Villagers and the White Snake

As Yun'er looked up with anticipation, the White Snake returned dragging a hundred-pound wild boar it had strangled.

Releasing the boar, it glanced at Yun'er, then nodded at the animal on the ground. This was a gift for Yun'er's family; catching a hundred-pound wild boar was incredibly easy.

"This is for me?"

The White Snake nodded.

Yun'er's eyes curved into crescents with joy. She skipped and shouted all the way home. The White Snake turned and burrowed into the forest.

Yun'er's family, starving and with their backs against their bellies, found a wild boar from the mountains. The news quickly spread through the village. Yun'er's father, now with food, generously butchered the boar, skinned it, and gave meat to several other families who were also out of food. They had to support each other to survive. The rural folk were simple and honest, and living on the edge of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, they could only survive by sticking together. Otherwise, the wild beasts in the mountains would turn into a demolition crew in minutes.

If they ate the pork sparingly, it could last for several days. They wouldn't dare throw away the offal either. It was said that people in the county town never ate offal, but when there was no food, they wouldn't discard anything they could eat.

After the wild boar was finished, Yun'er found two pheasants in the back mountain. Yun'er's parents began to change their attitude towards her.

If something happened once or twice, they could attribute it to good luck. But when Yun'er found a wolf again when the family had no food, the villagers finally felt something was wrong...

You could get wild boars, and you could find pheasants, but how could a young, fierce wolf be found by a little girl?

The hillside.

Dozens of villagers surrounded the wolf carcass, with Yun'er standing in the middle, head bowed.

Although the food had helped the villagers through the difficult times, this matter was too strange. If mishandled, Yun'er could easily be considered a demon and thrown into a bonfire, which wasn't uncommon.

"Yun'er, what's going on with this wolf?"

"..." Yun'er lowered her head, rubbing her fingers and remaining silent.

"Who brought it? Could it be a chivalrous hero passing through our village?"

The hero Yun'er's father mentioned referred to martial artists who roamed the jianghu. However, Yun'er, still rubbing her fingers, switched to rubbing the corner of her clothes and shook her head.

The man was stunned. Could it be an immortal?

"Did an immortal see how hard our lives were and help us?"

She shook her head again.

Feeling that the matter was very strange, Yun'er's father had to resort to threats.

"Yun'er! You must tell the truth! Otherwise, don't acknowledge me as your father!"

A neighbor tried to intervene, but Yun'er's father waved him off, signaling that it was fine. He then stared coldly at his daughter, thinking to himself that if she didn't speak, he would have to grab a broom and hit her.

This statement was probably the most severe reprimand for a seven or eight-year-old girl. Yun'er immediately panicked. Recalling how her parents doted on her younger brother and deliberately neglected her, she became more and more frightened, afraid that her family would truly abandon her. She remembered her mother viciously calling her a "money-losing good" (a derogatory term for a girl).

Yun'er burst into tears.

The surrounding villagers felt awkward, as if a group of adults were bullying a little girl.

As expected, Yun'er, still a child, confessed everything. That reprimand was like a curse that terrified the seven or eight-year-old girl. Through her sobs, she gradually explained what had happened.

In the dense forest not far away, the White Snake sighed in its heart. After thinking for a moment, it decided to show itself from a distance, then hide to observe the aftermath. If they intended to harm Yun'er, it would have to fight its way out and take Yun'er into the mountains.

In the crowd, a loud shout startled everyone.

"Look! The White Snake!"

Everyone's gaze followed the direction of the voice and saw a huge and somewhat beautiful white snake...

Yun'er, still crying, ran over and hugged the White Snake, tears streaming down her face. If she hadn't already guessed what happened, she might have gone over to teach those people a lesson and get justice for Yun'er.

It lowered its head and rubbed Yun'er's back twice to comfort her.

After revealing its presence, it turned and swam back into the forest, taking a large detour to observe the progress from the other side. Seeing that the villagers were not harming Yun'er, the White Snake felt relieved.

After that, the legend of the Snake Immortal began in the village. Some villagers even brought yellow paper and candles to burn offerings at the places where the White Snake had appeared, not only to thank the White Snake Immortal for providing food but also to make wishes. For example, they wished for favorable weather in the coming year. Those who made this wish were usually normal villagers. There were also wishes to find a good husband or a good home, made by girls aged fifteen or sixteen. And there were wishes for a son, as having daughters in the village often led to being looked down upon. In short, all sorts of performances began.

Every few days, the White Snake would bring wild beasts to the village, such as wild boars, and most often wolves, because the wolf packs in the deep mountains were too arrogant, which displeased the White Snake.

Wolf meat could be eaten, and wolf pelts could be sold for money to buy food. Although the villagers were not full, they could get through the cold and damp end of the year.

However, the good times didn't last long. The strange events in the mountain village attracted the attention of outsiders.

One day.

Yun'er ran quickly towards the back mountain, not caring that she had fallen and cut her small hand.

"Big Snake, run! People from town are saying they want to catch you and sell you for money! Many hunters and horsemen have arrived!"

The White Snake had indeed noticed a group of people in the village. Its thermal sensing clearly detected the crowd, the hunting dogs, and the horses. It had ultimately attracted the attention of some greedy individuals.

"Daddy asked me to tell you to leave quickly, Big Snake, you must leave!"

The White Snake nodded its head and turned to swim towards the mountains.

Behind it, Yun'er, covered in dust, finally breathed a sigh of relief and waved goodbye to the White Snake's retreating figure.

Many people had arrived in the village, mostly hunters and retainers carrying large knives. It was said that the clan leader from the town was personally leading the team. The clan leader, who lived in the town, immediately summoned hunters to enter the mountains to catch the White Snake after hearing news about it. The White Snake had saved the villagers who had no food. The old and young villagers knelt on the ground, begging the master to spare the White Snake, but they were met with a round of whipping.

"Lord Clan Leader... Please spare the Snake Immortal..."

"Yes, yes, please spare the Snake Immortal. We had nothing to eat, and the Snake Immortal brought us food, allowing us to survive. The Snake Immortal is kind..."

The retainers swung their leather whips, and the villagers dared not speak out of anger.

They bribed a few villagers to reveal the White Snake's whereabouts and then headed towards the back mountain with large nets and hunting bows. As expected, they found nothing, but the hunting dogs reacted strongly, barking continuously in the direction of the deep mountains.

The next day, led by those villagers, the snake-hunting team marched into the mountains in full force. White snakes were rare, and a white snake that large and with a spirit was an even rarer find. Capturing it would be a sure profit, whether as a gift or for sale.

These people had no idea they were walking step by step towards their deaths. The Hundred Thousand Mountains' fearsome reputation was no mere legend.

In the valley, a group of people moved forward slowly.

In the distance, the White Snake looked at the crowd with its cold, reptilian eyes. It turned and slithered away, deliberately leaving a strong scent trail. The direction it took was not towards its lair in the ginkgo tree valley, but towards a rarely visited forest. The White Snake was a snake, a cold-blooded creature. The words used to describe snakes – cruel, vicious, and so on – were not just for show. The men hunting it were about to face a snake's fierce revenge…

The hunting dogs grew increasingly agitated.

"Everyone, put in more effort! We're about to catch the big snake! Everyone who catches it will be rewarded!"

Heavy rewards attract brave men. Thus, the already weary team sped up their pursuit. The villagers within the group were curious if the hunting dogs had taken a wrong turn. After all, the valley where the White Snake had appeared was on the other si