Chapter One Hundred and Six The Forbidden Lands of Dragon Island

The evening wind outside was faintly cool, carrying the scent of blossoms drifting in from beyond the village, and the air was especially fresh. Pink-red dusk spread across the horizon as Dragon Granny stood beneath a small wooden shelter in front of the clinic. The dim twilight traced the firm, aged silhouette of her figure; the woman who looked ferocious when faced on squarely had, in her graying sideburns and slight stoop, a trace of weariness.

Bai Shengye stretched lazily, loosening his stiff muscles. He had been busy in the clinic all day without even noticing it, and now he was finally taking a moment to unwind.

“What is it, Granny?”

Dragon Granny came straight to the point.
“Come with me to a place. There are many infected people there in need of treatment. But one condition—you must not speak of this to anyone, or—”

She turned her head. A red gleam flashed from the Divine Dragon Scepter in her hand, and a powerful, coercive force shuddered through the air. Bai Shengye found himself meeting her severe gaze.

He gave a shy smile. Truly, Dragon Granny need not display such power; as a junior, Bai Shengye could never match an elder with such deep cultivation.

“Elder, there is no need for that. If there are infected, I am willing to help,” he said politely. “But you should at least tell me roughly where we are headed.”

“Shenlong Town,” she said at length. It was the seat of the Shenlong royal household.

“One more thing,” he continued. “My medicine needs the help of another friend to be most effective. May I take him along?”

“It can be done.”

“Wait a moment, I’ll have him come.”

Bai Shengye turned back into the house. Everyone inside had already packed their things and was talking about where to stay that night. When they saw him return, they asked anxiously,
“How was it? Did Granny make things hard for you?”

Lingxiao thought that although Shenzai Gao had always seemed very easygoing, the other members of the Shenlong royal line he had met—Shenmu and Dragon Granny—both carried a certain proud air. He could not guess what Dragon Granny’s true intention was.

“No trouble. No trouble at all. She simply asked me to treat the infected.”

Bai Shengye raised his hand and called for Blackfeather.
“Come here.”

Blackfeather looked as if he already knew trouble was brewing. “What for?”

Bai Shengye put a hand on his shoulder and whispered,
“Dragon Granny asked me to treat infected patients, but the trip has to be kept secret.”

“Of course it’s trouble, and she picked on you. And you still drag me into it!”

“A brother shares in fortune and in hardship.”

“Like hell you’re my brother.”

As they walked out, Bai Shengye waved toward those still inside and said,
“You go to the inn first. Don’t wait here for us. We are heading near Shenlong Town, so meet us there.”

Redheart spoke up. “Our next destination is Shenlong Town anyway. When we get there, I’ll gather the local infected at the clinic and wait for you.”

Outside, the guards arrived with two luxurious horse-drawn carriages. Dragon Granny took the first. Blackfeather and Bai Shengye climbed into the second. A guard then handed them a strip of black cloth and told them to tie it over their heads and cover their eyes.

“Do we really need to make this so mysterious?” Blackfeather complained.

“Think of it as saving lives. Bear with it.”

“Put it on. No peeking.” The guard said as well. He stepped into the carriage and sat beside the driver.

With their eyes hidden by the blindfold, they could see nothing as the carriage jolted forward, leaving them to a sense of whatever fate might bring them. After the flat road ended, they entered rough woodland tracks beyond the village, turning and weaving through ruts and hollows until no direction could be trusted.
A long while passed. In the gentle shaking, both leaned their heads against the windowsills and drifted into sleep, half dreaming, only aware they had already gone far.

The carriage slowed suddenly and came to a stop in a quiet stand of trees. A guard leaped down; his iron boots rang sharply when they struck the ground.
“Get off.”

Bai Shengye tapped Blackfeather on the thigh to wake him.
“Weren’t you trembling like death itself was behind you? You slept like a dead dog.”

The guard barked, “Move quickly. Keep your blindfolds on, and follow me.”

Blackfeather asked, “Still not taking them off? Is this to keep everything secret all the way? Who knows where we’re being taken—might bury us when we’re done?”

“Move on,” the attendant urged.

Both of them were mages; even blindfolded, they could still sense their surroundings, so they walked at a normal pace.

“Demon’s Eye.”

Blackfeather silently awakened the Demon’s Eye. Two invisible eyes appeared above him in the air, seeing everything ahead with perfect clarity.

They had reached the edge of a dense forest. Beneath them spread barren ground, and from the wind came the damp breath of a lake. In the distance rose a small island floating at the center of the water, where strange rocks towered into the shape of a giant dragon.

“Could this be Dragon Island?”

Dragon Island was forbidden territory for the Shenlong clan—a sacred place where no outsider was allowed nearby.

The guards led them to a cave mouth that gaped dark and black. The air around it was heavy with a thick, ominous darkness, and many infected seemed to have gathered there.

Dragon Granny stepped to one side outside the entrance and called out a coded phrase in the Shenlong tongue. A cat-eared, cat-pawed demon emerged, lively as a kitten, and brushed against her side.
“Bata-bata,” she purred in a contented, intimate rumble.

Blackfeather saw every detail through the Demon’s Eye.

“Take them in,” Dragon Granny ordered. “Those cured here will be richly rewarded.”

“Bata-bata.” The shaggy cat demon swished its black tail, hopped over in quick, bouncing steps to stand before the two men, and with a few scratches through the air signaled the guards to follow.

A guard nudged them from behind and they walked forward, stooping and bending as they entered the pitch-black cave.

“Mew.” She said something to the beings inside—something in the demon tongue that Blackfeather could not understand.

The passage sloped inward, then turned. At once the cavern opened into a broad hall washed with torchlight, its passages branching in all directions.
Now it was packed with demon folk darkened by infection, sprawled haphazardly on the ground—some seated against the walls, others lying flat. Most were children not yet grown.

A thick, sickening stench of decay rolled through the cave, forcing Bai Shengye to cover his nose. In the center stood a huge cooking cauldron, suggesting they may have made this their home. Behind the hall, numerous wide and narrow entrances disappeared into darkness.

“Can we really treat patients while still blindfolded? This is hardly proper.” Bai Shengye said, clearly uneasy.

If you need any salve prepared,” the guard said, “I can handle it for you. There are many infected—treat them quickly!”

“Not necessary,” Bai Shengye said with a hint of irritation. “Compounding medicine requires very delicate preparation. How could anyone else do it?”

It was clear the guard had no idea what he was talking about, but Bai Shengye did not argue. Even blindfolded, his own method of preparing medicines would not be hindered.

“Bring one patient in first.”

“Wait,” Blackfeather said. “I have one condition. If you want us to treat the sick, you must wait outside the cave. You cannot remain in here.”

—
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