The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

Ming was now on the site where the said havoc took place. The city guards placed a huge log barricading the road and more guards to keep nosy onlookers from coming. The whole hectare of land was full of grayish-blue miasma.

All of them had a yellow slimy substance covering their mouths and noses filtering the air coming into their nostrils and kept them from inhaling the poisonous gas but would still allow them to breathe normally.

The alarming thing was this deathly air pervaded not only the farmland but also a larger area beyond its perimeter. They saw dead birds, sheep, dogs, rodents, and other animals loitered not only in this land but also in neighboring farms and villages. Half of the animal's bodies melted into black stuff as the carcasses lay on the ground as if they tried to run away but only to reach the outer zone of the miasma and died.

The human dwellers feared for their lives and vacated the villages but some did not make it. Those who survived stayed in nearby towns and some went to the city to ask for help.

No one could see anything inside the farmland so no one knew what had occurred from the day the snake came out. City guards on flying beasts, which wore the same slime masks, flew above the miasma to check the whole perimeter. Ming also rode his own brown-dotted flying stallion.

The horse had to fly two hundred yards up the sky before it was sure they were safe. Later, they reached the center of the land and vaguely saw a snake with a body as thick as a tree trunk with two heads coiling on a black mist. One head sensed them and hissed with his tongue out, and without warning, it spat out a thick blue liquid.

"Whoa! Careful!" Ming shouted while his horse evaded but the guard behind him was unfortunate. The guard's giant bird mount was too late to move and struck by it.

"Ahhh!?!" shouted the falling guard together with the shrieking sound of the bird. Ming tried to fly down to save the guard but the other snake's head spat another round of saliva. His mount avoided it as well but had to retreat in haste from the snake's spitting range or they would die in no time.

Then, they heard a sudden whooshing and strong winds hit them, blowing them and the miasma away. "Find cover," shouted Ming, sensing something large coming their way. They flew as fast as they could to avoid the rushing creature. His men also yelled, commanding their mounts to hide under the dense trees while the thick miasma opened at the core and they heard a woman shouted, "Kill that thing."

Ming moved his attention to the cry and saw a huge dragon with a lion's head flying in enormous speed pounced his long claws on the snake's head while another leg caught the falling guard but let the disintegrating bird's body slammed on the ground which melted in no time. This whole incident took place in a minute or two.

Ming gasped to see the dragon, who gently placed the shivering guard on a tree branch. He focused his eyes on the dragon's head and saw someone riding on it but what he saw made him stunned stupid. His eyes caught sight of a beautiful lady with big eyes, long nose, a cupid bow's lips while her long black hair fluttered with the wind behind her back.

"Oh!" He thought these were exactly the same features of the face he recalled seeing yesterday but with no paint smeared on it this time. Her true beauty glued his eyes to her. It completely dispelled his misconceptions about the ugly Xinyi. He also did not expect the next time he would meet her, she would be riding a great dragon. Such an intimidating grand entrance, beauty with grandness, but it did not occur to him that she did not plan this at all.

The dragon flew on the forest trees to avoid more disturbance on the miasma or it would spread wider and victimize more people. Xinyi did not care to look at Ming. However, Ming could care less with others but not her. In fact, his eyes did not see anyone else but only her this time. He tried to let the stallion fly beside her, but the horse would not dare move closer to a great dragon out of fear and reverence.

Ming got frustrated but couldn't force his mount. He too was afraid although amazed after seeing this revered creature. Yet, he was not that much concerned with the dragon's presence, but with Xinyi. He felt like he was nothing but an insignificant being compared to his wife riding on this lion dragon. His pride as the husband, the man, and the city governor was pitifully lost this time.

However, in his mind, 'I know I was wrong but it doesn't change the fact that you're still my wife, Sorceress or not.' Ming was unaware that he already acknowledged Xinyi as his very own wife opposite to what he said on their wedding night.

"Wife, let's talk down there to make a plan," he shouted out of frustration since the stallion would not dare go nearer. Ming pointed a clearing where the dragon could land with ease and with no one else around the area at the same time.

Xinyi heard him and as she turned, their eyes met… but she only waved a hand and smiled. "Hi, Governor. Nice to see you again? Leave this snake to us."

Ming's ears stood erect with what he heard. "What? Governor?" he exclaimed, a bit annoyed that she did not acknowledge him as her Lord husband. The lowly mount looked at his master and thought, "Come on, bring down that pride a little. Can't you see? She tamed that great beast while you're riding on this puny me."

Ming smiled with no mirth in his eyes, feeling foolish to expect her special attention. He shrugged and did not give it much thought but he was not a man who would simply give up without trying his hardest. 'Watch out, wife. I would not easily concede defeat. And since I promised to bring you back, so I would. Just wait and you'll see.'

"Send your men away, Governor, so we can move easily," Xinyi said without looking at Ming and ate a clear diamond fruit. The dragon told her to eat this to neutralize the poison if she inhaled even a little. "Let's go, Nianshi. Finish this nuisance once and for all," she said to the dragon.

Earlier, after they left the cave, they had a good chat while flying. During their talk, Nianshi asked her why she had a hard time telling him of her family name. Out of a good heart, she replied that it was because of her frustration with her husband who was the present governor. Now, she would absolutely regret telling the dragon after what Nianshi was about to do next.

Ming set aside his pride and called his men to move as far as possible, then unexpectedly Nianshi pulled Xinyi from his head and threw her to Ming. "Catch your wife, Governor," said Nianshi.

Ming heard what the dragon said in clear human language and responded by jumping up from his sitting position... and with one heavy kick of his foot on the horse's body, he was propelled higher to catch her at the right timing. As expected of the trustworthy stallion, he was right behind them and let his master fall on him while Ming held Xinyi in his tight embrace.