The girl in the plain white dress looked at Ding Songyan with a mixture of anticipation and concern.
"If you're feeling unwell, why not go home and rest first? I... I'm in no hurry."
Her voice was soft and sweet, very pleasant to hear.
Ding Songyan chuckled.
"It's nothing, nothing. I've already been wandering outside the Dangkang Temple for over two hours. It's just that my brain feels like someone poured paste into it-it's still a little sluggish. If I stammer, stumble over my words, or forget a line later, please forgive me, miss."
He was putting on his armor in advance. After all, he had never actually performed as a storyteller and had no idea whether he could pull it off.
As he spoke, he suddenly felt a little wistful.
Back in his school days, he had scorned social maneuvering above all else and hated cultivating connections. He had believed that his intelligence and thorough understanding of things could solve every problem and bring him success. Yet after reality had battered him and his personality had been pieced back together, fragment by fragment, reading other people's minds, befriending useful people, and desperately maintaining relationships had somehow become instinct.
Over the past year or two, with his career thriving and his need for self-fulfillment partially satisfied, he would occasionally feel exhausted in both body and mind. He was not really suited to the cutthroat battles of business. Better to return to the ivory tower and research something he enjoyed, something that involved little scheming and intrigue, then spend his free time drinking, shooting the breeze, and playing games with a few good friends. Wouldn't that be a delight?
Of course, he knew this was a little precious of him. Without the considerable fortune he had already amassed, doing research solely to satisfy his interests without seeking any return would most likely leave him terribly anxious. He would never be able to enjoy life.
Amid these reflections, Ding Songyan reached his allotted patch of open ground. There were no chairs or stools, nor any of the tools of his trade.
He gathered his wandering thoughts and considered which story to tell.
After his gaze swept over the girl in the plain white dress and her maid in a blue-green silk skirt, Ding Songyan had an idea.
He smiled faintly.
"My two esteemed listeners, today I shall tell you the Legend of the White Snake."
Before the words had finished leaving his mouth, he was already watching the expressions of the girl in white, her maid, and the man selling medicinal plasters nearby, checking their reactions to the title Legend of the White Snake to judge whether a similar story existed in this world.
Even if it did, that was fine. Ding Songyan had already put on his armor: this was a tale he had newly learned, not newly written.
If the audience says it differs from the original, naturally, I've breathed new life into the old and made a few adaptations.
Apart from drawing inspiration from the colors of the girl's and her maid's clothes, Ding Songyan had chosen Legend of the White Snake because he had watched its television adaptation many times with his family as a child. As an adult, he was also familiar with its various adaptations. He knew the story's framework well and still remembered all the key turning points. Using those to improvise detailed scenes and dialogue was about as difficult as telling investors a story while looking at a PowerPoint presentation.
This was another reason Ding Songyan was not particularly worried about being accused of "stealing" someone else's script. Apart from the key plot points, he would have to invent everything on the spot. No one else could possibly have an identical version.
Seeing curiosity on the faces of his few listeners, Ding Songyan silently breathed a sigh of relief.
At least there was no Legend of the White Snake in Dingjiang Prefecture.
The romances and legends he had heard earlier featured only heavenly immortals descending to the mortal world and falling in love with humans, not the tangled loves and hatreds between demons and humans.
This patch of open ground was relatively quiet. No one nearby was banging gongs and drums for acrobatic performances, nor were martial performers endlessly shouting to attract customers. This was deliberate on the market owner's part: the "civil" trades that needed quiet surroundings were grouped together, while the noisy "martial" trades occupied the other side. Between them stood businesses that neither needed quiet nor made much noise, keeping the two sides from disturbing each other.
Standing in the clearing, Ding Songyan felt little nervousness. He slipped into it as smoothly as if he had set up a projector, opened a PowerPoint, and once again turned toward a group of investors.
The feeling was inexplicable, as though a lifetime had passed.
A lifetime had indeed passed.
Having designated the girl with the upturned eyes and pointed chin as a potential "investor," Ding Songyan slowly began.
"In the Primordial Era, in the southwestern lands, at the foot of Mount Qingcheng, there lived a little white snake..."
Right from the opening, he had punted the whole affair into the Primordial Era, lest some stickler later insist on asking where Mount Qingcheng, West Lake, or Jinshan Temple was.
I don't know either. All this happened in the Primordial Era.
Ding Songyan began with First-Generation Xu Xian saving the little white snake's life. Having long forgotten how the television series and films had depicted it, he stitched in a scene where the frozen snake was tucked inside someone's clothes and warmed against his belly to flesh out the details.
Afterward, the White Snake cultivated in a cave for a thousand years and finally attained the Way, enabling her to shed her old form and transform into a human. Then, guided by a Bodhisattva, she took Xiaoqing with her and set out to find Reincarnated Xu Xian, intending to repay his kindness and settle their karmic debt.
As Ding Songyan spoke, he watched the White-Skirted Girl's expression. She listened with intense concentration, even seeming to breathe more softly. Her clear black-and-white eyes looked moist and glistening despite holding no tears.
The effect isn't bad... The potential "investor" is responding well... Ding Songyan grew increasingly confident.
He felt that Lady White's shift from seeking Reincarnated Xu Xian merely to repay a debt to offering herself in marriage needed some bridging scenes to trace the change in her feelings. Unable to remember many details, he had no choice but to disguise and insert a few things from his own romantic history that had deeply moved his former girlfriend.
First came their meeting at West Lake, sheltering from the rain in the same boat, and the gift of an umbrella and an exchange of names. Next, Lady White claimed she had come to Lin'an to copy scriptures at the Buddhist Temple in fulfillment of a vow, but did not dare actually go there and could only plead ill health. Pitying her "frailty," Xu Xian made a special trip to the temple and spent days copying the scriptures for her. Later, after various experiences had stirred love in both the human and the demon, they went to make wishes beneath a great tree said to be especially effective in granting marriage prayers, only to look up and meet each other's eyes.
Having improvised this far, Ding Songyan decided to quit while he was ahead. If he really wanted to build a connection and develop some rapport, he had to keep the White-Skirted Girl hungry for more. Why finish the tale in just a few days? Seven or eight days would hardly be excessive; ten days or half a month would be better still. Only by seeing each other every day could they become familiar.
Then, if he genuinely ran into trouble and she had the ability to help, would she be more willing to help a stranger or someone she knew? The answer went without saying.
As he approached the end, Ding Songyan felt that today's story had gone too smoothly, with no major twists. Though it had already attracted dozens of listeners, that was chiefly because his language was amusing and the subject of a human falling in love with a demon was novel. If he let Xu Xian and Lady White marry without a hitch today, the audience would have little to look forward to tomorrow.
With that in mind—and especially the need to make the White-Skirted Girl willing to return tomorrow—Ding Songyan abruptly changed tack. Before the wedding, he brought Fahai directly onto the stage, having him mutter, "There is demonic qi here," at the inn where Lady White and Xiaoqing had once stayed.
Seeing tension and concern appear on every listener's face, Ding Songyan seized the moment.
"As the saying goes: West Lake is lovely in the days of spring, spring rain like wine, willows like mist. With fate, lovers cross a thousand miles to meet; without it, even face-to-face, their hands cannot join. To learn what happened next, listen to the next installment!" (Note 1)
The girl in the plain white dress parted her lips, looking utterly reluctant to let it end.
How could the story stop at such a crucial moment?
Ding Songyan looked around and cupped his hands in satisfaction.
"I didn't bring the tools of my trade today, so there's no need for anyone to leave a tip. If you're willing, come again tomorrow."
He had no intention of taking money from the White-Skirted Girl today; he wanted to leave a distinctive impression on her. But he could not single her out for special treatment. Unsolicited attentiveness could easily make people suspect a scoundrel or a thief and put them on guard. Thus, he treated everyone equally and accepted nothing from anyone.
"You're too kind, Second Brother Ding!" one listener exclaimed appreciatively.
The White-Skirted Girl, who had been holding money ready to give Ding Songyan, could no longer offer it either. She lingered hesitantly where she stood, then approached with her maid once most of the listeners had dispersed.
"Second Brother Ding, will that monk called Fahai find Lady White and Xiaoqing?"
Of course he won't. If he discovers them this early, how am I supposed to make up the rest of the story? How can I let Lady White and Xu Xian peacefully open a pharmacy, love each other, and have a child? How can I have Lady White and Xiaoqing solve problems with demonic magic and deliver those satisfying moments? Tomorrow I'll just make a feint and set this matter aside, then throw out a new crisis as a hook at the end... Ding Songyan smiled.
"I shall explain tomorrow."
The White-Skirted Girl puffed out her cheeks.
"All right."
She stopped pressing him and instead asked with concern.
"Are you still feeling unwell? I know a few very skilled physicians."
You mustn't fail to come tomorrow...
"It's no longer a problem." Ding Songyan's thoughts turned, and he said, "Someone tried to kill me earlier, but I don't know who was behind it. It's left me on edge, and my head hasn't been working too well either. That's why I didn't dare come out to tell stories today."
He was taking the opportunity to mention it. He did not expect any response from her; he merely wanted to leave an impression in her mind that such a thing had happened.
The White-Skirted Girl's glistening eyes immediately lit up, and she turned to exchange a look with her maid.
Her thoughts seemed to be written plainly across her face.
At last, a chance to act the hero and uphold justice!
She cleared her throat and said to Ding Songyan with a smile.
"Well, I know a little martial arts. If there's anything I can help with, you can come find me at the Tianyang Guildhall. Just say you're looking for... looking for..."
The girl stumbled over her words, glanced at her maid in the blue-green silk skirt, then beamed again.
"Just say you're looking for Xiaoqing!"
Ding Songyan was overjoyed.
"Thank you, heroine. I cannot thank you enough!"
The girl's smile grew even brighter, though she was too embarrassed to say much more. As she waved her hand, she caught sight of an old man selling candied hawthorn skewers nearby.
She promptly took out some copper coins, bought two bright red skewers, and handed one to Ding Songyan.
"Even if you won't take money today, I can't listen for free. Here, you can have this skewer. It's really sweet!"
As she spoke, she began licking her candied hawthorns, then turned and walked off in delight without giving Ding Songyan a chance to refuse.
She didn't even ask whether I like candied hawthorns... Ding Songyan muttered in amusement.
He bit off a hawthorn, held it in his mouth, and began chewing.
It was nearly noon, and Ding Songyan felt distinctly hungry.
After some thought, he concluded that nothing had happened since the earlier man had been frightened away most likely because the area outside the Dangkang Temple was crowded with people and was a key surveillance area for the Watchtower. Those working behind the scenes did not quite dare to act openly.
With that in mind, Ding Songyan headed away from the Dangkang Temple, making a show of looking for a cheap eatery while taking only quiet streets and alleys.
Before even the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed, he had just turned into a deserted alley when distinct footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.
Ding Songyan spun around and once again saw the Wine-Nose Man wearing a Futou.
With anger and fear mingling on his face, the man glared at Ding Songyan.
"Second Brother Ding, why have you come back again?"
Note 1: Quoted from "Love Across the Waters," the ending theme of New Legend of the White Snake.
PS: Thanks to Lilith for the Silver Alliance support~
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