The Snake Catcher's Tale: A New Compilation

In the wilds of Yongzhou, strange snakes are produced, black in color with white markings. They touch grass and trees, and all die. If they bite a person, there is no one to control them.

Writing up to this point, Liu Zongyuan put down his brush, sighed, and got up to come to the window. He said softly, "The people's lives are hard, and the ferocity of oppressive rule is fiercer than strange snakes! Since the fourteenth year of Tianbao, the state affairs have been in disarray, and even strange snakes are rampant in the villages!"

In the fourteenth year of Tianbao, the Emperor, Emperor Zhidao Dasheng Damingxiao, finally became foolish. The Prince of Dongping raised an army in rebellion, and the glorious prosperous age was shattered in an instant. Although the rebellion was later quelled, years of war and contending warlords meant the land never regained its former prosperity.

At this time, demonic energy arose across the land of Shenzhou, with many malevolent spirits. In the imperial court, treacherous officials held sway, and eunuchs wielded power. Ambitious individuals like Liu Zongyuan were often demoted to remote and desolate places, unable to display the ambitions and aspirations in their hearts.

Just as Liu Zongyuan thought this, a black wind suddenly howled outside the window. A venomous snake with black and white ring-shaped stripes rushed out of a ditch and onto the street. Wherever it passed, grass and trees withered rapidly!

This was precisely the strange snake he was writing about, incredibly venomous!

It was just that this snake was unbelievably large, over thirty feet long. A sweep of its tail could topple houses, and a puff from its mouth could spread poisonous mist.

On the street, the common people wailed and fled, not daring to stop.

At the corner of the street, a plump, fair-skinned pig was gnawing on cabbage. It didn't have time to escape and inhaled a mouthful of poisonous mist before its four legs gave out, and it died tragically!

Suddenly, a raggedly dressed youth rushed from behind. He threw out a punch, and the wind of his fist surged, scattering the poisonous mist like a strong gust of wind.

The giant snake was inexplicably terrified and fled rapidly. The youth caught up and was forced to turn and fight desperately, but was kicked in the chin by the youth.

The giant snake flew into the sky, spinning dizzily. The youth quickly stepped forward, leaped into the air, and with his fingers moving like flying shuttles, struck the joints on the giant snake's back one after another.

The sound of cracking bones echoed like firecrackers exploding. Wherever the youth's fingers passed, the giant snake's bones and tendons became dislocated.

In a mere instant, the youth had struck from behind the snake's head to its tail, dislocating all the bones in the giant snake's body, rendering it unable to move!

Seeing this, the people on the street cheered, shouting, "Little Ying! What skill!"

The youth was named Xu Ying. His limbs were long and slender, and his fingers were delicate and graceful. However, due to years of exposure to the sun and wind, his skin was a bit dark.

He was a famous snake catcher from Lingling County, Yongzhou. At only fourteen years old, he had already mastered impressive skills.

Xu Ying grabbed the snake's tail and was about to leave when Liu Zongyuan came out and called to him, asking, "Xu Ying, what do you want with this snake?"

The youth Xu Ying stopped and, seeing that it was Sima Liu Zongyuan of Yongzhou, quickly paid his respects and said, "Sima Liu, after this snake is dried, it can be used as a medicinal bait to treat leprosy, contractures, and sores. It can remove dead flesh and kill three types of insects. The Prefect said that whoever can capture this kind of snake will be exempted from their taxes."

Liu Zongyuan smiled and said, "That's very good."

Xu Ying's face fell, and he said, "My grandfather was a snake catcher and died catching snakes. My father was also a snake catcher and also died catching snakes. I have been practicing the methods of snake catching with my father for six years, and I fear I will also die catching snakes at some point."

Liu Zongyuan felt compassion. "I am good friends with the Prefect. I can ask him to exempt you from this corvée labor and restore your tax status."

The giant snake heard this and spoke in a human voice, saying, "Lord Liu speaks well! Xu Ying, I have cultivated for many years with great difficulty. Spare me, pay your taxes, and I will cultivate my demonic arts in the mountains!"

Liu Zongyuan was startled and exclaimed, "This is actually a snake demon!"

The giant snake cried, "My maternal grandfather was a snake demon and died at the hands of a snake catcher. My parents were also snake demons and died at the hands of snake catchers. Now I am one hundred and twenty years old, and I thought I could escape this fate and cultivate into a flood dragon to devour these bastards, but I didn't expect to die at the hands of a snake catcher today..."

Xu Ying raised his hand and gently pulled its jaw, dislocating it. The giant snake could no longer speak.

Xu Ying's eyes reddened. "Lord Liu, I can still survive by catching snakes. If my taxes are restored, I fear I will starve to death before long. If it weren't absolutely necessary, who would risk their life to catch a snake demon?"

He dragged this snake demon away, his face filled with sadness.

Liu Zongyuan couldn't help but shed tears, lamenting, "Who knows that the poison of taxation is worse than snakes! Although the strange snake is venomous, what is more venomous is the excessive and arbitrary taxation!"

He returned to his room, and with a flourish, wrote the renowned essay, "The Snake Catcher."

Xu Ying dragged the snake demon home and threw it into a large vat. It was late, and he didn't have time to deliver the snake to the yamen to report his success, so he decided to wait until morning.

Xu Ying lit a fire to cook, ate a hasty meal, and then fell into a deep sleep.

The giant snake thrashed desperately in the vat, trying to reconnect its dislocated bones. It struggled until midnight, when it heard the sounds of fierce officials like bandits storming into the village, smashing, looting, and demanding taxes from the villagers.

Xu Ying was startled awake. He got up, lit a lamp, and peered into the vat. Seeing that the snake demon was still there, he breathed a sigh of relief and lay down to sleep again.

The snake demon continued to work on reconnecting its bones. After an unknown amount of time, it finally managed to reset its jawbone. Just then, it heard Xu Ying getting up.

The snake demon slumped in defeat.

Xu Ying dressed neatly and went to the vat again to look at the snake demon. The snake demon remained motionless. It thought to itself, "Once I reconnect the bones at the back of my head, I'll suddenly raise my head and give him a good bite, sending him to join his grandfather and parents!"

Xu Ying faced the rising sun and slowly exhaled and inhaled, silently circulating the Taiyi Guiding Technique.

With each breath, the sunlight on his face seemed to grow brighter as he inhaled. He could even see tiny particles of light in the air, which disappeared into his body with his breath.

A rumbling sound could be faintly heard from Xu Ying's abdomen, rising from his dantian, gradually reaching his throat and nasal cavity, and then slowly descending back to his dantian.

In just a moment, Xu Ying's body began to steam, and wisps of white mist rose.

His abilities were not taught by his grandfather or father.

In fact, he was not his father's biological son but was found by his grandfather.

His father and grandfather were surnamed Jiang, while Xu Ying was surnamed Xu. Seven years ago, a fire broke out in Xu Family Village, and his grandfather rescued Xu Ying from the flames, bringing him here.

Xu Ying had few memories of that fire, but he vaguely recalled a breathing technique, the Taiyi Guiding Technique.

Xu Ying practiced the Taiyi Guiding Technique whenever he had free time, and he had been practicing for a full seven years.

Xu Ying didn't know what use practicing this technique had. Since he was idle anyway, he practiced it every morning, which didn't take much time.

During his practice, Xu Ying discovered that the greatest benefit of the Taiyi Guiding Technique was that when his blood and qi circulated downwards, his urination was much straighter than before, and he didn't have to worry about urinating on his shoes.

"This thing is useless, it just makes me pee farther," Xu Ying had once scoffed.

It wasn't until Xu Ying grew a bit older and went snake hunting with his grandfather and father that he learned the Taiyi Guiding Technique was far more than just making him pee farther.

Xu Ying taught the Taiyi Guiding Technique to his grandfather and father, but unfortunately, they started too late. Their progress was slow, and they both perished during their snake-catching endeavors.

Now, only Xu Ying remains in the family.

Three years ago, Xu Ying had already mastered the Taiyi Guiding Technique to its peak, his blood essence surging like thunder.

He sensed that there was still a path ahead, and his blood essence could still circulate and transform, but he didn't know the subsequent cultivation methods.

Behind him, the Snake Demon peeked out from the vat, its eyes widening in shock at the sight.

Xu Ying's absorption of the sun's essence and tempering of his blood essence was faster than its own. The speed at which he refined the sun's essence wasn't like absorbing sunlight; it was like a monster, opening its maw and devouring the profound mysteries of the morning sun!

"He's cultivating my Demon Race's technique!" the Snake Demon exclaimed, its eyes wide with confusion. "Isn't he human? Why can he cultivate our Demon Race's techniques?"

As the sun climbed higher, Xu Ying slowly stopped his breathing exercises. The Snake Demon quickly retracted its head.

After the sun reached its zenith, the fiery nature within the sunlight became incredibly scorching. At this time, if one were to practice a guiding technique, their blood essence would grow hotter and hotter, risking spontaneous combustion.

Practicing too much would actually harm the body. If one accidentally practiced too much and accumulated excessive fiery energy, they would need to absorb the moon's essence on the night of the full moon to neutralize it and ensure the purity of their cultivation.

Xu Ying approached the vat, reached in, and grabbed the Snake Demon by its vulnerable spot, lifting it out. He said kindly, "I'm not a bloodthirsty person. I'll ask, you answer, otherwise, I'll kill you. Understand?"

The Snake Demon nodded repeatedly.

Xu Ying set it down and asked, "How did you become a demon?"

The Snake Demon, understanding his intent, replied, "My grandfather was originally an ordinary venomous snake. One day, he accidentally entered Qin Yan Cave. The cave suddenly collapsed halfway, revealing a scroll of scriptures and a gourd of pills. My grandfather ate the pills, and suddenly his mind opened. He became much smarter, could speak, read, and write. He then cultivated according to the scriptures and became a demon. Later, my grandfather passed the scriptures to my parents, and they passed them to me. So, our lineage is orderly, and our family has a deep scholarly tradition."

Xu Ying nodded slightly and said, "Bring me your family's scriptures so I can take a look."

The Snake Demon hesitated.

Xu Ying picked up a fist-sized stone by the well and squeezed it with force, extruding four or five drops of water.

The young man released his grip, and the stone crumbled into dust. He said calmly, "How do you compare to this stone?"

The Snake Demon made a swift decision, opened its mouth, and spat out a scroll of scriptures.

Xu Ying opened the scripture. It recorded a guiding technique called the Great Sun Guiding Technique and a martial art called the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist.

"You're a snake, with no hands or feet, how can you cultivate the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist?"

Xu Ying laughed aloud, "This must be a martial art that only Bull Demons or Elephant Demons can cultivate, right?"

The Snake Demon's mouth twitched. It thought to itself, Having something to practice is already good enough. How can I be picky? Aren't you also cultivating our Demon Race's guiding technique?

Xu Ying flipped through the pages. The Great Sun Guiding Technique was similar to his Taiyi Guiding Technique. However, after a moment of contemplation, he discovered that the Great Sun Guiding Technique was significantly inferior to the Taiyi Guiding Technique in terms of absorbing the sun's vital energy.

The Great Sun Guiding Technique described their current realm: the Qi Gathering Stage.

Qi Gathering involved gathering the sun's vital energy, which were light particles condensed from sunlight, to strengthen the physique and enhance blood essence.

Xu Ying frowned. Like his Taiyi Guiding Technique, the Great Sun Guiding Technique in the scripture was also incomplete after reaching perfection in the Qi Gathering Stage, with no subsequent methods.

"Do you feel like there's a path ahead after reaching perfection in Qi Gathering?" Xu Ying inquired.

The Snake Demon cautiously replied, "After cultivating to the peak, I only felt my blood essence was full and surging, with a tendency to break through, but I didn't know where the bottleneck was."

Xu Ying frowned, got up, and went to the main hall to retrieve a book basket.

He poured out the scriptures from the basket, spreading them across the floor.

The Snake Demon was horrified. The scrolls were all sorts of guiding techniques, dozens of them!

Over the years, Xu Ying had not only captured Snake Demons but also other demonic creatures. Almost all the demons within a radius of dozens of miles had been caught by him!

These demons also had various fortunate encounters, such as stumbling into ancient caves, listening to scriptures by cliff faces, or discovering celestial realms in the water, thus becoming demons.

However, all the techniques they obtained could only be cultivated up to the Qi Gathering Stage, with no follow-up methods!

Xu Ying's current Taiyi Guiding Technique was also like this. Although he could continue to improve his blood essence cultivation, he could clearly feel that there was a path ahead, but it was broken, vast and chaotic, with no place to land.

"Why are all the techniques cut off at the Qi Gathering Stage?" Xu Ying frowned and muttered to himself.

The Snake Demon indignantly exclaimed, "I think someone is targeting my Demon Race, destroying all our techniques and leaving only the Qi Gathering Stage methods! This is likely a conspiracy by humans!"

Xu Ying shook his head. "If they had the ability to destroy the later stages of the techniques, why not destroy them all completely? This suggests there's another hidden reason."

He flipped through the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist and his expression suddenly shifted.

This fist technique was a martial art that not all practitioners had to be Bull Demons or Elephant Demons. Any race could cultivate it. Of course, for a Snake Demon to cultivate it, it would first need to transform into a human and have limbs to practice properly.

The Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist had unique methods for mobilizing blood essence, multiplying its circulation speed and allowing for an instantaneous burst of strength comparable to a giant elephant, hence the name "Divine Elephant Strength"!

As for the "Bull Demon" part, it referred to the state of near madness that practitioners entered when mobilizing the technique due to the extremely rapid circulation of blood essence, making it difficult to maintain rational thought. Hence, it was called "Bull Demon"!

Furthermore, this martial art technique would cause the body to swell instantaneously, increasing in height by several inches or even a foot compared to its normal state!

The hands and feet would also become larger than usual!

Xu Ying became interested. In the past, when he subdued Snake Demons and other creatures, he relied on brute force. He wasn't skilled in fist and foot combat. With the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist, his strength would undoubtedly increase dramatically!

At this moment, the voices of villagers could be heard from outside, calling out, "A Ying, come out to worship the gods!"

Xu Ying tucked the scriptures into his embrace, gently squeezed the Snake Demon's neck, and said, "When I return from worshipping the gods, if you're still here, I'll dry you out and turn you in as evidence. Also, don't harm anyone."

The Snake Demon felt its neck bones reset and was both surprised and delighted.

Xu Ying walked out of the courtyard and arrived at the Jiang Family's ancestral hall. He saw that the villagers had gaunt faces and wore tattered clothes, yet the ancestral hall was built luxuriously and beautifully.

Every household in Jiangjiatian, rich landlords and poor farmers alike, offered what they had. The wealthy brought cooked chickens and ducks, along with thick incense and candles. Even those without money, like Xu Ying, presented fruits and white rice with three sticks of incense, walking one by one towards the ancestral hall.

Those truly without money, like Xu Ying, came empty-handed.

Xu Ying followed the villagers into the ancestral hall. Incense smoke curled and twirled, mist rising. Behind the incense burner stood a wooden statue of a deity, sixteen feet tall. Its surface was a deep red, clad in a green robe, with a blue face and fangs.

Amidst the fragrant smoke, the vapors snaked into the nostrils of the wooden statue.

The wooden statue's chest suddenly puffed out. It took a long, deep breath, inhaling all the incense smoke offered by the villagers into its belly.

The wooden statue gradually transformed into flesh and blood. It abruptly stood up from its shrine, grabbing the chickens, ducks, and fruits the villagers had offered. As it ate with gusto, it also grabbed the incense and candles, stuffing them into its mouth and chewing.

Today was the first day of the month, a day for worshipping the gods. Near Jiangjiatian, in the ancestral halls of villages like Xujing, Yangzitang, Shuangji Bridge, and Sagou Bay, incense smoke also billowed like clouds.

Statues, whether carved from wood, molded from clay, cast in bronze, or forged from iron, awoke within the incense smoke. They transformed into flesh and blood, partaking in the incense and delicacies people offered.

And in the mountain god temples and Dragon King temples near Lingling, amidst the great mountains and rivers, clouds of mist also swirled. In the city's City God temples, the City God also awoke to partake in the sacrifices.

It wasn't just Lingling; the entire Yongzhou, the whole of Southern Xiang, and even the land of Shenzhou were filled with curling incense smoke. The statues guarding villages, towns, cities, and prefectures all awoke, enjoying the sacrifices of the common people. It was a scene of great prosperity.

However, since the reign of Emperor Zhidao, the Great Sage, the Illustrious, and Filial, who was foolish and plunged the world into chaos, destroying the prosperous era, the land had been divided among warlords, and imperial authority had waned. The divine presence across Shenzhou no longer matched the grandeur of the past, showing signs of decline.

"Xu Ying! Jiang Shu! Jiang Lu! You few penniless beggars, coming empty-handed without even offering incense or candles!"

In the Jiangjiatian ancestral hall, the deity roared in fury, slamming its hand on the table. "I only eat two meals from you a month, and the food you offer doesn't even fill me up! Do you, Jiangjiatian, still want timely rains and abundant harvests? Do you fear no divine retribution if you anger me?"