Winter came and summer went.
Xiao Mo spent another three years in his second "life experience" within the Hundred Generations Book.
For three years, Xiao Mo spent his days herding cattle, gathering medicinal herbs, and listening to the old village head's lectures at the village's thatched schoolhouse.
However, Xiao Mo could only listen to the lessons from outside the private school.
This was actually fine, as it allowed him to watch the cattle at the same time.
Although Xiao Mo was a young boy, the soul within him was truly that of an adult.
Plus, since this world used Chinese characters, Xiao Mo saved a lot of time on literacy and learned quickly.
The village head was astonished, pleasantly surprised to have discovered a promising scholar.
In the village head's view, if Xiao Mo studied diligently, he might truly be able to pass the provincial examinations.
If that happened, it would bring great honor to Shiqiao Village.
However, the village head never praised Xiao Mo to his face, lest he become arrogant and complacent.
Instead, the village head would occasionally lend Xiao Mo a few books from his personal collection in private, telling him that if there was anything he didn't understand, he could come to his courtyard and ask at any time.
Xiao Mo wasn't ungrateful; he would always set aside a portion of the medicinal herbs and mountain fruits he gathered each day for the village head.
And so, when Xiao Mo took a break from gathering herbs on the mountain, he would open a book to read. When he was herding, he would sit on the ox's back and open a book to read.
With nothing else to do at night, if the weather was good, Xiao Mo would read under the moonlight.
As for the little White Snake.
Xiao Mo hadn't seen it at all in the past three years and had no idea where the little White Snake had gone.
「The next spring, all of creation was reborn.」
One morning, Xiao Mo rose early and led Uncle Liu's ox up the mountain.
Just like any other day, Xiao Mo read a book while herding the ox.
"Hey! You, the guy on the ox!"
Just as Xiao Mo was reading his book on the ox's back, a clear and pleasant female voice called out from not far away.
Xiao Mo looked up to see a young girl, around the prime of her youth, standing nearby with her hands on her hips.
The girl wore a white dress that covered her feet, and her long black hair fell just to her slender waist.
Her skin was very fair, seeming to glow faintly in the spring sun. Beneath long eyelashes, the corners of her peach-blossom eyes were slightly upturned, like a cat's tail, as if they held all the beauty of spring.
Below a delicate, upturned nose, her light pink, cherry-like lips curved into a soft, innocent smile.
For such a beautiful girl to suddenly appear on the mountain, with her white dress completely spotless, no less.
Anyone would find it strange, and Xiao Mo was no exception.
However, Xiao Mo had a pretty good idea who she was.
Because a white tail was peeking out from under the hem of her dress.
'I never would have thought.'
'She managed to take human form in just three short years.'
'From what I know, it takes a member of the Demon Race at least twenty years to take human form.'
'No wonder the Hundred Generations Book said she was exceptionally talented.'
'Perhaps that drop of True Dragon Essence Blood she accidentally obtained played a big part in it too.'
Xiao Mo got off the ox, walked forward, and bowed with his hands clasped, pretending he knew nothing. "And you might be, miss?"
"I... I'm..."
The girl thought to herself in panic, her large, limpid eyes darting about.
'I just learned how to take human form today, and I saw him riding the ox, so I came over without a second thought. I completely forgot to prepare what to say!'
"I came up the mountain for a spring outing. Who are you?" the girl asked in return.
"I'm a resident of Shiqiao Village. My name is Xiao Mo. May I ask your name, miss?"
"Me?~" The girl pointed at herself with a pale index finger, her eyes curving into crescents. "My name is Bai Ruxue."
"Bai Ruxue," Xiao Mo repeated the name.
"What's wrong?" The girl clasped her hands behind her back and bent over, looking up at Xiao Mo. "Is my name not nice?"
"It's a nice name," Xiao Mo nodded. "It just reminded me of a little White Snake I once saved. The name I gave her was the same as yours."
"That... That's just a coincidence! I... I'm not a snake, I'm a person! That's right! A person!" Bai Ruxue's eyes darted left and right before she fixed her gaze with determination.
Xiao Mo smiled. "I never said you were a snake, miss."
Bai Ruxue: "..."
"Miss, spring has begun. There are many wild animals on the mountain, and the snakes and insects are out in greater numbers. It would be best for you to head down the mountain soon." Xiao Mo deliberately changed the subject to save her from the awkwardness.
'Three years have passed, and this little White Snake still seems a bit slow.'
"No rush, I'm very familiar with this mountain..." Bai Ruxue waved her hand smugly. "Say, your ox looks really interesting. Can you let me ride it? As payment, I can give you this."
Bai Ruxue took out a small piece of silver.
She had found it on the mountain.
Xiao Mo shook his head. "There's no need for that. If you'd like to ride the ox, miss, just come on up."
"Thanks! You're a pretty nice person."
Bai Ruxue swayed as she walked over to the ox.
Xiao Mo patted the big black ox on the head. With a snort, the ox knelt down.
Just as Bai Ruxue lifted her dress to climb onto the ox...
a fair-skinned snake tail was revealed.
Bai Ruxue's cheeks flushed, and she quickly dropped her dress. "You saw wrong just now! I'm not a snake! I'm a person! Look, these are human feet."
Bai Ruxue lifted her dress slightly again, revealing a pair of small feet in white Cloud Pattern Embroidered Shoes. The faint veins on her snow-white ankles were visible.
"It seems I've been reading too much lately; my eyes are playing tricks on me," Xiao Mo said, playing along with the girl. "Go on and get up, miss."
"Oh, oh, okay..." Bai Ruxue scrambled onto the big black ox, sitting sidesaddle on its back.
Xiao Mo also got on the ox, straddling it in front of Bai Ruxue.
The big black ox stood up, startling Bai Ruxue, who quickly grabbed the corner of Xiao Mo's clothes.
Under the spring sun, the big black ox ambled up the mountain, taking a bite of grass here and a bite there.
Xiao Mo sat on the ox's back, flipping through the classic text in his hands.
"Are you studying?" the girl behind him asked curiously after secretly tucking the silver taels into Xiao Mo's pocket.
"Mhm," Xiao Mo nodded.
"Is studying fun?"
"Not really..."
"Then why do you study?"
"Well... Because I need to pass the examinations to earn a title."
"Why do you need to earn a title?"
"Only by earning a title can one become a court official."
"What's a court official?"
On the ox's back, the girl was like a book of a million questions.
Xiao Mo could no longer read, so he simply closed his book and answered the girl's "million whys."
It wasn't until evening that Xiao Mo finally said, "Miss, I have to go down the mountain now."
"Oh... alright then." A flicker of disappointment crossed the girl's eyes as she hopped off the ox's back. "I'll go home then, too."
"Where do you live, miss? I can walk you."
"No need, no need! I can get back on my own. Goodbye!" The girl waved her hands frantically and trotted toward the woods.
But as the girl ran, beneath her dress, the small feet in their embroidered shoes turned back into a white snake tail.
Xiao Mo smiled.
She didn't say anything.
So he didn't ask.