That afternoon, Xuanxi carried a lunchbox into the forest as promised. When her perception extended toward the cave as usual, she caught several people’s auras inside.
They felt very similar to Shen Lingshuang’s. Had the people chasing Shen Lingshuang arrived? Xuanxi didn’t dare think too much. She quickened her pace, crossed the mound, and bent down to enter the cave.
The cave felt much more crowded than before. A dozen Flood Dragon Clan guards stood in the stone chamber, all wearing deep blue armor with short swords at their waists.
Their slender bodies had scales of varying shades, gleaming with a cold metallic luster under the light of the spirit stones.
When they saw Xuanxi enter, their gazes fell on her in unison, tinged with scrutiny. Shen Lingshuang sat in the center. When she saw Xuanxi, a smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
“So the benefactor is here!”
The leading Flood Dragon Clan member turned around. She was a middle-aged woman with a few strands of silver in her hair, braided into a thick plait hanging down her back.
A scar ran from the corner of her right eye to her jaw, giving her a somewhat fearsome appearance. Her aura was far stronger than Shen Lingshuang’s.
The way she stood there was like a sword without a sheath—sharp and unrestrained. She cupped her hands toward Xuanxi in a crisp, no-nonsense motion.
“Cang Lan, captain of the Flood Dragon Clan Guard. Our young lady owes her life to your rescue. The Flood Dragon Clan owes you a great debt.”
Xuanxi looked at her and slowly shook her head. “She already paid. That debt doesn’t count.”
Cang Lan raised an eyebrow and turned to Shen Lingshuang with confusion. Shen Lingshuang nodded slightly and took two money pouches from her waist.
She handed them to Xuanxi. “Four hundred gold coins in each. The remaining payment.”
Xuanxi took them. They were heavy. She tucked the pouches into her pocket, then naturally crouched down to examine Shen Lingshuang’s right leg.
The wound on her calf had healed about eighty percent. New scales were closing in from the edges toward the center, leaving only a thin gap in the middle.
The wound on her right arm had almost fully grown scales, though they were a bit lighter in color than the surrounding skin. But that didn’t matter—in a few months, they would match.
“You can walk normally in another two days, but remember not to do any strenuous exercise for a month. Your scales haven’t fully set yet.” Xuanxi stood up and handed the medicine bottle to Shen Lingshuang.
“Take the rest of the medicine back with you. Apply it once a day. By the time it’s gone, the wound should be completely healed.”
Shen Lingshuang took the bottle and looked down at the small porcelain vial. The bottle still carried the lingering warmth from Xuanxi’s palm.
“I’ll be leaving soon.”
“Mm, take care on the road.” Xuanxi nodded.
But Shen Lingshuang didn’t leave right away. Instead, she picked up a small leather pouch from beside her and pulled out the stopper. A faint aroma of fruit wine wafted out—the kind of fermented fruit liquor. She handed the pouch to Xuanxi.
“This is fruit wine from the Jiaolong Abyss. It’s brewed with ice berries unique to the Northern Wasteland. Try some.”
Xuanxi took it and drank a small sip. It was sweet on the tongue, with hardly any taste of alcohol. The sweet-and-sour flavor of the ice berries spread across her tongue, and only when the liquid slid down her throat did a faint warmth rise.
“It’s good.” She handed the pouch back.
Shen Lingshuang took it and also drank—a bigger gulp than Xuanxi. She swallowed a large mouthful and exhaled a comfortable breath of Turbid Qi.
Wiping her mouth, she set the pouch aside and stared at the glowing moss on the ceiling of the stone chamber for a while.
“The Jiaolong Abyss doesn’t have this kind of moss. After all, the Wasteland is too cold. Once winter comes, forget about moss—nothing can survive.
The entire Jiaolong Abyss is dead.” She paused. “But it’s different here. The winter here is alive.” Xuanxi didn’t reply.
She had grown up in this small town and never thought there was anything special about the winters here. The gray sky, the bare trees—she just never imagined places could have winters harsher than this.
Shen Lingshuang took another drink, this time slower, sipping in small mouthfuls.
Her cheeks began to flush under the influence of the alcohol. Her skin was fair, so the redness was especially noticeable—like a fire burning between her scales.
“Your face is red,” Xuanxi said.
“It’s not.” Shen Lingshuang didn’t believe it. She reached up and touched her cheek. Her fingers paused when they met the hot skin. “Huh? Can fruit wine get you drunk?”
“Ah.”
“You’re water-attribute. Even though water-attribute dragons don’t get drunk easily, you still drank too much.” Xuanxi looked at her. Those deep blue eyes had started to glaze over, and her whole body seemed slightly unsteady.
Shen Lingshuang plugged the pouch and set it aside, then leaned against the stone wall to rest for a moment. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly with each breath.
Cang Lan walked over from the other end of the stone chamber and stood before Shen Lingshuang, bowing slightly.
“Young lady, it’s time to depart. The journey from here to the Jiaolong Abyss is long, and we still need to go around several Magical Beast territories. We shouldn’t delay.”
Shen Lingshuang opened her eyes and refocused. She pushed herself up from the stone wall. Her right leg still couldn’t bear much weight, and her knee bent slightly.
Cang Lan reached out to support her, but Shen Lingshuang waved her hand and steadied herself.
She turned to look at Xuanxi. Her vertical pupils gleamed especially bright in the light of the spirit stones. “By the way, I never asked for my benefactor’s name.”
“Xuanxi.”
“Xuanxi.” Shen Lingshuang rolled the two syllables around on her tongue, as if savoring the name. “A good name! You can heal, you can fight, and you know how to talk sense.” She looked at Xuanxi.
“You’re definitely not an ordinary dragon. But I don’t care. As a friend, Shen Lingshuang has decided to claim you!”
With that, she pulled an old scale from her body. The scale was very thin—almost transparent under the spirit stone’s light. She handed it to Xuanxi.
“This is my token. Keep it. When I become a General someday, come to the Northern Wasteland and find me for a drink.” Xuanxi took the scale. It was quite thin, a bit cool to the touch, with slightly sharp edges.
“Although the world is vast, we may never meet again,” Shen Lingshuang said, her voice softening.
“But please remember: Shen Lingshuang owes you her life. If you ever run into trouble, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, just say the word. Even if I have to walk through flames and tread on blades, I will come!”
Xuanxi put the scale into her pocket and nodded.
Shen Lingshuang turned and walked toward the cave entrance. Cang Lan and the other guards followed behind.
Their footsteps echoed in the cave, one after another, growing fainter and fainter. When she reached the entrance, she stopped.
“Xuanxi, until we meet again.”
“Until we meet again.”
The deep blue figure disappeared into the light at the entrance. The cave fell silent once more. After the spirit stones were taken away, the stone chamber darkened again.
Xuanxi stood still, looking down at the scale Shen Lingshuang had left in her hand. She touched it, then finally put the scale into an inner pocket.