The beast roared in pain. It raised its wings in pain, and the Dragon cried a shriek in pain. As soon as Ye
leaped off, it flew out of the tiny village and out of sight beyond the Great Wall, leaving behind havoc and
destruction.
At first, Ye believed he had bested the dragon, the first to be successful after duking the dragon in a duel of
honour and pride. He cheered, and roared a battle cry that echoed inside the village, alleviating the grim carnage
and devastation that surrounded him. Corpses that had died fighting for what many thought to be a lost cause
were basking in glory.
This glory however, was short-lived.
The dragon on the spur of moment from the distance plunged towards Ye, snapping its jaws, mutilating and
butchering Ye’s scarred body. The dragon had consumed Ye whole, crushing his body to a mere pile of blood
and gore. After its feast on human flesh, it lifted itself and glided into the forest, leaving behind rubble and
carnage. Nothing of the village was left after the dragon’s descent. He was the last villager, dead.
***
Now, the legend does not conclude there, with the evil triumphing over the innocent and righteous. We must
not forget Ye’s successor, Mai Long. Mai Long along with his mother had fled to another village where a
brother of Ye resided. There they sought refuge at Mai Long’s uncle’s home.
Mai Long’s uncle Han Shun was a powerful man, a man with a rare kind of knowledge in Ancient China at
the time. The man alone had designed the Great Wall, in order to withstand the burning infernos of the Dragon.
Many commended his efforts to contain the dragon without spilling any blood. He was a wise man, calm-
minded, rational and a mentor to many.
Han Shun lived inside a great wall. When designing the Great Wall, he built an impenetrable chamber
within the walls where he would reside, away from the outside world. He had no greed or lust for materialistic
items that the world was lost in. Here, he spent his life, in his workshop, devising devious plans to slay the
dragon.
Han Shun took Mai Long as a stepson, promising Ye’s wife that he would raise him to be an intellectual,
and guide Ye to become a man similar to his father; Loyal and always faithful to those he loved. Knowing her
husband had failed to slay the dragon, she could no longer deny that he had passed away. Ye’s wife committed
suicide, ending all of her distress.
Even though Mai Long’s family’s death was a tragedy, all clouds have a silver lining. Despite the fact that
Mai Long grew up without feeling the touch or the love of his parents, he had a loving uncle who had devoted
all of his life in order to make up for Mai Long’s loss of parents. From infancy to 15 years old, Han Shun made
sure to teach Mai Long martial arts, so that he could fight the dragon one day. Mai Long grew up to be a strong,
young boy, who had gained the love for martial arts, and had a protective personality.
When he reached his 15th birthday, his uncle, Han Shun sat him down, and decided to reveal the death of
his parents to him. For 15 years, he never told Mai Long about his parents’ death. Around a round table, he told
Mai Long what had happened, the tale of Ye’s epic battle with the invincible dragon.
As soon as Han Shun was finished with the retelling of the tale, than Mai Long leaked a tear of rage. A
burning sensation coursed through his entire body, like the flames of the dragon. He slammed his hand on the
table, and shouted,
“
Uncle, I must kill that dragon! That beast will be slayed by me!”
Han Shun simply replied,
“
Before that Mai Long, watch this teacup.”
Then, he took a kettle of tea, and poured it into the cup. He continued to pour the tea into the cup, until it
was overflowing with steaming hot liquid.
“
Uncle, what are you doing?”
Then, Han Shun stopped pouring the opaque liquid into the cup. He then said,
“
Mai Long, your head is like this cup. Because of the overflowing tea you cannot find what is inside, or
what you are looking for. However, empty your head,”
Han Shun said, as he drank the tea inside the small cup.
“
And you can then see, and clearly find your goal, or what waits you.” At the bottom of the cup, was a
silver key, which had a skull emblazoned onto the blades.
Mai Long picked up the key from inside the cup, and inquisitively asked,
“
I swear that was not there… But what does it open?”
Han Shun then replied. “In the basement I have a room. That room has been locked for decades for a good
reason. That is an alternate gateway to the underworld. There is a certain blade in the underworld you must