The room was frozen for a few moments. The silence was only broken by the sound of Long Ju's ragged breath.
"That seems plausible," Zhang Ye said with a sense of relief. The old woman was looking at Long Ju with concern.
"It's impossible for her to lie in this condition. What she told us is all she remembers. We can check the rest later, she can be cured now." Meng Hu said. All his doubts disappeared in a split second.
"She needs treatment as soon as possible. We can't waste any time. She's still a part of the Rose Company, on a mission for the Martial Alliance." He ordered the old woman to start working.
"Now that we have confirmed she isn't a threat, we can take her to Divine Serpent's Temple, together with the other two. The preparations should almost be complete," said the shaman.
The doctor and the old woman quickly administered some weird potions. Long Ju's heartbeat slowed down and her breathing stabilised. The Great Shaman and Hu Meng watched while the village chief called the soldiers in. They carefully wrapped a special blanket around her and carried her unconscious body outside like a bag of potatoes. Two other groups were moving outside of the Medicine Hall, carrying the bodies of Fu Daiyu and Hu Yan in a similar way. Hu Meng and Ji He were about to say something but then decided against it. The most important thing right now was to provide treatment for the three of them. They trembled slightly in fear and anticipation. There was only one way that proved effective against the Falcon Tears. They hurried towards the Temple.
Long Ju woke up in a vast room. The floor was finely decorated with images of snakes and flowers that climbed all over the walls and the long columns all around. When she looked up, she saw nothing but a deep shade of blue. It took her a moment to realise it wasn't painted on, but there actually wasn't a ceiling. The furthest wall opened up on the wild forest below, and the pillars extended far above, as if they were supporting the immense sky.
As Long, Ju's eyes started to adjust to the light, she saw that she was on an altar. She moved her head, and her vision immediately focused on one of the other shamans. He was talking to the village chief. They had just finished wrapping up two of Long Ju's friends, Fu Daiyu and Hu Yan, and were preparing to take them on two other altars. Unlike her, they weren't conscious, they looked barely alive. Looking at their pale and feeble faces, she felt a sense of guilt clawing at her heart. Of course, she couldn't have known anything about the Falcon Tears at the time, but she felt at fault nonetheless.
Ji He, the Great Shaman, was in the middle of the enormous circular room, chanting something in a language she couldn't recognise. Rather than human sounds, they were closer to the hisses of a snake. It sent a chill along her spine.
When she felt the Aura inside her stir because of her anxiety, she noticed she wasn't wearing the metal bracelets anymore. She sighed, relieved. Now that she had her layer of protection again, she didn't feel the effects of the drug anymore. Long Ju did her best to calm down and retract her Aura, bottling up her emotions and memories of the interrogation. That feeling of vulnerability, insanity, and helplessness... It was horrible, more than anything she'd ever experienced.
She looked curiously around her, trying to understand what was happening. It looked like some kind of ritual. Doctor Peng mentioned they could be cured at the Temple. She wondered how.
She could see all the big shots on the other side moving nervously, waiting for something. Long Ju was starting to become more nervous as well. The only people near her were shamans and normal soldiers. They didn't look like they were guarding something or prepared for battle, but more like they were used as props to mark certain positions on the ground.
"What's happening?" She asked a young soldier who was closest to the altar.
A young soldier in the front rank answered her, his voice shaking with fear.
"You're in the Temple," the soldier replied bluntly, without even looking up.
"And what goes on here in the Temple?" Long Ju asked again with a confused look.
The soldier's eyes focused on Long Ju, and immediately his face showed a look of surprise. He didn't look like he expected her to wake up. He gulped loudly.
"Young Lady, please remain calm and wait. The Great Shaman has begun the ritual," he said with a worried look on his face. His eyes kept darting to the open ceiling.
One of the shamans, a young girl who looked even younger than Long Ju, appeared before her. She had a shy, sweet smile on her face, and long sleeves covering most of her hands. Long Ju gave her a slight nod and greeted the newcomer.
The girl stood before Long Ju and bowed in reverence. "I am the priestess Zui Wen, a disciple of the elder Ji He. The elders asked me to keep watch over you and to explain things."
As Long Ju waited, one of the shamans, a young girl who looked even younger than Long Ju, appeared before her. She had a shy, sweet smile on her face, and long sleeves covering most of her hands. Long Ju gave her a small nod and greeted the newcomer.
The girl stood before Long Ju and bowed in reverence. "I am the priestess Zui Wen, a disciple of the elder Ji He. The elders asked me to keep watch over you."
"What are you people doing? Is this going to cure me?" she asked her hesitantly. Zui Wen scratched her head and sighed.
"I see. They didn't explain anything to you. Alright, listen to me: there is no antidote or ritual at the moment capable of purging completely the Falcon Tears in your system. The only way is to let the Aura mend itself, but that, as you know, is a problem in and of itself. So, we must resort to pure power, capable of overwhelming the drug and restoring your Aura instantly, thus avoiding the side effects."
She smiled brightly, like a proud student who studied her subject diligently and was happy to show off her knowledge.
"I see, you're converging everyone's Aura to form a massive cluster that will help us purify and restore our own." Long Ju nodded understandingly, but the young priestess tilted her head and looked at her puzzled.
"No, that would simply expose all of us to contamination and would be useless, since even sacrificing every living being in the village wouldn't be enough for such a task. There's only one Aura user powerful enough to withstand the aftermath. We're asking for its help."
The chanting kept growing louder while Long Ju tried to assimilate her words. The air in the temple was beginning to vibrate, hissing and whistling sounds all around, coiling around the columns, bouncing in the circular hall and reverberating in a chilling cacophony.
"I don't understand. What are you talking about? Who are you calling?"
Before anyone could open their mouths, a deafening screech interrupted them. The ground itself was shaking, a powerful gust of wind grizzled through them, threatening to jolt them off their feet.
"H-he comes!" the soldier stuttered. "The Serpent God himself!"
Long Ju felt more confused and terrified by this answer. The soldiers seemed almost paralysed. Even if she couldn't sense hostility around her, the soldiers themselves were rooted to the ground. They seemed to be caught between absolute horror and joy beyond comprehension.
Long Ju felt a change in her surroundings, the wind changed its direction, and Long Ju felt like something heavy was drawing her somewhere.
And then she saw it. The massive head of a snake slowly rising above. Although calling it a snake seemed reductive, almost insulting. It was a magnificent beast, its white scales glistening under the sun. Red eyes, firm, intelligent, red as a scorching ember, scanning the puny humans in front of it. It was amused. It was difficult to discern any emotion from his reptile features, but somehow they understood perfectly, it was like feeling the direction of the currents when submerged in the sea. The Divine Serpent's Aura encompassed all, making them feel like they were at his mercy. And they actually were helpless. The sheer size alone was enough to instil a primal fear in them.
The Great Shaman kneeled before the Serpent.
Long Ju was completely fascinated by the sight. She watched the Great Shaman kneel before the serpent and watched all the other shamans, and soldiers, kneel in a sign of respect. She couldn't help but feel amazed. Her curiosity and fascination, somehow overpowering her fear.
She suddenly felt a strange sensation inside her. It was like something had woken up and was now stretching after being trapped. Long Ju felt her Aura stirring and changing as she became one with the surrounding energy. She wasn't in control, but this wasn't as terrifying as when the Falcon Tears first ravaged her body. She could see the Serpent and feel its presence, but she could also discern that he was not as hostile towards her as she had feared.
Ji He kept his head bowed, but it was obvious some kind of conversation was happening. The Serpent was focusing on him, and from time to time it opened its jaw or darted its tongue. For such a massive body, it was surprisingly silent, but its Aura was enough to convey everything. Long Ju felt the familiar, uncomfortable sensation of witnessing a silent conversation. When her grandfather and her father were discussing important matters, they used to do the same, using soundless transmission.
After a few minutes, a force grabbed her gently. She saw Hu Yan and Fu Daiyu's bodies float in the air, towards the Serpent's jaws.
Long Ju opened her mouth in horror. She didn't know what to say, or do. She was paralysed. All the soldiers and shamans were holding their breath. The Serpent was focused on the bodies, his tongue darting around, his eyes moving over every inch of their shapes.
Long Ju watched the bodies of her friends with a sense of unease. She could only hope the Serpent knew what he was doing.
The Serpent tilted its head, inspecting the unconscious bodies. Then its tongue flickered at them, lapping both of them. The two bodies seemed to be drained of something. Fu Daiyu and Hu Yan's hair turned a sickly pale white.
The Serpent slowly opened its jaws to receive the two unconscious bodies. The soldiers and the young priestess Zui Wen looked in horror at the sight, but they knew they couldn't interfere.
The Serpent held the two bodies in his mouth with precision and care, like a father carrying two sleeping offspring. He turned his face towards Long Ju, his enormous red eyes seemed to focus on her, for a moment it felt like they were looking into her soul. Then, she was pulled in its mouth too.
It was strange. Dark and moist, the behemoth's mouth was as big as a normal room, but instead of walls and furniture, all she could barely see were sharp teeth and fangs.
She was weirdly relaxed. Her Aura was lulled into a state of calm and serenity. She clearly sensed the Falcon Tears pulling apart from her like a moth attracted to a flame. A purple miasma floated from all three and was seamlessly swallowed by the black hole that was the throat of the giant snake.
She didn't even begin to suffer from the mutilation in her Aura, as she was immediately filled to the brim with new and pure power from the Serpent, like molten gold between the cracks of a broken teapot. She was beyond mended, she felt strengthened and reinvigorated.
As quickly as they were 'eaten' they were spat out. On the floor of the temple, covered in saliva, she was incredulous.
The whole process couldn't have lasted more than ten minutes, and the simplicity of it was astonishing. It made the events of the day, the terrifying effects of the devilish drug, look like a lie. The deadly poison, a powerful and intangible addictive substance, for humans, was nothing but a mild inconvenience for the Divine Serpent.
The Great Shaman and his disciples were the first to show signs of emotion. They sighed with sheer relief. Long Ju looked at Fu Daiyu and Hu Yan. Both were unconscious yet breathing strongly. Their Aura had already been restored to the point of being at least twice as stronger than before the drug incident happened. Long Ju quickly got to her feet and turned to face the Giant Serpent.
It was still there. Its red eyes and fangs were no longer focused on Long Ju. Now it was looking at Long Ju's friends. The Serpent had an expression almost identical to the one of a guardian protecting its charges. Or that of a child looking at his favourite new toys.
Long Ju cupped her hands and lowered her head.
"Esteemed Divine Serpent, you have my sincerest thanks for your help. I'm in your debt."
The Serpent smiled. It was difficult to interpret the stretched line of its mouth, but the Aura had an unmistakable fuzzy warmth.
[Do not thank me, child. Saving your lives is not an act of kindness. It's a fair exchange. Sooner or later, all debts are repaid. And what I have an abundance of, is time. I'll be waiting, eagerly]
The rumbling voice of the being echoed directly in her head.
Like an illusion, the sun shined again on them. No trace of the enormous snake could be found, as if it was, but a cloud of smoke dispersed by the howling wind.