Volume One, Chapter 77: Miss Bai (11)

Villagers, this demoness wants to seize our miraculous snake wine that cures all illnesses. Tell me, should we give it to her?”
“We mustn’t! The snake wine is the treasure of our village!”
“No! Don’t give it!”
“Kill the demoness! Protect the snake wine!”
“Kill the demoness! Guard the snake wine!”
“Kill the demoness, protect the snake wine!”
“…”
“Very well! Then drink more snake wine, and in a while, we’ll kill this demoness together!”
Xu Yishan stood on high, madly pouring out the wine.
The villagers, like beasts starved in a cage for days, crawled and grovelled for Xu Yishan’s gifts, grateful and servile, yet blind to their true deity.
The monk Wule had already secretly climbed to his feet, catching his breath, his voice barely audible, “Bai Suyi, do you see now? These are the people you are so eager to protect.”
Bai Suyi looked at him calmly and corrected, “In my eyes, you are one of these people as well.”
Her meaning was clear: by protecting them, she protected him too.
But Wule clearly did not understand. He sneered, refusing, “Utter foolishness! How can these people compare to me?”
Too agitated, Wule coughed a few times before continuing, “Bai Suyi, help me achieve immortality, and I will kill these ungrateful wretches for you. How about it?”
His voice was not loud, and with the villagers’ noisy scramble for snake wine, no one heard his words.
Bai Suyi did not answer, only curling her lips slightly, “Those who defy the heavens will be punished by the heavens.”
Wule snorted, the last hint of friendliness fading from his face. “Then taste the betrayal of those you protect!”
He drew a harmonica from his waist, steadied his breath, and began to play.
The melodious tune flowed between his fingers, but it drove the villagers to clutch their heads and weep in agony.
As the music swelled to its climax, their cries lessened, replaced by numb expressions.
When the melody ended, the wailing ceased, leaving only a crowd of lifeless puppets standing in place.
“Kill her!”
Wule commanded.
The puppets murmured “kill her,” surging toward Bai Suyi.
In no time, she was engulfed, swallowed up, torn apart…

Bang!
A thunderous explosion erupted behind the crowd, as a half-height wine jar burst, shards flying everywhere, medicinal herbs scattering across the ground.
Amid the clear wine, a woman with a human body and snake’s tail stood atop the fragments, staring in shock at the scattered herbs, her face contorted with terror.
Her strength seemed drained away; trembling, she bent down to cradle a severed tail.
The emerald tail glistened in the sunlight, making Bai Suyi’s face even paler.
“Ah!”
She howled in pain, her long silky hair flaring behind her.
Faster than the eye could follow, she appeared beside Wule.
For the first time, murderous intent flashed in her eyes. “If you wanted the Rainbow Stone, you could have come to me. Why kill her?”
Wule’s face turned sickly blue from lack of air, his hands struggling futilely against Bai Suyi’s grip, his strength no match for hers.
Gradually, his resistance faded, his eyes bulging like peeled eggs, glistening and bright.
Bai Suyi threw his body into the crowd as if it were trash.
“Kill her!”
“Kill her!”
“Kill her!”
“…”
Thus, Wule was torn to pieces.
Bai Suyi watched the villagers devour his flesh, then raised her head to the heavens, “Their lives count, but what of ours?”
Only the rustling wind replied.
She gathered all the scattered limbs, pieced them together with care, wrapped them in cloth, and carried them on her back. “Come, let’s go home.”
In the end, Bai Suyi’s heart softened. After retrieving the Rainbow Stone, she used all her magic to save these villagers who had behaved like savage beasts.
When the villagers came to their senses, all they saw was Bai Suyi’s resolute figure departing.
No one knew who first knelt to worship her, but now their voices called out not “demoness,” but “Snake Immortal.”
How ironic!
After Bai Suyi’s departure, the villagers gradually faded into obscurity.
Qin Yu and the others were finally able to move again.

Qingman stumbled, nearly falling, but Mu Ling caught her just in time.
Yet Qingman shoved his hand away and dashed off toward Bai Suyi.
Mu Ling, thrown to the ground, sprang up in fury, hands on his hips as he stomped in place. “That damned heartless snake! I should have let her fall!”
Qin Yu gave him a sympathetic glance. “Hurry and catch up.”
Mu Ling followed at Qin Yu’s heels, pouring out his questions, “Xiao Yu, you’re after the Rainbow Stone too, aren’t you? And who’s that person lurking in the shadows? What’s his goal? Why couldn’t we move just now, but now suddenly we can?”
“You’re asking so much at once—where should I start?”
“Answer them one by one, of course!”
Qin Yu knew Mu Ling’s nature; if she didn’t respond, he’d nag her endlessly.
She suddenly missed the days when Mu Ling was a ghost and could be muted with a single tap.
At last, Qin Yu gave in. “First, the Rainbow Stone is such a treasure, of course I had to come see it. Second…”
She paused, glancing at the sky. “I don’t know who the person in the shadows is, but he must be after the Rainbow Stone too. As for the third question, it’s simple—we can move now because the next part of the plot requires our participation.”
Mu Ling felt Qin Yu had answered, but somehow hadn’t.
Soon enough, he understood what she meant by “the next part of the plot requires our participation.”
The world within the mirror moved swiftly, irrelevant scenes flashing by.
When Qin Yu found Qingman, she was kneeling beside Bai Suyi, who was depleted of strength and waiting for death.
Bai Suyi weakly opened half an eye. Seeing the three, her pallid face lit up with joy. “So, it’s you three benefactors.”
“Don’t talk,”
Xiao Qing tried to channel true energy to her, only to discover her current body contained not a trace.
She glared at Qin Yu, demanding, “Save her!”
Qin Yu shook her head. “My magic is sealed.”
Summoning the Changyi Sword was already her limit.
Seeing Xiao Qing press her, Bai Suyi gently tugged at Qingman’s skirt, stopping her. “No need to trouble yourself, miss. I know my body has reached its limit. But…”
Bai Suyi changed tack, her gaze settling on Qin Yu. “Young lady, I feel a bond between us. May I speak with you alone?”