There was no Evening Liturgy that night, so Black Snake went to the Spring Well early to drink.
Then he slithered out beyond the Mountain Gate.
As usual, he coiled up in the same spot as the night before. Though his true body was quite long, it was almost impossible to make out in the shadows.
The gates opened inward, and He Ning stepped over the threshold. She glanced around outside but saw no sign of Black Snake's Yin Spirit. Blinking, she assumed he had not come, and the faint bewilderment in her heart gradually turned into helplessness.
Just then, Black Snake stirred in the shadows. His eyes glimmered in the darkness, two points of light floating silently in the black.
He Ning froze for a moment. Only after looking closely did she notice Black Snake in the shadows, and her heart involuntarily tightened.
Before, with a mountain stream between them, she had thought little of it. Last night, too, she had faced only a small child. Now that she was so close, the great snake's form was strikingly real. It was different, after all.
Black Snake lowered his head, and his Yin Spirit Separation took the shape of a little boy.
He sat on last night's rock, quietly waiting for He Ning to come teach him. A faint coolness radiated from him, driving away the summer night's mosquitoes.
He Ning stood where she was for a moment, then went back inside to fetch a small stool. She walked over to Black Snake and gently sat down.
Though he was concealed in the moonlit shadows, a careful look still revealed some details. She was astonished. This was her first time seeing such a huge snake, and his appearance differed from other snakes in many ways.
His head was enormous, with