When the fish swimming upstream vanished from his senses, Black Snake knew it was time to return to the mountain.
He crossed the meadow wreathed in rising mist and headed straight for the high mountain near the little basin.
Every year around this time, he habitually detoured to the stone pillar for a look. He could not say what purpose it served. It was simply a habit, a way to check whether something old was still where it had always been.
The stone pillar was alive.
Black Snake neither knew nor cared what was inside it. They regarded each other with the indifference of strangers whose lives never crossed.
He did not seem to have ever seen the one inside come out.
After studying it for a while, he set off. Along the way, with nothing else to do, he sifted through his decidedly sparse memories. Their contents were pitifully bland. He had forgotten the distress born of the spreading mist, and forgotten the great hunk of strange flesh he had eaten.
The cruel past had been lost to time.
Finding the familiar stream, he swam upstream against the sound of the water.
He had taken another route to Riverside Meadow. Now, on his return, he followed his old trail in a wide loop, never considering whether to plan a new route or blaze another path.
He discovered torn scraps of cloth and bones scattered beneath the trees, along with weapons used by humans.
Flicking his tongue to analyze the scents, he guessed they had something to do with the recent fighting by the river.
That raised a question: what had the fighting by the river been? His memories were a blur, leaving only jumbled, shifting shadows. Had many people been hunting and killing one another?
Birds, beasts, and swarms of greenbottle flies had long since picked the remains clean. Vegetation was already spreading eagerly over them, intent on erasing every trace.
Black Snake sampled the human weapons with his tongue.
They were fine things indeed, but he could not use them.
He lingered no longer and continued on his way, his long body sliding calmly over the scattered white bones.
Back in the familiar valley, his tongue caught an unfamiliar scent as he climbed toward Giant Rock halfway up the mountain. He looked toward Lone Crag Courtyard. Sure enough, several unfamiliar heat sources had appeared there.
More strangers had gone to Chi Ke for food.
That was right. In Black Snake's eyes, whatever purpose visitors might have, they were all there to cadge a meal.
Just as he was about to rest at Giant Rock, he suddenly heard someone mention "Black Snake." He understood little human speech, but remembered the pronunciation of "snake" very clearly. He thought he ought to go and listen.
He changed direction and approached, habitually keeping a safe distance as he listened through vibrations.
Lone Crag Courtyard.
For once, Chi Ke had put away his air of serene, immortal grace. His face was dark as still water, and he regarded his visitor coldly. The other man's arrogance and malice made him uncomfortable.
A fat man sat opposite him, his expression haughty.
"This matter has nothing to do with the Chi Household. All you need do, sir, is tell us that creature's habits and hiding place."
"Several villages outside these mountains know there is a great black snake, and that it is quite familiar with you."
He paused briefly, his meaning pointed.
"If it dares take human lives, it is an evil monster and must be slain with the fury of thunder. Subduing monsters and vanquishing demons earns great merit. If you cooperate fully, sir, you will naturally be rewarded with blessings once the deed is done. It would be a good deed for the Chi Household as well."
Having said this, he fixed his gaze on Chi Ke. He had not touched the cup of coarse tea beside him from beginning to end.
Chi Ke saw contempt in his eyes. From the ornament hanging around his neck, Chi Ke knew he had close ties to some prominent Great Religious Order beyond the mountains.
He looked down on unaffiliated cultivators like Chi Ke, who lived in seclusion away from the world.
From the vague descriptions, Chi Ke could guess something of the truth behind the broad outline of events.
This supposed pursuit of fugitives was, stripped bare, merely a blood feud between two lineages. One side had happened to encounter Black Snake while exterminating the other, and for some unknown reason had angered him. Not only had they lost men, they had also let their enemies escape in the chaos.
They had certainly not come to subdue monsters or vanquish demons, nor would they avenge those dead household servants. More likely, they wanted to present the rare great black snake as a gift to some important personage.
Chi Ke knew Black Snake's nature well. Even if both groups had died to the last man before him, he would only have watched indifferently and considered which one to eat. Someone must have recklessly provoked him and brought his deadly retaliation upon themselves.
He would never betray Black Snake. As for this talk of merit and blessings-hah.
Outside, the young man who resembled a wild leopard lounged sideways atop the wall, idly whittling a stick with a grass stem between his lips. His indifferent gaze swept over the few slovenly household servants in the courtyard. Their numbers did not frighten him in the least.
After decades of war, villagers banding together to beat outsiders to death was nothing unusual.
Here in these remote mountains, the palm lines of more than half the able-bodied villagers were steeped in blood-rust that would never wash away.
He glanced unobtrusively at the woods.
Inside the house.
Chi Ke secretly studied the other man's face, his brow twitching almost imperceptibly. A gray, defeated cast of death faintly showed between the man's brows and in his complexion. Judging by that, he likely had little time left.
He slowly raised his coarse earthenware teacup.
"I, Chi, know only how to gather herbs and refine pills. As for other matters, I am afraid I cannot help."
The fat man was not annoyed by this. He would never have reached his present position if he flew into a rage and turned hostile so readily.
He smiled, rose, and brushed off his robes.
"Very well. I will not disturb your quiet cultivation any longer, sir. Farewell."
The two exchanged a few pleasantries, smiling as though they had been close friends for years. Chi Ke escorted him all the way to the main gate. Regardless of the other man's religious hand salute, he simply cupped his fist to see his guest off.
After watching the trees completely conceal the departing figures, Chi Ke turned back into the house. The young hunter followed them in secret. He had to see with his own eyes that these True Persons had gone down the mountain.
At the same time, another long, shadowy figure also began to move...
From the limited sounds he understood, he had heard clear hostility. He judged the strangers a threat. They had to be killed.
Through a gap in the dense leaves, he exchanged a glance with the young hunter, then vanished into the mountain woods.
He did not attack immediately. There were many of them, and they carried sharp blades. Hunting required waiting for the best moment. He needed patience, needed to wait until night slowly soaked through the entire forest before ambushing them.
Chi Ke had not invited them to stay or eat. The valley was too far from the households outside, so these people were destined to spend the night in the vast wilderness of the mountains.
Darkness came early in the mountains, and a seemingly ordinary dusk settled over them.
Beneath a rocky outcrop, a campfire crackled.
Occasionally, a few tired, irritable curses mingled with the noise.
Black Snake confirmed that all these people were very "ordinary."
People were not all alike.
He vaguely remembered that a special kind of person existed in the world, one that posed a grave threat. Clearly, there were none among these people.
The campers had no idea that thermal images of them were being outlined, identifying them clearly in the darkness. In particular, the fat mass of heat surrounded by the others was locked firmly in his sights. Were it not for the attendants around him, fangs would have pierced his skin at once.
There was no hurry. He could wait.
Before long, they sat or lay down to rest, while the fat man had a thick fur blanket all to himself.
They left one man on watch, who added a dry stick to the campfire from time to time. Occasionally, someone rose and went to relieve himself in the nearby grass.
The night watchman.
He carried a sack and scattered some powder around the perimeter.
An extremely unpleasant, intensely irritating smell spread through the air, almost rendering Black Snake's tongue useless. He could not bear the pungent odor long enough to launch an ambush. This left him bewildered. How could he eliminate the threat if he could not approach?
As he watched the burning campfire, Black Snake's simply constructed brain fell into confusion...
A solitary birdcall echoed through the valley.
Night deepened.
Black Snake sensed a cool, refreshing presence. He raised his head and saw a bright full moon hanging high in the sky.
An idea suddenly surfaced in his smooth little brain.
He coiled up, stopped flicking his tongue, and lay motionless.
Black Snake left his body and entered the gray, dim view. He could clearly see the scorching flames, along with several human shapes bearing the warmth of life around them. Instinct warned him that entering the flames would be dangerous.
The people could not see him.
Enduring the discomfort caused by the flames, he slowly approached. Sure enough, he could ignore the irritating smell. He reached the campfire without hindrance and examined them one by one.
He drew close to the sleeping fat man and flicked his tongue, memorizing the taste of the man's soul.
He could feel a certain repulsion between his present self and the warmth of life. He arched his body, gathered his strength, opened his mouth to bare his fangs, and bit down hard!