3 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Bai Van could only guide Lian Sheng as they crawled around the roof eaves, ultimately running into Wang Yue Dao Zhang, who, predictably, subjected them to a round of punishment. Lian Sheng was tasked with sweeping the floor, while Bai Van had to fetch water. One person and one snake were under Wang Yue Dao Zhang's strict supervision. Only when the gigantic water tank was completely filled did Bai Van get to rest. Lian Sheng, still a child, was crying while struggling to sweep, barely taller than the broom he wielded. Seeing Bai Van finish its task, Lian Sheng's sobs grew louder as he attempted to finish sweeping. Bai Van opened its snake mouth with a schadenfreude grin, appearing almost menacing, with its two large venomous fangs glinting faintly. Such days passed quickly; Lian Sheng grew into a seven or eight-year-old child in the blink of an eye, while Bai Van remained a large white snake, reaching a length of around ten meters before ceasing to grow, regardless of how many times it shed its skin. One day, Lian Sheng led Bai Van to the back mountain to chop wood. Lian Sheng was struggling up the slope, while Bai Van leisurely followed behind. As he chopped the wood, Lian Sheng mumbled, "Big White, when will Master teach us something else? I've been reciting those scriptures for seven or eight years now, and I can recite them backward. Even now, I still have to listen to them every day. It's so boring." Bai Van lay sprawled on a tree, glancing at Lian Sheng. It had listened to those chants for many years too, and was equally bored. Besides teaching them how to chant sutras, Wang Yue Dao Zhang seemed incapable of teaching anything else. However, Bai Van had no particular expectations. Previously, it used to get a small pill once a month; now, it could have one every day, and that made it very content. Its scales were now incredibly tough, even resistant to fire. Sometimes Bai Van sighed at its twenty-plus years of being a snake, having forgotten almost everything from its past life. Given its limited snake brain, merely remembering it used to be a human in its past life was impressive. After chopping wood, they returned home. Since the volume was significant, Lian Sheng passed the load he couldn't carry to Bai Van, who felt like a half-nanny, having watched Lian Sheng grow up, much like raising a son. Back at the Taoist temple, one person and one snake got started on cooking. Wang Yue Dao Zhang often went out to perform rites, exorcising spirits for others. Over the seven or eight years, Wang Yue Dao Zhang seemed to have aged considerably; what used to take him a few days now took him over half a month. This time, Wang Yue Dao Zhang returned with many items, including food and clothes. "From now on, I won’t go out anymore and will stay to focus on teaching you." Wang Yue Dao Zhang said earnestly to Bai Van and Lian Sheng, as though determined to stay here for the rest of his life. Bai Van found it strange but couldn’t derive any deeper meaning from it. Finally, one person and one snake began learning new things, though Bai Van still didn’t understand them. Only Lian Sheng, with his sharp mind, learned quickly. Initially, Wang Yue Dao Zhang intended for Bai Van to keep pace, but realizing its brain wasn’t responsive—forgetting the beginning while learning the end—he eventually focused solely on teaching Lian Sheng. For Bai Van, time seemed to pass in an instant; it unwittingly became a demon with a seemingly endless lifespan, while human lifespans remained fleeting. In the blink of an eye, Lian Sheng had grown into a young man. Wang Yue Dao Zhang finally grew too old to move, lying in bed all day, leaving the entire temple’s livelihood to Lian Sheng. Bai Van often lay at Wang Yue Dao Zhang’s bedside. "In the blink of an eye, it’s been over twenty years. White Snake, I haven’t taught you much, but at least I kept you from treading the path of evil!" Wang Yue Dao Zhang said to Bai Van, who felt a sudden pang of sadness when Wang Yue Dao Zhang passed away. Lian Sheng wept bitterly, crying loudly over his master’s body. At that moment, Bai Van realized that a hundred years of life was but a fleeting moment. It thought about the day it would die, not knowing who would be by its side, feeling a sudden, deep melancholy. Lian Sheng took over Wang Yue Dao Zhang's responsibilities, managing the entire Wang Yue Temple. Bai Van still liked to hang from the house beams. Wang Yue Dao Zhang’s grave lay behind the temple. Sometimes, when Lian Sheng went out, only Bai Van remained. It would idle by Wang Yue Dao Zhang’s grave, hissing complaints. Seasons came and went, yet Bai Van remained unchanged. Time seemed to halt for it. Because of its constant exposure to sunlight and moonlight, its body only grew sturdier; its vision improved. What used to see close-up now saw far into the distance. It lay on the temple's doorstep, watching the path down the mountain, waiting for Lian Sheng to return. Lian Sheng had learned Wang Yue Dao Zhang's skills, seemingly even more adept than his master, and Bai Van clung to him, enjoying the daily small pill at the temple. This mountain had only one temple. Over the years, aside from the old man back then, no one else seemed willing to come here. Bai Van wondered how those who had left Lian Sheng found this place. At dusk, sensing impending rain, Bai Van lit an oil lamp and hung it at the temple door to guide Lian Sheng back home. Drowsily, Bai Van eventually fell asleep. Late at night, Lian Sheng returned, soaked by the rain. Seeing the large white snake sleeping on the ground warmed his heart. The big white snake had always been with him, more like a family than Wang Yue Dao Zhang, who was often away performing rites. After changing into dry clothes and eating the dinner Bai Van had prepared, he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. In the morning, there was a knock on the temple door. Bai Van, still groggy due to the overcast day, was surprised by the sound. Looking over at the still-sleeping Lian Sheng, it wondered who could be outside. Dragging its body to the door, Bai Van skillfully nudged open the latch with its head, revealing two young Taoists, dressed in fine robes, who were unfazed by the sight of Bai Van. “Well met, fellow Taoist,” they greeted with impeccable manners. Bai Van wanted to speak but could only hiss twice, then opened the door to let the two young Taoists in. Inside, Lian Sheng’s voice called out. “Big White, are there visitors?” “Hiss hiss!” “Please ask the guests to wait a moment; I’ll be out shortly after changing.” “Hiss hiss.” Bai Van deftly used its body to push two chairs over, signaling the young Taoists to sit. They appeared to be in their early twenties, fair-skinned, definitely not from poor families. “Thank you,” they said to Bai Van. Shortly after, Lian Sheng finally emerged. Despite wearing an old robe, he looked vigorous due to his good looks. "What brings you both to our humble temple?" Lian Sheng asked politely. Bai Van observed, feeling awkward as it had only seen three people in its lifetime. These two visitors made it a total of five, making the formalities seem quite odd. The two young Taoists immediately stood up and bowed, catching Lian Sheng off-guard as he wasn’t used to such reverence. “Why are you two bowing to me?” Lian Sheng inquired. “We are disciples of the Qingxu Sect, and we have come under the orders of the Grandmaster to bring back the Young Sect Master,” one of the Taoists explained. Lian Sheng and Bai Van were both bewildered. Bai Van, more so since it didn’t comprehend, but Lian Sheng knew nothing of this either. He knew he was an abandoned child, but Wang Yue Dao Zhang had never mentioned this to him. “Who is this Grandmaster you speak of?” Lian Sheng asked. The two Taoists exchanged looks before one continued, “If the Young Sect Master is uncertain, we can escort you to meet the Grandmaster, and all will be clarified.” After pondering for a moment, Lian Sheng turned to Bai Van and said, “Big White, I will follow these two Taoists first. Stay here in the temple and wait for my return.” Bai Van looked up at Lian Sheng, then at the two strangers, and reluctantly nodded. The Taoists glanced at Bai Van several times, seemingly intrigued by such an intelligent snake, likely assuming it was Lian Sheng’s familiar. Watching Lian Sheng leave with the two Taoists, Bai Van felt an indescribable loneliness. What if Lian Sheng never came back? Would it have to return to the wild, living a life of eating raw meats? Accustomed to the small pills, Bai Van had developed a taste. The thought of returning to raw flesh made it feel nauseous. Bai Van smacked its snake lips, slithered to the water tank, and gazed at its reflection. It had long grown used to its appearance: white scales like fine jade and a smooth, flat snake’s head. Wang Yue Dao Zhang had mentioned that Bai Van was already a demon. Aside from being bigger and having a longer lifespan than other snakes, it didn’t seem special in any other way. Ordinary snakes lived about seven or eight years, while Bai Van had lived for nearly thirty. Counting its past life, it would be in its fifties or sixties—an age where it could be a grandmother. Wang Yue Dao Zhang only taught it how to chant scriptures; it couldn't learn any other skills. Bai Van always thought it was too stupid, but later, it realized the difference between humans and demons. For a demon to practice human cultivation was fundamentally wrong: not practicing its own abilities but learning those of humans. However, cultivation for demons was exceedingly difficult. Humans were favored by the Heavenly Dao, making their innate cultivation much smoother. Bai Van was just a lowly snake demon, without even a lineage of inheritance. If it weren't for the lucky chance to swallow that black snake, it would have long been reduced to a pile of yellow earth. Bai Van waited from morning until night, yet Lian Sheng did not return, leaving it with a lingering sense of unease. Nevertheless, it remembered Lian Sheng's request to wait for his return. That night, Bai Van carefully climbed onto the beam it had hung onto for decades, afraid its weight might collapse the beam. Wang Yue Temple had been there for countless years, and that night the wind howled fiercely, making the tiles on the roof clatter noisily. Nestled on the beam, Bai Van thought that when Lian Sheng returned the next day, it would definitely ask him to repair the tiles; otherwise, the house would surely leak. Outside, thunder roared and lightning flashed. In all its years there, Bai Van had never heard such deafening thunder, even louder than the lightning strike that had once struck the black snake. What Bai Van thought would stop in a moment continued for several hours. The sky outside looked ominously dark as if it were the end of the world. By the next day, the storm still hadn't stopped. Numerous tiles had been blown off the roof, and rainwater dripped everywhere. Fearing that the ancestral tablets would get soaked, Bai Van could only hunch over to shield them from the rain, glaring up at the leaking roof and muttering complaints in its heart.