The morning mist in Frostwind Plains carried a cool, moist air. Loran crouched by the lake, watching the Icefield Wolf frolic with their kind—golden figures darting across the tender green grass, occasionally snatching a Silver-Scale Fish leaping from the lake's surface, then laughing as they tossed it to the wolf cubs beside them. Loran clutched the Ice-Fire Crystal in his palm; it had emitted a faint blue glow at dawn, not Evil Energy warning, but a communication fluctuation from Watchkeep.
"It's time to go." Loran whistled softly, Icefield Wolf immediately stopped, ran back with the half-eaten fish in its mouth, and rubbed against his knee. The wolf chieftain by the lake stepped forward and gently nudged Loran's arm with his head—it was the wolf clan's most solemn farewell gesture. A few fragments of crystal cores clung to the white fur around the chieftain's neck, "guardian tokens" specially left by the Icefield Wolf.
As Loran mounted the Cloudhorn Beast, the Icefield Wolf leaped onto its back and lay steadily behind Loran. The Cloudhorn Beast flew towards Green Forest Town, its wings shimmering with pale blue cloud patterns. The scenery along the way had lost the tender colors of early spring; the wheat fields outside Green Forest Town were a deep green, the ears of wheat beginning to fill out, and the wind rippled through them like waves.
"Lord Loran!" Just as they approached Green Forest Town, they heard a familiar call. Beside the wheat field, several boys dressed in coarse cloth ran towards them, carrying wooden swords. Leading them was A Mu, who had previously wanted to become their apprentice—his wooden sword was wrapped with a circle of pale green vines, a "non-slip rope" specially braided for him by Liya. "You're finally back! We've been practicing the sword techniques you taught us every day!"
Loran dismounted and took the wooden sword from A Mu. The blade still held the warmth of the boy's hands, and the tip was worn smooth, clearly the result of daily practice. "How's your practice?" Loran smiled, channeling his three elemental powers into the sword; pale white patterns spread along the vines. "Try using your sword techniques to cleave the grass in front of you?"
A Mu took a deep breath, gripped his wooden sword, and assumed the starting stance—the " Heart-Guarding Form " taught by Loran. His arm remained steady, and the tip of the sword was precisely aimed at the foxtail grass in front of him. "Hah!" The boy flicked his wrist, and the wooden sword, shimmering with pale white light, swept across the blade of grass, snapping it in two. The cut surfaces gleamed with a subtle, purifying light.
"Great progress!" Loran nodded approvingly, and was about to say something more when the Ice-Fire Crystal suddenly lit up with a pale blue light, and a voice from the communication talisman came from the crystal. " Loran, this is A Ze. The Clear Creek River east of Green Forest Town has been slightly polluted by evil spirits, and the fish are behaving strangely. If you are nearby, could you come and take a look?"
"This is a good opportunity to give you a practical demonstration." Loran looked at the boys who had gathered around. "Want to know what true protection is like? It's not about hacking and slashing, it's about identifying problems and solving them."
The Clear Creek River is only two miles from Green Forest Town. When they reached the riverbank, A Ze was already squatting there, holding a glass bottle. The bottle was half-filled with river water, and a few wisps of pale black, flocculent matter floated on the surface—a faint remnant of Evil Energy. "There should be fragments of Evil Bone that haven't been completely cleaned up hidden in the rubble pile upstream," A Ze said, pointing to the shallows upstream. "The water ripples at the Soul-Purifying Water Station have been detected, but the pollution is very light. There's no need to mobilize the council's resources. It's a good opportunity for the children to see how to handle it."
Liya emerged from the woods, her " Illustrated Catalog of Plants " open in her hands. A map of the Clear Creek River's basin was drawn on its pages, with a small red dot marking the shallows. "I was just recording the newly sprouted ' Water-Purifying Grass ' nearby and noticed some of the leaves on the shallows are turning yellow— Water-Purifying Grass is most sensitive to Evil Energy, so the fragment must be under those pebbles."
The Icefield Wolf had already leaped onto the shallows, its golden claws scrambling through the rubble, occasionally looking up and howling at Loran. A Mu and the other boys wanted to follow, but Loran stopped them. "Don't rush. Look, the Evil Energy in the river is very weak, which means the fragment is buried deep and hasn't directly contacted the water source. We need to use water elementals to wash away the rubble first, then use Purification Power to envelop the fragment, preventing the Evil Energy from spreading."