The days spent confined to the little courtyard inevitably grew lonely.
The rainy season was nearly over, leaving only a fine, lingering drizzle. Going out or staying in made little difference, so it was still bearable. But Black Snake was nowhere to be seen, and it felt as though a corner of his heart were missing. He missed those leisurely days when they had breathed in the mountain mist and read together at Giant Rock.
Droplets hanging from the eaves fell intermittently into the vat, ringing out with cool, clear plinks. The entire valley lay steeped in a thin haze. Occasionally, a crow swept past, leaving a few caws echoing hollowly through the mountains.
The hunter had been down the mountain for three days.
Chi Ke set down his book, took out a pill he had refined himself, and swallowed it.
Before long, warmth rose from his belly and slowly spread through his limbs, leaving his whole body pleasantly warm. Unfortunately, he could not tell whether it qualified as a spirit pill.
He was leaning against the back of his chair, dozing, when a sudden burst of frantic, disorderly cawing startled him awake.
His heart sank with a sense that something was wrong. He hurried outside to the courtyard wall and looked down toward the approach to the mountain.
Hearing the noise, the bookboy hastily brought him a bamboo hat and a straw rain cape.
Flocks of crows circled through the thin mist in the rain, their cries urgent and shrill, utterly unlike their usual calls.
Somewhere on the slope, a fox leaped onto a slab of green stone and gazed warily into the distance.
Beneath a large tree, a plump weasel let a wild mouse escape as it carefully distinguished the sounds carried on the wind.
Chi Ke wanted badly to unleash a torrent of curses.
The very thing he feared had come knocking. Was some vicious, unholy thing truly imprisoned beneath the stone temple? Were there really cultivators roaming the world, vanquishing evil? Why did they have to come running into these wild mountains? These vast, deep mountains were hardly a place to trifle with.
If they went deeper into the mountains, they might disturb beings even stronger than Black Snake and the fox.
Ah, let them merely be passing through.
Had I known it would come to this, I should have practiced more spells and divine abilities.
Unfortunately, he had yet to succeed in refining qi. Even if he understood spells and divine abilities, he could not unleash the slightest fraction of their power. He could only rely on cinnabar and the snakeskin atop the wall to ward off evil entities.
At that thought, the urgency of cultivation struck him more strongly than ever before.
He turned silently and went back inside.
He buried himself in his books, searching for ways to respond, then took out his hand crossbow and carefully smeared cinnabar onto its bolts...
The rain in the mountains gradually stopped. The clouds hung low, so heavy they seemed to weigh upon his heart.
Wisps of white vapor rose from the forest. There was no wind, and they hung almost motionless.
Chi Ke wished the crows would start their piercing racket again, or that a gust of wind would blow. Any movement would have been better than this soundless stillness.
Darkness fell unusually early.
The yellow dog refused to stay in its kennel no matter what and forced its way into the house. Chi Ke did not drive it away; having it beside him offered some reassurance. If only Black Snake and the fox were here as well. Strangely, even the fox had vanished.
After a hastily eaten supper, the sky had turned completely dark.
The valley was eerily quiet that day. Even the normally distinct sound of the stream seemed to have been swallowed by the dense mist.
Beyond the courtyard wall, everything was engulfed in darkness and the unknown.
The fear of being cut off from the outside world, trapped in confinement, made his heart tremble. At that moment, Chi Ke desperately wished he possessed a sense of smell as keen as the fox's and Black Snake's, or eyes capable of piercing the gloom.
Suddenly, a brief burst of shrill squeaking came from the pitch-black forest, as though some animals were fighting fiercely.
Soon, deathly silence returned.
The bookboy and the yellow dog huddled together, trembling.
Chi Ke remained silent, his head bent over the ancient texts as he desperately searched for a way to deal with the situation...
The two humans and the dog knew nothing of what lay beyond the courtyard wall.
In the darkness, seen from a certain perspective, densely packed phantom shapes wandered chaotically around the Lone Crag Courtyard. They seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to draw even a fraction closer...
After working for a long time, he grew so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open and had to put down his brush.
"Go to bed. Remember, don't go outside."
The bookboy returned to his room, yawning, with the yellow dog following close at his heels.
Chi Ke blew out the oil lamp.
He found his way back to bed in the darkness with practiced ease, thought for a while, then unknowingly sank into a deep sleep.
An unknown amount of time passed before daylight appeared outside the window.
Chi Ke felt strangely exhausted in both body and mind. He supposed it was because he had stayed up late the night before. He was no longer young, after all. Back then, he could drink and make merry with his friends all night without trouble. Now, even staying up a little late left his back and waist aching, and his head terribly heavy.
He dressed, went into the outer room to find a wooden basin, scooped clear water from the vat with a wooden dipper, and bent over to wash his face with cupped hands.
Once he finished, he pushed open the door. The sky outside was murky, though the sun was already hanging overhead.
Perhaps the prolonged rainy season had left too much vapor accumulated in the air. Through the haze, he saw the sun glowing with a strange white light.
The days of rain had lent the air a chill. It was already the Beginning of Summer, and the scorching heat was approaching. He reckoned it would grow hot by afternoon. Fortunately, the valley was not as hot as the mountains outside.
The bookboy had not risen yet, perhaps because he had gone to bed too late the night before. The yellow dog was curled up indoors. He had not expected even an animal to cling so fondly to sleeping in.
Never mind, never mind. Since I'm living here in seclusion to cultivate, there's no need to be too strict or keep putting on airs.
Come to think of it, I'm not hungry at all this morning. The pill must still be taking effect.
He strolled a few laps around the courtyard to loosen his limbs, then wandered over to the wall, taking in the entire valley from above.
Mist spread through the landscape after the rain, blurring everything. The trees around Giant Rock were shadowy and indistinct; he could not tell whether Black Snake was there.
Was someone down the mountain calling to him?
He followed the sound with his gaze. Through a break in the thin mist, he saw that the hunter, who had gone down the mountain to move house, had returned and was waving vigorously in front of the thatched cottage. The distance was too great to make out what he was shouting. What a fellow. One trip home, and he's so exhausted he can barely call out. Moving by day and toiling at night, too. I'll let him go home once a month from now on. Husband and wife shouldn't be separated for too long.
The hunter shouted toward the mountain a few more times, then pointed at the medicinal herb plot behind the cottage.
Chi Ke strained to listen, turning an ear toward him, but could hear only indistinct syllables.
Growing anxious, he shouted down the mountain.
"What are you saying?! Louder!"
Perhaps he had shouted too loudly. Indoors, the sleepy bookboy grumbled at the disturbance. Bright sunlight was already shining into his room, yet he still refused to get up.
"Loud... medicine... Spirit Medicine..."
He focused and listened closely. The words "Spirit Medicine" drifted faintly to him on the wind.
Hmm?
Spirit Medicine?
Could Spirit Medicine have grown in the herb plot I've worked so hard to tend? Wonderful! At last, there's hope of cultivating the great Dao and becoming an immortal!
No, I have to go see for myself.
It concerned his path of cultivation; there could not be the slightest mishap. He could not let that rough fellow ruin the Spirit Medicine. Even taking control of his family's wealth and power mattered less than Spirit Medicine. Something that could extend his lifespan and aid his cultivation was the true
treasure.
He eagerly grabbed his herb hoe and rushed outside, only to pause at the doorway when he saw the shed snakeskin.
Then his yearning for Spirit Medicine overwhelmed everything else. He removed the door bar, pushed open the door, and ran down the mountain, wishing wings would sprout from his ribs so he could glide like a bird to the valley floor.
Climbing the mountain was exhausting, but descending was difficult too. Every step jarred his knees painfully, and both his temples throbbed.
Swollen by the rain, the stream rushed cold and swift. Fortunately, two large green stones stood close together, squeezing the current into a narrow waterfall. With a light leap, he could use the stones to reach the opposite bank.
The mist at the valley floor was so thick it seemed impossible to dissolve. It filtered the sunlight until only a pallid disc remained high in the sky. Everything was as quiet as the dead of night.
Chi Ke paused on his way, wondering why he could not hear even birdsong or the chirping of insects.
Ahead, the hunter waved anxiously from within the mist.
The Spirit Medicine comes first. Once I have it, why should I fear some paltry evil entity invading my body? From then on, I'll be a true Qi Refiner.
He ran past the little courtyard outside the thatched cottage, panting.
"Sir, after returning to the mountain, I thought I'd come check the herb plot. I never expected to find a plant of the Spirit Medicine you mentioned."
The hunter led the way, speaking without even turning his head.
Chi Ke noticed that the normally honest-looking hunter's face seemed somewhat stiff. He supposed the man was overly tired from finishing his affairs at home and then traveling through the night. Once they returned, he would give him a few pills to restore his strength.