Patrol Captain

"Congratulations on Elder Dong's breakthrough to the Dragon-Tiger realm! This is a small gift from me!"

Sunlight pierced through the thin mist of the mountain stream, casting rays of light into the valley below.

Bathed in the slanting sunlight, the sacred tree of Yinshan gleamed with a soft, cool white, while its leaves shone translucently, like countless tiny mirrors reflecting shimmering gold. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and the entire tree shimmered like a shimmering galaxy.

Beneath the tree, the ancient roots of the sacred tree broke through the soil and transformed into a tree table and three stools, around which Chen Yuan, the Dragon Girl of the North Sea, and Dong Fu of the Dragon-Raising Clan sat.

Chen Yuan took out a white jade box, about two feet in size, from his sleeve and placed it on the table as a congratulatory gift for Elder Dong's breakthrough to the Dragon-Tiger realm.

"Look, how embarrassing." Old Dong was overjoyed. He touched the box with both hands, lowered his head, and opened the box a crack. Immediately, a burst of precious light appeared inside, so bright that Old Dong had to squint his eyes.

Then, with a quick "snap," she closed her eyes, which were practically slits with a smile, and gave Chen Yuan a thumbs-up.
"Chen boy, it has to be you again!"

"Come, come, such a fine day and beautiful scenery, let's drink three cups!"

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'm going to use my best skills to entertain you two. You two are very lucky."

As he spoke, Old Man Dong flicked his sleeve onto the table, revealing a dazzling array of wine vessels, a riot of colors and wondrous objects.

Then, with his other hand, he flicked his sleeve and gestured towards the clear, rocky stream beside him.

The stream gurgled and splashed, and tiny fish emerged from every ripple, their scales shimmering with iridescent light. Then the spring water was drawn up, transformed into a stream, and flew into the three-colored jar on the table.

Then, Old Man Dong chanted an incantation and pointed at a jar on the table. The mouth of the jar flew up, and a burst of light shot out. Then, two ethereal figures flew out, and two fairies dressed in fairy feathers and rosy robes floated up like celestial maidens from Dunhuang. They danced around the branches of the sacred tree and then flew to the surrounding spring fields. They strung wild berries into a ring, and spiritual light rose from among the flowers in the mountain stream, all of which flew up and converged into the green jar under the tree.

As this process continued, the three-colored light in the blue goblet on the table grew increasingly intense, and a pleasant fragrance began to permeate the air.

After half a cup of tea, the celestial maiden, her robes fluttering, swirled from the valley, carrying a spiritual light, and transformed into mist and clouds that all disappeared into the green goblet. Instantly, a large amount of white mist rose from the goblet, billowing and swirling.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan's gaze was strange, but he was also quite pleased with himself. He patted his knee with one hand, and his nose twitched slightly. He actually smelled a clear and refreshing aroma of wine, just like the fragrance of flowers entering his nose, the aroma lingering.

But then, Old Man Dong took out his precious gourd from his waist again.

"Boom"

He twisted open the gourd and poured it into the three-colored jar.

A drop of water, as thick as magma, fell into the billowing white mist. In an instant, the surging white mist was sucked in by the Azure Vase's swallowing cloud, and then shrank back.

Immediately afterwards, a strong aroma of wine burst forth from the bottle, as intense as flames.

Having done all this, Old Man Dong took a deep breath, his face flushed with intoxication. Then he opened his eyes and his gaze fell on Chen Yuan.
"Young Chen, today I'll show you what's what."

"Try my wine, made with water from the source of heaven and earth, a hundred flowers brewed by fairies, and dragon's blood. One sip and it's so good you won't let go even if you're slapped ten times."

The old man exaggerated his craftsmanship with strange adjectives while raising his hand to tap on the blue wine cup.

Three streaks of crimson wine flew out, flowing like fiery clouds, landing beautifully in the crystal glass, and a rich, fragrant aroma wafted out.

However, this was not an exaggeration by Old Man Dong. As the aroma of the wine wafted out, there was a rustling sound in the mountain stream.

A large black bear, nearly two zhang tall, swam downstream from a nearby mountain stream to this flat valley beneath the trees. Water droplets clung to its fur as it peered at the stone table, sniffing the air. It took a step, then paused, as if understanding human nature. Then, it grabbed two large fish from the stream, held them in its mouth, and walked this way.
Another flying squirrel darted up to the silver tree, its bushy tail sweeping across the leaves and creating a shower of light. Its dark eyes stared at the scene below, and the squirrel rubbed its hands together.

And in the nearby mountains and forests, a sika deer, its body glowing with the light of dawn, darted out of the woods, still entwined with a few newly opened wildflowers. On its antlers, a small, jade-green bird perched, and then, with a flutter of its wings, it took flight, soaring towards the sacred tree.

In the blink of an eye, a flock of birds and beasts were attracted by the mouthwatering aroma of the wine.

Coincidentally, Chen Yuan's contracted demon was also attracted!

"Today is truly an eye-opener. The aroma of this wine has attracted even the birds and beasts in the mountains, and even my contracted demon couldn't resist it."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Chen Yuan raised his cup and drank the wine in one gulp.

The moment the wine entered my throat, it transformed into wisps of cool air that meandered down my throat, as if a warm, smooth thread were brushing against it. At first, it felt as sweet and refreshing as a spring, but in an instant, it ignited a fiery heat that spread through my veins and limbs, making me feel as if my whole body was in a furnace, my blood boiling. Yet, it was also as gentle as a spring stream flowing over a blue stone, neither scorching nor fierce, soothing every inch of my muscles and bones as if they were about to relax.

The warmth had not yet dissipated when a refreshing coolness slowly flowed down from the top of the head. The interplay of heat and coolness traced a mysterious path within the body. In just a moment, one felt refreshed and clear-headed, even the dantian (the area between the upper and lower dantian) became much clearer.

In particular, the newly forged True Dragon Armor, nurtured within the Yellow Court, absorbed a few wisps of blood essence from the wine, its luster flickering a few times, becoming slightly brighter.

"Tsk," Chen Yuan clicked his tongue.

"How is it?" Old Dong looked at him expectantly, waiting for his evaluation.

Chen Yuan smiled, his eyes gleaming upwards. "Old Dong, don't keep good things to yourself in the future. Do you have any more?"

Old Dong's smile, which had blossomed because of the first half of the sentence, suddenly froze when he heard the second half.

"That's all, that's all. I just wanted to use up all my savings today. Do you know how many years I've been collecting these materials?"

I wouldn't trade it for the finest nectar!

He was about to explode with rage. For this old drunkard, these were his very lifeblood.

"Then, if I give you the materials later, you can help me brew it, right?"

Upon hearing this, Old Man Dong's small eyes lit up, and he slammed his hand on the table, "Deal!"

Hey, with Chen Yuan's strength, not to mention dragon liver and phoenix marrow, he might even be able to get his hands on treasures from the heavens. That would be excellent.

In fact, he had this idea a long time ago and made the decision on the spot.

"Ha ha!"

Upon seeing his appearance, Chen Yuan couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Old Dong was also overjoyed, thinking of this wonderful event made him even happier than when he broke through the Dragon-Tiger barrier.

Beside her, the Dragon Girl of the North Sea watched the two of them looking so content. She quietly picked up her wine cup, a gentle breeze blowing by, and her brows were adorned with the charm of spring.

And so, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the silver leaves, casting dappled patterns of light on the three of them. These patterns moved slowly as the branches swayed, like scattered gold flowing across their robes.

Amidst the misty haze, this place resembles a secluded fairyland. People drink wine under the immortal tree, while birds and beasts bring wild fruits and spring flowers to adorn the scene.

During the meal, Chen Yuan suddenly glanced westward and made a gesture with his hand.
The bluebird that had been perched on the silver branch above his head immediately flapped its wings and landed on his shoulder, its emerald-like eyes sparkling with clarity and liveliness.

"An old friend has suddenly appeared in the west. Let's go see what's going on?"

Chen Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly, speaking casually, and gave a brief instruction.

The bluebird immediately understood, flapped its wings, transformed into a streak of blue light, and flew westward, chirping away.

Old Dong, caught up in the wine, was chatting with Chen Yuan about the current state of affairs and future plans. Seeing this, he didn't ask any further questions and continued to talk animatedly.

"In my opinion, this time the celestial beings have descended to the mortal realm, and there's no way to avoid it. Let's leave it at that for now..."

...............

In Qingshan County, as dusk approaches, birds return to their nests and people head home.

As the young boy Huwa and his mother walked into the familiar alley, the alleyway, where people were returning home, suddenly became lively.

"Oh dear, whose child is back? Tiger Cub!"

"This kid's changed!" "I thought he was some young master who'd wandered into the wrong alley, dressed all in such festive silk!"

“Cai Hua, your family has really prospered! Look at how much younger you look now compared to when you left home last year. It's a good thing that your hardships have finally come to an end.”

"Come on, you've just arrived, it's time to eat. Come to my house and have a bite to eat."

"........."

With a shout, it was almost dinnertime again. Hearing the commotion, the neighbors immediately came out to see what was going on. They saw Cai Hua and her son living at the end of the alley and immediately gathered around to chat.

As longtime residents of this neighborhood, everyone was still very welcoming. The widow and her child had a tough life back then, and they were a good family. Now, seeing the silk and brocade, their lives have changed, which makes us curious.

Last year, when she and her son left home, they only said they were going to another place to help Huwa with his studies. At the time, the neighbors said that a mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles. This Cai Hua girl was really daring to go along.

In the blink of an eye, he returned home in glory, and his demeanor had changed somewhat, which made people sigh.

The woman, dressed in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and wearing a blue floral headscarf, held her son Huwa's hand and politely declined the neighbors' invitations to stay for dinner, asking Huwa to greet them one by one.

The mischievous, shouting boy of yesteryear is still as simple-minded as ever, only his eyes have become much brighter, and he speaks with more energy, greeting people obediently. But when his eyes meet the little head peeking out from between an adult's legs, his mischievous spirit immediately shines through, and his voice becomes louder.

"Dog Egg"

"Da Chun"

"..."

Those were my playmates from the alley.

"Tiger Cub"

When the playmates saw Huwa's splendid appearance, they greeted him timidly but did not come forward, hiding their heads between the adults' legs and bodies.

Tiger Cub pulled some dried fruit and snacks from his sleeve pocket and generously distributed them to his playmates, stuffing them into their hands.

For a moment, a rare, innocent laugh echoed through the alley.

"Cough cough!"

"Junior brother, Aunt Cai, you've traveled for so long, it's time to rest!"

At that moment, a somewhat speechless voice came from behind.

It was the young man who had been on the boat with the sword earlier!

He's also Huwa's senior!
This senior student looked at the group of neighbors, completely ignoring them and squeezing them aside to reminisce, creating a strange sense of incongruity and awkwardness.

Is he really that inconspicuous?

As a master of the Heavenly Gate, shouldn't my aura be outstanding? But it seems I've been ignored.

Including the junior sister next to him!

He could only cough once to express his displeasure and remind his junior brothers not to linger any longer.

Distracted by this, the neighbors noticed the young couple in the corner, carrying swords and knives, who looked quite elegant. But strangely, they didn't think anything of it and just blended in with the crowd.

"Oh, a guest?"

"Then let's go back quickly!"

"Junior brother, Tiger Cub, are you going to learn martial arts? Which school? Could you recommend it to my Er Gou?"

"........."

Everyone chimed in with their own words, laughing and making way for others.

Tiger Cub's senior brother was speechless.

Outrageous!

Do you think my Dongtian is some low-class martial arts school?

He wanted to lash out, but his junior sister, who had a beauty mark on the corner of her mouth, held his arm down, so he didn't bother arguing with these mountain folk.

At that moment, through the parted crowd, Huwa saw the black-tiled, white-walled house at the end of the alley, and watched the smoke rising from the chimney. The vague memory deep in his mind suddenly became clear, and his face was full of excitement.

"mother!"

"look!"

Cai Hua seemed to sense something, and upon looking around, her expression one of suppressed excitement, she glanced at the nearby neighbors.
"The master is back?"

But the neighbors looked completely bewildered. "What adults and children?"

Cai Hua found the neighbors' bewildered look strange and pointed to the white-walled courtyard.

"Oh, that family that just moved in, a young couple, had a baby girl. Now that you mention it, it's true that two adults had a little one."

"how is this possible?"

Cai Hua was a little agitated, "That's an adult's yard, it can't be given to anyone else!"

"How do you..."

As she spoke, she suddenly felt something was off when faced with the strange looks from the crowd, and stopped talking.

"It's nothing, let's go home now!"

Cai Hua held Huwa's hand and waved it to tell him not to talk nonsense. Then she walked towards a house next to the green-tiled, white-walled building.

Behind the mother and son, Tiger Cub's senior brothers and sisters followed, somewhat puzzled by the reaction of their junior brother and his mother.

"grown ups?"

The young man tilted his head and looked at the small courtyard with its green tiles and white walls. He saw a bluebird fly up to the edge of the courtyard, its emerald eyes meeting his, before it fluttered its wings and flew away again.

The young man with the sword frowned, but quickly looked away and followed his junior brother and his mother into their home.

Not long after, two hundred miles away in the mountains, the bluebird flew back to Chen Yuan's shoulder, chirping and calling out a few times in his ear.

Chen Yuan nodded, then looked at the sky. Time had passed quickly, and the short tea party was about to end.

That's enough for today!

"Please consider what Mr. Chen said!"

He stood up, patted his sleeves, and finally raised his hand.

The ground shook, and the silver tree above his head trembled and shrank rapidly before flying into Chen Yuan's sleeve.

Chen Yuan raised his hand to steady them, preparing to bid farewell to the two, when he saw a streak of silver light shoot out, breaking through the mist as if it came from the void.

It's a Thousand-Mile Talisman! (End of Chapter)