A rainy night.
None of the other homes in the village had their lights on. Only the windows of the wealthy household glowed with candlelight.
Black Snake moved slowly along the stream outside the wall, keeping submerged as much as possible.
By the time he swam to the courtyard wall, the rain had eased. He waited patiently until it grew heavy again, then slowly climbed onto the wall. His Thermal Sensing detected only one source of warmth inside the courtyard. It was his enemy, all right. He approached the candlelit room from behind, but just as he crossed the wall, the rain stopped again. It came and went in bursts.
Suddenly, he heard hoofbeats approaching from the distance. Black Snake slowed his heartbeat and lay motionless against the wall.
He was a little curious and wanted to hear what the two would say.
White Deer leaped over the courtyard wall, its four hooves landing almost soundlessly in the mud. It walked to the window at the front of the house and stopped. Once the window opened, it spoke to the man inside through its Yin Spirit.
"Those on Mount Ding agreed to let us in, but they have quite a few conditions."
A brief silence followed.
The man spoke helplessly.
"We have no choice. Mount Ding is the only place we can take shelter now. This body of mine won't hold out much longer. Damn that Black Snake! How did he know how to use a sword?"
For a moment, he wondered whether Black Snake had inherited some teachings. How could an ordinary spirit creature use a sword?
White Deer's deep voice sounded, as though trying to reason with him.
"Stop complaining. Didn't I take a hit too? We wanted to use Black Snake's life to win a reputation for