Xu Xian had just received yet another invitation to the opening ceremony of the new Jin Shan Temple. His wife, Bai Su Zhen, had warned him not to attend. Since she was in fact a benevolent white snake spirit in human form, their marriage had already weathered attacks by meddling monks. But devout Buddhist that he was, Xu Xian felt obligated to make an appearance. What they didn’t know was that these invitations had come from none other than Fa Hai– the misguided monk who had tried to separate the young lovers, almost killing Xu Xian in the process. The monk confronted Xu Xian, telling him that because he consorted with a demon, he must remain at the monastery and cleanse his soul. Xu Xian protested, but Fa Hai would not let him escape.
Sju Sjen je upravo primio još jednu pozivnicu za otvaranje novog hrama Džin Šan. Njegova žena Baj Su Džen ga je upozorila da ne ide. S obzirom na to da je ona bila duh dobronamerne bele zmije u ljudskom obliku, njihov brak je već pretrpeo napade od strane monaha koji se uplitao. Ali kao posvećeni budista kakav je bio, Sju Sjen je osećao obavezu da se pojavi. Oni nisu znali da su ove pozivnice stigle od nikog drugog do Fa Haja - zaluđenog monaha koji je već pokušao da razdvoji mlade ljubavnike, što je zamalo ubilo Sju Sjena. Monah je istupio pred Sju Sjena, rekavši mu da, pošto se družio sa demonom, mora ostati u manastiru da pročisti svoju dušu. Sju Sjen se bunio, ali Fa Haj nije hteo da ga pusti.
At home, Bai Su Zhen was uneasy. Her husband had departed so quickly that she hadn’t been able to tell him she was pregnant with his child. And now he had been gone so long she sensed something must be wrong. She made her way to the temple, and upon encountering Fa Hai the monk threw his prayer mat, which erupted into fire and smoke. Weakened from her pregnancy, Bai Su Zhen desperately summoned a fleet of shrimp soldiers and crab generals to subdue the monk, and waves to put out the blaze. But the water also flooded the surrounding area, drowning many innocent villagers. For the first time, Bai Su Zhen had harmed humans, and she fell out of the gods’ favor. With their blessing retracted, Fa Hai attempted to trap her in his magical alms bowl. But just when all hope seemed lost, a bright glow came from within her belly, saving her from the mad monk’s magic.
Kod kuće, Baj Su Džen je osećala nelagodu. Njen muž je otišao na brzinu i nije imala vremena da mu kaže da je u drugom stanju. Sada je toliko dugo bio odsutan i osećala je da nešto nije u redu. Stigla je do hrama, i kada se susrela sa Fa Hajom, monah je bacio svoju molitvenu prostirku koja se pretvorila u vatru i dim. Oslabljena zbog svoje trudnoće, Baj Su Džen je očajnički prizvala flotu generala rakova i škampi da pokore monaha i talase da ugase požar. Ali voda je plavila i okolno područje, te su se mnogi nedužni seljani udavili. Prvi put je Baj Su Džen naudila ljudima, čime je prestala da bude miljenik bogova. Kada su povukli svoj blagoslov, Fa Haj je pokušao da je zarobi u svoju čarobnu posudu za milostinju. U trenutku kada se činilo da su sve nade izgubljene, jak sjaj se pojavio iz njenog stomaka, spasivši je od magije ludog monaha.
The couple fled home, grateful to the mysterious power that had saved them, and soon after, Bai Su Zhen gave birth to their son, Xu Shi Lin. Yet despite this joyous occasion, Xu Xian was uneasy. He was shaken by his wife’s accidental act of destruction, and he feared the misfortune it might bring upon their home.
Par je pobegao kući, zahvaljujući misterioznoj moći koja ih je spasila. Nedugo potom, Baj Su Džen je rodila njihovog sina Sju Ši Lina. Uprkos ovom srećnom događaju, Sju Sjen je osećao nelagodu. Bio je potresen nenamernim razaranjem svoje žene, i bojao se loše sreće koja bi mogla da se nadvije nad njihov dom.
Not a month later, Fa Hai appeared at their doorstep. He offered Xu Xian an alms bowl to ensure good fortune for his newborn son. Still wary of the monk, but also remembering Bai Su Zhen’s destructive act, Xu Xian accepted the gift. But as soon as the bowl entered their home, it flew to Bai Su Zhen’s head and trapped her inside. Against the family’s wishes, Fa Hai buried the bowl beneath the Lei Feng Pagoda. And when Xu Xian begged him to release his wife, the monk sternly replied: “She will be free when the iron tree blooms.”
Ni mesec dana kasnije, Fa Haj se pojavio na njihovom pragu. Ponudio je Sju Sjenu posudu za milostinju, kako bi osigurao dobru sreću za novorođenče. Još uvek oprezan po pitanju monaha, ali u isto vreme sećajući se razarajućeg čina Baj Su Džen, Sju Sjen je prihvatio poklon. Ali čim je posuda ušla u njihov dom, poletela je ka glavi Baj Su Džen i zarobila je unutra. Protivno željama porodice, Fa Haj je zakopao posudu ispod pagode Lej Fong. Kada ga je Sju Sjen preklinjao da oslobodi njegovu ženu, monah mu je odbrusio: „Biće slobodna kad gvozdeno drvo procveta.”
Overcome with guilt, Xu Xian ran away to a monastery, leaving Shi Lin in the care of his aunt. But there was something neither of them knew. The boy was the reincarnation of Wen Qu Xing, the wisdom god, sent to the family to reward Xu Xian’s devotion. It was this power that had protected Bai Su Zhen at the temple, and as he grew, so did his wisdom. At age 19, Shi Lin went to the capital city to take the nation-wide imperial exam and obtained the highest score in all the empire. The Emperor himself bestowed Shi Lin’s prize: an ornate hat decorated with jewel-encrusted flowers. But though he returned home in glory, the fate of his parents still weighed heavy on his mind.
Skrhan krivicom, Sju Sjen je otrčao u manastir, ostavivši Ši Lina na čuvanje njegovoj tetki. Ali postojalo je nešto što niko od njih nije znao. Dečak je bio reinkarnacija Ven Ću Singa, boga mudrosti, koji je poslat porodici kao nagrada za Sju Sjenovu posvećenost. To je bila moć koja je zaštitila Baj Su Džen u hramu, i kako je rastao, tako je i njegova mudrost bivala sve veća. Sa 19 godina, Ši Lin je otišao u glavni grad da polaže nacionalni ispit i položio ga sa najvećom ocenom u celom carstvu. Car je lično uručio nagradu Ši Linu: kitnjasti šešir ukrašen cvećem od dragulja. Iako se slavno vratio kući, sudbina njegovih roditelja ga je i dalje pritiskala.
Coaxing his father from exile, Shi Lin took him to visit the Lei Feng Pagoda to pay respects to his mother. Kneeling before it, he placed his jeweled prize on the iron tree as an offering. Suddenly, the ground opened and Bai Su Zhen stepped out. With her sins absolved by the tribute of a god, and a blossom on the iron tree, Shi Lin had freed his mother, and reunited his family– both mortal and divine.
Nagovarajući oca da se vrati iz izgnanstva, Ši Lin ga je odveo do pagode Lej Fong, kako bi odao počast svojoj majci. Kleknuvši ispred nje, postavio je svoju nagradu od dragulja na gvozdeno drvo kao dar. Odjednom se zemlja otvorila i Baj Su Džen je iskoračila napolje. Oproštajem grehova dankom boga i cvećem na gvozdenom drvetu, Ši Lin je oslobodio svoju majku, i ujedinio svoju porodicu - smrtnu i božansku.