The world began to turn into a hazy gray. I saw something peculiar in the distant sky.

A massive true Buddha appeared in the sky, its countless tentacles writhing madly.

The upper half of its face revealed an indescribable smile.

It turned its head on its own, without making eye contact with me.

Deep down in my heart, I had a vague premonition that if I were to meet its gaze, I would plummet into endless pain.

Never able to leave that gray mist.

After the true Buddha disappeared, the world regained clarity.

I found myself on a small mountain, atop a steep cliff. A pink snake was eating Lingzhi mushrooms.

The pink snake gave me a strange sense of familiarity.

In the next moment, an eagle

swooped down from the sky, charging towards the snake.

I struggled to climb up the cliff and drove the eagle away with an axe.

After finishing the Lingzhi, the snake slowly crawled towards me.

At that time, it had just gained sentience and couldn't speak yet.

Next, the cliff began to collapse, and I fell from it.

But at the critical moment, I threw the snake aside onto a smooth area.

I never expected to die like this.

In my desperate state, I involuntarily expressed concern for the snake:

"Bai Suzhen, you must live on."

I plummeted below the mountain cliff, and the world once again turned into a hazy gray.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back in the medicine shop.

The shopkeeper looked at me with surprise:

"Sir, how did you come back so quickly? Weren't you just at Jinshan Temple?"

It was then that I realized I had returned to a time five hundred years ago.

When I turned my head, Bai Suzhen had already arrived at my medicine shop.

I asked her with a bitter smile:

"Are you here to kill me again?"

Bai Suzhen hesitated for a moment, then pursed her lips:

"Yes. But first, let me ask you a question.

"A thousand years ago, did you save a pink snake on a cliff?"

I nodded, and Bai Suzhen's gaze became extremely complex.

I knew the doubts in her heart, so I told her my story:

"A long time ago, I also encountered a pink snake.

"She was a lovely little spirit, always pouting and complaining when she got hungry.

"I fed her steamed buns, and she stayed with me at Jinshan Temple for ten years.

"Although our interactions were limited, she became an important person in my life.

"The time she spent with me was longer than that with my master.

"Her magical powers were not as strong as yours; she couldn't even pull out an umbrella.

"She said she wanted to accompany me in my old age, but she died before I got old.

"That's when I realized she was just someone's soul, not an independent little spirit.

"But I found her adorable and grew fond of her.

"That's why I saved you."

Bai Suzhen didn't understand the meaning behind my words.

But I stared earnestly into her eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of that pouting little spirit.

Yet, I saw nothing.

When Bai Suzhen was about to leave, I called out to her:

"I forgot to tell you, that little spirit was also called Bai Suzhen.

"So, you must cultivate well and become an immortal."