At the foot of the mountain, in a quiet, humble village...
The houses were tiled with mossy green, walls made of clay. One corner of a slanted rooftop still let in water.
Drip. Drip...
One drop after another, water splashed onto the packed earth, forming a growing puddle.
Yet no one paid any attention to it.
"Elder, please don't rush. Take your time,"
Seated on a wooden chair, Yan Gaoyuan looked toward the elderly man whose white hair had grown even whiter, but whose back still remained straight.
"Sigh..."
Letting out a heavy breath, the village chief wiped the corners of his eyes and spoke bitterly, "My two poor granddaughters... They were attacked by a mutated green viper on their way home late at night. One died from the venom—she was just buried before you arrived. The other... has yet to awaken."
As he spoke, the village chief's voice broke, and grief overtook him.
"This..."
Yan Gaoyuan opened his mouth but couldn't find any words.
Fighting mutant beasts? That, he could do without blinking.
But comforting a grieving elder who lost his kin? That was much harder.
Fortunately, the squad captain—who had entered the house with Yan Gaoyuan—was more experienced.
He stood up, walked over to the old man, patted his shoulder, and said gently, "I'm sorry for your loss, Elder."
Then, remembering something, he added, "Was that beast killed? If not, we'll take it down tonight and offer its blood as a tribute for your granddaughter."
"It was killed. It's dead..."
The elder nodded firmly, and the wrinkles on his face twisted into a faint smile. "The villagers beat that snake to death with sticks."
Then, as if recalling something urgent, he quickly added, "But after consuming the snake's gallbladder, my other granddaughter hasn't woken up."
"Gallbladder?" Yan Gaoyuan frowned slightly.
"There's an old saying in the mountains," explained the bearded squad captain with a sideways glance. "'If bitten by a venomous snake, consuming its gallbladder can neutralize the poison.'"
But the twitch in the corner of his mouth betrayed his thoughts.
Whoever came up with that idea probably had rocks for brains.
A snake can be killed by its own venom—how could its gallbladder possibly be a cure?
If it were that simple, people would just kill snakes for antidotes every time they got bitten. Snakes would've gone extinct by now.
Sensing the captain's silent skepticism, the elder choked on his words. "We knew it was just an old wives' tale, but at the time... my granddaughter was barely breathing. Her whole body was turning blue..."
He couldn't continue. Grief struck again, and tears spilled freely.
The captain and Yan Gaoyuan exchanged a silent sigh.
In that moment of desperation, anyone would've clutched at straws.
It was only human—and completely understandable.
"Elder... would you allow me to take a look at her?" Yan Gaoyuan asked cautiously, eyes filled with sincerity as he gazed at the weeping old man.
"This..."
The village chief glanced at Yan Gaoyuan's youthful face with some hesitation.
"Don't worry, Elder," the bearded captain said, giving Yan a playful nudge. "This guy's no ordinary young man. He's my commanding officer. If I weren't older than him, I'd be saluting him every time we met."
"Uh..."
The elder's face twitched slightly, deep wrinkles folding together.
After a moment, he gave Yan Gaoyuan a long look, as if sensing an aura of righteousness from him. Then, picking up his long pipe, he sighed and said, "You've already been so kind to stay the night here... Now I'm troubling you further."
He turned and led them toward the inner room.
...
The room was small, barely twenty square meters.
One table, one chair, and a large bed.
On the bed lay a young girl.
Seventeen or eighteen, by the looks of it.
Clean features, not stunning at first glance—but the longer one looked, the more pleasant she became. The kind of beauty that lingers in memory.
But now, her pale face was twisted in pain, as if enduring some invisible torment.
"This is my poor granddaughter. She's been unconscious for three days."
The elder turned to the two officers behind him, desperation plain in his voice. "If you can do anything, anything at all... I'd give my life without a second thought."
"Don't say that, please..."
The captain quickly stepped in, gently pulling the elder aside.
He knew—at this moment, only Yan Gaoyuan had any chance of helping.
Especially since he had already noticed something when they entered the room...
Yan Gaoyuan was visibly shaken.
...
And indeed, Yan Gaoyuan was stunned—his heart pounding as he stared at the girl.
"Awakening. She's actually awakening..."
He whispered, voice slightly unsteady for the first time.
As an Awakened himself, Yan was no stranger to the signs of awakening.
It was like a painful metamorphosis—a spiritual resonance, the body being reshaped by surging spiritual energy.
The process varied from person to person.
Some awoke in their sleep. Others suffered for days, tortured by the process.
This girl... she was right in the middle of that painful transformation.
Her body was being surrounded by vibrant spiritual energy—shimmering, colorful, as if trying to force its way inside.
At the same time, Yan Gaoyuan could feel an intense heat radiating toward him.
"Fire elemental affinity...?"
He murmured.
Elemental gifts—rare, powerful awakenings.
Among them, fire was one of the most volatile, and one of the most destructive.
Across the country, those who had awakened elemental powers could be counted on one hand.
Even he had only awakened a body-strengthening ability.
No doubt about it—this girl was a rare treasure.
Whether she woke up or not wasn't something he needed to concern himself with anymore.
If the researchers at the Academy of Paranormal Sciences caught wind of this, they would stop at nothing to bring her back.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]