At the entrance of Stone Bridge Village, Xiao Mo got off the sedan and quickly walked back to the village.

"Oh my, Brother Mo, you’re back! How did the examination go?" Aunt Zhao, who was beating clothes, said joyfully upon seeing Xiao Mo return.

"The examination went fairly well," Xiao Mo replied.

"Brother Mo, did you pass that thing called the imperial examination? I heard that even the worst graduates can become local officials," Aunt Niu didn’t have much concept of what a imperial graduate was, only knowing that passing the imperial examination meant one could become an official.

"I passed, but the imperial appointment won’t come for another two months."

"You really passed? Amazing! Amazing! Our Stone Bridge Village is going to produce a high official!"

"Ruxue was taken away by an immortal to become a fairy, and now you’re becoming a high official too. Our Stone Bridge Village has really become a blessed land!" Aunt Wang said joyfully.

"Aunt Wang, you said Ruxue was taken away by an immortal?" Xiao Mo wondered if he had heard wrong.

"Eh? Didn’t Little Green write a letter to tell you, Brother Mo?"

"She didn’t," Xiao Mo lowered his head, showing a thoughtful expression.

Just as Aunt Wang was about to say more, Granny Qian pulled Aunt Wang’s hand and said to Xiao Mo, "Mo’er, you should go home first. Little Green should be waiting for you at home."

"Alright, Granny Qian, aunts, I’ll go home first," Xiao Mo bowed and walked toward the courtyard.

After Xiao Mo had gone far, Granny Qian scolded Aunt Wang, "You talk too much."

"How is this talking too much?" Aunt Wang’s face showed worry, "A living person disappeared. How could Brother Mo not notice? At least let Brother Mo be mentally prepared."

Aunt Sun stepped forward, "Ruxue becoming an immortal is a good thing, but I heard that immortals and mortals are separated. Even if Brother Mo becomes a high official, I’m afraid the two of them from now on..."

"Sigh," Granny Qian sighed, "There’s no way, no way."

"Fortunately, Miss Bai has a younger sister. I think Little Green is also..."

Granny Qian glared at Aunt Qin, "Don’t speak nonsense about this matter!"

In less than half an incense stick’s time, Xiao Mo returned to the courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, a young girl in a green dress had rolled up her sleeves and was hanging clothes and bedding from the rooms to dry but that white graceful figure was nowhere to be seen.

"Little Green," Xiao Mo called out softly.

Hearing Xiao Mo’s voice, Little Green was startled, then turned around joyfully, "Big Brother Xiao! You’re back..."

"Mm," Xiao Mo nodded, walked into the courtyard and smiled, "Where’s your sister? Did she go shopping for vegetables?"

"Sister, she..." Little Green’s eyes shifted, "There was an immortal who said sister had talent and took her away to cultivate. That immortal said he was Elder Fuchen from the Tianxuan Sect... Sister said Big Brother Xiao, you also know him..."

"That can’t be," Xiao Mo stepped forward, shaking his head, "Your sister, she wouldn’t leave."

Little Green: "..."

"Little Green, just tell me the truth. Did something happen to your sister?" Xiao Mo asked calmly.

The young girl lowered her head, her fingers clenched tightly.

[Miss Little Green need not hide from him, nor need you deceive him. Xiao Mo has long known that Miss Bai and you are of the demon clan.]

Just as Little Green’s eyes were full of hesitation, Fuchen’s words suddenly echoed in her mind.

Taking a deep breath, Little Green lifted her head and looked at Xiao Mo, "Big Brother Xiao, let’s go up the mountain."

Xiao Mo was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "Alright."

After locking the door, the two left the courtyard and walked up the mountain.

"Big Brother Xiao, you know... know that my sister and I get drowsy in winter, right?"

Walking on the mountain path, Little Green nervously looked at Xiao Mo’s profile.

"Mm, I’ve known for a long time... from when your sister was still just a girl."

Little Green lowered her head, "Sure enough, Big Brother Xiao knows that my sister and I are..."

"What you and your sister are doesn’t matter," Xiao Mo shook his head, "In my view, you are my family."

Xiao Mo stopped walking and looked seriously into Little Green’s eyes, "So Little Green, whatever happens, I hope you tell me directly."

Little Green pressed her thin lips tightly together.

Xiao Mo wasn’t in a hurry, just waiting for her answer.

After a long while, Little Green’s lips parted slightly:

"In early November last year, sister started getting drowsy.

Sister’s cultivation level is higher than mine. I wasn’t even drowsy yet, but sister was. This was abnormal.

I kept advising sister to sleep, but sister said she felt this hibernation would be different. She was very worried that if she fell asleep, she wouldn’t wake up again.

So sister kept forcing herself to endure it.

Until a few days after Big Brother Xiao left, a female Daoist came. Her name was Fuchen..."

Little Green told Xiao Mo word by word about everything that had happened during this time.

The two walked step by step up the mountain.

The young girl spoke while he listened quietly.

When Little Green finished her last sentence, the two had already arrived in front of the cave blocked by the giant boulder.

"Sister is sleeping inside," Little Green lowered her head, her eyes full of loneliness and desolation.

"Mm."

Xiao Mo looked at this boulder blocking the cave entrance.

Little Green, watching Big Brother Xiao’s appearance, couldn’t help but feel her heart ache.

Clearly, Big Brother Xiao and sister were separated by less than a few zhang, yet they couldn’t meet.

"Big Brother Xiao, it’s not that sister didn’t wait for you. If Big Brother Xiao wants to blame someone, blame me..." Little Green lifted her head and said.

"I don’t blame you, Little Green. If it were me, I would have done the same," Xiao Mo patted Little Green’s head like comforting a younger sister, "You did the right thing."

"..." Little Green lowered her head, clenched her fists, and tears had already moistened her eyes.

Actually, Xiao Mo knew that over these past few months, Little Green must have been blaming herself, blaming herself for making the decision for her sister and breaking the promise between her sister and him.

"Did Elder Fuchen say when Ruxue would wake up?" Xiao Mo changed the topic and asked.

Little Green shook her head, "Elder Fuchen said it might be thirty or forty years, or it might be..."

"Or it might be my entire lifetime," Xiao Mo completed the sentence.

"..."

"Little Green, could you go pick some blue waterfall flowers and purple sun grass for me?" Xiao Mo asked in a gentle tone.

"Alright, Big Brother Xiao..." Little Green wiped her tears and hurried to find the flowers and grass.

After Little Green left, Xiao Mo sat on the ground like a traveler who had been weary for a long time and had finally returned home.

Looking at the boulder in front of him, Xiao Mo’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift.

"No wonder you, who never ate spicy food, often gnawed on chili peppers and insisted it was because your mouth had no taste."

"No wonder you, who was always afraid of the cold, always washed your face with ice water."

"No wonder during those days, you never let yourself be idle, saying that whenever you were idle, you would get drowsy."

"You fool, why did you put yourself through such suffering?"

The spring breeze brushed across Xiao Mo’s blue shirt.

This garment sewn stitch by stitch by her carried the scent of earth and green grass, as well as the fragrance of blue waterfall flowers.

"Ruxue, you don’t need to wait anymore..."

Xiao Mo reached out his hand and caressed that boulder.

"I’m back."