Chapter 7: The Dragon Boat Festival
Capítulo 7: O Festival do Barco do Dragão
The Dragon Boat Festival arrived, and the city of Hangzhou was alive with excitement. The sound of drums echoed from the lake as colorful boats raced across the water. Traditionally, this was a time to drink realgar wine, which was believed to ward off evil spirits and poisonous creatures.
O Festival do Barco do Dragão chegou, e as pessoas celebravam com corridas de barcos-dragão e bebendo vinho Realgar para afastar os maus espíritos. Xu Xian, ainda desconfiado das palavras de Fahai, decidiu testar sua esposa.
Bai Suzhen was aware of the dangers of realgar. "Xiaoqing," she whispered as they prepared for the day. "We must be careful today. The realgar is dangerous for us. We should avoid the wine at all costs."
Ele preparou vinho Realgar e convidou Bai Suzhen para beber. "Esposa, hoje é um dia auspicioso, vamos beber um pouco de vinho para dar sorte."
However, Xu Xian, still troubled by Fahai's words, had prepared a special bottle of wine. He wanted to prove the monk wrong, yet a part of him needed to know the truth. "Suzhen, my love," he said, handing her a small cup. "Let us share a drink to celebrate our first festival together as husband and wife. It is tradition, after all."
Bai Suzhen sabia que o vinho Realgar podia fazer os demônios revelarem sua verdadeira forma, mas ela não queria contrariar o marido e pensou que, com seus mil anos de cultivo, poderia resistir aos efeitos do vinho.
Bai Suzhen hesitated. "I am not feeling very well today, Xian. Perhaps I should skip the wine."
"Tudo bem, marido. Beberei com você", disse ela e bebeu o vinho.
Xu Xian's face fell. "But it is just one small cup. Please, for me."
Mas assim que o vinho desceu por sua garganta, seus efeitos começaram a aparecer. Bai Suzhen sentiu o corpo queimar. Ela tentou manter a calma e pediu licença para descansar no quarto.
Seeing the disappointment in his eyes, Bai Suzhen couldn't bring herself to refuse. She used her magic to try and neutralize the wine, but she was pregnant and her powers were weakened. As she swallowed the wine, she felt a sudden, sharp pain.
Xu Xian viu que a esposa estava agindo estranho e a seguiu até o quarto. A cena diante de seus olhos o aterrorizou tanto que ele desmaiou. Na cama não estava sua bela esposa, mas uma enorme cobra branca enrolada.
"I... I must rest," she gasped, stumbling toward their bedroom.
Bai Suzhen, que havia revelado sua forma original acidentalmente, ficou em pânico ao ver o marido cair. Ela rapidamente se transformou de volta em humana e foi verificar, mas descobriu que Xu Xian havia morrido de susto.
Xu Xian followed her, his heart racing. "Suzhen? Are you alright?" He opened the curtains of their bed and let out a blood-curdling scream. There, lying among the silk covers, was a massive white snake. The shock was too much for his heart to bear, and Xu Xian collapsed to the floor, dead.
"Marido! Não! Eu não tive a intenção!", Bai Suzhen chorou amargamente. Ela sabia que tinha que fazer de tudo para salvar a vida do marido, mesmo que tivesse que invadir o céu para roubar a erva mágica.
When the effects of the wine wore off, Bai Suzhen returned to her human form. She saw her husband lying motionless and realized what had happened. "No! Xu Xian!" she cried, her voice filled with agony. "What have I done?" Xiaoqing rushed into the room, horrified by the scene. They had lost everything in a single moment of weakness and doubt.