As the sun began to set, the Life Force within Lin Hai suddenly stirred. He quickened his pace. The bamboo groves ahead grew sparser, and the sunlight grew brighter.
With one step forward, the world changed abruptly.
The sight before him left Lin Hai rooted to the spot.
A flat, open village lay in a basin surrounded by mountains. The buildings of Ta Lo Village had preserved the features of traditional ancient Huaxia architecture remarkably well—solemn yet elegant, practical yet beautiful. Houses with white walls and gray-tiled roofs stood harmoniously alongside red-brown pavilions, arranged in pleasing layers.
Winding stone paths connected every household. Strange flowers and exotic plants grew along the roadside, some even emitting a faint glow, while unrecognizable mystical animals frolicked on the grass.
In the distant terraced fields, villagers bent over at work. Yet they were not cultivating ordinary crops, but a kind of rice whose leaves gleamed jade-green.
This was practically identical to the description in The Peach Blossom Spring—"The land was level and spacious, the houses neatly arranged. 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 planting, dressed no differently from outsiders. The old and young alike lived peacefully and happily."
Lin Hai keenly noticed several details: solar panels had been installed on certain rooftops; a 2001 calendar was posted on the bulletin board at the village entrance; several children held tablet computers as they gathered around something.
"Sure enough, Ta Lo Village isn't completely cut off from the outside world..."
Ta Lo Village was ultimately different from Peach Blossom Spring Village. Zheng Xian, 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 there, delivering large quantities of daily supplies, new technological devices, and news from the outside world. As a result, the villagers of Ta Lo Village had some understanding of the outside world as well.
Lin Hai's arrival quickly drew attention.
The first to spot him was an elderly man working in the fields. The old man straightened up, narrowed his eyes at Lin Hai for several seconds, then shouted in a Sichuan-Shu dialect, "An outsider has entered the village!"
Soon, more than a dozen villagers gathered from all directions. Their clothing was unusual. It was neither entirely modern nor ancient, but a modified style blending tradition and modernity. The men wore traditional cross-collar cloth shirts, though the material was unrecognizable. The women's dresses retained elements of Hanfu, yet were paired with lightweight sneakers. Nearly everyone wore some sort of jade ornament etched with intricate runes.
Lin Hai stood still with his body relaxed, signaling that he meant no harm. "My name is Lin Hai. I came looking for Ta Lo Village."
The villagers exchanged glances. A hard-featured man of around forty stepped forward. "How did you find this place?"
"Through this." Lin Hai extended his hands, which radiated a jade-green glow.
The crowd was astonished, but they did not question him further. Once the man sensed that Lin Hai meant no harm, he said, "In that case, come with me to the village chief's house."
The village chief's home stood beside a stone tower at the center of the village. It was a three-courtyard residence. To Lin Hai's surprise, modern communication equipment had been set up in the courtyard, and satellite cloud maps hung on the walls.
"Surprised?" An aged but vigorous voice came from inside.
Lin Hai turned and saw a white-haired elder emerge from the inner room, leaning on a rattan cane. The elder looked at least eighty, but 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 of S.P.E.A.R.?"
"More than know him. I'm the village chief of Ta Lo Village. You can call me Old Chen." The village chief gestured 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. He also demonstrated his abilities.
Old Chen found it astonishing. He had never expected someone like Lin Hai to exist in the outside world—someone capable of controlling Life Force. 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, such as the gate they guarded, which existed to prevent the Soul-Eating Beasts within from escaping and wreaking havoc upon the world.
He simply had not expected Lin Hai to already know all of that.
After warning Lin Hai not to reveal news of Ta Lo once he left, Old Chen stated that a guest should not be allowed to visit on an empty stomach in Huaxia. He therefore invited Lin Hai to join them for lunch.
Lin Hai readily accepted. He found that the food here was extraordinarily delicious, and he quietly guessed, Perhaps the excellent land and people here make the ingredients especially fresh and flavorful?
After lunch, 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 the water.
Lin Hai knew it was an Azure Dragon, one of Huaxia's Four Divine Beasts—the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. It had been this Azure Dragon's mother who 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 villagers of Ta Lo Village the ability to use natural magic, and given them her shed dragon scales to forge weapons and armor.
However, that Azure Dragon had also suffered grave injuries during her battle with the Dark Dweller. Not long after giving birth to the Young Azure Dragon, she died. The Young Azure Dragon then took up its mother's burden. While guarding the Sealing Gate, it also protected Ta Lo Village. This was why the Azure Dragon in the Shang-Chi film was not particularly large and did not appear especially powerful.
Lin Hai's thoughts raced. After reviewing his memories of the Ta Lo Village storyline, he arrived at the lakeside terrace built by the village to worship and offer sacrifices to the Azure Dragon.
He stood upon the bluestone altar, beneath his feet the coiling dragon patterns carved by generations of villagers. Old Chen stood beside him with his rattan cane, rippling lake light reflected in his aged eyes.
"Divine beasts possess spiritual awareness and do not reveal themselves easily," Old Chen said softly. "If it is willing to meet you, that would be an extraordinary stroke of fate."
Lin Hai nodded, and 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 Huaxia's ancient power.
When jade-colored energy spilled from Lin Hai's palm, unnatural ripples suddenly spread across the center of the lake.
Soon, the ripples approached the shore. As they did, the water gradually rose. With a splash, the curtain of water before Lin Hai parted to either side like a beaded drape.
A dragon's head as large as a compact car emerged from the water. Its jade-like scales shimmered with rainbow hues beneath the sunlight, its whiskers brushed the surface like silk ribbons, and its emerald vertical pupils reflected Lin Hai's figure.
To Lin Hai, the Azure Dragon's head was like an exquisite work of art, filled with lively, elegant beauty.
Its horns were slender and graceful, with a faint halo 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 in his chest. It was the instinctive closeness to 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 simply watched Lin Hai from nearby. Not one of the Ta Lo villagers behind him dared make a sound, afraid of disturbing a scene that was rare even in their eyes.
Lin Hai gradually grew bolder. He slowly raised his right hand, and the jade light of Life Force condensed into a sphere in his palm. Old Chen's rattan cane paused at the gesture, 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 can't be trying to touch the Divine Dragon, can he?"
The villagers had guessed correctly. Lin Hai truly did want to touch the Divine Dragon. The Divine Dragon seemed not to understand his intention. Its dragon eyes merely stared at Lin Hai's palm, which radiated Life Force. After remaining still for a long time—perhaps hesitating for a long time—it finally pressed its snout against his hand.
As the jade light illuminated the patterns in its scales, Lin Hai's palm came to rest against the Azure Dragon's snout. It was cool as jade, yet carried the warmth of a living creature.
The watching villagers let out muffled 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 deceased mother, responsibility toward the villagers of Ta Lo, vigilance toward an 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 individual Soul-Eating Beasts that occasionally escaped from behind the Sealing Gate. Dark Energy had corroded them into scar after scar, but under the effects of Life Force, those scars were fading at a visible rate.
Perhaps a long time passed, or perhaps only an instant. Once Lin Hai had transferred more than half his Life Force to the Azure Dragon, it 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 upward like a crystal fountain. Its twenty-meter-long body stretched beneath the blue sky, azure scales refracting dazzling halos. Its circling form reminded Lin Hai of the Tai Chi Master Chen had taught him—soft yet strong, with Everlasting Vitality.
"Since I was old enough to remember, 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 jade specks of light on his fingertips. "Nothing. Just a little comfort it needed."
Before you continue