bluedragonauthor

VIP: The Blue Dragon: Chapter 39

Added 2024-10-15 19:00:25 +0000 UTC

-- CHAPTER 39: The Seed --

****

It was just after 2PM local time when we landed at Guilin Liangjiang International Airport. Our private jet taxied to an open parking bay on the tarmac south of the main terminal and then folded down the door/stairs to where two identical gleaming black luxury sedans awaited us, the make and model of which I didn’t immediately recognize. The styling was a bit retro with circular headlamps that jutted out like a classic 1950s Cadillac and a large, vertical chrome grill.

Hongqi L5. The “Rolls-Royce” of China, Dong helpfully explained.

‘Never heard of it.’

Chinese-brand cars aren’t available for sale in the U.S., although cars manufactured in China have been sold in America for over a decade, including Lincoln, Buick, Volvo, and Polestar.

‘Oh, were you still talking? I stopped paying attention a while ago.’

Standing beside the two identical black sedans were two identical uniformed female drivers wearing the now-familiar sunglasses and military-style caps. I recalled how Tianshi, Rae, and Magdalena had taken the lead car back in Osaka while Ziyi, Hannah, and I had ridden in the second car. But today, Tianshi and Rae took Jade with them, and I noted how quietly reserved the reanimated woman appeared as she listlessly obeyed Tianshi’s directions, her turtle head hun retreated, as it were.

Our driver didn’t seem inclined to talk to me, Hannah, or Magdalena as she followed the Hongqi L5 in front of us off the airport tarmac and onto the highway. I had no idea where she was driving us, other than a vague sense of heading East by noting the angle of the sun. I knew that Ziyi had been to Guilin before, and I would’ve liked to ask her - or ask Jade - if she recognized our surroundings. But in the absence of anyone who could serve as an experienced travel guide, I settled for staring out the window and taking it all in.

“Travel guide?” Dong asked brightly while poofing into visible existence atop the left ‘shoulder’ of the front passenger seat. “Did someone request an experienced travel guide?”

“No. Nobody did,” I replied while in the back seat beside me, Hannah simultaneously leaned forward and replied brightly, “Oh, that would be great, Dong!”

The little blue gecko winked at the blonde. “Love ya, babe.”

“Love you, too!” she replied with a giggle, which made me roll my eyes and sigh.

Dong disappeared in another puff of blue smoke, and when the smoke cleared, we saw that a large, 12-inch monitor had appeared in his place affixed to the front passenger headrest, with another monitor on the dashboard in front of Magdalena in the shotgun seat. The twin 8K Ultra HD OLED screens began to display high-resolution drone footage of a wide, calm river bordered by lush green foliage with picturesque, fog-shrouded mountains in the distance. Dozens of small, wooden, rectangular boats with colorful canopies gently glided down the river as the camera passed overhead.

“Welcome to Guilin,” Sir David Attenborough narrated from the car speakers as if this were a BBC Earth Documentary. The video zoomed in on a small fishing boat constructed solely of six extra-long logs lashed together and slightly curved, from which a fisherman in a conical hat threw spinning cast net out over the water in slow motion, the flying droplets of water sparkling in the sun. “Located in the heart of Southern China, Guilin is widely considered the crown jewel of the country’s natural beauty and splendor. Visitors may embark on scenic cruises down the meandering Yi River, basking in the peaceful solitude of the distinctive karst mountains, found only in a very select few regions of the world.”

From there, the video switched to an aerial view at a higher altitude, soaring across mountains and through the river valley, before coming upon a vibrant city and then zooming in closer.

“Surrounded by two rivers, four lakes, and studded with the sheer-sided mountains, Guilin provides an exceptional blend of ancient culture with modern-day tourism. It is here that visitors can--”

“Okay, okay, enough with the China Film Administration’s government-approved travel advertisement,” I interrupted, feeling around the monitor for an ‘off’ button. But when my hand came into contact with the casing, it disappeared in a puff of blue smoke, with Dong reappearing atop of the passenger seat shoulder.

“Seriously though,” he said, holding up a closed fist and then extending his fingers one at a time. “Yi River Cruise, Daxu Ancient Town, Jingjiang Prince City, and the Reed Flute Cave. Can’t miss.”

“Much as I’ve enjoyed jet-setting all over the world for the past few weeks and seeing new places, I’ve got more important priorities here than sightseeing, man,” I told him. “Bringing back Ziyi’s original hun soul? Saving the world from an undead evil warlord’s supernatural plague? Remember?”

“Bruh. What’s got your panties in a twist? You need to chill out.”

I leveled my pint-sized spirit guide with a glare, repeating slowly, “Bringing back Ziyi’s original hun soul… Saving the world from an undead evil warlord’s supernatural plague… Remember?”

“Fine, fine. Sorry for trying to keep everyone entertained.” Dong held his hands up and waggled them, rolling his eyes.

Seated beside me, Hannah squeezed my hand. “We’ll get her back. I’m sure of it.”

I squeezed her hand back. “I wish I shared your optimism.”

“It’s okay. I’ll just have to have enough optimism for both of us.”

I tried to give her a warm smile, but I knew it was pretty weak.

“Or I could just lean over and give you a blowjob to cheer you up,” Hannah offered.

I barked a laugh and shook my head.

“I vote Hannah gives him a blowjob,” Dong announced, raising his hand.

I shook my head again. “I’m fine, I’m fine. I’m even still charged up from the foursome on the plane. Right now, I just want to get on with the mission, alright?”

“Fine,” Dong groaned like a sullen teenager, and then he disappeared in a puff of blue smoke.

Magdalena looked back at me from the shotgun seat. “I am with you. I am sure this is a very pretty place, but all I want right now is to see Jade returned.”

“I have been wondering though…” Hannah began thoughtfully. “When we DO bring back Ziyi’s original soul, what happens to the soul that’s inside her right now?”

I took a deep breath and nodded slowly, having been pondering that question myself for the rest of the plane ride. As it turned out, airplane cabins are pretty small and the sound carries within them, even over the roar of the engines. So everyone else had already overheard my conversation with Dong about the new hun soul inside of Jade, and there’d been no need for me to fill them in.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, “and right now, I can’t think too hard about it. All I know is that I need to get my Ziyi’s original soul back in her body. That’s all that matters. I’m going to do everything I possibly can in order to make that happen, one step at a time.”

Magdalena nodded, agreeing, “One step at a time.”

****

Throughout my adventures and misadventures throughout this entire quest, from Santa Monica to Chicago to Seattle, Rome, Venice, Lake Bracciano, Osaka, and Kyoto, the first step whenever visiting a new place was to secure our lodgings. I’d stayed in hidden Airbnb rentals, gorgeous suites in resort hotels, and even expansive villas. And I knew Tianshi had a particular predilection for comfort and luxury, so I was expecting more of the same here in Guilin.

I was NOT prepared for the two high-end Hongqi sedans to leave the highway far from civilization, head down several dusty, dirt roads alongside literal rice paddies, and ultimately park in front of a rural, ramshackle farm that looked like it had been built by forced labor during the Chinese Communist Revolution three-quarters of a century ago.

The walls had perhaps once been painted white but were now faded with age and disrepair, the deteriorating plaster having fallen away in several places to reveal crusty red bricks. The thatched roof had seen better days. The glass windows were cracked, with several panes missing entirely. And the wood slats of the front door had shriveled so that an inch-wide vertical crack ran three feet up from its base.

The grass leading up to the door was overgrown and full of weeds, making it impossible to walk the narrow path without getting brushed on both sides by spiky stems. And even the eternally optimistic Hannah couldn’t help but grimace as she surveyed our surroundings.

But perhaps we should have already learned by now that appearances can be deceiving, especially when illusionist huli jing fox spirits were involved.

The interior of the farmhouse and its rotting furniture within looked just like the outside: cramped, dilapidated, dusty, and in serious need of repair…

… at least until Rae closed the door behind us. Then, as if a light switch had been turned on, everything changed.

The wood flooring was suddenly polished like new. The living room walls were decorated with large canvas paintings that evoked the gorgeous landscape of Guilin, with a wide, calm river bordered by lush green foliage with picturesque, fog-shrouded mountains in the distance. The windows were in pristine condition and covered by thick, luxurious drapes. There were modern LED light fixtures and brand-new furniture. And the building looked much larger from the inside than it had on the outside, with stainless-steel appliances in a grand kitchen and a hallway that evidently led to multiple bedrooms further beyond.

“Huh…” Magdalena remarked, looking as impressed as I felt.

With a grin, I walked over to a plush sofa and sat down on it, running my hand over the smooth, inviting microfiber. Looking up at Rae, I remarked, “I’m guessing this isn’t an Airbnb. Is this a permanent Shu Han safe house?”

She shrugged and said, “It’s all just an illusion. You’re actually sitting on a rotting couch with decades of dirt and oil staining your pants. You just can’t see it.”

“AHHH!” I yelped while abruptly jerking up and off the sofa, staring back at it in horror even though I couldn’t see the dirt and oil Rae described.

“Relax. I’m just winding you up,” Rae cackled with a wry grin. “It’s a joke. The house is clean. It’s the dirt and grime that are illusions.”

My eyes were still as wide as saucers as I looked back and forth between her and the sofa, not entirely sure what to believe.

Rae was still chuckling. “But yes, this is a permanent Shu Han safe house. We have at least one near every major city, most of them staffed with operatives. I told you before that the closer we get to our goal, the more resources we will have available to us. Well, we’re in the heart of China now.”

As if on cue, several newcomers started coming into the living room from the back, so we all turned to look at them. There were six young Asian women in all, including the two drivers, each one of them unique in face, manner, and attire, and yet simultaneously impossible for me to quite tell apart. One was a little bit taller than the others, one was a little bit thicker, one had a fairly impressive set of boobs for her figure, but in general all of them had black hair, pale skin, and dark eyes. And none of them wore particularly distinctive clothing that would make it easy for me to distinguish one from the other.

Imma remember which one is “boob-girl”.

‘I’m shocked.’

After forming a loose semi-circle, each of the women presented herself before Tianshi and had a quick conversation with their leader before falling back in line. The ageless huli jing, fully resplendent in her porcelain true form, then glanced at us for just a moment before striding off down the hallway and disappearing, with the six young women following after her.

“What’s all that about?” I asked, gesturing after the seven departed figures.

Rae shrugged. “Need-to-know.”

“And we don’t need to know,” I muttered with a sigh, shaking my head before glowering at the blue-haired girl. “Well can you tell us anything we DO need to know now that we’re here? We’ve got all four relics, one of which is supposed to be the map to Faguang Long, right? So let’s use the map. The time for sightseeing is over. All that matters to me is the quest.”

Rae nodded. “Time to go sightseeing then.”

I rolled my eyes. “Trying to ‘wind me up’ again?”

“No, I’m serious.” Rae smirked. “You want to find Faguang Long? First step, we need to act like tourists.”

****

“Is this your first time in Guilin?” I asked Rae from the shotgun seat as we pulled onto the highway and started cruising. She was driving the five of us in one of the luxury Hongqi L5 sedans, with Jade, Hannah, and Magdalena all seated in the back.

“First time,” she confirmed, casually relaxed in her seat with one hand on the wheel, acting for all the world like she knew exactly where she was going.

“You just did a lot of prep work on Google Maps?”

With a smirk, she replied, “Google Maps, but also Tianshi has had Shu Han operatives native to the area doing recon and sending us information all day. I spent most of the flight reviewing it all.

“How come a Shu Han operative native to the area isn’t chauffeuring us around?”

“Need-to-know basis. We’re all on the same team, but the less they know about our mission, the less they can potentially reveal about our operation if captured,” Rae replied as if the answer were obvious. Glancing into the back seat, she added, “Be mindful of that, all of you, for how much you should say to each of them.”

“Don’t they already know a ton about our mission given that you’ve had them doing recon all day?” I asked.

Rae shook her head in the negative. “The information they gave me is all generalized, not mission-specific. Cao Wei activity reports. Background info. Answers to a few of Tianshi’s specific inquiries but nothing that would reveal why we’re here. It’s nice to know that we’re not alone, that we have resources nearby if we need to call for help, like a safety net, but hopefully we won’t have to make that call.”

I sighed and stared straight ahead, not liking all this cloak-and-dagger stuff. There was logic in what Rae was saying, but at the same time, the fact that there were six Shu Han operatives at this one safe house suggested that the greater Shu Han organization was larger than I’d originally thought. And I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that the cell structure of our operation made it easier for Tianshi to hide what she was really doing from that larger Shu Han organization.

“So what’s the plan? Where are we going and why?”

Rae turned and winked at me. “Need-to-know basis.”

“Oh, fer cryin’ out lou--”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Rae cut me off with a grin, but then her expression turned earnest. “We’re in this together, Aksel. No more answers of ‘just because’. No more trying to keep you in the dark. You’ve earned my trust, and my respect, especially after the respect you showed me back in Kyoto. Any questions you ask me from here on out, I’ll answer truthfully.”

I arched an eyebrow and studied her. “Do you solemnly swear that you’ll never again give me a phone that still has a thumb button?”

Rae laughed and nodded. “I do so solemnly swear.”

“Great. So where are we going and why?”

“The where is Dà wéi gǔzhèn, Daxu Ancient Town. You’ll like it, I think. Bring back some fond memories.” Rae grinned and then winked at me. “As for why…”

****

Founded in A.D. 200, the town of Daxuzhen was well-situated on the northeast bank of the Li River and had been a major hub of commerce in the Guangxi region for nearly two millennia. While the majority of the town had been modernized and rebuilt many times over the years, a waterfront section of the town as well as Maozhou Island just south of the river had been carefully preserved over the past several centuries, maintaining the old flagstone roads and wooden structures with black-tiled rooftops to best reflect the cultural elements of old Southern China.

Stone archways. Ornate statues of dragons, phoenixes, and other mythological creatures. Carved wooden signs. The streets were narrow, not nearly wide enough to permit the passage of cars. The building doors had open slats to promote airflow. Red and yellow lanterns and banners hung over the storefronts advertising their wares. The architecture was still from several centuries AFTER my time-traveling experience as Liu Kang in Luoyang, but the sights, sounds, and smells were all still close enough to give me goosebumps and bring to mind what it was like to be alive back then.

The high arch of the ancient Wanshou Bridge reminded me of the Luoyang Moon Bridge and the first time I’d seen Ziyi running from the authorities, right before those authorities knocked me out and threw me into prison with Quan the broccoli farmer.

A residential building peeking over a high wall reminded me of the first time I’d seen Lianhua, the third concubine to the second magistrate of the Jianxi District, looking down at me from an open window and asking if I was lost.

Walking on the flagstone pavement past the street stalls offering local handcrafts and ancient-styled clothing made me wonder whatever happened to Huang, the vendor who had sold me three shanku peasant outfits and “my wife’s” shanzi crop-top and qunzi skirt.

But we didn’t have much time for sightseeing. Rae led us through the town as if she knew it like the back of her hand, even though I knew this was her first time here. Daxu Ancient Town was a tourist attraction, so the locals didn’t gawk at us foreigners (except perhaps to marvel at ladies’ feminine beauty and curves). Hannah, Magdalena, Jade, and I were all dressed in distinctly Western clothing and carried shopping bags while Rae was dressed like a local, speaking in British-accented English like many other tour guides.

Food cart vendors took the lids off their baskets to show us steaming dumplings, roasted meat on skewers, and sweet treats. Shopkeepers loudly hawked their wares, and a few more adventurous ones walked up to us directly, offering jewelry and other trinkets in their hands, and Hannah even bought a pretty necklace, but we otherwise passed through the crowds unimpeded.

After a short distance, Rae abruptly turned into a shop that looked much like any other, and since the sign above the door was written in Chinese, I had absolutely no idea what we might find within. But to my surprise, the interior of the shop looked quite familiar: numerous barrels of strong-smelling nuts, dried fruits, and spices; ceiling-high cabinets full of small drawers; and shelves of glass jars featuring pickled… things. The scent of ginseng was strong in the air, as well as the steam of jasmine tea.

An old woman behind the counter looked up at our entrance, and Rae said something to her softly and politely in Mandarin, to which the old woman replied in kind.

Hannah said something far louder and more enthusiastic in English. “Lin Tang! I’m so happy to see you!” she squealed, racing past me fast enough to bonk my shoulder with her arms outstretched, deftly maneuvering around the wooden barrels to wrap up the much smaller woman in a fierce hug.

“嘿，大姑娘，别挤得太紧了。我两千多岁的骨头已经不再像以前那么坚固了！” the petite old woman exclaimed, smiling and laughing as she warmly squeezed Hannah’s upper arms.

“Duì cǐ shēn gǎn bàoqiàn,” Hannah replied with a smile as she relaxed her grip and then held Lin Tang at arm’s length before releasing the old woman and taking a step back. Pressing her hands to her upper thighs, she bowed deeply at the waist and added, “I never thought I’d see you again.”

I frowned at the blonde and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you can speak Chinese?”

Hannah blinked at me. “What? I don’t speak Chinese.”

“You just did,” Magdalena drawled.

“No I didn’t,” Hannah replied, looking seriously confused.

I raised a finger and began to correct her but then stopped, closed my mouth, and sighed, shaking my head. We had more important things to discuss at the moment. Turning my attention to Lin Tang, I likewise pressed my hands to my upper thighs, bowed deeply, and said, “My apologies, Dà mā. We’re all very pleased to see you again, but our situation is dire and I’m told you can help us.”

Dong popped into existence on my shoulder and added, “我很高兴这么快又见到你”

The adorably cute, wrinkled old woman gave Dong a warm, toothless grin and beckoned to him before raising her open palm like a platform in front of her face. The little blue gecko promptly teleported onto her palm, and when she drew it closer, he gave her saggy cheeks a warm hug and even added a quick peck.

With the tip of her finger, Lin Tang caressed Dong’s puffy gecko cheek and noodled the top of his head before raising her palm towards me. He then promptly teleported back onto my shoulder, continuing, “The search for Faguang Long has become a rescue mission to restore Ziyi’s hun.”

“I know,” Lin Tang stated sagely.

Rae frowned. “You do? How? Tianshi insisted on operational security and said that we would need to brief you.”

“Hannah just did,” Lin Tang replied with a wink.

“Ohhh…” Rae nodded as a slow smile spread across her face.

Magdalena turned to frown at me, asking, “What just happened?”

“I don’t kn--” I began, feeling similarly confused before it suddenly clicked for me. Back in Italy, I recalled the time Lin Tang had taken hold of Tianshi’s wrists and melted her fingers into the fox spirit’s forearms like she was growing tree roots within the other woman’s body, and gesturing with a raised finger at the tree spirit, I speculated, “You hugged Hannah a minute ago.”

“Indeed, I did,” Lin Tang confirmed, the smile on her wrinkly face widening.

“And you were able to pull a memory dump from her,” I continued.

“Indeed, I did,” she repeated and then winked at me. “More efficient that way.”

“Can you do that with anyone? Just by touching them?” I asked, instinctively leaning back with the sort of uneasy feeling of a teenage boy watching his parents getting dangerously close to clicking on the History button of his web browser.

“Not just by touching them,” Rae interjected before getting a look on her face that said she likewise was worried about Lin Tang looking at her web-browsing history. “Like, you wouldn’t be able to pull MY memories just from a hug, right?”

“Memory transfer is not simple,” Lin Tang admitted. “Most tree spirits are only able to do it with other tree spirits. But with certain individuals who are familiar to me and are willing to open their minds to me, and with time and practice I can form such a bond.”

“With time and practice?” I queried, arching an eyebrow. “How much time and practice have you spent with Hannah to where you can pull her memories from a hug?”

“Plus, Hannah’s human,” Rae stated in obvious perplexion. “I thought you could only do that with other supernaturals?”

Lin Tang’s eyes glittered as she nodded her agreement. “Hannah is indeed human. But there is more to her than meets the eye.”

“You’re saying Hannah’s a Transformer?” Dong quipped.

I rolled my eyes but leaned forward, my gaze probing Lin Tang. “You DID something to Hannah, didn’t you? That day the rest of us went to Rome to rescue Ziyi and she came back all… well…”

“Revivified?” Dong finished for me.

“I didn’t want to say it, but yes,” I sighed. “Suddenly she could see Dong. A minute ago she was speaking Chinese and didn’t seem to realize it. What did you DO to her?”

Hannah looked over at me, a perplexed expression on her face. When it became clear that she didn’t know what had happened to her either, I felt suddenly protective of her and moved to interpose myself between the blonde and the potentially perfidious ancient tree spirit.

“Calm… calm…” Lin Tang urged, a pleasant expression on her face as she gestured gently with both hands. “I have done nothing to harm Hannah. She is one of the sweetest creatures in the Middle Kingdom and deserves nothing but eternal happiness.”

“But you still did something to her,” I stated knowingly. By now, Hannah had stepped up and placed her hand on my left shoulder while remaining safely shielded behind me.

“I planted a seed,” the old woman said simply, as if that would explain everything.

“You what?” Dong exclaimed loudly, apparently the only one else who knew what that meant, given the blank looks I got from both Rae and Magdalena when I looked around.

“What does that mean?” I asked, glancing at the little gecko on my shoulder.

But Dong was still gawking at the tree spirit. “Lin Tang. No!”

“It is done.”

“But… but…” the little gecko sputtered. “But you’ll die!”

Lin Tang shrugged with a sunny smile. “Everyone dies eventually.”

Hannah stepped out from behind me, a deep-set frown etched on her face. “Wait, what? You never said anything about dying.”

“So you DO know what she did to you?” I exclaimed in surprise, grabbing her hand.

Hannah looked back at me, shaking her head in the negative. “Nothing about planting a seed or Lin Tang dying!”

“I am not dying,” Lin Tang insisted.

“Not yet,” Dong moaned dramatically.

“Can somebody tell me what the fuck is going on?” I complained.

“I planted a seed,” Lin Tang repeated.

I held my forehead and rubbed it slowly, fed up with the three of them as I looked back at Rae for help.

But the fox spirit looked as perplexed as me, my usual source of knowledge for all things Chinese Mythological not having the answers for once.

“I was upset that day,” Hannah began, looking thoughtful as she squeezed my hand. “Tianshi had said I was the one holding you back, that a mere human could never be enough for The Chosen One. Lin Tang took me out for a boat ride across the lake. We talked about… well… everything. My whole life. My hopes and dreams. My sadness and insecurities. She held my hand and said she wanted to help me.”

“And I did,” the old woman said kindly.

Hannah looked confused, her gaze pointed at Lin Tang although her eyes were unfocused, as if she were peering back into the past. “You held my hands. I felt… warm. I felt… well, I felt like I’d taken a couple of Prozac pills, actually. My anxiety seemed to fade. My sadness, my worries. The nagging voice in my head that always told me I wasn’t good enough, wasn’t pretty enough… it went away.”

I glanced at Dong and muttered, “Got any more of those pills for me?”

Dong reached up to whack my head, although his intangible form didn’t actually hit me. The motion, though, reminded me of the time that Hannah DID hit the little gecko.

Hannah raised her own hand, staring at it for a second as if she was remembering the same thing. “That’s why I was suddenly able to see and hear Dong. Suddenly able to hit Dong.”

“That really hurt, by the way,” the little gecko complained.

“Sorry, Dongie.” Hannah let go of me and held out her hand palm up, like a platform. A moment later, the tiny blue avatar teleported onto her palm and stamped down on it, as if testing the solidity of its surface. He then couldn’t help but grin and even tap his foot like a puppy when she started scratching his wide, puffy cheek with a fingernail.

“Holy shit…” Rae muttered at the sighed.

“You really did plant a seed in me,” Hannah stated in wonder, turning her attention to Lin Tang. “You planted a piece of yourself in me.”

“She planted a seed. She planted the seed,” Dong muttered mournfully, likewise turning to face Lin Tang, although he remained atop Hannah’s hand. “It’s her life force. It’s the cosmic energy that keeps her eternal, and it’s the reason she’s lived for as long as she has. Tree spirits only get one seed in their entire existence, and she gave it to you.”

Hannah placed her other hand over her heart. “Lin Tang… I never asked you to--”

“I know, child. You did not need to,” the old woman interrupted with that warm and sunny smile. “Tree spirits are often long-lived, but we are still not meant to live forever. I kept that seed within me for over two thousand years, but when I met you, I sensed that it was time. I sensed that you were the right person to continue my legacy.”

“But I’m not even Chinese,” Hannah stated.

“This matters not,” Lin Tang insisted. “You are you. You are worthy. You are destined for greater things, and right now, you are meant to help The Chosen One of Qinglong in finding Faguang Long.”

“Wait, does this make me a tree spirit?” Hannah asked, raising both eyebrows in surprise.

“Not yet. You have a seed within you, but it is still only a seed. Perhaps you have felt its energy expanding within you, but all trees need water, sunlight, and love in order to grow.”

“Like, literally?” I asked.

“No, not literally,” Dong muttered. “We don’t need to park Hannah naked beneath a shower out in the sunshine for a few days, although the visual certainly is nice.”

“But will I become a tree spirit someday?” Hannah added.

“Someday. When you are ready,” Lin Tang confirmed.

“But then you’ll die,” Dong stated somberly, frowning at Lin Tang.

“Everyone dies eventually,” the old woman repeated. “But not today. Today, you all need my help to find Faguang Long and restore Ziyi’s hun, yes? I think it’s time we got started.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Remember that all authors thrive on feedback, so let me know how you're enjoying the story! Leave a comment here or come chat with us on Discord! And be sure to connect your Discord account here on the Patreon website to get access to the Patron-Only channels! https://discord.gg/fg3m6MdfN9

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Prologue & Chapter 1: The Ax Effect: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99894240

Chapter 2: Santa Monica: https://www.patreon.com/posts/100614606

Chapter 3: The Zellij Fountain: https://www.patreon.com/posts/100887440

Chapter 4: Euhemerism: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101140816

Chapter 5: The Fremont Troll: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101373122

Chapter 6: Jade: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101713211

Chapter 7: The Blue Gecko: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101962728

Chapter 8: Yaoguai: https://www.patreon.com/posts/102225122

Chapter 9: Rome: https://www.patreon.com/posts/102437581

Chapter 10: Seeing Sights: https://www.patreon.com/posts/102690886

Chapter 11: Liu Kang: https://www.patreon.com/posts/102919633