comfort it needed."