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The talented young herbalist named Xu Xian[br]was in trouble.

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It should have been a victorious moment–

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he had just opened his very [br]own medicine shop.

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But he bought his supplies from [br]his former employer,

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and the resentful man [br]sold him rotten herbs.

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As Xu Xian wondered what to do with this [br]useless inventory,

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patients flooded into his shop.

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A plague had stricken the city,

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and he had nothing to treat them.

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Just as he was starting to panic,

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his wife, Bai Su Zhen, produced a recipe[br]to use the rotten herbs as medicine.

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Her remedy cured all the plague-afflicted[br]citizens immediately.

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Xu Xian’s former boss even had to buy back[br]some of the rotten herbs

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to treat his own family.

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Shortly after, a monk named Fa Hai [br]approached Xu Xian,

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warning him that there was [br]a demon in his house.

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The demon, he said, was Bai Su Zhen.

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Xu Xian laughed.

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His kindhearted, resourceful wife [br]was not a demon.

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Fa Hai insisted.

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He told Xu Xian to serve his wife realgar[br]wine on the 5th day of the 5th month,

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when demons’ powers are weakest.

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If she wasn’t a demon, he explained, [br]it wouldn’t hurt her.

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Xu Xian dismissed the monk politely,

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with no intention of serving [br]Bai Su Zhen the wine.

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But as the day approached, [br]he decided to try it.

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As soon as the wine touched [br]Bai Su Zhen’s lips,

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she ran to the bedroom, [br]claiming she wasn’t feeling well.

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Xu Xian prepared some medicine [br]and went to check on her.

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But instead of his wife,

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he found a giant white serpent with a[br]bloody forked tongue in the bed.

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He collapsed, killed by the shock.

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When Bai Su Zhen opened her eyes,

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she realized immediately what [br]must have happened.

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The truth was that Bai Su Zhen was [br]an immortal snake

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with formidable magical powers.

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She had used her powers to take a [br]human form

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and improve her and [br]her husband’s fortunes.

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Her magic couldn’t revive Xu Xian,

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but she had one more idea to save him:

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an herb that could grant longevity [br]and even bring the dead back to life,

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guarded by the Old Man of the South Pole

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in the forbidden peaks of the [br]Kun Lun Mountains.

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She rode to the mountains on a cloud,

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then continued on foot passed gateways [br]and arches

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until she reached one [br]marked “beyond mortals”

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hanging over a silver bridge.

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On the other side,

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two of the Old Man’s disciples [br]guarded the herb.

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Bai Su Zhen disguised herself as a monk

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and told them she’d come to invite [br]the Old Man to a gathering of the gods.

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While they relayed her message,

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she plucked some leaves [br]from the herb and ran.

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The servants realized they had been [br]tricked and chased her.

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Bai Su Zhen coughed up a magic ball [br]and threw it at one.

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As the other closed in on her,

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she put the herb under her tongue [br]for safekeeping,

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but its magic forced both of them [br]into their true forms.

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As the crane’s long beak [br]clamped around her,

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the Old Man appeared.

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Why, he asked, would she risk her life [br]to steal his herb

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when she was already immortal?

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Bai Su Zhen explained [br]her love for Xu Xian.

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Even if he didn’t want to be with her [br]now that he knew she was a demon,

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she was determined to [br]bring him back to life.

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The two had a karmic connection dating [br]back more than a thousand years.

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When Bai Su Zhen was a small snake,

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a beggar was about to kill her,

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but a kind passerby rescued her.

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Her rescuer was Xu Xian in a past life.

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Touched by her willingness [br]to risk her life for him,

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the Old Man permitted her to leave the [br]mountain with the immortal herb.

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Bai Su Zhen returned home [br]to revive Xu Xian.

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When he opened his eyes,

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the terrified look frozen on his face [br]became a smile.

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Demon or not,

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he was still happy to see his wife.