Snake Sheriff#

A head so large, a tail so thin, seven feet long, A patterned form, electric eyes, fierce and strong. With tiger stripes, it boasts with pride, Yet beneath its head, a strange guise hides.

In the mountains, there was a tiger with a strong desire for the Dao. He traveled across high mountains and great rivers, seeking a Daoist temple to practice. However, his Daoist affinity was thin, and he couldn't find a master willing to accept him until he reached the Webbed Hollow, hoping to become a disciple under an accomplished immortal.

At first, the immortal master disdained him for being a mere tiger, unlike his other disciples, and refused to see him. The tiger knelt outside the mountain gate for several days without rising. The immortal master, sensing his sincerity, gave him a chance and accepted him as an outer disciple.

Unexpectedly, the tiger had no steadfastness. After the initial fervor, he didn't put in the effort. The immortal master advised him, "One's practice relies on oneself, not the master." But the tiger couldn't grasp this and was punished to guard the mountain at Forest of Ferocity. Feeling resentful, the tiger became even lazier, spending his days lying idly under a tree and cursing his master to pass the time.

One day, while half-asleep under the tree, complaining about his master, he suddenly heard a soft sigh and felt something slip into his mouth. Startled, he sat up, but there was no one around. He retched for a long

time but couldn't expel anything, thinking it was just a dream. After some time, the tiger's neck became long and thin, and he could no longer speak. He diligently patrolled Hollow Forest every day. People whispered among themselves, "He started his Daoist practice with enthusiasm but ended poorly. The master must have punished him, which is why he looks like this now. From now on, we'd best be careful."