The White Snake

"Beneath Mount Qingcheng~ Bai Suzhen~"

"A thousand years in a cave~ to gain this form! Ah~~ ah~~~"

Amidst the lush mountain forests, the girl in green walked while singing. She wore a bamboo hat, and the falling leaves that drifted onto its brim were casually shaken off by her. On her shoulder, a small azure bird covered its head with its wings and shouted, "Can you stop singing, you stupid snake! It's so noisy—"

Great disasters were rising across the world, leaving countless stretches of barren land. Where could one find grain? In the Land of Abundance within Shu.

The Land of Abundance possessed thousands of miles of fertile soil.

Shaodian Qingnu and Hongluan had traveled all the way southwest to the lands of Shu, where they had purchased a significant amount of grain.

However, what surprised Hongluan was that upon arriving at this Mount Qingcheng near Dujiangyan, this stupid snake had suddenly started acting crazy for some reason!

If it were just acting crazy, that would be one thing, but she was singing too!

Her voice was clearly beautiful, but the way she sang made the bird feel like it was going mad!

"Ahem—!!"

Shaodian Qingnu clenched her fist and coughed lightly. "Sorry, I just got swept up in the mood!"

She stopped, and Hongluan breathed a sigh of relief, asking, "Stupid snake, who is Bai Suzhen? You've never been to Mount Qingcheng before, so how do you know someone called Bai Suzhen is here? Is she also a spirit?"

The snake girl swayed her head from side to side and said, "This is a secret of the heavens; it cannot be spoken, it cannot be told!"

Seeing this stupid snake acting all mysterious, Hongluan rolled her eyes.

Ever since she attained a divine office, this stupid snake had become increasingly pretentious.

Reaching the summit of Mount Qingcheng and looking out over the Chengdu Plain, Shaodian Qingnu saw the distant Longquan Mountains stretching out. The Chengdu Plain lay flat and vast, sandwiched between the mountains and the high plateaus.

"It's been a long time since I last climbed Mount Qingcheng."

Shaodian Qingnu sighed with emotion.

That was right—she was a Sichuan snake! She could be considered a fellow provincial to Bai Suzhen. Across the Longquan Mountains was her former home.

Shaodian Qingnu took a deep breath, looking back at the distant Xiling Snow Mountain.

"Let's go, Sister Bird."

However, Shaodian Qingnu did not simply fly away. Instead, she followed the same path back down the mountain.

Hongluan tilted her head, her expression puzzled. "Walking it all over again? Aren't you tired?"

"Walking more is good for physical and mental health. Besides, the next time I come to Mount Qingcheng, it will be at least a hundred years from now. With scenery like this, I naturally want to look a little longer."

Shaodian Qingnu hummed a little tune all the way down the mountain, but as she reached the foot, she keenly sensed that something was wrong.

She twitched her nose and whispered, "There's a scent!"

"What?"

Hongluan craned her neck and turned her head. "How come I don't smell anything?"

Shaodian Qingnu poked her head and said, "Dummy! Can you compare to a snake's nose? By the time you smell it, we'll be right in front of them!"

The snake girl lowered her posture and approached quickly.

In the forest not far ahead, a hunter was holding a white snake and talking to a small shepherd boy.

Seeing this classic combination, Shaodian Qingnu was stunned on the spot, blinking her eyes.

Was she dreaming?

How was this scene so strangely familiar?

Shaodian Qingnu rubbed her eyes. Hongluan, seeing her startled expression, turned her little head to look at the hunter and the shepherd boy, asking in a low voice, "Do you know them? Which one is Bai Suzhen?"

"The one in his hand," Shaodian Qingnu replied.

Regardless of whether Hongluan understood or not, Shaodian Qingnu leaped into a tree in a flash to observe the situation.

The little shepherd boy used his fruit to trade for the little white snake's life.

After the hunter left, the little white snake transformed into human form behind a tree, appearing as a little girl about the same size as the shepherd boy.

Seeing the white snake turn into a person, Shaodian Qingnu instinctively glanced at Hongluan on her shoulder.

She had thought Hongluan would jump in surprise, but she found the bird staring intently at the scene below without any unusual emotions. Shaodian Qingnu couldn't help but shake her head, clicking her tongue. "Sister Bird, I thought you'd be jealous seeing her able to transform at such a small size."

Hearing this, Hongluan tilted her head.

Quickly, she shouted, "How is that possible? How could I be jealous of her? A little snake doesn't even deserve to be compared to me. I am..."

Midway through, Hongluan suddenly got stuck.

"Just keep bragging!"

Shaodian Qingnu didn't care about the second half of Hongluan's sentence.

Seeing her smile, Hongluan clicked her tongue and glanced at the little white snake. "So, she is Bai Suzhen?"

Shaodian Qingnu nodded and said, "That's right! Lady White."

Hongluan didn't understand who 'Lady White' was. After the shepherd boy left, Shaodian Qingnu led her down from the tree, intercepting Bai Suzhen who was about to head deep into Mount Qingcheng.

"Little snake, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Why not chat with your elder sister?"

Shaodian Qingnu leaned against a tree trunk and curled her finger at Bai Suzhen.

The little girl, Bai Suzhen, was scared half to death by Shaodian Qingnu's sudden appearance. Her eyes were filled with terror, and she hurriedly transformed back into her original form to flee.

But Shaodian Qingnu had lived for nearly three thousand years—she was a senior of countless generations!

Would she let this little white snake get away?

Shaodian Qingnu took off her bamboo hat and tossed it, covering Bai Suzhen's body. No matter how she moved, she couldn't escape. Only then did Shaodian Qingnu leisurely walk over, pick up the hat, flicked the little white snake's head, and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid, I don't eat snakes."

Bai Suzhen turned back into human form and kowtowed to Shaodian Qingnu.

"Please spare my life, Great One. I don't taste good..."

Shaodian Qingnu could pin her down with just a hat; she must be a great figure with accomplished cultivation!

Bai Suzhen understood that she certainly couldn't afford to offend such a person.

Seeing Bai Suzhen so panicked, Shaodian Qingnu thought for a moment, then squatted down to look at her and said, "Actually, I am also a snake. Look—"

As she spoke, azure scales appeared between her brows, and fine azure scale patterns formed at the corners of her eyes.

Seeing the snake scale patterns, Bai Suzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But soon, she became excited.

"Great One, you are so strong!"

"How did you become so powerful?"

Seeing the little white snake looking at her with such hope, Shaodian Qingnu thought for a moment and replied, "Read more books, read more newspapers, eat fewer snacks, and sleep more!"

Bai Suzhen was puzzled and tilted her head. "What is a 'newspaper'? And why should I eat fewer snacks?"

"Ahem..."

Shaodian Qingnu coughed lightly and shook her head. "It's nothing! Little snake, do you want to learn how to cultivate?"

Hearing this, Bai Suzhen's eyes immediately lit up. She nodded repeatedly. "I do! Great One, will you teach me?"

"Naturally! Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked."

Shaodian Qingnu nodded gently and added, "However, you only have half a day. How much you can learn depends on your own destiny."

Perhaps because she was the first of her kind she had seen in thousands of years, and such a familiar figure at that, Shaodian Qingnu was happy to teach her some cultivation methods. However, even Shaodian Qingnu didn't fully understand cultivation methods herself; her techniques and power mostly came from the offerings of the people.

What she could teach Bai Suzhen was not much, and it all depended on her comprehension.

She had said half a day, and she meant exactly half a day—not a moment more, not a moment less. When Shaodian Qingnu saw the sky brightening, she said to Bai Suzhen, "The time is up. We shall part ways here."

"Great One... no, Master!"

Hearing this, Bai Suzhen kowtowed solemnly to Shaodian Qingnu and said, "Thank you, Master, for passing on the teachings!"

Seeing her so sincere, Shaodian Qingnu raised her hand and gently patted her head. "Cultivate well here on Mount Qingcheng. We will meet again many years from now. Remember, while repaying kindness is fine, do not lose yourself in it."

After bidding farewell to Bai Suzhen, Shaodian Qingnu and Hongluan began their return to the Central Plains.

As she rode the mists, she suddenly frowned again, looking back at Mount Qingcheng, which had become nothing but a hazy green blur.

"Just what kind of ancient world have I come to..."