"I'm not going."
While I was discussing with the elder how to retrieve the Tiger Kui Seal, the little white snake's voice suddenly rang out.
It "stood" between me and the elder, a hint of stubbornness on its "face." To show its resolve, after seeing both our gazes turn to it, it repeated, word by word, "I'm not going."
The elder's silver-white flames instantly appeared, and he glared fiercely at the little white snake. Its small body trembled, and it then buried its little head within its coiled body, appearing ready to die.
I was stunned.
I had completely forgotten that the little white snake before me wouldn't listen to me at all right now. If it weren't for the contract, which would mean its death if I died unexpectedly, I suspected it would have had the urge to bite me to death just now.
The elder's eyes, hidden behind his long hair, flickered rapidly. "Little one, you don't have to go. With your cultivation, you can live for at least another five hundred years, and becoming a dragon is not impossible. This brat only has a few decades of lifespan. When he dies naturally, you'll be free. But if he dies unexpectedly, you know the consequences of the Yin-Nether Contract."
Like a coiled mosquito repellent, the little white snake, upon hearing the elder's words, trembled slightly in mid-air but remained silent.
At this moment, it was like a sulking child. This reminded me of my own childhood, when I was very mischievous before I started learning from my master. I would either climb trees to steal bird nests or move stones by the river to catch fish. My father often disciplined me for this.
I was an only child, and my mother doted on me. So, after being disciplined by my father, I would get angry with him, threatening to go on a hunger strike. Then my father would discipline me again, and my mother would step in to separate us, coaxing me to eat obediently and explaining why I shouldn't climb trees or go to the river.
In simple terms, one played the tough cop, and the other played the good cop.
Usually, I would obey my mother and then apologize to my father. After some time, I would go back to doing what I always did. Thinking back now, I feel a little wronged by all the beatings I received.
The elder had already played the tough cop; now it was my turn to play the good cop.
"Little White, the elder is right. You have a great future ahead of you, while I'm just an ordinary person. Even if I live longer, it'll be fifty or sixty years at most. By then, you'll naturally be able to become a dragon and do whatever you please."
Its body trembled again, its little head lifted slightly, its human-like eyes filled with anger.
"Are you treating me like a pet?"
My heart sank, and I wished I could slap myself. Why did I have to bring that up?
"I didn't mean that..."
"Then what did you mean?"
As I frantically searched my mind for a way to resolve this, inspiration struck. "I just don't know your name! Plus, you're all white, like the White Lady, so I called you that."
"White Lady?"
Seeing the little white snake's interest piqued, I quickly recounted the story of the White Lady from "New Legend of the White Lady," which I had watched as a child, explaining how she transformed into human form and came to the mortal world.
This story immediately made its eyes sparkle, and it kept asking, "And then? What happened next?"
I coughed awkwardly. I had watched that when I was seven, and it had been over ten years. How could I remember so much? I had already added a lot of my own fabrications to what I could recall. If I continued, I would be exposed.
"The rest of the story is too long. Even if I talked for three days and three nights, I might not be able to finish it." Seeing that I had no intention of continuing, the little white snake's human-like eyes clearly showed disappointment.
"But you can come with me to the human world! The outside world is nothing compared to this semi-underworld. There are skyscrapers, bustling streets, and countless delicacies. Have you heard of the Manchu Han Imperial Feast?"
It shook its head.
"It has 108 dishes. That's the ultimate delicacy in the human world!" I continued to tempt the little white snake.
The elder also took this opportunity to speak again. "You can either enjoy a few decades in the human world or die now. You can make your choice. My patience is limited."
Facing the elder's threat, the little white snake trembled, then looked at me again.
"I can accompany you, but I have a condition. If you fulfill it, I'll agree to help you. Otherwise, even if I die, I'll drag you down with me."
I was speechless but quickly agreed. "Tell me."
"You have to give me a name."
I breathed a sigh of relief. This was simple enough. Just as I was about to agree, the elder suddenly intervened.
"This is not allowed."
"Not allowed? Then kill me now."
Seeing the favorable situation disrupted by the elder's words, I couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Elder, it's just a name. What's the big deal? I'll give it a name myself..."
Before I could finish, the elder interrupted me.
"What do you know? If it were anything else, I wouldn't stop you, but do you know what giving it a name means?"
I was rendered speechless by the elder's words and murmured, "Is it really that big of a deal for just a name?"
"Is it really that big of a deal for just a name?" The elder let out a cold laugh. "Kid, it seems you don't know the price of giving it a name."
I shook my head, completely bewildered as to what kind of price could be associated with giving a name.
The elder's tone became a little heavy. "It's your pet now. The contract signed between you is the Yin-Nether Contract. If you die, it dies; if you live, it lives. But it wants to use the naming to ask for its freedom, which would nullify the Yin-Nether Contract. From then on, your life or death will be entirely controlled by it."
I never expected giving a name to have so many implications. I had once heard my master say that the Five Immortals – Hu, Huang, Liu, Bai, and Hui – would ask for their freedom, and those who spoke favorably would ultimately receive good fortune. Why did it turn out like this for me?
The little white snake in mid-air looked at me with bright, human-like eyes, its expression calm, even tinged with sadness.
I felt a pang of sympathy. It was just asking for its freedom so it could regain its true form, right? What was the big deal? Although it seemed extraordinary, wasn't I living just fine before it appeared?
After a moment of thought, I said, "I've decided to give it a name."
The little white snake's human-like eyes gleamed, while the elder remained expressionless.
"Since you've made up your mind, I won't stop you anymore. Just don't regret it."
"Elder, don't worry, I won't regret it. It was originally free, but because of me, its hands and feet have been bound. Now that it can be freed, what's the harm?"
The elder was about to say something more, but seeing my resolute gaze, he fell silent.
"Alright. Tell me its name when you've decided, so I can finalize the contract."
Without even thinking, I said directly, "I've already thought of it."
"Good. Then let's begin."
The elder's hands ignited with silver-white flames again, and he drew complex patterns in the air. The patterns looked like a star chart, with interwoven threads, yet also like a child's random doodles, making it impossible to decipher.
After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a complex contract diagram drawn with silver-white flames appeared before us, resembling a door opening outwards.
Stopping his hands, the elder said to the little white snake, "Give me a drop of your essence blood."
The little white snake, which had been holding a grudge against the elder, was exceptionally obedient this time. Without asking any questions, it opened its small mouth, and a pea-sized blood bead emitting a green glow appeared.
The elder casually tossed the blood bead into the contract diagram. The diagram, which had been entirely white, instantly turned a pale green.
"Now, you just need to use your blood to write its name on it."
I dipped my hand into the still-wet blood and wrote three characters in the air.
"Bai Ling'er"