Jiang Yuqing nimbly cut off that imprint and stored it in a jade box, preparing for whenever it might come in handy.
Afterwards, she also put the snake head into her Spirit Realm, and person and treasure returned the same way they had come.
When they emerged from the cave mouth, the night was already pitch black. Taking advantage of the darkness, Jiang Yuqing went to Shi Shan Wan, to the home of the little girl who had suffered misfortune.
The doors of her home were shut up tight, with just the faint glow of lamplight filtering out through the paper windows.
From inside came the faint sounds of the woman of the house crying, along with the voices of others trying to comfort her.
Jiang Yuqing quietly left the snake head and two wooden crates at the doorway of that household. Then she knocked lightly on their door.
It was a good while before the door cautiously opened just a crack.
The one who opened the door was an old woman, possibly the grieving girl's grandmother or a neighbor.
As soon as she opened the door, her eyes fell upon the large parcels and two crates left at the doorway.
First the old woman breathed a sigh of relief, then she called into the house, “You can all come out now, it’s not the big snake! Quick, bring a pine torch, someone’s left boxes at the door!”
Soon, two pine resin torches were lit, and when the people opened the bundles and crates to look, at first they recoiled in fright, but then they began both laughing and crying.
“It’s the snake’s head! The beast has been killed!” they shouted amidst tears of joy. “The child’s and the dog's corpses were also recovered. Heaven has eyes!”
Crying out, everyone knelt in the courtyard, facing the dark night sky to kowtow. “We thank the hero for eliminating this scourge. Our benefactor!”
Seeing this scene, Jiang Yuqing stroked the soft, fluttering fur of Bai Xiaoshi as she said: “Xiaoshi, let's go! Our master has probably worried himself sick waiting for us!”
“Okay!”
Back at home, Doctor Qiu had indeed worried himself ill, and seeing her return he heaved a great sigh of relief. He hurried up to her anxiously asking, “Dear girl, are you alright? Nothing happened, I hope?”
Jiang Yuqing grabbed a teacup and guzzled down a full cup of water, saying: “I'm fine. I slaughtered that vile beast and chopped off its head, then took back the little girl's corpse and left them at her family's door.”
Doctor Qiu breathed an extended sigh of relief. “That's good then. Now people can finally rest easy.”
But Jiang Yuqing shook her head gravely. “Not necessarily. The snake has been killed, but whoever was keeping it has not yet been found!”
Doctor Qiu turned deathly pale in fright. “What‽ This snake belonged to someone? Who could be so malicious as to raise this human-eating scourge?”
Jiang Yuqing gave a cold chuckle. “Anyone who could raise such a freakish creature can hardly be a good person. Leaving them be would likely bring great disaster.”
She paused a moment before continuing: “Which is why I may have to impose on Master to stay here a while longer.”
Doctor Qiu complained, “Silly girl, what nonsense you speak! Qingzhou is far more comfortable than the capital. To have companionship while this old man drinks wine, I'd happily live out my remaining years here! Besides, your master said long ago: wherever you are, there will I be also. None of these formalities between us!”
Jiang Yuqing snorted with laughter. “Those were your words: ‘Wherever I am, there you shall be!’ What if someday I marry‽ Will you tag along as dowry!”
Doctor Qiu glared. “And why not? Even as your dowry, I would still be your master. Your husband's household will have to continue supporting me! Besides, with me there to look after you, surely he wouldn't dare mistreat you, lest one packet of poison dispatch his whole clan to the next life!”
Jiang Yuqing laughed even harder hearing this. As she laughed, her eyes grew misty. She held onto the old man's arm and gently shook it. “Dear Master, you are too good to me!”
Doctor Qiu lovingly patted her on the head. “Silly girl!”
utterly devoted to medicine, the old man had remained unmarried lifelong. Now late in years, having apprenticed this girl behind closed doors, for over ten years it remained just so - he regarded her as his own daughter.
And he too had utterly spoiled this child. Thus early on he'd determined: wherever his little apprentice might roam, there too shall he make his home.
The next day, Jiang Yuqing heard the news. Word was that the great serpent which had terrorized Tea Bag Ridge had, just yesterday, run off to Shi Shan Wan and swallowed a small child and a puppy whole.
But that very afternoon some hero had slaughtered the vile brute and delivered its head to Shi Shan Wan, along with the little boy's recovered corpse. Heaven only knows what immortal had performed this great deed!
And now, that snake head with jaws big enough to swallow a cow hung from Crooked Neck Tree at the village border for all to gawk at.
They said the thing had been enormous in life. Why, just one head weighed over a dozen stone, with eyeballs the size of cattle’s! And protruding fangs more than an inch long each, terrifying as all hell.
Nowadays many traveled to Shi Shan Wan just to see the spectacle.
And Jiang Yuqing went along to see the hubbub with her household.
As the old couple scrutinized the snake head while cursing the vile brute, Jiang Yuqing concealed herself amidst the crowd, closely observing all around.
She may have killed the snake, but wherever its master still drew breath, he would surely seek revenge once word reached him.
Rather than a fruitless search far and wide, better to wait in ambush right here for that man to appear himself.
Yet neither could she linger here indefinitely, and so she secretly called to the birds, dogs and cats and other beasts nearby.
She asked them to help keep watch on the area around Crooked Neck Tree where the snake head hung. And to come report immediately if they spotted anyone suspicious.
Jiang Yuqing gave the animals some food and they cheerfully consented.
For seven or eight straight days she kept her vigil so, lasting till the Lantern Festival had passed. By then the snake head had already rotted and stunk and been reduced to ashes.
Then one day a bird came flapping anxiously to her with news: “A strange two-legged beast came to Crooked Neck Tree today!
That two-leg was bundled up whole in ashen grey robes with even the face covered, showing only the eyes.
He said some queer things beneath Crooked Neck Tree, stuff like, ‘Useless thing. Better off dead,’ and, ‘How dare these foolish mortals kill this noble one's spirit beast. I swear they shall all pay the price!’
Also there was something really uncomfortable about his aura, gave us all bad feelings.”
As soon as Jiang Yuqing heard this she knew: the man she'd awaited had come at last! So she quickly asked the bird, where was he now?
The bird replied that after circling the tree a few times the man had left. But some of its kin still followed covertly after him.
Jiang Yuqing promptly praised it. “Well done! When I've caught the villain I'll bring back tasty treats for you all!”
Then explaining hastily to Doctor Qiu she bade him provide cover, before slapping an invisibility talisman onto herself and dashing off right after the little bird.
It was atop Teabag Ridge that Jiang Yuqing finally ran down the ashen-robed man, subsequently tailing him back into that very same cavern.
Seeing the serpent's giant corpse chopped apart on the ground below, the ash-clad figure unleashed a shriek to rival all the hounds of hell.
Only after smashing down several stone stalagmites did his fit finally subside as he slumped down limply beside the reeking snake carcass.
Head lowered despondently, seemingly lost in thought, both hands clenched tight into white-knuckled fists with bulging veins.
Likely plotting his revenge against all mankind. Taking advantage of his unawareness, Jiang Yuqing tore off her invisibility talisman to reveal herself alongside Bai Xiaoshi.
“Dreaming up ways to avenge your precious spirit beast?” Their voices echoed eerily through the vast cavern, giving the ash-clad man quite the dreadful shock.
Glancing up he beheld, just ten paces before himself, a young girl of twelve or thirteen years.
The girl wore a voluminous red fox fur cloak, with complexion like snow and bearing ethereal as a winter sprite. But chiefly those crimson lotuses upon her brow, lurid enough to strike terror.
For all her smiling air, an uncanny quality pervaded about her that chilled the man to his very bones.
Immediately his tension redoubled. Every muscle in his body taut as bowstring while his broken croak of a voice roared harshly, “Who are you‽ How have you tracked me here!”
Jiang Yuqing's smile turned rather wicked as she produced a jade box from her pouch and tossed it over. “Take a look at this!”
The ash-clad man warily eyed her even as he caught the projectile and cracked it open.
Then his eyes instantly flooded crimson. “Twas you who murdered my Golden Crown‽ Do you even grasp what labor it cost me, what devotion to contract it?” With a fierce bellow of, “Die, you wretch!” he lobbed away the jade box. Molding a ball of flame in hands he prepared to hurl it right at Jiang Yuqing.
But with casual ease she sidestepped the missile, before unleashing the full pressure of her Foundation Establishment cultivation to flatten him against the floor in an instant.
“A mere three-spirit-rooted, fifth-layer Qi Condensation worm dares style himself ‘this noble one’ in my presence?” she thundered severely. “I care not what vermin you contract! Slaughtering that man-eating cur was trivial as can be! And one such as you would challenge me?”
Never had the ash-clad man even dreamt that in today's Dharma Ending Age, cultivators of Foundation Establishment still walked the earth.
So hurriedly he pleaded for his life. “Elder have mercy! This junior knew not of elder's eminence, and offended most grievously! I beg elder's pardon!”
Jiang Yuqing coldly laughed, "Excuse me, let's see if what you've done is worth me letting you off." I ask you, where did this beast come from?"
The gray-robed man said, "It was just caught in the deep mountains. My inheritance is a technique for taming beasts. This beast doesn't listen to control very well, so it ran out privately."
Jiang Yuqing angrily scolded, "You still dare to make excuses! This beast is your life spirit beast, communicating with your mind and intentions. How could you not know that it was eating people? Clearly you intentionally let it loose.
Does the inheritance of the Beast Control Sect teach you to use spirit beasts to harm mortals?
I've already been waiting under the Crooked Neck Tree for many days, and I heard every word you said clearly.
If it wasn't for me running into you, I'm afraid you'd already be thinking of how to retaliate against those villagers.
Your heart is immoral, what you cultivate is clearly an evil path!"
The gray-robed man was so scared that he trembled like a sieve: "I dare not, I dare not! This inferior one was just trying to take advantage with words!" Even when facing death, he was still making excuses.
Jiang Yuqing was too lazy to waste words with him. She directly slapped a Truth Talisman onto him.
Soon after, this evil cultivator confessed everything about his past and the dirty things he had done clearly and thoroughly, even telling the color of his underwear, it was truly grating to the ears.
Only then did Jiang Yuqing know that this guy was actually a disciple of Huayang Zi from the Three Purities Temple on the outskirts of the capital.
Later, because his heart was immoral, he secretly practiced evil arts behind everyone's back. After being discovered by Huayang Zi, his martial arts were abolished and he was expelled from the sect.
Who would have thought that he still had the fortune for the Dao.
After leaving the Three Purities Temple, while picking poisonous herbs on a mountain, his foot missed a step and he fell down a cliff. To his surprise, he discovered the cave dwelling of an ancient cultivator.
This ancient cultivator was actually a Foundation Establishment stage disciple from the Beast Control Sect.
Due to the passage of many years, the belongings of the Beast Control Sect disciple like storage bags had turned to ashes, only a few basic immortal jade notes were left preserved.
After picking it up, he went straight down the crooked demonic path with no return, until being caught by Jiang Yuqing.
If this was in her previous life, this guy would definitely be a protagonist of Jin Yong's novels. Unfortunately, he had the luck of a protagonist but not the fate, and eventually still fell into her hands.
What happened next was easy to tell. Jiang Yuqing escorted this guy to his cave dwelling deep in the mountains.
As a result, she saw a mountain cave full of animals tortured and on the verge of dying.
She was furious at that moment, and slapped apart his dantian.
The gray-robed man painfully fell to the ground wailing, loudly cursing: "Damn b****, you said that as long as I brought you here, you'd let me keep my life. You are unconscionable, you will not die well!"
Jiang Yuqing smiled profoundly: "I said I would spare your life, but didn't say I wouldn't abolish your cultivation."
Afterwards, she flicked her sleeve, severing all the bindings on the animals, and shouted loudly: "To bear a grudge is to repay it, to owe vengeance is to take it, go!"
As soon as her words ended, the freed beasts, filled with hatred and towering fury, swarmed them, instantly tearing apart the gray-robed man into pieces before he could even scream out a few times.
Jiang Yuqing turned her back and walked out of the cave entrance, seeing the countless skeletons of various animals below the cliffs, a layer of ice on her face.
Good and evil will have karmic retribution in the end. The gray-robes harmed so many animals to eventually became food in the mouths of the beasts.
