Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Looking at Tian Ling'er's pale face and red eyes, she softened her tone, offering words of advice tinged with empathy as a fellow woman:

"As fellow disciples, let me give you some advice."

Some things are not meant to be yours, and you can't force them.

Being too obsessed with something will hurt both yourself and others.

You are still young and have great potential; your future holds endless possibilities.

Why devote all your attention to one person?

The sooner you see things clearly and let go, the better for both yourself and him.

Do not...follow in my master's footsteps.

She spoke the last sentence very softly, with a hint of barely perceptible melancholy.

Tian Ling'er seemed to have been stabbed by the last sentence, and her whole body trembled violently.

She recalled her mother's occasional sighs when mentioning Uncle-Master Shuiyue, and the vague rumors about Uncle-Master Wanjianyi...

Do not!

She doesn't want to become like that!

In my past life, I was lonely for a hundred years, leaving only regret.

After her rebirth, she refused to be alone for a hundred years and to be filled with regret!

A surge of immense resentment and anger, mixed with the shame and annoyance of having one's secret exposed, once again overwhelmed that trace of fear.

She straightened her back, wiped away her tears, and although her eyes were still red and swollen, her gaze sharpened again, even carrying a desperate resolve. She stared at Lu Xueqi and said coldly, word by word:

"Lu Xueqi, you don't need to pretend to be a good person here and lecture me!"

My affairs are none of your business!

lay down?

You make it sound so easy!

Yes, I don't understand him as well as you do, I'm not as shameless as you, and I don't have as many tricks up my sleeve!

But so what?

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving, her voice trembling in the night wind, yet exceptionally clear:

"In this life, nothing is set in stone!"

He is still him, and I am still me!

We have plenty of time!

I refuse to believe that my constant companionship, my kindness to him, and my devotion to him are less valuable than yours, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and only knows how to force and coerce!

She paused, looking at Lu Xueqi's still calm and expressionless face, then suddenly forced a tearful, almost defiant smile:

You said he avoids you, is afraid of you, and doesn't dare to understand.

Have you ever considered that perhaps what he fears isn't the relationship itself, but rather you?

"Are you afraid of my stubbornness, my domineering nature, my...unscrupulous methods?"

Lu Xueqi's eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly.

Tian Ling'er noticed this subtle change, a sense of pleasure rising in her heart, and continued:

"Lu Xueqi, we'll see."

In the end, will he get used to your "coercion" first, or will he get tired of your "nagging" first?

Let's see if he'll realize your worth first, or if my "companionship" will warm his heart first.

"The Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament is still a long way off!"

After saying that, she stopped looking at Lu Xueqi, stomped her foot hard, turned around, and walked quickly away along another path. Her pale yellow figure quickly disappeared into the moonlight and the shadows of the trees.

But that back view carried a hint of panic, a hint of stubbornness, and a trace of barely perceptible dishevelment.

At the edge of the cliff, only Lu Xueqi remained.

She stood alone in the cool moonlight, the mountain breeze blowing her moon-white Taoist robe and her ink-black hair.

She gazed in the direction where Tian Ling'er had disappeared, then turned and looked at the end of the path where Jiang Xiaochuan had left, for a long, long time.

Then, she sighed very softly, almost imperceptibly. The sigh dissipated in the wind, leaving no trace.

"Are you afraid of me...?"

She murmured to herself, her fingertips unconsciously brushing against the cold hilt of the Tianya sword.

"Maybe. But it's okay, Ogawa."

Fear or disgust, as long as you're still within my reach, as long as you can only see me in your eyes... I don't care about anything else.

She looked up at the bright yet lonely moon in the night sky, her eyes deep and unfathomable, like an ancient, icy pool.

We'll see how things go? Fine.

……

Jiang Xiaochuan walked with his head down for quite a while, until he could no longer hear any sound behind him, and until the suffocating irritation in his chest was somewhat dispelled by the night breeze, before he slowed down.

He didn't know where he was going.

Go back to that dormitory where nine people were crammed together, snoring loudly, and smelling unpleasant?

Just thinking about it makes me feel suffocated.

But if we don't go back there, where can we go?

Go find Lu Xueqi?

That's like walking into a trap; all those harsh words were for nothing.

Wandering aimlessly around Tongtian Peak?

Getting caught by the night patrol disciples would be even more troublesome.

He stood at a crossroads, looking at the paths that stretched in different directions, appearing deep and quiet under the moonlight, feeling utterly lost.

The night wind was chilly, penetrating his thin Taoist robe and making him shiver. It also completely calmed his feverish mind, replacing it with a deep weariness and a sense of loneliness with nowhere to go.

Just then, a voice carrying a lazy laugh suddenly came from the shadows beside him:

"Standing here alone in the cold wind, contemplating life?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was startled and turned his head sharply. There, in the shade of an ancient pine tree with lush foliage, stood a white figure.

Moonlight filtered through the pine needles, casting dappled shadows on her. She was still wearing that plain white dress, her silver hair flowing like mercury, her exquisite face bearing a half-smile, her eyes shining brightly in the shadows as she watched him with great interest.

It's Xiaobai. Humanoid.

"Little White? What are you doing here?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was surprised, then became somewhat wary.

"You...you've been following me?"

"Follow you?"

Xiao Bai raised an eyebrow, stepped out of the shadows, and silently stepped onto the cold bluestone slabs.

She walked up to Jiang Xiaochuan, tilted her head slightly, and let her silver hair slip over her shoulder.

Do I need to follow you?

This mountain is so small, I could smell your odor from far away.

With a worried expression and a heavy heart, he looked like a little dog that had been soaked in the rain and couldn't find its way home.

She leaned closer, her nose twitching as if sniffing his scent, then she frowned slightly.

"There was also a faint smell of gunpowder and tears. Did your conversation with those two not go very well?"

Jiang Xiaochuan's face flushed, and he turned his head away somewhat embarrassedly: "None of your business!"

"I can't care about your little love triangles."

Xiao Bai chuckled, crossed her arms, and looked him up and down.

"I only did it because I felt sorry for you, wandering the streets in the middle of the night with nowhere to go. What happened? Were you kicked out? Or did you run away in a fit of pique?"

"I..." Jiang Xiaochuan was speechless, feeling even more embarrassed after she had hit the nail on the head.

Seeing his expression, Xiaobai's eyes flashed with amusement. She stopped teasing him and said directly:

"Alright, stop standing here like an idiot."

It's windy here at night. With your small frame, you'll catch a cold, and how will you compete tomorrow?

"Come on, I'll take you somewhere."

"Where to?" Jiang Xiaochuan asked warily.

He didn't want to fall into Xiao Bai's "trap" right after escaping from Lu Xueqi and Tian Ling'er's chaotic situation.

"Return to Dazhu Peak," Xiaobai said calmly, as if it were something perfectly ordinary.

"Back to Dazhu Peak?" Jiang Xiaochuan asked in surprise.

"Now? How do we get back? Fly back on our swords? It's so late at night, and we have to rush back for the competition early tomorrow morning..."

"Enough with the nonsense."

Xiao Bai waved his hand impatiently, interrupting him.

"If I say I can go back, I can go back. As for how I'll go back... just close your eyes."

Without waiting for Jiang Xiaochuan's consent, she suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Her fingers were slightly cool, but the pressure was considerable.

"Hey! What are you doing! Let go! I can walk by myself!" Jiang Xiaochuan struggled.

"Don't move, I won't be responsible if you fall."

Xiao Bai glanced at him, then pulled him closer to her with force.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a gentle yet irresistible force pull him closer to her.

Immediately afterward, his vision blurred, and the sound of wind rushed past his ears!

It wasn't ordinary wind; it was the whistling sound of air being violently torn apart when moving at high speed!

The solid ground beneath my feet vanished instantly, and a feeling of weightlessness washed over me!

"ah--!"

He let out a short cry of surprise, instinctively grabbing Xiaobai's arm tightly with his other hand, his eyes shut.

He could feel himself rising rapidly, the icy air scraping across his cheeks and bare skin like knives, seeping into his Taoist robe, making his teeth chatter from the cold.

All that could be heard was the whistling wind and... a faint, warm fragrance emanating from Xiaobai.

She really is flying!

It wasn't the steady flight of riding a sword, but a more direct and swift way to break through the clouds and streak across the night sky!

The speed was so fast that he couldn't even open his eyes; he could only feel himself constantly rising higher and higher, then speeding off in a certain direction.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, maybe even less.

The speed gradually decreased, the feeling of weightlessness disappeared, and my feet were back on solid ground.

The howling wind stopped, leaving only the usual breeze in the mountain forest at night, and... the familiar air carrying the fragrance of bamboo leaves.