Snakes were one of the most important totems of the Ancient Yue People, and were later deified. The Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu wrote in his *Preface to the Poems of Li Changji*, "Even ox-demons and snake-gods cannot compare to its wild and fantastical nature."
Bai Town, in Wencheng City, is nestled against a mountain range. Since ancient times, this forested area has been teeming with snakes—White Snakes, green snakes, Bamboo Pit Vipers, Seven step Snakes, cobras, and so on—earning it the name She Mountain.
The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* states: "In the Southwest lies the Ba Kingdom. There is a Black Snake with an Azure Head that ate elephants."
To say a snake can swallow an elephant is an exaggeration, of course, but it is a fact that She Mountain is filled with snakes.
The most notorious of these—Silver Ring Snakes, Golden Ring Snakes, Seven step Snakes, and cobras—mostly dwell deep in the old forests. Bai Town itself is surrounded by mountains on all four sides. While the scenery is picturesque, the woods are dense and overgrown, a perfect habitat for countless snakes.
Because of this, the villagers at the foot of the mountains developed a special profession: the Snake Catcher. Legend has it that before every hunt, a Snake Catcher must bow before a wooden effigy of the "Snake King," much like how gangsters in Hong Kong movies pray to Lord Guan before a major undertaking.
The Snake King is said to be an ancient, massive snake, as thick as a bowl, with a mark on its forehead resembling the Chinese character for "king."
This Snake King is said to have undergone a thousand years of Cultivation in the deep mountains, granting it not only command over all other snakes but also the power of countless transformations.
Of course, the Snake King is just a legend. There is another piece of local folklore.
It says that when a family member dies, their spirit may transform into a small, cute, green snake about three feet long. This is a way of remaining in the mortal world, becoming a House Snake to guard the home and bring good fortune.
...........．
On a summer night, the sky was studded with glittering stars. The Milky Way, like a river of fine, shimmering sand, stretched across the dark expanse.
A single soul drifted along a dim country road, having just departed from a cold corpse. Nothing in the world of the living belonged to him anymore.
'I can't die! I still have a mother to care for. Oh, Heavens, please don't make me reincarnate. I'm willing to become a House Snake, to protect my family, to guard our home and bring it fortune!'
DING! "Despairing human detected. The Devouring System has found its host."
A bright light suddenly streaked across the sky, striking the soul like a meteor just as it was about to leave the mortal world!
..........
Tu Xiao'an regained consciousness, his vision filled with confusion. 'Am I still alive? Am I still in the mortal world?'
It was pitch-black, but the surroundings felt familiar.
He tried to stand up, but something was wrong with his body. It felt pressed tightly against the ground.
'What in the world is going on!'
Utterly bewildered, Tu Xiao'an felt he was no longer a person, but some kind of crawling creature.
No, that wasn't right. He soon realized his voice was wrong, too. It wasn't human speech, but a "SSSSSS" sound.
He looked at his body. He wiggled it. No arms, no legs. It was unnaturally flexible.
Suddenly, he recalled the desperate plea he'd made just before losing consciousness.
"Oh, Heavens, don't make me reincarnate! I'd rather become a House Snake!"
'Could it be...!'
The realization struck him like a bolt from the blue. He couldn't believe it.
'Did my damn wish actually come true?'
DING...
"Host has successfully adapted to the new body. Devouring System initiating data update!"
Host: Tu Xiao'an!
Identity: House Snake
Level: LV1 (50cm in size!)
Talent 1: Devouring (Can devour various organisms to evolve)
Talent 2: dominance ability (Can rule any Snake Race of a lower Level)
Instantly, a series of voices echoed in Tu Xiao'an's mind, leaving him completely baffled. A virtual screen then materialized before his eyes, displaying strange data. It was incredible.
When Tu Xiao'an looked away from the virtual screen, it automatically vanished.
'A House Snake?!'
Tu Xiao'an latched onto the keyword. He had died, but instead of being reincarnated, had he really become a snake?
'The Devouring System... I've received a legendary opportunity. I have a system now.'
But this flood of information, combined with his new reality, left him as stunned as if he'd been struck by lightning.
After a dozen breaths, a sound of sheer excitement escaped Tu Xiao'an.
No wonder he felt like he'd lost his arms and legs, like some kind of loach. 'No, not a loach,' he thought. 'A snake. A House Snake, at that.'
Even an ant will cling to life. Having become a House Snake, Tu Xiao'an felt as if he had won the grand prize.
So the legend was true. When a Snake Catcher died, he could become a legendary House Snake to protect his family and bring them fortune.
The night was silent, and Tu Xiao'an felt as if the overwhelming reality of it all was about to swallow him whole. Before him lay an endless darkness.
'No,' he corrected himself. 'What lies ahead is light. I can go home. I can still see my mother and my sister.'
The heavens had not been cruel to him. He was still alive in this world, albeit in the body of a snake.
As long as he was alive, any price was worth paying.
Perspective is a two-sided coin; it all depends on how you look at it.
If you choose to see the light, you will find light. If you choose to see the darkness, you will find only darkness.
'Home. I have to get home.'
Tu Xiao'an desperately headed for home. The path was dark and deserted, with not a soul in sight. The only sound was the occasional car horn from the road across the way.
Bai Town, nestled against the mountains, was a bustling and lively place.
Tu Xiao'an arrived in front of an old house that backed up against the mountainside.
It must have been after midnight. The main door was shut tight, but a single window was open.
It was July, and the summer heat meant that most households left their windows open at night.
Twisting his nimble body, Tu Xiao'an zipped through the open window.
Home. It felt so good to be home. But being here again felt worlds apart. His human body was now a snake's.
Following a familiar path, Tu Xiao'an headed for the bathroom. The reason was simple: there was a mirror in there, and he was desperate to see what kind of snake he had become.
Inside the bathroom, it was pitch-black. But strangely, despite having become a snake, his vision was excellent and not at all blurry in the dark.
Snakes normally have terrible eyesight; almost every snake on earth is extremely nearsighted. Tu Xiao'an was relieved that his vision was still sharp. The only odd thing was that his Snake Pupils held an icy, emotionless gaze.
He slithered with effort toward the mirror, wanting to see himself, but just then, he heard footsteps, and the bathroom light flicked on.
A woman with eyes hazy with sleep appeared in the doorway. Her face was haggard, and she looked utterly exhausted.
"AHHH...!"
An earth-shattering scream immediately followed, her sleepiness vanishing in an instant. What had she seen?
A small, entirely white snake was slightly reared up in front of the mirror. It glittered brilliantly under the light, a beautiful sight.
She was instantly frozen, dumbstruck.
'Sis! It's me!'
Tu Xiao'an was startled, too. He hadn't expected to meet his family so soon. It was obvious his sister was terrified of him.
Anyone who walked into the bathroom in the middle of the night and saw a snake in front of the mirror would scream.
At a loss for words—he wasn't even mentally prepared to face his family yet—Tu Xiao'an glanced at his reflection in the mirror, then zipped past his sister's feet and out the door.
"Yue'Er, what happened!"
A middle-aged woman in her forties rushed out from an inner room and saw her stunned daughter at the bathroom door.
"Mom, you won't believe what I just saw! A snake! There was a beautiful little snake in the bathroom!"
"What!"
Wen Qiu's voice trembled with disbelief. "Could it be... a House Snake?"
Hearing those two words, Tu Xiaoyue just stared blankly at her mother, her mouth hanging open.
Snakes are considered highly spiritual animals. Since ancient times, folklore has spoken of the Five Great Immortals, with the snake known as Immortal Liu. In many parts of the country, especially in remote mountain regions, the reverence for snakes is beyond imagination, in some places even surpassing the worship of the Dragon, China's national totem.
This was especially true for the people of Bai Town, who believed in the legend of the Snake King. They held that snakes would often visit the homes of the devout, and they distinguished between House Snakes and wild snakes, calling them "inner barbarians" and "outer barbarians," respectively.
The so-called House Snake is a type of non-venomous snake, about three feet long, that lives within a residence, often coiling on beams, under eaves, in wall crevices, among roof tiles, or in attics.
People believe a House Snake will protect the family. If a home has one, the rice in the storage bin is said to replenish itself, never running empty.
It is also often said that if a snake is found in the home, killing it is the greatest taboo.
It is believed that if you kill the snake, or even if you try and fail, it will seek revenge, bringing misfortune upon the family.
They firmly believe that a House Snake is no ordinary creature.
The elders often say that a House Snake brings fortune and gathers wealth.
For hundreds of years, a saying has been passed down in Bai Town like an ancestral tenet: "If the House Snake leaves, the family falls; if the House Snake stays, the family prospers."
To personally witness a House Snake leaving your family home is considered a terrible omen, portending a bloody disaster.