Black Snake patiently waited for days of continuous rain.
Once the joy had passed, life always settled back where it had been, repeating its ordinary, unremarkable routines, waiting atop the mountain each day for rain and lightning.
The limbs developed extremely slowly, and strengthening the bones would take a long time.
There was no use rushing many things. They would take their course regardless.
There had been no supernatural incidents nearby, either. Perhaps this was how the mortal world ought to be. Since no one knew where the Limping Expert was, the Abbot had He Ning tell Black Snake not to leave the mountain for now.
Word of the Dragon King's manifestation at Lin Family Crossing reached the monastery, because Old Man Lin went around telling everyone he had dreamed of the Dragon King.
He had organized the temple's construction, and he had torn it down with his own hands.
Building a temple was a good deed, but demolishing one was another matter. To keep the villagers from gossiping behind his back, he could only tell everyone he met that the Dragon King had appeared in his dream and demanded its demolition, striving to prove that he had been left no choice and was innocent.
And so the story spread farther and farther, growing stranger with every telling, embellished with enough details to give it a nose and eyes.
Black Snake did not care. Each day passed quietly, with attention paid only to things worth doing.
That evening, He Ning sat on a stool eating wild cherries.
She held a slender branch laden with cherries, picking them off as she ate.
"Why did you tear down the temple dedicated to you?"
Crouched on a rock, Black Snake thought carefully, putting together words in a language still unfamiliar.
"Not good."
He