After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

Xiao Xiao stood by the stream, watching Ao Tianxin's figure disappear into the mist, her eyes still red.

"Brother Lin Chu," she said, her voice muffled, "I miss my sister so much."

Lin Chu reached out and ruffled her hair.

"I want to too." His voice was very soft.

"But don't think too badly about things. Your teacher said everything is going smoothly and you might be out in a few years."

"But you said it could take at least ten years, or at most..."

"That's the worst-case scenario your teacher mentioned." Lin Chu squatted down, looking directly into the small eyes. "Your sister has the essence of a true dragon, so her cultivation is much faster than other demons. What takes decades might only take her a few years. We should think positively."

Xiao Xiao sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand: "Really?"

"Really." Lin Chu nodded seriously. "When has your sister ever disappointed anyone?"

Xiaoxiao bit her lip and thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

"Let's go see Mr. Chen." Lin Chu stood up. "You miss him too, don't you?"

"I want to." Xiao Xiao followed him for a few steps, then suddenly stopped. "Brother Lin Chu, I'm also preparing to go into seclusion."

Lin Chu turned around.

"My teacher gave me a bag of pills and told me to cultivate diligently." The small voice still had a nasal tone, but the tone was much firmer than before.

"She said I have a lot of talent and can't just play around. My sister will need my help in the future, and I want to..." She paused, "I also want to become stronger so that I can protect my sister when she transforms into a dragon."

Lin Chu looked at her.

This little sea turtle, which was just sitting in the corner gnawing on a chicken leg, has grown up quite a bit.

"Okay," he said. "Once you're all out of the pass, I'll take you to the capital. There are lots of delicious things to eat there. Your sister mentioned last time that there's a kind of osmanthus sugar cake that's even sweeter and more glutinous than regular osmanthus cake."

Her small eyes lit up, then she suddenly remembered something: "Right, what about explaining this to Mr. Chen? The villagers will definitely ask, we can't just say my sister is a demon, can we?"

Lin Chu pondered for a moment.

"Just say that she was favored by an immortal and was taken to cultivate immortality."

Xiao Xiao tilted her head and thought for a moment: "This is not a lie. The Dragon Court is also a kind of immortal realm. My sister originally went there to cultivate."

"Um."

When the two returned to the courtyard, Mr. Chen was sitting on the veranda drinking tea.

He saw Lin Chu and Xiao Xiao come in, his gaze lingered on the two of them for a moment, then he picked up his teacup and took a sip as if nothing had happened.

"Where is Cang Yao?"

Lin Chu walked up to him and recited the prepared statement.

Mr. Chen held his teacup and remained silent for a long time.

"Very well." He finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse. "Having a connection with the immortals is always a good thing."

The news spread throughout the village early the next morning.

Aunt Wang was drawing water from the well when she heard Aunt Qin's words, and she almost dropped the bucket into the well.

"What? Yao'er has been taken away by an immortal?"

"Yes, she said she went to cultivate immortality." Aunt Qin sighed. "Such a good girl, she was about to marry Lin, but..."

"What's this?" Aunt Wang put the bucket on the well edge. "The wedding was just around the corner, and now he's gone. Won't Lin be heartbroken?"

"Exactly! These two, one just passed the imperial examination with top honors, and the other has been chosen by an immortal. Could it be that their fate has run its course?"

Several middle-aged women sighed for a long time by the well, and finally Aunt Wang sighed deeply: "They were destined to meet but not to be together."

Aunt Qin also shook her head: "Lin is a good boy, and Yao is a good girl. It's just that fate is sometimes unpredictable."

The next morning, before dawn, the village was already bustling with activity.

Today is the day the top scholar parades through the streets, and everyone in Qinghe Village has put on their best clothes.

Aunt Sun braided the mane of the old horse at home again and again, and hung a big red silk flower around its neck.

The children ran to the village entrance early in the morning, holding up red ribbons they had brought from home, waving them back and forth in the wind.

Lin Chu stood in the courtyard, already dressed in a scarlet scholar's robe.

Embroidered with gold thread, and cinched at the waist with a jade belt, it gleamed with a serene luster in the morning light.

Yue'er (the daughter of Aunt Wang next door, who appeared before) tiptoed and placed the official hat on his head properly.

Xiao Xiao held the hat beside Yue'er, and only slowly withdrew her hand after Yue'er let go.

Yue'er picked up the big red flower from the tray again, carefully pinned it to Lin Chu's chest, took two steps back to look at it, and then nodded vigorously.

"So handsome! Brother Lin Chu is the most handsome."

Her voice was crisp and cheerful, tinged with laughter.

But Lin Chu could see that her eyes were a little red.

This girl has been shipping this couple for so long, and just when she was about to see the finale, the plot took a turn in the direction she least wanted to see.

Normally, she would have been chattering away, asking when Sister Cangyao would be back, when she could attend the wedding, and if she could be a flower girl.

But she didn't ask anything.

From the moment she entered until now, she hasn't mentioned Cang Yao once.

Because last night her mother specifically pulled her into the kitchen and told her that today was her brother Lin Chu's special day, and that she was not allowed to mention sister Cang Yao or upset him.

"Alright." Lin Chu looked down at the red flower on her chest. "Let's go."

The village entrance was already crowded with people.

The old village chief stood at the front, wearing a brand-new indigo robe today, his beard neatly combed.

Mr. Chen, also dressed in new clothes, stood to the side, his face beaming with pride.

Beside him was Magistrate Sun, who had come especially for the occasion. Upon seeing Lin Chu, Magistrate Sun clapped enthusiastically.

The sounds of gongs, drums, and suonas rang out.

Lin Chu mounted his horse, took a deep breath, gripped the reins tightly, and slowly curved the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Yue'er and Xiao Xiao followed beside his horse, one on each side. Both girls were dressed in new clothes, their black hair tied up, and each held a small bamboo basket filled with flower petals.

The long procession started from the village entrance and slowly moved towards the county town along the dirt road in Qinghe Village.

The suona troupe led the way, and the young men performing the dragon dance swung the long dragon with great force.

Firecrackers exploded, scattering red fragments all over the ground, which, along with coins, candies, and peanuts, were thrown to the roadside.

The children, some of whom were only a few years old, swarmed around, vying to pick up the scraps of red paper.

Further behind were Aunt Wang and her group of women, carrying bamboo baskets filled with red dates, peanuts, and longans, which they kept gently tossing at Lin Chu.

Lin Chu looked at this road, which was the same as when she went to take the exam six years ago, yet different.

The road is still the same road—the field ridges on both sides, the old locust trees by the roadside, and the layers of mountains in the distance.

But the weight on my shoulders has changed.

He knew what that scarlet official robe meant.

However, one person was missing from this magnificent procession of red bridal sedan chairs.

"Scholar, give us a smile!" A young woman on the roadside shouted.

Lin Chu snapped out of her daze and smiled slightly in that direction.

Her scarlet robe fluttered in the wind, and the eyes beneath her black gauze hat were bright, but Yue'er quietly leaned closer to Xiao Xiao.

"Xiaoxiao," she lowered her voice, her eyes still fixed on the person on horseback, "when Brother Lin Chu smiles like that, my heart aches even more."

Xiao Xiao didn't say anything, but just gripped the flower petals in the bamboo basket tighter. After a while, she whispered, "Let's scatter the flowers."

The two of them simultaneously reached into the basket and tossed it forward with force. Petals fluttered down, and Lin Chu turned around amidst the rain of blossoms, nodding to them.

He was indeed laughing.

But that smile was as shallow as a thin layer of ice floating on a mountain stream.

The procession continued forward, crossing a stone bridge and passing through a pine forest. As the sun began to set, they finally came into view of the county town.

The city gates were wide open, and the streets were already packed with people.

All the windows facing the street were open, and many people were leaning half their bodies out from the second floor.

"The top scholar is here! The top scholar is here!" Someone shouted first, and the whole street erupted in excitement.

Lin Chu sat on his horse, his back straight, a smile playing on his lips, his gaze sweeping over the crowds on both sides of the street, nodding slightly from time to time.

Before the horse, Yue'er and Xiao Xiao tossed the last half basket of petals into the air. The red and white petals fluttered in the sunset, landing on the bluestone slab, where they were then swept up by the wind and swirled away into the distance.