Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Jiang Xiaochuan has been feeling unlucky lately.

I got up this morning and put on my shoes, but the shoelaces inexplicably broke. I went to the kitchen to get a steamed bun, but it slipped from my hand, rolled on the floor, and was snatched away by Big Yellow. While practicing my martial arts, my breath took a detour through my meridians, almost causing me to choke. While chopping bamboo, the axe flew out of my hand and nearly hit my fifth senior brother who was passing by.

He sat on the ground, staring blankly at the handle of the machete stuck in the soil for a while.

"What's wrong?"

Tian Ling'er's voice came from above. Jiang Xiaochuan looked up and saw her standing there with her back to the light, her ponytail swaying in the wind.

"It's nothing." Jiang Xiaochuan got up, patted the dirt off his bottom, "I just feel like I've been having a bit of bad luck lately."

Tian Ling'er squatted down beside him, picked up the wood-chopping knife, and examined the blade. "The blade is dull. Let me sharpen it for you."

"No need, senior sister, I can manage myself..."

"I'll do it," Tian Ling'er interrupted him, her tone leaving no room for argument. She took out a small whetstone she always carried, sat on the ground, and bent down to sharpen the knife. The stone rubbed against the blade, making a "chachacha" sound.

Jiang Xiaochuan stood beside her, watching her. Tian Ling'er lowered her head, her stray hairs falling down, obscuring half her face. Sunlight shone on the back of her neck, making her skin appear very white. She was sharpening the blade with great concentration, her fingers pressing firmly on the back of the blade, each stroke powerful and controlled.

"Senior Sister," Jiang Xiaochuan suddenly spoke.

"Um?"

Why are you so good to me?

Tian Ling'er paused in sharpening the knife. Then she continued. "Am I good to you?"

"Isn't it good?" Jiang Xiaochuan counted on his fingers, "She accompanied me to cut bamboo every day, brought me food, helped me with my laundry, and even taught me martial arts..."

"That's because you're too stupid." Tian Ling'er said without looking up.

Jiang Xiaochuan was momentarily speechless. "I..."

"It's been two years of cutting bamboo, and the Jade Purity Layer has only just stabilized. I can't even manage to trip over my own foot while practicing basic footwork," Tian Ling'er said. "If I don't keep an eye on you, you might ruin yourself without even realizing it."

Jiang Xiaochuan fell silent. He looked at Tian Ling'er's profile and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

He couldn't quite describe the feeling. It was something like... guilt? Or something else entirely.

He knew Tian Ling'er was good to him. But sometimes that kindness suffocated him.

She kept a close eye on him and interfered too much. She had to ask where he went. If he talked to any of his fellow students for more than a few minutes, she would come over and pry. Sometimes, when he woke up in the middle of the night, he would see her sitting on the stone steps outside his room, waiting for something.

"Senior Sister," he called out again.

"Speak." Tian Ling'er was still sharpening the knife. The blade gradually became bright, reflecting the light.

"Aren't you...?" Jiang Xiaochuan hesitated for a moment, "...too good to me?"

Tian Ling'er raised her head.

Her eyes were bright, staring straight at him. Jiang Xiaochuan's heart tightened, and he instinctively wanted to look away, but he didn't.

"Do you think I'm good to you?" Tian Ling'er asked.

"Um."

"Then why do you think I'm so good to you?"

Jiang Xiaochuan couldn't answer. He opened his mouth, several thoughts raced through his mind, but he swallowed them back. Because I'm your junior brother? Because you pity my lack of talent? Because… he couldn't think of anything.

Tian Ling'er looked at him for a while, then suddenly smiled. The smile was faint, tinged with bitterness, and something else entirely. She lowered her head and continued sharpening the knife.

"Because you are my junior brother."

"Because you're stupid."

"Because I want to."

She handed him the sharpened knife. Jiang Xiaochuan took it, his fingers touching her fingertips; it was a little cool.

"Don't overthink it." Tian Ling'er stood up, patted her skirt, and said, "Focus on your cultivation. Don't embarrass me."

She left. The red figure disappeared into the bamboo forest. Jiang Xiaochuan stood there for a long time, holding a wood-chopping knife. The blade reflected his face; he was an eight-year-old boy, his features not yet fully developed, quite ordinary.

He sighed, raised his knife, and slashed at the bamboo.

"Yes."

During dinner, Tian Buyi glanced at Jiang Xiaochuan a few more times.

"Seventh Brother".

"Master." Jiang Xiaochuan quickly put down the bowl.

"How's your cultivation going?"

"It's...not bad. I circulated my energy thirty-six times yesterday, and my breathing seems a bit more stable now."

Tian Buyi hummed in response and said nothing more. He ate quickly, his chopsticks rummaging through his bowl, but his eyes kept glancing at Tian Ling'er. Tian Ling'er was sitting next to Jiang Xiaochuan, putting meat into his bowl.

"Ling'er," Su Ru spoke, her voice gentle but carrying a different meaning.

Tian Ling'er paused, her chopsticks hanging in mid-air. "Mother?"

"You eat it yourself. Ogawa has hands."

Tian Ling'er said "Oh," put the meat back in her bowl, and lowered her head to eat her rice. The table fell silent, save for the sound of chopsticks tapping against bowls. The senior brothers exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a sweat creeping down his back. He stole a glance at Tian Buyi. His master was staring at him, his chubby face expressionless. He then glanced at Su Ru. His master's wife was also looking at him, her gaze somewhat complicated.

The meal was eaten in a state of constant anxiety. After finishing, Jiang Xiaochuan helped clear the dishes, and Tian Ling'er followed. The two washed the dishes at the sink, Tian Ling'er rolling up her sleeves, revealing her fair arms. She washed the dishes very vigorously, the bowls clanging against each other.

"Senior sister, be gentle, the bowl is going to break," Jiang Xiaochuan whispered.

Tian Ling'er ignored him and continued washing. After she finished, she shook her hands, and water droplets splashed onto Jiang Xiaochuan's face.

"Senior sister..."

"Are you annoyed with me?" Tian Ling'er suddenly asked. She turned around, leaned against the sink, and looked at him. Her eyes were glistening with tears, whether from moisture or something else, it was hard to tell.

Jiang Xiaochuan was stunned. "I didn't..."

"Then why did you ask that?" Tian Ling'er's voice trembled slightly. "I'm good to you, and you're not happy?"

"I'm not upset," Jiang Xiaochuan quickly said. "I just... I just feel..."

"What do you think?"

"I feel like you're being too good to me." Jiang Xiaochuan lowered his head, looking at the tips of his shoes. "It's abnormally good."

Tian Ling'er fell silent. She stared at him for a long time, then smiled. The smile was soft and cold. "Jiang Xiaochuan, you really are... ungrateful."

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked away. After taking two steps, she stopped and turned her back to him.

I'm nice to you because I want to be nice to you. Whether you accept it or not is your business. But don't ask why. Asking is foolish.

She left. Jiang Xiaochuan stood by the sink, watching her figure disappear into the night. The faucet wasn't turned off properly, and water dripped down, splashing onto the rim of the bowl with a soft patter.

He raised his hand and wiped his face. His face was wet; he couldn't tell if it was water or something else.

…………

One rainy afternoon, Jiang Xiaochuan found a white fox.

The bamboo leaves were still dripping with water, and the mountain path was muddy.

As he walked back after finishing his homework, his foot slipped and he almost fell.

After regaining my footing, I looked down and saw a white blob in the grass.

Yes, it was white, furry, curled up there, motionless.

He crouched down, parted the grass, and saw a fox, small, much smaller than Big Yellow.

Its fur is very pure white, as white as snow.

His eyes were closed, and his chest was rising and falling slightly; he must still be alive.

Jiang Xiaochuan reached out and gently touched the fox. The fox didn't move. He thought for a moment, tucked his wood-chopping knife behind his waist, and carefully picked it up. The fox's body was soft and warm, with almost no weight. Its fur was long and felt comfortable to touch.

He carried the fox back into the house and found a dry cloth to wipe it. The fox still didn't wake up and let him do whatever he wanted. After wiping it, he put it on the bed and covered it with an old garment.

When Tian Ling'er came to find him, the fox woke up.

"What is this?" Tian Ling'er pointed to the white dough on the bed.

"A fox," Jiang Xiaochuan said. "I found it in the back mountain."

"Alive or dead?"

"Alive." Jiang Xiaochuan poured a bowl of water and brought it to the bedside. The fox raised its head, glanced at him, and then lowered its head to lick the water. Its tongue was pink and very small.

Tian Ling'er leaned closer to look. "A white fox, that's rare."

"Um."

"Are you planning to keep it?"

"I don't know," Jiang Xiaochuan said. "Maybe it will leave on its own once it heals."

Tian Ling'er reached out to touch it, but the fox moved aside and dodged. Her hand froze in mid-air, stunned for a moment.

"She's quite shy around strangers," she said.

Jiang Xiaochuan didn't speak. He watched as the fox finished drinking its water and lay down again, its eyes half-open and half-closed. He reached out and stroked its head. The fox didn't flinch; instead, it rubbed against his palm.

Watching this scene, Tian Ling'er suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. She couldn't explain why. She just felt that this fox... was too docile. Unnaturally docile.

"Have you named it yet?" she asked.

"without."

"Shall we start one?"

Jiang Xiaochuan thought for a moment. "Let's call him Xiaobai."

Tian Ling'er laughed. "You certainly know how to get up."

"White, let's call it Little White, isn't that great?" Jiang Xiaochuan said confidently.

The fox raised its head and glanced at Jiang Xiaochuan. Its gaze was somewhat complicated. Jiang Xiaochuan didn't see it; he was busy looking for something to line its den.

Tian Ling'er stood there, watching the fox and Jiang Xiaochuan busy himself. A thought flashed through her mind, absurd, but it just popped into her head. She shook her head, suppressing it.

impossible.