16. The Winged Snake that ate white paint
They all looked at me intently, those eyes seemed to see right through me, and that dominance made me feel like I couldn't breathe…
I bowed with some difficulty and said,
"It's truly a fortune of three lifetimes to meet the Winged Snake Ancestors, truly a fortune of three lifetimes, haha..."
The Black Winged Snake appeared to be their leader, and it slowly began to speak,
"Thou hast saved us from peril, and for this, we shall repay. However, during these troublesome times, it is hard for us to hide, and on matters of life and death, great fate cannot be altered. The Winged Snake Clan has thriven for ten thousand years, and we have our own principles. Despicable wretches are not to be feared but must be guarded against. To find ourselves in such a plight today is lamentable and tragic. Wrapped in quilts to meet our deaths, it's a death unworthy of grief. But thou…"
I stood there feeling uncomfortable, and this time it wasn't because of the pressure.
Fuck…
Classical Chinese?
There aren't any annotations at this moment, and just listening to it…I fucking don't understand.
I'm in my sophomore year of college, the little I learned in high school, I've already given back to the teachers.
If they ask me something now and I can't answer, will I be smacked to death by the Winged Snake Ancestor's tail?
And my cause of death… would be because I didn't answer a classical Chinese question, so... smacked to death?
Thinking like this, I nearly started to cry.
The nearby White Winged Snake saw my gloomy face and, smacking its lips, said,
"Big Brother, stop speaking those pretentious words. Look, you've made this girl so confused, it's like you're talking to yourself. She looks like she hasn't read much and doesn't understand! Miss, listen to me! Here's the story!"
What followed was my shocked listening to a Winged Snake with a Northeastern accent telling me their story.
Turns out, the Winged Snake Clan were once masters of controlling fire and subduing floods, always living a secluded life and never causing chaos in the human realm.
In summer they would head to the seaside to avoid the heat, and in winter they soaked in the hot springs in the mountains; there wasn't a place on earth they hadn't been, living a carefree and joyful life.
Latterly, a human emperor, having heard some slanderous words, believed that the Nine Dragons Coffin Pull could grant rebirth and immortality, extending life indefinitely.
He led a group of sorcerers to their habitation in the sea and pretended to be drowning fishermen.
By coincidence, nine brothers of theirs were patrolling the sea and, the moment they went to rescue the men, were trapped by sorcery and were then encased alive in molten copper to guard the coffin.
They had been trapped there for at least five thousand years.
Their different colors were based on age and ability. When the oldest was born during a time of war, the Winged Snakes of the same age were killed or injured. It was one of the few survivors, a warrior with scars as badges of honor.
From the second to the eighth, their times were relatively peaceful and stable, and therefore, there were more of them, with no notable scars.
As for the White Snake…
It spoke with a bit of embarrassment, twisting and turning for a long time before it continued.
Turns out there was a bit of a mishap when it was born.
Newly hatched Little Winged Snakes would go to find their mother, but before it could even hug her, the drunken mother mistook it for trash and threw it into the garbage pile, where it ate something unclean...
And turned white, which has remained until now.
Initially, I thought the White Winged Snake must have some special skills, not expecting it to be as unlucky as Master.
Could it have eaten paint?
To turn a green snake white.
"That emperor, for some unknown reason, didn't enter the coffin after his death but became a masterless wandering soul encased within the octagonal copper coffin. We attempted communication with the soul, but couldn't establish a connection at all.
It seemed like the soul lacked awareness and was more like a bundle of vapour, and later we couldn't feel the vapour anymore. Indescribable, eh, young lady, do you know the current whereabouts of the Winged Snake Clan? We brothers have escaped from the statues and now we wish to return and take a look."
I was taken aback by the question, and recalling the contents of my grandmother's notes, they had never mentioned such things. Shaking my head, I said:
"I don't know. This time my visit is on someone else's behalf, and I have never heard of the Winged Snake Clan, nor have I seen them. I've only read about them in my grandmother's notes."
The White Winged Snake, upon hearing this, wanted to go see the outside world. However, as it tried to pass through the tunnel, its head was blocked by a Barrier with a clang and bounced back.
The impact was so severe that it hurt all over, and its vital spot nearly deformed.
The entire cave trembled along, and as I walked over to check, I didn't feel any Barrier…
Confused, I wondered why… I had been in and out several times without any Barrier hindering me.
A dark-green Winged Snake beside me watched its younger brother twisting in agony by the cave entrance and said helplessly:
"Ninth brother, you're too reckless. Have you forgotten about the Barrier's enchantment? For us to leave is as difficult as ascending to heaven, and moreover… even if we did go out, most of our cultivation would be stripped away. We'd then be ordinary serpent immortals, and to recover our Winged Snake form, it would take at least hundreds of years. We need to plan carefully for the next step..."
The White Winged Snake shook its head in frustration, causing its entire body to sway slightly...
"I'm not afraid. To be free is all that matters. I haven't roamed freely between heaven and earth for so many years. If I could get out, even if I had to scatter my cultivation, I would not hesitate! Besides, don't you miss our mother and the others? We can only find them if we get out. Here, we may be Winged Snakes, but to what end? We're nothing but prisoners! I need to get out, we all need to escape!"
My heart stirred upon hearing this, guessing the Barrier was probably set up by the geomancers specifically for these nine Winged Snakes…
So... breaking the enchantment shouldn't be difficult.
Taking a step forward, I said:
"I think I have a way to help the ancestors escape their bondage."
Upon my words, all nine Winged Snakes were taken aback, their huge heads crowding closer, which made me retreat two steps in fright.
So terrifying!
Snakes are already somewhat creepy, let alone nine big heads...
I stood straight, caught my breath, and tried to appear as credible as possible.
"This Barrier is useless against me. I believe I could take you all out. If you could… step back a bit and let me explain."
This Barrier was specifically designed to contain these Winged Snakes. It had no effect on humans. If I established a Shamanic contract with the Winged Snakes, then our fortunes would be tied together, and the Winged Snakes would be more than just Winged Snakes at that point, and we could then break the Barrier.
"Conditions."
Perhaps the White Winged Snake and the eldest Black Winged Snake had told each other not to mince words, so the big brother actually became rather blunt, simply demanding that I state my conditions.
This was a golden opportunity being thrown at me, and I had to catch it!
I stood up straight and gracefully bowed at a 90-degree angle.
"I am from the Shamanic Tribe, also known by the outside world as Chuma Immortal. I've gotten into trouble, so I don't have any Immortal Family with me, nor a formal shrine, only a Huang Xian that I turned into poop."
With a pursed mouth, I went on to say:
"I have two conditions. The first one is to see if you have any way to restore Master to his original form. The second is… I've been without Immortal Family for a long time, and it always leaves me feeling insecure. If you leave, you'll likely continue to cultivate, and if you could… enter into a contract with my shrine…"
I've never seen anyone establish a formal shrine, so I'm not really sure how to sign a contract with an Immortal Family. I was just thinking that my grandmother would help me when the time came.
Nervously, I spoke these words, not knowing if I was being too presumptuous.
But if I didn't speak now, such an opportunity would never come again in the future.
Winged Snakes, ah!
Divine creatures, ah!
How incredibly awesome!