Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 195 Deduction: The Origin of the White Snake, Yin Water Forms into a Dragon (Part 2)

[Spring of the 125th year.]

A white dragon transformed into a woman, saying she had come to repay a debt of gratitude and wished to marry Xu Xuan.

You treated him politely and offered kind advice, but you couldn't dispel his thoughts.

The white dragon said that he was short of a maid, and asked you to transform into a woman to fill the role and marry Xu Xuan.

If you refuse, the dragon will be enraged.

【you are dead. 】

……

Gan!
Something is wrong!

I'm a male snake, a male, why would I transform into a female?!
This white dragon is too domineering; if it doesn't do as you wish, it will kill you on the spot!
Liu Sheng cursed as he exited the panel, then flicked the nun's forehead to let her continue her beauty sleep.

Then we proceed with the deduction.

However, from then on, no matter what excuse he used to refuse, it was useless.

The white dragon seemed determined to have the green-scaled snake transform into a maidservant and attend to it.

If they don't comply, she'll kill them outright, just like a female bandit.

Since it concerned his personal dignity, Liu Sheng was determined to resist and came up with various ideas to circumvent the rules.

For example, move the two siblings a few years in advance; prevent Xu Xuan from moving to study outside the city; or simply get married earlier, etc.

But no matter where he moved Xu Xuan, Bai Jiao would always come knocking on their door.

Instead of going outside the city, she came under the moonlight at night.

If they get married early, the other side will start a massacre and cause a major war.

In the end, half of Lin'an City was reduced to ruins, and the incarnation of the Azure Scale Serpent was also caught in the crossfire and died tragically.

In short, if you don't do what Bai Jiao asks, she'll go berserk and cause a plot-driven death.

The journey was intermittent, with stops and starts along the way.

After struggling for his dignity dozens of times and trying various means to no avail, Liu Sheng finally chose to compromise.

Fine, fine, I'll wear women's clothes then, whatever, I'm tired.

After yet another failed simulation, Liu Sheng chose to give up.

That's exactly how I feel; it's so frustrating.

Once Lao Tzu's deduction is upgraded, he will definitely take revenge.

Just like the white eagle that transforms from a sparrow, I'll make you strike one hundred and eight poses, punishing you day and night!
At this point, the group set off again.

Liu Sheng calmed himself and mingled among the demons, waiting until the next rest period before resuming his calculations.

[In the 104th year, you emerged from underground...]

...

[Spring of the 125th year.]

A white dragon transformed into a woman and wished to marry Xu Xuan. It said that it needed a maid and asked you to transform into a woman to fill the role.

It is a dragon, and you are a snake; the difference in strength is vast, so I follow it.

The white dragon transformed into human form, possessing unparalleled beauty, dressed in light silk robes, and named Suzhen.

She then uses her magic to transform you into a maid in green, named Xiaoqing, and you follow her to purchase property in the city, forging the identity of "the daughter of the Bai family".

A few days later, it was the Shangsi Festival.

Xu Xuan returned from outside the city and passed by the Broken Bridge, where he met you who were waiting there.

The white dragon secretly manipulated the clouds with its demonic arts, causing a torrential downpour.

Then, naturally, they shared a boat to avoid the rain, exchanged umbrellas and left hairpins, fell in love at first sight, and got married within two days.

However, on their wedding night, the white dragon suddenly went berserk, plunging into the river and creating a massive wave that annihilated countless aquatic creatures.

After that, I'll beat you up to vent my anger.

It turns out that Xu Xuan was actually a woman!
You were greatly surprised and couldn't figure it out.

Since he was seven years old, when you found him and his siblings, you have been secretly protecting them all these years.

Although he was handsome, his words and actions were those of a man. How could he be a woman?
The white dragon led you into the bridal chamber, pointed to the golden bowl pendant on Xu Xuan's chest, and said that this item was a Buddhist ritual implement that could conceal one's appearance and gender, but could ward off demonic magic.

This matter must be caused by the influence of Buddhism.

He then used sorcery to bewitch Xu Jiao and extract the truth from her.

When Xu Xuan was three years old, an old monk came begging for alms, claiming to be the abbot of Jinshan Temple.

It is said that Xu Xuan suffered hardship throughout her life, harmed her relatives, and was plagued by numerous calamities. Only by reversing her gender and dressing as a man could she escape disaster and avoid calamities.

He also presented a gold bowl pendant to cover it up.

Lu Qing said that this monk had helped him wander all the way to Lin'an and saved his life, so he listened to his advice.

From then on, Xu Xuan became Xu Xuan, and the sisters became brother and sister.

Upon hearing the reason, Bai Jiao sneered repeatedly, only uttering the word "filthy" before falling silent.

Afterwards, it looked you up and down and said it could teach you the method to become a dragon, but you had to agree to one thing.

You've been wanting this method for years, but you've never had a clue. Now it's within your grasp. How can you miss it?

So, without hesitation, he agreed.

The white dragon's demand was to have intercourse with her and impregnate her.

As for the reason, it only says that it involves a bet.

Having cultivated for a thousand years, it is about to transform into a dragon in the river. It must repay all its karmic debts before it can break free of its shackles.

Xu Xuan had been kind to it in her previous life, and it had vowed to marry it in the next life to continue the family line.

Now that I am about to cross the river, I must settle this karmic debt.

However, despite all the planning, no one expected that Xu Xuan would be a woman in this life, and that her secret would be kept hidden from her until now.

It was too late to send them into the cycle of reincarnation.

Now the only option is to make the best of a bad situation, use a secret method to deceive everyone, and gamble on a chance.

Success means transcending tribulations and transforming into a dragon; failure means annihilation, with a thousand years of cultivation destroyed in an instant.

After a brief hesitation, you agreed and were taught the method of transforming into a dragon from the abyss.

That night, the bridal chamber was warm and cozy, and they rested until dawn.

The next day, everything was as usual.

Later, Bai Jiao gifted the Xu family a pharmacy and used his magic to exorcise ghosts and cure diseases, gaining great fame.

In early May, an epidemic broke out in the city. All the pharmacies in the city were requisitioned by the government, and the doctors were gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

At that time, a monk came from the east, wearing a kasaya and carrying a golden alms bowl. He had a dignified appearance and was the abbot of Jinshan Temple, Zen Master Fahai.

The Zen master said that the plague in the city was caused by a demonic plague, which was caused by the demons living in the city for a long time and the demonic energy accumulating and not being released.

Simply slay the demons, and the plague will disappear on its own.

It was also said that everyone in the arena carried a demonic aura, indicating that someone's home must be hiding a demon.

Therefore, he offered the "Five Yangs Demon-Suppressing Water" to the people, saying that this water could make demons appear.

He instructed everyone to take it back, mix it into realgar wine, and drink it at noon on the Dragon Boat Festival, in accordance with the six yang numbers, to ward off all evil spirits.

You and Bai Jiao are busy searching for the source of the plague. Upon tracing its origins, you discover that it is a six-winged water centipede that has become a demon and is performing a ritual to sacrifice a city.

After a fierce battle, the demon was slain. Inside the demon's body, a string of Buddhist beads was found, all made from the skulls of infants, and engraved with the Vajrayana Sutra, which can enable demons to become Buddhas.

The white dragon sneered, saying that everyone said monsters were ferocious, eating people and drinking blood, and committing countless murders.

Yet these Buddhists claim to be compassionate and abstain from meat, while their bodies are littered with bones—how laughable!

Shocked, you held the string of prayer beads in your hand, lost in thought.

This is yet another method to become a demon!

Returning to Lin'an, it happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival.

Xu Xuan cooked a meal and wine, saying, "My wife has worked hard," and offered realgar wine to add to the festivities, saying it could ward off the five poisonous creatures.

You and the white dragon have both become demons and monsters, and are no longer afraid of mere realgar. Drink it on the spot.

Once the wine enters your intestines, it's like the blazing sun entering your body. The intense yang energy instantly breaks your transformation technique, revealing your true form.

A dragon and a python, one white and one green, their bodies as large as mountains, crashed into houses and fell into the river, neutralizing the medicinal effects.

Xu Xuan fainted on the spot.

At that time, Fahai arrived, performed Buddhist rituals, offered his golden alms bowl, and attempted to subdue the demon.

At that time, you were in excruciating pain, and it was also the Dragon Boat Festival, a time of conflict with the seasons, so you could not exert 60% of your strength.

Just as the monk was about to succeed in taking you into his alms bowl, lightning struck down from the sky and smashed the golden bowl.

The monk stood silently, calculated with his fingers, his expression changed several times, and finally he left, taking Xu Xuan back to Jinshan Temple.

The white dragon stroked its belly and said, "It really works."

You then learn that she has conceived, and through a secret method, she has successfully deceived Heaven and is protected by divine law.

You don't understand, but you are deeply shocked.

This act is tantamount to deceiving Heaven, yet it has succeeded. What exactly is this "Heaven"?
The white dragon hesitated, then said only, "As long as sages live, great thieves will never cease."

...

[The 128th year, February 2nd.]

The white dragon was pregnant for three years and laid a white egg with blood-red dragon patterns on its shell, exuding a fierce aura.

The white dragon looked up at the sky, held the white egg in its hand, speechless and choked with emotion, and said, "It's time."

Then it revealed its true form, leaped into the water, and swam upstream, disappearing without a trace.

After more than a month, a massive flood came from the west, flowing down the river in a mighty torrent, breaching dikes and destroying fields. Within a thousand miles, everything was turned into a swamp, causing countless disasters.

However, when they passed through Lin'an, the floodwaters suddenly subsided, and the muddy waters lapped against the banks but did not flood the area.

Holding a white egg, you stand on the reef, and you can vaguely see a white shadow moving through the rolling waves, with horns on its head and whiskers growing on its lips, gradually taking on the appearance of a dragon.

It is a white dragon.

You exchanged a glance, then parted ways. Two days later, the waters flooded Jinshan Temple, yet it did not collapse.

Several days later, Fahai came with his alms bowl and asked you to take refuge under his tutelage.

If they disobey, kill them.

【you are dead. 】

……

"Phew...that was ruthless!"

Liu Sheng exhaled a breath of stale air, his expression changing several times. He glanced at Abbess Jingyue, whose brows were tightly furrowed, and casually gave her another flick on the head.

I felt a little better after I finished hitting him.

Wait, should we fight?

He relaxed his brow, summoned the panel, pondered it carefully for a moment, and then had an idea.

Since Bai Jiao alone is no match for the entire Jinshan Temple, why not include him as well?
However, the team stopped three times during the following period, and he took the opportunity to deduce the solution dozens of times, but still could not find a way to break it.

The best possible ending for them is that they are captured by Fahai with his golden alms bowl and imprisoned forever in the Yin Water Prison under the Thunder Pagoda, where they suffer the torment of lightning and Yin Water day and night.

"There is another method, but we haven't tried it yet, though it's against the natural order..."

Liu Sheng took a deep breath, a look of hesitation on his face, before finally making up his mind—

[In the 104th year, you emerged from underground...]

...

[Spring of the 125th year.]

A white dragon came from the east, seeking to repay its debt of karma by marrying Xu Xuan to repay his kindness.

You fought him, but were no match for him, and transformed into Xiaoqing, his maidservant.

They exchanged umbrellas on a broken bridge, sheltered from the rain in the same boat, fell in love at first sight, and got married in two days.

On your wedding night, the white dragon beckons you inside...

In early May, you and Bai Jiao traced the source of the plague in the city and fought a great battle against a six-winged water centipede.

He cut it down and obtained the Vajra Maya Sutra.

This method paves the way with the blood and bones of all living beings, accumulates karmic debts, lights a crystal lamp, and refines the karmic debts into demons.

Returning to Lin'an, it happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival.

Xu Xuan prepared a table of food and wine.

...

You endured the excruciating pain in your abdomen, used the river to escape a thousand miles, leaving only the white dragon to deal with Fahai.

You began practicing the Vajrayana Sutra, and then you started a massacre on both sides of the strait, drowning and swallowing people.

Your cultivation is growing rapidly; the more you slaughter, the deeper your cultivation becomes.

Your infamy is widespread; you are known as the "Green Serpent Demon."

February of the 128th year.

You wreaked havoc for three years, slaughtering hundreds of cities, and your cultivation level rose again and again. Although you are a spirit, your combat power is almost demonic.

You secretly returned to Lin'an, just as the white dragon was laying eggs, its strength reduced to less than one-tenth.

You are cold-blooded and ruthless, and you killed him severely, crippling his cultivation and throwing him down from Mount Qingcheng.

Afterwards, you forcefully used the method of the dragon traversing the river, causing bloodshed for thousands of miles, pushing waves and accumulating countless sins along the way, until you finally arrived at Zhenjiang.

Before Jinshan Temple, you unleashed a raging torrent, flooding thousands of miles, and all living beings wept and begged the gods and Buddhas for protection.

Fahai, carrying his alms bowl, treads the waves, displaying the wondrous light of Zen, revealing the true essence of Buddhism, and calming the waves.

He said, "Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot," and then asked if you would take refuge in Buddhism.

You bow your head and chant, "May Buddha have mercy."

The Zen master, out of compassion, said that your sins were grave and you must be punished by lightning for three hundred years.

They then sent monks down the mountain to rescue the people.

The Zen master's name was as bright as the sun at its zenith.

Some well-meaning individuals used this as a blueprint, adding, deleting, and revising it to create "The Legend of the White Snake," which became widely circulated.

...

[In the 129th year, beneath Leifeng Pagoda, in the Yinshui Prison.]

You are using the "Diving into the Abyss to Become a Dragon" technique taught by the White Dragon, preparing to shed your skin and transform into a dragon here.

Yin water is extremely cold. Legend has it that it comes from the crevice between the Yellow Springs and the River Styx, containing the evil energy of death, resentment, plague, and poison, which dissipates spiritual energy and pollutes divinity.

But for you who practice the Vajrayana Sutra, it is a blessed land.

With both methods employed simultaneously, your cultivation level will increase rapidly.

...

[The 230th year, lost in darkness, unaware of the passage of time.]

Every day, lightning blades and electric axes will blast you to shreds, but the Yin Water and malevolent energy will strengthen your bones and muscles, allowing you to recover from your injuries.

Day after day, year after year, a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Your cultivation has deepened, and the green scales on your body have peeled away, giving way to black scales.

The images of Xu Xuan and Xu Jiao in my memory have faded away.

Even the white dragon, along with its white eggs, became blurred.

But your mind becomes increasingly clear, and you gradually come to understand—

First came the demons, then the Buddhas. Without the demons, the Buddhas cease to exist.

...

In the 333rd year, you floated and sank in the dark waters.

The four evil spirits entered his body, his snake body transformed into a dragon, his skull changed, and claws grew from his belly.

Your dragon-like appearance is gradually becoming apparent.

...

[The 430th year, the Awakening of Insects.]

You emerged from the dark water and let out a long cry.

The sins of slaughtering hundreds of cities back then have been thoroughly cleansed and absorbed by you, transforming into the resources to become a dragon.

Your celestial spirit shattered, giving birth to a single horn; the form of a dragon was now complete.

For three hundred years, I have lived in seclusion here, in this pool of dark water, and now it is all at your fingertips.

At that moment, the tower gates opened wide, and sunlight streamed in.

You transformed into human form, clad in a Zen robe, bald and barefoot, and stepped out of the Thunder Tower.

Below the steps, thousands of monks prostrated themselves in worship, praising "Mahoroga, the Dharma Protector Deity".

Looking around, one sees the Buddha's light shining everywhere, the chanting of Buddhist hymns, and pagodas standing tall.

In the past, the fertile fields and farmland were transformed into a pure land of Buddha.

May it prosper and flourish!

In the crowd, Fahai, wearing a kasaya, sat upright on a lotus platform and asked, "Have you attained enlightenment after sitting in meditation facing the wall for three hundred years?"
You clasp your hands together, your countenance serene and dignified, and smile as you hold up a flower:
"Go to hell!"

……

On that day, the sounds of battle shook the heavens inside Jinshan Temple.

A golden bowl radiates light, illuminating the nine heavens and ten earths; a giant Buddha, hundreds of feet tall, manifests, subduing demons with a flick of his wrist.

The chanting of Buddhist hymns soared high, surging through the clouds, while golden, auspicious clouds cascaded down like garlands, creating a magnificent spectacle.

But it was no match for the deep, dark waters.

You revealed your true form, transforming into a hundred-foot-long monstrous dragon, which crashed into the thunder tower, causing the deep, dark waters to recede.

Death, resentment, plague, poison, and other evils erupt, dissipating spiritual energy and polluting Buddha-nature.

Where the Yin water flows, the majestic palace collapses, the golden Buddha dims, the chanting of Buddhist hymns fades, and the seven treasures vanish.

Many monks and heretical protectors were all reduced to ashes and turned into pus.

A thousand-year-old temple was destroyed in an instant.

The Zen master wept blood, pointing at you and denouncing you for betraying your master and ancestors, committing immeasurable sins, and knowing that you would be entangled in karma and perish under the dragon's transformation tribulation.

You look up at the sky, lower your eyes and smile faintly, then with one swift stroke of your tail, you turn it into a bloody mist, and with another claw, you crush the golden bowl.

The turbulent waves surged once more, stretching for miles, repeating the events of yesteryear.

The Jinshan Temple was flooded.

The raging waves shattered the shore, and the mountains crumbled and palaces collapsed.

With the flow of yin waters, this blessed land has become a ghost town.

One day later.

As you walk through Lin'an city, you suddenly stop and look up to see a dilapidated plaque that reads—

Xu's Pharmacy.

Her handwriting is beautiful and elegant, transcending time.

In a hazy vision, a white figure seemed to leap before my eyes, with hair as black as ink, dressed in silk robes and carrying a sword, shouting a clear cry at you:
"You little thief! You're quite handsome, you should be my maid! Hehehe..."

The sound still lingers in my ears, but—

A century has passed, life and death... two worlds apart, I try not to think of you, yet I cannot forget you.

Even if we met again, we would not recognize each other.

Blood all over his face

Her temples were as white as frost.

This dark version of the Legend of the Black and White Snake should be the pinnacle of my creative output over the past year or two. I fear it will be impossible to surpass it anytime soon, alas!
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(End of this chapter)