Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

That evening, Tian Ling'er came again. She brought over a bowl of sweet soup and watched Jiang Xiaochuan drink it all.

"Go to sleep early," she said. "I'll practice with you tomorrow night."

Jiang Xiaochuan lay down and closed his eyes. Tian Ling'er sat by the bed, watching him. She watched him for a long time until his breathing became steady, then she got up and tiptoed out.

She closed the door, stood in the yard, and looked towards the direction of the back mountain.

Lu Xueqi. She's here again.

This time, she would not let her succeed.

Jiang Xiaochuan was sleeping soundly.

Little White lay down beside him and opened its eyes. It looked at Jiang Xiaochuan's face, then looked up at the window. The moonlight was bright outside, and the bamboo forest rustled.

It heard Tian Ling'er's footsteps as she left; they were very light, but very hurried.

Little White smiled, a very slight smile. It lowered its head, leaned close to Jiang Xiaochuan's ear, and gently blew a breath. Jiang Xiaochuan hummed softly in his sleep, turned over, and slept even more soundly.

Then Little White moved.

A flash of white light appeared, and a woman appeared.

The woman sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Jiang Xiaochuan. She reached out and tucked the blanket around him, then lay down on her side and wrapped her arms around him.

One leg was draped over his waist.

It was a very familiar position. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

As for the two on the back hill... they're none of her concern for now. There's still a long way to go.

Deep in the bamboo forest on the back mountain.

Moonlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. A breeze blew, causing the shadows to sway like ghostly hands.

A figure in moonlight white stood in the open space, her back to the way she had come. She stood very straight, like a bamboo stalk. In her hand she held a wooden sword, the tip of which dipped to the ground.

Lu Xueqi.

She heard footsteps and a smile curved her lips. She didn't turn around; her voice was soft and gentle.

"Senior Brother Jiang, you've arrived."

The footsteps stopped.

Then came a voice, somewhat sarcastic.

"It's me. Are you disappointed?"

Lu Xueqi's smile froze. She turned around and saw Tian Ling'er standing in the moonlight, her red dress like fire, her eyes glaring at her, burning with passion.

Lu Xueqi's expression changed instantly.

The moonlight was very white, like water splashed on the ground. The shadows of the bamboo leaves were broken into pieces, and when the wind blew, those shadows swayed, as if they had come alive.

Lu Xueqi turned around and looked at Tian Ling'er. The gentleness on her face faded away like the receding tide, leaving only a thin layer of frost. Her fingers tightened around the wooden sword, her knuckles turning white in the moonlight.

"It's you," she said, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.

"It's me." Tian Ling'er took a step forward, shattering the moonlight beneath her feet. "Disappointed?"

Lu Xueqi didn't speak. She looked at Tian Ling'er, her eyes dark and deep, like two wells, bottomless. Tian Ling'er felt a little uneasy under her gaze, but she straightened her chest and glared back defiantly.

The two stood there, three steps apart. A breeze blew, causing Lu Xueqi's clothes to flutter and Tian Ling'er's ponytail to sway. The bamboo leaves rustled, like whispers among themselves.

"What about him?" Lu Xueqi finally asked.

"She's asleep," Tian Ling'er said. "I put her to sleep."

Lu Xueqi's eyelashes trembled. "You stopped him?"

"So what if I am?" Tian Ling'er raised her chin. "What are you planning to do, inviting someone to the back mountain so late at night?"

"It's none of your business."

"How can it be unrelated?" Tian Ling'er's voice rose. "He's my junior brother!"

"Just a junior brother?" Lu Xueqi asked, her voice very soft, but like a needle piercing Tian Ling'er's ear.

Tian Ling'er's face flushed instantly. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but then stopped. She glared at Lu Xueqi, who was also looking at her, her eyes as calm as a frozen lake.

"What exactly do you want?" Tian Ling'er gritted her teeth and changed the subject.

"I told you, this has nothing to do with you."

"I won't leave until you tell me." Tian Ling'er sat down on a large rock next to her, determined not to leave.

Lu Xueqi stared at her for a long time. Then she suddenly smiled. It was a very faint smile, the corners of her mouth curving slightly, but there was no joy in her eyes.

"Tian Ling'er," she said, calling her by her full name for the first time, "Who do you think you are?"

Tian Ling'er was taken aback.

"You think you can keep an eye on him forever?" Lu Xueqi took a step forward, her moon-white Taoist robe billowing in the wind. "You think you can stop him?"

"I..." Tian Ling'er stood up, "At least I wouldn't be like you, asking people out late at night, I don't know what your intentions are!"

"Then what do you think I'm up to?" Lu Xueqi took another step forward, now only two steps away from Tian Ling'er. She could see the fire in Tian Ling'er's eyes and hear her rapid breathing. The moonlight shone on Tian Ling'er's face, her still chubby cheeks flushed red with anger, her eyes frighteningly bright.

"I..." Tian Ling'er couldn't speak. What could she say? That she came to steal him away? That she came to seduce him? These words stuck in her throat, burning and bitter.

Seeing her embarrassed expression, Lu Xueqi laughed again. This time, the laughter came out, a short, sharp sound, like the wind rustling through the bamboo tips.

"You're scared," she said.

"I don't!"

"You are," Lu Xueqi said. "You're afraid I'll get close to him, afraid I'll talk to him, afraid I'll... take him away from him."

Tian Ling'er jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "You're talking nonsense!"

"Whether it's nonsense or not, you know in your heart." Lu Xueqi's voice was still so calm, but every word was like a stone, hitting Tian Ling'er's heart. "Tian Ling'er, let me tell you, he is not yours."

"He's not yours!"

"Not now," Lu Xueqi said, looking at Tian Ling'er with a calm and determined gaze. "It will be in the future."

Tian Ling'er's mind went blank. She looked at Lu Xueqi, at that impossibly exquisite face, at those unfathomable eyes. Suddenly, she felt cold, a cold that seeped into her very bones. She remembered her past life, remembered Lu Xueqi standing beside Jiang Xiaochuan, remembered them holding hands, remembered them smiling at each other.

Those images were like knives, scraping at her heart again and again.

"You..." Tian Ling'er's voice trembled, "What right do you have?"

"As I please," Lu Xueqi said, her tone calm but with an undeniable air of authority. "As I want to be."

"You wish!" Tian Ling'er blurted out. "Let me tell you, Lu Xueqi, I won't let you succeed this time! Absolutely not!"

The words were out of their mouths when both of them were stunned.

The bamboo grove fell silent. The wind stopped, and the bamboo leaves fell still. The moonlight shone on the ground, a pale, stark white.

Lu Xueqi stared at Tian Ling'er, her eyes narrowing little by little. Her fingers traced the wooden sword, very slowly, one stroke at a time.

"This life?" She repeated the three words, her voice very soft, but it exploded in Tian Ling'er's ears like a thunderclap.

Tian Ling'er's face turned pale instantly. She took a step back, her foot stepping on a dry twig, which cracked loudly in the silence.

"I...I..." she stammered.

Lu Xueqi took a step forward, then another. She stood very close to Tian Ling'er, close enough that Tian Ling'er could smell the cool fragrance emanating from her and see her own reflection in her pupils—small and flustered.

"What did you just say?" Lu Xueqi asked, her voice low, almost a whisper, "This life? What does that mean?"

Tian Ling'er opened her mouth, unable to speak. Her mind was blank, with only two words echoing in her mind: Oh no, oh no, I let it slip.

Lu Xueqi looked at her pale face, her trembling lips, and the panic that couldn't be hidden in her eyes. Something slowly sank into her heart, while something else rose to the surface. A thought, absurd yet perfectly reasonable.

"You..." Lu Xueqi's voice trembled slightly, "You too..."

Tian Ling'er shook her head violently. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

She tried to run, turned around, but her feet felt like they were nailed to the ground, unable to move. Lu Xueqi's hand rested on her shoulder, not with much force, but very steady. Tian Ling'er could feel the warmth of her palm, which burned through her thin clothes, making her shiver.

"Let go!" Tian Ling'er struggled.

Lu Xueqi wouldn't let go. She stared at Tian Ling'er, her eyes unblinking. "Answer me. You're back too, aren't you?"

"What do you mean, 'come back'? I don't know!"

"You know." Lu Xueqi's hand tightened. "You just said, in this life. What else do you know? How much do you know?"

Tian Ling'er fell silent. She bit her lip until it bled, the blood oozing out and tasting salty.

She looked at Lu Xueqi, and Lu Xueqi looked at her. There was so much in both of their eyes, churning and colliding, before finally settling into a complex, indescribable emotion.