With great appreciation I need to thank Dreamflower for doing beta-reading and editing on the last chapter, this, and the last chapter. I think she’s done some others as well and I forgot to thank her. I don’t always use a beta and have a nasty habit of forgetting to say thank you when I do.

Please know, Dreamflower, that I’m extremely grateful for all your help.

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“Tell us again, honorable elder, the story of why our part of Huaxia* is so important,” the children of the village begged the old man, their excitement battling with the need to show proper respect.

Hè Wushù Xian* laughed, as he often did when around children. “If you will listen with open minds and proper attention, my little ones, I will most happily tell you the great tale of the beginning of all Huaxia culture.”

The old man thought again how his age and weathered features helped him to be accepted in this land where outsiders were rarely welcomed. With his long grey hair and beard he looked like their own eldest ones, and because of the wrinkling around his eyes, their roundness didn’t show. He sat down upon a bench in the village’s public garden, settling the long sleeves of his brown robe upon his lap, and when the children took their places around his feet, he began the tale of Yinglong*.

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“It was near to the end of a long age of the world that the first of the dragons came to these lands. Yinglong, the oldest of all dragons of and father to all the other dragons of Huaxia came from a distant land in search of a new home. Bright red he is – is not was, for eldest dragons do not die unless they are killed and though some of his children have been killed in battles, no true child of Huaxia would ever kill a dragon. Red like the purest ruby is Yinglong, with eyes that glow like the flame within him when he is angered, and mighty wings has he that carry him far above the world so that he may keep watch over his children and his chosen people.”

“What land did he come from?” a tiny boy asked. His brother and sister nudged and scolded him and he quickly corrected himself. “Dà Hè Wushù Xian, what land did he come from?”

“No one knows for the stories do not start with his birth, only with his coming to us. But, it is said he was young, not yet a mature dragon, when he arrived and called the mighty Wu Tai Shan mountain his home. I have heard that he was only eight chǐ* long when first he flew into the Taihand Mountains.

It is said that Cuiyan Peak is his doorstep and where his feet first touched our land. That is why the green rocks there look like writhing dragons. He drinks from the pool on Yedou Peak, highest of the five peaks of Wu Tai Shan, and it is said he talks with all his mighty children in the reflections of the water. Jinxiu Peak is his garden and the flowers bloom there for his pleasure. When his thoughts pull his mind eastward, he stands upon Wanghai Peak and gazes across the ocean and when his meditations are to the west, he sits upon Guayue Peak.”

“If he is full of fire, dà Hè Wushù Xian, then how can some of his children live in the water?” asked a maiden.

“Ah! That is a good question. It is said that a lady dragon of another sort, one who bore no fire in her belly, was fleeing from a land in the west and that Yinglong found her near to death at the foot of his mountain. He carried her to the pool of Yedou Peak and the waters of the pool healed her. She pledged him her life and they mated. Afterward, she was changed into a male dragon and became the Shenlong, the spiritual dragon who is master of the wind and rain. Some of their children, called the Dilong, are wingless, except when they are mating, and without fire, loving the rivers, streams and lakes of the earth. They are the female to Shenlong’s masculinity. Others of their children are a blending of their parents. But all that happened long after the story I am telling.”

“But . . .” began another eager child.

Hè Wushù Xian held up his hand. “No. I will never get to the story if I answer so many questions. You must all let me tell Yinglong’s tale.”

The children looked at one another and then, fearing the loss of their story, settled into quiet attention.

“For sixteen years, it is said, the red dragon hid upon his mountain peaks. He grew until he was his full size of eighteen gōngchǐ* long. To strengthen his wings he flew as often as he could on the darkest, moonless nights for he did not wish to frighten the people in the valleys or on the fertile plain below, so among them he had no name. Yet, he was curious about the people and often he would hide in the dark of cave openings low upon the mountain and watch them as they went about their lives.

In his sixteenth year, it is said, things were happening away to the far west that could have spelt ruin for all the world. An evil had arisen and the taint of it crept far and wide.

The Yellow River, which blessed the plains every year by flooding and leaving behind its fertile silt, became angry. As the taint of evil grew its flooding became dangerous. People were swept away and the lands were damaged by waters too strong to let the silt settle.

In the late winter of that year, when the dragon came to one of his cave openings, he heard the sound of a man moaning in great distress.

“Will the gods do nothing to help us? Is there no one they can send to our aid? For surely the river will be angrier this year than it was before. For the storms of winter were cruel to us, and the snows deeper than we have ever known. Soon the melting season will be upon us. The cruel snows will melt and feed Yellow River’s anger and we will surely all be destroyed!”

The dragon looked out and saw a man, bent with worry, sitting upon a rock that he had cleared of the snow that blanketed the entire Taihand Mountains and the plains below.

“It is my belief that you will be able to give your kind a new reputation.” The red dragon heard a voice from his past speaking to him. “If you do well, if you properly endear yourself to the people in these realms, you will assure yourself, and any dragons you sire, of a magnificent hoard.”

He decided the moment had come.

“I may be able to help.”

The man heard the smooth voice behind him and jumped in surprise. He turned, but saw nothing there, only the dark mouth of a cave.

“Who said that? Show yourself!”

“Shall I?” asked the voice in the cave. “You might wish you had not asked for that, little Man.”

The man shook with fear, but he was stronger of heart than his earlier moaning indicated. “I ask for it. Show yourself and speak plainly with me since you say you may be able to save my family and all who live upon the plain of the Yellow River.”

“Then step aside, little Man, so that I may come out of my cave.”

The man stepped aside.

A huge red snout appeared at the entrance of the cave, and the man’s trembling grew worse.

A huge head, covered with scales followed the snout, and the man’s legs failed him and he fell to his knees.

A long neck followed the head, and the man fell forward upon his face and lay quaking with his fear.

He did not look up until the silky voice spoke again.

“I am out of my cave, little Man. I would have you look at me if we are to work together to help the people of the valley.”

The man raised his head to behold a huge red and gold beast. Its head was like a horse or a camel, it had the limbs and body of a lizard, while rising from its back were the wings of a bat. How could such a creature have so soothing a voice? He looked again to its head. Its eyes were soft with concern.

“W-what are y-you?”

“I am a dragon, little Man. The only one of my kind in this realm.” The dragon paused with a tipping of its head. “I weary of calling you ‘little Man’. Have you a name? Oh, and do sit up.”

The man rose to his still wobbly legs instead. If he was going to do business with this creature, he should stand before it, that and it was difficult to give a proper bow of respect while sitting.

“I am called Yu, master dragon.”

Yu bowed deeply. He had not expected to hear laughter in response. He stood straight and glared at the dragon.

“You laugh at my show of respect?”

“No!” came the reply, mixed in with more laughing. “No, my good Yu. It is only that in all this realm how strange it is that the first being I speak to has the same name as my own. I also am Yew.”

As he said his name the dragon gave a bow of his own. “I am at your service and that of your family.”

Yu smiled. “This will not do. It will be too confusing if we are both called Yu.” He pondered a moment then said. “May I presume to give you a name?”

“You may, but I will not accept it if I do not like it.”

“Yinglong,” Yu declared. ‘Long’ in our tongue has meant ‘lizard’ but now it will mean ‘dragon’. ‘Ying’ means ‘responsive’. You are the response from the gods to my cry for help. I name you Yinglong, the Responding Dragon.”

The dragon bowed again. “I accept this most noble name. I and any offspring I produce will respond to the gods and to the people of this realm.” Yinglong lifted his head. “Shall we now deal with your problem?”

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Author’s Notes:

“Huaxia  -  In the narrow, original sense, Huaxia refers to a group (or confederation of tribes) of ancient people living along the Yellow River who formed the nucleus of what later became the Han ethnic group in China.”

Since this area and people are the ones involved in the earliest stories of dragons in China, it suited my story well. However, the rest suits my purposes well too.

“The term gradually lost the original specific ethnic designation and came to be used as a generic term for the Chinese nation itself, as well as for Chinese culture in general.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaxia

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Hè Wushù Xian = Brown Wizard – This is what I got when I typed “brown wizard” into a translator. More precisely it reads, Brown Witchcraft Teacher.

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Yinglong (or Yinglung) is regarded as the oldest of all eastern dragons and the father of all the other Oriental dragons. The story related here in “Yew” is based on the Chinese myths about how he became involved with the Chinese people with additions of my own. Information about Yinglong was gleaned from several websites. And . . . according to most recounting of the legends, the person he helped was indeed named Yu. I thought that was a wonderful coincidence. J

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*The measurements are loosely equivalent to:

  Chǐ = 1 foot

  Gōngchǐ = 1 meter which is slightly over 1 yard