Clouds began to gather, turning from cotton white to lead gray, and the wind grew increasingly damp.
Black Snake, who had lain dormant on the summit for a long time, opened his eyes.
He flicked his tongue. The abundant Rain Essence could not only fill his belly but also temper his body, making his head larger and multiplying his strength. Only by growing strong could he earn the right to disregard his natural enemies.
At present, the only threat Black Snake could think of was the striped tiger that had briefly lingered in the valley.
He had not taken the cold, shadowy apparition seriously. It was nowhere near as dangerous as the tiger.
The sky darkened, and rain began to fall.
The summit was unlike the foot of the mountain. The wind swept the rain sideways, and Black Snake raised his head to face the wind, breathing in the cool Rain Essence to his heart's content.
Countless threads of rain wove down at an angle, blurring the mountains' outlines amid their rustling.
Black Snake waited patiently. If no thunder struck today, he would wait for tomorrow. If it did not come tomorrow, there was always next year.
The churning leaden clouds grew thicker and thicker. At last, after a long, muffled growl within the black clouds, a gap suddenly lit up. Lightning branched like a silver tree growing upside down, illuminating heaven and earth in a flash of deathly white!
The dazzling bolt struck the Scorched Tree Stump with perfect precision.
As expected, Black Snake lost consciousness the instant the light blazed...
When he slowly awoke, his whole body ached, and energy churned chaotically inside him like boiling water.
Cool energy washed through his flesh again and again.
Black Snake wondered whether he was too close, so he retreated a little farther down, leaving some distance between himself and the summit, and concealed himself beneath several sturdy ancient pines.
Another bolt struck, once again hitting the Scorched Tree Stump atop the cliff with perfect precision.
This time, Black Snake was not knocked unconscious by the heavy blow. The thunder temporarily disabled his ability to sense vibrations, but the tingling, trembling force was just right. Tempered by the lightning and thunder, the Rain Essence he had previously inhaled began merging with his body more rapidly. He could clearly feel his muscles growing significantly stronger...
Lone Crag Courtyard.
The hunter carefully spread thatch cut beside the stream over the woodpile, checking each part for places where rain might leak through.
The long rainy season would bring dampness. Without enough dry firewood, the coming days would be difficult. He remembered the elders saying that one year, heavy snow had sealed people's doors, piling up deep. Some households had died not because they lacked food, but because they ran out of firewood and could not survive the winter.
The fire in the Pill Furnace had gone out. Refining pills consumed too much firewood, so Chi Ke planned to take this opportunity to rest properly for a while.
The house, built from stone bricks and blue-gray tiles, stood firm in the rain, and there was not a trace of mud on the courtyard's flagstones.
Outside the window, thunder rolled and rain wove a dense curtain. Sitting by the window with a cup of hot tea in his hands, he found a particular comfort and peace in the sounds of wind and rain.
He took out a letter, unfolded it, and read it, his brows tightening.
"Alas, war has broken out again. Who knows how many departed souls this year will bring..."
He did not want to involve himself in affairs beyond the mountains, nor could he. What worried him was that even with the Vast Mountains as a barrier, the madness outside would be difficult to keep entirely at bay.
Seeing the hunter pass outside the window, busy working in the rain, Chi Ke raised a hand and beckoned him closer.
The hunter hurried over to the window, wiped the rain from his face, and asked respectfully.
"What are your instructions, sir?"
Chi Ke considered briefly.
"The next time the villagers come into the mountains with supplies, tell them they must avoid contact with the outside. Ideally, they should find a way to block the roads, or move the entire village deep into the mountains to take shelter for a while."
The hunter froze at his words, his face filled with astonishment.
"What... what has happened?"
Whether destroying the roads or relocating the whole village, either undertaking would exhaust the people and drain their resources.
Chi Ke gave a long sigh.
"War has broken out."
There was no need to say much. Those words were more convincing than any others. They meant endless upheaval and chaos. The village's young, able-bodied men could be forcibly conscripted and dragged away at any moment. Their parents had endured untold hardship to raise them, only for their bodies to lie exposed in some unknown place, reduced to unclaimed bones among the wild grass.
The hunter nodded silently, then turned and disappeared into the curtain of rain to continue his work.
Perhaps because of the news from beyond the mountains, the entire rainy season seemed especially long and oppressive.
Water flowed everywhere in the wilderness.
Dense strands of water hung from Dripping Water Crag. The stream swelled, its rushing waters cold enough to pierce the bones.
The villagers bringing supplies into the mountains were three days late. Mountain floods had not blocked their way; rather, the caravan from outside had failed to arrive on schedule. The visitors mentioned that the trade routes were now precarious and could be cut off at any time. The merchants had repeatedly begged that, should they fail to fulfill their agreement in the future, the gentleman living in seclusion in the mountains would please not blame them.
Keeping his instructions in mind, the villagers set off on their return journey, discussing along the way which mountain hollow they should move to. Running water was the first requirement. After that, they needed to be able to clear a few mu of poor farmland and raise a few chickens, ducks, geese, and dogs, so their households could make a living.
The hunter went down the mountain with them to move his wife, children, and elderly family members. They needed an able-bodied worker like him to organize everything.
The hunter descended the mountain, leaving the yellow dog at Lone Crag Courtyard. Chi Ke and the bookboy felt less secure after that. Apart from the daily necessity of fetching water, they kept the courtyard gate tightly locked all day, adding a measure of vigilance.
Fortunately, they were familiar with the fox. With the fox helping stand guard, they could feel somewhat more at ease.
It was just that they had not seen Black Snake for some time.
They remembered that whenever it rained, he would stay by the huge rock, his head raised as he breathed in and out.
Perhaps his long cultivation had gradually awakened a little spiritual perception. Over the past few days, a thread of unease had lingered in Chi Ke's heart. Since the hunter went down the mountain, that feeling had grown clearer, hovering like dark clouds that refused to disperse.
Unable to focus on cultivation, he turned his attention to the stack of recently delivered letters, prepared paper and brush, and planned to reply to them one by one.
Rain still fell outside the window. Dampness was everywhere, and even the paper felt a little soft.
He skimmed quickly over the inconsequential greetings, occasionally lifting his brush to reply with a few bland pleasantries.
Only when he reached a letter from his friend surnamed Lü did Chi Ke put aside his casual manner and grow serious.
The letter mentioned that strange incidents had repeatedly occurred in the county of late, causing deaths. Rumors spoke of an extraordinary person appearing, stirring unease among the populace, but the details remained unknown. After all, his friend did not belong to that circle.
He frowned and considered briefly, then rose and searched the roughly made wooden shelves, pulling out an old map.
Bending over, he traced his fingertip back and forth across the map.
He soon found the county town on it and marked several places where the strange incidents and deaths had occurred.
Judging by the direction in which these strange incidents were spreading, they were actually heading toward the stretch of wilderness where he lived. A rough calculation of the time suggested that, if that thing truly had entered the mountains, it might already be close at hand...
Having witnessed Black Snake's might and the fox's spiritual nature, Chi Ke knew full well that the world was far from as simple as it appeared to the naked eye. Since Demon Spirits existed, sinister entities must lurk in the shadows as well.
As he concentrated on his thoughts, his gaze happened to sweep over the stacks of letters on the shelf.
Suddenly, something flashed through his mind like lightning striking flint!
He hurriedly picked up the letters from the two most recent deliveries. The pages rustled as he flipped through them rapidly. Chi Ke felt certain he had overlooked something crucial.
His fingertip paused. He had found-
It!
He unfolded the letter again and read every word and sentence carefully. His gaze abruptly fixed on a line of small writing.
East of the county town, a temple had collapsed for unknown reasons...
When he had left home and passed through the county town on his way here, he had seen that temple, and it had left a deep impression.
It was a solitary stone building, built in some unknown year, its design simple and ancient. Its walls were stacked from rectangular stone blocks, its roof tiled with stone slabs. Even the door had been carved from a single enormous stone. It stood tightly shut and could not be pushed open at all.
Chi Ke considered himself somewhat knowledgeable about construction.
He clearly remembered that the temple had been neatly built, every joint fitted tight, without the slightest lean. Its foundations were as solid as a mountain. Even after another hundred years of wind and rain, there was no reason for it to collapse on its own.
Yet it had collapsed all the same.
Something was wrong.
He compared the recent deadly incidents and the rumors of a Cultivator appearing against the temple's suspicious collapse, feeling that there might be some connection.
I must prepare defenses early!
He and the bookboy immediately went to work in the rain, carefully laying protective measures with cinnabar beneath the eaves and along the courtyard's four walls. They also had to take care to keep the rain from washing it away, securing the entire courtyard tightly.
They also brought out a large vat to collect rainwater, resolved not to step even half a pace beyond the courtyard gate for the next several days.