Ascension Day

["The wilds of Yongzhou City are home to an exotic snake, black-bodied with white patterns. Any plant it touches withers and dies, and for its bite, there is no cure."]

After writing this, the poet Liu Zongyuan put down his brush with a sigh. He rose and walked to the window, murmuring, "Life for the people is so hard. A cruel government is more savage than any exotic snake! Fourteen years into the emperor’s reign, the state has decayed, and even exotic snakes now run rampant through the villages!"

In the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era, the Great Sage and Filial Emperor, finally succumbed to his dotage. Prince Dongping raised an army in rebellion, and the glorious golden age came to an abrupt end. Although the rebellion was eventually quelled, years of war left the land divided among warlords, and the empire never recovered its former prosperity.

Since then, a demonic miasma had risen over the Divine Land, and evil manifestations became common. The imperial court was dominated by treacherous officials, with eunuchs pulling the strings of power. Men of integrity and ambition, like Liu Zongyuan himself, were often banished to destitute, remote regions, unable to fulfill their great aspirations.

Just as this thought crossed Liu Zongyuan’s mind, a dark wind howled outside his window. A venomous snake, covered in alternating black and white rings, shot out of a gutter and onto the street. Everywhere it slithered, the grass and trees swiftly withered!

It was the very exotic snake he had just written about, and its venom was beyond compare!

Except this snake was absurdly large—over thirty feet long. With a single sweep of its tail, buildings toppled, and when it opened its mouth, a toxic mist spewed forth, filling the air.

People on the street screamed and scattered, not daring to linger for a moment.

A plump, pinkish-white pig munching on a cabbage at the street corner had no time to flee. It inhaled a single breath of the toxic mist, its four legs kicked out, and it dropped dead!

Suddenly, a boy in ragged clothes charged in from behind. He threw a punch, and the force of the blow billowed out like a great gust of wind, WHOOSH, scattering the toxic mist.

The Big Snake was struck with terror and slithered forward, fleeing for its life. The boy quickly caught up, leaving it no choice but to turn and fight desperately. But the boy met it with a leaping kick to the chin.

The Big Snake was sent spinning through the air. The boy rushed forward and leaped, his fingers a blur as he struck the joints along the creature’s spine again and again.

A series of sharp CRACKS, like a string of firecrackers, rang out. Everywhere the boy’s fingers touched, the Big Snake’s bones were knocked out of place.

In the blink of an eye, the boy had worked his way from just behind the Big Snake’s head to the tip of its tail, dislocating every bone in its body and leaving it completely paralyzed!

The onlookers on the street burst into cheers. "Ying! Great moves!" they shouted.

The boy’s name was Xu Ying. He had long limbs and remarkably slender, graceful fingers. His skin was tanned from years of exposure to the wind and sun.

He was a well-known Snake Catcher in the city’s Lingling County. Though only fourteen, he had already mastered incredible skills.

Xu Ying grabbed the snake’s tail and started to leave. Liu Zongyuan came out of his doorway to stop him. "Xu Ying," he asked, "what are you going to do with that snake?"

The young Xu Ying stopped and saw it was the Yongzhou Governor. He quickly paid his respects. "Mr. Liu," he said, "after this snake is dried and preserved, it can be used in medicine. It can treat leprosy, convulsions, and scrofula; remove dead flesh; and kill the parasites inside the human body. The Top Governor says that anyone who captures one of these snakes will be excused from their taxes."

Liu Zongyuan smiled. "That’s wonderful."

Xu Ying’s face fell. "My grandfather was a Snake Catcher, and he died doing this job. My father was a Snake Catcher, and he died doing this job, too. I’ve been learning the art of snake catching from my father for six years now. I’m afraid I’ll die doing it someday, too."

Liu Zongyuan was moved with pity. "The Top Governor is a good friend of mine," he said. "I can ask him to release you from this service and restore your tax payments instead."

Upon hearing this, the Big Snake suddenly spoke in a human voice. "Lord Liu has the right idea!" it cried. "Xu Ying, it took me years of bitter cultivation to get this far! You let me go, you go pay your taxes, and I’ll stay in the mountains and practice my Demon Technique!"

Liu Zongyuan jumped back in shock. "It’s a Snake Demon!" he cried.

The Big Snake shouted, "My grandfather was a Snake Demon, and he was killed by a Snake Catcher! My parents were Snake Demons, and they were killed by Snake Catchers! I’m one hundred and twenty years old now. I thought I had finally escaped that fate, that I would one day cultivate into a Flood Dragon and eat all those bastards. But I never imagined I would also die at the hands of a Snake Catcher—"

Xu Ying lifted a hand and gave the snake’s chin a soft tug, dislocating its jaw. The Big Snake could speak no more.

Xu Ying’s eyes grew red-rimmed. "Lord Liu," he said, "by catching snakes, I can at least stay alive. If you restore my taxes, I’m afraid I’ll just starve to death. If we weren’t driven to it, who would willingly risk their lives hunting Snake Demons?"

He despondently dragged the Snake Demon away.

Liu Zongyuan couldn’t stop the tears from falling. "Who knew that the poison of heavy taxes was more lethal than that of any snake!" he lamented. "The exotic snake is deadly, but crueler still are the exorbitant taxes!"

He returned to his room and, his brush flying across the paper, wrote the timeless masterpiece, *The Snake Catcher’s Story*.

Xu Ying dragged the Snake Demon home and tossed it into a large ceramic vat. It was already dark, too late to deliver the snake to the Government Office. He would have to wait until morning.

Xu Ying started a fire to cook. He wolfed down his meal and fell into a deep sleep.

Inside the vat, the Big Snake writhed, desperately trying to set its dislocated bones. It struggled until the middle of the night, when the sound of ferocious officials stormed into the village like bandits, smashing and destroying property as they bellowed for the villagers to pay their taxes.

Xu Ying was startled awake by the commotion. He got up, lit a lamp, and peered into the vat. Seeing the Snake Demon was still inside, he breathed a sigh of relief, lay back down, and went back to sleep.

The Snake Demon continued its efforts to set its bones. After who knows how long, it finally managed to reconnect its jaw, only to hear the sound of Xu Ying waking up.

The Snake Demon’s spirit sank.

Xu Ying got dressed and walked over to the vat to check on the Snake Demon. The creature lay perfectly still, but inside, it was thinking, ’Once I set the bones at the back of my neck, I’ll snap my head up and give him one vicious bite! I’ll send him to meet his father and grandfather!’

Xu Ying faced the rising sun and began to breathe slowly and deeply, silently circulating the Taiyi Guiding Skill.

With each breath he took, the sunlight on his face seemed to grow brighter. Tiny motes of light became visible in the air, vanishing into his body as he inhaled.