After obtaining the dragon scale soft armor, Xiao Mo spent half a year completely refining it.

Just as Ruxue had said, once he refined it, he could see what the dragon scale soft armor looked like but others still couldn't see it.

Fighting others this way could create false information for his opponents.

Another year and a half passed.

When Xiao Mo turned fifteen, he had already opened three cave mansions.

Bai Ruxue used a Water Dragon Pearl, Vast Sea Wood Sword, and the dragon scale soft armor to guard the three cave mansions within Xiao Mo's body respectively.

During these years, the relationship between the human and demon races seemed to have calmed considerably.

At least there wasn't that sword-drawn, arrow-nocked atmosphere but the North Sea's vigilance hadn't lessened at all.

Xiao Mo wasn't sure if the relationship between humans and demons had truly improved, or if they were merely maintaining surface tranquility.

Xiao Mo leaned toward the latter but all of this seemed unrelated to Great Chu's remote little fishing village.

Bai Ruxue often brought Xiao Mo to hunt magical beasts in the North Sea, frequently taking him to the North Sea Dragon Palace where the seven Dragon Kings took turns serving as his sparring partners.

Though the seven Dragon Kings didn't have a good impression of the human race, without Bai Ruxue restraining them, given their hatred of humans, they would have long since defected to the demon world, they grew increasingly fond of this human youth.

Once, a female flood dragon named "June" had a sudden idea after training with Xiao Mo, letting him ride on her back as she took him for a joyride but before long, Bai Ruxue discovered this.

Bai Ruxue stood before June with a very gloomy expression, her eyes cold as springs from the nine netherworlds.

June was startled and quickly transformed into human form, pleading for forgiveness from her sovereign, though she didn't know what she had done wrong.

After that, June rarely got turns to train with Xiao Mo.

Even when June did occasionally spar with Xiao Mo, Bai Ruxue would stand nearby, watching constantly.

June wasn't sure if it was her imagination.

She always felt like their sovereign seemed to be guarding her food.

Bai Ruxue and Xiao Mo traveled through heavy clouds.

Wandering from island to island.

Treasure hunting in various places throughout the North Sea.

For Bai Ruxue, such days felt like a dream but Xiao Mo never forgot one thing, helping Ruxue transform into a dragon.

This wasn't just for himself, but for Ruxue as well.

In this world, the Immortal realm was sufficient, yet also insufficient.

Only by reaching the Ascension realm could one truly stand above the world, with everyone needing to consider your mood, only then could it be considered truly safe.

As time passed, Xiao Mo's cultivation grew higher, and naturally his height as well.

Every year, the marks on the wooden door would rise another notch.

Unknowingly, the little boy who had once only reached Bai Ruxue's thigh had grown into a youth five feet three inches tall.

Xiao Mo's appearance was also becoming increasingly similar to his previous life, practically no difference at all.

Xiao Mo also noticed that Ruxue would sometimes stare at him in a daze, her peach blossom eyes seeming to reminisce about something but Xiao Mo pretended not to know anything.

In the thirtieth year of Yongning in Great Chu, mid-July evening.

In the sea area three hundred li north of Huan Fishing Village, a man five feet five inches tall stood on the ocean surface.

Before him, a twenty-zhang-long two-headed sea-covering serpent opened its bloody maw, hissing at him.

The man remained motionless, quietly watching the sea serpent.

In his hand, he gripped a wooden sword.

"Hiss!!!"

The sea serpent roared and lunged at him.

Behind the man, dark spiritual energy gradually condensed into a dark dragon.

"Roar!"

The dark dragon bit down on the two-headed sea serpent's body.

The next moment, the man stepped forward. Dark sword light flashed, and two snake heads rolled onto the sea surface. The body sank to the ocean floor as countless fish and sea beasts swarmed toward the corpse, greedily devouring the two-headed serpent's flesh and blood.

"It seems the early Dragon Gate realm has truly reached its limit."

The man sheathed his sword and couldn't help but sigh.

Indeed, just as he had thought, walking the Confucian path of sagehood, no matter how many resources Ruxue provided, he ultimately needed to seek learning, or it would be difficult to break through.

He'd heard that White Deer Academy was recruiting students in the North Sea Prefecture's capital. Perhaps he should try.

"Xiao Mo!"

Just as Xiao Mo was lost in thought, a pleasant voice called out.

Xiao Mo turned around to see a woman in a white dress waving her snow-white lotus arms at him, “Xiao Mo, it's getting late. Time to go home for dinner."

"Coming."

Xiao Mo responded and flew toward the woman. Together they flew back to the fishing village.

Returning to the courtyard, Bai Ruxue brought out plate after plate of dishes.

There was osmanthus chicken, tiger-skin pork elbow, braised shrimp, garlic lobster, jade abalone porridge, and more.

"Sister Bai, what's the occasion today for such a feast?" Xiao Mo asked with a smile.

"What do you think?" Bai Ruxue gave Xiao Mo a coquettish glance. "Today is your eighteenth birthday. After today, Xiao Mo, you'll be an adult."

"..."

Hearing Ruxue's words, Xiao Mo was stunned.

Had this second life really passed so many years already?

"Little Green will come later too, but before she arrives, Sister will give you your gift first." Bai Ruxue handed Xiao Mo a box. "Open it and see."

Xiao Mo opened the box to find a Confucian blue robe inside.

"This robe was made by Sister's own hands. Try it on quickly to see if it fits." Bai Ruxue looked expectant.

"Alright, I'll try it."

Xiao Mo went into the room and changed into the blue robe.

Moments later, when Bai Ruxue saw Xiao Mo walking toward her in the blue robe, her eyes couldn't help but freeze.

"Sister Bai, what's wrong?" Xiao Mo walked up to Bai Ruxue.

"Nothing." After a long while, the woman finally reacted, shaking her head and reaching out to adjust his collar, her voice full of tenderness, “It fits quite well."

Xiao Mo smiled, “Something made by Sister Bai would naturally fit."

"That... Xiao Mo."

"Mm?"

Bai Ruxue looked up at the man before her, “Starting today, you've grown into an adult. Sister has a request, will you agree to it?"

"Just tell me, Sister Bai." Xiao Mo nodded.

"Now that you're no longer small, Sister won't call you Xiao Mo anymore. And don't call me Sister anymore either, okay?"

"Then what should I call Sister Bai?" Xiao Mo asked.

"Ruxue..." Bai Ruxue gazed at the man before her. "From now on, we'll address each other by name. I'll call you Xiao Mo, and you'll call me Ruxue."

"This..."

"What's wrong? Is... is it not okay?" Bai Ruxue's expression showed some panic.

"It's not that it's impossible." Xiao Mo agreed.

Bai Ruxue clenched her small hands tightly, “Then... then call out and let me hear."

Xiao Mo looked directly into the woman's eyes, “Ruxue..."

Hearing Xiao Mo say her name, Bai Ruxue's heart trembled slightly. She held her small hands to her chest as her heartbeat involuntarily quickened.

"Could you call it once more..."

"Of course, but I'm reminded of a passage I read in a story book."

Xiao Mo smiled, taking Bai Ruxue's hand and seating her on the stone bench, then walking out of the courtyard himself.

Bai Ruxue blinked, not knowing what Xiao Mo was going to do.

She only saw him walk farther and farther away until he disappeared at the end of the small path.

Just as Bai Ruxue was about to stand and look for Xiao Mo,

She saw him in his blue robe appear again on the small path, walking step by step toward the courtyard.

The setting sun fell, and red evening clouds dyed the horizon, falling on the ground as if dressing everything in the world in red, more like a brush dipped in vermillion, outlining faint contours on the man's body.

Bai Ruxue's mind was in a daze, as if she wasn't in the fishing village.

But rather in that small courtyard in Stone Bridge Village three thousand years ago.

He had returned from his studies as usual...

"Ruxue." Xiao Mo stood outside the courtyard gate, softly calling to the woman who had waited an unknown length of time in the courtyard, “I'm home."

Bai Ruxue sat on the stone bench in the courtyard, gripping her skirt tightly, her wavering eyes seeming covered with a layer of misty vapor.

For a very long time, the woman stood up and smiled with curved eyes. The red clouds filling the sky seemed to lose all their color:

"You're back."