Those Not of My Kind

Bai Yujun was very patient.

A day passed. The Crocodile Demon occasionally struggled a few times, its huge belly long since distorted by the constricting coils, its internal organs beginning to rot.

Another day passed. Blood foam began seeping from the corners of its sealed mouth, and its struggles turned into convulsions.

On the third day, the seven-meter crocodile's life force vanished...

Exhausted, Bai Yujun released the giant crocodile. Her tail coiled around its great jaws and dragged it outward. Across the swamp, a massive white snake struggled to haul a crocodile for food, leaving drag marks of varying shades behind her.

Crawling in a straight line made it difficult to generate pulling force, so Bai Yujun swam from side to side in an S-shape and yanked hard.

Trying to drag something with a human-shaped body through mud was out of the question. The moment both feet exerted force, they would sink into the sludge, and in the end one would become nourishment for the swamp—then, years later, a fossil for people to admire.

After putting in tremendous effort to drag it onto solid ground, she climbed a tree to retrieve her weapons, drew her Hengdao, and cut open the crocodile along the seam in the skin of its belly.

Rolling up her sleeves, she reached into the crocodile's abdominal cavity and pulled out its heart.

Delight lit her face as she looked at the fruits of battle. Her entire forearm was dripping with blood. Unable to wait, she returned to her true form, opened her snake jaws, and swallowed the crocodile heart. Her digestive system began working, breaking down and absorbing the heart of this seven-meter Crocodile Demon, further strengthening the flesh and skin of her serpent body...

She digested and absorbed it for an entire night.

Early morning.

On a mountain path, a woodcutter saw that young Daoist nun dragging a gigantic crocodile along.

Before long, the entire village—even people from neighboring villages—were stirred into an uproar and poured outside.

Under countless watching eyes, the immense strength displayed by Bai Yujun's petite frame stunned everyone. Every step she took left a pit in the earth.

Her Book Box, two weapons, and that enormous crocodile tail—viewed from afar, it looked as if that pile of things were moving on its own.

The villagers were fired up, wanting to step forward and vent their vengeance on the crocodile, yet not daring to approach it.

After quite a while, Bai Yujun finally dragged the crocodile corpse to the village entrance. Under the blazing sun, after keeping her body tense for three straight days and then hauling this thing out, she was so tired she felt as if her whole body were about to fall apart. The instant she reached the village, she sat on the ground and fanned herself with her little hand.

The crowd was silent. Then someone knelt.

The first person to kneel seemed to set an example. Then came the second, the third, and more and more people dropped to their knees.

Bai Yujun helplessly stood up.

"I am Chunyang Bai Yujun. The demon that harmed people has been eliminated!"

It was a simple sentence. Announcing her name was necessary; otherwise, how would anyone know who had done this good deed later on? If the merit ended up being credited to someone else, wouldn't that be infuriating? Bai Yujun was not the sort of snake to do the work and suffer the loss.

"Immortal Maiden, we shall never forget your boundless grace and virtue..."

The villagers cried out their gratitude like a roaring mountain and a crashing sea, each shout louder than the last. Some even knocked their foreheads bloody.

Bai Yujun found it rather strange. A group of people kneeling before a demon and thanking a demon for Demon Subjugation—it was a rather unconventional picture. But there was nothing to be done. The human race, the spirit of all living things, happened to be in an era when the Human Dao was flourishing. Under the grand tide of such fortune, she had no choice but to lower her head. Idiots like the Crocodile Demon, who ate children at the drop of a hat, might cultivate quickly, but they collected their boxed meals just as quickly.

There was still work to do next.

She set down her Book Box, drew her Hengdao, and began Paoding. Crocodile hide from a demonized crocodile was nothing special in the cultivation world and fetched an ordinary price, but for Bai Yujun, who had spent decades as a pauper, it counted as an enormous fortune.

With nimble hands and feet, she skinned the crocodile hide intact, sprinkled it with medicinal powder, and set it aside to dry.

In famine years, the meat of a seven-meter crocodile was, in the words of farmers, like sweet dew falling from heaven. Driven both by the desire to avenge their children and to fill their bellies, the villagers swiftly carved up the crocodile.

The meat was more precious than ordinary beast meat. Eating it could increase Qi and Blood and grant greater strength.

Dinner was a joyous affair. Bai Yujun, treated as an immortal, received an enthusiastic welcome. The crocodile meat was boiled and roasted, prepared in four different styles and served to her.

Families whose children were still alive finally dared to let the children, who had been cooped up for days, come out and play. At last, the village had gained a trace of life.

Families who had lost children lit torches and raised clothing once worn by their children high on wooden poles, calling their souls home. Their cries echoed through the night sky, hoping the children who had died in distant places could find the road back home.

Bai Yujun had brought back the Crocodile Demon's corpse, but she had also brought back news of the children's deaths, shattering the final thread of hope in their hearts.

Young mothers wept with hearts torn apart, clutching toy rattle drums with all their might...

Before the bonfire, Bai Yujun squatted with her arms around her legs and her chin resting on her knees. The flames crackled, and the sound of crying still lingered by her ears. She felt neither joy nor sorrow—only loneliness.

Beside her, a five- or six-year-old child punched and kicked with grunts and shouts, his expression earnest.

Bai Yujun turned her face sideways, rested her head on her knees, and watched the child practice martial arts as though playing. The little one furrowed his brow, grunting and shouting as he swung his tiny arms, his movements unsteady and wobbly.

"You're practicing boxing?" Bai Yujun asked.

"Mm!"

The child nodded hard and seriously.

"I'll learn my fists and kicks well, then kill all the demons under heaven just like Immortal Sister! Hey! Ha! Hey!"

"..."

She forced a smile in response. Sure enough, it still didn't suit her. If she revealed her identity now, perhaps no one would remember that she had rid them of this menace. At the very least, they would splash her all over with Black Dog Blood. Better not expect them to understand reason. After countless years of painstaking instruction from the scholar class, the common people had long become ignorant masses—how could they still understand reason?

She did not stay the night. Rolling up the crocodile hide and carrying it in hand, she headed for the county town overnight.

A full moon hung overhead, spilling its pure light. A white figure walked alone down the silent road—cold and quiet.

She returned to the county town and arrived at the temporary base.

She found Senior Sister Wei, explained the details, and presented the crocodile hide. After Senior Sister Wei verified it, she recorded Bai Yujun's merit in the merit ledger, then bought the crocodile hide at a fair price. After all that trouble, she finally had a bit of money in her pocket.

Xu Ling and Yang Mu had only just returned to the county town a few days ago before leaving again. Bored, Bai Yujun decided to rest for two days.

With her light saber at her side, she strolled through the streets, visiting the shops of influential families that were still open to buy some pastries, replenish a little salt, and pick up a few hair ties. Every transformation cost her one, and she had been wearing her hair loose these past few days. It looked nice, but it kept getting in her eyes.

The taverns where the city's powerful gathered still had performances. In this day and age, the pleasure quarters mostly featured songs and dances.

Without buying a ticket, she leaped onto the roof and sat atop the ridge, looking down as she enjoyed the entertainment. She needed to hold up an oil-paper umbrella; even the wind that blew past was a wave of heat. Still, she persisted in watching with an appreciative mindset.

Before long, Bai Yujun could not stand it anymore.

The opera had reached its crucial moment.

"Halt! Demon, do not flee! Take my sword!"

At once, the performer playing the monster let out a string of miserable cries before ultimately being subdued by a righteous-looking master. It was a classic variety act—justice triumphing over evil. Bai Yujun truly wanted to pick up a roof tile and throw it down.

She put away her paper umbrella, flipped down to the ground, and took an S-shaped route back to the garrison.

Returning to her room, she slammed the door shut with a bang, threw herself onto the bed, and lay spread-eagled on her back, staring blankly at the carved wood overhead. The bed was exquisitely made. Who knew which great household had provided it? Its craftsmanship was superb; the entire bed was like a tiny house, so there was no need to worry that its size would leave the space beneath damp and moldy.

Still, lying in bed beneath the covers was so comfortable. Snakes were lazy creatures by nature. Mm, she ought to have a proper lie-in too.

Without drawing either the window curtains or the bed curtains, she bent over, curled herself into a ball, and fell soundly asleep...

Her sleeping posture was like a snake.