Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Holding hands with Lu Xueqi, they walked back to the edge of the main square.

Voices, heat waves, and all sorts of gazes surged back in, as if I had been suddenly thrown from a silent deep sea back into a bustling city.

Jiang Xiaochuan's face was still flushed, and his mind was still blank.

He felt the gazes coming from all directions like needles, making him extremely uncomfortable.

He tried to pull his hand away, but Lu Xueqi gripped it even tighter until they were not far from the group from Dazhu Peak, at which point she naturally let go.

As his palm went empty and the cool touch disappeared, Jiang Xiaochuan felt a strange emptiness in his heart, which was then overwhelmed by an even stronger wave of shame and panic.

He lowered his head, staring at the ground, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground immediately.

Just then, a clear and resonant voice pierced through the noise of the square and rang out distinctly:

"Disciples from all branches participating in this Seven Branches Martial Arts Tournament, please assemble immediately in front of the Jade Purity Hall!"

The voice came from a senior disciple standing on the high white marble steps of the Jade Purity Hall. He repeated it twice, his gaze sweeping over the crowd in the square below.

They've gathered.

It's time to draw lots.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a chill run down his spine, finally managing to break free from that dizzying, lifeless feeling a little.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and started to walk towards his fellow disciples on Dazhu Peak.

The pale figure beside him moved, blocking his path once more. Lu Xueqi looked at him, her eyes calm, but her intentions were clearly written in them.

She wanted to go with him.

"Junior Sister Lu," Jiang Xiaochuan's scalp tingled, and he quickly waved his hands, his voice pleading.

"No, no need! I can go by myself! Senior Brother and the others are all watching over there! You... you should go back to Aunt Shuiyue's place too!"

Are you kidding me!

The "hugging and kissing" over there (even though it was forced) has already caused quite a stir. If she then leads me hand in hand into the Jade Purity Palace...

In front of the sect leader, the heads of each branch, and all the participating disciples... Jiang Xiaochuan could just jump off the sea of ​​clouds today and skip the competition!

Lu Xueqi looked at his pitiful face, pleading for mercy, and the genuine panic and resistance in his eyes, and remained silent for a moment.

She recalled his humiliated and furious expression on the platform earlier, and his tearful words, "Just let me die."

……never mind.

If you push too hard, you might scare them away.

That was already a big step forward.

At least, he didn't mention "not good enough" again, and he didn't avoid her touch (although he passively accepted it), and he even... obediently let her hug him for a while.

There's still a long way to go, take it slow.

She said to herself.

So she nodded almost imperceptibly, no longer insisting, but simply looked at him, her voice very soft, carrying a strange sense of reassurance:

"Okay. Go ahead. Don't be nervous, it's just a lottery."

Jiang Xiaochuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He practically fled, turning around and jogging towards the place where the disciples of Dazhu Peak were gathered. His back view revealed his panic.

Lu Xueqi stood there, watching his slightly disheveled figure quickly merge into the group of fellow disciples, and the corners of her lips curved slightly.

Then, she turned around and walked at a leisurely pace toward the direction where the disciples of Xiaozhu Peak were gathered and where Master Shuiyue was standing.

Her moon-white Taoist robe brushed against the smooth ground, her back straight and aloof, as if the person who had just forcefully "kidnapped" her yet gently compromised was not her.

Jiang Xiaochuan plunged into the crowd at Dazhu Peak, feeling as if he had returned to a safe shelter. He let out a long sigh of relief, though his back was already covered in a thin layer of sweat.

Before he could catch his breath, several burning, meaningful gazes shot over at him.

He Dazhi adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses gleaming with gossip, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Du Bishu rubbed his hands together, his face full of lewd admiration, as if to say, "Seventh Brother, you're something else."

Wu Dayi, Zheng Dali, and Lü Daxin all looked at him strangely, wanting to laugh but holding it in.

Lin Jingyu glanced at his face, then looked towards Xiaozhu Peak in the distance, her brows furrowing slightly, but she remained silent.

Zhang Xiaofan looked at him blankly, seemingly wanting to ask, "Senior Brother Jiang, your face is so red," but was quietly pulled by Lü Daxin next to him.

Song Daren didn't look at him much, but his expression was still a little unnatural, probably still immersed in the aftermath of his "gossip" with Wen Min. However, he couldn't help but glance at Jiang Xiaochuan.

What made Jiang Xiaochuan's scalp tingle the most was Tian Ling'er standing next to Su Ru.

She was dressed in a striking red outfit today, which should have made her look radiant and beautiful.

At this moment, her pretty face was frosty, her lips were pressed together and turned white, and her almond-shaped eyes stared at him intently. In those eyes, there was grievance, anger, disappointment, and a trace of sadness as if she had been betrayed.

When Jiang Xiaochuan looked over, she gave a heavy "humph" and turned her head away, but her eyes still lingered on him out of the corner of her eye.

Jiang Xiaochuan was inwardly groaning, not knowing what to do, when a sharp pain suddenly shot through the soft flesh on his side!

"Hiss—!" He gasped, almost jumping up in pain. He turned around and met Tian Ling'er's eyes, which were practically spitting fire, as she approached him unnoticed.

She pinched his waist with her fingers and twisted it half a turn.

"Ouch! Ouch! What are you doing, Senior Sister Ling'er!" Jiang Xiaochuan grimaced, but dared not raise his voice, so he could only beg for mercy in a low voice.

"What?" Tian Ling'er squeezed out the words through clenched teeth, her eyes a little red.

"What do you want to do?"

Jiang Xiaochuan, you're amazing!

In broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone!

You just let her... let her hug you like that?!

Don't you know how embarrassing this is?! Do you know what other people think of our Dazhufeng?!

"I...I didn't! It was her..." Jiang Xiaochuan was speechless and sweating profusely.

"She insisted... I couldn't break free..."

"Can't break free? Can't you shout? Can't you run? Are you made of wood?!"

Tian Ling'er got even angrier and tightened her grip on her fingers.

"I...I was stunned at the time..." Jiang Xiaochuan was telling the truth; his mind was still in a mess.

"Confused? I think you're enjoying it!"

Tian Ling'er raised her voice a little, attracting the attention of several people nearby. She quickly lowered her voice again, but her anger did not diminish.

"Jiang Xiaochuan, I'm telling you, stay away from her! Do you hear me?!"

"I……"

Jiang Xiaochuan opened his mouth, but when he saw Tian Ling'er's reddened eyes and the genuine grievance in them, his heart softened, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything in defense.

He knew what Tian Ling'er was thinking, and he also knew that his behavior just now was indeed... a bit... you know.

He lowered his eyes and gave a muffled "hmm".

Seeing that he had given in, Tian Ling'er's expression softened slightly. She released her grip on his waist, but still glared at him angrily, warning him in a low voice, "Remember what you said!"

Jiang Xiaochuan rubbed his aching side, not daring to utter a sound, feeling as if his head was twice the size of his own.

He quietly raised his eyes and looked towards Xiaozhu Peak.

Lu Xueqi stood quietly behind Master Shuiyue, still with that aloof and detached demeanor, as if all the noise around her had nothing to do with her.

But her gaze, across the crowd, landed precisely and unabashedly on him.

That gaze carried a strange tenderness and an undeniable firmness, as if silently saying: Look, I'm here.

Jiang Xiaochuan's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked away, his face burning up again.

What kind of mess is this?!

Just then, he suddenly felt another gaze, from another direction, fall on him as well.

That gaze... was a bit strange. It wasn't like the curiosity or gossip of others, but a deeper, more complex gaze, carrying a certain burning and urgent meaning.

He subconsciously followed his senses and looked around, searching the crowd until his gaze finally landed on the area where the disciples of Luoxia Peak were gathered.

A young female disciple, dressed in a light orange Taoist robe and with delicate features, was looking down, seemingly examining her hands.

But Jiang Xiaochuan was certain that the gaze he had just received came from her.

Is it just my imagination?

He frowned. He didn't recognize the female disciple at all, and he wasn't familiar with anyone from Luoxia Peak.

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

He shook his head and looked away, only to meet another gaze—from the direction of Feng Hui Peak.

A handsome young man in a blue Taoist robe, with a naturally smiling face, was looking at him with great interest. His eyes held no malice, but rather were filled with... admiration?

appreciate?

There was even a hint of... eager excitement?

Jiang Xiaochuan felt uneasy under his gaze. This look... it felt strange.

Could it be... that this guy has some kind of weird fetish?

He shuddered, quickly averted his gaze, and silently prayed:

Heavens above, earth below, gods and spirits above, please, let me be a nobody! I'm just here to be a bystander, to participate in a competition, why is it so difficult!

He could sense that it wasn't just those few gazes; disciples from other branches around him, especially the younger ones, were also glancing at him from time to time, their eyes filled with different expressions, whispering amongst themselves. He didn't need to listen to hear them to know that they were discussing the "shocking" scene from just now.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt like he was being pricked by needles, so much so that he could dig three bedrooms and a living room out of his toes, and wished he could just fly to heaven on the spot.

On the high platform, Tian Buyi, Su Ru, Shui Yue, and other chief disciples naturally noticed the undercurrents below.

Tian Buyi's chubby face darkened slightly. He glanced at Jiang Xiaochuan, then at his daughter's sullen expression, and then at Lu Xueqi standing calmly on Xiaozhu Peak. He felt a headache coming on.

Su Ru gently tugged at his sleeve, shook her head, and gestured for him to leave it alone.

Master Shuiyue remained calm, as if she hadn't seen anything. However, when she caught a glimpse of Lu Xueqi's gaze towards Dazhu Peak out of the corner of her eye, she frowned almost imperceptibly and sighed inwardly.

This child is too obsessed.

I only hope that I won't hurt myself or others.