White clouds turned to gray dogs, the sun and moon flew like a shuttle, and three years passed in a blink.
That day, a grand sacrifice was being prepared on the banks of the Great River. Gongs and drums thundered, and the festivities were extraordinary.
Gentry and villagers from miles around came swarming in to offer incense and pray for blessings at the newly established Dragon Maiden Temple.
Indeed, these past few years, the Great River had enjoyed favorable winds and timely rains.
Previously, every rainy season brought floods that breached the embankments and submerged fertile fields without fail.
As the saying went, those by the mountains lived off the mountains, and those by the water lived off the water.
The Great River stretched eight hundred li across the Northern Guard Circuit. Once its wrath spilled over into disaster, the people on both banks suffered beyond words.
Because of this, every year, ignorant men and women believed spirit mediums and sacrificed young boys and girls in hopes of appeasing the Dragon King.
"Ever since the Dragon Maiden Empress appeared, the Great River hasn't flooded once!"
"I heard that Old Bai Seven from Xingping Town nearly drowned trying to catch a Treasure Fish. He swore he saw the Dragon Maiden Empress manifest and rescue him!" "I've heard too. The Dragon Maiden Empress carries a precious sword on her back and is as beautiful as an immortal maiden..."
Inside Lion Tower, a heroic-looking young man in a brocade robe took in all this chatter and scoffed:
"What Dragon Maiden Empress? If you ask me, someone's just playing at gods and ghosts to fool ignorant villagers."
Beside him sat a delicate-looking youth whose feminine features were exceptionally handsome:
"Brother Yelü, you don't believe immortals and gods exist in this world?"
The heroic young