Xiaoqing is a green snake who transforms into a human being after seven hundred years of disciplined training in
Taoism. Xiaoqing is the close confidant or
sworn sister of the protagonist
Bai Suzhen, the white snake. Bai Suzhen often calls her
Qingmei (, ) or '''Qing'er''' (, ). After
Fahai pushed Bai Suzhen down under the Leifeng Pagoda, Xiaoqing was no match for Fahai, and had no choice but to retreat to
Mount Emei, go back into the cave and return to practicing Daoist austerities. Twelve years later, she had finally completed the True Fire of Samadhi, and came to find Fahai for revenge. There was nowhere for Fahai to escape being burned by the True Fire of Samadhi, so in a great rush, he hid inside a
crab shell. Leifang Pagoda collapsed, and Bai Suzhen was saved. From then on, she and Bai Suzhen,
Xu Xian and their child all lived a blessed and happy life together. Xiaoqing's fate varies depending on the preference of the storyteller. In some versions, Xiaoqing and Bai Suzhen are fused together in the
Leifeng Pagoda; in others, Xiaoqing marries Xu Xian (or a friend of his) and has a son, Xu Rulin. Sometimes it is said she never married, instead devoting herself to
neidan, and in an even more extreme variation, she is portrayed as a treacherous antagonist who betrays Bai Suzhen. However, in almost all versions, Xiaoqing finally becomes a
deity. In another version of the story, after years of refining her powers, Xiaoqing goes to Jinshan Temple to confront Fahai and ultimately defeats him. As a result, Bai Suzhen is finally freed from Leifeng Pagoda and reunited with her husband and son. Meanwhile, Fahai flees and hides inside the stomach of a crab. There is a saying that a crab's internal fat is orange because it resembles the color of Fahai's
kasaya. ==Worship==