The road east of Ma Lan's village wound through rolling hills and dense thickets, where wildflowers bloomed in bursts of purple and yellow. Lin Che led the way, guiding their small cart—loaded with supplies, Xiao Ya's potted fern, and a few tools Mo Ying had insisted on bringing—while Su Qing walked beside him, her Arcane Manual open to a map of nearby villages.
Xiao Ya rode in the cart, her legs swinging, as she chattered to the birds that flitted above. "The sparrow says there's a village ahead—Willow Village, it's called," she said, leaning over the cart's edge. "It has a big willow tree in the square. The plants there are sad, though. They say people are sick."
Lin Che slowed the cart, exchanging a look with Su Qing. Sick villagers. It could be something simple— a fever, a cough— but after the shadow in the mine, he didn't want to take chances.
"Let's check it out," Su Qing said. "If they're sick, we can help. I have herbs in my bag—my grandmother's notes have healing spells, too."
Mo Ying nodded, adjusting the wrench at her belt. "I'll fix their carts or tools while you heal. Fair trade."
They reached Willow Village by mid-afternoon. As Xiao Ya had said, a massive willow tree stood in the square, its branches drooping like sad curtains over the empty benches. The village was quiet—too quiet. Doors were closed, windows shuttered, and the only sound was the distant cough of a child.
Lin Che knocked on the first door he saw—a small wooden house with a faded sign that read "Healer." A moment later, an old woman with gray hair and tired eyes opened the door. Her face paled when she saw them.
"Are you travelers?" she asked, her voice weak. "You should leave. Everyone here is sick—fever, coughs, weakness. We don't know what's causing it. The healer… she died three days ago."
Su Qing stepped forward, her hands raised in a gesture of peace. "We can help," she said. "I know healing magic. We have herbs. Let us try."
The old woman hesitated, then stepped aside. "Come in. My granddaughter is sick—burning up. I don't know what to do."
Inside, the house was dim. A small girl lay on a cot, her cheeks flushed, her breathing shallow. Su Qing knelt beside her, placing her hand on the girl's forehead. She closed her eyes, whispering a soft Arcane spell, and her hands glowed green. The girl's breathing slowed, her flush fading slightly.
"Her fever's going down," Su Qing said, smiling. She pulled a pouch of herbs from her bag, handing it to the old woman. "Boil these in water—give her a spoonful every hour. It'll help with the cough."
The old woman thanked her, tears in her eyes. "The other villagers—can you help them too?"
Lin Che nodded. "We will. Mo Ying, can you go around and fix their tools or carts? Xiao Ya and I will help Su Qing with the sick."
They split up. Mo Ying grabbed her tools and went to the blacksmith's shop, where a broken plow lay abandoned. Xiao Ya walked with Lin Che and Su Qing, her hands glowing green as she talked to the plants in each house.
"The plants say the sickness is from the well," she said, stopping outside a house where a man lay coughing. "The water's bad—has dark energy in it. Like the mine ore, but weaker."
Su Qing's eyes widened. "Dark ore? Maybe the well's water runs through a vein of it. That would explain the sickness—it's poisoning them."
Lin Che nodded. "We need to find the well, seal the vein. Then we can purify the water."
They found the well in the center of the square, beside the willow tree. The water was murky, with a faint black tinge—exactly like the dark ore in the mine. Su Qing knelt beside it, dipping her hand in the water. Her hand glowed green, then faded to gray.
"It's definitely dark ore," she said. "The energy is weak, but it's toxic. We need to find where the vein is—probably under the well—and seal it with an Arcane barrier."
Mo Ying joined them, wiping her hands on her apron. "I talked to the blacksmith. He said the well was dug last month—they hit a vein of black rock, but they thought it was just dirt. They kept digging."
Lin Che nodded. "That's the ore. We need to dig around the well, find the vein, and seal it."
The villagers helped—those who were well enough grabbed shovels, while the sick watched from their doorways. They dug around the well, their shovels hitting something hard after an hour. It was the dark ore— a thick vein, black and shiny, running under the well.
Su Qing stood over the vein, her hands glowing bright green. She chanted a long Arcane spell, her voice steady, and a barrier of light formed over the ore—sealing it, trapping the dark energy inside. Then, she dipped her hands in the well, chanting again, and the water cleared—turning crystal blue.
"Drink it," she said to the old woman, who was standing nearby. "It's purified now."
The old woman dipped a cup in the well, drinking slowly. A smile spread across her face. "It's sweet," she said. "My throat doesn't hurt anymore."
The villagers cheered. Those who were sick drank the water, and within hours, their fevers faded, their coughs stopped. The village square came alive again—children ran around the willow tree, women hung laundry on lines, and the blacksmith banged his hammer in his shop.
That night, the villagers held a feast for them—roasted chicken, baked potatoes, and a pie made from wild berries. They sat under the willow tree, laughing and talking, as the moon rose over the village.
The old woman, whose name was Granny Mei, handed Lin Che a small pouch of coins. "For your help," she said. "It's not much, but it's all we have."
Lin Che shook his head, pushing the pouch back. "We don't need money. Just knowing you're safe is enough."
Granny Mei smiled, tears in her eyes. "You're good people. The road ahead—there's a village called Pine Hollow, two days from here. They have a problem with their mill—broken gears, no one to fix it. You could help them, too."
Mo Ying grinned. "Broken mill? My specialty."
The next morning, they said goodbye to the villagers. Granny Mei gave them a basket of bread and dried meat, and the children gave Xiao Ya a handful of wildflowers.
They walked east, toward Pine Hollow, the cart rolling over the dirt road. Xiao Ya held the flowers in her hand, talking to them, while Mo Ying hummed a song under her breath.
Lin Che looked at Su Qing, who was smiling as she flipped through her Arcane Manual. This was their new journey—helping villages, fixing what was broken, healing what was sick. It wasn't easy, but it was good.
The Star Marrow on his wrist glowed faintly, a silent reminder of why they were doing this. To protect the weak, to fight darkness, to make the world a better place.
And as they walked into the sunrise, Lin Che knew—this was just the beginning.