Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

"I said I can wait."

Her voice was soft, slightly scattering in the wind, but every word seemed to carry warmth, gently tapping on Jiang Xiaochuan's chaotic heart, leaving a subtle yet clear tremor.

"There's still a long way to go, let's take it slow. After the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament, there will be many tomorrows. One year, ten years, a hundred years... as long as you're here, I can wait."

Her fingertips lingered on the corner of his lips, where the faint ache and dampness of that evening on the nameless mountain peak still seemed to remain.

Her eyes darkened, as if touched by that memory. Her thumb, with a very light touch, and a hint of indescribable longing and... possessiveness, pressed that spot.

Jiang Xiaochuan's body stiffened abruptly, and he instantly choked on his breath.

The spot that was touched felt like it had been electrified; a tingling sensation instantly spread across half of my face.

"But Jiang Xiaochuan,"

Lu Xueqi raised her eyes and looked back into his eyes, which were somewhat bewildered by shock and confusion. Her tone suddenly became unusually serious, even carrying a rare, almost fragile plea, which was completely different from her usual cold and strong image.

"Don't avoid me, okay? And don't... push me to other people. Like Zhang Xiaofan."

Jiang Xiaochuan's heart skipped a beat, and he stammered an explanation:

"I...I didn't...I just think...Xiao Fan is a good person, down-to-earth, kind, and his cooking is delicious. You...you might..."

Whether he's good or bad is none of my business.

Lu Xueqi withdrew her hand, her tone returning to its usual coldness, even carrying a hint of chill, but her gaze remained fixed on him, not allowing him to escape.

"I already have someone in my heart."

It has been full for a long time, and there is no room for anything else.

So stop making those pointless attempts to test the waters, or... presumptuously trying to matchmake.

That won't work; it will only make me unhappy.

She paused, then added, her voice soft but carrying a seriousness that sent chills down Jiang Xiaochuan's spine:

"And if I'm really unhappy, I might do some things... that you don't really want to see."

For example, making certain people completely disappear from your sight.

The meaning behind those words couldn't be clearer.

Jiang Xiaochuan gasped, looking at her calm yet deep-set eyes. For the first time, he realized with such clarity that the woman before him was not just the aloof, beautiful, and exceptionally talented "Junior Sister Lu" from his memory.

She is also a woman with a deep mind, decisive methods, and... an extraordinary obsession with him.

When she said she would "make certain people disappear," she was definitely not just talking.

Given her strength and temperament, if she were truly angered...

He dared not think any further, only feeling a chill creep up from the soles of his feet, mingling with the burning sensation in his heart just moments before. This extreme contrast of ice and fire completely shut his mind down, leaving it blank.

He just stared blankly at Lu Xueqi, his mouth agape but unable to utter a sound. The color drained from his face and then quickly flushed red. His eyes were unfocused, as if he had been stunned by the barrage of information and the implied threat, and had completely lost his ability to think.

Looking at his completely stunned, as if his soul had left his body, Lu Xueqi felt a faint smile and a hint of...heartache in the depths of her eyes.

But she didn't give him more time to process and back down.

Taking advantage of his moment of mental blankness, stiffness, and lack of vigilance, Lu Xueqi suddenly took another step forward, this time so close that there was almost no gap between them.

She stretched out her arms, one hand around his waist and the other on the back of his neck, and with a little force, pulled him into her embrace without saying a word!

Jiang Xiaochuan was already unsteady on his feet, and when she pulled him like that, he lost his balance and fell forward, crashing solidly into a warm and fragrant embrace.

His nose was instantly filled with that familiar, crisp, cool fragrance, and his cheek pressed against the delicate, slightly cool skin of her neck, where he could even feel the steady, powerful throbbing of her carotid artery.

His head was pressed down by her, forced to rest on her slightly thin but exceptionally warm shoulder.

This posture is too intimate.

They were pressed tightly together, perfectly aligned. He could clearly feel every curve of her body, the softness of her chest, the slenderness of her waist, and the warmth and heartbeat of her body that emanated from through her thin Taoist robe.

The wind howled past their embracing bodies, whipping up their clothes and hair, tangling them together.

Jiang Xiaochuan froze completely.

From a mental breakdown, it turned into a physical breakdown.

He was held tightly in Lu Xueqi's arms like a puppet, leaning on her shoulder, his nose filled with her scent, his cheek pressed against her skin, and his ears filled with her steady heartbeat and the whistling wind.

He forgot to struggle, forgot to push away, and even forgot to breathe.

All my senses seemed to be occupied and numbed by the warm, soft body in my arms and that cool, refreshing fragrance.

Time seemed to stand still.

It felt like a long time had passed.

Until, a suppressed, low gasp and whispers, like a pebble thrown into still water, broke the deathly silence and... ambiguity of this little world?

"Oh my god...that's...Lu Xueqi from Xiaozhu Peak?"

"Who is she holding? It looks like a male disciple?"

"Judging by the clothes...it's from Dazhu Peak? My God, am I seeing things? Lu Xueqi...she's hugging a guy on her own initiative?"

"The man didn't seem to resist? He just... just let her hold him?"

"Hiss—what's going on? The Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament hasn't even started yet, and there's already such a big scoop?"

"Look, look! They're hugging so tightly!"

The sound came from the direction where the platform connects to the main square. Several curious figures could be vaguely seen peeking out, moving between the columns and low pines, pointing and whispering.

Although the specific words couldn't be clearly heard through the wind, the shocked, curious, and incredulous gazes were like real searchlights, all focused on the two embracing figures.

Jiang Xiaochuan's dazed mind was suddenly jolted awake by these gazes and whispers.

A tremendous sense of shame and panic, enough to overwhelm everything, rushed to my head like a tsunami!

He suddenly realized what he was doing—no, what Lu Xueqi was doing to him—and how many people were watching them!

"boom--!"

Blood rushes to the cheeks, ears, neck, and may even turn the skin all over the body red.

He struggled violently as if he had been branded with a hot iron, trying to break free from Lu Xueqi's embrace, trying to hide his face, and trying to disappear from this world immediately!

"Let go! Junior Sister Lu! There are people watching! Lots of people are watching!"

His voice changed, trembling with sobs, as he frantically pushed and shoved Lu Xueqi's shoulders, but Lu Xueqi's arms were like iron hoops, firmly locking him in place, not moving an inch.

Lu Xueqi naturally heard those discussions and felt those gazes.

But her face remained expressionless, not even her eyebrows twitched. She simply tightened her grip on Jiang Xiaochuan's arm, as if asserting her dominance.

She turned her head slightly, her cold gaze, like a tangible ice blade, sweeping over those who were spying with a faint yet undeniable pressure.

The gaze was not fierce, nor even particularly emotional; it simply swept calmly and slowly across the faces of each of the peering disciples.

Yet, it was that calm glance.

In an instant, it felt as if the coldest wind had swept over me, or as if I had been doused with invisible ice water.

All the whispers abruptly ceased.

All the curious heads that had poked their heads out quickly retreated as if they had been burned.

Those gazes, as if encountering a natural enemy, instantly and hastily shifted away, no longer daring to look in their direction.

Even the sound of the wind seemed to freeze for a moment.

At the edge of the platform, silence returned, broken only by the wailing of the rolling sea of ​​clouds and the howling of the wind.

Jiang Xiaochuan was still struggling in vain, his face burning hot enough to fry an egg, his ears ringing, feeling ashamed and indignant to the point of wanting to die, completely unaware of the sudden silence around him.

He felt so ashamed that he couldn't face anyone anymore. How could he ever face anyone again in the Qingyun Sect?

He buried his face in Lu Xueqi's shoulder, as if that would shield him from those terrifying gazes. He waved his arms wildly, trying to cover his burning face, but felt that no matter where he covered, it would be too hot.

"Waaah... let me go... just let me die..." he whimpered desperately.

Lu Xueqi lowered her head and looked at the boy in her arms who was so embarrassed that he was practically burning up and talking incoherently. She saw his ears and neck that were so red that they were almost bleeding, and his disheveled appearance as if he wanted to curl up and hide himself. The faint smile in her eyes could no longer be concealed and quietly spread, softening her cold face.

She knew he was shy and easily embarrassed, and couldn't handle such intimacy in public (although she had temporarily scared him off with her gaze).

That's how it was in my past life; I'd blush and get angry if you teased me even slightly, and it would take a long time to coax me.

So she finally loosened her grip on his waist, but didn't let go of the hand on the back of his neck. She just lightened the pressure and gently massaged the stiff muscles on the back of his neck, one stroke at a time, to soothe him.

Her lips drew close to his translucent red ear, and she whispered in a breathy voice, audible only to the two of them, her tone carrying a barely perceptible softness and amusement born of triumph:

"Okay, okay, I'm not kidding anymore. Nobody's watching."

Jiang Xiaochuan stiffened, his struggle lessening slightly, but his face remained buried in her shoulder, his voice muffled, thick with nasal congestion and grievance:

"You're lying... They're definitely still watching... I'll never be able to face anyone again..."

"Nobody's watching anymore."

Lu Xueqi patiently repeated herself, gently tracing the back of his neck with her fingertips, causing a slight tickle.

"I know my husband is shy. Next time... let's find a secluded place."

Husband?!

Jiang Xiaochuan's mind went blank for a moment, and the heat that had just subsided suddenly surged again!

He abruptly raised his head, forgetting all about being embarrassed, and stared wide-eyed at Lu Xueqi's face, which was so close to his, bearing a faint smile. He stammered:

"What nonsense are you spouting! Who, who are you...?"

"You," Lu Xueqi interrupted him, her eyes serious and unwavering, "will be sooner or later."

Jiang Xiaochuan: "..."

He looked at Lu Xueqi's stunningly beautiful face, which was filled with the attitude of "what I say goes," and all the words stuck in his throat.

Arguing back? It seems pointless.

Accept? How could that be!

He felt a sudden dizziness; the world was too crazy.

Seeing that he was about to faint, Lu Xueqi finally stopped pressuring him.

She released her hand from the back of his neck and gently patted his back instead, as if soothing a frightened little animal. "It's almost time to go back to the square. The lottery is about to begin."

After saying that, she turned around and, quite naturally, took his hand again, which was a little cold from the confusion and shame, and led him back in the direction they had come from, which was the main square.

Her steps were unhurried, her back straight, and her moon-white Taoist robe fluttered in the wind, as if she were not the one who had just publicly hugged (and claimed ownership of) her.

Jiang Xiaochuan was like a puppet on a string, being led by her, stumbling along with her.

My face was still burning, my mind was still in a mess, and my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.

He secretly glanced up at Lu Xueqi's aloof and upright back in front of him, then quickly lowered his head to look at their clasped hands.

Her hands were slightly cool, her fingers slender, yet she held them tightly, not allowing him to break free.

My husband... will be... sooner or later...

These words, like a curse, echoed repeatedly in his mind, making him uneasy.

Behind them, a few clusters of pale purple flowers trembled slightly in the fierce wind, as if silently bearing witness to the astonishing scene (to Jiang Xiaochuan) that had just occurred.