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

When Jiang Xiaochuan woke up, his first feeling was a splitting headache, as if it was about to burst open. His second feeling was that his limbs were stiff and he could not move.

He struggled to open his eyes, his vision was blurry, and it took him a while to clear them.

Above him were unfamiliar, rough wooden beams, and beneath him was a hard wooden bed covered with a thin, half-new quilt that smelled of soap.

He turned his head and saw Biyao sitting on the stool by the bed, quietly watching him.

She changed into a clean, light green dress, combed her hair again, and washed her face, regaining her usual lively and pretty appearance.

His eyes were complicated, carrying a hint of weariness, and also something... that he couldn't understand.

"Awake?" Biyao asked, her voice calm.

Jiang Xiaochuan was still a little dazed. He subconsciously tried to move, but found that his hands and feet were tightly bound to the bedpost by a dark golden rope of some unknown material.

The rope wasn't thick, but it was exceptionally strong. No matter how hard he struggled, it wouldn't budge. Instead, it tightened more and more, making his skin ache.

He suddenly came to his senses, remembering the white light and strange fragrance before he lost consciousness, and he thought of Biyao.

"You...you ambushed me?!"

Biyao didn't deny it, she just looked at him.

"Biyao! I saved you, after all! In the Dripping Blood Cave, right at the mouth of the Black Water Serpent! And you repay kindness with enmity?!" Jiang Xiaochuan's chest heaved with anger, and he struggled even harder, his wrists and ankles burning red from the rope.

Biyao watched him struggle quietly, and only spoke calmly when his strength had weakened slightly: "You said that good and evil cannot coexist."

Jiang Xiaochuan choked, a breath stuck in his chest, and he almost passed out.

He glared at her, his eyes practically spitting fire, but he didn't know how to retort.

He did say those words, just a few hours ago, on that meadow.

Just then, the door creaked open, and a tall, elegant figure in a purple robe slowly walked in.

The Ghost King walked to the bedside, his gaze falling on Jiang Xiaochuan with scrutiny and a hint of inquiry.

Jiang Xiaochuan also looked at him, and their eyes met. Jiang Xiaochuan felt a chill in his heart. This man's aura was as deep as the sea, and just standing there, he gave people an invisible, heavy sense of oppression.

But he didn't show any fear on his face. Instead, he twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that was both roguish and mocking:

"Oh, Senior Ghost King. I saved your daughter, and instead of giving you a hundred or two taels of silver as a reward, why are you tying me up? If word gets out, it might not be good for your reputation, sir."

A flicker of surprise crossed the Ghost King's eyes. This kid actually guessed his identity at a glance? And he remained so calm, even daring to tease him? He raised an eyebrow slightly: "How did you know I was the Ghost King?"

"Just a feeling," Jiang Xiaochuan said casually, trying to sit up, but he was tied up tightly and could only awkwardly look up at the person. "Besides, who else could have such an air of authority besides the Ghost King Sect Master?"

The Ghost King remained noncommittal, looking at him, and suddenly said, "Your talent is exceptional, and your character is extraordinary. Staying in the Azure Cloud Sect will only make you an ordinary disciple, burying your talent. Why not join my Ghost King Sect? I can take you as my personal disciple and teach you the supreme Dao. One day, the position of Vice Sect Master of the Ghost King Sect will not be a pipe dream. Wouldn't that be a hundred times better than staying in the Azure Cloud Sect?"

Jiang Xiaochuan clicked his tongue, his expression exaggerated: "No, no, no, Senior Ghost King, I'm doing quite well at Qingyun Sect. I bask in the sun every day, look at... uh, the scenery, play with the monkeys, and live a carefree life. Why would I want to go to your Ghost King Sect, where there's fighting and scheming all day long? It's so tiring."

The Ghost King smiled knowingly: "Isn't my daughter better than those...scenery? You two shared life and death in the Dripping Blood Cave, spending every day together, your feelings for each other are deep. If you could marry, wouldn't that be a beautiful story?"

Jiang Xiaochuan subconsciously looked at Biyao.

Biyao was also looking at him, her eyes filled with anticipation and nervousness. She was indeed beautiful, lively and vibrant, sometimes arrogant, sometimes fragile, and sometimes with a touch of cunning gentleness.

In the dark and gloomy Dripping Blood Cave, holding her cold and trembling body, listening to her cry as she recounted her dark past, he couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart, and... a little bit of inappropriate thoughts.

But it was only a little bit. In that desperate situation, a lone man and woman depended on each other for survival. Even if the person next to them was a dog, they would develop feelings for it after spending a long time together. But that wasn't love, at least not entirely.

He knew Biyao's ending, knew the love curse, knew the Hehuan Bell, and knew that she would lie there for ten years in the end.

He knew he shouldn't, and couldn't, develop any more feelings for her; it would hurt her and... throw his own heart into turmoil.

"Senior Ghost King," Jiang Xiaochuan withdrew his gaze, looked at the Ghost King, and spoke more seriously.

"In such a confined place, with only two people, it's inevitable that some special feelings will develop over time. But that shouldn't be taken seriously. It's like... like a dog, if it's kept in captivity for too long, it will wag its tail at the person who feeds it. So, senior, please let me go, considering that I did save your daughter. It wouldn't sound good if word got out that you, the dignified sect leader of the Ghost King Sect, attacked a junior."

Biyao listened in silence until she heard "like a dog." Her body trembled violently, her face paled instantly, her lips pressed tightly together, and her nails dug deeply into her palms as she held her hands at her sides.

The Ghost King's smile faded, and he looked at Jiang Xiaochuan with deep eyes. After a long while, he slowly said, "I will not make a move against you."

Jiang Xiaochuan had just breathed a sigh of relief.

"But my daughter," the Ghost King changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Biyao, "is not necessarily true."

After saying that, he didn't say anything more, turned around and walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Only Jiang Xiaochuan and Biyao remained in the room. The air seemed to freeze, so heavy it was hard to breathe.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at Biyao's face, which was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water, and alarm bells went off in his mind. He was all too familiar with this expression; every time she showed this expression, nothing good ever came of it.

Sure enough, Biyao suddenly raised her head. Her eyes quickly welled up with tears, which then rolled down her pale cheeks without warning, leaving dark, damp stains on her light green dress.

She looked at him, tears streaming down her face, her voice choked with sobs, trembling as she asked:

"You... hate me that much?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was stunned, his mind buzzing.

In the dripping blood cave, she cried because of those dark past events; he felt sorry for her, but knew how to deal with it. But this crying now… what's going on?

"No, no!" he hurriedly denied, his voice trembling with anxiety. "I don't hate you! I..."

"Then why did you call me a dog?!"

Biyao cried even harder, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls: "Am I like a dog in your heart?! Summoned at will and dismissed at will, and any affection you have is just because you've been locked up for so long?! Jiang Xiaochuan! Do you have no heart at all?!"

"I..." Jiang Xiaochuan opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but he didn't know where to begin. He said those words to sever ties and get the Ghost King to let him go. He didn't mean to hurt her, but now it seems... the opposite has happened.

"Tell me! You said you don't hate me! Then do you like me? Even a little bit, just a tiny bit, in the Bleeding Cave, did you ever...like me even a little bit?"

Biyao took a step closer, staring at him through teary eyes, demanding an answer.

Jiang Xiaochuan's throat went dry. Looking at her tearful eyes, his mind was in turmoil. Was there? When he held her trembling body in the darkness, when she fell asleep against him, when she smiled and said, "I crave your body," when she stood in front of the stone wall of the Love Curse to protect him... wasn't there?

He didn't know, he really didn't know; the feeling was too chaotic, too complicated...

Seeing the obvious struggle and confusion on his face, the light in Biyao's eyes dimmed little by little. Tears were still flowing, but the crying gradually stopped, leaving only silent, even more heartbreaking sobs.

Just then, the door was pushed open again, and Youji walked in. She immediately saw Biyao's face covered in tears and her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Then she saw Jiang Xiaochuan, who was tied up tightly on the bed and looked embarrassed and helpless. Her face instantly darkened and a cold light flashed in her eyes!

"Yao'er!" She strode to Biyao's side, gently pulling her behind her. Her gaze, sharp as ice blades, pierced Jiang Xiaochuan, her voice icy cold. "You brat! What did you do to Yao'er?!"

Seeing You Ji's posture, Jiang Xiaochuan was secretly pleased. "Good, just in time!" He had been wondering how to break this awkward and heavy situation!

"Yo, Senior Aunt You!" He immediately put on a grinning face. Although he was tied up and couldn't move, he could still move his mouth.

"What could I possibly do to your young lady? Look how tied me up like a dumpling, I couldn't do anything even if I wanted to! But your young lady ambushed me, tied me up, and even cried in front of me. Tell me, who's bullying whom here?"

Youji was so enraged by his shameless behavior that her face turned ashen, and a faint light flickered at her fingertips, clearly indicating her genuine anger: "You smooth talker! It seems I need to teach you a lesson so you won't know your place!"

"Aunt You! No!" Biyao hurriedly grabbed Youji's arm, standing in front of Jiang Xiaochuan's bed, and said urgently, "It's not his fault! It's...it's my fault!"

Seeing Biyao's protective attitude, Youji was even more furious. However, Biyao was desperately stopping her, so she couldn't really hurt Jiang Xiaochuan, for fear of hurting Biyao's feelings. For a moment, she froze, her chest heaving, her face turning ashen.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiaochuan became even more emboldened, adding fuel to the fire: "Oh dear, Senior Aunt You, please don't be angry! Getting angry is bad for your health! Look at you, so beautiful and with such a good temperament, you don't look good when you're angry! Although I can't see your face because it's covered, I can still tell you don't look good! Why don't you take off your veil and let me see just how beautiful you are? Maybe if I look at you for a while, I'll be willing to join the Ghost King Sect?"

"You...you scoundrel!" Youji had never been mocked so lightly, especially by a junior from Qingyun who was tied to the bed!

She was so angry that she trembled all over, and a dark light shone brightly from her fingertips. She was about to attack despite Biyao's attempts to stop her!

Biyao clung tightly to Youji's arm, using almost all her strength to drag her backward, while pleadingly looking at Jiang Xiaochuan with her eyes saying, "Please stop talking."

Jiang Xiaochuan reluctantly shut his mouth, but the smug "What can you do to me?" expression on his face made Youji grit her teeth.

……