The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the lake. Azure Dragon had long since dived beneath the water, yet a faint trace of dragon might still lingered in the air. Leaning on his vine staff, Old Chen gazed at the shimmering lake and let out a long sigh. "Since I was old enough to remember, the divine beast has never been this joyful."
Lin Hai sat on the bluestone steps, watching the lake just like Old Chen. "It's lonely."
"Yes. Since the divine beast has acknowledged you, it's time you learned Ta Lo Village's true history." Old Chen turned around, a flicker of reminiscence passing through his aged eyes.
He waved a hand, signaling the attendants to leave. Once only the two of them remained on the terrace, Old Chen lightly tapped his vine staff against the ground, and a soundproof magical barrier silently unfolded.
"Sit tight, kid. Don't let this shock you. This story begins four thousand years ago."
"The first ancestors to discover Ta Lo were Qi cultivators fleeing from war..."
Old Chen's voice was as deep as an ancient bell. "In 1977 BC, our ancestors discovered this hidden realm. There were spiritual springs that never ran dry, exotic flowers capable of curing all ailments, and even..."
He pointed toward a group of strange beasts wandering on a nearby hillside.
"The exotic beasts recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas all truly exist here. Those Qi cultivators—my ancestors—settled here and gradually developed the place into a prosperous city-state." Old Chen's vine staff pointed toward a massive gate embedded in the mountain across the lake. "Until that day..."
"One day many years later, the mountain by the lake suddenly split open into an abyss." Old Chen's hand trembled slightly. "The Dark Dweller—an otherworldly demon that fed on souls. It commanded hordes of Soul-Eating Beasts and destroyed half the city in a single night."
Old Chen continued, "But ordinary weapons were completely useless against the Soul-Eating Beasts. Within three days, most of the city-state had fallen."
Then, the sky suddenly darkened with storm clouds, and a streak of azure light tore through them—a thousand-zhang-long Azure Dragon descended upon the battlefield.
"That was the divine beast's mother." Tears welled in Old Chen's eyes. "She battled the Dark Dweller for seven days and seven nights, ultimately sealing the demon behind that gate made of dragon scales at the cost of grievous injuries."
"After the battle, Azure Dragon laid an egg. What eventually hatched from that egg was the divine beast Azure Dragon you see today. After caring for the Young Azure Dragon for some time, she succumbed to her injuries."
"Because Ta Lo Village is surrounded by the Bamboo Grove Maze, together with this place's unique environment and Azure Dragon's Dragon God's Power, Ta Lo Village has remained a hidden realm for so long. In all these millennia, you are the first person to arrive in Ta Lo Village through Life Force."
Moreover, thanks to the sealed environment and abundant energy, the rare treasures and exotic beasts in Ta Lo Village that seemed to exist only in the Classic of Mountains and Seas had survived to this day.
That included, but was not limited to, the Nine-Tailed White Fox, Chaos, Firebird, Qilin Horse, and even two Suanni with dragon bloodlines that Lin Hai had seen along the way. That was also why, even when only dragon-scale weapons could harm Soul-Eating Beasts, the two Suanni in the movie could tear Soul-Eating Beasts apart with their bare claws.
At that point, Old Chen rose while supporting himself with his vine staff and gestured for Lin Hai to stand as well.
"Come. I'll show you what gives us the confidence to guard the Sealing Gate." With that, he led Lin Hai toward the weapon workshop in the west of the village.
"The surviving ancestors swore to guard the seal for generations. In the years that followed, the first Azure Dragon gifted us the dragon scales she shed and bestowed upon some villagers magic capable of controlling the forces of nature. The Young Azure Dragon, inheriting her mother's last wish, also learned from her mother and gave us the scales she shed."
As they spoke, the two arrived at the weapon workshop. Inside, more than a dozen craftsmen were forging weapons.
Lin Hai saw dragon-scale daggers glimmering with azure light in the firelight. Hundreds of such Dragon-Scale Blades hung on the wall beside them, their blades patterned with azure-gold ripples. Several archers were testing sharp arrows tipped with dragon scales, while a few craftsmen were adjusting the straightness and curvature of Dragon-Scale Staffs.
However, Lin Hai did not see the Dragon-Scale Armor Suits worn by Shang-Chi and his sister in the movie. They were probably one of a kind and could not be mass-produced.
After touring the weapon workshop, Old Chen brought Lin Hai back to his home and arranged for him to stay in a side room. Its furnishings were simple, but the room carried a soothing, peaceful air.
Lin Hai then remembered that if he was not going home today, he should send his parents a message. However, his phone had absolutely no signal here.
After Lin Hai explained what he needed, Old Chen took out a satellite phone from his room. "Use this for now. There are only three communication devices in the village, all left behind by Zheng Xian."
Lin Hai sent his parents a message to let them know he was safe, then asked tentatively, "Can I take some pictures? Just scenery."
After pondering for a moment, Old Chen took an old-fashioned digital camera from a cabinet. "Use this. I'll inspect the photos after you're done."
Over the next half hour, Lin Hai photographed the gray-tiled houses beneath the sunset, the glowing mushrooms lining the stone roads, and the rainbow formed by a distant waterfall, deliberately avoiding all exotic beasts and the weapon workshop.
"Not bad." Old Chen nodded as he looked through the pictures. "Leave this camera with me. Come get it whenever you need it, but the old rule still applies—I need to inspect the photos afterward. When the day comes for you to leave, you can take it with you."
Lin Hai said that was completely fine and thanked Old Chen for being so understanding.
The next day, Lin Hai woke up in his room. After washing up, he went to find Old Chen. "Village Chief, I'd like to spend some more time with Azure Dragon. Would that be alright?"
After giving it some thought, Old Chen believed that the Life Force on Lin Hai's body truly benefited Azure Dragon. Azure Dragon's joyful dance yesterday was the best proof of that, so he agreed to Lin Hai's request.
After Lin Hai and Old Chen finished breakfast, most of Ta Lo Village had heard that Lin Hai was going to interact with the guardian dragon again. Many Ta Lo villagers who had not seen Azure Dragon dance yesterday wanted to see how this miraculous "outsider" had managed it.
Thus, when Lin Hai returned to yesterday's altar, he discovered that a huge crowd had gathered behind him.
Old Chen told him not to be nervous. Everyone simply had not seen Azure Dragon dance and wanted to watch. Hearing that, Lin Hai stopped paying attention to the villagers.
When he stirred the Life Force within his body once more, the lake suddenly burst apart, and Azure Dragon again raised its artistic, masterpiece-like dragon head from the water. Droplets flung up by its head refracted rainbow halos beneath the morning sun.
It was even more energetic than yesterday, its azure-gold scales shining brilliantly.
Lin Hai raised his right arm, palm facing upward, and Life Force flowed out like a gentle stream. But this time, Azure Dragon did not move close to his palm. Instead, it lowered its enormous head beside him. The mane around its neck stirred without wind, revealing an area of scales softer than those elsewhere on its body.
"You're... asking me to get on?" Lin Hai froze, then his heart began pounding wildly.
Azure Dragon nodded slightly. At once, an uproar erupted beneath the altar. The young villagers gaped and cried out in astonishment, while Old Chen's expression turned utterly dumbfounded.
Lin Hai had no time to care about the villagers' reactions. With a light tap of his toes, Chen-Style Taiji's Cloud-Stepping Technique carried him as lightly as a feather onto the back of Azure Dragon's neck.
The moment his fingers gripped that lock of icy mane, the entire world suddenly tilted.
"Roar—!"
A dragon's roar erupted from Azure Dragon's mouth as it shot into the sky with Lin Hai on its back.
The sudden acceleration felt as though it had crushed all of Lin Hai's organs against his back. He clutched Azure Dragon's mane with all his strength, while Life Force instinctively covered his body and formed a cushioning layer. Only after several breaths, once he had adjusted to the speed, did he dare open his eyes.
The sight before him made him forget to breathe.
Ta Lo Village had become a palm-sized model, while mountains rose and fell beneath him like waves. Morning mist stretched like an ocean, clouds resembled snow, and Azure Dragon carried him through a thin layer of cloud as icy vapor rushed against his face. As they climbed higher, the morning sun in the east fully rose above the horizon, staining the sea of clouds gold and crimson.
"So this is what flying feels like..." Lin Hai murmured. Compared to Peter's web-swinging, this was true soaring.
Azure Dragon seemed to sense his excitement and suddenly rolled into a dive. The sensation of weightlessness made Lin Hai cry out, but it was immediately followed by hearty, exhilarated laughter. He released one hand and stretched it into the wind. Life Force danced at his fingertips, trailing an emerald tail of light that complemented the azure radiance surrounding Azure Dragon.
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