Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation
71. They Called Me Crazy

While Jinshu waited nervously under his aunt’s intense gaze, Bing clung to the back of his robe and hesitantly spoke from behind him. “W-we didn’t know that tree was yours, Aunt Zui, and we’re s-sorry we ate the fruit without your permission.” She peeked out from over Jinshu’s shoulder, her wet hair falling across her blushing face.

“Mmm… Whatcha say? That you only meant well? Well, of course you did,” Long Zui replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Why’d you plant the tree in the middle of nowhere anyway?” Yanjiang asked bluntly, folding her arms.

“It’s a tree, so it needs to be planted in a forest, duh!” Long Zui said, as though stating an obvious fact. The siblings exchanged glances, each looking at her as though she’d grown a second head. “What? Why are you looking at me like I’m stupid?”

“Um… Aunt Zui, you are joking, right?” Yuetu asked, still wringing water from her ears.

“No? Did you all not know that trees grow in forests? Isn’t that common knowledge?” Long Zui leaned in, her expression one of genuine confusion.

“Well, it’s true that trees grow in forests,” Jinshu said carefully, glancing around the courtyard. “But that’s not the only place they can grow. Trees can grow anywhere. Is that why there are no trees here?”

“That would be my doing,” a sudden voice interjected, drawing everyone’s attention.

At some point, an older dragon woman had appeared in the shadowy corner of the pavilion. Her slightly graying hair framed a kind face, and she was dressed in a neat maid’s outfit. But what truly stunned the siblings were the azure horns crowning her head—horns that only an Azure Dragon should have. Even their father, the current Azure Dragon, had yet to achieve azure horns; his remained the silver of the Metal Dragon Tribe.

“Wha… how…?” Yanjiang stammered, pointing at the woman’s horns.

“Ah, Chanshi, there you are!” Long Zui called out, her voice bright with excitement.

Chanshi nodded to Long Zui before turning her gaze to the children. “I don’t find trees to be aesthetically pleasing, so I didn’t plant any here. That may have led the young lady to believe that trees only grow in forests.”

“You must be wondering how she has azure horns,” Long Zui interjected, completely ignoring the comment about trees as she launched into a one-sided conversation. “Well, that’s because of my experiments—and it’s why I brought you all here.”

The siblings were too stunned to respond, leaving Long Zui free to continue her speech uninterrupted.

“At first, I tried channeling all of the elements. That didn’t work, but I did learn some cool interactions—like water and wind! You must have noticed that I can travel through the air like stepping on water, right?”

“Is that how it works?” Jinshu asked, a strange inkling stirring in his mind. “Is it like when a dragon ascends a mountain and a tiger descends?” He frowned slightly, unsure why the phrase had come to him or what it even meant.

Long Zui tapped her chin thoughtfully. “No? But that’s an interesting way to phrase it.” She turned to Chanshi. “Paper and brush!” she ordered.

Chanshi waved her hand, and an open scroll and an inked brush materialized on the table in front of Long Zui. Grabbing the brush, she scribbled down a few lines, then rolled the scroll up and tossed it into a corner, where it landed in a heap of other scrolls.

“I’ll finish that later,” she declared.

Jinshu’s gaze flicked to the large pile, and he immediately doubted her words.

“Anyway, the reason I brought you all here is to undergo experiments as my test subjects—punishment for eating my fruits,” Long Zui announced. She paused, then glanced at Chanshi. “Make them puke up what’s mine!”

Chanshi stepped toward them, and the siblings instinctively backed away, horrified.

“Wait! I still have them!” Jinshu exclaimed frantically, stepping forward.

“Have what?” Long Zui asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Your fruits. Here!” Jinshu reached into his sleeves and pulled out several bundles of the fruits. Instantly, the intoxicating fragrance filled the entire courtyard.

Long Zui lunged forward, snatching the fruits from Jinshu’s hands. “My Zui Long Gou!” she cried, clutching the bundles of fruit to her chest as though they were priceless treasures. “My precious little ones, you’ve come back to Momma!”

Jinshu stared at her, baffled, as she began muttering strange things under her breath, rubbing the fruits against her cheeks like one might a cherished pet.

“Since you’ve got your fruits back, that means we don’t need to be your test subjects anymore, right?” he ventured cautiously.

Long Zui glanced up, her expression still dreamy. “No? You all still need to be punished for eating my precious fruit. Do you have any idea how long I waited for them to reach perfect maturity?”

Jinshu sighed, deciding to humor her for a while. Surely their father would arrive soon to rescue them from their deranged aunt.

“We at least don’t need to puke the fruit up anymore, though?” he asked, trying to steer the situation in their favor.

“Hmm… yeah, sure, whatever.” She waved him off dismissively, her attention back on the fruits.

Jinshu exhaled in relief, then sat cross-legged on a cushion opposite his aunt, motioning for his sisters to join him. Yanjiang and Yuetu flanked him on either side, while Bing settled hesitantly at the far right, her gaze darting nervously between Long Zui and the fruit.

“So,” Jinshu began, his tone diplomatic, “what are these experiments you want us to be test subjects for?”

“Oh, just this and that,” Long Zui replied airily, as though discussing something trivial.

“Hmph! I’m not about to become your plaything!” Yanjiang snapped, crossing her arms. “Once our father comes, you’ll have to beg for forgiveness!”

Jinshu tugged at her sleeve, trying to get her to stop, but Yanjiang was undeterred.

“Oh ho! Tough words, little missy,” Long Zui said with a laugh, clearly entertained by Yanjiang’s defiance. “But your father won’t even be able to find this place. So, I’d rethink those words if I were you.” Her grin widened into something wicked, making Yanjiang flinch back slightly.

“Um… what do you m-mean our father can’t find this p-place?” Bing asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Long Zui’s eyes flicked to the youngest sister, and for a moment, her expression softened. “You know,” she said, tilting her head, “I never liked your mother’s cold attitude. But you? You’re much cuter than she ever was.”

Bing flushed, unsure whether to feel insulted or complimented, while Yanjiang bristled, her qi subtly flaring at the backhanded remark about Bing's mother.

“Yours is too wild,” Long Zui said, pointing at Yanjiang. “And yours is too timid,” she added, turning to Yuetu. Finally, her gaze landed on Jinshu, and her tone softened. “Honestly, the only one I like is yours. She’s the only one who didn’t treat me like a freak when we were young.”

Jinshu blinked, unsure how to respond. “Uh, why would they treat you like a freak?” he asked cautiously, hoping to keep her talking long enough for their father to arrive. She might have claimed he couldn’t, but Jinshu wasn’t ready to believe that.

“Why!?” Long Zui exclaimed, her voice rising with impassioned indignation. “Because I promised that I would awaken the Azure bloodline for all dragons and make us the most powerful species on this earth! That little shit of a brother made fun of me every day for it! But I’ll show him! I’ll show everyone that I will be our race’s greatest benefactor!”

She jabbed a finger toward Chanshi. “Just look! Look what I’ve accomplished!” Then, spinning back to the siblings, she declared, “Once I finish my experiments, you’ll all thank me. None of you will have to fight each other for that single drop of Azure blood. I’ll make it so you all have it!”

Her expression softened briefly. “But I’m not a monster. If my experiments don’t work, I’ll let you go. Five years. After five years, you’ll all be free.”

Yanjiang snorted, crossing her arms. “I’m sure our father will be here in less than five minutes!”

Long Zui’s pitying look only made Yanjiang angrier. “Didn’t I already tell you? Your father can’t find this place. Do you have any idea where we are?”

Yanjiang’s eyes narrowed. “Hmph! Aren’t we somewhere in the Dragon Vein Mountains?”

Shaking her head, Long Zui sighed dramatically. “Oh, you sweet, dumb little child. Why would I ever place my secret base somewhere it could easily be found?”

Yanjiang blinked, thrown off by the response. “So… this isn’t the Dragon Vein Mountains?”

“Pfft!” Long Zui doubled over in laughter, her giggles echoing across the pavilion.

The siblings exchanged uneasy glances as the realization sank in—if their father truly couldn’t find them, they were on their own. Panic flickered across their faces, though none dared voice their fears.

Long Zui’s giggling ceased, and she straightened, her wicked grin still lingering. “Take them to rest for today,” she instructed Chanshi. “We’ll begin the experiments tomorrow.” With that, she disappeared, the air rippling faintly where she had stood.

Chanshi turned to the siblings with a serene smile, her earlier menace entirely gone. It was almost unsettling how kind she seemed now, as if she hadn’t been ready to force them to vomit moments earlier. “Come along, children,” she said gently, gesturing toward a path.

The siblings hesitated, their gazes drawn to the sudden appearance of an extravagant palace at the end of the walkway. They were certain it hadn’t been there before. The gleaming structure loomed, opulent yet foreboding, its existence as unnerving as the circumstances that had brought them here.

“We should go,” Jinshu said finally, breaking the silence. “At least we can wash this pond scum off.” He tried to sound confident, but his tone wavered just enough for his sisters to catch it.

With reluctance, he took the lead, trailing after Chanshi as Yanjiang, Yuetu, and Bing hurried to keep up. The walk was quiet, save for the soft rustling of their footsteps.

As Jinshu followed the older woman, his thoughts wandered to what lay ahead. He couldn’t deny a growing curiosity about his aunt’s experiments. The idea of awakening the Azure bloodline for all dragons intrigued him in a way he couldn’t ignore.

Maybe this isn’t entirely bad, he thought, though guilt nipped at the edges of the idea. If it works, maybe she’s right… maybe it could be worth it.

Still, as he glanced back at his sisters, their unease clear in their expressions, he felt the weight of responsibility settle firmly on his shoulders. Whatever awaited them tomorrow, he had to ensure they all made it through—together.