Bai-Niang began as a white snake spirit who cultivated for a millennium through rigorous Taoist training on Mount Emei. This discipline granted her the power to assume human form, a transformation achieved by absorbing the essence of the Dragon King of the East China Sea. As a benevolent woman, she dedicated herself to performing good deeds and pursuing immortality, later becoming a disciple of the goddess Lishan Laomu. In the human realm, she rescued a green snake spirit, Xiaoqing (Qingmei), from a threatening beggar. Grateful, Xiaoqing pledged eternal loyalty, becoming Bai-Niang's sworn sister and companion. During rainfall at West Lake’s Broken Bridge, Bai-Niang encountered the young herbalist Xu Xian. He lent her his umbrella, leading to further meetings and their eventual marriage. Together, they founded a successful herbal medicine shop, benefiting from her knowledge. Her true nature was revealed to Xu Xian by the Buddhist monk Fahai. Skeptical but influenced, Xu Xian offered her realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival. The wine forced her reversion to serpent form, shocking Xu Xian to death. To revive him, Bai-Niang journeyed to steal the immortal Lingzhi herb, battling its guardians to succeed. Fahai later kidnapped Xu Xian, imprisoning him at Jinshan Temple. Bai-Niang, aided by Xiaoqing and an army of shrimp and crab soldiers summoned from the East Sea, flooded the temple in a rescue attempt. Divine aid empowered Fahai to defeat her. Pregnant and weakened, she retreated to the Broken Bridge, where Xu Xian found her and reaffirmed his love. Ultimately, Fahai captured Bai-Niang using a golden bowl gifted by a heavenly warrior. After giving birth to her son, Xu Shilin, she was imprisoned beneath Leifeng Pagoda. Years later, her son secured her freedom through filial piety demonstrated at the pagoda after achieving scholarly success, which moved heaven to release her. Some iterations depict her becoming the mount of the goddess Yaotai Laomu post-imprisonment, assisting in saving living beings. Modern reinterpretations include a prequel: as a young snake, she consumed celestial dumplings regurgitated by a child Xu Xian, forging a profound spiritual bond (*yuanfen*) between them. This incident also fueled Fahai’s resentment over failing to obtain the dumplings. Contemporary adaptations further reimagine her as a skilled fighter from a snake spirit clan who loses her memory during an assassination mission and develops a relationship with Xu Xian’s earlier incarnation, a snake hunter. Her portrayal evolved across narratives—from Tang Dynasty depictions as a malevolent seductress to Ming and Qing Dynasty emphasis on her compassion, loyalty, and resilience. She embodies themes of love transcending boundaries, resistance against oppressive authority, and female agency. Religiously, she is venerated as a healing deity with dedicated temples in Taiwan and mainland China. Scientific entities like Suzhen’s krait and the mushroom genus *Baisuzhenia* bear her name in homage to her cultural significance.