The White Snake · chapter 11 of 25
Demon Air
妖气
At the abbot's door, the white-browed monk tells Xu who his wife really is. At home, night falls, and Xu still hasn't come back.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 金山寺，方丈的门前，白眉毛的和尚静静地看着许仙。
Jīnshān Sì, fāngzhang de mén qián, bái méimao de héshang jìngjìng de kànzhe Xǔ Xiān.
At Jinshan Temple, outside the abbot's door, the monk with the white eyebrows looked quietly at Xu Xian.
- Xu Xian 师父，我娘子对我那么好，她怎么会是一条蛇？
Shīfu, wǒ niángzǐ duì wǒ nàme hǎo, tā zěnme huì shì yì tiáo shé?
Master, my wife is so good to me. How could she be a snake?
- Fahai 我是金山寺的方丈，法海。很远很远的事，我也能看见。
Wǒ shì Jīnshān Sì de fāngzhang, Fǎhǎi. Hěn yuǎn hěn yuǎn de shì, wǒ yě néng kànjiàn.
I am Fahai, the abbot of Jinshan Temple. I can see things that happen very, very far away.
Chapter 11 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of The White Snake (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Fahai 你的妻子是峨眉山的白蛇，已经修行了一千多年。
Nǐ de qīzi shì Éméi Shān de báishé, yǐjīng xiūxíng le yìqiān duō nián.
Your wife is the white snake of Mount Emei. She has practiced magic for more than a thousand years.
- Xu Xian 一千多年？可是，她看着才二十岁啊！
Yìqiān duō nián? Kěshì, tā kànzhe cái èrshí suì a!
More than a thousand years? But she looks barely twenty!
- Fahai 钱塘县的二十块银子，就是她用法术偷的。
Qiántáng Xiàn de èrshí kuài yínzi, jiù shì tā yòng fǎshù tōu de.
The twenty pieces of silver from Qiantang County: she stole them with her magic.
- Xu Xian 不，那些银子是她爸爸留给她的！
Bù, nàxiē yínzi shì tā bàba liú gěi tā de!
No, that silver was left to her by her father!
- Fahai 她骗了你。端午节那天，你给她喝了雄黄酒，床上的白蛇就是她。
Tā piàn le nǐ. Duānwǔjié nà tiān, nǐ gěi tā hē le xiónghuángjiǔ, chuáng shàng de báishé jiù shì tā.
She lied to you. On the Dragon Boat Festival you gave her realgar wine, and the white snake on the bed was her.
- Xu Xian 不对！娘子已经用剑杀了那条蛇，就在院子里！
Bú duì! Niángzǐ yǐjīng yòng jiàn shā le nà tiáo shé, jiù zài yuànzi lǐ!
No! My wife killed that snake with her sword, right there in the yard!
- Fahai 院子里那条蛇，是她用白色的带子变的。
Yuànzi lǐ nà tiáo shé, shì tā yòng báisè de dàizi biàn de.
The snake in the yard was her own white sash, changed by magic.
- Xu Xian 那床上的蛇，头比我的头还大……真的是我娘子？
Nà chuáng shàng de shé, tóu bǐ wǒ de tóu hái dà… zhēn de shì wǒ niángzǐ?
Then the snake on the bed, with a head bigger than mine... that really was my wife?
- Fahai 是她。所以，你的脸上才有妖气。
Shì tā. Suǒyǐ, nǐ de liǎn shàng cái yǒu yāoqì.
It was her. That is why there is demon air on your face.
- Xu Xian 师父，我好怕！您一定要救我！
Shīfu, wǒ hǎo pà! Nín yídìng yào jiù wǒ!
Master, I'm so scared! You have to save me!
- Fahai 你现在回家，她一定会害你。
Nǐ xiànzài huí jiā, tā yídìng huì hài nǐ.
If you go home now, she will surely harm you.
- Xu Xian 可是她是我的妻子啊。我不回家，她怎么办？
Kěshì tā shì wǒ de qīzi a. Wǒ bù huí jiā, tā zěnme bàn?
But she's my wife. If I don't go home, what will she do?
- Fahai 她的法术很厉害。你留在金山寺，当和尚吧。
Tā de fǎshù hěn lìhai. Nǐ liú zài Jīnshān Sì, dāng héshang ba.
Her magic is very strong. Stay here at Jinshan Temple and become a monk.
- Xu Xian 当和尚？可是，我还有头发呢！
Dāng héshang? Kěshì, wǒ hái yǒu tóufa ne!
Become a monk? But I still have all my hair!
- Fahai 你要头发，还是要活着？
Nǐ yào tóufa, háishi yào huózhe?
Do you want to keep your hair, or do you want to stay alive?
- Xu Xian 我要活着……头发，不要了。
Wǒ yào huózhe… tóufa, bú yào le.
I want to stay alive... the hair can go.
- Xiaoqing 许官人说今天回家，怎么还没回来？小姐，天都黑了！
Xǔ guānrén shuō jīntiān huí jiā, zěnme hái méi huílái? Xiǎojiě, tiān dōu hēi le!
Mr. Xu said he'd be home today. Why isn't he back yet? Miss, it's already dark!
- Bai Suzhen 我让他答应了三件事：不进方丈的门，不跟和尚说话，烧了香就回家。
Wǒ ràng tā dāying le sān jiàn shì: bú jìn fāngzhang de mén, bù gēn héshang shuōhuà, shāo le xiāng jiù huí jiā.
I made him promise three things: stay out of the abbot's rooms, don't talk with the monks, and come home as soon as the incense is burned.
- Xiaoqing 烧了这么多天？他是要把金山寺的香都烧完吗？
Shāo le zhème duō tiān? Tā shì yào bǎ Jīnshān Sì de xiāng dōu shāo wán ma?
All these days of burning incense? Is he trying to burn every stick at Jinshan?
- Bai Suzhen 小青，别笑了。让我算一算，他现在在哪儿。
Xiǎoqīng, bié xiào le. Ràng wǒ suàn yi suàn, tā xiànzài zài nǎr.
Xiaoqing, this is no time for jokes. Let me work out where he is now.
- Narrator 白素贞算了又算，脸一下就白了。
Bái Sùzhēn suàn le yòu suàn, liǎn yíxià jiù bái le.
Bai Suzhen counted it out again and again, and all at once her face went white.
- Xiaoqing 小姐，你怎么了？你算到了什么？
Xiǎojiě, nǐ zěnme le? Nǐ suàn dào le shénme?
Miss, what's wrong? What did you see?
- Bai Suzhen 金山寺的方丈，叫法海。我是谁，他都知道了。
Jīnshān Sì de fāngzhang, jiào Fǎhǎi. Wǒ shì shéi, tā dōu zhīdào le.
The abbot of Jinshan Temple is called Fahai. He knows exactly what I am.
- Xiaoqing 他知道了？许官人会不会有危险？
Tā zhīdào le? Xǔ guānrén huì bu huì yǒu wēixiǎn?
He knows? Is Mr. Xu in danger?
- Bai Suzhen 法海把他留在了金山寺！小青，快去找船！
Fǎhǎi bǎ tā liú zài le Jīnshān Sì! Xiǎoqīng, kuài qù zhǎo chuán!
Fahai has kept him at Jinshan Temple! Xiaoqing, quick, find us a boat!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who is the old monk with the white eyebrows?
“我是金山寺的方丈，法海”
- According to Fahai, what was the snake Xu saw in the yard?
“院子里那条蛇，是她用白色的带子变的”
- What does Fahai tell Xu to do?
“你留在金山寺，当和尚吧”
- What did Bai make Xu promise before he left?
“烧了香就回家”
- What does Bai learn when she counts?
“法海把他留在了金山寺”