After reporting to the village chief, Lark returned home.

"You're just in time Lark, our guest, just woke up a little while ago." Said Ye Yan, pointing to Tai Lung.

"Thank you for rescuing me in this blizzard, my name is Bai Mao." Said Tai Lung, thanking Lark with a wave of his hand.

 "No worries," Lark replied briefly.

Everyone sat down around the table and Lark and Ye Yan began to eat. Ye Yan, to avoid silence, began to speak.

"So ... mister Bai Mao, are you a traveler? Are you a merchant? What are you doing in the region to get stuck in a blizzard like this?" Ye Yan asked.

"I am a traveler miss Ye Yan, I am a kung fu master on a journey to discover China" replied Tai Lung.

"Wow!!!" said Ye Yan her eyes full of spark the moment she heard that Tai Lung was a kung fu master "You heard Lark, Mr. Bai is a kung fu master! Where are you from? Are you famous? Are you as strong as Master Thundering Rhino?" Ye Yan asked as she shook Lark's arm, who had been eating quietly until then.

"Heum, I come from far to the north." Tai Lung said, hesitating a little at Ye Yan's enthusiasm.

(Use this opportunity to ask them where we are Tai Lung) Said William.

"Also, I wanted to ask you ... by any chance, where is located the village we're currently in?" Tai Lung asked the wolf couple.

"You are actually in the village at the foot of Chorh-Gom Mountain." Lark replied, while Ye Yan was still shaking his arm, fantasizing about kung fu masters.

"And where are you going?" Ye Yan asked.

"Peace Valley! ... I have some business to attend to there." replied Tai Lung instantly.

"You're going to Peace Valley! Are you an acquaintance of the Furious Five, Mr Bai ? ... mmh, I know there's a tigress among them, but I don't remember a snow leopard" Ye Yan said thoughtfully.

"A snow leopard ..." murmured Lark quietly at the mention of the Furious Five and then looked at Tai Lung while thinking deeply.

The meal continued in a positive atmosphere imposed mainly by Ye Yan. Tai Lung, overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of this kung fu fan very similar to a certain panda, preferred to leave the control of his body to William for the day. Lark, tired by his day and his wife's nonchalance, went upstairs to sleep, leaving Ye Yan and William alone. The two began an intense discussion of martial arts that lasted well into the night.

The next morning, despite being two different people, Tai Lung and William, share the same body and therefore share their fatigue. They had great difficulty getting out of bed because of yesterday's long lasting discussion. They managed to get out of bed only about halfway through the morning, greeting Lark who was waiting for Tai Lung in order to collect his testimony about the accident on the mountain from the village chief. In the chief's house, the discussion lasted several hours, with Tai Lung recounting what had happened, omitting of course that it was he who had escaped from the prison. Leaving the chief's house at dawn, Lark offered Tai Lung a tour of the village, which Tai Lung accepted.

(Finally!!! We got out. I couldn't take it anymore. What do we do now Tai Lung?) William asked Tai Lung.

(Our objective remains the same. We're on our way to the Valley of Peace. The journey will probably take a few weeks. We need food, water ... a map maybe, but I doubt they have one. And everything needs to be easy to carry) replied Tai Lung, thinking of everything he needed.

(We don't have any money though) replied William.

(That's easy to find, as we have several options. First, we can steal money from someone and leave as quickly as possible. Or we can ...)

William suddenly cut Tai Lung off with a stern tone. (Or else we avoid antagonizing the village that rescued us and we repay our debt to the villagers by helping them. They'll probably get a reward for us).

(Ah ah ah! I knew you wouldn't like the first solution.) Tai Lung laughed inwardly.

(You resort too easily to crime Tai Lung) said Tai Lung judging him.

As William and Tai Lung conversed inwardly to plan the next stage of their journey, they walked alongside Lark, who was showing them around the village. However, a discussion between several villagers drew their attention.

"A merchant was attacked again this morning!" declared a villager.

"The attacks are becoming more and more frequent, we have to do something! We have to talk to the village chief." Said another.

"Are there any attacks around the village?" Tai Lung asked, breaking into the conversation.

"Yes, bandits, they've been around for a few months now. Usually, when the rhinos in the Chorh-Gom mountains came down several times a month, they took the opportunity to get rid of any undesirable individuals hanging around the village. We usually thanked them at the tavern by buying them a round of drinks, but since the explosion..." commented Lark.

(In the end, Chorh-Gom's guards were much more useful than I thought.) says William.

(They were mostly interested in alcohol if you ask me.) Tai Lung replied to William before asking the villagers, "Do you know where their camp is?"

"No, all we know is that the attacks often take place on the west road of the village. We've forbidden the children to go there to play" replied the first villager.

"Very well, thank you." Said Tai Lung

(Finally, William, we've found a solution that suits us both. On your side you help the villagers by chasing away the bandits, and on my side we steal the money they've stolen!) Said Tai Lung, smiling and rubbing his hands with excitement.

(Okay...) sighed William

"I'll get rid of those vermin for you," Tai Lung told the villagers.

"There are a lot of them..." Lark added.

"In that case, they'll make a superb warm-up. However, let's wait until tomorrow," replied William instead of Tai Lung.

"Why is that?" Lark asked.

Just then, a sound was heard from the leopard's belly "The sun is setting and it's been a long day, let's eat and sleep first," said William, a little embarrassed as he heard the sound of his stomach.

(Yeah food!) cried Tai Lung inwardly (I want meat!).

"Let's go back then" Said Lark as he started to go back home.

With Tai Lung following him, both of them returned to the wolf's house, eating the meal Ye Yan had prepared for them. Tomorrow he will be busy.

AmandeTheCat

Writing about food made me hungry ...