Volume Eleven: Serpent Spirit Chapter Two: Serpent Spirit

After everyone had left, Yaoguang stood up again and went to Zheng Wenhong. “Are you alright?” she asked.

Zheng Wenhong nodded, then asked, “What happened to me just now?”

“You tell me first—when the twin dragons coiled around the column, did you feel anything strange?” Yaoguang inquired.

“I’m not sure. I suddenly felt a chill all over, and then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was lying on the ground,” Zheng Wenhong replied.

“I’ll tell you something, but don’t be afraid,” Yaoguang said.

“Alright,” Zheng Wenhong nodded.

“You were possessed, and it wasn’t just any spirit—it was a malevolent one. That’s why you acted so strangely,” Yaoguang explained.

“What should we do?” Zheng’s mother approached in terror.

“Auntie, don’t be afraid,” Yaoguang comforted her, patting her hand. “As long as I’m here, I want to see which reckless spirit dares to cause trouble.”

“Phoenix, what should we do now?” Director Jia looked at her.

“Don’t worry. With me here, you’ll be fine.” Yaoguang spoke as she dialed her phone and returned to her RV. Yitian followed her, and soon, the two came back down, Yitian carrying a large box.

“Auntie, please bring over a big rooster, the bigger the comb the better,” Yaoguang said as she approached the table and opened the box. She took out a small bowl, poured in cinnabar, and mixed it with alcohol.

“Here you go, child,” Zheng’s mother said, placing the rooster on the table. Yaoguang pressed down on the rooster, tied a small bronze bell to it, then pricked its comb with a needle, letting some blood drip into the cinnabar bowl. Holding the rooster steady, she began to recite incantations. After a while, she released it; the rooster flapped its wings and hopped to the ground.

“No one is to touch this rooster. Let it roam freely in the courtyard,” Yaoguang instructed. Then she burned a talisman in the cinnabar bowl, walked to each person, and dabbed cinnabar on their foreheads and crowns. “Take care not to lose this mark—it’s your protection against the malevolent spirit.” Returning to the table, Yaoguang fetched a large bowl of water, burned a purple talisman into it, and handed it out. “Everyone, take a sip.”

She then went to the main gate, sealing it with two spiritual talismans, and proceeded to seal every room’s door with another talisman.

Next, she whispered to Yitian, “Pass on my message—call the celestial families here. The spirit here is very powerful.”

Yitian nodded and returned to the RV to make a call.

“Brother Zheng, let me ask—when you built your house, did you find a snake’s nest?” Yaoguang asked.

“How did you know? There’s one behind our house, under the big tree behind the main hall,” Zheng Wenhong said, astonished. “Our old main hall was a dangerous structure, so we planned to rebuild and expand. When we tried to move the tree, we found a snake’s nest with over a dozen snakes. We decided not to disturb it—might be a guardian spirit, my mother said. So, we built a new house on the original foundation and constructed a low wall around the tree, leaving an opening facing the back of the main hall. I just finished it a few days ago.”

“Good. Take me to the snake’s nest,” Yaoguang requested.

“Sure.” Zheng Wenhong stood up and led her to the backyard, around the new main hall, and a few steps further. By the rear wall stood a large tree, surrounded by a low wall with fresh mud, and an opening facing the main hall. Yaoguang approached and saw several snakes as thick as arms and three or four meters long nestled among the roots.

Yaoguang looked up at the tree’s canopy, then down at the roots, and called out, “I’m here.”

Director Jia and the others watched her curiously, unsure what she intended to do.

A green snake slithered out first from beneath the roots, followed by white and black snakes—precisely the three from earlier. The green snake raised its head to look at Yaoguang, then retreated and began climbing the tree trunk, vanishing into the leaves above.

“What are you doing?” Xuan Chen came over and asked.

“Snake spirit,” Yaoguang replied, gazing up at the canopy.

“Snake spirit? What do you mean?” Xuan Chen was puzzled, but before he could finish, the tree crown began to tremble violently. He looked up.

“Step back,” Yaoguang instructed. Xuan Chen retreated to join the others.

The trembling intensified. As the group watched in confusion, something moved in the branches. The next instant, everyone was left breathless: a massive serpent’s head emerged, then its body—thick as a barrel and six or seven meters long. It slithered down to Yaoguang, stopping a meter away and coiling itself. Before it, Yaoguang looked like a child. The green snake slithered down from the giant serpent and climbed onto Yaoguang’s shoulder.

“What… what is this?” Director Jia was dumbfounded. The Zheng family was equally stunned; they had never known such a creature lived in their backyard tree.

“I’ll explain in a moment,” Yaoguang said without turning.

“I’m here. What do you wish to tell me?” Yaoguang asked the giant serpent.

The serpent flicked its tongue, as if speaking. Yaoguang nodded.

“They didn’t mean any harm; it was the malevolent spirit,” Yaoguang explained. The serpent shook its head and flicked its tongue again.

“Thank you,” Yaoguang said. The serpent shook its head once more, continuing to flick its tongue.

“What is Phoenix doing?” Tianyou whispered.

“This isn’t an ordinary snake—it’s a snake spirit. Master is conversing with it,” Huo Mingkun explained.

“You can understand them?” Tianyou was surprised.

“No, but I can see. Use your ability—look at the serpent’s head. Its spirit has taken human form and is speaking with Master,” Huo Mingkun said.

“Brother, who is your friend? She’s incredible. If not for her, would I be dead by now?” Zheng Wenhong asked.

“If not for her, I’d have lost you. Her name is Phoenix. Her true identity is confidential, but as that gentleman said, she’s extraordinary. Our family’s trouble isn’t simple—only she can resolve it. Just do as she says; don’t be afraid. Trust me,” Director Jia replied.

“I trust you, brother,” Zheng Wenhong said.

“She’s no ordinary girl. We must listen to her,” Old Master Zheng, who had been silent, finally spoke, and the family nodded solemnly.

Yaoguang continued her conversation with the serpent. Director Jia and the Zhengs couldn’t see the spirit, but Xuan Chen and the others could see Yaoguang chatting happily with a figure on the serpent’s head. She even sat on the ground, and the serpent lowered its head to her. After more than an hour, Yaoguang stood up. The serpent stretched its head forward, and she patted it, smiling. “Don’t worry. I’ll need your help when the time comes.” The serpent nodded and slithered back up the tree.

Yaoguang glanced at the green snake on her shoulder. “If you don’t want to go back, you can stay with me.” The green snake nodded, and Yaoguang smiled, turning to the others. “Let’s go to the front yard to talk.”

Everyone followed her back. Yaoguang sat at the long table, poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, and lifted the cup to her shoulder. The green snake dipped its head into the cup and soon emerged again.

“Oh, my clothes! You mischievous thing,” Yaoguang scolded, setting the cup down. The green snake seemed pleased with itself.

At that moment, the Golden Silkworm King fluttered out and, seeing the green snake, began circling it excitedly.

“Found a playmate, did you? You two go play—I have things to discuss,” Yaoguang said. The green snake slid down to the table and started playing with the Silkworm King.

Yaoguang glanced at them, then turned to the astonished Zheng family.

“Does your family worship Buddha year-round? Burning incense and chanting scriptures?” Yaoguang asked.

“Yes, my mother does. How did you know? Six Bodhisattvas—right in the main hall. We moved them to the side room for renovations, but they’ll be moved back after the house is finished,” Zheng Wenhong replied.

“That explains it. The giant serpent and those smaller ones weren’t here before. The giant serpent has cultivated a spirit form, even taking human shape—it’s a snake spirit. Drawn by your incense and virtue, it’s been here for over a decade, quietly cultivating. Your family’s good deeds haven’t gone unnoticed. When you rebuilt the house, you didn’t harm or drive them away; instead, you protected them with a wall. To repay you, the snake spirit revealed its offspring. The twin dragons coiling the column was a message: the snake spirit and its descendants wish to forge a bond with your family, becoming your household’s guardian spirit,” Yaoguang explained, turning to Zheng’s mother. “Auntie, as a Buddhist, you must know what a rare blessing this is.”

“I do, I do! This is a wonderful blessing—one can’t even pray for something like this,” Zheng’s mother replied, overjoyed.

“But what about Wenhong hitting those two snakes?” Old Master Zheng asked.

“The snake spirit bears no grudge; on the contrary, it had its offspring save Brother Zheng. The green snake tripped him—if not, he wouldn’t have survived,” Yaoguang said.

“How so?” Zheng Wenhong asked.

“It’s a long story. Is there an old, unclaimed grave in your village?” Yaoguang asked.

“Yes, in the eastern hollow. It’s very old—the tombstone has fallen, and no one knows whose it is,” Zheng Wenhong replied.

“That’s right. It’s a masterless grave, and the one buried there has become a malevolent spirit. It coveted your family’s fortune and incense. Over the years, your family remained safe because the snake spirit and the evil ghost were evenly matched—the snake spirit protected you. But things changed when you recognized the snake’s nest and built a wall around it. That was a signal to the snake spirit that you welcomed its presence, so it sought to become your household’s guardian. The twin dragons coiling the column was the pact; even if you didn’t understand, the snake spirit’s role became legitimate, and its cultivation advanced. The evil ghost, however, could no longer stay—it had to cause trouble. If the twin dragons didn’t coil the main beam, the pact wouldn’t be sealed. The evil ghost took advantage, possessed Brother Zheng, and tried to attack the snakes to break the pact and seize his body for its own. But the snake spirit refused—hence the green snake’s intervention. My shout suppressed the spirit, which tried to escape with Brother Zheng’s body, but the green snake tripped him and he fainted, so the spirit couldn’t take him and fled, awaiting another opportunity. That’s the whole story. Do you all understand?” Yaoguang paused, then continued, “These smaller snakes have also gained some spiritual power. The evil ghost is powerful, and the green snake knew to guide me to the snake spirit for help. Now everything is clear.”

“I see now,” Zheng Wenhong exclaimed. “Tomorrow, I’ll tear down the wall and build a small shrine, install a spirit tablet, and offer incense and food. From now on, our family will properly honor the snake spirit as our household guardian. What do you say, Mom and Dad?”

“We agree. Absolutely,” the Zhengs said in unison.

“Excellent. You are truly virtuous people,” Yaoguang nodded, then sighed. “But that’s for tomorrow. Tonight will be difficult—the evil ghost will come for certain. It’s his last chance.”

“What should we do?” Director Jia asked.

“We’ll do what we must. But where are my reinforcements? This evil ghost is strong. I have to protect you, assist the snake spirit, and deal with the ghost—I can’t do it all alone,” Yaoguang said, glancing dejectedly at the door.

“Who are you waiting for?” Director Jia asked.

“Hahaha, getting anxious, are we? Old man is here!” boomed a hearty voice from outside. The door swung open, and in strode two Daoist priests in white robes, dusters in hand, with an immortal air about them. Stroking his beard, one of them laughed heartily.

“Grandmaster!” Chen Haixu greeted Guishan and Guixin with joy.

“Old fellow, what took you so long? If the sun sets, it’ll be a problem,” Yaoguang complained.

“You didn’t come to meet us; we had to take a taxi. And you still complain?” Guishan retorted.

“Fine. If you settle things here, I’ll owe you two crates of peach blossom wine,” Yaoguang said, waving two fingers.

“Deal!” Guishan laughed.