Transmigrating into the world of Jade Dynasty, I was targeted by the female lead in a reverse romanc

When Biyao woke up, her first feeling was warmth.

The second feeling was that I was holding something tightly, so tightly that if I let go, I would fall into an abyss.

She slowly opened her eyes.

My vision was still a little blurry. After a few breaths, I could see clearly that there was a piece of black, rough fabric in front of me, and a clean, slightly cool scent lingered around my nose.

She looked up.

Jiang Xiaochuan had his eyes closed, seemingly still asleep, but his brows were slightly furrowed and his breathing was steady. She was nestled in his arms, her arms wrapped around his waist and her face pressed against his chest.

She didn't let go immediately, but remained quietly in that position, watching him for a long while.

Fragments of last night's memories flooded back: the dark cave, the cold stones, her mother's gradually weakening voice, and... that hand. Her body trembled almost imperceptibly as she hugged the person in her arms tighter, as if only in this way could she dispel the chill seeping from her very bones.

Jiang Xiaochuan had actually woken up when she did. He didn't move, and didn't know how to move, until he felt the body in his arms tremble slightly again. Only then did he sigh and open his eyes.

The two looked into each other's eyes. Biyao's eyes were still red and swollen, with lingering fear and tears, but they had regained their clarity as she quietly looked at him.

"You're awake," Jiang Xiaochuan said, his voice a little dry. He tried to move, but Biyao was still holding him, so he didn't struggle.

"Mmm." Biyao responded, without letting go, and pressed her face against his chest again.

Silence filled the stone chamber. After a long while, Jiang Xiaochuan finally asked in a low voice:

"Why...why are you telling me all this?"

Biyao didn't answer immediately. She buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled, carrying a hint of vulnerability and dependence:

"Because I'm scared."

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback.

"I'm afraid you'll never come back... I'm afraid that when I wake up, I'll be alone again, lying in the dark, waiting to die."

Biyao's voice was soft, but it struck Jiang Xiaochuan's heart like a heavy hammer. "I don't know... if I'll be so lucky next time that someone will come to save me... or, wait for another piece of 'flesh'."

She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears, but she held them back.

"I know those things are dirty, horrible... If I tell you, you might hate me even more, think I'm a monster... But I can't help it. Here, it's just you. I'm scared... scared that even you will leave me."

Jiang Xiaochuan's throat moved, as if he wanted to say something, but all the words were stuck in his chest, heavy and suffocating him. He looked into her eyes, which were trying to hold back tears, and into the unfathomable fear and loneliness within them. Finally, he managed to utter only a few words with difficulty:

"...Good and evil cannot coexist."

Biyao blinked, and a tear finally rolled down her cheek, unable to be held back. She forced a smile, a self-deprecating one that was even uglier than a grimace.

"I know."

Three words, light and airy, yet seemingly uttered with all her strength.

She knew, she always knew, ever since he was a disciple of Qingyun and she was the daughter of the Ghost King. From their first encounter under the moon at Shanhaiyuan, to their life-or-death battle in the Abyss of Death, and then to their daily interactions in this Blood Cave, she had always known.

Knowing something and being able to do it are two different things.

Another long silence followed. Suddenly, Biyao said softly, "Could you...sing that song we sang at Shanhaiyuan last time...what's it called, 'Zhu Xian'?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback, not expecting her to bring this up suddenly. He was silent for a moment, then began to hum softly, without accompaniment, only his slightly hoarse voice echoing low in the empty, silent stone chamber:

"I awoke in the dead of night, dreaming of my childhood village... My eyes were heavy with sleep, and my pillow was soaked with tears... I only regret that I was too dull in my youth... I didn't understand fate... I picked up my pen and fan to write down my regrets... I took up my sword and traversed the mortal world in this life... But with just one turn, I was drunk on your lips again..."

He sang slowly, the lyrics flowing from his lips with a strange sense of melancholy and tenderness that he himself was unaware of.

Biyao listened quietly, resting her face on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

"Today I'll drink a cup of sorrow, I won't leave until I'm drunk... Tomorrow, let anyone come to the city gates, even if it's a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire... What do people say about good and evil... I will never let go of your hand... In this life, I've loved and hated, right and wrong... If we meet again in the next life, I'll still be with you... Swallows fly over Qingyun Mountain, you fly past my fingertips..."

The music ended, its lingering notes dissipating into the stone walls. Biyao, still with her eyes closed, leaned on his shoulder. After a long while, she softly asked:

"Why... is it called that 'Zhu Xian' thing?"

"Dream of Zhu Xian," Jiang Xiaochuan said.

"So why is it called 'Dream of Immortal Slayer'?" Biyao pressed.

Jiang Xiaochuan fell silent. Why? Was he supposed to say that this was just the theme song of a game with the same name from his original world? That explanation was meaningless here.

His silence didn't prompt Biyao to press further. She simply hugged him tighter, her voice soft, like a murmur in a dream:

"Fine... dying here with you like this... doesn't seem so bad."

Jiang Xiaochuan froze, and almost immediately retorted, "We won't die. Neither you nor I will."

Biyao didn't respond to his words. She kept her eyes closed, and as if talking to herself, softly recited a line from a song: 'What do people say about good and evil? I will never let go of your hand… Will you let go of me?'

Jiang Xiaochuan's breath hitched. He opened his mouth, wanting to say "It's just lyrics," wanting to say "We are different," wanting to say so much.

But all his words crumbled before her tightly closed eyes, her eyelashes still damp with tears, and in the end, he simply remained silent.

A long silence hung between them, heavier than the dimness of the stone chamber.

After an unknown amount of time, Biyao's voice rang out again, softly, yet carrying a stubborn insistence on an answer:

"Jiang Xiaochuan... will you abandon me?"

can you?

After leaving the Blood Cave, after returning to the human world where good and evil are in direct conflict, and after being forced to confront each other's identities and positions once again.

Will you still let me get close, give me warmth, listen to my painful past, hold me and sing to me when I'm scared, just like you do now?

Or will you let go, turn around, point your sword at my throat, and say, "Witch, die?"

Jiang Xiaochuan fell silent, and remained silent for a very long time.

Just when Biyao thought he wouldn't answer, or that the silence itself was the answer, he suddenly spoke, his voice terribly hoarse:

"...Why don't you join our Qingyun Sect?"

Biyao suddenly opened her eyes and stared at him in astonishment.

Jiang Xiaochuan didn't look at her, his gaze fixed on the dark rock ceiling above him. He spoke quickly, as if he had thought about it a thousand times before, or as if he had hastily woven a fragile dream on a whim:

"I can... vouch for you with my life. I'll beg the sect leader and my master. You... you have great talent and a good heart, but... you were born into a family you couldn't control. The Qingyun Sect is the leader of the righteous path in the world, and its tolerance is actually... actually quite good. There, you don't have to live such a tiring life, you don't have to carry so much burden, everything can be... very simple and easy."

He even began to fantasize, his tone filled with an unrealistic, almost naive eagerness: "You can live on Little Bamboo Peak, or Big Bamboo Peak will do too. Little Bamboo Peak is all female disciples, quiet, suitable for you. Big Bamboo Peak is more lively, with a master and mistress, senior and junior brothers, and Little Grey... Although it's a bit strange, it won't hurt you. You can cultivate every day, read books, bask in the sun, do whatever you want... No need for fighting, no need for scheming, no need for..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Xiaochuan was stunned. What was he saying? Let the young lady of the Ghost King Sect join the Qingyun Sect? The idea was so absurd that he wanted to laugh, but his eyes welled up even more.