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Updated Monday, February 9, 2009 9:39 am TWN, By Joe Hung, The China Post

Lady White II

Like the story of the 108 sworn brothers in The Water's Edge or All Men Are Brothers, the story of Lady White has a prologue. The hero Xu Xian (許仙) was an immortal serving at the court of the Jade Emperor. But before becoming an immortal, he saved a small snake's life and kept it as a pet. He had to part with the female snake when he finally became an immortal to serve the Jade Emperor. One day, Xu Xian the immortal made a faux pas, for which he was banished from Heaven and sent back to the human world to be reborn as a boy. He later became a scholar. Meanwhile, the snake turned white after 1,000 years. She had stolen a pill of immortality at Kunlun Mountain (崑崙山) and taken it to become a goddess herself. But when she came to know her benefactor had been back in the world as a mere human, she decided to marry him to repay the great favor he had given her. She took on human form and called herself Bai Suzhen (白素真).

While she was still secluding herself at Omei Mountain (峨嵋山), Bai Suzhen met a green snake ogress, Xiao Qing, who caused disasters in the area she lived. (In another version, Xiao Qing is a blue fish ogress.) Bai subjugated Xiao Qing and held her captive at the bottom of a lake. But Bai also promised to free Xiao Qing after a 300-year imprisonment. Xiao Qing (小青) was released as promised and became a sworn sister to Bai. Then they met Fahai who wanted to destroy all demons and ogresses. Fahai couldn't kill Bai because she was already in the process of becoming a goddess. The only thing he could do was to vow he would if he met them again.

The story of Lady White, called Jinbo-ji (金缽記) or Records of the Golden Alms Bowl, starts with Bai Suzhen, the white snake ogress who hates to live a secluded life in a cave in Omei Mountain. She is about to become a goddess but decides to leave her cave for a while to find some fun in the West Lake near Hangzhou. She and her sworn sister Xiao Qing come to Hangzhou for a sightseeing visit. They stay in Hangzhou for a while. One day, they meet Xu Xian in the rain at a ferry. An umbrella was lent him, and all three teke a ferryboat together.

Xu Xian is young and very handsome. He is also a scholar ready to take the civil service examination to become a government official. No wonder Bai Suzhen falls in love with him at first sight. On the following day, the young scholar pays a visit to Bai Suzhen at her home to return the umbrella. He returns her love and they get married with Xiao Qing as their marriage-maker.

After Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian are married, they open an apothecary selling medical herbs. Bao-he tang (保和堂), Peace Protection House Bai Suzhen and Xu Sian run, enjoys a brisk business as there breaks out an epidemic. Many patients are cured by the herbs they buy from Peace Protection House.

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