The Crown Prince takes out a bundle of cylinders.
"Ling Yue, choose one. Each cylinder has a map of an ancient ruin. Let's leave it to your luck and see which one you choose. All these are within your level."
"Do I get a hint on which to choose? And why haven't you explored them yourself?"
"Do you think I have time for these trivial matters? I do when I'm bored and need to find a present."
I scratch my chin, noting that all their auras are on the same level.
"Eenie, meenie, miney, moe."
I randomly point to one that's colored blue.
The Crown Prince gives a knowing smirk.
"Interesting."
He hands the cylinder over to Long Fei with a knowing look.
"It's probably better that you keep this."
My master opens the cylinder and briefly glimpses at the map.
"Interesting indeed."
"What? What's so interesting?"
They both give each other a knowing nod, and Long Fei turns on his heels and leaves the chamber, giving me no choice but to follow him.
"Master, what's so interesting? What did I choose? Where are we going?"
"This place will improve your strategy and elemental power."
"Are we gonna play hide and seek here too?"
"No, this time I will join you. This map shouldn't have been in the bundle."
"Can I see it?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because it's one-of-a-kind. There are no other copies of this. Plus, you don't know how to read maps."
"Why does His Highness have so many maps of unexplored ruins? Isn't he curious?"
"You need to improve your observation skills. His chamber's filled with enough artifacts already."
He pauses, then looks at me thoughtfully.
"I wonder why you chose this cylinder."
I shrug nonchalantly. I don't know why. I just felt drawn to it.
Long Fei points to the sky.
"You want me to lead?"
"Yes. Let's see if you can sense where this ancient ruin is just by your gut feeling. Follow your nose."
I sniff the cylinder, the scent oddly familiar. Challenge accepted. I levitate, dashing through the clouds. Following my nose, I feel drawn to the right, plowing through as other immortals avoid me.
"Move it or lose it!"
I fly to the edge of the Celestial Realm, where a lone mountain stands. I land in front of a humble abode. It looks immaculate. It can't be an ancient ruin.
"Did I get us lost?"
"No, you've come to the right place. I'll open the door for you."
I eye him suspiciously. He's acting odd even by his standards. He raises a hand and channels his chi into the rune at the entrance. It lights up and the door opens, he casually enters the place. This must be a trap. This has to be a trap. I cautiously stick my head through the entrance, looking around. He didn't even flinch. I follow him as he makes himself tea and sits down, looking relaxed.
"Is this some kind of trick? Where's the doom and gloom ancient ruin where things are trying to kill me?"
"This is my home."
I run my palm down my face. You've got to be kidding me.
"Aren't we supposed to go on a treasure hunt? Like you said, we are, so that I can evolve. Hello?"
"I did say I'll join you, and I have. Now I'm enjoying my home-brew tea. Could you stand over there, slightly to your left?"
I shift to the left, following his instructions, and turn back to him, folding my arms.
"You can go find the artifact on your own."
He twists a teacup and a trapdoor opens underneath me.
I slide down a slippery slide, my little arms and legs flailing. If I wasn't so surprised, this would have been fun.
At the end, it curves upward, and my body follows the trajectory, flying up. As I look down, there's a bunch of spikes. I freeze and float. I don't want to end up like skewered sashimi.
I knew it was a trap. Nothing is ever simple with him. I survey my surroundings, and a light touches me. Then I hear numerous darts flying towards me, so I twist and spin, trying to avoid them. Okay, I prefer the hide-and-seek.
I take a deep breath. If this is what my master set up in his own home, it will be excruciating if I don't think ahead. It's probably better to strategize than to rush in when it comes to him. I close my eyes, using my senses to see the elemental energy of potential traps.
There are parts of the walls that are giving off some elemental energy. Those are probably triggers for traps. Let's test it out. I spit at one area that has an orb. Surely enough, a spike shoots out. He doesn't hold back. Since sharp things are sticking out everywhere, floating with eyes closed is not an option.
"If I were an artifact, where would I hide?"
I scan around, searching for any possible clue where it's hidden. Or maybe I should just set off all the traps and see what happens. It's probably not wise if it's pointing directly at me; exhibit that sharp spike. Spit. Needles fly out. Spit. A green gas releases. Uh-oh. That ain't good. I quickly look around. There's no ventilation. There's no hole. That was a bad idea. It's slowly spreading. I have to block it somehow. What do I do?
I shoot water tendrils at it to wash it away. To my surprise, the gas clings to the water molecules. Since it's clingy, I shoot more water tendrils at it, more for it to cling on. Then I blow an air bubble to surround it and keep it at bay.
That probably won't hold long, so I better find the artifact quickly. My eyes dart around. I close my eyes again, trying to focus. Come on, artifact. Call out to me. There's the green gas wrapped in blue and white orbs. That's where the gas is contained. There are little orbs here and there. Those are probably triggers. There's a golden one, subtly pulsing, nestled in a crag. Aha! Found you.
I mentally note all the possible triggers in this terrifying cavern. I open my eyes and float, giving the triggers a great girth, and make my way to that golden orb, hidden at the far end, behind the gas. There's a suspicious rune that looks very similar to the front door's. I recall my master channeling his chi in it. Since he's the Dragon of Air, I channel some air magic into it. The rune lights up, and a door opens up.
Yes! Success! I strut in, chest puffed, beaming. As usual, Long Fei is standing in the middle of the room, waiting beside a glowing artifact.
"Well done. Many thieves have perished in that cavern."
He points his hand, gesturing for me to take the artifact.
"This is my gift to you."
Really? That's the second-best gift he's given me. The first best gift was life. I will cherish this. As I touch it, the glow transfers to me. Heat prickles my body as a brilliant light engulfs me. My body starts to expand and I'm back in my whale form crashing down on the ground.
"Does this mean we're going back to the Ocean Realm?"
I try to move my body, fins, and tail, but they scrape against the floor. I'm certainly larger than before, probably double the size. But the thing is, I'm not in water. I can't move.
"A little help here."