Chapter 29: Stinky Xiao Mo, I don't even know you!

The format and content of the Qi State's *Tongshi* examinations were similar to the Ming Dynasty of ancient China, yet they possessed many differences.

The first round of examinations was relatively simple, testing the rote memorization of the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as annotations of certain passages. Finally, a topic would be assigned from the *Four Books*, requiring the writing of a complete *Baguwen* (eight-legged essay). The *Baguwen* was meticulous, consisting of eight distinct parts such as breaking the topic,承题 (承题 -承题), and 起讲 (起讲 - introductory remarks).

The second round was not difficult either. It involved memorizing longer passages of the classics and still required the *Baguwen*, though the difficulty of the topics increased and they were integrated with the Four Books and Five Classics. Finally, there were several passages from the classics where the examinee was asked for their interpretation, with no restrictions on format.

Xiao Mo successfully passed the first two rounds and had become a *Tongsheng*.

The third round of examinations would be held in fifteen days, allowing the candidates a period of rest.

After some thought, Xiao Mo decided not to return to his village. He would stay in Qingshan County to review and prepare for the third round.

Meanwhile, on Mount She, north of Stone Bridge Village.

Inside a cave, a white snake slowly opened its eyes.

She felt her vision was blurry, and the things clinging to her body felt uncomfortable. The white snake rubbed herself vigorously against a nearby rock. After exerting a great deal of effort—even rubbing off a few of her newly grown scales—the white snake finally wriggled out of her shed skin.

"I am so long..."

Bai Ruxue looked at her body and estimated she must be about seven feet long, and much thicker than before. With a shake of her body, she transformed into human form.

The young girl ran out of the cave and arrived at the edge of a pool. The pool was like a mirror, reflecting the girl's slender and graceful figure.

"Wow, I'm so tall! And so beautiful!"

Spinning around the edge of the pool, Bai Ruxue's skirt fluttered; she was extremely satisfied with her current appearance.

"I must be taller than him now, right?"

"The next time he sees me, he will definitely be startled."

A faint joy welled up in Bai Ruxue's heart. Her mind was already fantasizing about the look of astonishment on Xiao Mo's face when he saw her.

She skipped back to the cave; Xiao Qing was still sleeping.

"Xiao Qing, you have to grow tall too once you wake up~"

Bai Ruxue gently patted Xiao Qing's head and then skipped out of the cave again.

The girl arrived at the small path that he would inevitably pass when coming up the mountain, and she sat once more on the rock beside the path. She rested her chin on her hands, gazing into the distance, waiting for his return.

One day.

Two days.

Three days, four days...

Bai Ruxue waited and waited, throwing pebbles one after another. She lost count of how many pebbles she had thrown. She lost count of how many blades of grass she had plucked. She lost count of how many mice she had eaten passing by.

But he still did not return.

"He hasn't forgotten me, has he?"

"Will he still come back?"

"He will come back!" Bai Ruxue shook her head vigorously, clenching her small fists to encourage herself. "He said it—he said he would definitely come back to play with me."

Another ten days passed, and Bai Ruxue still saw no sign of him.

"Stinky Xiao Mo, if you don't come looking for me again, I'm going to be angry!"

On this day, the girl said so.

But Xiao Mo still did not return.

On the twentieth day of waiting for Xiao Mo, at sunset

Bai Ruxue stood on the rock, her fair little hand cupped near her mouth, shouting loudly toward the path below the mountain: "Stinky Xiao Mo! I'll give you one more chance! If you don't come, I'm really going to be angry!"

On the twenty-first day, the sun set, and the night gradually filled the sky.

The girl was still standing on the rock, shouting: "Xiao Mo, I'll give you one last, last chance. If you don't appear tomorrow, I am truly going to be angry."

The twenty-second day...

"Xiao Mo, I am really, really, really angry! You won't be able to coax me out of it!"

The girl's voice echoed through the mountains and forests.

The twenty-third day...

"Xiao Mo! I'm never talking to you again!"

The twenty-fourth day, the twenty-fifth day...

Every day, Bai Ruxue would sit on that rock and wait. When she left in the evening, she would inevitably curse Xiao Mo loudly, her voice echoing through the woods.

"Xiao Mo... where are you..."

On the night of the twenty-sixth day, as darkness draped over the entire sky, the girl sat on the rock, hugging her knees and burying her head in her thighs.

"Why haven't you come back yet?"

The girl's crystal-clear tears slowly dampened her dress.

Above the night sky, starlight twinkled as if the Creator had scattered grains of glowing sand across the entire firmament. The clear moonlight drifted down from the sky, outlining a faint halo around the girl.

The girl did not know when she fell asleep. She did not know how many times she had cursed "Stinky Xiao Mo" in her heart. But she continued to wait there, going nowhere.

He said he would come back...

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

On the morning of the twenty-seventh day, the sky was dyed white once more. The birds in the forest chirped incessantly. A lizard crawled to the girl's feet and looked up, but as if sensing something, it scurried away with a "whoosh."

On that small path, a man's figure appeared.

Xiao Mo walked forward step by step.

He should have returned much earlier after this examination, but the newly appointed county magistrate insisted on hosting meals and various banquets for the newly successful *Xiucai*. How could Xiao Mo dare to decline such an honor? As a result, after the results were posted, Xiao Mo stayed in Qingshan County for a full six extra days.

"I wonder if she's grown impatient waiting."

Thinking of the little white snake, Xiao Mo could not help but quicken his pace.

When he reached the middle of the mountain, Xiao Mo looked up and saw a girl sitting on a rock, hugging her knees with her face buried in her thighs. The girl appeared to be asleep.

Xiao Mo was not certain if it was Ruxue. Because, judging by her figure, this girl was a young woman, not a little girl in her tender years.

Xiao Mo stepped forward and called softly, "Miss?"

Hearing the voice, the girl's shoulders trembled slightly, as if she had woken up.

When she lifted her eyes, Xiao Mo was momentarily dazed.

The girl appeared to be about sixteen years old. Her eyes were like spring breezes brushing through branches, blooming like a tree of tender blossoms. The corners of her eyes naturally held a slight upward curve, like the most charming bend at the tip of a peach petal. Her pupils were a clear, dark ink color, yet deep within them, there seemed to be a hidden pool of water.

Her long, thick eyelashes were like butterfly wings; when they trembled, they cast a soft shadow beneath her eyes, making her gaze appear even more shimmering and undulating, carrying the unique clarity and innocence of a young girl. As her eyes moved, she inadvertently revealed a hint of natural charm, yet it was firmly anchored by her clear essence, leaving only a heart-stirring vivacity and gentleness.

She looked at the man before her in a daze. As the girl saw the man's face clearly, her eyes grew even brighter. However, faint tear stains lingered on her fair face, and the corners of her eyes were slightly red from crying.

"Ruxue?" Xiao Mo asked.

Bai Ruxue's throat moved as she tried to respond. But in the end, as if out of spite, the girl turned her head away, pouting her small lips resentfully

"I am not Bai Ruxue."

"Stinky Xiao Mo, I don't even know you!"

(End of Chapter)