Encountering a Snake - Chapter 25

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, after Shen Qingxuan had finished handling his tasks, he sent a servant to the kitchen to check on the preparations for the evening’s meal. The Shen residence was so large that the kitchen was divided into three sections. The outermost layer was piled high with fruits and vegetables. Processed chicken, duck, fish, and meat were salted and marinated, ready to be cooked in the evening. The second section contained a large room with dozens of small stoves, each lit and simmering various broths. The innermost section was the actual cooking area. Upon lifting the curtain, one would first see a mountain of steamers stacked up to the ceiling, with a wooden ladder standing beside them for easy access. There were various sizes of iron pots and stoves of different shapes, used for steaming, boiling, frying, and sautéing. The cooks, in their short skirts, moved swiftly, slicing, kneading dough, and mixing fillings. Their faces glowed red from the stove’s fire.

One of the cooks, taking a moment, noticed Shen Qingxuan at the door and hurried over, exclaiming, “Young Master, what are you doing here? Hurry back, the smoke is thick; be careful not to get smoked.”

Shen Qingxuan smiled slightly, his face showing festive cheer, and waved his hand, saying, “I just wanted to see how you’re preparing.”

“Young Master needn’t worry. The cooks are all experienced; there won’t be any mistakes.”

Shen Qingxuan nodded, looked around a bit more, and said, “Prepare some good dishes and pack them in food boxes. Send them to me later.”

The cook, puzzled, asked, “Young Master, who are we sending these to?”

Shen Qingxuan nodded but did not explain, only instructing him to follow the orders. He then left.

In no time, the food boxes were delivered to Shen Qingxuan. He opened them, inspected the contents, and then covered them again. He asked a maid to bring a red parcel that had been prepared earlier and deliver it to the gate. The servant waiting at the gate received the items and placed them in the carriage. After reassuring Shen Qingxuan that everything would be delivered, the carriage sped off.

The carriage traveled swiftly, reaching the ferry, then boarded a boat. By noon, the servant had delivered the items to Xiaotao’s villa and quickly returned to report. Of course, Shen Qingxuan rewarded him generously.

In the afternoon, Xu Mingshi also returned, braving the snow and wind. He looked anxious as he rushed into the courtyard and, after searching around, found that Shen Qingxuan was in the main courtyard hosting guests. The maid, seeing his urgency, did not dare delay and went to find Shen Qingxuan while wrapping herself in a cloak.

When Shen Qingxuan learned that Xu Mingshi was looking for him, he signaled to leave his seat momentarily and asked what the matter was.

Xu Mingshi, seeing that no one else was around, unfastened his coat and pulled out a black, furry object from his bosom.

“Eh? What is this? A puppy?” Shen Qingxuan reached out, but Xu Mingshi blocked him. He put the object back into his coat and, with a distressed expression, said to Shen Qingxuan, “I don’t know how to explain this.”

Shen Qingxuan, noticing Xu Mingshi’s troubled face, realized the matter was serious and invited him inside to explain in detail.

It turned out to be another impulsive act by Xu Mingshi. The black, furry object was a wolf cub just over a month old. The cub’s mother was a wolf spirit who had cultivated for three hundred years and attained human form. She had grown restless and decided to venture into the human world, where she fell in love with a mortal. They lived together for a year, but after the man fell gravely ill, the wolf spirit, knowing it was due to her presence, sought a solution. She encountered Xu Mingshi.

Seeing the dying man, Xu Mingshi thought the wolf spirit was deliberately harming him and attacked her without distinguishing right from wrong. The wolf, still grieving and recently given birth, died at his hands.

With the mother wolf dead and the cub without a protective spirit, it revealed its true form. The dying man, witnessing Xu Mingshi’s attack, could only watch in horror as his wife transformed into a black wolf and their crying baby into a wolf cub. Overwhelmed and in poor health, he passed away.

Xu Mingshi, realizing his mistake and unsure how to resolve it, rushed back to Shen Qingxuan, his only trusted contact in this foreign land.

Shen Qingxuan listened in silence, his gaze cold as ice, cutting through Xu Mingshi like a blade. Xu Mingshi was terrified by his piercing stare.

After a long pause, Xu Mingshi stood there dejectedly, like a child who had done something wrong, muttering, “What should I do?”

Shen Qingxuan, about to speak, heard a faint, mournful cry from Xu Mingshi’s coat. The tiny voice was seeking its mother, unaware of the changed world around it. It was hungry and crying, searching for comfort.

Shen Qingxuan’s expression softened slightly, but he said nothing. He rang a bell to call a maid and instructed her to fetch some milk as soon as possible.

The maid, sensing the atmosphere was tense, quickly left to follow the order and closed the door behind her.

The little wolf cub continued to whimper in Xu Mingshi’s arms.

Shen Qingxuan extended his hand and said coldly, “Give it to me.”

Xu Mingshi hesitated, and Shen Qingxuan added, “You are its enemy.” The moment the words were spoken, Xu Mingshi visibly shuddered, his face showing deep sorrow and pity. However, no amount of pity could soften Shen Qingxuan’s resolve. His hand remained firm.

Xu Mingshi handed over the wolf cub, which Shen Qingxuan took and wrapped in his coat, comforting it. He then told Xu Mingshi, “I warned you that if you didn’t change your ways, it would bring disaster, either to yourself or others. You didn’t heed it then, but now you face the consequences.”

Xu Mingshi remained silent, staring at his feet.

“This situation has reached this point. I won’t say more. You should go to the accounting office to get some money and arrange a proper burial for the couple.”

Xu Mingshi, astonished, asked, “Burial? How should we bury them?”

“Of course, they should be buried together.”

“But she was a spirit.”

“The man married her. As long as he didn’t divorce her, even if she was a spirit or a ghost, she must be buried together with him!” Shen Qingxuan’s voice was firm.

Xu Mingshi stood stunned.

“You killed his wife and frightened the sick man to death. I should send you to face the law. But considering our past friendship, I will not do that. However, you must write a statement. If you deal with demons or spirits again, you must investigate thoroughly. If something like this happens again, I will take you to the authorities. Even though you are a Taoist, you are still human and subject to the law. If that happens, I won’t help you.”

Xu Mingshi, still stunned, nodded in agreement.

The wolf cub was squirming vigorously in Shen Qingxuan’s arms. He wheeled over to the bookshelf, took out a wooden box, opened it to reveal a white robe and a small bronze cauldron.

Xu Mingshi saw the items but was unsure of Shen Qingxuan’s intentions. He remained silent.

Shen Qingxuan set aside the snake-skin robe, returned the box, and brought the robe over. After observing Xu Mingshi for a moment, he said, “The mother wolf’s origins are unclear, and other beasts in the mountains might come seeking revenge. You have committed a grave mistake and should be punished. However, you are young, and it is a pity for you to die. I will lend you this robe for protection, but you must remove all your weapons and hand them over to me. Once this matter is resolved, I will return them to you.”

Xu Mingshi, understanding the gravity of his situation, knew that even with protective clothing, the consequences would be severe. Shen Qingxuan’s words were clear: he needed to atone for his actions. Xu Mingshi, resigned, took off his Taoist symbols and sword, placing them on the table. He then picked up the snake-skin robe, his eyes reddening as tears fell.

He said, “I’m sorry.”

**Shen Qingxuan was speechless, as he knew that the apology was not meant for him.**

The little wolf in his arms whimpered even more pitifully. Just then, the door was knocked, and the old butler’s voice sounded: “Young Master, I’ve found a ewe that is currently nursing. Will that work?”

Shen Qingxuan replied, “Get a bowl of milk.”

The old butler responded, “I’ll get it right away.”

When the warm sheep’s milk was brought in, Shen Qingxuan tried it, took the wolf cub out of his arms, and attempted to feed it with the bowl. The little wolf, unfamiliar with this method and deterred by the cold rim of the bowl, let the milk spill out without drinking any. Growing increasingly frustrated and anxious, the wolf cried out more pitifully and struggled harder. Shen Qingxuan set the bowl aside, unsure if the wolf was refusing to eat or just not accustomed to this way of feeding, and tried to use his finger to dip some milk and offer it. The hungry little wolf, recognizing that its surroundings were not familiar, instinctively became wary and bit down hard on Shen Qingxuan’s finger when he extended it.

Xu Mingjie was startled and exclaimed, “Ah!” as Shen Qingxuan’s finger started bleeding immediately. Shen Qingxuan, however, remained unperturbed, as if it were someone else who was bitten. He continued to offer his finger to the wolf, and as the blood mixed with the milk’s scent, the wolf licked it and stopped biting when Shen Qingxuan presented his finger again.

Confirming that the issue was with the feeding method, Shen Qingxuan found a small spoon and used it to feed the wolf by gently prying open its mouth. The hungry little wolf and the man who had never interacted with animals before made a difficult pair. Milk spilled, choked, and was spat out, but they gradually managed to cooperate better.

Feeding went more smoothly with the second bowl, and by the third bowl, Shen Qingxuan fed more slowly, and the wolf ate more slowly as well.

Xu Mingjie, observing from the side, was sweating and admiring Shen Qingxuan’s patience while also pitying the little wolf who had lost its parents. Without the wolf, this little creature wouldn’t have required so much effort just to fill its belly.

When the wolf’s belly began to round out, Shen Qingxuan was exhausted. The wolf, having shifted to a drier and warmer spot on Shen Qingxuan’s lap, curled up and fell asleep.

Shen Qingxuan, having wrapped the wolf in his clothes, moved to the fire pit to dry and warm his garments. Only then did he find a moment of quiet. Xu Mingjie, watching, looked at Shen Qingxuan’s profile, which radiated a sense of tranquility and fatigue.

Suddenly, Xu Mingjie’s eyes widened, and he shouted, “Shen Qingxuan, you have妖气 (demonic energy) on you!”

Startled by the shout, Shen Qingxuan opened his eyes and looked at him, quickly regaining composure, “I know.”

“Did you encounter some demon?” Xu Mingjie asked, instinctively on guard and scanning the surroundings.

Shen Qingxuan smiled, “No.”

“Don’t lie. The demonic energy on you is so strong. Clearly, it’s from interacting with demons…” Xu Mingjie stopped abruptly. He suddenly realized that such demonic energy wasn’t something one would acquire merely by regular interaction with demons. He had seen it before. In an instant, his usually muddled mind became clear. Xu Mingjie recalled the time Shen Qingxuan had recklessly saved that snake demon, the millennium-old snake who had generously gifted him treasures, and the person he had seen recently in the mountains, gradually becoming emaciated but stubbornly waiting for something. Xu Mingjie almost trembled as he asked, “Have you been involved with that snake demon?”

Shen Qingxuan merely looked at him, neither admitting nor denying. He just stared, with a fleeting hint of mockery in his eyes, as if mocking the question’s redundancy.

Xu Mingjie was stunned, his thoughts breaking apart under Shen Qingxuan’s gaze, becoming chaotic.

Shen Qingxuan calmly regarded his disordered expression, as if everything was none of his concern. Only in the end did he lightly chuckle and say with a hint of mockery, “I’ve been involved with that snake demon for a year now. Do you want to deal with it, or with me?” After a brief pause, Shen Qingxuan lightly made a sound, saying, “Hmm?” with a rising tone, unrestrained.

Xu Mingjie gasped in shock.

“You’ll die from this! Being with a demon, even one that’s practiced for a thousand years, you’ll die!” Xu Mingjie shouted.

“I know,” Shen Qingxuan responded quickly, as if he understood what Xu Mingjie was thinking, calmly saying, “He told me.”

“He…” Xu Mingjie was left speechless.

“I’m not you. I know what I’m doing. You don’t need to worry about me,” Shen Qingxuan said, letting go of his clothes and looking at him, “You should go back and bury that couple first.”

Xu Mingjie took two steps back, as if deeply struck, staring at him in disbelief. After a moment, he stamped his foot and ran away.

After gently patting the wolf cub’s fur, Shen Qingxuan sat for a while, sighed, and murmured to the peacefully sleeping wolf cub, “I didn’t bring the precious garment I gave him. I don’t know if he’ll return.” He also wondered how the wolf cub, now so docile, would turn out in the future, fearing it might seek revenge from Xu Mingjie.

With the wolf cub nestled in his arms, Shen Qingxuan genuinely started to worry.

Then, just as Xu Mingjie would naturally think of him when something happened, the only person Shen Qingxuan thought of at that moment was Yi Mo.

That cold-hearted snake might have coldly entrusted this wolf to him, and perhaps would return to cultivate and ignore worldly affairs. Even if not obedient, Yi Mo would certainly find a way to control it. By the time it cultivated into a human form to seek revenge, Xu Mingjie’s bones would have turned to dust.

Shen Qingxuan squinted, a sly, fox-like expression showing on his face, very, very pleased.

Meanwhile, Yi Mo, in the hot spring, suddenly opened his eyes and sneezed.

Reacting to the sudden sneeze with beast-like instinct, Yi Mo swiftly covered himself with his robes.

Leaving the mountains, he headed towards the Shen residence in the city.

The residence was lit up with lanterns, filled with joyous voices and festive greetings.

Countless “Young Master Yi, happy new year” slowed Yi Mo’s pace.

Inside the house, Shen Qingxuan, sitting and turning around, smiled warmly:

“You’ve arrived.”