Spiritual mist rose and fell along the mountain road. The Black Flood Dragon skimmed over the treetops onto Pillowstar Mountain and glided through the stone archway of the Mountain Gate.
He erased the line he had left on the noticeboard.
Floating three chi above the ground, he glided toward the General Store. These days, whenever something came up, he habitually sought out Daoist Pang at the shop. He had not gone to see Lin Wei in quite some time.
The long street was as quiet as ever, its green stone paving buckled and uneven where the gnarled roots of ancient trees had pushed it up.
He swam along with leisurely sweeps of his tail, turned into the Alley, and came face-to-face with a little girl in Yin Spirit form. He hurriedly planted his claws and raised his head to halt, but still slid forward several chi, the sharp hooks of his claws scoring the paving.
The girl hastily spun around, transformed into a white crane, and flapped away.
Watching the frightened figure vanish behind the buildings, he felt rather deflated. The Demon Spirits on the mountain were much like the Daoists: unless they had business to attend to, they scarcely showed themselves. The only one he knew was the thick-skinned, tough-fleshed black bear.
Since he had already landed, he might as well walk a little.
He swayed along, passing the Carpentry Workshop and the Blacksmith Forge at an unhurried pace, the hooked tips of his claws clicking softly against the stone slabs.
His enormous head blocked the entrance to the General Store. Fresh branches had been placed in the porcelain vase on the counter, dotted with small red blossoms, and a faint fragrance filled the shop.
Jin Si closed his nostrils. He really disliked this so-called floral fragrance.
Hearing him,