Recaps

Bai Ruxue repaid Xiao Mo by planting herbs for him and asked him to teach her to read, hoping to learn how to repay the kindness of saving her life. Meanwhile, Yan Ruxue prepared to enter the palace and told Xiao Chun that the answer to repaying a lifesaver was to pledge herself to them.

• Bai Ruxue returned to her cave and told Xiao Qing she planned to keep giving Xiao Mo silver until she had repaid his kindness, though she did not know what repayment would mean.
• Xiao Mo saved the silver Bai Ruxue had slipped into his pocket and went up She Mountain to gather herbs to sell for writing supplies.
• Bai Ruxue led Xiao Mo to a patch of Purple Sun Grass and Green Waterfall Flowers she had planted overnight, then offered him silver to teach her to read.
• Yan Ruxue continued reading while Xiao Chun told her that the Empress Dowager's female attendant had come to teach her palace etiquette.
• Yan Ruxue left the courtyard with a book balanced on her head and told Xiao Chun that a person should repay a lifesaver by pledging herself to them.

Bai Ruxue spent the seasons meeting Xiao Mo in the mountains while he taught her to read and she helped him gather herbs and pay for his studies. When Xiao Mo left to prepare for the Imperial Examination for Children, Bai Ruxue promised to wait for him until early spring.

• Bai Ruxue met Xiao Mo on his mountain visits, learned to read from him, and gathered herbs and silver to support his studies.
• During summer, Xiao Mo gave Bai Ruxue an umbrella to shield her from the heat as they rode Big Black Ox through the mountains.
• In late autumn, Bai Ruxue waited at their usual meeting place until Xiao Mo arrived near dusk.
• Xiao Mo told Bai Ruxue that he had registered for the Imperial Examination for Children and would stop visiting while he prepared over winter.
• Bai Ruxue hooked pinkies with Xiao Mo and promised to wait for his return in early spring.

Xiao Mo studied through the winter while Xiao Bai and Xiao Qing prepared to hibernate, and Xiao Bai wondered whether Xiao Mo still remembered her. When spring came, Xiao Mo traveled to Qingshan County to take the Child Examination, unsure whether he could ever fulfill the Book of a Hundred Lives' task of becoming an official.

• Xiao Mo studied daily through the winter and accepted meals brought by Wang Ying, telling her that someone was waiting for him on the mountain.
• Xiao Bai urged Xiao Qing to sleep, then knocked her unconscious so she could hibernate while Xiao Bai shed her skin.
• Xiao Bai fell asleep alone beside Xiao Qing, wondering whether Xiao Mo had forgotten her and how he would react when they met again.
• When spring arrived, Xiao Mo said goodbye to the Village Chief and his family, accepted travel money, and left for Qingshan County.
• Xiao Mo took the Child Examination and worried that he might spend his whole life taking exams without becoming an official.

Xiao Mo passed the first two rounds of the Imperial Examination for Children and stayed in Qingshan County to prepare for the third. After Bai Ruxue waited for him on the mountain for twenty-six days, he returned and found her grown into a young woman, but she pretended not to know him.

• Xiao Mo passed the first two examination rounds and decided to remain in Qingshan County for the third.
• Bai Ruxue shed her skin, grew taller, and waited on the mountain path for Xiao Mo to return.
• Bai Ruxue waited for twenty-six days, growing lonely and crying as Xiao Mo failed to appear.
• Xiao Mo returned on the twenty-seventh day after county banquets delayed him and hurried up the mountain to find Bai Ruxue.
• Bai Ruxue recognized Xiao Mo but pouted and told him she was not Bai Ruxue and did not know him.

Xiao Mo reunited with Bai Ruxue, apologized for his long absence with a carved hairpin, and told her he would have less time to visit as he pursued his studies. Bai Ruxue ran off in tears, accusing him of breaking his promise.

• Bai Ruxue pretended not to know Xiao Mo until he offered her a carved Deer God Hairpin, and she eagerly accepted it and forgave him.
• Xiao Mo told Bai Ruxue he had passed the Talented Scholar examination, and she learned his next examination would be in three years.
• Bai Ruxue showed Xiao Mo the Purple Sun Grass and Green Waterfall Flowers she had planted for him.
• Xiao Mo explained that he would travel to seek teachers and could not visit the mountain as often.
• Bai Ruxue cried, called Xiao Mo a liar for breaking his promise to spend time with her, and ran away.

After Xiao Mo told Bai Ruxue he would be leaving to study and would rarely visit She Mountain, Bai Ruxue decided to go with him. She joined him at the flower patch and asked him not to send her away.

• Bai Ruxue ran back to her cave in tears after arguing with Xiao Mo, while Xiao Qing admired her newly acquired human form.
• Xiao Qing learned that Xiao Mo was leaving to study and tried to comfort Bai Ruxue, who decided to follow him down the mountain.
• Bai Ruxue rushed to the flower patch and found Xiao Mo still there, embarrassed about what she had said before.
• Bai Ruxue told Xiao Mo she wanted to go with him, and he agreed after asking whether her family would object.
• Bai Ruxue gave Xiao Mo a silvery-white snake scale and asked him to place it beneath her pillow if he ever wanted her to leave.

Xiao Mo met with Empress Dowager Yan, who proposed that Yan Ruxue enter the palace and become Empress before other consorts were selected. He agreed outwardly and planned to use a secluded palace altar as cover for practicing swordsmanship.

• Wei Xun told Xiao Mo that Empress Dowager Yan had invited him to dine, and Xiao Mo ordered a secluded altar prepared as cover for practicing the Grass Character Sword Art.
• Xiao Mo visited Empress Dowager Yan at Lingxin Palace and praised Yan Shan'ao's ability to govern, despite knowing the court was corrupt.
• Empress Dowager Yan proposed bringing Yan Ruxue into the palace first and making her Empress, with the Myriad Sword Sect's visiting elders attending the enthronement ceremony.
• Xiao Mo agreed to Empress Dowager Yan's plan while hiding his resentment at being controlled by the Yan Clan.

Xiao Mo welcomed Bai Ruxue into his home after she left She Mountain, where her attempt to cook lunch ended with the kitchen catching fire. Meanwhile, Yan Ruxue reunited with Xiao Qing, who urged her to abandon her centuries-long attachment to Xiao Mo, but Yan Ruxue refused.

• Bai Ruxue said goodbye to Xiao Qing and descended She Mountain carrying a chicken and a rabbit to cook for Xiao Mo.
• Xiao Mo met Bai Ruxue on the mountain path, and they walked together into Shiqiao Village as he introduced her as the orphaned daughter of a friend of his late father.
• Xiao Mo settled Bai Ruxue in a cleaned-up hut beside his courtyard, and she went to cook for him.
• Bai Ruxue ran out of the kitchen covered in soot and told Xiao Mo that it was on fire.
• At the Minister of Rites' residence, Yan Ruxue cooked for Xiao Qing, who confronted her about remaining attached to Xiao Mo despite his mortal lifespan and past words.
• Yan Ruxue told Xiao Qing that she could let go of anything except him.

Bai Ruxue learned to cook and care for Xiao Mo while he studied, then left to hibernate and returned transformed into a python spirit. Two years later, she asked Xiao Mo to marry her, and he agreed to marry her if she still wanted it once she understood what romantic love meant.

• After Bai Ruxue's disastrous first attempt at cooking, Xiao Mo made dinner, and Aunt Chen began teaching her to cook; three months later, she finally prepared a meal Xiao Mo praised.
• Bai Ruxue learned to cook, wash clothes, and support Xiao Mo as he studied, traveling with him and helping pay for his books and lessons.
• When Bai Ruxue's skin became covered in scales, she left Xiao Mo a letter claiming her younger sister was sick and went to the mountain to hibernate.
• In spring, Bai Ruxue awoke transformed into a python and returned to Xiao Mo, who was startled by how much her human appearance had changed.
• Two years later, Bai Ruxue asked Xiao Mo when he would marry her, and he said he would if she still wanted to marry him once she understood her feelings.

Xiao Mo and Bai Ruxue traveled to the Jiangnan prefectural capital for the Provincial Examination, where Bai Ruxue explored the city while Xiao Mo prepared. The chapter ended as Xiao Mo entered the examination compound and explained that the snake scale he wore was a protective talisman his wife had given him.

• Xiao Mo and Bai Ruxue said farewell to the Village Chief and Aunt Chen before setting out for the prefectural capital.
• Aunt Chen warned Bai Ruxue to wear a veil and stay beside Xiao Mo in the city.
• After six days, Xiao Mo and Bai Ruxue arrived in Jiangnan, settled at an inn, and toured the busy streets.
• Bai Ruxue tried sugar-coated hawthorn, asked about a brothel, and told Xiao Mo to come to her if he wanted relations between men and women.
• Xiao Mo studied for several days, then reminded Bai Ruxue to stay put during the three-day Provincial Examination and entered the examination compound.
• When a clerk noticed the snake scale on his chest during the search, Xiao Mo called it a protective talisman his wife had given him.

Xiao Mo completed the Provincial Examination, answering the final policy question on curbing the fiefdoms with the Edict of Spreading Grace. During grading, his solution caught the attention of several examiners and chief examiner Zhang Qianzhi, who uncovered Xiao Mo’s name and found him interesting.

• Xiao Mo reviewed the three examination sessions and wrote “Edict of Spreading Grace” as his answer on curbing Qi Kingdom’s fiefdoms.
• After the exam ended, Xiao Mo reunited with Bai Ruxue, and they went home together.
• Yang Zifang and five other officials reviewed Xiao Mo’s paper and agreed that it passed, but they singled out his final answer for further review.
• Yang Zifang brought Xiao Mo’s paper to chief examiner Zhang Qianzhi, who read it and removed its name cover.
• Zhang Qianzhi saw that the candidate was Xiao Mo and remarked that he was interesting.

After returning from the Provincial Examination, Xiao Mo discussed his answer to the question about curbing the feudal princes with the Village Chief. Magistrate Sun arrived with a festive procession to announce that Xiao Mo had placed first in Jiangnan Province, then offered his sixteen-year-old daughter Yue'er’s hand in marriage.

• Xiao Mo explained that he had answered the policy question with the Edict of Spreading Grace.
• Hu Hansan rushed to tell the Village Chief that Magistrate Sun had arrived in Shiqiao Village.
• Magistrate Sun greeted Xiao Mo and revealed that he had placed first in the Provincial Examination.
• Magistrate Sun praised Xiao Mo’s hardships and offered to arrange an engagement between him and Yue'er.

After Bai Ruxue learned that Xiao Mo had become the provincial exam's Jieyuan, she heard that the county magistrate wanted him to marry his daughter and grew anxious. Xiao Mo reassured her that he would not marry the magistrate's daughter, and the chapter ended with Bai Ruxue admitting she did not want him to.

• Bai Ruxue returned to the village and learned that Xiao Mo had passed the provincial exam as Jieyuan.
• Widow Wang told Bai Ruxue that the county magistrate wanted Xiao Mo to marry his daughter.
• Bai Ruxue saw Xiao Mo speaking with the county magistrate and worried that he had accepted the marriage proposal.
• Bai Ruxue's worries distracted her, causing her to ruin dishes and chores throughout the day.
• Xiao Mo asked Bai Ruxue what was troubling her, and she confessed that she did not want him to marry the magistrate's daughter.
• Xiao Mo called Bai Ruxue silly and promised he would not marry her.

Xiao Mo declined Magistrate Sun’s proposal to marry his daughter and learned that Elder Zhang Qianzhi had nominated him as Jieyuan. After Fuchen of the Tian Xuan Sect invited Bai Ruxue to cultivate, Xiao Mo urged her to go, leaving her shaken by his words.

• Xiao Mo visited Magistrate Sun and politely declined the offer to marry his daughter, then learned about Elder Zhang Qianzhi’s support and received advice about visiting him in the capital.
• Bai Ruxue cooked chicken soup while waiting for Xiao Mo and met Fuchen, an elder of the Tian Xuan Sect, who invited her to cultivate because of her talent and immortal fate.
• Bai Ruxue refused Fuchen’s invitation because she wanted to look after Xiao Mo, and Fuchen said he would return in two days.
• After Xiao Mo came home, Bai Ruxue told him about the invitation and said she had refused it.
• Xiao Mo asked Bai Ruxue whether she would go if she did not need to look after him, then told her that she should go to the Tian Xuan Sect.

Xiao Mo urged Bai Ruxue to cultivate at Tian Xuan Sect, but she refused to leave him. After reading her diary and finding her on She Mountain, Xiao Mo reassured her, and she told him she did not want an immortal path without him.

• Bai Ruxue stormed out after Xiao Mo suggested she go to Tian Xuan Sect, and Xiao Mo wondered whether he was holding her back.
• Xiao Mo read Bai Ruxue's diary and remembered her promise to leave if he placed her snake scale under her pillow.
• Bai Ruxue sat on She Mountain, angrily declaring she would not see Xiao Mo for three days before he appeared and caught her as she tried to run away.
• Xiao Mo wiped Bai Ruxue's tears and asked whether she truly refused to go to Tian Xuan Sect if he could not accompany her.
• Bai Ruxue said that becoming an immortal would mean nothing without Xiao Mo and that she would not walk that path without him.

Daoist Fuchen visited again to invite Bai Ruxue to cultivate at Tian Xuan Sect, but Ruxue refused, and Fuchen left her a jade pendant. Fuchen explained the dangers of a snake’s path to becoming a dragon and told Xiao Mo that he was both Ruxue’s good fortune and her fate.

• Fuchen returned to invite Bai Ruxue to Tian Xuan Sect, but Ruxue refused and accepted Fuchen’s jade pendant in case she changed her mind.
• Xiao Mo escorted Fuchen out of the village and told her he knew Ruxue was the white snake he had saved as a child.
• Fuchen confirmed she had noticed Ruxue’s pure demonic energy and exceptional talent, and explained that Ruxue’s fate was her own to choose.
• Fuchen described the perilous stages of a snake becoming a dragon and warned Xiao Mo that Ruxue’s potential could attract cultivators.
• Fuchen realized Xiao Mo feared he would hold Ruxue back and told him to follow his heart, calling him Ruxue’s good fortune and her fate.

Xiao Mo wrestled with whether he should urge Bai Ruxue to return to cultivation, knowing his mortal lifespan was brief. After Bai Ruxue cheered him up beneath the stars, he chose to follow his heart and stay by her side for the hundred years they had together.

• Xiao Mo brooded over Fuchen’s advice and worried that watching him die would harm Bai Ruxue’s Dao Heart.
• Bai Ruxue told Xiao Mo she planned to bring her younger sister, Xiao Qing, down the mountain the next day, then grew concerned about his distracted mood.
• Bai Ruxue spent the day trying to get Xiao Mo’s attention before leading him to the mountain summit to shout away his worries.
• Bai Ruxue shouted that Xiao Mo was her whole world, and Fuchen’s advice returned to Xiao Mo’s thoughts.
• Xiao Mo decided to follow his heart and remain with Bai Ruxue, then shouted that a hundred years was too short.
• Bai Ruxue stood beside Xiao Mo and insisted that a hundred years was a long time.

Bai Qingliu moved in with Bai Ruxue and Xiao Mo, where she learned the household routines and grew comfortable living with them. When Bai Ruxue fell ill and watched Qingliu take over caring for Xiao Mo, she struggled with jealousy until Aunt Chen told her she had fallen for him.

• Bai Ruxue brought her younger sister Bai Qingliu to live with Xiao Mo and warned her to hide their demon identities and treat him well.
• Bai Ruxue showed Qingliu how to shop, cook, clean, and care for Xiao Mo, while Qingliu observed how devoted her sister was to him.
• After spending seventeen days in Shiqiao Village, Qingliu became accustomed to the household and Xiao Mo's kind company.
• Bai Ruxue fell ill after a mishap while absorbing the Essence of the Moon, so Qingliu took over the chores and cared for Xiao Mo.
• Bai Ruxue grew upset watching Xiao Qing cook for, assist, and receive praise from Xiao Mo, then asked Aunt Chen why she felt jealous and empty.
• Aunt Chen told Bai Ruxue that she had fallen for Xiao Mo.

After recovering, Bai Ruxue acted shy around Xiao Mo, who searched for her when she went out alone. As they walked back under the night sky, she finally told him she thought she had fallen for him.

• Bai Ruxue repeatedly sneaked glances at Xiao Mo and blushed when he caught her holding her bellyband.
• Xiao Qing asked Xiao Mo why Bai Ruxue was acting strangely, but he could not explain it.
• Xiao Mo went looking for Bai Ruxue after Xiao Qing said she had gone for a walk, and found her sitting on a rock on She Mountain.
• Xiao Mo and Bai Ruxue walked down the mountain together as she nervously pointed out the fireflies, moon, and stars.
• Bai Ruxue told Xiao Mo, "I think I've fallen for you."

After Bai Ruxue confessed that she loved Xiao Mo, she grew embarrassed and worried about whether he would marry her. Xiao Mo left for Qingshan Town to have something made, telling Xiao Qing that he would return in a couple of days.

• Xiao Qing asked Xiao Mo what had happened with Bai Ruxue, and he assured her that Ruxue was fine.
• Bai Ruxue replayed her confession to Xiao Mo and worried about whether he still intended to marry her.
• Xiao Mo realized Ruxue’s feelings were genuine and decided he should not leave her waiting for an answer.
• The next morning, Bai Ruxue avoided Xiao Mo, then tried to get his attention while he read, but he did not respond.
• Xiao Qing told Bai Ruxue that Xiao Mo had gone to Qingshan Town to have something made and would return in a couple of days.

Xiao Mo returned to Shiqiao Village with a golden ring he had commissioned for Bai Ruxue and proposed to her. Bai Ruxue accepted his promise but asked them to wait until after his Metropolitan Examination next spring to marry.

• Xiao Mo collected the engraved gold ring from Blacksmith Lei and hurried back to Shiqiao Village, saying someone had waited long enough for him.
• Bai Ruxue anxiously waited for Xiao Mo's return, feared he had abandoned her or gone to marry Magistrate Sun's daughter, and began to cry when he appeared.
• Xiao Mo sent Xiao Qing away with a jug of wine and reassured Bai Ruxue that he had not forgotten his promise.
• Xiao Mo gave Bai Ruxue the ring and explained that it was a proposal custom from his hometown.
• Bai Ruxue declined to marry immediately so Xiao Mo could focus on the Metropolitan Examination, and asked him to marry her after he returned next spring.

Xiao Mo prepared a secluded place to cultivate the Grass Character Sword Art, while Yan Ruxue practiced court etiquette ahead of her entry into the palace. The chapter ended with Xiao Chun explaining that Yan Ruxue polished an old golden ring because she was waiting for someone to put it on her.

• Xiao Mo finished memorizing the Grass Character Sword Art and had Wei Xun prepare a secluded plaza near Xianxin Palace for his cultivation.
• Xiao Mo ordered everyone to stay out of the plaza and began practicing the sword art, aiming to start cultivating within two days.
• Huang Shangyi trained Yan Ruxue in court etiquette and found that she had already mastered most of it.
• After Huang Shangyi left the Yan residence, Xiao Chun told her that Yan Ruxue had said she was waiting for someone to put the golden ring on her.

As winter deepened, Bai Ruxue grew unusually sleepy and feared her hibernation would be different this year, while Xiao Mo prepared for the New Year and received an invitation to the capital. The chapter left Xiao Mo facing an early departure to meet Zhang Qianzhi, despite wanting more time with his family, and Magistrate Sun encouraging him to pursue both the Metropolitan Examination and marriage to Ruxue.

• Xiao Qing noticed Bai Ruxue growing increasingly sleepy as the weather turned cold, and Xiao Mo later found her nodding off while she mended his clothes.
• Bai Ruxue worried that her hibernation was coming earlier than usual and tried to stay awake by biting red chili peppers.
• Xiao Mo wrote Spring Festival couplets for the villagers, who brought gifts of food in return.
• Magistrate Sun delivered Zhang Qianzhi's letter asking Xiao Mo to travel to the capital after the New Year and meet him before mid-February.
• Xiao Mo admitted he wanted more time with his family, while Magistrate Sun urged him to accept the invitation and spoke of his plans to marry Bai Ruxue after the Metropolitan Examination.

On New Year’s Eve, Xiao Mo celebrated with Bai Ruxue and Xiao Qing before telling Bai Ruxue he had to leave early for the capital. After Bai Ruxue made him a robe and prepared gifts, Xiao Mo departed under escort, leaving her watching the road after he was gone.

• Xiao Mo and Xiao Qing put up Spring Festival couplets, then Xiao Mo, Bai Ruxue, and Xiao Qing shared their New Year’s Eve feast and played games.
• Xiao Mo told Bai Ruxue he would leave for the capital early to visit Mr. Zhang, and Bai Ruxue encouraged him to pursue his official career.
• Bai Ruxue stayed up all night sewing Xiao Mo a blue robe, and Xiao Mo tried it on the next morning and found it fit perfectly.
• Bai Ruxue spent New Year’s Day preparing for Xiao Mo’s departure and made him promise to eat well, dress warmly, and avoid brothels.
• Xiao Mo left the village by carriage with several constables, while Bai Ruxue watched the road and refused to go back even after he disappeared from sight.

Bai Ruxue refused to hibernate while waiting for Xiao Mo to return, despite growing dangerously exhausted. Fuchen arrived and explained that Bai Ruxue needed to sleep and transform, but warned Xiao Qing that the sleep might last a lifetime and Bai Ruxue might never see Xiao Mo again.

• Bai Ruxue kept watching the path for Xiao Mo and refused to hibernate, while Xiao Qing worried as her sister grew increasingly sleepy.
• Fuchen came to the courtyard and immobilized Xiao Qing briefly when she prepared to attack, then explained that she had come to see Bai Ruxue.
• Xiao Qing told Fuchen that Bai Ruxue was waiting for Xiao Mo and feared she might never wake if she hibernated.
• Fuchen warned that Bai Ruxue's refusal to hibernate could endanger her life and damage her cultivation, then gave Xiao Qing a pill to make her sleep and transform.
• Fuchen cautioned Xiao Qing that Bai Ruxue's sleep might last a lifetime and that she might never see Xiao Mo again.