Chapter 1.3 The Snake Transforms and Enters the Mortal World
As the night grew deeper, Fahai walked into Lin'an City. Despite walking the entire day, he showed no signs of fatigue and maintained a dignified presence. In the silent alleyway, his Zen staff trembled and his bell rang crisply. Suddenly, Fahai's expression changed and he chased after something with his staff in hand.
Perched on a tree, Bai Suzhen heard the approaching Buddhist chant and her heart tightened. She quickly hid and ran away while gasping for breath. After escaping for dozens of miles, she patted her chest in relief and said to herself, "That monk scared me! But...why did I run away? He's just a monk, isn't he? But since he's chasing me, I naturally have to run."
In an inconspicuous dark room in the city, a small candle could only illuminate a small space. The room was extremely messy, with various colored embroidery threads and traces of blood scattered on the ground. Under the light, a graceful figure of a woman was reflected. What made people's scalp tingle was that two voices, one male and one female, overlapped and came from the woman's body.
"Who allowed you to interfere with me earlier? It was just a snake with less than a thousand years of cultivation. How dare it meddle in my affairs!"
"We demons never interfere with each other. Aren't there plenty of children to feast on? Why do you have to protect the snake demon?"
"I'm happy! I love to eat the flesh of filial children and hear the cries of mothers who have lost their children! Only then can I relieve my resentment! What do you, a mere insect, know?"
"Insect? Hahaha, aren't you an insect now too? I only want to improve my cultivation. Stop causing trouble. The monk from Jinshan Temple has arrived in Lin'an with the demon-slaying Zen staff. Didn't you hear the urgent bell ringing?"
"You're afraid of that monk, but I'm not. I want to see what he's capable of!"
The flickering light cast a strange atmosphere in the room as the two voices argued incessantly within one body.
Changsheng had been eagerly waiting for a few days, but the fairy sister who could save him still hadn't come to see him. He was getting anxious.
Knock, knock, knock - the sound of knocking on the door echoed.
"Big Sister Fairy!" Changsheng ran over joyfully to open the door but saw Xu Xian holding several bags of medicine standing on the steps. He was somewhat disappointed and slumped his shoulders, saying, "It's Uncle Xu."
He stepped aside and let Xu Xian come in, then looked outside the door with discontent.
Xu Xian lifted his hand and tapped his head, teasing him, "You're not happy to see Uncle Xu? Who are you waiting for?"
Changsheng shook his head despondently. "I'm not waiting for anyone."
Xu Xian shook the medicine herbs in his hand and said, "This is medicine for your mother."
Changsheng's eyes turned red, and he didn't know what to say. "Thank you, Uncle Xu. But for raising money for my family, you even impersonated Hua Tuo to cheat people..."
Xu Xian smiled indifferently and walked over to ruffle his head, comforting him, "You don't understand, do you? It's not cheating, it's called applying knowledge to practical use. At least, I helped people cure their illnesses."
Changsheng pouted. "But you haven't cured my mother yet."
Xu Xian made a gesture as if he were going to hit him, but he only tapped his head. "You silly child! Remember to bring me a fan to light the fire. I'll go to the kitchen to boil the medicine first!"
Soon, the sound of water scooping and fire crackling came from the kitchen. Xu Xian soaked the herbs he had brought in water. Changsheng sat by the window, propping his chin and wondering when the fairy sister would come. She wouldn't really deceive him, would she?
As he was feeling troubled, Changsheng suddenly noticed the New Year painting on the wall blink at him. Excited, he stood up and stared at the painting, touching it gently and asking, "Sister Immortal, is it you? Did you come to cure my mother?"
A burst of white light flashed, and Bai Suzhen appeared in front of Changsheng. She walked over, patted his little head, then turned to look at Lady Yu who lay on the bed, her face waxen and still, enveloped in a dark aura.
Bai Suzhen extended her finger and placed it on Lady Yu's forehead, where a snake-like, blue mark was flickering.
It was actually the poison of a demon snake!
Changsheng saw the seriousness on her face and asked worriedly, "Sister, can you cure my mother?"
Bai Suzhen nodded, "Don't worry, with me here, I will definitely cure her."
As they were talking, Xu Xian entered the room carrying a bowl of medicine. He stared in surprise at Bai Suzhen, his face darkening, "Who are you?"
Changsheng, seeing Xu Xian's unhappy expression, explained, "Uncle Xu, Sister Immortal came to cure my mother!"
Xu Xian sneered, "What Sister Immortal? You're just a little swindler who doesn't even spare children, and you dare to come here to deceive people!" Bai Suzhen tilted her head, also scrutinizing Xu Xian, "It's you! I kindly advised you to do good, but you persisted in your mistakes and even accused me of deceiving people as a doctor!"
Changsheng tugged at Xu Xian's sleeve anxiously, "Uncle Xu, Sister Immortal, please don't argue."
Xu Xian hesitated, then questioned, "Why do you call me uncle and her sister? Am I that much older than her? For Changsheng's sake, I won't quarrel with you. Let's make a bet and see who can cure Lady Yu."
Bai Suzhen hugged her arms, disdainful of the mortal, "Let's bet!"
Xu Xian took the initiative, "If you can cure her, I will obey any punishment. If you can't, then please stay away from Changsheng. Oh, Miss, you said you can cure her, where is the medicine?"
Bai Suzhen touched her hair and carelessly replied, "Wait a minute, I'm going to find the medicine now! Changsheng, do you remember where your mother has been recently?"
Changsheng thought carefully, "My mother went to the Imperial Street, the neighbor's house, and... oh, I remember, she fell ill on the day of the Winter Solstice, and every year at this time, she goes to the Nuwa Temple on Shili Slope to pray for a peace talisman for me."
Bai Suzhen nodded and looked at Xu Xian provocatively, secretly making a note in her heart. Nuwa Temple?
Nuwa Temple on Shili Slope was somewhat dilapidated and spooky due to lack of maintenance. Because there were few believers, there were not many incense offerings, and anyone who wanted to make a wish would prefer to go to more distant and bustling temples, except for Lady Yu who would come to pray for a peace talisman for her son.
In the temple, there was a statue of Nuwa with a human body and a snake tail, and a statue of Fuxi, with male and female attendants on either side.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew into the dilapidated temple, shaking the door. One of the statues couldn't help but sneeze, and the statue next to it, which had been holding two axes high in its hands, wavered and dropped one of them, which directly hit the toe of the statue next to it. The statue couldn't help but jump up and down, and the remaining statues followed suit, swaying and falling.
Gui Bao grimaced, "I said, Dazhen, can't you hold the axe steady?"
Dazhen also complained, "Blame it on the big drum, with such a big belly and still leaking air! Why sneeze for no reason! I'm already tired from holding this axe all day, and now I can't even lift it after being scared by it."
A Luo also complained, "The boss's idea of 'pretending to be a god' is too unreliable. We haven't had any worshippers all day. Let's take a break."
Several golden lights flashed, and the little demons who were posing as statues in the temple turned into four men with different figures.
Suddenly, Big Claws asked, "Where's the boss?"
Everyone looked at each other and followed the black smoke coming from behind the statue of Nuwa, all heading in that direction.
Behind the statue of Nuwa were plates filled with offerings of fruits. A beautiful person with an androgynous appearance was roasting the fruits over the fire, with a green snake tail wagging under the blanket.
Gui Bao shouted, "Boss...what are you doing?"
Xiao Qing didn't even look up, seriously eating and said, "Roasting food to eat."
"Can you roast fruits to eat?"
Xiao Qing shook his head and said, "They all went against me and were too cold. In this cold winter, if you give me a snake, how can I survive?"
"Boss, but you've survived so many winters before, right?"
Xiao Qing gave them a disdainful look and said, "During those ghostly seasons, I lived in a warm attic wrapped in a brocade robe, drank Bi Guang wine from Liu Xian Ge, and ate Su Bai meat from Wang Yue Lou! Why should I freeze in this lousy place? Blame that stinky centipede for occupying my territory and forcing me to beg for offerings in this dilapidated temple."
Big Drum hung his head and said, "But we can't beat her."
Xiao Qing was touched by the truth and threw off his blanket, angrily saying, "Who can't beat her? I'm a good man and won't fight with women. I'll let her be."
A Luo curiously asked, "Boss, are you a man or a woman?"
Xiao Qing didn't want to continue being silly with them, too busy continuing to roast and eat. He waved his hand and chased them away, saying, "Get out of here! We've worked hard to train our human bodies, just to reshape ourselves as men and women! I've been cultivating for 500 years, just waiting for this day of rebirth. Sigh, as someone with such a heavenly appearance, there must be many people who love me. If I become a man, I'll hurt women's hearts. I can't bear to think about it."
As they were talking, a fragrant wind blew past, carrying a powerful spiritual aura, drawing several people behind the statue of Nuwa to go and see.
A woman in a white dress and black hair came gracefully, with a rare and enchanting charm in her gait, her figure graceful and alluring.
Xiao Qing looked at the beautiful woman outside, and two lines of nosebleeds slowly flowed down.