Chapter 615: Section 402: Brave and Anqiu
As Shuang Tu had anticipated, Lan Zao woke up that afternoon.
Lan Zao was also arranged in a separate ward, which made it convenient for Shuang Tu to have a secret conversation with him.
“Where am I? Who are you?” Lan Zao asked upon waking.
Shuang Tu introduced himself, “This is Flower Skirt Island, I am Shuang Tu, the physician here. As you can see, I am a Snow Elf Druid. You were brought here for treatment by a group led by Ice Eagle.”
Lan Zao was immediately disappointed upon hearing this.
When he woke up and saw the unfamiliar environment, he had harbored some hopeful expectations.
He had hoped that during his unconsciousness, some accident had happened that allowed him to escape from the perilous situation on the Divine Wind.
But he was disappointed.
“Now I have something more important to discuss with you,” Shuang Tu said with a serious expression.
Lan Zao watched him.
Shuang Tu continued, “First, please be assured and try to relax. The room we are in now has activated a Magic Array. Any conversation we have here will remain highly confidential.”
“Secondly, what I am about to say might shock you, please try not to get agitated and remain calm.”
At this point, Shuang Tu paused, allowing Lan Zao some time to absorb the information, then he said, “I know you are from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.”
Clang!
The next moment, Lan Zao violently jumped out of bed, stretched out his arms, and lunged at Shuang Tu.
Several deep green vines suddenly grew out and entangled him in mid-air.
Lan Zao was tightly bound, suspended in the air, unable to move.
He struggled fiercely but couldn’t break free from the vines, staring intensely at Shuang Tu, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Shuang Tu’s expression darkened, his previous smile vanished.
In the adjacent ward, the Human Race leader, through the enactment of a Magic Image, saw this scene and sighed.
Lan Zao’s impulsive nature disappointed him.
Then, he heard Lan Zao speak, “I have never heard of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. Don’t think you can use me! Ice Eagle, Lord Ice Eagle!”
Lan Zao shouted loudly for help.
This action made the Human Race leader shake his head, he reached out his palm and covered his face.
Lan Zao was being foolish. Denying now was utterly useless; his previous overreaction had already explained a lot.
Now, he was trying to call out for Ice Eagle, showing his desperate attempt to fix his earlier mistake by relying on outside forces.
Clearly, he was being naive!
Shuang Tu maneuvered the green vines using Spirit Manipulation and slowly brought Lan Zao in front of him.
Shuang Tu wore a worried look, sighed, and said, “I already mentioned earlier that this room has activated a Magic Array, it’s completely isolated and very secretive, no matter how loud you yell, no one outside can hear you.”
“Don’t get too agitated, I am on your side.”
“Hah, don’t think you can use me!” Lan Zao, unable to move and with his face turning red from the tight binding of the vines,
First, he struggled vehemently, then suddenly opened his mouth and severely bit through his own tongue!
He intended to commit suicide by biting his tongue.
This action shocked both Shuang Tu and the Human Race leader.
Neither had expected Lan Zao to be so decisive!
They had underestimated Lan Zao’s loyalty to the Dragon-man youth. According to the intelligence they gathered, they viewed Lan Zao merely as a mercenary recruited by the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps on Snake Rat Island. His association with the Dragon-man youth was brief, and only due to a mishap, he was mistakenly taken aboard the Divine Wind by Ice Eagle.
“He’s a tough one!” the Human Race leader suddenly remembered the Magic Image he had seen before, where Lan Zao had shown bravery in battle with the Saber Gang, fearless in the face of death.
The Human Race leader was unaware of Lan Zao’s mental state during that time.
Lan Zao believed that after taking the Magic Potion, his days were numbered, and his body was breaking down. He wanted to make as much contribution as possible before his death.
That had been his mindset at the time, and it still was upon waking.
Thus, attacking Shuang Tu without hesitation, thinking of taking down as many as he could.
And now, biting his tongue to commit suicide, was also without hesitation. He feared some secret magical means might make him reveal secrets like Mysterious Monster Island, and that would burden the Dragon-man youth.
Shuang Tu, watching Lan Zao’s mouth continuously bleeding, quickly applied Healing Magic to him, and also showed him a Magic Image.
In the Magic Image, the Snowbird Port City Lord, Zong Ge masquerading in the Dragon costume, and Zi Di disguised as the Mage Yao Ma, signed a secret cooperation Magic Contract.
The main content of the contract concerned Lan Zao.
At the end of the Magic Image, Zong Ge, masquerading in the Dragon costume, looked towards Lan Zao through the Magic Image, and left a message for him: “Do not give up hope. Hang in there, trust me, I will come to your aid as soon as the time is right.”
“Squad leader…” Lan Zao called out in his mind, his eyes quickly reddening. He did not doubt the assurance from “Long Fu,” because he knew the Dragon-man youth was such an admirable, reliable leader!
Lan Zao did not realize that the Dragon-man in the Magic Image was Zong Ge.
Because Zong Ge’s impersonation as the Dragon-man youth occurred after Lan Zao had been taken aboard the Divine Wind and led away.
Zong Ge had used the Deception and Disguise Skill again, changing his appearance. This was a fact unknown to Lan Zao, hence he could not recognize Zong Ge’s true face.
But Lan Zao could identify the Mage Yao Ma in the Magic Image.
In his eyes, Yao Ma appeared just like Zi Di.
He knew the secret of Zi Di portraying Yao Ma. Hence, the layer of Deception and Disguise on Zi Di was ineffective on Lan Zao.
This is the peculiar aspect of the Deception and Disguise Skill.
Zi Di also left a message for Lan Zao— “Surviving is what matters most, don’t overthink. Everyone is waiting for your return.”
Zi Di’s words were laden with meaning, but Lan Zao did not discern them.
Having confirmed the authenticity of the Magic Image, Lan Zao suddenly calmed down, his body relaxed.
“So who exactly are you?” Lan Zao stared at Shuang Tu and asked.
The Human Race leader, secretly watching up to this point, furrowed his brow and sighed again.
Lan Zao had thus relaxed his guard and started to trust the stranger in front of him, which greatly disappointed the Human Race leader.
“He’s too easy to deceive!”
“Have you never thought that this Magic Image could be fabricated?”
“How could such a person cooperate with me in the future undercover operations?”
“How could I dare to cooperate with such a person?”
Shuang Tu’s evaluation of Lan Zao had decreased by one level.
Both of them were unaware that Lan Zao had already confirmed the authenticity of the Magic Image through the properties of the Deception and Disguise Skill.
Shuang Tu then showed Lan Zao the second Magic Image.
This Magic Image was the one the leader of the Human Race had seen in the morning.
The Magic Image recorded the escape scene of the Saber Gang members from the docks of Snowbird Port. The Magic Image had been edited so that there was only one protagonist—naturally, it was Lan Zao.
Seeing this, Lan Zao suddenly confirmed Shuang Tu’s identity.
Because he had long known that the Mage Tower on the docks of Snowbird Port had the ability to record history.
Thus, he deduced, “So, you are a man of the City Lord of Snowbird Port.”
Shuang Tu wore a faint smile and nodded, “You guessed right.”
“Then may I go back? When can I return?” Lan Zao became agitated.
Shuang Tu shook his head slightly, then nodded again, “You have already seen the first Magic Image. You are also aware of the signing of the Magic Contract.”
“Once you complete the task, you can return.”
“Not only that, you will also receive a handsome reward!”
“Although it was a huge surprise that you were accepted by the Ice Eagle, by mistake, it has given us a glimmer of hope.”
“That is to say, the Saber Gang members were intentionally released by the City Lord.”
Lan Zao was greatly surprised, “Why would the City Lord do such a thing?”
“Because of Anqiu.”
“Anqiu?” Lan Zao furrowed his brows, puzzled, “What is that?”
Seeing this, the leader of the Human Race could no longer bear to watch.
He couldn’t help but roll his eyes and lay back on his bed, feeling utterly powerless.
Lan Zao came from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, genuine outsiders.
Thus, Lan Zao had no knowledge of such a place name as Anqiu.
Shuang Tu was much more patient than the leader of the Human Race. He briefly narrated the legend of Anqiu to Lan Zao.
It had happened during the Barbarian Dragon Era.
The alliance between the Barbarian and the Dragon Clan had collapsed.
On the Frost Road, there were two leaders.
One was Man Ying, the hero leading the Barbarian, and the other was Xue Yong, the warrior of the Snow Elf Clan.
Man Ying and Xue Yong were the strongest men on the Frost Continent, both having the noble ambition to pacify the world and bring peace to the Frost Continent.
During their interaction and combat, they felt a mutual admiration for each other’s aspirations and gradually developed a deep friendship.
The cunning Black Dragon King, unwilling to see a strong alliance, struck first with deceitful schemes, creating a series of misunderstandings and successfully inciting conflict between the two clans.
As the full-scale battle between the Barbarians and the Snow Elves loomed, Man Ying and Xue Yong, driven to desperation, had to fight with all their might against the people they most admired in the world.
Man Ying, not wishing to wage a great war, proposed a personal duel to Xue Yong.
Xue Yong, also unwilling to see his people spill too much blood, agreed to the duel. They both agreed to use the outcome of their duel to determine the future of their respective clans.
The Barbarians suggested to Man Ying to rally the bravest of the Barbarian people to launch a surprise attack on the Snow Elf tribe, gaining the upper hand.
Man Ying refused, criticizing, “That would be an insult to the warriors!”
The Snow Elves proposed to Xue Yong to poison and assassinate Man Ying, which was also denied by Xue Yong, “That would be a trampling of our friendship.”
On the day of the duel, both Man Ying and Xue Yong brought an ice coffin.
Man Ying said to Xue Yong, “Although I must fight you, my will is as clear and transparent as this ice. My dear friend, I promise that in this battle I will not use any underhanded tactics.”
Xue Yong also lamented, “My friend, our friendship is as unbreakable as this ice coffin. But alas, the conflict between our clans means that there can only be one royal family on the Frost Continent. I promise you, without any schemes or poison, to fight with all my might and accept whatever outcome.”
They also agreed that no matter who died, the survivor would seal the deceased’s body in the ice coffin and take it to Anqiu for burial.
An earth-shattering duel unfolded.
The two fought for three days and nights, both dying in battle.
Countless Black Dragons swarmed from the skies.
Taking advantage of the situation, the Black Dragon King moved against the Barbarians and Snow Elves. With Man Ying and Xue Yong dead, no one on the Frost Continent could rival the Black Dragon King.
The Black Dragon King collected their bodies in ice coffins as trophies for his cave, displaying his fierce battle achievements.
The surging ice and snow of the Frost Continent flooded into his cave, carrying away the two ice coffins.
The coffins slid swiftly down the snowy mountain, meandering through the extended glaciers and snow mounds, eventually coming to rest in a valley.
There was no chill in the valley, and it was springtime year-round, with vibrant flowers and fresh leaves. Colorful rainbows hung high in the sky, and diamond-like spring water chimed.
It was indeed Anqiu.
There, the two heroes were buried, but they could not rest in peace and awakened simultaneously.
Although beautiful, Anqiu’s environment could not allow them to rest, as their people were being slaughtered by the Black Dragon, and peace on the Frost Continent hung by a thread, with blood nearly staining every patch of snow.
The two returned from Anqiu, leading their respective clans to unite and slay the Black Dragon King, virtually annihilating the Black Dragon clan.
Only two Black Dragons managed to escape by luck.
After narrating the myth of Anqiu to Lan Zao, Shuang Tu added, “This is the legend of Anqiu, and it is also the origin of the custom of the brave duel.”
Lan Zao suddenly realized, “No wonder those who challenged in a brave duel carried blocks of ice. ‘Brave’ refers to Man Ying and Xue Yong?”
“Does such a place as Anqiu really exist? Isn’t it just a mythological legend?”
Shuang Tu smiled, “This isn’t just an empty rumor.”
“According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, the Spring Boxer is Teng Donglang’s Coffin Carrier.”