Beware Of Chicken v7c35: The Lady of the Lake

Meiling soon discovered a deep fondness for lingering at the beach. The lake's water felt just right in warmth; brilliant sunlight poured down, and countless captivating items surrounded her! Seashells, vegetation, creatures… she'd located several ingredients noted in the healing texts Jin presented as her engagement present. Thrilling beyond measure to encounter them alive and gather them by hand. Indeed, though superior plants now awaited her at home… these still sparked curiosity.

.

Countless trials awaited her touch!

Today, Bei Be served as her helper; the sturdy ox and his plow honed precise slices on the Pale Moon Mugwort roots—it lacked spirit herb status, yet proved effective against fevers. She aimed to test whether chopping, cutting thin, grating, or squeezing yielded optimal effects. His incisions proved sharp and exact—so razor-fine that the plow shaved herb bits slimmer than Xiulan’s finest hair strands.

“How does it fare?” she inquired.

Bei Be responded.

She sensed the plow, adorned with cheerful yellow suns, swelling with pride. A soft laugh escaped her as she lifted her gaze from the task.

Suyan lingered on the shoreline, her stare fixed on the soft lake waves. She sat with toes dipping in, murmuring a tuneless melody echoed by the bees, rising and falling in rhythm like an erhu's strings under skilled fingers.

At last, her two young ones captured her eye. Wa Shi and Zhuye had first spotted a lengthy strip of lakeweed beached nearby—Jin named it kelp. Zhuye seized it and trailed it along the sand—then erupted in eager calls, gesturing at Wa Shi while bending the semi-dry weed into odd forms… which Wa Shi mimicked by contorting his form to echo the elongated kelp, much to Zhuye’s joy.

It resembled a serpent far more than a dragon, yet Meiling refrained from dampening their play.

Soon enough, though, the kelp strand broke, weathered by age. Zhuye teetered on tears… until his sibling dashed off to fetch a fresher length.

She turned toward them, anticipating the continued dragging antics. Yet now both lads sat together, munching on a new fresh kelp piece.

The outer layer gleamed quite enticingly…

“Does it taste good?” she wondered, and the dragon bobbed his head.

“Delicious! Plus, I've got a notion—cut the stalk into these rings, marinate in vinegar and soy, sprinkle sesame seeds on top… bound to become another triumph!” the dragon enthused. “You two must sample it! Suyan as well!”

Zhuye obviously savored it. And the crunching seemed quite gratifying.

Jin emerged from the waves to behold the scene. They all sat aligned, gnawing on a lengthy lakeweed filament. Suyan blushed and cleared her throat. Wa Shi and Zhuye waved hello. The bees stood alert. Bei Be remained unmoved, simply continuing his chew, the strand dangling from both mouth corners.

Meiling emulated Bei Be, taking yet another chomp. Wa Shi spoke true; it crunched wonderfully.

Jin grinned fondly at the view… before fondness shifted to mirth. He stood tall and advanced like a trooper, then knelt before her.

“Scout Jin reports to the Empress!” he proclaimed, forming the respectful clasp with his hands.

Meiling's rear bore sand's grit, clad solely in her dudou, with kelp sap trickling down her jaw. She gulped her latest bite.

Of course, she raised her chin in noble poise and elevated herself to utmost dignity.

“Report, warrior,” she ordered. “Do the initial findings hold true?”

Jin sought a single tester for the bond, fearing Qi Void entry might endanger them. Tianlan stood ready to alert Meiling, allowing Washy or Suyan to plunge in and haul Jin out.

Beyond that, he aimed to confirm zero perils lurked below for their safety. Jin humored her healing frets, so she reciprocated his caution.

“Utterly secure. I fretted over the lake's core… yet the sole peril lies in foolishly entering those pits,” he winced, abandoning the role.

“Oh?” she probed, intrigued.

“You'll grasp it upon viewing.”

Meiling assented. “Then… what's our strategy?”

“A topic worth discussing,” Jin affirmed. “Suyan, mind Zhuye briefly?”

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“Gladly, Master. I'll head to the vessel, check if the Young Master desires sleep,” Suyan replied, granting them solitude; Zhuye appeared content for repose.

Swiftly, they formed a ring.

“Unlike the Ironfields, nothing requires reversal here,” Jin started. “The locals depend entirely on this lake—not merely them. Pale Moon Lake's outflowing rivers form the primary trade path across the Grass Sea, navigable straight to the sea, linking the North Twin of the Twin Rivers.”

All nodded in agreement to his words.

“Our core intent: mend the Dragon Veins to maximum stability—perhaps via Xiaoshi's altered array. Or attempt alternatives. Thoughts from everyone?”

The query went to all. As usual, he sought their views, sparking collective deliberation. They weighed various Dragon Vein layouts in the ground. Formation node placements—and whether needed at all.

Logistics of lakebed incisions arose, sketches etched in sand—with singular aim.

Aiding Tianlan.

Their companion occasionally chimed in their minds, offering insights when plans seemed flawed… mostly, though, Meiling sensed the Earth Spirit focusing—summoning accessible power, amassing it for future use. Tentative golden surges nudged the void's borders.

At length, Tianlan exhaled.

she whispered into Meiling and Jin’s minds.

They halted to ponder the issue after Jin shared with the rest.

Bei Be inquired.

“Solid notion… yet stability would falter. It demands my vigilance to prevent vein collapses… requiring an anchor for that.” Tianlan answered. “Easier in the Grass Sea—their fractured Dragon Veins had broad segments with slight obstructions or gaps, simpler to mend.”

Now the moon hung high; supper passed, leaving all rubbing chins in thought.

“Rest on it tonight, explore more come dawn, chat with locals,” Jin resolved. “Resume work morning. Meanwhile… savor this lovely evening.”

And savor they did.

By Pale Moon Lake's edge, they gazed at stars anew. Jin’s Qi streamed from him instinctively, infusing the ground beneath. Sealing every fissure, bolstering all within reach.

Truly mesmerizing to witness—and truthfully, delightful to inhale. Her spouse carried summer's aroma: sun-warmed timber, verdant meadows, maturing produce… plus fresh notes. One novel fragrance emerged in the Ironfields. Focusing, she detected sun-baked stone, a tolerable hint of iron, silver, gold.

It danced on the lake breeze.

What a wondrous realm this proved.

Meiling’s Qi merged with Jin’s, joining the vibrant lattice encircling them. She immersed in it. Allowed it to flood her awareness.

She offered generously to the soil. To grass's tang, fruit's ripeness, metal's edge, and subtle summer lake gust.

Meiling halted. That scent… Tianlan’s, yet altered? Linked to her, but distinct?

…Likely detecting a minuscule Dragon Vein shard.

She released the musing, merely basking in the instant.

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They roused next morn, embarking on true discovery.

This round, Meiling accompanied Jin; she plunged into the lake beside him, pursuing through kelp groves and reed-dotted isles. They skimmed water's surface, then sank to profound depths. Jin proved correct. The lake floor unnerved deeply. Vast chasms in the bed, veiled in shadow, offered no appeal.

That failed to deter her from nudging Jin nearer. His startled cry and wild thrashing amused.

Pauses came often, straying into random hamlets. Lake-side fishers and tillers proved amiable folk, and a wandering couple soothed most suspicions.

As they recounted fertile dirt, resilient woods, victories and setbacks… every tale circled back to one core.

Pale Moon Lake.

The lake ruled their existence. All paths led thence. From crop irrigation to famine fare. It ferried ocean trade, dispatched timber to the Grass Sea.

The Lady of the Pale Moon bordered divinity for them. Adored as firm guide, with sporadic fickle wrath, unleashing tempests.

Tempests demanding, sans city's barriers, ritual dances for calm.

Dances rigid and pounding, akin to smith's strikes on forge.

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Thus passed two days. Lake folk shared tales. They roamed. And initiated preliminary efforts.

[Divert the Waters] Jin murmured, and waters obeyed, parting around them untouched. First step into the lake, second, third. Bei Be’s plow, alongside their Qi, sliced the soil.

They advanced. Onward till waters engulfed overhead, enclosing them in an air sphere while outer life flowed. Fish zipped by, skirting like currents. None breached the bubble into air.

Truly, no beast acknowledged them. They strolled the bed as on any path.

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As in Ironfields, labor proved grueling. They toiled. Labored, etching channels to revive Tianlan’s Dragon Veins.

For now, they'd manage what possible. Return later for more.

Or such was intent, till Meiling spotted an anomaly.

Feeding Tianlan, the aroma returned. Lake's summer zephyr. That Dragon Vein sliver. Nearby surely—intensity grew, devouring her and Jin’s essence. A voracious fragment of her ally, yet Meiling nourished it—till a faint echo stirred.

An echo evoking kinship. Near the General that Commands the Winter.

Meiling stilled. Tianlan revealed the General as true Spirit. Genuine guardian for winter's folk.

Meiling honed focus on this echo. The facet Tianlan-esque, yet apart.

A lattice encircling the lake. Frail, malformed. Waning, Qi siphoned to void.

Yet remnants lingered. Invoked in pleas. Grateful, revered, sometimes reviled.

An unchanging force to Azure Hills dwellers, perpetual.

A Spirit incomplete. A presence yearning form.

Meiling alerted Tianlan and Jin, revealing her vision. They required a watcher in absence, aye?

Tianlan inhaled sharply.

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Thus they labored. Adjusted the array. Amassed might. Trenches scarred the lakebed.

Hopes, aspirations, supplications amassed; tributes to the Lake Goddess.

They harvested millennia-sown seeds, excelling at growth above all.

Gold surged through waters. Gold permeated soil. Gold seeped skyward, weaving dreams into unity, at last granting wholeness.