Red Dragon Tooth

Lin Yilan's wandering thoughts returned to the shopkeeper's incessant sales pitch. She seriously considered which crystal cup Jasmine would prefer, examining the subtle differences in the natural ice-crack patterns with due diligence. Lapis lazuli bracelets, ripple-patterned crystal cups, hand-woven cloud-silk square rugs, Dream Epiphyllum dew... The long shopping list made Lin Yilan want to sigh. Her original intention was merely to visit an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time, but the result was this—

Casey couldn't leave the base and had repeatedly asked her to buy these items on his behalf to send back to the Imperial Capital as wedding gifts for his sister. Faced with such a request, full of familial affection and impossible to refuse, Lin Yilan had no choice but to comply.

Going from shop to shop, the bags in her hands grew heavier, and the cost was staggering. She couldn't help but marvel that Casey's salary was indeed quite generous. The last item on the long list was the Xuanlan Balm, sold exclusively at the Rare Goods Shop on Xiuwa Avenue. With that in hand, the tedious shopping trip finally came to an end. Lin Yilan breathed a sigh of relief. Raising her eyes inadvertently, her breath suddenly hitched.

That man diagonally across from her, seemingly browsing herbs...

Lin Yilan still remembered that half-smiling expression, mixed with killing intent and faint disdain. She would never forget it. Her defensive instincts made her fingers twitch, only to remember immediately after that she wasn't carrying a gun.

Under the soft lighting of the beautifully decorated luxury shop, the man's dangerous aura was completely concealed, making him look like an ordinary civilian. Observing him tracelessly for a split second, Lin Yilan had already determined his target.

He appeared focused on the merchandise, but in reality, he was discreetly noting the guards inside the shop. Occasionally, his gaze swept past, landing several times on the treasure of the shop within the crystal cover in the center: the golden-red Red Dragon Tooth.

The Red Dragon Tooth was not actually a dragon's tooth, but a rare medicinal herb.

Shaped like a tooth and about half a foot long, it had many fine roots and was a pleasing golden-red throughout. It was the best panacea for healing wounds, growing only in primitive jungles. Its quantity was extremely scarce, and its price exceeded that of gold. Even the most luxurious shop in the city had only one, resting on black velvet like a piece of art carved from red crystal.

Despite the chaotic public security, to openly rob a heavily guarded luxury shop opened by Xiuwa nobles... unless he was crazy. Lin Yilan lowered her eyes in thought for a moment, then signaled a shop assistant and shoved a bag of gold coins into his hand.

Soon, the Red Dragon Tooth was taken out from the dust-free crystal cover and carefully packed into a silk pouch, which was then tied tight. Then, under the gaze of everyone, it was respectfully presented to a young woman.

Even in Xiuwa's premier famous shop, few people could afford such an expensive item. Everyone in the shop looked over. Unfortunately, her back was turned, so they couldn't see her face. They only heard the shop assistant eagerly asking if she needed the free security escort service. The young woman shook her head, put the silk pouch into her handbag, pushed open the door, and walked out.

The man followed her out without a trace, trailing her at a distance like an accidental passerby.

A silver-gray trench coat wrapped around her slender figure. Her black short hair was cut very thin, setting off her soft white neck beautifully. Her moving silhouette didn't garner an extra ounce of attention from the stalker; his sharp target remained fixed only on the small section of the silk pouch revealed at the top of her handbag.

The young woman walked briskly through the market and stepped onto the outer corridor of the Grand Temple.

Xiuwa's temple was originally built to worship ancient deities. The square giant stones stood towering and majestic, though their straight lines were somewhat chipped and broken. From deep within the temple came the distant hymns praising the gods, ethereal and hollow, drifting in and out of hearing. The young woman strolled through the empty outer corridor, never once looking back. Sunlight cast the shadows of the massive columns into a grid pattern; in the flickering light and shadow, only the light tap of her boot heels could be heard.

The man was dazed for a split second, then regained his cold composure. He quickened his pace, turning a corner swiftly and silently, but stopped abruptly, his sharp pupils constricting violently.

The slender figure had vanished without a trace, leaving only the empty long corridor, so quiet one could hear a heartbeat. His finger was on the trigger of his gun, yet he felt no threat of falling into a trap. His gaze was suddenly drawn to something.

At the end of the corridor was a life-sized statue of the Goddess of Fate.

The elegant Goddess wore a compassionate expression, holding scales to arbitrate the fate of mortals. A sword and scepter were carved on the scales, symbolizing sanction and honor. Due to its age, the statue was somewhat broken, yet its majesty remained.

He walked closer step by step until he stood before the statue of the Goddess.

Resting on the white stone weighing pan was a golden silk pouch, strikingly visible under the sunlight.

The silent scene was like a miracle.

He picked up the silk pouch. The unique fragrance of the Red Dragon Tooth assailed his nostrils, and the heavy weight in his hand reminded him of its reality. Looking up, below the long extending steps was the city's central square. Vendors in twos and threes were soliciting their last customers. The fountain, running day and night, sprayed mists of water. A flock of homing white doves flew over the heads of passersby, clear pigeon whistles echoing in the wind.

The silver-gray silhouette was dyed warm gold by the setting sun. Her beautiful profile was soft and vivid. She took a paper bag from a roasted chestnut vendor, tucked it into her embrace, chased a few steps, and hopped onto a slowly passing streetcar.

Some things in the world are forever unfair, like the divide between paupers and nobles. Some are forever fair, like the sky and the sunlight.

The messy slums became slightly softer under the caress of the setting sun. The man hurrying through knew the dense spiderweb of narrow alleys like the back of his hand, and soon stopped in front of an old house.

He knocked a few times in a specific rhythm of long and short beats. The door opened, revealing a face thick with beard, sweat seeping from an anxious forehead. "Sean is fading fast. The medicine isn't working. I've run out of ways..."

A pale golden silk bag was shoved into his arms, choking off his complaints. He stared for a long while, then reflexively jumped up, forgetting he was in the doorway. Bang—he slammed into the door frame, sucking in a breath of cold air from the pain. "This... this is..."

"Sa, this is the Red Dragon Tooth." Seeing his friend's extreme loss of composure, the man wore a trace of a smile.

"Of course I know! I mean, I didn't expect you to actually get this thing. The guards there are as numerous as ants; how did you pull it off?" Sa opened the silk pouch to inspect it, then suddenly thought of something. His expression tightened, and he pulled open the man's coat. "Are you hurt?"

"Didn't have to fight. Getting it was an accident." The man had no time to explain and urged him. "Go save Sean. Don't let him die. I promised his father."

"Don't worry, now he couldn't die even if he wanted to." Knowing time could not be delayed, Sa stopped questioning and busied himself inside the room. Curiosity scratched at his heart like cat claws. A moment later, he popped his head out again. "Don't leave yet. Wait until I'm done, then we talk."

The man shook his head. Just as he was about to leave, a stumbling shadow rushed near, and he grabbed hold of it to steady the person.

A boy of sixteen or seventeen looked up in panic. His heavy breathing and flushed face showed his physical strength was exhausted, as if he had run wildly all the way here, sweat dripping from the tips of his hair.

"Pan!" He shouted in a low voice to stop him, his eyes sweeping toward the deep alley. "Someone chasing you?"

Seeing the boy was too breathless to speak, he curled his index finger and let out a whistle. An echo quickly came from the empty dark alley. Another whistle sounded from afar, passed on one after another. A moment later, it was transmitted back in a different tone.

"If no one is chasing, why the panic?" The whistle signaled safety, and the man temporarily relaxed.

Pan finally caught his breath. He opened his sweaty hand; in his palm was a coin purse. "I stole from a rich guy. Now we can buy that expensive medicine."

The excited boy repeated himself, forgetting everything else. "Really, there are lots of gold coins. Sean won't die. Let's buy it now. Tell me where the medicine is; I'm afraid it'll be too late." At the thought of saving his best friend's life, Pan almost cried.

The man was momentarily silent.

"I'm not lying to you, look!" Pan was anxious to prove it. He turned the purse over and shook it, dropping more than ten gold coins.

"Sean already has the medicine. Sa is saving him; there won't be any more danger." Looking at the brilliant gold coins, the man frowned instead. "I said you can't steal from nobles. Do you really want your hand chopped off after they catch you?"

Pan was stunned for a long while before finally understanding his words. He suddenly burst into sobs. "Sean is really okay?"

"Yeah." He patted the boy's head. "You did well, but it was too risky. Don't do this again."

The boy nodded while crying, gold coins scattered all over the ground.

The man offered a few words of comfort and said no more. After crying for a good while, Pan finally stopped and wiped his snot.

"I didn't steal from a noble. I saw that woman carrying a bunch of stuff and guessed she must have money." Without his usual clever slyness, Pan made a rare honest confession. "I had Debbie pinch her five-year-old sister so she'd grab that woman's clothes and cry. While they were entangled, I made my move. By the time she realized, I had already jumped off the streetcar."

"Debbie and the others?"

"They'll be fine. That woman didn't bring a chaperone, so she definitely isn't a noble. Going to the police would only get her extorted by the security squad. Those guys wouldn't let a fat sheep go." Pan had nimble hands and feet, and his cooperation with his partners in the slums was full of tacit understanding. He was quite confident in how he handled things.

In Xiuwa City, the main job of the security squad was to escort powerful nobles when they went out or returned at night, in addition to squeezing oil (bribes) from vendors. With such terrible public security, local civilians would never go out alone with heavy money. Pan had rarely encountered such good luck.

"What kind of woman was she?" The man didn't scold him further.

"Young and pretty. Maybe the mistress of some wealthy merchant." As his emotions recovered, Pan returned to his usual talkative self. "Her waist was very thin, too, though I didn't get a chance to touch it."

Glancing sideways at the precocious brat, the man picked up the coin purse and examined it.

The style was very elegant, different from what was sold on the market. The dark green velvet was worn halfway to old, and the golden tassels had faded somewhat. The lining was embroidered with a tiny rose in the same color silk thread; if one didn't pay attention, it was almost invisible. After examining it for a moment, his gaze shifted. The man took out a folded piece of paper from the bottom of the bag.

A list of items was written casually on the paper; it appeared to be a shopping list. The long list had been crossed off one by one, leaving only the last item at the end. The graceful handwriting slanted slightly, writing a line of small words—Xiuwa Avenue No. 93 Rare Goods Shop - Xuanlan Balm.

Silent for quite a while, the man sighed. "What kind of clothes was that woman wearing?"