Chapter 26: The answer is to marry me, with your whole being

After bidding farewell to Xiao Mo, Bai Ruxue hummed a lighthearted tune as she walked back toward her family's cave.

At the entrance of the cave, Xiao Qing flicked her tongue, looking left and right.

"Sister..."

When Xiao Qing saw her sister returning, her vertical pupils suddenly brightened, and she hurriedly crawled toward her.

"Xiao Qing~"

Bai Ruxue quickened her pace and stepped forward.

"Sister, where did you go again?" Xiao Qing sighed.

Xiao Qing had noticed that over the past few years, aside from when she was hibernating, her sister loved to run off everywhere.

"I went to see Xiao Mo~" Bai Ruxue said happily.

"Eh?" Xiao Qing was startled. "Sister, how can you go see Xiao Mo? You've only just learned how to take human form, and you're not even proficient yet... what if you're exposed?"

"It won't happen." Bai Ruxue placed her hands on her hips, looking quite proud. "My transformation skills are excellent."

"They aren't good at all," Xiao Qing felt mentally exhausted. "Sister, look at your feet."

"Hmm?" Bai Ruxue looked down and realized her feet had turned back into tails.

"It's fine, it's fine." Bai Ruxue patted her tail and transformed them back into human feet. "I must have let my guard down when I was coming back just now; he definitely didn't notice."

"Really?" Xiao Qing flicked her snake tongue. "But Sister, you're so silly."

Bai Ruxue puffed out her cheeks. "You're the silly one, Xiao Qing! I'm not silly at all!"

Xiao Qing: "..."

"Xiao Qing, let me tell you, I secretly tucked a bit of silver into his pocket today." Bai Ruxue's eyes sparkled as she said proudly, "Once I pick up more silver, I'll give it all to him. Humans use silver to buy things, so this way he can buy many, many things."

"Sister, are you going to see him again tomorrow?" Xiao Qing truly didn't know what to do with her sister.

"Of course," Bai Ruxue said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I haven't finished repaying my kindness yet. I am a very grateful snake."

"Then Sister, how will you know when you've finished repaying him?" Xiao Qing felt a bit weary.

"Emmm..." Bai Ruxue seemed to think very seriously for a moment, then said quite decisively, "I don't know either."

Xiao Qing: "..."

"Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing, generally speaking, how should a girl repay a life-saving debt? Do you know?" Bai Ruxue asked her sister.

"Sister, I am a snake... not a person..."

"Oh, alright then. It seems I'll just have to read more books."

"Read books?"

"Yes. He was reading a book today. Even though I couldn't understand it, he seemed very impressive. Perhaps the answers are in human books."

"But Sister, can you read?"

"I can't~ but it doesn't matter, I have a way."

With that, Bai Ruxue ran off happily again.

"Sister, it's so late, where are you going?" Xiao Qing called out from behind her.

"To pick up silver and gather herbs..." the girl's voice drifted softly through the mountain forest.

"Gather herbs?"

***

The next day.

After listening to the village chief's lecture in the morning, Xiao Mo took the opportunity to ask the chief a few questions regarding his books, then continued up the mountain riding his ox.

He planned to gather more medicinal herbs today to exchange for some silver, which he would use to buy brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

When he returned yesterday, Xiao Mo had discovered an extra piece of silver in his pocket.

He knew it was Xiao Bai who had secretly slipped it to him.

Xiao Mo put the silver away in a small pouch.

The piece of broken silver wasn't much, and Xiao Mo didn't intend to spend it; instead, he decided to save it for her.

Since Xiao Bai said she would pick up more silver for him in the future, Xiao Mo wanted to see just how much she could collect.

He did this for no other reason than for fun.

Upon reaching Mount She, Xiao Mo gathered herbs while tending to his ox.

"Xiao Mo..."

Just as Xiao Mo had gathered a small basket, a girl's light, pleasant voice came from behind him.

Xiao Mo turned around to find Bai Ruxue looking at him with a beaming smile.

"Miss Bai," Xiao Mo said, bowing with a cupped hand.

"Xiao Mo, play with me," Bai Ruxue said innocently, as if she had not a single worry in the world.

Xiao Mo shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't have time today. I need to gather some medicinal herbs to sell so I can buy some writing supplies."

"You'll have time. Come with me..." Bai Ruxue took Xiao Mo's hand and led him forward.

"Miss Bai, wait, I have to lead the ox..."

"Oh, oh, then hurry up."

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the girl led Xiao Mo to a place overflowing with the Ziyang Grass and Qinglong Flowers he had been looking for.

"How can there be so many of the herbs I'm looking for in this place?" Xiao Mo thought in surprise.

Crouching down, Xiao Mo picked a flower and noticed that the soil and plants here were very loose, as if they had been buried.

Xiao Mo turned his head, his gaze falling on the girl's hands. Her hands were stained with bits of dirt and had some small scrapes.

"I see."

Xiao Mo understood; she had buried these medicinal herbs here.

To find this much Ziyang Grass and Qinglong Flower, she must have spent the entire night searching.

"Well? Is this enough? You have to spend the rest of your time playing with me..." Bai Ruxue lifted her fair little chin.

"It's enough," Xiao Mo nodded. "Then, what does Miss want to play?"

"I want to read!"

"Read?"

"Mhm, mhm, mhm! I want you to teach me how to read, is that okay?" Bai Ruxue stepped forward happily, pulling a piece of broken silver from her dirt-stained little hand. "I can pay the tuition."

***

The residence of the Minister of Rites of the Zhou Kingdom.

The maid, Xiao Chun, entered the young lady's backyard.

Every time she entered the backyard, Xiao Chun felt as if she had stepped into another world.

In this world, there were only two colors: purple and cyan.

The purple Ziyang Grass.

The cyan Qinglong Flowers.

In the pavilion in the backyard, the young lady was reading.

Xiao Chun had grown up alongside her. Since childhood, the young lady had loved reading and possessed vast knowledge.

Unknowingly, by the time she grew up, she had already become the most talented woman in the Zhou Kingdom.

"Miss..." Xiao Chun stepped forward and bowed. "The female official from the Empress Dowager has arrived. She says she is here to teach you the etiquette for entering the palace."

"Mhm, I know," Yan Ruxue continued flipping through the pages of her book. "I'll head over once I've finished these few pages."

Looking at the lady's profile, Xiao Chun pursed her lips and couldn't help but ask, "Does Miss truly intend to enter the palace?"

The palace was as deep as the sea. In Xiao Chun's eyes, a woman as beautiful and talented as her should not be locked away in the deep palace.

Yan Ruxue closed her book. Instead of answering the maid, she asked in return, "Xiao Chun, if your life were saved by someone, how would you repay them?"

"How to repay... how to repay..."

As Xiao Chun was lost in thought, Yan Ruxue stood up and gently placed a book of strange tales on her head.

"It is written in the books."

The young lady placed her hands before her and walked gracefully out of the courtyard, as the spring breeze gently brushed against the flowers and grass.

"The answer is to repay them with your whole self~"

(End of Chapter)