Chapter 348

Xu Xuan woke up in the forest, his first reaction was to check his crotch, and then he let out a breath. It turned out the little fox demon had merely cut off the tail of the bellyband and sewn it onto him.

This scene made the audience inside burst into laughter.

Especially some girls in the guest seats, after glancing at Xu Xuan on the big screen, they furtively looked at not-far Jiang Heng, their expressions somewhat strange.

On the big screen, Xu Xuan rushed back to the pagoda, only to find it reduced to ruins, with fire and sparks flying everywhere.

The bellyband noticed the fire and smoke rising in the direction of Yongzhou City, and a person and a dog hurried over.

All over the city were scattered crowds and collapsed houses; Xu Xuan and the bellyband rushed over and saw a huge figure surge up from the river, effortlessly crushing the National Preceptor's warship into fragments, with the soldiers aboard falling into the water.

Because the sky was dark, mist rose.

Xu Xuan could not see the monster's true form, but the audience could faintly guess it.

When the little Daoist and Xiao Bai fought over the hairpin, his inner strength was sucked dry, turning him into a withered old man.

The audience had all been influenced by Jin Yong's martial arts dramas; how could they not guess it?

But when Xiao Bai revealed her true form in the darkness and mist, she was still stunned.

They saw a white dragon over a hundred meters long, hornless, appear in the sky.

She slowly lowered her body to look at Xu Xuan, but the National Preceptor's soldiers' gunfire shattered the calm. Seeing the fleeing civilians and shattered houses around, she finally turned and dove into the water, disappearing.

"Wow, this snake-made thing is so exquisite!"

"It's almost like the real thing!"

On the big screen, Xu Xuan learned from Xiao Qing that the creature just seen was Xiao Bai, and that it was heading to the Snake Village to take revenge on the National Preceptor, so he hurried after it.

Inside the snake cave, the gorgeous snake mother heard that the National Preceptor's fleet had arrived, looking bewildered, because the snake cave was very close to Xu Xuan's village.

A bunch of snake demons not very bright, using elimination and quick analysis, unanimously concluded that Xiao Bai had betrayed them, and then swarmed out.

Watching this, some in the audience didn't know how to comment: after thousands of years of cultivation, how could their IQ be so low?

On Xu Xuan's side, he first returned to the village to urge everyone to leave, but no one believed him.

Xu Xuan went outside the village to block Xiao Bai, but she didn't stop at all.

But as the snake passed, it kicked up a skyful of dandelions, and the beautiful mountain scenery indeed evoked memories.

Xu Xuan stood on a rock and said, "Xiao Bai, look, I've turned myself into a demon—we're both demons now! You're huge in size, so what? The world is vast, capable of holding countless mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas—what is your size? Xiao Bai, though I am the weakest and smallest demon, I will give my all to protect you. If the world cannot make room for us, let's go together to the ends of the earth, to the eight wildernesses and four seas; there will always be a place for us."

The audience was moved, and Xiao Bai was moved too! The white snake giant python, resembling an untransformed white dragon, slowly lowered its head to touch Xu Xuan's raised wrist. Set against the mountains dotted with red leaves and the sky full of rising dandelions, the scene was breathtakingly beautiful, truly enchanting.

But this beautiful scene was easily shattered.

Liu Xun, playing the National Preceptor, had already laid out a Demon-Subduing Grand Formation that trapped Xu Xuan, Xiao Bai, and Xiao Qing together; when their vital energy was worn away by the formation, their bodies and spirits were utterly destroyed.

But the National Preceptor wanted to absorb the primordial spirit for his cultivation, not intending to take away the Blazing Yang Soul-Severing Scale on Xiao Qing's body.

Just then the snake mother arrived, and after a spectacular, visually stunning battle, everyone finally joined forces to kill the National Preceptor.

But the story wasn't over yet; the snake mother sent her snakes to kill the National Preceptor's lackeys and attack the village where Xu Xuan was.

Inspired by Xiao Bai's transformation into a giant python, she grabbed Xiao Qing by the neck and sucked out his primordial essence, saying, "This Daoist has forced me into misery, but one day I suddenly realized: what the Daoist cultivates, I can cultivate too; what the Daoist can take, I can take your magical power."

The snake mother tossed the drained Xiao Qing aside, then immediately absorbed the primordial essence of the little demons still attacking the Snake-Catching Village.

"These little demons that have cultivated a bit are truly excellent auxiliary spirit elixirs."

After absorbing the primordial spirit techniques of the many little demons, the snake mother transformed into a double-headed giant python larger than Xiao Bai; after a shocking battle, Xiao Bai shrank into a petite human form and fell to the ground, about to lose her life to the snake's jaws, but she was saved when Xu Xuan raised the banner of the Demon-Subduing Grand Formation anew.

Even though not yet dead, the National Preceptor could still activate the Demon-Subduing Grand Formation; although he soon breathed his last, the snake mother, Xiao Qing, Xiao Bai, and Xu Xuan were trapped inside the formation.

Inside the formation, snow flew everywhere and frost cut like knives; Xu Xuan embraced the power-drained Xiao Bai as he searched for the gate of life, but he stopped at a stone to rest, telling Xiao Bai to hold on, that the villagers would come to rescue them. Life is bitter, remember the happy things!... The camera panned, revealing that several ice spikes were embedded in his back—he could no longer live. Xiao Bai heard the sound of the formation being broken outside, called out to Xu Xuan, and realized he looked like an ice sculpture; only then did she see the ice spikes in his back, realizing he had been dead for a while.

At this point in the film, who knows how many viewers were moved to tears, some saying, "This is even more touching than Titanic!"

"Better than A Chinese Ghost Story!"

On the big screen, Xiao Bai clung to the ice sculpture of Xu Xuan and wailed, "A-Xuan, you promised we'd leave this place together, and we still have so many, so many places to go!"

But heartbreakingly, Xu Xuan's body began to float, dissolving from his feet upward. Xiao Bai clung to his hand, unwilling to let go, sobbing, "A-Xuan, don't go, A-Xuan, you don't go!"

At that moment, the song Xu Xuan once sang came to mind, his past laughter, words, and deeds appearing in memory; Xiao Bai cried her heart out, yet the audience watched, tears in their eyes.

Xu Xuan's physical body still perished, his soul flying toward the heavens.

Xiao Bai, lying on the ground, quickly raised the hairpin in her hand, casting a spell to desperately retain the soul, hoping that at this moment the villagers would break the formation and the turning banner would finally fall....

Xiao Bai recalled everything: at that time she had used the hairpin to preserve Xu Xuan's soul, then transformed into a white snake. She also used her last breath to seal the memory inside the hairpin, only to open it now.

"The memory can be opened, but true fruition still cannot be cultivated!"

"Or still cannot be liberated?"

"A moment of joy, I've remembered for five hundred years!"

"Is it worth it?"

"Even if I lose this thousand years of cultivation, it's worth it!"

"I must find him!"

"He's probably drunk who-knows-how-many bowls of Meng Po's soup; even if I find him, he's likely not the person you remember!"

Xiao Bai flew from the cave to the waterfall, saying, "No matter where he is in the world, no matter what he looks like, whether he still remembers me or not, I will find him! Because I remember!" The camera followed Xiao Bai's gaze upward to the azure sky, then panned down to the beautiful scenery of Xihu.

The audience watching were all stirred, for that was the familiar Xihu they knew! The lake light and mountain colors, beautiful beyond words, with a drizzling mist and few passersby—"Hey, wait, wait, wait a moment, wait a moment!" Huang Bo, playing Li Gongfu, appeared on the broken bridge in a constable's uniform, instantly making the audience laugh.

"The bellyband turned into Xu Zion's brother-in-law—haha, this setting is awesome!"

On the big screen, a young scholar-type figure took up the umbrella, though his face was not shown, it was Xu Xuan's voice saying, "Thank you, sister-in-law!"

Li Gongfu then left, and Xiao Bai and Xiao Qing arrived side by side; as they passed, the hairpin dropped with a soft chime.

The umbrella-holding Xu Zion squatted to pick it up, the camera panned up, and his face was revealed—it was Jiang Heng playing Xu Zion.

Though his face was the same as in his previous life, his demeanor was completely different.

Then the prelude of the classic piece "Past and Present Lives" began to play, making many in the audience feel a sourness in their noses.

On the big screen, Xu Zion stepped forward and softly said, "Miss, miss, your hairpin has fallen!"

Zhao Liying, playing Xiao Qing, turned her head, her gaze drifting between Xu Zion and the White Maiden, and she gave a bewitching smile.

And having her hair done into the classic hairpin style from the New Legend of White Snake, Bai Niangzi turned her head and said softly, 'Thank you, sir!'

Could it be that a single glance in a past life was only to meet in this life? Ah…, Ah…! Fleeting beautiful dream, what can heaven do? Love deep, no resentment, Ah…, Ah…! Thousand mountains block, ten thousand miles away; in the next life we shall continue this bond!

The classic music, the beautiful scenery of Xihu, and the dialogue between Xu Zion, Bai Niangzi, and Xiao Qing.

This hairpin is of great age, yet it is a precious treasure!

Xiao Qing: 'Yes, thank you, young sir, for picking it up; this is absolutely not to be lost!'

The young lady looks very kind and good-natured; where are you from?

That's a long story!

(End of chapter)