Liang Wei sank.
The water wrapped around him like cold silk. His lungs burned. His chest screamed. The arrow wounds had reopened, leaking warmth into the endless cold. The cannonball dent in his ribs pulsed with every beat of his heart.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsMKsZIg92
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARhSDeeIvZ
I cannot die, he thought. But this feeling is unbearable.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDqYgdRGtm
But his body would not obey. His arms hung limp. His legs dragged behind him like dead weights. He tried to paddle. He could not.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIAR5VWLOg
The light from above faded – blue to gray to black. The pressure grew. His ears popped. His skull throbbed. The darkness pressed against his eyes.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToMgTNQylk
Still, he did not lose consciousness.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUm73YfAjC1
I cannot breathe, he realized. The need for air was unbearable. His chest heaved. His throat closed. Water filled his mouth. He swallowed it. Coughed. Swallowed more.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyilpE3sccP
This is how drowning feels.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqPbe0EHTd
Something large moved past him.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4QBRM2TQA
Too fast for its size. A blur in the darkness – white, enormous, gone before he could focus.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBljE0qOyFE
He thought he had imagined it.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmz5xkzHWr1
It came again. Closer this time. He felt the displacement of water, a current that spun him slowly. A trail of bubbles rose past his face.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnLaYP54wu
Again. A third pass. Closer still. He saw scales – pearl white, each one the size of his palm. A flash of an eye, dark and deep as the ocean floor.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KWr3xx4B9
Then it stopped.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5NiIo5ASZ
The creature hovered before him. A dragon. Not the spirit dragon from the storm – a real one, living, breathing. Its body was longer than three junks placed end to end. Its snout was narrow, its horns curved like the crescent moon. Its scales shimmered in the dim light, reflecting a glow that came from nowhere.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo46ek7xBoO
It moved closer. Its eye – large as a shield – examined him. The pupil contracted. Dilated. Contracted again.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1EKPRwiQ7
Then it darted away.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03pLxSo3Ne
Liang Wei sank deeper. His skin had turned red from the struggle, from the lack of air, from the pressure. His vision blurred. The darkness closed in.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOn8baPpDH7
He saw the dragon again, far in the distance. It was circling, watching.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzSKHg13z2
Help me, he thought. He did not know if the words left his mouth or stayed in his mind.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FFEJIelja
The dragon moved.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugXilG5iUa
It shot toward him like an arrow, faster than anything so large had a right to move. Before he could react, it had swept beneath him. He felt its scales against his back as it carried him upward, sideways, through currents he could not feel. The water rushed past his face.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOj3PAMg9GU
They emerged in a cave.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GNMCj3vHD
Air.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV51VezM92X
Blessed, wonderful air.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64UCYM5KPb
The dragon placed him on a shelf of rock, just above the waterline. He coughed. Water poured from his lungs. He gasped, choked, breathed.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEQJx8ssm9
The dragon turned to leave.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQFbqErmpJ
"Wait," he said. His voice was a croak. "Who are you?"
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIJ6xz9MZ7
The dragon paused. Its head turned. One enormous eye regarded him.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAJqjLl5vo
Its voice was not a sound. It was a thought placed directly in his mind. Feminine. Calm. Curious.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahqDz1k5KR
I am Ning. This cave is safe. Rest. Heal.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyuToc0L9X
"Why did you save me?"
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHPzesPfhW
Your qi is powerful. I felt it from across the current. Few mortals burn so brightly. You would have been wasted on the sea floor.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98B7m1lqLX
Liang Wei tried to stand. His legs would not hold him. He settled for sitting, his back against the cave wall.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNA4Wm5yV1e
"I am Liang Wei," he said. "Master of martial arts. Teacher of the Dragon's Fist. I owe you my life."
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0h3PCR24jM
You owe me nothing.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsuXQfHnLu
"I do not wish to be indebted to anyone." He bowed his head as best he could. "Tell me what you want in return. Gold? Service? My techniques?"
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WcmIp6K4U
Ning was silent for a long moment. Her eye did not blink.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPwTzJkn2w
You are not ready to discuss payment, she said finally. Heal first. Grow strong. Then we will talk.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6nZhV87b5
"But—"
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpEjst6nJg
She was gone. A flicker of white, a rush of water, and the cave was empty.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0fSY7K6VA
Liang Wei sat alone in the darkness, listening to the drip of water, the beat of his own heart.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3k0wHH32kn
***
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8g2dcyDGP
The tall men emerged fully from the trees. There were seven of them, each standing between 180 and 200 centimeters.
General Feng Jian held his ground. His sword was drawn. His men had fanned out behind him, forming a loose shield wall in front of the servants and crew.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkP1QgpAxIz
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMBFeGHRUX
One of the guards stepped forward. He had been a soldier for five years. He had fought bandits, pirates, even a rebel uprising. He was not afraid.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqN1xFl8jl
He lunged.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyaOS2gxYPg
His sword struck the nearest tall man's chest.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZWrsY8NUu
The blade hit the leather armor and stopped. It did not pierce. It did not cut. The tall man did not even stagger. He looked down at the sword, then slightly raised his gaze at Zhao.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTcswCk237
His milk‑white eyes reflected the torchlight like twin orbs of pale glass.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9koxLHZUxr
The guard’s hand trembled. He tried to pull the sword back. It would not move – not because it was stuck, but because his own arm had gone weak.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0pg7sSye0
"Demon," he whispered. Then he stepped back, his sword falling to the sand.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBy67hPWmO
The tall man did not attack. He did not even raise his spear. He simply watched.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HstBtQiBz
One of the others stepped forward. He was taller than the rest, his robes a deep indigo with patterns of gold thread. His voice was deep, like stones rolling in a river.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MzEQkDWor
He spoke words none of them understood. The sounds were strange – heavy vowels, sharp consonants, nothing like Chinese but a little bit like the smattering of the Arabic the navigator knew.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCgJk0t5Xg
But then he slowed down. He gestured to himself, then to the group, then to the trees behind him.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1MghRq5Kr
"I know you cannot understand us," he said – or seemed to say. Their language was a mystery, but his tone was calm. "But we are not hostile . We do not wish to attack. You look troubled and traumatized and some of you are injured.” He pointed to a few injured crew members, “ Please. Come with us.”
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsb9TUr8N05
General Feng Jian heard the sounds, not the meaning. But he saw the open hands, the lowered spears, the way the tall men stood – relaxed, not poised to strike.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaymX4PQLzp
"Lower your weapons," the general said quietly.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStEVK0mzcd
The guards hesitated.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeeRyE3qvZ
"Now."
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYGIVwscfb
Swords went down. Spears tilted. The crew released their grips on makeshift clubs.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSt1Tl2sWmZ
The tall man in indigo stepped forward. He stretched out his hand – palm open, fingers relaxed.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIxyvnInbl
The general understood. He had seen this gesture before, in markets and courts across China. It was an offer of peace.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4ZAKdaiK0
He sheathed his sword. He reached out. Their hands met – the general's light brown hands against the tall man's nearly black. The grip was firm and warm.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyu6VhYINsZ
The general bowed – a small bow, just a dip of his head.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XDLSLXiyP
The tall man did not bow. He simply smiled.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcYo0dEg2Z
It was a strange smile. His teeth were white as his eyes, and his lips were plump . But there was warmth in it. Or perhaps the general only wanted to believe there was warmth.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMY872KTpq
The tall man turned and gestured toward a path that led away from the beach, into the trees. Fires flickered in the distance – more torches, perhaps a village.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQRHZyznw6
"Follow," he said, using hand signs. He pointed at the general, then at the path, then made a walking motion with his fingers.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkDK7tfJtL
The general looked back at his people. The servants were huddled together. Li Hua had stopped crying, but her face was pale. The crew clutched their remaining supplies. The guards held their weapons low but ready.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRxJM9wh1o
"We follow," the general said. "Stay close. Stay aware. If anything feels wrong, we run for the boats."
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VuKxctqPl
He turned and walked after the tall man.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJwKBeujQI
The others followed in a loose column.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaJcFblbWL
The torches bobbed ahead, casting dancing shadows on the trees. The path was narrow but well‑trodden. The air smelled of smoke and something sweet – flowers, perhaps, or incense.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkiXk8nWmE
No one spoke. The only sounds were the crunch of sand beneath their feet and the distant crash of the waves.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3IBJim5HE
Li Hua walked beside the general. She kept her eyes on the tall men ahead.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VjvLd8AJG
"General," she whispered. "Do you think the master is alive?"
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeijuiZTAx
The general did not answer for a long moment.
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlKHZShe8a
"I have to believe he is," he said finally. "Because if he is not, we are truly alone."
98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikhin8mYSx
They walked on into the darkness.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpO7pufBCc
and then Add to home screen.