Chapter 8: Storytelling
The young girl in the plain white dress looked at Ding Songyan with a mix of anticipation and concern.
"If you are unwell, perhaps you should go back and rest first. I... I am in no hurry."
Her voice was soft and sweet, pleasant to the ear.
Ding Songyan gave a short laugh.
"It is no trouble, no trouble at all. I have been wandering outside Dangkang Temple for over an hour now. It is just that my head feels a bit like it is filled with paste; I'm still a little slow. If I stutter or lose my place later, I ask for your kind indulgence."
He was "stacking armor" on himself first—after all, he had never actually been a storyteller and didn't know if he could pull it off.
As he spoke, he felt a sudden surge of nostalgia.
Back when he was on campus, he had despised worldly wisdom and social networking the most. He believed that with his intelligence and deep understanding of matters, he could solve any problem and achieve success. It was only after being hammered by reality and piecing his personality back together that speculating about others' thoughts, befriending useful people, and desperately maintaining relationships had become second nature.
In the last year or two, because of his business success and the preliminary satisfaction of self-actualization, he would occasionally feel exhausted in body and mind. He felt he wasn't truly suited for the cutthroat world of business and would rather return to the ivory tower to conduct research on things he enjoyed that didn't involve much scheming. In his spare time, he could drink, boast, and play games with a few friends. Wouldn't that be a delight?
Of course, he also knew this was a bit affected. If he hadn't already amassed a large fortune, he would likely be extremely anxious and unable to enjoy life if he were to do research that offered no return.
Amidst his lamentations, Ding Songyan walked to his own patch of empty ground. There were no chairs, no stools, and none of the tools of the trade.
He reined in his thoughts and pondered which story to tell.
His gaze swept over the girl in the plain white dress and her maid in the bluish-green gauze skirt, and an idea struck him.
He smiled slightly and said, "My two honored guests, the story I shall tell today is the Legend of the White Snake."
Even before his voice faded, he was already observing the expressions of the girl, her maid, and the nearby ointment seller. He wanted to see how they reacted to the title Legend of the White Snake to judge whether this world had a similar story.
But even if it did, it didn't matter. Ding Songyan had already prepared his excuses—this was a legend he had newly learned, not one he had newly written.
If the audience said it was different from the original, he would simply claim he was being innovative and had adapted it.
Besides getting inspiration from the colors of the girl's and her maid's clothes, the reason Ding Songyan chose the Legend of the White Snake was also that he had watched the TV series many times with his parents as a child. As an adult, he was no stranger to various adaptations. He was very familiar with the framework of the story and remembered the key plot points. Fabricating the detailed plot and character dialogue on the spot was about as difficult as presenting a PPT to investors.
This was also one of the reasons Ding Songyan wasn't too worried about being accused of "stealing" someone else's script. Except for the key plot points, everything else had to be improvised; it was impossible for anyone else to have the exact same version.
Seeing that the few spectators all showed curious expressions, Ding Songyan breathed a silent sigh of relief.
At the very least, there was no Legend of the White Snake in Dingjiang Prefecture.
The historical romances he had heard earlier only involved celestial maidens descending to earth to fall in love with mortals; there were no stories of the grievances and passions between demons and humans.
The current area was relatively quiet. There were no troupes nearby clashing gongs and drums for acrobatics, nor were there any martial artists shouting for attention. This was the intention of the market's owner—to keep the "literary" trades that required a quiet environment together, and the noisy "martial" trades on the other side, separated by those that were neither quiet nor loud, so as not to affect each other.
Standing in the clearing, Ding Songyan felt little nervousness. He was as practiced as if he were setting up a projector and opening a PPT to face investors once again.
The feeling was very strange, as if from a lifetime ago.
It was from a lifetime ago.
Having positioned the girl with the upturned eyes and pointed chin as a potential "investor," Ding Songyan spoke slowly:
"In ancient times, in the southwestern regions, beneath Mount Qingcheng, there lived a small white snake..."
He immediately pushed the setting back to ancient times to prevent any sticklers for detail from asking where Mount Qingcheng, the West Lake, or Jinshan Temple were.
I don't know either; this all happened in the ancient past.
Ding Songyan started from the first incarnation of Xu Xian saving the little white snake's life. To add detail, having long forgotten the specifics of the movies and shows, he wove in the trope of placing a frozen snake inside one's clothes to warm it with one's body heat.
Afterward, the white snake cultivated in a cave for a thousand years and finally achieved the Dao, allowing her to shed her mortal coil and transform into a human. Then, guided by a Bodhisattva, she took Xiaoqing with her to find the reincarnated Xu Xian to repay his kindness and settle the karma.
As Ding Songyan spoke, he watched the expression of the girl in the white dress. He found that she was listening very intently, even her breathing seemed to have softened. Her clear, dark eyes looked watery even without any hint of tears.
The effect is quite good... the potential "investor" is responding well... Ding Songyan grew more confident.
He felt that the transition from Lady White finding the reincarnated Xu Xian just to repay a debt to offering herself in marriage needed some plot padding to outline the emotional change. However, he couldn't remember many details, so he took a few events from his past relationships that had deeply moved his ex-girlfriends and added them in after a makeover.
First, the encounter at West Lake, sharing a boat to avoid the rain, and leaving a name after gifting an umbrella. Then, Lady White used the excuse of coming to Lin'an to transcribe scriptures at a Buddhist temple to fulfill a vow, but she didn't dare actually go. She could only use "physical discomfort" as a pretext. Xu Xian pitied her "frailty" and went to the temple himself, spending many days transcribing the scriptures for her. Later, after many trials, the man and the demon—both now moved by love—went to pray under a tree said to be very effective for matchmaking. When they looked up, they happened to catch each other's gaze.
Having reached this point, Ding Songyan decided to stop while he was ahead. After all, if he truly wanted to establish a connection and some rapport, he had to pique the girl's interest. How could he finish the story in just a few days? Seven or eight days wouldn't be too many; ten days or half a month would be even more appropriate. Only by meeting every day could they become acquaintances.
When the time came, if he really encountered trouble and she had the ability to help, would she be more willing to help a stranger or an acquaintance? The answer was self-evident.
As he moved toward the closing, Ding Songyan felt that today's telling had been too smooth. There weren't many twists in the plot. Although he had attracted several dozen spectators, it was mainly because his language was interesting and the theme of a demon-human romance was novel. If he let Xu Xian and Lady White marry smoothly today, the audience wouldn't have much to look forward to tomorrow.
Considering this, and especially wanting the girl in white to be willing to come back tomorrow, Ding Songyan changed his tone. Just before the marriage, he had Fahai make his entrance, muttering "There is a demonic aura" at the inn where Lady White and Xiaoqing had stayed.
Seeing the spectators simultaneously show expressions of tension and worry, Ding Songyan made a decisive cut:
"As the saying goes: The West Lake scenery is beautiful in the third month; the spring rain is like wine and the willows like mist. Those destined will meet across a thousand miles; those without destiny will not hold hands even when facing each other. If you wish to know what happens next, listen to the next installment!" (Note 1)
The girl in the white dress opened her mouth, her expression one of lingering reluctance.
At such a critical moment, how can it just end?
Ding Songyan looked around and cupped his hands in satisfaction.
"I didn't bring my tools of the trade today, so there is no need for tips. If you are so inclined, come again tomorrow."
He didn't intend to take the girl's money today. He wanted to leave a special impression on her, but he couldn't treat her differently. Offering favors for no reason easily made people think one had ulterior motives and put them on guard. Therefore, he treated everyone equally and refused all payment.
"Ding Erlang is too modest!" a spectator praised.
The girl in white, who had been clutching some coins to give to Ding Songyan, found it awkward to offer them now. She lingered hesitantly. Only after most of the spectators had dispersed did she approach with her maid.
"Ding Erlang, will that monk called Fahai find Lady White and Xiaoqing?"
He definitely won't find them. If he finds them this early, how will I weave the rest of the story? How will I smoothly let Lady White and Xu Xian open a pharmacy and have a child in love? How will I let Lady White and Xiaoqing use demon magic to solve problems and create satisfying moments? Tomorrow I'll just use a feint to brush this matter aside, and wait until the end to throw out a new crisis as a hook... Ding Songyan smiled and said:
"All will be explained tomorrow."
The girl in white puffed out her cheeks slightly.
"Alright then."
She didn't press further but asked a caring question: "Are you still feeling unwell? I know a few doctors with excellent skills."
You definitely can't skip tomorrow...
"It is no longer a problem," Ding Songyan said as his thoughts turned. "I was harmed by someone previously, but I do not know who it was. I've been a bit on edge, and my mind hasn't been working very well. That is why I didn't dare come out to tell stories until today."
He took the opportunity to mention it, not expecting any response, but simply wanting to plant the idea in her mind that such a thing had happened.
The girl's watery eyes suddenly lit up, and she turned her head to exchange a glance with her maid.
Her thoughts seemed to be written directly on her face: I finally found an opportunity to act as a hero!
She cleared her throat and said to Ding Songyan with a beaming smile, "Well, I know a bit of martial arts. If there is anything I can help with, you can find me at the Tianyang Guild Hall. Just say you're looking for... for..."
The girl stuttered for a moment, glanced at the maid in the green gauze skirt, and her bright smile returned.
"Just say you're looking for Xiaoqing!"
Ding Songyan was overjoyed. "Thank you, Heroine. I am eternally grateful!"
The girl's smile grew even more brilliant, but she was too embarrassed to say more. As she waved her hand, her peripheral vision caught an old man selling candied haws nearby.
She immediately took out some copper coins, bought two sticks of bright red candied haws, and handed one to Ding Songyan.
"Even though you're not taking money today, I can't listen for free. I'll share this stick of candied haws with you—it's very sweet!"
As she spoke, she began to lick her own candied haws and turned to leave happily, giving Ding Songyan no chance to refuse.
You didn't even ask if I like candied haws... Ding Songyan grumbled amusedly.
He bit one off directly, held it in his mouth, and began to chew.
By now it was nearing noon, and Ding Songyan felt a distinct hunger.
He thought for a moment. The fact that nothing had happened after that person was scared off earlier was likely because of the constant flow of people outside Dangkang Temple. It was a key area monitored by the watchtowers, and the people behind the scenes probably didn't dare to act too openly.
Thinking of this, Ding Songyan headed away from Dangkang Temple, making it look as though he were searching for a cheap eatery, purposely walking toward quiet streets and alleys.
In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had just turned into a small alley with no pedestrians when sudden, distinct footsteps sounded behind him.
Ding Songyan whipped around and once again saw the man with the bulbous nose and the headwrap.
The man's face was a mix of anger and fear as he glared at Ding Songyan.
"Ding Erlang, why did you come back again?"
Author's Note
Note 1: These lines are quoted from "Duqing," the ending theme song of the television series New Legend of Madame White Snake.