Superman Pickled Cabbage: The Twelve Pickled Cabbages and the Witch
Deep in Mount Bei, there indeed lived an old witch. This witch, due to her habit of never brushing her teeth, had a terrible mouth odor. Her servants, unable to bear her bad breath, would either fall sick from being overwhelmed by it or run away after just a few days of work. As no one was willing to serve her, the old witch had to live alone in a deep cave hidden in the mountains. It was hard for ordinary people to find her unless she came out herself. However, there was a sign near where she lived - all vegetation around was dead because the plants and trees had been killed by her foul breath.
One day, a man selling pears passed by her cave with a load of pears on his shoulder. Just as the witch came out, she saw the pear seller. She wanted some pears and called out to him. Upon hearing her voice, the seller immediately felt nauseous due to the stench. When the witch asked about the price of the pears, he fainted right away. Like in "Superman Pickled Cabbage Chapter Five - Pickled Cabbage and Rose", two baskets of pears instantly turned bad and blackened from her foul breath.
Seeing this, the witch said, "Why are all these pears rotten?" Looking at the pear seller who was lying unconscious beside the basket, she muttered, "Why is he sleeping?" Then she went back into her cave.
Once, Lord Land tried to discuss something with the witch but couldn't stand her smell. Eventually, he had to have dozens of buckets of water brought in so that she could rinse her mouth for a while before they could exchange a few words.
Pickled Cabbage wandered in the mountain for three days and waited for two more days before finally meeting the witch. Although he had heard about the witch's bad breath beforehand, when he actually met her, he still couldn't help but feel nauseous. Thinking of Rose, Pickled Cabbage forced himself to endure the discomfort and greeted the witch with a smile, saying, "Grandma, I've heard about your great powers. I specially came here to visit you and seek your advice." Wanting to consult her, Pickled Cabbage agreed to serve her for three months first. The witch, living alone in the mountain cave, was lonely. Hearing this, Pickled Cabbage almost fainted; seeing her only for three minutes already made him unable to bear it. How could he endure three months? But if he didn't, how could he obtain the miraculous method, how could he fly and become a superman, and how could he marry Rose? With this thought, he unhesitatingly agreed.
To endure these difficult three months, he came up with a way - he found a mask to wear. Seeing him wearing a mask while working, the witch became unhappy immediately and said, "Pickled Cabbage, do you look down on me?" "No, it's just that I'm too ugly, afraid that you might be uncomfortable looking at me, so I wore a mask," Pickled Cabbage hurriedly explained. Hearing this, the witch was very pleased and rewarded him with a piece of moldy pancake to eat. He pretended to be happy and ate it, then rushed to the toilet to relieve himself.
Finally, after enduring these three difficult months, moved by Pickled Cabbage's sincere service, the witch asked what he wished for. Pickled Cabbage said he wanted a pair of wings that could both fly in the sky and swim underwater. The witch told him that he needed a swan's wings, which must be taken within three minutes after the swan's death. The witch could sew the wings onto his body, but it would be extremely painful. Moreover, within half a year after the operation, he must continuously flap his wings every day. Each flapping would cause excruciating pain, but he must endure it. Otherwise, if the wings rotted, he would also be infected and die. This was risky, so the witch asked if Pickled Cabbage was willing. Hearing this, Pickled Cabbage was a little scared and hesitated. The witch smiled and let him go back and think about it again.
After returning, Pickled Cabbage couldn't wait to see Rose. After a long time of not seeing each other, Rose was still as beautiful as ever. However, Pickled Cabbage noticed that there was wind swirling around her and hornets circling nearby. Pickled Cabbage immediately became nervous. With so many competitors around, if he didn't quickly become a superman, it might be too late. Thinking about this, he hurriedly returned to the mountain to find the witch. The witch said that if he really wanted to proceed, he would need to serve her for another three months. Having no choice, Pickled Cabbage served the witch for another three months.
Then, after much difficulty, he found a dying swan and, according to the witch's instructions, sewed the wings onto his own body within three minutes after the swan's death. After this painful experience, Pickled Cabbage was no longer the same. His whole body was swollen, dragging a pair of barely alive wings, becoming a monster that looked neither like a bird nor a vegetable. Afterwards, he endured indescribable pain every day, feeling as if he were dying. In this immense suffering, Rose seemed very distant to him.
In the end, after six months of continuous pain, Pickled Cabbage not only grew a new pair of wings physically, but his mind matured significantly through the torment. He was no longer the naive young man but had become a profound, mature, and wise sage.
On the day the bandages were removed, Pickled Cabbage soared into the clouds, fully experiencing the freedom and height of life. He felt that he had not only surpassed himself but also transcended nature. Originally, he was just a pickled cabbage from the earth, yet now he soared in the blue sky – an event that no pickled cabbage would believe.
Next, he went to the sea, learning from sharks and practicing with whales. With the help of his fin-like wings, he also mastered the ability to fight against the waves in the vast ocean.