The purple space echoed with Xia Xinglian’s voice.
“Fallen Dragon Village, originally called Luokou Village, was just a poor hamlet tucked in a mountain hollow.”
As she spoke, the massive tentacles writhing and coiling above seemed to come alive, slowly undulating and shifting with her words, attempting to reconstruct what Xia Xinglian described.
“But in the 1960s, an anomaly occurred above the river near the village.”
She deliberately stressed the last two words, sweeping her gaze across the others.
“According to some elderly villagers who remember, that day the sky darkened without warning, clouds hanging low as if about to crush the rooftops. Lightning bolts crazily darted through the ink-black clusters, with rumbling thunder rolling incessantly. Every now and then, you could see a… huge, twisted, elongated shadow flickering in and out between the gaps of the dark clouds, spiraling and tumbling.”
She raised a hand, fingertips moving lightly; the thickest tentacles above instantly twisted and coiled, mimicking the motion of some massive creature struggling in the clouds.
“Then came a thunderous crash. Something fell straight from the sky, crashing into the dense reeds by the riverbank, shaking the ground.”
“The children playing nearby, being the closest, bravely approached to look… They claimed, among the flattened reeds and puddles, they saw a… dying dragon. Exactly like the ones depicted in myths and legends.”
“That dragon… what exactly did it look like?”
Yao Xueyue couldn’t help but ask, leaning forward with a furrowed brow.
“Who knows? Anyway, I couldn’t find out the exact appearance.”
Xia Xinglian shrugged, responding in a lazy tone.
Yin’s mouth visibly dropped, and she rolled her eyes without restraint, crossing her arms and leaning back. The tension just built up vanished in an instant.
Ignoring her reaction, Xia Xinglian continued in that slow, unhurried manner: “Afterward, news of the dragon fall spread like wildfire through the village. Men, women, and children all rushed to watch, crowding the riverbank. But strangely… except for those first few children, the adults who arrived later all said they couldn’t see clearly.”
“Couldn’t see clearly?”
This time it was Qiu Qiqian who asked, a glimmer of doubt flashing in her golden eyes.
“That’s right.”
Xia Xinglian nodded affirmatively.
“According to the old folks still alive and with clear minds, at that time, what they saw in the reeds was completely a… writhing mass of shadow. Forget recognizing it as a dragon; they couldn’t even tell if it was a living thing.”
“Then…”
Qiu Qiqian mused,
“What about those children who first discovered the dragon? How were they so sure it was a dragon and not some other large animal, or simply mistaken?”
“Who knows?”
Xia Xinglian spread her hands again.
“Maybe children have cleaner eyes and stronger perception? Or maybe… children are more prone to believe what they want to believe, filling in the blurry shadows with mythological images?”
“Anyway, they swore by it, even drew pictures of what they saw to show the adults. Too bad those pictures seem to have been lost or rotted away over time.”
“The village elders said it was quite a spectacle back then. Local mystics, shamans, fortune-tellers… basically anyone with a reputation, all flocked to join the excitement.”
“Some said it was a sign of good fortune, that the village would have a change of luck and get rich; others wailed that it was an inauspicious omen, that even a divine being from the sky had fallen, signaling great calamity for the world… For a time, panic spread, and everyone had their own opinion.”
“Didn’t they ever think of reporting it and handing it over to the state for handling?”
Yao Xueyue interjected. It seemed like the most instinctive reaction for a member of the Association, a “Night Patrol.”
“Maybe someone had the thought. But…”
Xia Xinglian gave a light laugh.
“In that remote, isolated era when even basic education wasn’t fully universalized, do you think their first thought would be to hand it over to the state?”
“Most villagers believed they should properly enshrine this heavenly gift and let it recuperate. Given time, perhaps it might truly bless the village with good weather and fortune. At worst… respectfully worshiping it couldn’t invite disaster, could it?”
“And right in the midst of this pious or fearful uproar—”
Xia Xinglian’s voice suddenly shifted.
All the writhing tentacles above stiffened and coalesced at that moment.
“The village chief at the time made a decision that left everyone stunned…”
“Burn it.”
“Burn it?!”
Everyone present except Isana felt a jolt in their hearts, expressions filled with shock and confusion.
Regardless of whether that shadow was a dragon or a Guiyi, in that superstitious age when people still prayed to gods for healing, to make such an extreme, almost blasphemous decision to burn it… required more than mere courage.
“But…”
Yao Xueyue instinctively raised a hand to her chin, lost in thought.
“Why would he do that? Risking angering the divine being and even becoming an enemy of the entire village…”
Her eyes suddenly lit up as if struck by an idea, and she clapped her hands together, finishing her own thought:
“Could it be… that even back then he realized that thing wasn’t a dragon, and maybe even… wasn’t anything good at all?”
“Hm? Mm…”
Xia Xinglian dragged out her tone, tilting her head slightly, her purple braid swaying along.
“Who knows—”
“You!”
Yao Xueyue nearly choked on her breath, glaring at Xia Xinglian, her fists clenched secretly, itching to punch her in the gut.
“Alright, alright, don’t glare at me like that.”
Xia Xinglian seemed to enjoy the other’s irritation, letting out a pleased low laugh and waving her hand.
“I’m not the village chief himself. By the time I went to ask around, the grass on his grave was already—cough, I mean, he passed away many years ago.”
She stopped smiling and continued:
“In short, that village chief overruled all objections, took a few brave men from the village, set fire to the reeds and whatever was inside, burning it all to ashes. That’s why no remains were left.”
“Decades passed. Times changed. With more open attitudes and economic reforms, some savvy villagers smelled an opportunity. They urged everyone to change the village name to the more eye-catching ‘Fallen Dragon Village’ and publicized it heavily.”
“They also created an annual event called the ‘Dragon Calling Parade.’ Basically, they packaged traditional activities like dragon dances, sacrifices, and rain prayers under the banner of seeking blessings from the Dragon Lord. With this gimmick, the village escaped poverty early on and became a modest tourist attraction.”
“Interestingly, one of those children who first discovered the fallen dragon eventually, a few years ago… became the village chief of Fallen Dragon Village.”
“For decades, he steadfastly believed in the dragon’s existence and tirelessly promoted it in the village. The result? Now almost everyone in the village firmly believes that what fell back then was a real dragon.”
“Some villagers even swear that over these decades, occasionally in mountain streams, morning mist, or the dead of night, they’ve caught a fleeting glimpse of the dragon’s silhouette.”
“The dragon is an imperial—”
“Shut up!”
Yao Xueyue slapped Isana on the head.
“Don’t interrupt when others are speaking.”
She moved her hand away from Isana’s head, glancing at the lump slowly rising on top of it.
By now, Xia Xinglian seemed to have finished her story. She adjusted her sunglasses and looked at the group.
“So? After hearing all this, does anything strike you?”
“A figure that’s elusive and erratic, yet occasionally appears when people least expect it…”
Li Meng frowned slightly, thinking seriously.
“It does sound… like it overlaps with many characteristics of Guiyi.”
Beside her, Qiu Qiqian’s thoughts drifted in another direction.
That new village chief… obsessed with the dragon for decades, finally in power, about to host his first “Dragon Calling Parade”…
With all this buildup, if nothing happened, she wouldn’t believe it.
“But, regardless,” Yao Xueyue raised another objection, her sharp gaze fixed on Xia Xinglian, “Everything you’ve said so far is just hearsay. How reliable is it? How can you be sure the so-called dragon fall incident actually happened and is related to Guiyi?”
“Good question.”
Xia Xinglian wasn’t surprised; she nodded instead.
“That’s because—”
She lowered her voice slightly, her gaze drifting to the slick, purple “ground” in the distance.
“Guiyi have indeed already appeared in that village.”
“It happened about thirteen years ago. Back then, I hadn’t been discovered by the Association yet. I was just an ordinary—well, not so ordinary—kid traveling with my parents.”
“That year, my family happened to visit Fallen Dragon Village. Coincidentally, we arrived during their ‘Dragon Calling Parade’.”
“I thought it would be an uneventful rural trip, just watching the excitement.”
At this point, a faint, cold curve formed at the corner of Xia Xinglian’s mouth.
“Who would’ve thought… that very night, someone died.”
“A person was found dead on a mountain path not far from the ritual grounds. Their body… had been cut in half. The cross-section had very distinct, large indented teeth marks, as if something had bitten them clean through.”
“Rumors immediately spread in the village that this person had disrespected the Dragon Lord during the day, so the Dragon Lord punished them at night.”
“Although later the village authorities publicly claimed it was a wild beast attack and organized several high-profile mountain hunting operations…”
“But I saw clearly: no known beast could produce such a smooth yet violent break, and the arrangement and size of the teeth marks didn’t match at all.”
She paused, her gaze falling back on the few people present.
“So, the legend of the fallen dragon isn’t groundless. There must be something hidden in that village.”
Xia Xinglian stood up from the tentacle seat, causing ripples in the viscous material around her.
“And coincidentally, in two more days, it’ll be time for Fallen Dragon Village’s annual ‘Dragon Calling Parade’.”
She clapped her hands, dispelling some of the heavy atmosphere, and swept her gaze over the five in front of her, clearly inviting.
“I plan to head out tomorrow and take a look. What about you? Anyone interested in coming along?”
“Hmm…”
Li Meng puffed out her cheeks, seemingly deep in thought, but her eyes secretly darted towards Qiu Qiqian beside her, seeking her opinion.
Qiu Qiqian naturally noticed her glance.
She straightened her back, one hand on her hip, and said:
“Li Meng and I have no plans lately. We can come along and check it out.”
“I’m free as well.”
Yao Xueyue immediately chimed in.
Beside her, Isana gave a barely perceptible nod.
Only Mo Ling looked a bit awkward, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes unconsciously.
“Um… I’ve made plans with friends for the next two days to go to a comic convention. Already bought tickets… So I’ll sit this one out.”
She said quietly, with a hint of apology.
“Alright, fine.”
Xia Xinglian agreed readily, asking no further.
Then, she pushed off slightly with her hips, hopping lightly down from the tentacle that had served as her seat.
Squish.
Her feet landed on the solid purple substance below, producing a distinct, sticky sound.
Yao Xueyue and Qiu Qiqian almost simultaneously winced slightly, showing physical discomfort at both the sound and the tactile association.
Xia Xinglian, however, paid no mind, stretching her ankles casually.
“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow at nine in the morning, gather at the Association branch entrance. Depart on time.”
“Don’t be late.”