Volume One: The Awakening of the Dragon Soul Chapter 1: Rainy Night and Another World

“How is it? Isn’t this gaming laptop just awesome to use?” A chubby boy, bare-chested, was rapidly maneuvering his character, the clatter of the keyboard echoing through the small bedroom. The flashy computer setup seemed utterly out of place amid the half-exposed red brick walls and the hard cement floor. Sitting beside him was Mo Xing, a local boy born and raised in this small town, clumsily operating his character. It was the summer holiday, and the chubby boy had come with his parents from the city to visit relatives in the countryside, bringing his gaming laptop along to play with Mo Xing.

“Uh, yeah,” Mo Xing replied shyly and pointed at the fan, “Should I turn it up?”

“Hey, don’t get distracted!”

Before Mo Xing could react, their character was defeated on the screen.

“Ah, we lost again!” The chubby boy wiped sweat from his forehead, complaining, “Damn, stuck on this level again! That’s the third time today. Can you focus a bit more?”

“Sorry, sorry, that was my bad.” Mo Xing lowered his head apologetically. “Let’s play another round, Yi.”

“It’s fine, I could’ve played better too. Don’t worry about it.” Yi realized his tone was a bit harsh and quickly apologized, “Let’s take a break and get some fresh air. Maybe grab some ice cream?”

“Alright,” Mo Xing brightened, relieved that his friend wasn’t upset.

A bit later, next to the small grocery store.

“Hey, boss, why’s your ice cream so expensive?” Yi questioned the shopkeeper, “Same brand costs three yuan in the city, how come it’s five here?”

“My young friend, you don’t know the market. Inspections are strict these days; many subpar factories have closed down,” the shopkeeper replied, grinning widely and squinting with a smile. “Our shop’s location isn’t great, business is hard to come by. Since you’re back from the city, you should know that scarcity drives up the price.”

“You’re just ripping off your customers! I’m going to report you!” Yi frowned, his anger rising.

“Forget it, let it go.” Mo Xing stepped between them, speaking in the local dialect, “I’ll take these two ice creams.” As he spoke, he quickly handed over several one-yuan notes and a few fifty-cent coins he’d prepared while they’d been arguing.

“Nice, it’s real money,” the shopkeeper confirmed, adjusting his glasses and inspecting the notes from various angles before grinning broadly. “Generous lad.”

The boys walked along the riverbank.

“Why’d you pay up? He’s obviously cheating us,” Yi grumbled between bites of ice cream.

“There’s only one place in town to get ice cream,” Mo Xing replied with a wry smile. “It’s scorching out. What else can you do?”

“If someone tried this in the city, their complaint box would be overflowing,” Yi said, pausing to pull a delicate bracelet from his pocket. It was adorned with a golden dragon motif and set with a sparkling blue-white gemstone.

“What’s that?” Mo Xing squinted as the bracelet caught the light.

“Nothing much. It came as a freebie with the laptop. The salesman claimed it offered all kinds of protection—warranty, insurance, even good luck. There were two; I’ll give you one as a gift.”

“Thanks.” Mo Xing took a look at the bracelet and slipped it onto his wrist.

“No need to thank me. We’re frie—” Before Yi could finish, thunder rumbled overhead, and the sky darkened with storm clouds.

“A heavy rain’s coming! You boys, get away from the riverbank!” a villager shouted from afar.

“Come on, let’s find shelter!” Yi’s voice was drowned out by another peal of thunder as rain began pouring down.

“Over there.” Mo Xing pointed at an abandoned grass hut not far ahead.

“No, that ground’s unstable and there’s little vegetation! A downpour could wash it away easily!” Yi’s warning was swallowed by the roaring thunder.

As the rain intensified and the river began to rise, Mo Xing shouted, “Just climb up first! The water’s coming!”

“You go first!” Yi yelled.

“No, you go!” Mo Xing insisted.

Thunder crashed again, their voices snuffed out by the storm. Realizing their argument was pointless, Mo Xing scrambled up the embankment, then reached down, “Give me your hand!”

Yi grabbed on and, with Mo Xing’s help, clambered up as well.

Beside the hut, wringing rainwater from his clothes, Yi exclaimed, “This weather is insane! Where did this storm even come from?”

“I’ve lived here all my life and never seen weather this strange,” Mo Xing replied, frowning.

“This ground’s too unstable. We shouldn’t stay long,” Yi said, scanning their surroundings.

“Listen… there’s a sound…” Mo Xing’s brow furrowed even more.

Thunder boomed. In that instant, the earth beneath Yi gave way and he nearly tumbled into the river.

“Careful!” Mo Xing grabbed his hand, but Yi’s weight pulled them both into the swollen river.

No matter how skilled a sailor, there’s no wrestling with a storm like this—let alone two children. The torrent overwhelmed them in an instant. The river swallowed them whole, snuffing out all resistance.

Mo Xing groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Rain was still pouring from the sky. His clothes were soaked through, and he lay sprawled in the mud. Clutching his aching head, he staggered upright and looked around. This wasn’t the village he knew. He couldn’t remember what had happened after falling into the river—just the surging flood sweeping him away, his mouth filling with water, and everything fading to black.

“Yi! Where are you?” Mo Xing shouted into the storm, but only the sound of rain and rustling leaves replied.

No matter how many times he called, there was no answer—only sneezes wracked his body. Realizing it was pointless to keep yelling in the rain, Mo Xing decided to find shelter first and hoped Yi had managed to reach safety.

Thunder crashed again, as if the heavens themselves were mocking his wretched state.

Footsteps rustled in a distant thicket. Mo Xing turned and saw a plump figure slowly emerging through the rain.

“Yi!” Mo Xing cried out and rushed over, but instantly stopped. It wasn’t Yi. Standing in the bushes was a blue-skinned monster with large eyes, white hair, horns, and drooling jaws.

Mo Xing had grown up hearing tales of demons and monsters. He’d always been timid, but the sight of this creature paralyzed him with terror. He turned and ran, slipping almost immediately on the slick ground.

The blue monster ambled over, chuckling wickedly as if its prey was already caught. Mo Xing tried to get up, but his leg was numb and would not obey.

Suddenly, the monster lunged. Its sharp claws slashed through the rain. Mo Xing rolled desperately across the ground, but still felt his shoulder torn open, pain shooting through his nerves.

The monster looked satisfied and drew another swipe, scattering fresh blood across the rain-soaked earth as Mo Xing howled in agony. Thunder flashed, illuminating the monster’s bared white fangs as it lunged for his throat.

At that desperate moment, a gust of wind swept past. The monster froze in midair, then collapsed to the side, locking eyes with Mo Xing, bloodshot and foaming at the mouth. It didn’t move again.

Footsteps approached from behind. Mo Xing lifted his head with difficulty to see an old man in a raincoat. The man kicked the blue monster aside, then crouched to examine Mo Xing.

“Who… are you?” Mo Xing stammered. Cold rain and his wounds had nearly sapped his strength; even speaking was a struggle.

“Just call me Mr. Shen.”

The old man’s voice was surprisingly youthful, startling Mo Xing. Without warning, Mr. Shen popped a small capsule into Mo Xing’s mouth. Pain shot through his head, and the world blurred.

“Rest now,” Mr. Shen said with a smile.

Mo Xing slipped into unconsciousness once more.