Dragon Tamer - Chapter 290:

Chapter 290: Chapter 291 Hurriedly Leaving
Zhu Minglang had Little White explore the Black Lake beneath the fissure.

The Black Lake was vast, storing enough water to irrigate all the vegetation in Pear Blossom Gully, while at the same time, many gemstones settled at the bottom of the lake.

After making a round, Little White indeed did not see any Mourning Dragons, not even their saliva, fur, or footprints.

The place was as clean as a secret realm, with no signs of any creatures ever setting foot there.

Casually sweeping up all the gemstones from the lake bottom and storing them within the Ice Morning White Dragon’s Universe Magic, Little White returned to the surface and relayed the details of the Black Lake in the Cave to Zhu Minglang.

“Since we’ve purified the water source, that’s a significant accomplishment. Let’s head back to the First Mountain Village,” Zhu Minglang said.

“What about those Mourning Dragons from Stone Village that have vanished without a trace?” Hu Bailing asked.

“If they intend to hide, destroying every cavern and grotto in Pear Blossom Gully might still not be enough to find their hiding places. That’s all we can do,” Zhu Minglang replied.

“Yes, that’s true,” Hu Bailing nodded.

Mourning Dragons are an exceptionally resilient species, never truly extinct from the beginning to the end, much like weeds that, after spring rains the following year, immediately spread everywhere again!

For now, helping Pear Blossom Gully resolve the water crisis was already quite an achievement, as for where exactly those Mourning Dragon Clans from Stone Village had fled to, there was likely no finding out.

Leaving the ridge and taking advantage of the remaining daylight, the group headed back to the First Village of Pear Blossom Gully.

Having solved the water issue, Pear Blossom Gully should be able to regain its original vigor whereas those suddenly missing Mourning Dragons had probably found new caves to recuperate and breed in.

The frightening thing about Mourning Dragons was their high intelligence. Once they knew they had lost the chance to hunt and their clans were under threat, they would immediately go into hiding, lying low for a while, waiting for the opportunity to make a comeback.

However, without the Demon Awakening Fruit, those Mourning Dragons would be much less of a threat to Pear Blossom Gully.

On the way back, Zhu Minglang remained mostly silent.

Li Xinghua, too, was deep in thought.

The Yin Spirit Girl also remained silent.

It was nearing nightfall when they finally returned to the First Village of Pear Blossom Gully.

The elder Clan Leader, whose face was full of folds, greeted them with a beaming smile, welcoming the return of the brave knights with an array of fine food and drinks.

Zhu Minglang didn’t have much of an appetite, especially considering the secrets hidden within Pear Blossom Gully, he felt that there was something eerie about the village everywhere he looked.

Right now, he just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

Hu Bailing, on the other hand, was oblivious to all of this, accepting the passionate hospitality of the villagers and bringing up to the Clan Leader a friend from her childhood, wanting to know her current whereabouts.

“Ah, she fell critically ill the year before last and was sent away to be treated. She never returned thereafter, and we do not know whether she recovered and chose not to come back to Pear Blossom Gully or if she died from the illness outside,” the Folds Clan Leader sighed deeply.

Hu Bailing’s face was a picture of shock; she had no idea such a thing had happened. Although it had been many years since she herself had set foot in Pear Blossom Gully, and she had barely kept in touch with that childhood friend, the unfortunate news still saddened her deeply.

“Natural disasters, aging, illness, death, it’s all normal,” said the Folds Clan Leader, Song Xunshan.

“It is indeed normal, but your Pear Blossom Gully has a secret to longevity that spares your people from these things, doesn’t it?” Zhu Minglang said with a smile to the old clan leader, whose face was wrinkled.

The old leader was holding a bowl of wine, his hand suspended in the air, as his profound eyes fixed on Zhu Minglang.

“You decree that your people cannot leave Pear Blossom Gully, which in fact means a life away from strife, a quiet life in a place without conflict, war, and scheming. Isn’t that your method to avoid man-made disasters?” Zhu Minglang continued, voicing the thoughts he had not yet finished.

After hearing this, Clan Leader Song Xunshan finally downed the wine in front of him and burst into hearty laughter.

“We have other matters to attend to, so we won’t stay in the village tonight. We’ll be leaving Pear Blossom Gully shortly. The ongoing fight with the Mourning Dragons will have to be handled by yourselves,” Zhu Minglang said.

“While we do hope you could eliminate more Mourning Dragons for us, we understand that Mourning Dragons are cunning, and once they hide, it would be a waste of time to keep you here. We thank you again for everything you from Runyu City have done for our Pear Blossom Gully. We’ve also prepared some gems for you, please take them with you,” Song Xunshan said.

Zhu Minglang didn’t refuse; although he had already obtained a great deal of gems, who would ever think they had too many gems?

The night was deep, and Zhu Minglang and his companions left Pear Blossom Gully.

The mountain roads were complex, and it would take some time to exit this unique valley.

The forest was still devoid of insect chirps or bird calls, let alone wandering predators. The valley, shrouded in night, was too silent.

About ten or twenty li out, Nan Yuso, feeling the odd atmosphere, finally spoke up, questioning Zhu Minglang, “Why did you leave without completely resolving the issue? Aren’t you worried the Mourning Dragons will regroup and strike again?”

Similarly, Nan Yuso didn’t understand why her sister would also allow those Mourning Dragons to continue lurking in Pear Blossom Gully, knowing full well that they had massacred an entire village. Could Li Xinghua, as a Prophet, not be troubled by nightmares?

“This accursed place, I don’t want to stay for another moment,” Zhu Minglang snorted coldly, recalling some details upon entering Pear Blossom Gully, which sent chills down his spine.

“What exactly happened?” Hu Bailing asked, puzzled.

“Actually, I’ve been wanting to say it the whole time, but it didn’t feel right to bring it up. Haven’t you noticed that the people in the village are strange? We’ve only ever spoken to a few of them from start to finish. They never showed us around other parts of the village, and when we said we wanted to leave, they couldn’t wait for us to be gone…” Fang Niannian whispered.

“Niannian, what do you think?” Zhu Minglang inquired.

“I can’t put my finger on it, but the whole village is peculiar… although every house had its light on, it just lacked a certain liveliness. How should I put it? I saw no children playing near their homes, no one calling out for trade, no women chatting as they did their chores, let alone the sounds of chickens clucking or dogs barking.” Fang Niannian’s instincts were quite sharp.

She herself had lived among the common folk.

She was familiar with the pulse of the marketplace.

Even in an isolated village, as long as there were people living, there could be no absence of cooking smoke, cries, or noise.

The last time they arrived at First Village, they barely stayed and left in a hurry.

This time, upon returning to First Village, they hastily had a meal, yet the old clan leader led them only to a few specific houses throughout.