Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Tian Ling'er pushed the door open and came in, carrying a tray in her hand.

On the tray were two bowls of rice, a plate of green vegetables, and a bowl of braised pork. The braised pork was still steaming hot and glistening with oil.

She immediately saw Jiang Xiaochuan lying on the bed, the blanket covering his chest, his eyes closed, fast asleep.

Little White lay beside his pillow, its white fur resembling a ball of snow in the dim light.

Tian Ling'er frowned.

She placed the tray on the table and tiptoed over. Standing by the bed, she looked down at Jiang Xiaochuan.

He was sleeping soundly, his face flushed, his breathing even, and his mouth slightly open. Tian Ling'er reached out, wanting to poke his face, but stopped halfway through.

She turned to look at Xiaobai.

Little White was also awake, its eyes half-closed, its tail swaying gently. Tian Ling'er stared at it, but it wasn't afraid, just staring back at her.

"It's you again," Tian Ling'er said in a low voice, her tone not very pleasant. "You're always clinging to him, aren't you annoyed?"

Xiao Bai didn't react; it just turned its head and nuzzled Jiang Xiaochuan's cheek.

Tian Ling'er's anger flared up instantly.

She reached out to grab Little White.

Just as her hand reached out, Xiaobai dartd away, slipping through her fingers and leaping to the foot of the bed. Its movements were as swift as a white shadow.

Tian Ling'er was taken aback, then reached out to grab again. This time, she used some agility, making her hand even faster.

But Xiaobai was faster. It jumped around on the bed, and Tian Ling'er's hands were always a beat too slow, only managing to catch air.

After a few attempts, Tian Ling'er was panting. She stopped and glared at Xiao Bai. Xiao Bai sat on the corner of the bed, tilting its head to look at her, its eyes seeming to hold...mockery?

"You—" Tian Ling'er gritted her teeth and pounced on him again.

This time, Xiaobai didn't dodge. It waited until Tian Ling'er's hand was about to touch it before it lightly jumped and landed right on Jiang Xiaochuan's chest.

Tian Ling'er couldn't stop herself and slapped Jiang Xiaochuan's stomach with a loud thud.

"Ugh..." Jiang Xiaochuan groaned and opened his eyes.

He was half-asleep when he saw Tian Ling'er's face flickering before his eyes. "Senior Sister?"

Tian Ling'er quickly withdrew her hand, her face slightly flushed. "You're awake? Time to eat."

Jiang Xiaochuan propped himself up and sat up. He looked down and saw Xiaobai lying on his lap. He rubbed his eyes, remembering that he had been petting a fox, and then... then he fell asleep.

"How did I get into bed?" he asked.

Tian Ling'er was taken aback. "You climbed up here yourself?"

"Me?" Jiang Xiaochuan frowned. He remembered falling down by the bedside, so how did he wake up in the middle of the bed?

"Otherwise what?" Tian Ling'er said, her tone a little hesitant. "Should I have carried you up here?"

Jiang Xiaochuan's face flushed. "N-nothing..."

"Get up and eat quickly." Tian Ling'er turned around to get the tray, her back to him, the tips of her ears slightly red.

Jiang Xiaochuan got out of bed and put on his shoes. Xiaobai jumped off the bed and followed at his feet. Tian Ling'er set out the food and handed him chopsticks.

"Your teacher's wife made some stew today, eat more of it," Tian Ling'er said, putting a large piece of braised pork into his bowl.

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Jiang Xiaochuan lowered his head and ate his rice. The braised pork was stewed until tender and melted in his mouth, very fragrant. He ate a few bites, then looked up at Tian Ling'er. "Senior Sister, aren't you eating?"

"I've already eaten," Tian Ling'er said, her eyes fixed on Xiaobai. Xiaobai lay on the ground, eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

Jiang Xiaochuan followed her gaze. "Xiaobai is very well-behaved."

"What do you mean 'well-behaved'?" Tian Ling'er muttered, "We can't even catch her."

Why are you grabbing it?

"It's always sticking to you."

"Isn't it good that it's sticking to you?" Jiang Xiaochuan patted Xiaobai's head. "It's not causing any trouble."

Tian Ling'er fell silent. Watching Jiang Xiaochuan touch Xiaobai's hand, that uncomfortable feeling welled up inside her again. She couldn't explain why, but she just felt...this fox was an eyesore.

After finishing her meal, Tian Ling'er cleared away the dishes. Jiang Xiaochuan saw her to the door.

"Are you coming again tomorrow?" he asked.

"Come here," Tian Ling'er said, "I'll keep an eye on your cultivation."

Jiang Xiaochuan gave a wry smile. "Senior sister, I've been having better luck lately, so you don't need to keep such a close eye on me, right?"

"Feeling better?" Tian Ling'er raised an eyebrow. "Who was practicing their martial arts yesterday and almost set the house on fire?"

Jiang Xiaochuan: "..."

It was an accident. He sneezed while circulating his energy, causing his spiritual energy to veer off course and spray out from his fingertips, igniting the curtains by the window. Luckily, his senior brother was nearby and extinguished the fire with a basin of water.

"Anyway, I'm keeping an eye on you," Tian Ling'er said, turning and leaving.

Jiang Xiaochuan closed the door and went back inside. Xiaobai jumped onto the bed and lay back down beside the pillow. Jiang Xiaochuan lay down and looked at it from the side.

"Little White," he whispered, "aren't you... not an ordinary fox?"

Xiao Bai opened her eyes, glanced at him, and then closed them again.

Jiang Xiaochuan smiled and reached out to pull it into his arms. "Whatever. You're mine anyway."

He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Jiang Xiaochuan's luck did improve in the following week.

When chopping bamboo, the axe didn't slip from my hand again. When eating, I didn't choke anymore.

When practicing, my breathing became much smoother. Although progress was still slow, at least I didn't get a stitch anymore.

But bad luck still comes. For example, while walking, you might get hit on the head by a bamboo branch that suddenly falls.

But these are all minor matters. Jiang Xiaochuan is used to them.

Tian Ling'er still came to see him every day.

She accompanied him to cut bamboo, helped him practice his martial arts, and brought him meals.

Sometimes I nag him, sometimes I glare at him, but when I teach him, I'm very gentle.

Su Ru began to personally instruct Jiang Xiaochuan in martial arts.

"If the foundation is not solid, the ground will shake." Su Ru said, holding a bamboo stick in her hand. "Xiao Qi, you have average talent, so you need to work even harder."

So Jiang Xiaochuan began his hellish training.

I get up before dawn every morning and practice horse stance for an hour.

Then practice boxing; a basic set of boxing techniques must be practiced a hundred times.

In the afternoon sparring session, Su Ru personally served as her opponent. The bamboo stick struck her body with a cracking sound, though it wasn't loud, it hurt.

Jiang Xiaochuan was in agony, but he dared not say a word. Every time he tried to slack off, Su Ru's bamboo stick would come down.

Tian Ling'er couldn't stand it anymore, so she went to Su Ru to plead for her.

"Mother, Xiao Chuan is still young, this kind of training is too harsh."

Su Ru glanced at her. "You feel sorry for her?"

Tian Ling'er blushed. "I...I was afraid he'd get too tired."

"Then you should practice with him," Su Ru said.

So Tian Ling'er joined in. Every day, she practiced horse stance, boxing, and even got hit with bamboo sticks with Jiang Xiaochuan.

But she didn't feel anything. Every time she was so tired she couldn't breathe, she would turn around and see Jiang Xiaochuan beside her, gritting his teeth and persevering, and she would feel... it was all worth it.

Everything is sweet when I'm with him.

The other senior brothers were much more relaxed. Previously, Su Ru had been watching them practice, but now her attention was entirely on Jiang Xiaochuan and Tian Ling'er. They were happy to have some free time, occasionally watching the spectacle and offering their opinions.

"Seventh brother, straighten your back!" Du Bishu shouted with a smile.

"Junior Sister Ling'er, your punch is too slow!" He Dazhi said.

Jiang Xiaochuan and Tian Ling'er ignored them and continued practicing.

Ten days later, Su Ru finally relented.

"You've got the basics down," she said, putting away the bamboo stick. "Practice on your own from now on, and I'll check on you once a week."

Jiang Xiaochuan almost burst into tears. He was finally free.

That afternoon, Jiang Xiaochuan was cutting bamboo on the back mountain when a paper crane flew over and landed on his shoulder.

He paused for a moment, then picked up the paper crane. It was exquisitely folded, and its wings still carried a faint fragrance. He unfolded it; inside were several lines of writing, the handwriting neat and elegant.

Senior Brother Jiang:

Today at 11 PM, deep in the bamboo forest behind Dazhu Peak.

I have something to tell you, and I hope you'll come over for a chat.

Lu Xueqi

Jiang Xiaochuan stared at the note, speechless for a long time. Lu Xueqi? She wanted to meet him? Tonight? At the back mountain?

Countless thoughts raced through his mind. What did she want from him? Was she going to beat him up? Or something else...? He shook his head, too afraid to think about it.

He stuffed the note into his pocket and continued cutting bamboo. But his mind was no longer on the bamboo.

He would slash once, then pause, his mind filled with Lu Xueqi's face. The way she reached out and said, "Can we get to know each other?" The way she held his hand tightly, the way she tripped him, made him fall, and then caught him again.

He was distracted during dinner. Tian Ling'er put food on his plate, but he didn't react. Tian Ling'er poked him.

"What are you thinking about?"

"N-nothing." Jiang Xiaochuan quickly ate his rice.

"Did Lu Xueqi contact you?" Tian Ling'er suddenly asked.

Jiang Xiaochuan choked on a mouthful of food and coughed for a long time.

Tian Ling'er's face darkened. "She really contacted you?"

“No, no…”

"You're lying to me." Tian Ling'er stared at him. "You stutter when you lie."

Jiang Xiaochuan: "..."

He put down the bowl, took out a slip of paper from his pocket, and handed it to her. Tian Ling'er took it, glanced at it, and her face turned pale.

"You're not allowed to go," she said, crumpling the note into a ball.

Why?

"She's up to no good," Tian Ling'er said. "She invited you to the back mountain so late at night; she must have some ulterior motive."

"What kind of conspiracy could there be..." Jiang Xiaochuan said softly.

"What if she wants to harm you?" Tian Ling'er said. "What if she wants to... wants to..."

"What do you want?"

Tian Ling'er couldn't bring herself to say it. Her mind was filled with images from her past life. Lu Xueqi and Jiang Xiaochuan stood on the Rainbow Bridge. The moonlight was beautiful, and the wind was gentle. He leaned on Lu Xueqi's shoulder, and he had his arm around her waist.

She bit her lip. "You're not allowed to go. If you go, I'll tell my father."

Jiang Xiaochuan panicked. "Senior sister, this isn't right. I haven't agreed to her yet, but breaking a promise is still..."

"You haven't agreed to her yet?" Tian Ling'er's eyes lit up. "That's perfect, don't agree."

"But……"

"No buts." Tian Ling'er stood up. "I'll go burn the note. Just pretend you didn't see it."

She turned and left. Jiang Xiaochuan tried to stop her, but couldn't.