“When I said rescue, I didn’t mean with strength, I meant by telling a well-intentioned lie...” said Green Yun.
“What do you mean?” Xu Zimo asked in confusion.
“I’ll tell you a story. Thousands of years ago, after the Black Dragon took control of this world, our Lizard Race lost all freedom. We’ve been trapped ever since, living like frogs at the bottom of a well in these small villages, yearning for the vast world beyond. A few thousand years ago, a human accidentally entered our Particle World. We were curious about this outsider and secretly let him stay in our village. He was very interesting, well-traveled and knowledgeable. He often told us stories about fascinating places and things in the outside world. After some time, he and one of the village women fell in love. He wanted to take her to the world outside to see all the wonders he’d told her about. But without the Black Dragon’s permission, no one could leave this place. So, the man set out on a path to slay the dragon.”
Green Yun paused to take a deep breath before continuing.
“Unfortunately, the Black Dragon was too powerful. The man was no match and returned gravely injured every time. But he had a trick, he knew how to break through the barrier of this Particle World and escape to the outside, where the Black Dragon wouldn’t dare pursue him. So, the battle went on for hundreds of years. The man would return now and then to challenge the Black Dragon, only to flee again when badly wounded. Until one day a thousand years ago, he went to challenge the Black Dragon once more and never returned. The woman, waiting in vain, locked herself away. She cried every day and night, praying for his return.”
“The woman you’re talking about is your sister, Green Qing?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Yes. That man called himself the Wrathful Lord. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him,” Green Yun said.
“The Wrathful Lord,” Xu Zimo said with a curious smile. “Now this is interesting. So how do you want me to help?”
“My sister is the way she is because of the Wrathful Lord’s death,” Green Yun said. “I want you to pretend to be his messenger, tell her that he’s not dead, just seriously injured and recovering.”
“That’s it?” Xu Zimo chuckled.
“Yes. After all, you’re both human, so she’s more likely to believe you,” Green Yun nodded.
“Alright, since you saved me,” Xu Zimo said with a nod.
“No time to waste. While it’s still dark, let’s go find her,” Green Yun said immediately. “If we wait until morning, we might get caught.”
Xu Zimo nodded and followed Green Yun out of the underground chamber and into the courtyard.
The courtyard looked dilapidated. Large ceramic jars were placed around the yard.
A strong floral scent drifted out. When Xu Zimo looked closer, he saw they were filled with nectar made from wisteria flowers.
“What’s all this for?” Xu Zimo asked.
“The Black Dragon loves nectar. It controls all our food. Only by collecting nectar can we exchange it with the Black Dragon Guards for food,” Green Yun said helplessly.
“That’s pitiful,” Xu Zimo said. “Didn’t you ever think of resisting?”
“We’re used to it,” Green Yun replied. “And besides, with what? Even if we used the strength of our entire race, we couldn’t defeat it.”
As they spoke, the two walked out of the yard and into the village streets.
The sky outside was completely dark. Red lanterns hung along the roadside, casting faint light onto the streets.
Green Yun led Xu Zimo carefully along the shadows of the roadside.
After walking a while, they heard footsteps approaching from around a street corner.
“Get down,” Green Yun quickly pulled Xu Zimo into the nearby grass.
A group of soldiers in green armor passed by, chatting and laughing as they patrolled the street.
Once they were gone, Green Yun sighed in relief and led Xu Zimo down another street.
“Those were the Black Dragon Guards?” Xu Zimo asked.
“They wish. The Black Dragon Guards are the Black Dragon’s personal soldiers, directly related by blood. They guard the various regions of this Particle World. There aren’t many of them, so each village only has two or three,” Green Yun said angrily.
“Those green-armored soldiers are actually from our Green Lizard tribe. The Black Dragon made them promises, and they joined forces to suppress us. That’s one of the main reasons we’ve failed to resist, just a bunch of traitors.”
“Understandable,” Xu Zimo smiled. “Either be oppressed by the Black Dragon, or join it and oppress others. That’s human nature.”
As they spoke, they arrived at a courtyard.
It looked like it hadn’t been inhabited in a long time. The entrance was overgrown with weeds.
Even the wooden door was rotting, and the surrounding wall looked like it might collapse at any moment.
“Your sister lives here?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Yes. This used to be where the Wrathful Lord lived. She won’t live anywhere else and won’t let us move a single brick,” Green Yun said.
Taking advantage of the darkness, they climbed over the courtyard wall and entered the inner house.
The weeds in the yard were even taller, nearly waist-high, growing all the way to the door of the inner house.
Green Yun stepped forward and knocked gently on the door.
But it was silent inside, no response at all.
“Sister, open the door,” Green Yun said softly.
Still no reply.
“Sister, I came to tell you something about the Wrathful Lord,” Green Yun said a bit louder, nodding at Xu Zimo.
As soon as she finished speaking, with a loud bang, the door was yanked open.
“What happened to Wrathful?” a woman ran out anxiously.
Xu Zimo looked up and saw a woman in a light blue gauze robe. She wore no makeup, and her face looked extremely weary.
Her complexion was pale and sickly, but her beauty still faintly showed.
She had delicate brows and eyes like clear water, carrying a fragile gentleness like women from the south.
“Careful, Sister,” Green Yun quickly supported her, worried.
“What happened to Wrathful?” the woman asked, eyes full of hope.
“Ask him. He was sent by Brother Wrathful to bring you a message,” Green Yun said, pointing to Xu Zimo.
The woman in the blue gauze turned to Xu Zimo. “Please... can you tell me how Wrathful is?”
“I was sent by Lord Wrathful himself to deliver this message so you can rest assured, Madam Green Qing,” Xu Zimo said with a wave of his hand.
“During that battle, the Lord was gravely wounded, worse than ever before. That’s why he didn’t have time to inform you. He’s been recovering for nearly a thousand years, and only recently started to get better. He immediately returned to Wrathful City and sent me to give you this message.”