Ginseng's Path to Immortality - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Xiao Bai slithered out from the backyard, flicking her tongue at me. “Hey, we’re old friends, aren’t we? Linxian City is so dangerous right now; how could I possibly feel at ease leaving you here alone-*hic!*”

Xiao Bai hastily used her tail to cover her mouth, but I reached out and promptly rolled her into a ball.

“Xiao Bai, tell me the truth. How did you get here? It couldn’t have been easy for a snake as big as you to sneak into the city.”

Xiao Bai struggled to poke her head out. “Stinky Shen Shen! Didn’t you say you were done tying me in knots?”

I prevaricated, “This is a slipknot, not an Auspicious Knot. Hurry up and tell me, why are you here?”

Xiao Bai answered while untying herself, “Your Benefactor invited me. He went to the Western Mountain to find me yesterday and used eight chickens as payment to have me take you out of the city tonight. He said there’s danger in the city and he’s worried about you.”

“What kind of danger could there be for a Millennium Great Demon like you? But hey, eight chickens are eight chickens. It’d be a waste not to eat them, so I came.”

“Anyway, I’m full now, and your Benefactor is about to die. Let’s head back.”

I didn’t move. Having freed herself from the knot, Xiao Bai crawled over to me. “Shen Shen, I know you’re anxious to achieve immortality, but these things depend on fate. If you interfere with his Life Tribulation, it will deplete your Cultivation Base.”

“Besides, his wish isn’t even to stay alive. Even if you save him and go back to practice your cultivation, you won’t be able to repay his kindness within his remaining lifetime.”

“Why don’t we just go back and wait for his next reincarnation?”

I remained silent for a long time before speaking. “But I know what he wants now. If I fulfill his wish for him, that should count as repaying the debt.”

Xiao Bai jumped in fright. “Are you crazy? He wants to save Linxian City!”

I nodded. “Then I will help him save Linxian City.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I sat cross-legged and focused on separating a small piece of my Spiritual Essence.

No matter how precious a thousand-year-old ginseng is, it cannot bring the dead back to life. The only thing that can save Huo Langxing is the Spiritual Essence I have cultivated for a millennium.

Seeing my actions, Xiao Bai let out a long sigh. With a look of utter resignation, she coiled herself around me to Protect the Dharma.

I didn’t open my eyes until noon the next day. The sky was still a heavy, oppressive gray, as if foretelling the city’s future.

I handed the separated piece of Spiritual Essence to Xiao Bai. “Go save Huo Langxing for me tonight. I’m going to the Water Source Area to intercept the people poisoning the supply.”

Xiao Bai didn’t take it immediately. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll run off with your Spiritual Essence? This little thing is worth many years of my own hard cultivation.”

I smiled. Xiao Bai was a snake demon who knew how to return a favor. After I saved her back then, she had spent the last few decades coiled behind me to protect me.

With such a massive snake lurking there, few people dared to come near to pick herbs.

Sometimes, when the torrential rains washed my roots out of the soil, Xiao Bai would slither over with a look of pity and cover me back up with dirt.

“Xiao Bai, I’m not afraid of you running away. I’m afraid you won’t dare go to the City Lord’s Mansion.”

After all, the City Lord’s Mansion was where Xiao Bai had been injured in the first place.

Xiao Bai sheepishly tucked my Spiritual Essence away. “Don’t worry, I’m not just some ordinary little snake anymore. I’ll give him your Spiritual Essence tonight and then head to the Water Source Area to find you. Once you’ve repaid your debt, we’re going back to the mountains to cultivate.”