After rounding a bend, the view suddenly opened up. Broad stretches of rectangular fields surrounded the town. Black Snake still floated, gliding soundlessly above the tips of the seedlings as the scent of muddy water washed over him.
A dirt path between the fields extended toward the town, blurred by rain.
Between the path and the town entrance stood a lone old tree, which had watched who knew how many travelers come and go...
Black Snake could not help slowing down.
He floated slowly around the old tree once, stirring certain long-faded images in the depths of his memory.
After a long while, he gently flicked his tail, turned, and swam toward the gloomy ridge near the town.
Rather than moving through the treetops, he slipped into the dense woods and floated through them. Powerful sweeps of his tail drove his enormous body soundlessly through the tangled forest. His massive head controlled his direction precisely; the slightest turn let him avoid trunks and boulders. He passed calmly through without touching a single rain-laden leaf or leaving the slightest trace.
His forked tongue flickered rapidly, continually analyzing countless scents in the damp air.
Thermal Sensing swept the surroundings again and again.
He stopped at an elevated spot on the ridge where the view was somewhat broader.
In the distance, he spotted many heat sources gathered on a patch of level ground. Switching his vision, he saw cultivators, along with yin energy so dense it seemed impossible to dissolve.
His memories of this place had grown hazy, leaving only a few disconnected images. He remembered that the feng shui master had considered it ill-omened.
The distance made the details difficult to distinguish, so Black Snake hurried down the mountain under cover of the trees.
He found an old riverbed that had been