Chapter Summaries

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.

Xiao Qing secretly gave Bai Ruxue a sleeping pill to force her to hibernate, despite Bai Ruxue’s desperate wish to stay awake until Xiao Mo returned. As Bai Ruxue finally succumbed to sleep, Xiao Qing told her that Brother Xiao was back.

• Daoist Priest Fuchen warned Xiao Qing that Bai Ruxue needed to hibernate soon or risk her life, and Xiao Qing urged her sister to go into hibernation.
• Bai Ruxue refused to sleep because she wanted to wait for Xiao Mo, who mattered more to her than her life.
• Xiao Qing secretly dissolved Fuchen’s pill in water and gave it to Bai Ruxue.
• Bai Ruxue fought the overwhelming drowsiness, insisting that she needed to finish Xiao Mo’s shoes and keep her promise to grow old with him.
• Bai Ruxue fell asleep in Xiao Qing’s arms, and Xiao Qing said that Brother Xiao had returned.

Xiao Qing sheltered Bai Ruxue as she began hibernating, while Fuchen concealed the cave and revealed that Xiao Mo already knew the sisters were demons. A month later, Xiao Mo arrived in the Imperial Capital, where Zhang Qianzhi discussed his political ideas and Official Arts with him; the chapter ended as snow fell over the city.

• Xiao Qing carried Bai Ruxue to She Mountain, where Bai Ruxue transformed into a giant white python and began hibernating.
• Fuchen placed Sky-Shading Banners around the cave, blocked its entrance with a boulder, and told Xiao Qing that Xiao Mo already knew she and Bai Ruxue were demons.
• Fuchen's divination of Bai Ruxue's fate changed, and a new divination incorporating Xiao Mo's Birth Eight Characters left Fuchen injured and lamenting that meeting was worse than not meeting.
• Xiao Qing watched over Bai Ruxue as the year's first snow fell on She Mountain.
• Xiao Mo arrived in the Imperial Capital and visited Zhang Qianzhi, who questioned him about his Edict of Spreading Grace and tested his views on the court.
• Zhang Qianzhi explained Official Arts and gave Xiao Mo maps of Qi Kingdom; as Xiao Mo left with Zhang Shuiqing, snow began falling over the city.

Xiao Mo passed the Metropolitan Examination in first place and impressed the Lord of Qi during the Imperial Examination, leaving him poised to become Zhuangyuan. Back in Qingshan County, Magistrate Sun learned of Xiao Mo’s achievement, but discovered he had returned to his village and was unlikely to come to town soon.

• Xiao Mo completed the three-day Metropolitan Examination and felt confident he had passed.
• Xiao Mo placed first in the spring examination results and escaped the crowds seeking to recruit promising husbands.
• Zhang Shuiqing protected Xiao Mo from powerful families at his inn, and he accepted that his connection to Zhang Qianzhi would be known.
• Xiao Mo drew the last audience slot in the Imperial Examination, impressed the Lord of Qi, and won the ministers’ apparent agreement to his becoming Zhuangyuan.
• Magistrate Sun learned that Xiao Mo had taken first place in all three examinations, then heard that Xiao Mo had returned to his village and would not visit the county seat soon.

Xiao Mo returned to Shiqiao Village after passing the Metropolitan Examination and learned that Bai Ruxue had been taken away by an Immortal. Xiao Qing told him the truth: Ruxue was asleep inside a mountain cave, and Xiao Mo sat beside its sealed entrance, telling her he was back.

• Xiao Mo returned to Shiqiao Village and learned from the villagers that Bai Ruxue had been taken away by an Immortal.
• Xiao Qing told Xiao Mo that an Immortal named Elder Fuchen had taken Ruxue away to cultivate, but Xiao Mo insisted she would not leave him.
• Xiao Qing led Xiao Mo to the mountain cave and explained that Ruxue had fallen into a deep sleep that might last decades or the rest of her life.
• Xiao Mo reassured Xiao Qing that he did not blame her for what had happened and asked her to gather Green Waterfall Flowers and Purple Sun Grass.
• After Xiao Qing left, Xiao Mo sat by the boulder sealing the cave and told Ruxue she no longer had to wait because he had returned.

After Bai Ruxue left to cultivate, Xiao Mo rose through government service, governing Jianshui and Xueyang with skill and saving the commandery from a plague. He remained unmarried, and the chapter ended with him telling his maids he was waiting for a foolish girl to wake up.

• Xiao Mo agreed to the top scholar's parade, then left Stonebridge Village for his appointment as magistrate of Jianshui County while Xiao Qing stayed behind to cultivate and wait for Bai Ruxue.
• Xiao Mo investigated Jianshui County's affairs, curbed local corruption, and governed it for nearly four years before being promoted to deputy commandery administrator of Xueyang Commandery.
• When a deadly plague swept Xueyang, Xiao Mo imposed quarantine and sanitation measures, helped find effective treatment, and stayed among the patients until the outbreak ended.
• Xiao Mo became governor of Xueyang Commandery and governed it successfully, while stories spread that he had remained unmarried to wait for his childhood sweetheart.
• When Caidei and Wangyue asked why he had not taken a wife, Xiao Mo said he was waiting for a foolish girl to wake up.

After unlocking a higher time ratio in the Book of a Hundred Lives, Xiao Mo continued cultivating and learned that Elder Huang of the Myriad Sword Sect would soon visit. He met Yan Ruxue while retrieving her kite, and she recognized him as His Majesty, leaving Xiao Chun startled and revealing that she thought Xiao Mo looked best in blue robes.

• Xiao Mo learned he could increase the Book of a Hundred Lives' time ratio to 1000:1, then practiced his swordsmanship.
• Wei Xun told Xiao Mo that Elder Huang of the Myriad Sword Sect was expected to arrive in about ten days, and Xiao Mo asked him to find out what Elder Huang was like.
• Empress Dowager Yan welcomed Yan Ruxue and sent her to retrieve a kite that had drifted toward Leisure Palace, hoping she might encounter Xiao Mo.
• Xiao Mo met Yan Ruxue and her maid Xiao Chun in a garden, climbed a tree to retrieve their kite, and handed it back to them.
• Yan Ruxue told Xiao Chun that the Daoist Priest was Xiao Mo, then said she knew him well and thought he looked best in blue robes.

After earning renown for improving agriculture, Xiao Mo rose to Minister of Works and backed reforms that failed after the Ruler of Qi died. He left the Imperial Capital for Beihai Prefecture and returned to Shiqiao Village, where he stood before the graves of the old Village Chief and Aunt Chen.

• Xiao Mo improved farming in Xueyang Prefecture, wrote the Book of Northern and Southern Agriculture, and earned praise after its methods brought a bountiful harvest.
• The Ruler of Qi recalled Xiao Mo to the Imperial Capital and offered to arrange a marriage, but he refused because someone else remained in his heart.
• Xiao Mo rose to Minister of Works and joined Zhang Qianzhi and Fang Ling in carrying out government reforms.
• After the Ruler of Qi died, the new ruler yielded to the Aristocratic Clans, the reforms failed, and Xiao Mo requested a transfer to Beihai Prefecture.
• Xiao Mo returned to Shiqiao Village and stood before the graves of Wang Can and Chen Hong.

Xiao Mo visited the graves of Village Chief and Aunt Chen, then went to the cave where Bai Ruxue had been sealed and told her he was leaving to govern Beihai Prefecture. Xiao Qing urged him to stop waiting, but Xiao Mo insisted that it was now his turn to wait for Bai Ruxue.

• Wang Ying relayed Village Chief's advice that Xiao Mo should protect himself and Aunt Chen's wish that he find a wife and build a family.
• Xiao Mo left Wang Ying and her daughter and climbed She Mountain to visit the cave where Bai Ruxue remained sealed.
• Xiao Mo told Bai Ruxue that his reforms had failed and that he would soon become governor of Beihai Prefecture.
• Xiao Qing told Xiao Mo about the years of changes in Shiqiao Village and urged him to let Bai Ruxue go.
• Xiao Mo said that because Bai Ruxue had once waited for him, he would now wait for her.

Xiao Mo served Qi Kingdom through floods and political reforms while waiting for Ruxue to return. As he prepared to retire, he sensed that the white serpent had awakened and become a woman.

• Xiao Mo visited his dying teacher, Old Mr. Zhang, who urged him to serve the people and remain true to himself before passing away.
• Xiao Mo managed a devastating flood in Beihai Prefecture, then surveyed its rivers and improved irrigation and flood control.
• Xiao Mo mourned the deaths of Fang Ling and Magistrate Sun, then returned to the capital and became Prime Minister to launch reforms.
• Xiao Mo's reforms took effect and transformed Qi Kingdom, and he later secured permission to retire while retaining his title as Prime Minister.
• As Xiao Mo prepared to leave the capital, he sensed Ruxue awakening in a mountain cave, where the white serpent had become a woman.

After Bai Ruxue woke from her long slumber, she had lost her memories and struggled with the damage to her soul. Fuchen stabilized her and gave Xiao Qing the choice to restore Bai Ruxue’s memories, warning that remembering could bring pain because Xiao Mo had little time left to live.

• Xiao Qing sensed a disturbance in Bai Ruxue’s cave, and She Mountain shook as Bai Ruxue emerged from her slumber.
• Xiao Qing joyfully greeted Bai Ruxue, but Bai Ruxue did not recognize her or remember her own identity.
• Bai Ruxue’s attempts to recall her past worsened her headache and unsettled her Dao Heart, so Fuchen arrived and gave her a Calming Pill.
• Fuchen explained that Bai Ruxue had awakened early because her desire to wake had damaged her soul and caused her memory loss.
• Fuchen gave Xiao Qing a Soul Memory Pill and said she could use it after half a month, but warned that Xiao Mo had at most two years to live and that forgetting might be better than remembering.