蛇司药 Snake Herbalist
松竹梅兰色，豺狼虎豹心。
采药穷山川，全无济世情。
Pine, bamboo, plum and blue in color,but they have the heart of jackals,tigers and leopards.
Collecting herbs in all the mountains and rivers,they have no desire to help the world.
旧时，紫云山下有座道观。这日，有个苦修的道姑来此借宿，因她远走四方，风尘仆仆，观中的女冠们体恤她，便为她备好热水，让她沐浴更衣。
正是梳洗之时，道姑忽闻梁上传来响动。她毫不声张，披衣出浴，顺势拿起拂尘轻轻一甩。那拂尘应风而长，盘盘绕绕，竟从梁上捉下来个妖怪。
听得屋中声响，观中女冠们急忙来看，就见地上伏着个青色鳞片的蛇妖。那妖被捉也不急慌，想是偷看惯了的，众女冠都吃过他的亏，相继来骂他。那蛇妖满脸不屑，两烦一鼓，从嘴里喷出些绿稠毒液，四下飞溅。但凡沾到些些儿的，立时倒在地上，痛苦难当。
见此怪毫无悔改之意，道姑寄出一根飘忽的金针，要将其打灭。那蛇妖这才怕了，赶紧求饶道:“我乃是山中炼药的小妖，屋外药篓里正有解毒之物，但求仙姑饶命。
那道姑听他如此恳切，便给他个机会。他从药篓中翻出白色小丸递与道姑验看:“此乃树珍珠，是珠树之叶，凡间少见，可解百毒。”他给众女冠每人喂下一颗，她们立刻就好了。
此后，观中不知缘何，常备有树珍珠。世有中毒者多来此观求救，只是树珍珠一颗千金，大多人都买不起，只能等死罢了。
In the old days, there was a Daoist temple at the foot of Purple Cloud Mountain. An ascetic Daoist nun, worn from her long travels, sought shelter there one night. The temple nuns, moved by her devotion, offered her hot water and fresh clothes.
As she bathed, the nun heard a sound from the rafters. Without showing any sign of alarm, she put on her robe and nonchalantly picked up her fly-whisk. With a gentle flick, the whisk stretched and coiled with her motion, snaking up to the rafters and seizing a yaoguai.
Alerted by the commotion, the temple nuns rushed into the room to investigate. On the ground crouched a snake guai with green scales, unfazed by its capture. It seemed the nuns had been its prior victims, now taking turns to scold it. The snake guai looked at them with contempt and puffed out its cheeks to spew green venom in every direction. Anyone struck by even a drop collapsed at once, writhing in pain.
As the guai had no remorse, the nun took out a wispy golden needle, prepared to destroy it. Only then did the snake show fear. It pleaded at once: "I'm just a lesser herbalist guai from the mountain. In my basket outside is the antidote for them. Please, will you spare my life, immortal lady?"
Hearing its sincere plea, the nun granted it mercy. The guai rummaged in its basket and handed her some small white pellets. "These are the leaves of the pearl tree. They're rare in the mortal world and can cure all venoms." It fed one to each Daoist nun, and they recovered at once.
After that, the temple always had tree pearls on hand, and many afflicted by venom came here to seek aid. But the high cost of a tree pearl meant many, unable to afford it, had to face the toxin's fatal outcome.
