In the legendary era of the Three August Ones and Five Emperors, the world existed in a state of perilous transition. While the sage Emperor Yao worked tirelessly to bring order to the Central Plains, the natural world remained rife with chaotic forces and primeval monsters that threatened the survival of humanity. The most famous of these calamities was the sudden appearance of the ten suns, but as the earth scorched, the waters of the south hid an equally terrifying menace. Deep within the mist-shrouded expanses of Lake Dongting, a creature of impossible proportions had claimed dominion. This was the Ba She, a black-scaled serpent of such immense size and insatiable hunger that it was said to swallow full-grown elephants in a single gulp.
The Ba She was not merely a physical predator; it was a manifestation of the wild, untamed gluttony of the ancient marshes. According to the 'Shanhaijing' (The Classic of Mountains and Seas), the serpent was a black python-like entity with a head the color of copper and eyes that burned like subterranean fires. Its unique metabolism allowed it to consume an elephant whole, after which it would retreat into the depths for three years to digest the massive animal, leaving behind only the bleached bones. For the people of the Chu region, the presence of the Ba She meant constant terror. Boats were crushed, villages were inundated by the waves generated by its movement, and the local wildlife was decimated by its presence. The serpent’s scales were reported to be as hard as stone, and its breath was a foul, poisonous vapor that withered the reeds of the lake.
Seeing his people suffer, Emperor Yao called upon the divine archer Houyi. Houyi was a celestial being who had descended to the mortal realm to serve as a champion for humanity. He was equipped with a magical red bow and a quiver of white arrows, gifts from the heavenly gods designed to strike down the most formidable foes. Having already saved the world from the heat of the ten suns, Houyi turned his sights toward the monsters that plagued the land and water. He traveled south, passing through dense jungles and treacherous wetlands, until he reached the banks of the vast Lake Dongting in what is now Hunan Province.
The arrival of the archer was met with a heavy silence. The lake, usually vibrant with the sound of wind and water, was unnaturally still, as if the landscape itself was holding its breath. Houyi stood upon a promontory, his keen eyes scanning the murky depths. He knew that to kill a beast that could swallow an elephant, he could not rely on strength alone; he needed precision and divine timing. He began to draw his bow, the wood groaning with the power of the heavens. He did not fire immediately, but instead used the vibration of the bowstring to send ripples through the water, baiting the monster to show itself.
The surface of Lake Dongting suddenly erupted. The Ba She rose from the water like a mountain rising from the sea. Its body was so long that its tail remained hidden in the depths while its head towered over the trees. The serpent hissed, a sound that resembled a thousand rushing torrents, and the air turned cold and damp. The battle that followed was one of the greatest conflicts in mythological history. Houyi moved with the speed of a bird, leaping between the crags and the giant lotus leaves, while the Ba She struck with the force of a landslide. Every time the serpent lunged, Houyi would release a white arrow, but the creature’s scales were so thick and well-angled that many of the shots simply glanced off, sparking like flint against steel.
As the struggle continued into the second day, the Ba She became increasingly frustrated. It attempted to use its most fearsome weapon: its cavernous maw. It reared back, opening its jaws wide to create a vacuum of air that pulled everything toward its throat. Houyi felt the incredible suction and realized this was his moment of greatest danger and his best opportunity. Instead of resisting the pull, he allowed himself to be drawn closer, wait until the very second the serpent’s vulnerable throat was exposed. With a calm hand, he notched three arrows at once. He fired with the full strength of his divine lineage. The arrows flew true, piercing the soft tissues of the serpent’s throat and embedding themselves in its heart.