White Snake Playing in the Water Beneath the Moon

Only after entering the water did they discover that it was so clear and transparent they could see the sand and stones at the bottom, as though they were flying through the sky.

Ripples stirred across the surface, making the light sway. Amid the dazzling radiance, Bai Yujun swam lithely in her white dress, black hair flowing, like a fairy soaring through the heavens. Chu Zhe, who had only just entered the water, was both astonished and embarrassed. He had forgotten that snakes were naturally adept in water—how could there be any question of drowning? Still, had he not gone underwater, he would never have seen such a beauty or such a sight.

Bai Yujun vaguely sensed ruined buildings deep beneath the water. Wasn't that strange? This lake was neither a Barrier Lake nor an artificial lake. From details such as the pebbles, one could guess that the lake had existed for at least thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of years. That made the buildings on the lakebed particularly interesting.

She swam over to Chu Zhe, pointed downward, and smiled. With a gentle sway of her waist and legs, she swam toward the depths.

Behind her, Chu Zhe was momentarily dazed by that smile. Once he came to his senses, he used the Water Control Art and followed Bai Yujun downward. The Water Control Art was ultimately inferior to innate talent. It merely circulated spiritual power and allowed one to breathe through the skin, holding one's breath underwater for longer. Bai Yujun, however, was completely at home in the water; smiling and blinking did not hinder her in the slightest.

A hundred meters underwater, the light remained bright, without the faintest trace of dimness. All they could do was marvel at the exceptional water quality.

Bai Yujun and Chu Zhe planted their feet on the sandy stones, curiously studying the exquisite courtyard before them, overgrown with aquatic grass. The walls had been built from bluestone, the roof tiles were glazed, and the beams and pillars were ancient wood that had not decayed. There were no doors or windows; everything consisted of pavilions and covered corridors. Presumably, the underwater world was not suited for doors and windows.

After playing underwater for a long while, they had no choice but to return to the surface, afraid Xu Ling and Yang Mu would grow anxious.

"You two certainly had fun playing underwater. You had us worried sick." Xu Ling's tone was sour.

Bai Yujun paid no heed to what Xu Ling said. She was very interested in that underwater courtyard.

"Hiss... Could it be... could it be a Dragon Palace beneath the water?"

Her speech was becoming increasingly fluent. She no longer spat out words two or three at a time as before.

"A Dragon Palace?"

Chu Zhe and the other two did not really understand what a Dragon Palace was.

There were no Dragon Palaces in this world? Seeing that the three did not seem to be pretending, Bai Yujun found it unbelievable. Even demons, monsters, ghosts, and specters existed, so how could they not know of Dragon Palaces?

"It means that great rivers must have divine dragons dwelling in them. Even lakes can have them."

Legends said that River Gods and Water Gods existed in great rivers and even lakes. A great river's Water God was held by a dragon, which governed the river's waters and ensured Favorable Winds and Timely Rain along its banks, irrigating farmland. Though Stone Lake was too small to warrant a dragon's residence, it should at least have had a Water God managing it. Yet that underwater courtyard looked as though it had been abandoned for who knew how many years. Or perhaps the Water God had been removed.

After hearing Bai Yujun's words, Chu Zhe fell into thought, recalling the ancient texts he had read.

"There are legends that dragons exist in this world, but none have ever been seen. The sect's library also contains tales of divine dragons. Perhaps they flew away long ago. There should be many divine dragons in the immortal realm."

If even Chunyang Palace said it had never seen a dragon, then dragons definitely did not exist here. For some reason, Bai Yujun always felt particularly sensitive to the Dragon Character. Unable to understand why, she stopped dwelling on it. Being a proper snake demon was what truly mattered.

The lake and mountains were beautiful. Though spiritual energy did not gather here, it was still an excellent place to camp. The three humans and one snake decided to stay for a day before leaving. In truth, Bai Yujun and Xu Ling wanted to play here, Yang Mu did not care either way, and Chu Zhe also wished to free himself from his unending secluded cultivation and enjoy some leisure.

They casually found a dry, shaded spot, caught a few pheasants and roasted them. It had a charm all its own, leisurely and carefree.

Late at night.

The silver moon drifted through misty clouds, bright one moment and dim the next. The night wind rustled through the leaves, while the distant roar of a waterfall carried farther through the silent night, as though it were right beside them.

Xu Ling slept sweetly, while Chu Zhe and Yang Mu sat in meditation. Bai Yujun came to the lakeshore, lightly leaped, and plunged into the moonlit water.

As her cultivation deepened, Bai Yujun realized she was becoming stranger and stranger. She liked Swallowing Clouds and Exhaling Mist atop mountain peaks, and liked even more to enter the water and play whenever she had nothing to do. A lake as pure as this was especially irresistible.

After entering the water, Bai Yujun began to change form...

Everything below her chest reverted to her true form, the body of a White Snake. Her snake body undulated, turning into a streak of white that darted swiftly through the water.

Twisting her serpentine body, she dived into the deep water, then raised her head and charged fiercely toward the surface.

Boom—

Water sprayed in all directions as a white figure leaped from beneath the surface. Beneath the bright moonlight, Bai Yujun's long hair spilled over her shoulders as she spread her arms and felt the cool lake water. Her slender jade arms were fair and delicate; half human and half snake, she possessed a singular charm.

She leaped high, then crashed heavily back into the water. Rolling and swimming beneath the surface, she churned the lake into waves—the White Snake playing in the water beneath the moon.

It was as though she had returned to that unremarkable mountain valley and deep pool in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, free and unrestrained. Birds and beasts yearned for freedom and would not hesitate to walk toward death for it. Though Bai Yujun possessed human thoughts, she was also a snake. Her diligent cultivation was likewise for the sake of greater freedom.

On the shore, Chu Zhe smiled, though a trace of bitterness mixed within it.

After passing Stone Lake Mountain and continuing onward, they arrived at Du City.

Du City had been built at a ferry crossing on the Tuo River. It had originally been a small fishing village, but after an official road and ferry crossing passed through this place, it gradually expanded into the renowned Du City. Houses and streets lined the riverbank. Every night, the lights lit up and shone together with their reflections in the water, making it famous far and wide.

Du City had a Chunyang outpost, where more than twenty Chunyang Disciples were stationed.

Chunyang Palace stationed elders and disciples in major or strategically important cities throughout the Tang Empire. Their numbers depended on the size of the city: smaller cities had one elder and ten senior disciples, while larger ones had several elders and numerous senior disciples. Once each disciple reached a certain level of cultivation, they would be assigned to experience the mundane mortal world for several years before returning to the mountains. Chunyang cultivated the immortal path and held extremely high standards for one's state of mind. Unlike other sects, it did not focus only on cultivation while neglecting the heart.

The disciples at the outpost needed to deal with evil-path demons and monsters that committed wrongdoing. This was also part of the duties of the kingdom-protecting divine sect.

The three humans and one snake headed straight for the Chunyang outpost.

Du City was not large. The outpost had been built on a mountain beside the river outside the city. It was a Daoist Temple with more than a dozen buildings. Common folk often climbed the mountain to worship and pray for blessings in the front hall, while the rear courtyard was where the disciples lived.

As it happened, the outpost was about to carry out a Demon Subjugation operation. Chu Zhe's arrival delighted the elder and disciples, and they immediately requested his assistance. As the chief disciple of the Chunyang Palace Master, Chu Zhe naturally could not refuse and readily agreed.

In the rear courtyard, Bai Yujun lay in a rocking chair, eating pastries and basking in the sun. Keeping her body temperature at an appropriate level made her body more flexible.

The outpost disciples did not know that Bai Yujun was a demon. Since she was not wearing the white Daoist robe patterned with blue, they assumed she was a relative of some great figure in the sect. Bai Yujun's cultivation method and the jade pendant Yu Rong had given her completely concealed her aura, making it difficult to detect anything unless one possessed an exceptionally keen sense of smell.

Chu Zhe made the arrangements.

"Junior brother, junior sister, I will assist the sect disciples in dealing with a great demon that has been committing evil. Your cultivation is insufficient, so remain at the outpost. Remember not to wander about or stir up trouble. Be cautious in all things."

The moment Xu Ling heard that her senior brother was leaving, her eyes began darting about as she wondered up some scheme.

Yang Mu still wore that iceberg expression. The moment he spoke, he dragged Bai Yujun into it.

"Rest assured, Senior Brother. No one is more cautious and vigilant than Yujun. Go without worry."

Chu Zhe smiled helplessly, then flew away on his sword, becoming a streak of sword light that vanished beyond the horizon...