The Answer Is to Dedicate Myself to You

After bidding farewell to Xiao Mo, Bai Ruxue hummed a cheerful tune as she walked back to her cave.

At the cave entrance, Xiao Qing stuck out her tongue, looking around.

"Sister."

When Xiao Qing saw her sister return, her vertical pupils lit up, and she quickly crawled towards her.

"Xiao Qing~"

Bai Ruxue quickened her pace.

"Sister, where were you again?" Xiao Qing sighed.

Xiao Qing noticed that for the past few years, her sister had a habit of wandering off, except during hibernation.

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

"Huh?" Xiao Qing was startled. "Sister, how could you go see Xiao Mo? You just learned to shapeshift, and you're not proficient yet. What if you're exposed?"

"Don't worry." Bai Ruxue put her hands on her hips, looking very proud. "My shapeshifting skills are excellent."

"They're not excellent at all," Xiao Qing felt exhausted. "Sister, look at your feet."

"Hm?" Bai Ruxue looked down and saw that her feet had once again turned into a tail.

"It's okay, it's okay." Bai Ruxue patted her tail and transformed back into human feet. "I must have let my guard down when I came back. He definitely didn't notice."

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

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 put some silver fragments in his pocket today." Bai Ruxue's eyes sparkled as she said proudly, "When I collect more silver fragments, I'll give them all to him. Humans use silver fragments to buy things, so he'll be able to buy lots and lots of things."

"Are you going to see him again tomorrow, Sister?" Xiao Qing couldn't do anything about her sister.

"Of course," Bai Ruxue said matter-of-factly. "I haven't repaid his kindness yet. Your sister is a good snake who knows how to repay kindness."

"Then, Sister, when will you consider your kindness repaid?" Xiao Qing felt a little tired.

"Emmm..." Bai Ruxue seemed to think very seriously, then said decisively, "I don't know."

Xiao Qing: "."

"Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing, usually for this kind of life-saving grace, how should a girl repay it? Do you know?" Bai Ruxue asked her sister.

"Sister, I'm a snake, not a human."

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

"Read books?"

"Yes, he was reading today. I couldn't understand it, but it seemed very impressive. Perhaps the answer is in human books."

"But Sister, can you read?"

"No~ But it's okay, I have a way."

With that, Bai Ruxue happily ran off again.

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

"To collect silver fragments and pick medicinal herbs," the girl's voice drifted through the forest.

"Pick medicinal herbs?"

The next day.

After listening to the village chief's lecture in the morning, Xiao Mo asked him a few questions about the books before continuing his journey up the mountain on his ox.

He planned to collect more herbs today to exchange for some silver, and then buy some writing supplies.

When he returned yesterday, Xiao Mo found a piece of silver in his pocket.

He knew that Bai Ruxue had secretly put it there.

Xiao Mo put the silver fragment away in a small pouch.

That single silver fragment wasn't much, and Xiao Mo didn't plan to spend it; he would save it for her.

Because Bai Ruxue had said she would collect more silver fragments for him, Xiao Mo wanted to see how much she could gather.

He had no other intentions; it was just for fun.

Upon reaching She Mountain, Xiao Mo grazed his ox while picking medicinal herbs.

"Xiao Mo."

When Xiao Mo had collected a small basketful, a young girl's pleasant voice came from behind him.

Xiao Mo turned around and saw Bai Ruxue smiling at him.

"Miss Bai," Xiao Mo bowed.

"Xiao Mo, play with me," Bai Ruxue said innocently, as if she had no worries at all, like a little girl.

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

"I have time, follow me." Bai Ruxue grabbed Xiao Mo's hand and walked forward.

"Miss Bai, wait, I'll lead the ox."

"Oh, okay, then hurry up."

After an incense stick, the young woman brought Xiao Mo to a place filled with the Purple Sun Grass and Green Waterfall Flowers that Xiao Mo was looking for.

Why are there so many medicinal herbs I need in this place? Xiao Mo wondered in surprise.

He crouched down and picked a stalk of grass, noticing that the plants here were loose, as if they had been buried.

Xiao Mo turned his head, his gaze falling on the young woman's hands. There was a bit of dirt on them, and her skin was a little broken.

So that's how it is.

Xiao Mo understood. These medicinal herbs were all buried by her.

She must have spent the entire night searching for so much Purple Sun Grass and Green Waterfall Flower.

"How is it? Is this enough? You have to play with me for the rest of the time," Bai Ruxue lifted her fair chin.

"It's enough," Xiao Mo nodded. "What do you want to play, Miss?"

"I want to read!"

"Read?"

"Mhm, mhm, mhm. I want you to teach me how to read, can you?" Bai Ruxue happily stepped forward, taking out a silver fragment from her dirt-stained hands. "I can pay tuition."

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

The maid Xiaochun walked into her young lady's backyard.

Every time she entered her young lady's backyard, Xiaochun felt as if she had entered another world.

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

Purple was the Purple Sun Grass.

Green was the Green Waterfall Flower.

And in the pavilion in the backyard, her young lady was reading.

Xiaochun had grown up with her young lady. Her young lady had loved reading since she was little and knew so much.

Before she knew it, when her young lady grew up, she had already become the foremost talented woman in the Zhou Kingdom.

"Miss," Xiaochun walked forward and bowed to her young lady. "A female official from the Empress Dowager has arrived. She said she's here to teach you the etiquette for entering the palace."

"Mm, I know," Yan Ruxue continued to turn the pages of her book. "After I finish these few pages, I'll go."

Xiaochun looked at her young lady's profile, her lips pursed slightly. She couldn't help but ask, "Are you really going to enter the palace, Miss?"

Entering the palace is like diving into a deep sea. In Xiaochun's opinion, such a beautiful and talented woman like her young lady should not be confined to the deep palace.

Yan Ruxue closed her book and didn't answer the maid. Instead, she asked, "Xiaochun, if someone saved your life, how would you repay them?"

"How to repay. How to repay…"

As Xiaochun pondered.

Yan Ruxue stood up and gently placed a book of strange tales she was holding on her head.

"It's written in the book."

The young woman clasped her hands in front of her and walked out of the courtyard with grace, the spring breeze gently caressing the flowers and grass.

"The answer is to pledge yourself in marriage~"