Quinn Shepherd was puzzled—how could touching a sweat towel bring three years of bad luck?
Still, the sweat towel was soft and smooth to the touch, naturally fragrant. It was perfect for wiping sweat—clearly woven from some exotic silkworm thread, worth a fortune and far finer than any cloth usually found in the Great Ruins.
Quinn tucked the sweat towel into his shirt and began playing with the Grand Guardian’s Sword and its scabbard, delighting in both.
The upper half of the Grand Guardian’s Sword scabbard was golden, inlaid with jade and pearls. The mouth of the scabbard was carved into a fish-dragon swallowing design—the spot where the creature opened its jaws was exactly where the blade emerged.
The lower half was silver-gray, plain and undecorated, but the tip of the scabbard was carved into a fish-dragon’s tail, also golden.
Clink.
Quinn sheathed the sword, then sent his yuanqi into the scabbard. Instantly, the Grand Guardian’s Sword sprang out again, and a massive fish-dragon phantom appeared above his head, leaping up and spitting out the sword.
Quinn raised his hand, drew the sword from the fish-dragon’s mouth, and felt a rush of satisfaction.
“This scabbard is truly something—it actually manifests a fish-dragon!”
He sheathed the sword again, and the fish-dragon swallowed the Grand Guardian’s Sword, vanishing back into the scabbard.
Quinn was overjoyed. He sent his yuanqi into the scabbard again—the fish-dragon reappeared, spat out the Grand Guardian’s Sword, and he drew the blade, then slid it back into the fish’s mouth, watching as the fish-dragon merged seamlessly with the scabbard.
He played this game over and over, until Grandpa Blind couldn’t hold back anymore: “Quinn, stop messing around. Granny Sue just got a few more head of cattle—she wants you to take them out to pasture. Tomorrow, those cows have to be driven to Dragoncrest City and sold.”
Quinn replied at once, hurrying back to the village. He led six strong oxen out to graze, puzzling to himself, "Didn’t Granny Sue sell off all our livestock just recently? Where did these six cows come from?"
As he left the village, he saw the Village Chief, Apothecary, the Mute Smith, and others gathered together, deep in discussion. Crippled Joe sat off to the side, dismantling a black banner—he tossed the banner cloth to Grandpa Mark for a curtain in his carpentry shop, and handed the pole to Granny Sue to use for driving chickens.
The next day, Quinn hitched the ox wagon, and Granny Sue beamed, "Quinn, you’re coming to town with us this time."
Quinn was both surprised and thrilled. He quickly strapped on the Grand Guardian’s Sword, gathered his butcher knife, bamboo cane, iron hammer, and other tools, and hopped onto the ox cart. Grandpa Blind ambled over and took a seat beside Granny Sue, one on each side of the wagon.
The cart was loaded with iron tools forged by the Mute Smith, several bundles of exotic hides hunted by Grandpa Mark, Crippled Joe, and Quinn, and two sheep with their legs bound among the cargo.
Three big yellow oxen were harnessed up front, all strong and sturdy, with three more tied behind the cart.
The boy cracked his whip, and the big yellow oxen blinked innocently as they started down the road out of the village.
It was his first time going to town, and he couldn’t help but feel excited—so much so that he was nearly floating out of his seat, completely missing the innocent looks from the oxen and sheep.
Dragoncrest City was far from Oldridge Village—a thousand li away—so going to town was a big deal. But the Great Ruins were barren, and the roads were rough; first you had to travel by water, then take a dozen or so li of land routes to reach Dragoncrest.
Quinn drove the wagon to the Yong River, where he found Crippled Joe assembling a large bamboo raft. Carefully, Quinn guided the ox cart onto the raft. Crippled Joe untied the mooring rope, and the raft began drifting swiftly downstream, picking up speed.
Even at this pace, it would still take four or five days to reach Dragoncrest City.
They floated for over forty li. Grandpa Blind tapped the water with his bamboo cane, and the raft immediately drifted toward the shore.
Quinn didn’t understand why, so he looked up at the riverbank and saw it was the direction of Grandma Temple. The shore was already crowded with people from many villages, most with ox carts and horse carts, waiting by the river.
The Yong River was dangerous—swift currents, water monsters, and fierce fish abounded—so villagers from all the settlements usually traveled to Dragoncrest City on the same day, looking out for one another.
The riverbank was packed with bamboo rafts, and more could be seen approaching from afar. Soon, a hundred or more rafts had gathered here.
Grandpa Blind took out several sticks of incense, lit them in the wind, and planted them at the river’s edge. Other villagers soon followed, each adding their own incense until the shore was wreathed in curling smoke, drifting out over the water.
Suddenly, someone began chanting a loud work song, and soon more voices joined in along the riverbank. It was a River Hymn, sung to honor the river god.
“With maidens I wander the Nine Rivers, wind rises and the waters surge;
“Riding a water chariot shaded by lotus leaves, driving two dragons with hornless chi for steeds;
Climbing Kunlun to gaze in all directions, my heart soars vast and free;
As dusk falls, I forget to return, lost in longing at the river’s end;
..."
The ancient melody resonated in their throats and noses as the villagers sang together—voices soaring, mournful yet grand. The scene moved Quinn in a way he couldn’t explain.
Suddenly, the water ahead parted, and huge creatures surfaced from below.
These were giant river beasts—green-backed, with four massive webbed limbs like fins. Their heads were fishlike, but each bore a long, spear-like nose.
Each beast lifted its head like a small hill, stretching its nose toward the incense on the riverbank. With a powerful sniff, the incense sticks burned rapidly, their smoke drawn into the beasts’ nostrils.
The beasts closed their eyes, and after a moment, each exhaled a huge ring of smoke, clearly enjoying themselves.
The villagers seized the chance to drive their carts onto the beasts’ long green backs. Quinn did the same, hurrying his cart onto one beast. Granny Sue tossed a big chunk of meat into the water, which the beast devoured, then let out a long, echoing bellow. With a sweep of its four webbed feet, it carried the ox cart and its three passengers downstream.
Behind them, the green-backed giants let out long calls, their cries echoing up and down the river. As the villagers sang, the beasts carried them swiftly upstream.
“These are unique to the Yong River—they’re called Riverbear Beasts.”
Granny Sue said, “To riverside villagers, the Riverbear is the river god. They love incense smoke, they love beef, and most of all, they love songs that praise them. Just light a few sticks of incense and they’ll come; offer them beef, and they’ll carry us downstream. If the Riverbear gets hungry on the way, you’ll need to toss in more beef—otherwise, they’ll toss us into the river.”
Quinn clicked his tongue in amazement.
The Riverbear Beasts moved quickly, surging downstream with the current, breaking through the waves at a speed far faster than galloping horses on land.
Quinn calculated: at this pace, the Riverbear could probably reach Dragoncrest City a thousand li away before nightfall!
On the Yong River, the Riverbear Beasts called out in waves, echoing the rise and fall of the green mountains along both banks. Sunlight streamed in, turning the river to gold, with shimmering scales of light dancing across the water.
Quinn gazed into the distance, suddenly feeling his heart and mind expand—as if the golden river, green hills, blue sky, and deep gorge were all held within him.
This was a land of wonders—wonderful people, wonderful river beasts. Outsiders might call it a place of wild hills and unruly folk, but to Quinn, it was home.
By evening, as the sun set in the west, Quinn saw a small dock appear along the riverbank. The Riverbear Beasts gradually slowed, swimming toward the dock.
Granny Sue stood up, smiling. "We're almost at Dragoncrest City, Quinn. Drive the cart ashore—let’s get into town quickly."
Quinn docked the raft, drove the cart onto land, and looked back to see other Riverbear Beasts coming ashore. Villagers from other settlements disembarked from their ox and horse carts, all heading in the same direction.
The ox cart traveled for two or three li, climbing a small hill. Ahead lay a downward slope. Quinn jumped down, intending to steady the oxen, when he suddenly froze, stunned by the sight before him.
At the foot of the hill, a broad avenue led straight ahead, ending at a grand, ancient city. At each corner of the city wall stood massive stone pillars—over thirty zhang thick and nearly a hundred and sixty-seven zhang tall—each wrapped with golden dragons, sculpted and gilded, shining brilliantly in the sunlight!
Even the city’s gatehouse was built in the shape of a dragon’s head, with the gate itself as the dragon’s mouth and the eaves like horns—both fearsome and majestic!
Dragoncrest City.
One of the few bustling places in the Great Ruins.
Resources were scarce in the Great Ruins—oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were all precious and had to be bought from the outside world. But not everyone could travel there. Only places like Dragoncrest City drew merchants from afar, bringing goods from outside and taking away the Great Ruins’ rare treasures to sell beyond.
“The dragon pillars here are much bigger than the stone statues in our village.”
Quinn exclaimed in genuine admiration, "If we could steal one of those, it’d look mighty impressive at our village gate!"
Granny Sue shot him a look. "If I could steal it, I would’ve done it ages ago—unless you can get all the old-timers from the village together, there’s no way! Come on, it’s getting dark—let’s get into the city!"
The cart wheels rattled along as Quinn drove into the city, eyes wide with curiosity—everything in Dragoncrest City was new to him.
The city was packed with carts and people everywhere. Quinn had never seen so many people in his life.
There were also many girls, dressed in bright, showy clothes, standing in the windows of tall buildings, waving and calling for him to come up and play.
“City folk sure are friendly.”
Quinn was thrilled, waving back and shouting, "I’ll come play with you all after I finish selling my goods!"
Grandpa Blind couldn’t help laughing and crying. "Quinn, those girls upstairs are all ‘fallen girls’—they’re not really asking you to play. If you go up there, they’ll strip you to the bone and suck the marrow out!"
Quinn jumped in shock. "Fallen? Grandpa Blind, they’re all standing firm—none of them look like they’ve fallen. Are they all like Wu Girl, then? She tried to get me to do shameful things, but I didn’t agree."