Black Snake was curious about what that Ghost King had done to provoke the cultivators into joining forces to hunt him down.
He had probably gone too far, gorged himself too shamelessly, and taken too much. Had he known when to quit while he was ahead, he might well have lasted.
He did not know when enough was enough. Once arrogance and conceit took hold, calamity was never far away.
Black Snake checked the direction and slithered toward the Cloud Immortal Hall.
Passing silently through mountain streams and stone forests, Black Snake skirted two tall mountains. The compound, with its blue tiles and white walls, lay in the faint mist like an ink-wash painting.
Upon reaching the pond outside the Cloud Immortal Hall, Black Snake found the Demon Spirits and Yin Souls looking utterly idle.
They were scattered about in twos and threes. Some lay on the ground sleeping, while others cultivated beneath the trees.
A few were digging holes in the grass, their bodies buried entirely in the soil with only their tails showing, wriggling as they continually tossed dirt out.
Black Snake paused, puzzled.
By rights, this should have been the Cloud Immortal Hall's busiest hour, with consultations, questions to answer, and errands to run. They should not have been this idle.
While Black Snake was wondering, footsteps sounded inside the courtyard gate. Hu Changqing came jogging out, his robe pressed against his body by the wind.
He stopped nearby, looked Black Snake up and down, then smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
"We haven't seen each other all winter, and your cultivation has advanced again, fellow Daoist. Congratulations."
Black Snake glanced over the idle figures and asked in puzzlement.
"Why is it so quiet today?"
Hu Changqing shook his head with a bitter smile.
"The human