After the three of Xiao Mo finished their assessments, they went to celebrate at a tavern in town together, and only returned to White Deer Academy the next day.
When they came to the academy for the examination, because the journey was also part of the assessment, the three couldn't fly and could only ride horses and drive carriages but now that the examination was over, the three of Xiao Mo could completely fly back to White Deer Academy.
With their three realms, it wouldn't even take two days total.
However, Senior Brother Luo and Senior Sister Shang didn't want to return to the academy so quickly.
They planned to take a different route back, still riding horses and driving carriages, experiencing different local customs and cultures.
Although Xiao Mo wanted to return quickly to see Ruxue, he couldn't disturb Senior Brother Luo and Senior Sister Shang's interest.
After all, scholars of White Deer Academy couldn't often descend from the mountain, and each descent had certain restrictions.
Xiao Mo suggested going back alone, but was constantly persuaded to stay by his senior brother and sister, finally deciding to go along with them.
It wasn't worth missing these few days anyway.
Even that rabbit spirit that Senior Brother Luo had once spared secretly brought carrots to Senior Brother Luo.
Although Senior Brother Luo's face was cold as ice and he paid no attention to this rabbit, when everyone was asleep, Senior Brother secretly washed the carrots and ate them all.
"What is the fundamental reason for war between humans and demons?"
"Can humans and demons truly not coexist?"
Xiao Mo had been pondering these two questions recently.
Finally, Xiao Mo reached the conclusion: "hatred."
Legend had it that during the ancient chaotic period, humans and demons had once joined forces, together creating new heavens and earth but later, humans and demons went their separate ways, with continuous friction afterward, eventually erupting into the first great war between humans and demons.
In that great war, humans and demons suffered heavy casualties, with nearly half of both races in the world perishing.
After the first human-demon war, the conflicts between both sides became almost impossible to mediate, becoming nearly a blood feud.
Not to mention that demons absorbing human essence and devouring human flesh was more beneficial for cultivation. More and more demons took this shortcut, naturally causing humans to hate demons even more.
Demons ate humans, and humans continuously exterminated demons.
Thus, the friction between humans and demons became increasingly severe, and their hatred grew deeper.
Humans and demons sitting down for a proper talk?
Only "fighting" remained.
Fighting until heaven and earth turned dark.
Fighting until every person and every demon grew weary.
Fighting until both sides had to reconsider "the meaning of war."
Perhaps only then could brief peace arrive.
One night, the three stayed overnight in a mountain cave.
Senior Sister Shang fell asleep, leaning against Xiao Mo's shoulder. Xiao Mo gently laid her down on the piled straw.
"Junior Brother, with your temperament, I truly can't imagine what you'll be like when the great war between humans and demons begins and you go to the battlefield."
Luo Yang looked at Xiao Mo and said with a smile.
It wasn't that Luo Yang never smiled, but he rarely smiled, and when he did, his lips only curved slightly upward.
If you didn't spend much time with him, you wouldn't even notice he was smiling.
"If I must go, then I can only go," Xiao Mo said after covering Shang Jiuli with a piece of clothing and sitting by the campfire with his senior brother. "In such a great war between two worlds, who can be spared?"
"Indeed..." Luo Yang looked at the campfire before him. "Who can be spared?"
Both Luo Yang and Xiao Mo fell into silence but neither felt awkward.
Both were thinking about their own concerns.
"Junior Brother." After a long while, Luo Yang called to Xiao Mo.
"Hmm?" Xiao Mo looked up at Senior Brother Luo, the flickering firelight reflecting his resolute face.
"You and Junior Sister, don't die."
Luo Yang used a stick to stir the flames, the campfire making crackling sounds that echoed leisurely in the cave.
After a long time, Xiao Mo nodded, "Senior Brother, don't die either."
In the cave, Shang Jiuli, lying on the grass pile, wrapped the clothing covering her tighter and felt quite speechless in her heart.
She thought these two grown men would chat about something interesting.
Instead, they were talking about life and death.
"These two men are really boring," Shang Jiuli thought to herself with a slight smile at the corner of her mouth.
Forget it, forget it, time to sleep.
Shang Jiuli gradually fell asleep.
Although they were boring, having these two stand watch allowed her to sleep peacefully.
Early the next morning, the three continued their journey.
After spending half a month total, the three of Xiao Mo finally returned to the academy.
From leaving White Deer Academy to returning, they had spent seventy days in total.
"I'll go report to Teacher about this mountain descent. You're tired from the journey, rest well."
Luo Yang cupped his hands in farewell to the two of Xiao Mo.
"Thank you for the trouble, Senior Brother." Xiao Mo bowed in return and saw Luo Yang off.
"Yawn, I'm going to sleep first too," Shang Jiuli yawned and placed her delicate hand on Xiao Mo's shoulder. "Junior Brother, want to sleep with Senior Sister?"
Xiao Mo dodged aside one step and bowed, "That won't be necessary. Take care, Senior Sister."
Shang Jiuli pouted and walked up the mountain.
However, Shang Jiuli didn't immediately return to her own courtyard, but went to see her grandfather first.
The Academy Lord had asked her to personally deliver a letter to her grandfather, which she needed to pass along.
Shang Jiuli came to the outside of her grandfather's courtyard. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ nοvelfire.net
As usual, her grandfather was still drinking tea and reading.
"Grandfather, a letter from the Lord for you."
Shang Jiuli entered the courtyard, placed the letter on the table, then sat on a stone stool and skillfully took a teacup to pour herself some tea.
"Mm." Shang Qi put away the letter.
"By the way, Grandfather, why did you set up a sound-blocking formation in the courtyard?" Shang Jiuli asked curiously.
Shang Qi waved his hand and removed the sound-blocking formation covering the courtyard.
"When you all left, that Demon Empress of the North Sea made quite a commotion on a barren mountain north of White Deer Academy. Every day it was rumbling, like smashing open mountains. I had to set up a formation."
"What was Miss Bai doing on that barren mountain?" Shang Jiuli wondered.
"Who knows..." Shang Qi brushed away fallen leaves that had landed on his book. "She said she was making a gift for Xiao Mo."
Xiao Mo returned to his courtyard to find Ruxue wasn't home but Xiao Mo didn't mind, Ruxue might have gone to the town below the mountain to buy some things.
Xiao Mo put his luggage back in the room, then took out some pastries, candied hawthorns, and that Scholarly Fortune Orb he had bought along the way, planning to give them all to Ruxue to eat.
However, just as Xiao Mo had laid out these treats, he saw a woman covered in dust walking toward him.
Xiao Mo was stunned for a moment before recognizing her after some time, "Ruxue?"