Leng Qingqing was a muddled white snake demon. A male of three hundred years, he possessed a simple nature and a comely appearance; if converted to human years, he was merely a young lad of thirteen or fourteen.
He had resided in Bihai Cangtao Valley since long ago, leading a leisurely existence. His greatest pastime was stealing honey with the black bear demon from the same valley, using the sweet nectar to brew wine, and finally drinking together until they were dead drunk.
This year, the mountain fruits in Bihai Cangtao Valley were more abundant than in previous years—large, red, and ripe. The gluttonous Leng Qingqing naturally wouldn't let such a feast slip by. He claimed a vast swathe of the fruit trees as his own territory, nearly hugging the fruits to sleep every day.
Perhaps because he had eaten too many mountain fruits lately, Leng Qingqing felt terribly bloated. Yet, whenever he caught the sweet scent of the fruit, he couldn't help but open his mouth to eat, and eat, and eat.
In the midst of his feasting, the black bear demon came looking for him to drink again. Despite his uncomfortable bloating, Leng Qingqing gritted his teeth and decided to follow the bear for another round of gluttony.
Thus, by nightfall, the drunken Leng Qingqing couldn't even maintain his human form. He simply reverted to his original shape, hiccuping and slithering crookedly through the grass while humming a little tune he had composed himself.
Before long, the alcohol took full effect. Leng Qingqing felt a scorching heat coursing through his body and decided he needed to soak in the nearby stream.
After much effort, he managed to drag himself to the water's edge. He submerged his entire body, letting himself drift with the current.
In a state of blissful weightlessness, Leng Qingqing drifted off into a dream.
The next day.
The valley greeted the dawn with Leng Qingqing’s piercing scream.
Leng Qingqing stared with his mouth agape at an egg cradled within the coils of his own body. The egg was snowy white, the same color as himself. Curiously, the shell was marked with a black, crest-like pattern. Had Leng Qingqing been a man of the world, he would have recognized it as the most forbidden seal in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
But the foolish Leng Qingqing assumed it was merely a natural pattern on the shell. Furthermore, he took it for granted that—this was an egg he had laid himself!
At this thought, Leng Qingqing’s emotions finally shifted from shock to a burst of fatherly affection. He nuzzled the egg he believed he had produced in his drunken stupor and flicked his tongue to lick it. "My child~ Snake baby~ Daddy will definitely hatch you~"
From that day on, Leng Qingqing truly began to incubate the egg with great earnestness.
Though there was that one time when, in a drunken haze, he rolled the baby egg around like a ball; and another time when he picked the baby up to show it off to other demons and accidentally let it roll down a cliff; and then there was the time...
Regardless, the resilient baby egg possessed a terrifyingly stubborn vitality, growing diligently within its shell.
As the days passed, the day finally arrived when the baby broke through the shell!
It was a momentous occasion. Leng Qingqing had sensed something was happening the day before, so he had gathered all the demons within a dozens-mile radius to come and offer their congratulations.
With excited hearts, everyone’s eyes were fixed on the gradually cracking egg. Suddenly, a small head poked out from within.
The prepared cheers of congratulations instantly turned into a collective gasp of dismay.
The black bear demon gripped Leng Qingqing’s hand sympathetically, sniffing as he said, "Brother, you really can't drink anymore. It affects the next generation."
A nearby doe demon took the opportunity to educate her buck: "Do you see that? This is the consequence of alcoholism! Giving birth to a freak! You’re not allowed to hang around that white snake anymore!"
A green little flower demon even jumped out, pointing at the newly hatched "snake baby" and shouting, "Ugly little snake! Ugly little snake!"
Utterly aggrieved, Leng Qingqing finally couldn't take it anymore and roared, "Everyone, get out! This is my child! His name is Leng Jing! He is not some 'ugly little snake'!"
And so, the country-bumpkin demons dispersed, gossiping as they went.
Once everyone had left, Leng Qingqing rested his chin in his hands and gazed at the "snake baby" on the bed, sighing in distress, "Little Jing, why do you look so strange?"
As it turned out, although the "snake baby" was snowy white like himself, it was covered in shimmering scales, had horns on its head, and even possessed four claws. It was flailing about, looking quite formidable.
If Leng Qingqing had seen a bit more of the world, or if that group of demons had any worldly knowledge at all, they would have known that this newly hatched creature was not a snake, but a dragon—a very rare little white dragon.
Leng Qingqing’s unlucky days began from that moment on.
