Long Ju relaxedly walked along the paved path. After four days of relentless pouring, the rain finally stopped. She enjoyed the warmth of the sunlight. The Jin brothers were busy preparing supplies and a new cart for the journey ahead, so she had a lot of free time. She wondered if she should pay a visit to her new friends. Long Ju was also curious about the Divine Serpent Cult and the Hu clan and wanted an excuse to snoop around.

The Serpent Gate was not different from any other village. The market was busy, and the people walked around, going forward with their lives. The liveliness was contagious. She felt like she needed to do something too.

Before she could decide, the crowd of people around her parted in two and dispersed in fear. On both sides of the road, soldiers were covering any escape route, converging around her to form a circle. Long Ju looked at them with a confused expression and lifted her hands in a non-threatening way. She didn't understand the situation, but she could see that there was no animosity from the city guards. They were apprehensive to approach further, the tips of their spears shaking. They were afraid of her, but it was a kind of fear she didn't recognize. It was like even being near her was a danger they could barely bear. She felt like they weren't treating her like a criminal or an enemy, but more like a fire or a pile of rubbish that was about to fall on them. It was a bizarre situation, with the soldiers surrounding her while at the same time trying to maintain as much distance as possible. The soldiers, who were a mix of archers and infantry armed with spears, remained stiff and uneasy. They exchanged quick glances between themselves, but they did not speak.

Long Ju's confusion grew. She had never seen such a show of force toward her. And yet she didn't see any malice in the soldiers' expressions. They were showing conflicting emotions, some seemed relieved to have found her, and others were cursing under their breath. One thing they had in common was their unwillingness to let her go. She could read it in their eyes—no matter how scared they were, they were ready to lose their lives to stop her from moving. She also understood it was something beyond a mere sense of duty and obeying orders. It was like they were obeying a higher calling. She was reminded of the soldiers during the war. They had similar expressions when they were preparing for a possible invasion from the South.

"What is happening?" she asked in a hesitant tone.

"Step back, she's dangerous!" yelled a soldier, his voice trembling.

"Don't get any closer, I tell you!" added another.

Long Ju remained calm, but her Aura was steadily increasing, causing even more unease and fear in the surrounding guards.

"I'm not going to attack anyone," she tried to reassure them. Her words were met with no understanding at all. Long Ju was perplexed. All things considered, she was but a girl with a sword, and all the men in front of her were armed Aura warriors. She could probably cut through the first four or five, but she was going to be overwhelmed almost immediately. They had the absolute advantage, there was no need for this level of carefulness.

Long Ju tried to be patient with them, but the way they acted was starting to worry her. Was it really because of her that they were having to act in this ridiculous way?

She felt her Aura continue to grow in response to her frustration towards the tense situation around her. Suddenly, a powerful urge came over her to unleash that energy. Even without a proper reason, it felt like the only way to release herself from the situation.

The soldiers kept their gaze fixed on her. Their caution turned to panic when they sensed her Aura increasing.

"Step back! Step back!" they cried as they started to walk in the opposite direction.

Long Ju was horrified by the sight. She immediately stopped any Aura that she had been generating, but the soldiers looked more scared. They continued to backtrack, almost tripping on their feet.

"Her Aura is going out of control, we were too late! We must kill her!" a man yelled.

A bloodthirsty wave started to emanate from the guardsmen, but an officer stepped forward and shouted, "She's just feeling the tension of the situation, remember, they said the amount wasn't much. Hey, you," he said, talking to the surrounded girl, "don't use your Aura, calm down... or you are going to doom us all."

Long Ju closed her eyes and concentrated on her Aura, trying to keep it under control and breathing deeply to try to calm her down. She couldn't make heads or tails of their words, but she decided to trust them for now. They also appeared to be calming down, reassured by the fact she was able to restrain her Aura.

As the anxiety surrounding her continued, Long Ju took note of how the soldiers had their weapons ready to strike her down at any moment. But they didn't strike. They were obviously afraid of the consequences of such an act, and the situation was getting more and more out of hand.

The soldiers looked at one another, trying to find a sense of leadership among them. After a few seconds, a young man in a white robe came out of the crowd, the soldiers following him in a strict formation. His face was hidden by a hood, and his voice was muffled, but Long Ju could tell he was scared. There was something almost magical in the way he moved, and she got the feeling that he wasn't just an ordinary man.

"Come with us," the man said, his voice distorted by his clothing.

Long Ju looked at him, startled.

Long Ju followed him in stunned silence, and they walked through the city in a tense atmosphere. Everywhere the soldiers stopped to talk to the people, there were long stares.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a big building on the outskirts of the town. There was a sign above the door with the image of a blue bird, on which the words Medicine Hall were written in exquisite golden characters. The soldiers positioned themselves to guard the building.

Long Ju looked up at the sign and walked forward through the carved wooden doors. The smell of incense filled the air, mixed with a subtle fragrance of herbs and concoctions she couldn't identify. The atmosphere was quiet, even more than she expected. The furniture of the hall was perfectly placed, and the arrangements of the plants and flowers had a very nice and aesthetic touch. There was a long wooden table, and a few books and scrolls were on display. She saw an elderly woman sitting in a chair, reading one of them, paying no attention to the loud noise outside. She hesitantly walked into the room.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

The man in the white robe sat on the far side of the table.

Long Ju sat down opposite him, taking note of the way he kept looking at her. It felt like he could see through her, inside and outside. A weird feeling started to spread through her.

The man looked up from the scroll, revealing his face for the first time. His mouth and nose were covered by a finely crafted mask.

Long Ju felt like she could sense the Aura coming from him. It was like nothing she'd ever felt. Strong, yet not intimidating. Long Ju's face lit up.

"The moment of truth comes," the man in the white robe said with a calm voice.

He lifted his hood, revealing a bald head, with a few dots of paint under his eyebrows. Long Ju stared at his face, and he returned the gaze with his steely grey eyes. His skin was pale, but his complexion was completely clear, showing no wrinkles or blemishes. His face was smooth and relaxed, like someone who didn't have a care in the world. Long Ju found herself completely mesmerized by his face. She could feel his Aura, gentle and full of mystery.

"Lady Long Ju, I'm aware that you're currently our guest, but you have to understand that our actions are necessary to ensure your and our safety," he started.

"You can call me, Doctor Ping. I am the master of the Medicine Hall in Serpent's Gate. You have been brought here to undergo an assessment of your health and condition. This decision was made by the elders of the city."

"What does that mean? I'm not sick!" An incredulous expression was now painted on her face.

"Yes, that's true. You're not sick. But you've been in contact with a very dangerous drug. Luckily, it seems it wasn't a serious dose, but it was enough to have some effects."

The doctor's explanation didn't help to clear her doubts, and she frowned.

"How can I be dangerous? And what drug are you talking about?" she asked him, but the man only lifted a finger and kept speaking as if her questions were insignificant.

"You do not understand everything yet, Lady Long Ju. I will try to explain as clearly as I can," he said, and then he continued with a solemn tone.

"You probably feel that you're perfectly healthy. You do not have any symptoms or signs of illness, and you never had them. Your health is truly excellent. Your body is in fact not affected at all. This is because the drug, after contact, is easily eliminated by the system, as it is only capable of bonding with Aura. In the short term, you'll experience explosive growth in your Aura, mood swings, and an increase in aggressiveness. It also diminishes your Aura sensing abilities."

"But I'm fine, I felt no effects at all." Long Ju said, confused.

"That's what you think," Doctor Ping said with a gentle tone.

"But... what do you mean?" Long Ju wanted to know more.

"A small amount of the drug, not enough to compromise your health, is circulating in your Aura. It's causing minor aberrations and altering its flow. Because of your young age and talent, you probably haven't felt much difference in your growth. As for the other symptoms, are you sure your behaviour has been normal lately?"

Long Ju thought about it. It was true that in the last week, her actions have been somewhat wild. She remembered the trembling figure of the Golden Bear trio after she massacred those bandits in the tavern. Maybe his words held some truth. Her eyes widened, and she looked at Doctor Ping with concern.

"W-What have I taken?" She asked with a trembling voice. "What is this drug?"

Doctor Ping calmly studied her face for a short moment.

"We don't know exactly. It's something new, even the Martial Alliance still doesn't know much about it. We call it Falcon Tears. It has caused many problems, as bandits and Aura beasts have run wild because of it, spreading chaos in these forests. You see, the most dangerous thing about this drug... is what happens when finally the Aura manages to eliminate the foreign substance. The sudden imbalance causes the patient to lose control over their Aura, and their rationality, turning them into insane murderous monsters."

Long Ju squinted as she tried to catch up with the conversation. The doctor's calm voice was in contrast to the tense atmosphere surrounding them. She couldn't understand completely, but the idea of a dangerous substance being inside her troubled her.

"There is one thing I don't understand, how do you know this drug is in me, how were you able to detect it?" she inquired, still not totally convinced.

For the first time, Doctor Ping's face showed an emotion that wasn't calm and serenity. He was unsure and worried about something.

"This morning, Young Master Yan from the Hu clan and Priestess Fu Daiyu collapsed and were reported as showing symptoms of Falcon Tears contamination."

Long Ju was horrified by the news she had just heard. She couldn't believe her friends' lives were in danger because of her. Then she remembered about her three comrades. She didn't know if they too were contaminated.

"What? How? Was it the wine, were we poisoned?"

"No, that was also Hu Yan's first idea, but we checked and discarded this theory." Doctor Ping paused again, "The village is very careful about this drug. Anything that comes into the village is monitored, and no foreign food or beverages are allowed. This might seem extreme, but this drug is no different than poison for the Aura users of Serpent Gate. All of our techniques and our close relationship with the reptiles in the area, including the Divine Serpent, are a result of our high Aura sensing abilities. Even a small dosage of the Falcon Tears is enough to cause great damage, and can even be deadly."

Long Ju felt a shudder of terror run through her body. The doctor regained his reassuring smile. The idea of something so deadly being inside her felt like a stab in the heart.

"You don't have to worry. Unlike us, even if your Aura senses are quite impressive, they do not constitute the base and foundation of your abilities."

She eased up a bit, but she couldn't stand there in uncertainty. She had to be sure.

"I... I need to know if I took it," she said in a firm voice, "Can you check with your Aura? If it's there, I need to be sure."

Once again, Doctor Ping's face crumbled. "Absolutely not!" he grimaced, terrified by just the idea of attempting such a thing. Long Ju was taken aback.

"First of all, we are sure that you took it. Second of all, we also know how your friends were poisoned. It all boils down to the propriety of the substance to bond with Aura. It makes it easy for it to be... shared. Not only that, but it attaches itself to nearby Aura. It's attracted by large deposits of it. So when Auras touch or clash, the drug mixes. That's how it happened. During yesterday's spar. As for when you came in contact with it, that is yet to be determined."

Long Ju was stunned. She was still grasping the idea of being at risk of turning into a monster and the fact she might have contributed to the contamination of her friends. But the revelation that this drug was capable of transmitting itself from Aura to Aura was what really shocked her. That coupled with the disastrous effects it had on the Serpent Gate's Aura users...

"So this is why you've been treating me like I'm a walking bomb, instead of a patient? You can't be serious!" The words came spontaneously to Long Ju's mouth, but she regretted them immediately. Her tone had become angry and defensive.

"Our behaviour is not up for debate. The situation requires careful handling," Doctor Ping said calmly, ignoring the girl's outburst.

Doctor Ping waited for a moment, looking at Long Ju.

"But we can help you, Lady Long Ju. The Divine Serpent Temple is located less than an hour's travel from Serpent's Gate. We have a method there for extracting foreign substances from the Aura. If you allow yourself to accept our help, you can be relieved of this burden. You don't even have a complete contamination. The amount of the drug was negligible for your standards, capable of bonding but not enough to develop. It's like a seed, it needs to sprout before it grows. But it was suffocated instead. Otherwise, you'd already be turning into a madman or suffering from severe withdrawal." The words fell like a cold dagger in her heart. She couldn't believe how bad the situation was.

"But first, we must make sure of your medical condition, and pinpoint a credible source responsible for your contamination." his tone was final.

Long Ju understood one thing. Before she could be cured, she had to clear all of their doubts and misunderstandings. This wasn't a court, and Doctor Ping wasn't a judge, but effectively this was a trial. Her life and death were hanging on his verdict. Right now she wasn't a victim, but a prisoner, an outsider who almost caused the death of two top talents of the most powerful factions in the city. In their eyes, she was a possible assassin or a terrorist.

Her mouth felt awfully dry.