Day of Ascension

A strange snake appeared in the wilderness of Yongzhou. Its scales are black, with white markings. Wherever it passes, trees and grass wither, and its venom is perfectly lethal.

Liu Zongyuan set down his brush with a sigh. He stood up, made his way to the window, and murmured, “The government is no better than that damn snake. Since the fourteenth year of Tianbao[1], the people have lived in misery, the nation has fallen into decay, and now even strange snakes roam unchecked!”

In the fourteenth year of Tianbao, the reign of Emperor Zhidao Dasheng Daming Xiao[2] ended due to his incompetence. The Prince of Dongping rose in rebellion, bringing an end to the golden age. Though the rebellion was eventually quelled, during the years of war, the warlords each seized parts of the lands for themselves, dooming the country to never regain its former prosperity.

From then on, a decaying atmosphere rose over the Divine Land[3]. Corruption ran rampant, and the imperial court fell under the control of treacherous officials. Men with lofty ideals, like Liu Zongyuan, were often banished to desolate backwaters, unable to fulfill the aspirations in their hearts.

While Liu Zongyuan was deep in thought, a black wind howled outside his window. A venomous snake with black-and-white ringed markings quickly slithered from a drainage ditch into the street. Wherever it passed, the trees and grass rapidly withered!

That was the strange, incomparably venomous snake he had just mentioned in his writing!

It was absurdly large, more than thirty chi[4] long. Houses collapsed with a sweep of its tail, and its breath filled the air with a poisonous mist.

The people on the streets wailed as they ran away, not daring to linger around. At the corner of the road, a plump white pig happily munching on cabbage failed to detect the danger in time. It breathed in a mouthful of the poisonous mist and immediately succumbed to the poison!

Amid the chaos, a youth in ragged clothing charged forth from behind and threw a punch, stirring the wind and dissipating the poisonous mist.

The giant snake was startled and fled. Alas, the youth caught up to it, forcing it to turn and fight for its life. Before it could do anything, however, the youth leapt up and smashed its chin with a flying kick.

The giant snake was sent spinning through the air. The youth sprang up after it and, with his fingers, struck one joint after another along its spine at blinding speed.

Crackles rang out like firecrackers. Wherever the youth hit the giant snake with his fingers, its muscles and bones shifted out of position.

In the blink of an eye, he struck the giant snake from head to tail, dislocating its every bone and immobilizing it!

The people on the streets burst into cheers. “Xiao[5] Ying! Great skills!”

The youth was named Xu Ying. He had long, slender limbs and fingers, though years spent under sun and wind had left him somewhat tanned. He was a renowned snake catcher from the Lingling County of Yongzhou. He was only fourteen years old, yet he had already developed a strong skill set.

Xu Ying grabbed the snake’s tail and was about to drag it away when Liu Zongyuan stepped out and called, “Xu Ying, why do you catch snakes?”

Xu Ying stopped. Seeing the vice prefect of Yongzhou, he hurriedly paid his respects and answered, “Vice Prefect Liu, snakes can be dried, cured, and used as medicine. Not only can it treat wind diseases, limb stiffness, and malignant sores, but it can also remove dead tissues and kill the Three Deathbringers.[6] The prefect also said that whoever catches these snakes will be exempt from taxes.”

Liu Zongyuan smiled. “That’s great.”

Xu Ying’s expression darkened. “My grandfather was a snake catcher. He died while fulfilling his duty, as did my father. I followed my father and learned the craft for six years. Who knows when I’ll die the same way? ”

Liu Zongyuan’s compassion was stirred. “I’m good friends with the prefect. I can ask him to free you of this labor, though that would mean you will have to pay your taxes normally.”

The giant snake suddenly said in the human tongue, “Well said, my lord! Xu Ying, it wasn’t easy for me to endure years of bitter cultivation. Let me go. You get to pay your taxes, and I get to continue practicing my demonic arts in the mountains!”

Liu Zongyuan jumped in fright and exclaimed, “A snake demon!”

The giant snake cried, “My maternal grandfather was a snake demon who died at the hands of snake catchers, as did my parents. Now, I’m a hundred twenty years old. I thought I could escape the same fate, cultivate until I become a flood dragon, and eat those bastards. Alas, it seems like I’ll also die at the hands of a snake catcher today—”

Xu Ying raised his hand and pulled at its chin lightly, dislocating its mandible and leaving the giant snake unable to speak any further.

Xu Ying’s eyes reddened. “Lord Liu, I can eke out a living by catching snakes. If I lose this job and my tax exemption, I’ll starve to death before long. Do you really think I’d risk my life to catch snake demons if I weren’t desperate? Who would even do that?”

With that, he dragged the snake demon away in silence.

Unable to hold back his tears, Liu Zongyuan sighed ruefully. “Who would have thought that the venom of tax collection could be deadlier than a snake’s! Snakes may be venomous, but even more venomous are ruthless exactions and oppressive levies!”

He returned to his room and, wielding his brush like the wind, penned the literary masterpiece The Snake Catcher.

Xu Ying dragged the snake demon home and tossed it into a large vat. Since it was already late, he wouldn’t be able to bring the snake to the government office in time. He had to put it off until the next morning.

After starting a fire, he prepared his meal, wolfed it down, then fell into a deep sleep.

The giant snake squirmed with all its might inside the vat to reconnect its dislocated bones. It struggled late into the night when it heard fierce government officials shouting, demanding that the villagers pay taxes. They were no different from bandits raiding, beating, smashing, burning, and looting a village.

Xu Ying was startled awake. He got up, lit a lamp, and peered into the vat. Seeing that the snake demon was still there, he breathed a sigh of relief before lying back down and going to sleep again.

The snake demon continued laboring to set its bones. After who knew how long, it managed to set its jaw back into place, only to hear Xu Ying get up again.

The snake demon sank dejectedly.

After dressing up, Xu Ying checked on the snake demon once more. It stayed perfectly still. Just wait till I get my neck bones back into place. I’ll bite your damn face and send you to meet your snake-catching ancestors!

Facing the morning sun, Xu Ying slowly inhaled and exhaled, silently circulating his vital energy using the Grand-Unity Guiding Method.

With every breath, the sunlight on his face seemed to grow brighter. Specks of light could even be seen in the air, flowing into him with his breath.

Faint, thunder-like rumbling rang out from Xu Ying’s abdomen. It rose from his dantian, climbed gradually to his throat and nasal cavity, then slowly sank back down into his dantian.

In mere moments, steam began rising from him, forming wisps of white mist that curled upward.

Xu Ying hadn’t inherited this technique from his father or grandfather. He didn’t even get this body from them. After all, they were not his blood relatives. The surname of his father and grandfather was Jiang, while his was Xu. Seven years ago, his grandfather saved him from the great fire at Xujiaping Village and brought him here.[7]

Xu Ying didn’t remember much of his life before that great fire, but he vaguely remembered a breathing technique—the Grand-Unity Guiding Method.

Xu Ying didn’t have much to do in his free time, so he practiced the technique. By now, he had been using it for a full seven years.

He did not really know what use he had for this training, but he didn’t have anything better to do, and practicing in the mornings did not take much time.

Well, in all fairness, he had soon discovered one benefit of the Grand-Unity Guiding Method: when his vital energy flowed down there, his urine stream became much straighter than before. He didn’t need to worry about dirtying his shoes.

Xu Ying had scoffed at the discovery. “Wow, I can pee far now. This is so useful.”

It was only after growing a little older that he realized what this technique actually did for him. The realization came when his grandfather and father took him to catch snakes, and he effortlessly killed one.

Xu Ying taught the Grand-Unity Guiding Method to his grandfather and father, but it was too late for them. Their progress was slow, and they soon lost their lives.

Now, Xu Ying was alone.

Three years ago, Xu Ying had already reached the point where he could no longer cultivate any further with the technique. His vital energy coursed like rushing thunder.

He could sense that there was still a path further ahead, that his flow of vital energy could still transform, but he didn’t know any techniques beyond this.

Behind him, the snake demon stealthily peeked its head out from the vat and couldn’t help but be shocked at the sight.

Xu Ying devoured sunlight essence and tempered his vital energy even faster than the snake demon could. Was this really absorption? No, this was practically monstrous, as if he was opening his jaws wide and swallowing the profound mysteries of the morning sun!

The snake demon’s eyes widened in bafflement. He’s practicing demonic arts?!Isn’t he human? How can he practice a demonic cultivation technique?

Late into the morning, Xu Ying slowly stopped his breathing exercises. The snake demon hurriedly retracted its head.

Now that the sun had risen high, the sunlight became incredibly scorching. If one practiced the cultivation technique now, their vital energy would become increasingly hot, to the point that spontaneous combustion was possible.

Excessive cultivation did more harm than good. If one practiced carelessly for too long, the fieriness of their body would keep rising. They would need to harvest moonlight essence on a full moon night to neutralize the fiery energy and ensure the purity of their cultivation.

Xu Ying walked up to the vat, reached in, and grabbed the snake demon by the weak spot on the back of its head. With a gentle expression, he lifted it out from the vat. “I don’t enjoy killing. I’ll ask, and you’ll answer, or I’ll be forced to do something I don’t enjoy. Understood?”

The snake demon nodded profusely.

Xu Ying let it down. “How did you become a demon?”

The snake demon said understandingly, “My grandfather was an ordinary venomous snake. One day, he wandered into Qinyan Cave by mistake, but half of the cave suddenly collapsed, revealing a scripture scroll and a gourd of pills. My grandfather ate the pill, which in turn enlightened him.

”Having become much smarter, he learned how to speak and read. He then cultivated according to the scripture and became a demon. Afterward, he passed down the scripture to my parents, and they passed it down to me. It’s a family legacy.”

Xu Ying nodded lightly. “Hand over the scripture and let me take a look.”

The snake demon hesitated.

Xu Ying picked up a fist-sized rock by the well. He squeezed, and four or five drops of water seeped out of the stone. When he loosened his grip, the powdered rock fell to the ground.

Indifferently, he asked, “Are you tougher than this rock?”

The snake demon immediately spat out the scripture scroll.

Xu Ying unfurled the scroll. Recorded within was a cultivation technique called the Great-Sun Guiding Method and a martial art known as the Elephant-Bull Demon Fist.

“You’re a snake, with no hands or feet. How could you practice the Elephant-Bull Demon Fist?” Xu Ying laughed. “Isn’t this a martial art only a bull demon or an elephant demon could practice?”

The corner of the snake demon’s mouth twitched. I am already lucky enough to have a technique at all. Who am I to be picky? Besides, aren’t you also practicing a demonic cultivation technique?

Xu Ying read through the text. The Great-Sun Guiding Method was similar to his Grand-Unity Guiding Method. However, after studying it for a moment, he discovered that when it came to absorbing sunlight essence, the Great-Sun Guiding Method was far inferior.

The Great-Sun Guiding Method recorded the cultivation realm they were currently in: the Qi-Gathering Stage.

Qi gathering referred to harvesting the essence of sunlight, condensing sunlight into light particles, and absorbing them to strengthen one’s physique and raise their vital energy.

Xu Ying furrowed his brow. Like his Grand-Unity Guiding Method, the Great-Sun Guiding Method ended at the peak of the Qi-Gathering Stage. There was no continuation.

“Don’t you think that there’s a path ahead beyond the Qi-Gathering Stage?” Xu Ying asked.

The snake demon said cautiously, “After cultivating to the peak, I only feel that I’m brimming with vital energy, as though I’m on the verge of breaking through. Unfortunately, I don’t know where the barrier is.”

Xu Ying frowned. He rose, walked to the hall, and retrieved a book basket.

He overturned it, spilling scrolls all across the floor.

The snake demon was shocked. The dozens of scrolls were all different cultivation techniques.

Over the years, Xu Ying had not only caught snake demons but also other demonic beings. In fact, he’d caught almost every demon within a radius of dozens of li.[8]

Those demonic beings were originally ordinary creatures who had experienced various fortuitous encounters of their own. They stumbled upon ancient grotto residences, came across scriptures carved into stone walls, or discovered grotto heavens underwater, allowing them to cultivate until they turned into demons.

Yet every technique they obtained had one thing in common: they all stopped at the Qi-Gathering Stage.

The same issue plagued the Grand-Unity Guiding Method. Although he could continue to raise his vital energy, he clearly sensed that there was a blocked path that continued even farther ahead. Beyond the barrier, he could see nothing but a vast expanse of chaos, and he didn’t know where to find his footing.

Xu Ying frowned and murmured to himself, “Why are all cultivation techniques cut off at the Qi-Gathering Stage?”

Burning with indignation, the snake demon furiously exclaimed, “I think someone is targeting us demons and ruining all our cultivation techniques! This is probably a scheme by you humans!”

Xu Ying shook his head. “If they could destroy the latter sections, then why not destroy the techniques completely? There has to be some other reason.”

As he read through the description of the Elephant-Bull Demon Fist, he brightened slightly.

This was a generic martial art, meaning anyone could practice it, not just a bull demon or an elephant demon. Of course, if a snake demon wished to practice it, it would first have to transform into human form and grow limbs.

The Elephant-Bull Demon Fist had a unique way of channeling vital energy, increasing its flow speed severalfold. It allowed the user to instantly unleash explosive power equal to that of a giant elephant.

The “Bull Demon” part referred to the flow of vital energy accelerating to the point that the user had difficulty maintaining their rationality. It caused them to fall into a state of madness, much like a raging bull.

The martial art also made its user swell instantaneously, growing a few cun or even a chi taller.[9] Their hands and feet would also grow larger than usual.

Xu Ying grew interested. Having always relied mostly on brute strength to subdue demons, he wasn’t skilled in martial techniques. With this fist art, his strength would surely skyrocket.

From outside, a villager called, “Ah Ying, it’s time to worship the gods!”

Xu Ying put the scripture in his bosom pocket, then squeezed the back of the snake demon’s neck lightly. “If you’re not gone by the time I return, I’ll wax you dry and hand you in. Also, don’t harm people.”

The snake demon felt its neck bones shifting back into position. It couldn’t help but feel both shock and joy.

Xu Ying left the courtyard and headed to Jiangjiatian[10]’s ancestral hall. The villagers appeared haggard and malnourished, their clothes ragged and worn, yet the ancestral hall itself was built in extravagant splendor.

There were men and women here from every household in Jiangjiatian. The rich held cooked chicken and duck as well as thick incense sticks and candles; the poor offered fruits and rice and held three ordinary incense sticks. They all walked to the ancestral hall one after another.

The truly penniless, like Xu Ying, had come empty-handed.

Xu Ying followed the villagers into the ancestral hall. Incense smoke rose in spirals, filling the air like a mist. Behind the incense burner was a carved wood statue of a terrifying-looking god, standing sixteen chi tall. It had a red body and was clad in green robes.

The incense smoke wafted toward the wooden statue and entered its nostrils. Its chest then swelled as it took a deep breath, taking in all of the smoke from the villagers.

The statue gradually transformed into a body of flesh and blood and rose from its altar. It then grabbed and consumed the chicken, duck, and fruits that the villagers offered. While happily devouring the food, it also grabbed the incense and candles, stuffed them into its mouth, and crunched down on them.

It was the first day of the month today, a day to worship the gods. Near Jiangjiatian, the ancestral halls of villages like Xujiajing, Yangzitang, Shuangjiqiao, and Shagouwan were likewise thick with incense smoke.

Statues of gods carved from wood, molded from clay, cast from copper, or plated with iron awoke amidst the incense smoke and transformed into bodies of flesh and blood to enjoy the incense and delicacies offered by the people.

Mountain-god temples and dragon-king temples throughout the various mountains and rivers near Lingling County were also filled with the mist of incense smoke. Even in the cities, the city gods in their temples had also awoken to enjoy the offerings.

It was not just Lingling. Incense smoke rose all across Yongzhou—all across southern Hunan, nay, throughout the entire Divine Land. God statues guarding the villages, towns, cities, and prefectures awoke one after another to enjoy the offerings from the people. It was a scene of a prosperous era.

Yet the world was in chaos because of the emperor’s incompetence. The prosperous era had long since ended; dukes and princes had carved out their own territories and ruled as kings, while the imperial authority waned. The aura of the gods across the Divine Land was less majestic than before, gradually showing signs of decline.

Inside Jiangjiatian’s ancestral hall, the god flew into a rage and slammed the table as he shouted, “Xu Ying! Jiang Shu! Jiang Lu! You paupers came empty-handed! You didn’t even bring incense or candles! I only get two meals a month from you people, and the food you offer doesn’t even fill me up! Do you people in Jiangjiatian still want good crops, food, and clothing? Aren’t you afraid I’ll unleash calamity on you if you anger me?!”

1. 755 A.D. in the modern calendar. ☜

2. The posthumous name of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty. Part of this is actual Chinese history. ☜

3. Shenzhou, an old name for China. We translated it as “Divine Land” to avoid confusion with prefecture names that end in “zhou.” ☜

4. Traditional unit of measurement now standardized to 33.3cm. ☜

5. Xiao is a term of endearment, similar to the Ah prefix found below. ☜

6. In Daoist belief, the Sanshi(三尸) are demonic parasites that hasten their host’s death. ☜

7. Xujiaping refers to a settlement established on a plain owned by the Xu family. ☜

8. Traditional unit of measurement now standardized to 500 meters. ☜

9. Traditional units of measurement that have been standardized to 1 cun = 3.3 cm and 1 chi = 33 cm. ☜

10. Jiangjiatian refers to a settlement established from farmland owned by the Jiang family. ☜