The Black Flood Dragon braced his four claws firmly on the stone steps. His body was so long that his back rose in arches, and his enormous head stretched forward as he curiously examined the yin soul. Its robes and hat looked like an official's attire.
Their cut and style were neat and proper, and the aura surrounding him was steady. He must have practiced an orthodox cultivation method; he was quite unlike an ordinary yin soul.
Jin Si found him increasingly curious. What had brought him up the mountain in the dead of night?
He extended a toe of his right front paw and lightly tapped its sharp, hooked claw twice against the stone steps.
The crisp tapping suddenly rang out in the still night.
The yin soul shuddered. Only then did he notice the enormous creature blocking the mountain path ahead, its huge, sharply armored head looking down on him from above. Frightened, he instinctively stumbled back a step, but quickly steadied himself, straightened his robes, gathered his sleeves, and bowed with his hands clasped.
The yin soul's voice carried the respectful deference customary among officials.
"My surname is Ren. I have the honor of serving as a clerk in Mount Tai Prefecture's Pursuit and Arrest Office. You may simply call me Clerk Ren, fellow Daoist."
With that, he stood quietly and waited for a response.
Jin Si considered in silence for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Rogue Cultivator. Jin Si."
Brief and to the point, and not inaccurate. He belonged neither to the Mystic Sect nor quite to the ranks of independent cultivators; "Rogue Cultivator" suited him perfectly. After speaking, he flicked his forked tongue and fell silent again, his vertical pupils fixed on the visitor as he waited for him to explain his purpose.
Clerk Ren