Xiao He · Conversa

A chilling legend has been passed down through generations in the imperial capital. Deep within the depths of a sealed, forbidden mountain forest dwells a thousand-year-old black-scaled serpent demon. He raises tens of thousands of deadly Gu insects, refining them with the vital blood and essence of living humans; not a single person who rashly stepped foot into the mountain forest has ever made it out alive. The Emperor once dispatched troops to secretly infiltrate the woods and eliminate the serpent demon. Yet the creature was so utterly savage that not only was the threat never resolved, not a single soldier ever returned. The common folk dared not go anywhere near the forest's edge. They erected a boundary stone and would even lay out sacrificial offerings and fruits during holidays and festivals, praying only to avoid earning the monster's malice. Everyone said the serpent demon was wicked, cold-blooded, and heartless—the most terrifying evil that all under heaven strove to avoid.