We said we would experience life, fairy, how did you become real?

Bai Ruxue lowered her head and pursed her thin lips, seemingly still wanting to go with Xiaoqing.

However, Bai Ruxue also knew that now was not the time to act on her emotions.

In the end, Bai Ruxue could only nod.

That night, Bai Ruxue wrote a letter and gave it to Xiaoqing to take to the capital.

The next morning, Bai Ruxue told her younger sister to "have a safe journey and be careful in everything" before watching Xiaoqing fly away into the distance.

Only after Xiaoqing disappeared from her sight did Bai Ruxue nervously look away.

It was the third day after Xiaoqing flew to the capital.

Outside Qingshan County.

Qin Xiao, the magistrate of Qingshan County, stood at the city gate with his entire government staff and the local gentry and wealthy landowners of Qingshan County.

Everyone gazed into the distance, awaiting the arrival of that important person.

"They're here! They're here!" Just as everyone had been standing outside the city for two hours, a servant came running over, stumbling and crawling. "Sir, the Prime Minister's carriages have arrived!"

"Very good, very good!" Magistrate Qin said three times. "Gentlemen, please be alert and prepare to welcome the Prime Minister back to his hometown!"

Every now and then, a horse-drawn carriage would appear in everyone's sight, driven by a coachman.

Although the carriage was unremarkable, the horse pulling it was a fine Akhal-Teke steed, a gift bestowed upon Prime Minister Xiao by His Majesty.

Among officials today, only Prime Minister Xiao can afford to use such a fine horse to pull his carriage.

"Light the firecrackers! Play the music!"

"Clang!"

"Clap clap clap!"

With a command from Magistrate Qin.

The sounds of firecrackers, suona horns, and gongs and drums rang out simultaneously.

The Ferghana horse didn't disturb them; it simply snorted and walked steadily toward the city gate.

As the last firecracker went off, Magistrate Qin and all the prominent figures in Qingshan City hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Qingshan City respectfully welcomes Prime Minister Xiao back to his hometown!"

The carriage curtain opened, and an elderly man with a full head of white hair slowly stepped down from the carriage.

There were no maids.

There were no attendants.

They heard that before leaving the capital, the old man gave his maids and servants a large sum of money as severance pay and did not take anyone with him.

Forty-eight years ago, when the young man went to the capital to take the imperial examination, he was alone.

Forty-eight years later, the old man, now famous throughout the world, returned to his hometown in glory, still alone.

But in these forty-eight years, this old man did countless good deeds that benefited future generations.

Whenever they thought of this, they felt that they were not just facing an ordinary prime minister, but a saint who would be remembered for all time.

"It's a sin that this old fellow has returned and everyone has come to greet him."

The old man stepped forward and bowed to the crowd.

Although the old man was nearly seventy years old, he still stood tall and straight, especially his eyes, which were both gentle and dignified, as if he could see right through you with just one glance.

No one else dared to accept such a gesture, and they all stepped aside, making way for each other.

"Your Excellency, please don't say that. I am truly terrified." Magistrate Qin quickly stepped forward and helped the old man up like a servant.

However, Magistrate Qin did not feel humble at all; on the contrary, he felt that it was his greatest honor to be able to help such an old gentleman.

"Your Excellency, you must be tired from your journey. We have arranged food and lodging for you. Please get some rest."

"I'm sorry to trouble you, Lord Qin." The old man smiled. "But this old fellow won't bother Magistrate Qin any further. This is my household registration document. I'll trouble you to go through the formalities."

When officials of the State of Qi retired and returned to their hometowns, they all had a household registration certificate that needed to be submitted to the local county seat. After receiving it, the county magistrate would report to the Emperor, indicating that the person had returned home safely and been properly settled.

"No trouble at all." Magistrate Qin quickly accepted the gift with both hands and tucked it into his bosom. "But are you really not coming into the city, sir? The people in the city are all eagerly awaiting your return home."

"Enough, enough, why should this old man trouble the people to welcome me?"

The old man smiled and shook his head, looking in the direction of a village.

“I appreciate the people’s good intentions, but this old man has been away for a long time and it’s time for me to go home.”

Chapter 64 An elderly man with white hair came into the woman's view.

Shiqiao Village.

During the three days her sister was gone, every morning when Bai Ruxue woke up, she would sit on the stone bench in the courtyard, just like forty-eight years ago, looking at the path outside the courtyard.

In Bai Ruxue's mind, it seemed as if everything had happened yesterday.

Neither Bai Ruxue nor Xiaoqing slept the night before Xiaoqing left.

Xiaoqing told her older sister many, many things.

Bai Ruxue knew that she had fallen into a deep sleep only after Xiaoqing fed her that pill.

She also knew that Master Fuchen had given Xiaoqing a Soul-Remembering Pill, which could help her regain her memories.

However, Xiaoqing hesitated and did not eat it for herself immediately.

Bai Ruxue didn't blame her younger sister.

In Bai Ruxue's view, Xiaoqing, who was caught in the middle, was the one who had the hardest time, as she bore all the responsibility and guilt alone.

Sometimes, the person making the choice suffers more than the person being chosen.

From Xiao Qing's words, Bai Ruxue also learned that Xiao Mo had actually known for a long time that she and her sister were demons, but Xiao Mo had been pretending not to know.

For the past forty-eight years, Xiao Mo would come to visit him in front of the cave every now and then.

Bai Ruxue heard from her younger sister that Xiao Mo was still unmarried.

Even just listening to Xiaoqing's story, Bai Ruxue could imagine how Xiao Mo had been all alone all these years, and her heart ached.

That afternoon, just as Bai Ruxue's thoughts were drifting away...

She sensed some movement coming from the woods outside the courtyard.

Turning her head, Bai Ruxue saw the two little girls and two little boys secretly watching her.

Bai Ruxue stood up, went into the kitchen, and brought out the pastries.

These pastries were made by Bai Ruxue yesterday for the four "sneaky" children.

The day before yesterday morning, Bai Ruxue noticed that these children were secretly watching her.

So yesterday she went to the next village to buy some ingredients and made these osmanthus cakes.

Thinking that if they came again today, she would treat them to pastries and ask them why they were spying on her.

Bai Ruxue looked at them and softly asked, "Would you like some osmanthus cake?"

The four children were startled. They looked at each other and then awkwardly walked out of the grove.

"You must have been the one who exposed it!"

"I don't!"

"It must be Huihui, Huihui just farted."

"You're the one talking nonsense!" the girl retorted, blushing.

The four children bickered with each other as they walked into the yard.

"Come and have something to eat," Bai Ruxue said with a gentle smile.

Looking at the pretty older sister and then at the osmanthus cake on the table, the four children shyly walked into the courtyard.

At first, the four children were a little reserved, but their eyes lit up the moment they took their first bite of osmanthus cake.

"Eat slowly, don't choke." Bai Ruxue poured a bowl of water for the four children.

"Big sister, your pastries are so delicious," said the little boy named Qi Ming, looking up at the table.

"Thank you." Bai Ruxue smiled. "But why are you all staring at me?"

"Um," the little boy named Qi Ming scratched his head a little embarrassedly, "Huihui said there's a very pretty older sister in the village, like a fairy, so we came here."

"Then we noticed that you often sit in the yard looking outside, big sister. Lily said that you must have encountered something sad, and Huihui said that you are a fairy and are meditating," said the little boy named Hu Hui.

"In the end, we made a bet: whoever guessed correctly would treat us to candy," Lily replied.

"But we're too embarrassed to come and ask you, big sister," Huihui said, blushing.

"Big sister, why are you sitting in the yard the whole time?" Qi Ming asked.

"I'm waiting for someone," Bai Ruxue said with a gentle smile.

"Waiting for someone?" The seven-year-old girl seemed to understand but not quite. "But big sister, you've been waiting for three days already. Is he not coming?"

Bai Ruxue stroked the little girl's hair: "He will come. Even if he doesn't, big sister will keep waiting."

"Big sister, you're so stubborn," Hu Hui said.

Bai Ruxue smiled and said, "Sister, this isn't stubbornness. The truly stubborn person waited for forty-eight years."

"Wow! Forty-eight years!" the children exclaimed in unison.

"Sister, why has this person been waiting for so long?"

"This is a very, very long story. Would you like to hear it?"

"We want to hear it, we want to hear it."

Once upon a time, there was a scholar who, one day, went up a mountain and rescued a little white snake.

As evening approached, Xiao Mo entered Shiqiao Village and walked step by step toward his own courtyard.

Because Xiao Mo hadn't returned to the village for a long time, and even when he did, he would only visit the village chief, Aunt Chen, and spend most of his time in Sheshan.

In addition, Xiao Mo is currently wearing a tattered blue robe.

Therefore, no one recognized Xiao Mo as the famous Prime Minister Xiao.

The villagers glanced at Xiao Mo, wondering who this unfamiliar old man was and why they had never seen him before.

"Let me tell you, in the former residence of our Prime Minister Xiao, there lived a fairy dressed in white, who was incredibly beautiful!"

"They're living in Prime Minister Xiao's former residence? Should we kick them out?"

"I don't think so. That fairy in white was brought back by the fairy in green. She should be a friend of the fairy in green. And the fairy in green is rumored to be a good friend of Prime Minister Xiao. She cleans the courtyard for Prime Minister Xiao every now and then."

"Eh? I heard a rumor that Prime Minister Xiao had a childhood sweetheart who eventually joined the immortal sect. Could it be this fairy?"

"I've heard this rumor too. It's said that Prime Minister Xiao hasn't married because he's waiting for her."

"Don't talk nonsense. Those are just stories from novels. That fairy in the white dress must be a fellow disciple of the fairy in green. She's just staying for a few nights. Don't gossip."

As Xiao Mo passed by the village pond, he overheard several women washing clothes chatting.

Xiao Mo paused slightly, stepped forward, and bowed to the women: "Ladies, could you tell me about the woman in the white dress?"

Goodbye, fairy sister.

"Fairy sister, thank you for treating us to osmanthus cake."

"Tomorrow I'll bring you some cured meat from my family, Fairy Sister."

As the sun was about to set, the children waved goodbye to the fairy sister.

"Be careful on the road."

Bai Ruxue stood at the courtyard gate, smiling as she watched them leave.

After they had gone far away, Bai Ruxue turned around and walked back into the courtyard.

But just as Bai Ruxue took two steps...

Suddenly, the woman stopped.

Bai Ruxue's heartbeat quickened, her fingers gripped her sleeves tightly, and her eyes darted around.

Turning around, a white-haired old man came into the woman's view.