Reborn as a Snake: Forging a Demon Court Starting from a Black Python

Chapter 21 Hangzhou is in an uproar, Fahai emerges from seclusion

"call!"

The next morning, Lin Xuan led his men back to Jinshan Temple.

This time, the demons under Xiaoqing's command have learned their lesson and dare not come again, for fear that the monks in the temple will see through their scheme.

But this was exactly what Lin Xuan wanted to do, so he hired a few more porters to pack up the food from the restaurant and take it back to the Lin residence.

He made an excuse to part ways with the porters, went to the Qiantang River alone, found a quiet spot, and jumped into the water.

"Oh no! Someone's drowning!"

Lin Xuan had barely stepped into the river when someone started shouting. A boatwoman who was resting nearby happened to witness this scene.

She thought she had encountered a scholar who had committed suicide, so she immediately started shouting, which alerted many fishermen.

"Did someone jump into the river?"

"Hurry and save them!"

The fishermen rushed over and searched the surrounding area, but found no one who had fallen into the water. They turned back in anger.

"Why are you lying to me, you little brat?"

"Exactly, no one fell into the water, yet you're spouting nonsense."

The boatwoman was so frightened by the angry stares of so many people that she hid back and forgot to speak for a moment.

Seeing this, those people didn't press the matter further. After cursing for a while, they turned and left.

It was only then that the boatwoman came to her senses, patting her chest in relief as she stared blankly at the Qiantang River.

"I definitely saw someone jump into the river just now. Or maybe I was seeing things?"

The boatwoman sat by the river for a long time, and did not leave until evening.

Suddenly a strong wind arose, startling the boatwoman awake. Looking up, she saw a large black snake emerge from the water, riding the wind and soaring upwards.

No, that's not a snake!

As the black snake emerged from the water, the boatwoman saw four enormous claws on its belly.

"Dragon! There's a dragon!"

The boatwoman started yelling again.

But the other fishermen ignored her.

"This girl is really something else! She lied to us during the day saying someone had fallen into the water, and this time her lie is even more outrageous!"

"Heh, if she can see dragons, then I've seen the Jade Emperor!"

The fishermen didn't believe it at all and continued casting their nets.

But soon, the black dragon passed overhead, blocking out the sunlight and casting shadows.

The fishermen finally realized something was wrong. They looked up and were immediately speechless with fright, only thinking in their hearts: There really is a dragon!

This dragon is none other than Lin Xuan.

He revealed his true form again, used his wind-riding magic to parade across the Qiantang River, and finally disappeared into a dense reed bed.

Its enormous body moved through the reeds, causing the reed bed to sway constantly.

After several dozen breaths, the reed marshes finally calmed down, and the black dragon disappeared.

Although Lin Xuan only appeared briefly, the news spread like wildfire throughout Hangzhou in a very short time.

Furthermore, it spread to even more distant places.

Has a real dragon appeared in Hangzhou?

"The dragon is a symbol of emperors; could it be that a true Son of Heaven has been born in Hangzhou?"

"A very auspicious sign! A truly auspicious sign!"

"Don't rush, I heard that's not a real dragon, at most it's a jiaolong!"

"No, it's not even a dragon, it's just a black snake!"

A storm was brewing, and all sorts of rumors were circulating.

This news naturally reached Jinshan Temple as well.

Upon hearing this, the abbot frowned and hesitated.

He was also skilled in observing qi. As soon as he heard that a dragon had appeared, he climbed to a high place to look into the distance, but he could not see any sign of a real dragon at all, only a large mass of demonic qi.

The abbot was not surprised, but felt it was troublesome.

He is already quite old, and he has taken on a good disciple.

All I can think about now is getting Fahai to complete his cultivation quickly, subdue a few monsters, and attain a higher level of enlightenment.

At that time, the abbot, as Fahai's mentor, will have a clear path forward, and perhaps he and his family will be able to ascend to heaven together and go to Mount Ling.

Even if he has already passed away by then, there is no need to worry.

Lingshan has connections in the underworld, namely Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. With Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva protecting him, the abbot can be reborn into a good family and obtain wealth and honor in his next life.

In the past, when trouble broke out in Hangzhou, Jinshan Temple would always be bustling with worshippers, and the abbot would be all smiles.

But at this time, he would rather Hangzhou remain peaceful.

The abbot gritted his teeth, his temples throbbing, his mind in turmoil: "Yesterday it was Lin Xuan, and today another black dragon has appeared. They're really a handful!"

"But the more this is the case, the less I can afford to disturb Fahai."

"Let that black dragon cause trouble; I refuse to believe it dares to force its way into my Jinshan Temple!"

The abbot was determined to play the coward, but he never expected things to develop in a way that completely exceeded his expectations.

The reed marsh where Lin Xuan last disappeared quickly attracted countless visitors.

They searched every inch of the reeds, trying to find Lin Xuan.

These people did not find Lin Xuan, but they did find some seemingly plausible traces.

It doesn't look like a real dragon; it looks more like a large snake.

"Could it be that we were all mistaken that day, and that it wasn't a dragon, but a snake?"

"Impossible! You alone could be wrong, but so many people on the Qiantang River at the time were wrong too?"

"That's right, I asked the ship girl who first saw the black dragon, and she said that what she saw was indeed a dragon with claws!"

The dragon seekers whispered among themselves and argued incessantly.

Not far away in the Qiantang River, Lin Xuan looked across the water at the reed beds.

He hid very well; even with his head pressed against the river's surface, no one saw him.

Seeing figures moving about in the reeds, with the reeds swaying constantly, Lin Xuan finally smiled with relief.

[Skill activated, historical allusion judgment in progress...]

[You had a conflict with Jinshan Temple, which disturbed the reeds outside the city.]

【The judgment is successful! 】

[System notification: Event triggered: 'Stirring up the enemy']

As the system voice continued to ring out, Lin Xuan turned his head, his vertical pupils fixed on the direction of Jinshan Temple, a smile appearing on his face.

Once the skill is successfully activated, Fahai will have no choice but to leave the mountain!

Lin Xuan knew very well that historical allusions could not only be triggered actively, but could also be used in reverse.

The game "Myth" has a "cause and effect" setting. Every cause has an effect, and conversely, every effect has a cause.

When the outer disciples of Qingyang Palace explored the bushes, they alerted Lin Xuan, allowing him to prepare in advance.

Now that Lin Xuan has made contact with Jinshan Temple, he pretends to be alarmed and deliberately disappears into the reeds, causing a stir in Hangzhou.

Since I, Lin Xuan, am startled, it must be because of your Jinshan Temple!

The moment the story was successfully launched.

In a quiet room at Jinshan Temple, a middle-aged monk suddenly broke free from his meditative state, opened his eyes, and asked the person outside the door:

Why is it so noisy outside?

There was indeed a response from outside the door.

"Brother Fahai, something has happened in Hangzhou! It is said that something that is either a dragon or a snake rushed out of the Qiantang River and fell into the reeds."

"Many believers were uneasy and came to our temple to draw lots, which is why they disturbed you."

"But our abbot has already instructed you not to concern yourself with this matter, and just focus on your cultivation."

Fahai shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this.

"Master, you are mistaken! This monster's sudden appearance must be plotting something sinister. Jinshan Temple enjoys the offerings of the people of Hangzhou; how can we sit idly by and do nothing about this?"

"My cultivation has just reached a certain level, and it's time to find a demon to practice on. I suppose this demon is the test that Buddha has given me!"

After shaking his head, Fahai smiled and stepped out of the meditation room. A strong gust of wind blew out, causing the monks outside the door to instinctively reach out to block it.

Once the strong winds subsided, Fahai's figure was fully revealed.

Since entering the meditation room, Fahai has never come out again. He eats, drinks, and relieves himself all in the room.

Even the monks who had been serving outside never saw Fahai again.

The monk outside the door stared at Fahai for a long time before confirming that the person in front of him was his senior brother. He suddenly woke up and shouted:

"Brother Fahai has emerged from seclusion!"

The sound carried far and wide, startling the abbot.

Upon hearing this, the abbot leaped to his feet and rushed over almost at a jog.

When he saw that Fahai had actually come out of the pass, he was both anxious and angry, and he stood there stamping his feet.

"Fahai, why don't you listen to your master? Didn't I tell you that you must not leave seclusion until your cultivation reaches the Transcendent Realm!"

The abbot's concerned expression warmed Fahai's heart. He walked to the abbot's side, bowed respectfully, and then said:

"Master, don't worry, the one causing trouble this time is just a mere snake demon. What danger could it possibly pose?"

"After I subdue that snake demon, I will go into seclusion again. It won't delay things."

The abbot was quite helpless, but since Fahai had already emerged from seclusion and didn't seem to be able to settle down and cultivate again anytime soon, he could only nod.

"In that case, you can do whatever you want."

After the abbot finished speaking, he was about to leave, but then he remembered something, stopped, turned around, and asked:

"Fahai, why do you keep calling me a snake demon?"

Not only the abbot, but the monks nearby had also found it strange. According to what they had heard, the monster that was causing trouble this time did indeed have claws.

Even if it's not a real dragon, it's still a jiaolong (a type of dragon), definitely not some snake.

Even if Fahai looked down on monsters, he shouldn't have made such a fool of himself.

Fahai was also somewhat puzzled, scratching his bald head.

"Yeah, that's why I always call it a snake demon."

This is actually the effect of "stirring up trouble," which can alter the target's perception, making Fahai believe that he is about to face a snake demon.

After a few breaths, Fahai suddenly raised his head, full of confidence.

"Whether it's a snake demon or a dragon, they're all the same before me, Fahai!"

The moment Fahai finished speaking, Lin Xuan received another notification.

[Ding! Congratulations to the player for triggering the special event: 'Fahai Emerges from Seclusion']

[Due to an unusual event, Fahai left the mountain prematurely before completing his cultivation, causing an change in the difficulty of the Jinshan Temple instance and a decrease in completion rewards!]

"good!"

Lin Xuan excitedly whipped its tail; the allusion judgment was indeed useful!

This finally lured Fahai out of his shell, and from then on, time was on their side.

No need to worry about Fahai secretly cultivating and becoming stronger, eventually bursting out with his powerful cultivation.

Just as Lin Xuan was feeling happy, two figures flew from a distance and headed straight for him. It was Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing.

Bai Suzhen couldn't help but send a message when she was still dozens of feet away from Lin Xuan.

"Xuan'er, why did you make such a commotion? Aren't you afraid of alerting the monks at Jinshan Temple?"