Chapter 6: Sun Essence, Moon Essence, the Great Serpent of the Mountain

Night was hazy, the mountain plunged into utter darkness; all around, only the wind rustled through the trees, with occasional insect chirps and bird calls breaking the silence.

Under the faint moonlight, the black-robed girl stood far away, yet she turned to look.

“I-is that a person?”

Zhang Fan gathered his courage and asked timidly.

“You’re lost.”

After a moment of silence, a hollow, melodious voice rose through the night.

“Come with me.”

As she spoke, the black-robed girl turned and walked away.

Zhang Fan glanced at his surroundings, bit his lip, and finally overcame his hesitation, following after her.

“M-miss… are you a Daoist priestess from Zhenwu Mountain?” Zhang Fan trailed behind, keeping a careful distance, probing cautiously.

“‘Priestess’ is an insult—like calling someone who can’t do magic a Muggle.” The black-robed girl didn’t turn her head.

“Do Daoists even watch Harry Potter?” Zhang Fan muttered to himself.

Still, he remembered Li Yishan saying that both men and women could be called Daoists, or men as Qian Dao and women as Kun Dao.

“May I ask your Daoist title…”

“I have no title.” The black-robed girl’s tone remained unshaken.

“Then how should I address you?” Zhang Fan paused, pressing further.

Another brief silence, then the hollow, melodious voice sounded again in the dark.

“Jiang Lai!”

“Jiang Lai… such a beautiful name. I’m Zhang Fan, I came here to…”

Zhang Fan had barely introduced himself when the black-robed girl suddenly stopped. The night was dark, the mountain steep—he couldn’t brake in time and crashed into her, a warm sensation passing through his body.

“Alive…”

At that moment, Zhang Fan’s tense heart eased slightly; at the same time, a faint fragrance drifted from Jiang Lai—not like perfume, but like the incense smoke of a Daoist temple, soothing and calming.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhang Fan spoke, masking his restless thoughts.

Breath... breath... breath...

No sooner had he spoken than a violent wind surged, bending the ancient trees on both sides of the path, kicking up dust and stones, churning the clouds as if a storm were about to break.

“Why did the weather change so suddenly?” Zhang Fan muttered.

At that moment, Jiang Lai pulled him behind a large green rock, her hollow eyes fixed straight ahead.

“Huh!?”

Zhang Fan’s heart stirred; he followed her gaze and saw a dilapidated, abandoned earthen shrine ahead suddenly crack open—out surged a massive, pitch-black shape.

“This… this…”

Zhang Fan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It was a giant black serpent; its head alone was as large as a dining table, the pale moonlight glinting off its glossy, obsidian scales with an eerie sheen.

“What breed is this? How did it grow so big?” Zhang Fan felt dazed.

The black serpent emerged from the ruined shrine, coiling its massive body into a mound that, from afar, looked like a small hill—the wind around it grew fiercer…

Now it raised its head toward the moon, flicking its tongue, the air temperature dropping rapidly.

“W-what is that?” Zhang Fan edged closer to Jiang Lai, whispering cautiously.

“Worshipping the moon. It has five hundred years of cultivation.” Jiang Lai spoke calmly.

“Five hundred years? This snake has lived five hundred years?”

Zhang Fan froze, finding it unbelievable.

“For animals, one lunar cycle—full moon to new moon—is one year…” Jiang Lai said casually.

One lunar cycle equals one month; thus, an animal’s one year equals a human’s one month. That’s why many animals worship the moon—foxes, weasels, snakes, cats, toads, and so on.

By this measure, a dog reaches sexual maturity at one to one and a half years—equivalent to a human aged twelve to eighteen. So a snake with five hundred years of cultivation is roughly equivalent to a fifty-year-old human.

Most snakes live only ten to fifteen years.

“So that’s why they always claim a thousand years of cultivation… I get it now… So then…”

“Is this a spirit?”

No sooner had he spoken than the black serpent’s belly swelled violently, its throat convulsing with a sound like distant thunder—the wind around it grew wilder.

At that moment, Zhang Fan saw a stream of luminous white mist drifting slowly from the sky, gathering around the moon, like flowing light drawn into the black serpent’s maw.

Simultaneously, the serpent’s scales rose and fell rhythmically, exuding a foul, pungent odor from its body.

“Sun essence, moon essence!?”

Zhang Fan’s heart surged—he’d always heard animals in the mountains cultivated by absorbing sun essence and moon essence, but he never imagined he’d witness it firsthand.

Roar…

Suddenly, the black serpent let out a roar, oddly like a cow’s bellow; it flicked its tongue and whirled its head toward the large green rock.

“It spotted us.”

Zhang Fan’s heart lurched; before he could react, the serpent—massive as a hill—lunged forward, crushing a stretch of forest as a dark shadow surged toward them.

At that moment, Jiang Lai rose slowly, stepping in front of Zhang Fan.

“W-what are you doing? Run… run away!” Zhang Fan exclaimed in shock.

Boom…

Almost simultaneously, the black serpent charged—Jiang Lai extended one hand; her slender arm seemed to hold boundless power, halting the monstrous spirit dead in its tracks. The shockwave spread along the ground, cracking the earth in jagged lines.

“Is she even human?”

In an instant, Jiang Lai’s hand swept lightly—the black serpent flew like a severed kite, its massive body smashing and shattering the mountain path.

The impact forced it to spit out a mouthful of old blood; then, a milky-white stream of energy shot out from its body.

“Moon essence!?”

Zhang Fan’s heart stirred—the moon essence flew straight toward him; before he could react, it merged into his body.

Instantly, a cool sensation spread through every part of him.

Roar…

Seeing this, the black serpent roared in fury, its emerald eyes glowing like lanterns in the dark; it coiled its body, whipping up a gale, and charged straight at Zhang Fan.

“Go back!”

Suddenly, Jiang Lai darted forward, blocking Zhang Fan; one hand held off the serpent’s charge, the other shoved him backward—he lost his balance and flew into the air.

“Jiang Lai…”

Zhang Fan cried out, snapping his eyes open.

“You really know how to sleep… Stillness meditation really helps with insomnia.”

Li Yishan’s voice came from beside him.

Zhang Fan felt dazed—he was still in the hotel room, his clothes soaked in sweat. He turned his head; Li Yishan was lying on the bed scrolling through his phone. Outside, daylight had long since broken.

“I fell asleep?” Zhang Fan asked instinctively.

“You slept like a dead pig—even shouting couldn’t wake you. I was going to take you on a night tour of Zhenwu Mountain.” Li Yishan glanced over dismissively.

“Who’s Jiang Lai? You kept calling her name in your dream.”

“So it was just a dream… Guess I’ve been under too much stress.”

Zhang Fan exhaled slowly, rubbing his throbbing temples, gazing out the window—somehow, today’s sunlight seemed unusually bright.

“Now, a special announcement…”

At that moment, the park’s public address system blared to life.

“Due to last night’s strong winds, the mountain path has collapsed. Emergency repairs are underway. The Nanxu Gong section is temporarily closed. Tourists must detour—no passage allowed.”

(End of Chapter)