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

"How can you not eat?" Wenmin stuffed the pancake into her hand.

"If Junior Brother Jiang comes back and sees that you've lost weight, he'll blame me, the senior sister of Little Bamboo Peak, for not taking good care of you."

Lu Xueqi held the pancake, neither eating it nor putting it down.

After a few seconds, she gave a soft "hmm," picked up the biscuit, took a small bite, and chewed slowly.

As Wenmin watched her eat, a pang of sadness welled up in her heart again. She remembered that Lu Xueqi wasn't like this a few days ago.

Although she was aloof, her eyes were bright, and she was radiant when practicing her sword. Ever since Jiang Xiaochuan fell into the Abyss of the Dead and disappeared without a trace, it was as if a part of her soul had been taken away from her. She was still alive, but her soul had drifted away to who knows where.

During the day, members of the Demonic Cult came to harass them again. Several groups of people, dressed in strange clothes and using malevolent magical weapons, fought with the righteous disciples on the mudflats and in the mountains.

Lu Xueqi rushed out with Tianya in her arms, and Wen Min couldn't stop her, so she could only follow.

Wenmin witnessed that battle firsthand.

Lu Xueqi was like a completely different person. The light of the Tianya Sword was so bright it was blindingly blue, and blood and flesh flew everywhere it passed. Her moves were fierce and ruthless, and she had completely lost her usual restraint.

A disciple of the demonic sect tried to ambush her from the side and behind, but she turned around and cleaved him and his magical weapon in two with a single sword strike.

Blood splattered on half of her body, staining her moon-white Taoist robe with spots, but she didn't even blink before turning around and attacking another person.

After entering and exiting seven times, Tianya was saturated with blood, its blue light now tinged with red.

The members of the Demonic Sect were terrified and dared not advance for a moment. It was not until her senior uncle Cangsong gave the order that she returned with her sword. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were frighteningly empty.

Back in the cave, the first thing she did was find the spear, hug it to her chest, sit in a corner, and remain silent.

Wenmin knew that she wasn't trying to show off or vent her anger; she was just afraid—afraid that if she stopped, she would have a moment to think, afraid that the "what if" in her mind would come true.

So you have to kill, you have to keep killing until you're exhausted, until your mind goes blank, just to barely get through the day.

"Eat slowly," Wenmin said again, watching her mechanically chew the biscuit.

Lu Xueqi stopped, glanced at Wen Min with a faint look of confusion in her eyes, then nodded and slowed down.

She suddenly asked, "Senior sister, what does it feel like to like someone?"

Wenmin was taken aback, and then her face flushed.

"It's just..." she thought for a moment, her voice soft.

"When you don't see him, you miss him; when you do see him, you get nervous. When he smiles, you want to smile too; when he frowns, you worry. You want to save all the good things for him and shield him from all the bad things."

Lu Xueqi listened quietly, and only after Wen Min finished speaking did she give a very soft "Oh".

"Then," she asked again, "what if he... has someone else in his heart?"

Wenmin's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Lu Xueqi, who was also looking at her with clear, emotionless eyes, as if asking, "How's the weather today?"

"Xueqi," Wenmin carefully chose her words, "You can't force matters of the heart. If he really has someone else in his heart, then... then you should also think about yourself."

"I've thought about it," Lu Xueqi said calmly. "I've made up my mind."

"What have you decided?"

Lu Xueqi didn't answer. She lowered her head and continued stroking the gun in her arms. After a long while, she spoke in a very soft but clear voice:

He's mine.

Wenmin was stunned.

Looking at Lu Xueqi's lowered profile, her features were clearly defined in the dim light, her chin slightly tucked in, exuding an undeniable stubbornness. She suddenly realized that her junior sister was perhaps much more stubborn and... much more resolute than she had imagined.

Lu Xueqi stopped talking. She hugged her gun, leaned against the stone wall, and closed her eyes. Wen Min looked at her, sighed, and didn't say anything more, just sat with her.

Silence returned to the cave, broken only by the sound of dripping water, patter, patter.

Lu Xueqi closed her eyes, but her mind was unusually clear. She remembered the edge of the Abyss of the Dead, when he rushed over and hugged the woman in green, remembered how he tightened his arms, rested his chin on the woman's shoulder, and said, "Give it to me." She remembered the woman lying softly in his arms, her face as red as the sunset.

It felt like something had twisted her heart so hard that she couldn't breathe.

But then she remembered something from even earlier, on the Rainbow Bridge, when he smiled and said to her, "With no woman in your heart, you can draw your sword with divine power."

She remembered the candy he repeatedly gave her, the ugly sword tassel, and the jade bracelet and hairpin he casually gave her...

I recalled those words from Kongsang Mountain: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

She recalled how, as they fell into the Abyss of the Dead, he held her tightly, shielding her with his body, and said, "Don't be afraid."

Finally, he used a gun to bring her up and drew the words "All is well" on the ground.

"Liar," she thought to herself, but her eyes were getting hot.

She hugged the gun tightly to her chest, the cold barrel pressed against her skin, where her heart was beating steadily, one beat at a time.

But she knew that her heart had been racing the moment she saw him jump into the Abyss of the Dead.

Never go back.

She exhaled softly.

That's fine, she thought.

If you come back, that would be best. If you don't come back... I will look for you. I will find you in heaven and earth, in the deepest hell.

Wenmin felt even worse. She stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and looked at the gloomy sky outside and the leaden-gray clouds rolling across the sea.

Junior Brother Jiang, you must... take good care of yourself.

She silently prayed to herself, not only for Junior Sister Xueqi, but also for others...

You absolutely must come back.

……

The cave where Dazhu Peak lived was not far from Xiaozhu Peak. The cave was smaller and housed Tian Buyi, Su Ru, Tian Ling'er, Zhang Xiaofan, and several other Dazhu Peak disciples who had come with them.

Tian Ling'er sat on a rock at the cave entrance, resting her chin on her hand, gazing in the direction of Little Bamboo Peak for a long time. Today she was wearing a sparkly dress, which stood out against the gray rocks, but her face was expressionless.

Tian Buyi came out of the cave and saw his daughter's appearance. He frowned on his chubby face and walked over.

"What are you looking at?"

Tian Ling'er snapped out of her daze, called out "Father," then rested her chin on her hand and muttered, "Look over there, Senior Sister Lu."

Tian Buyi sat down next to her and glanced in the direction of Xiaozhu Peak.

"Worried about that kid?"

Tian Ling'er remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"That kid's got a tough life." Tian Buyi snorted, his tone harsh, but a hint of worry lurked in his eyes.

"Didn't you send a message last time saying everything was fine?"

"That was so long ago!" Tian Ling'er turned her head, her eyes a little red.

"So many days have passed! Not a single word! Father, do you think he might... might have already been taken by the Demonic Sect...?"

"Nonsense!" Tian Buyi retorted. "That kid is as slippery as an eel. His cultivation isn't much, but his survival skills are quite impressive! Besides, why would the Ghost King Sect want to capture him? What value does a mere fourth-level Jade Purity disciple have? If they wanted to kill him, they would have done so long ago. Why keep him around to deliver messages?"

Tian Ling'er's eyes reddened even more after her father yelled at her, but she bit her lip to keep the tears from falling.

She knew her father was right, but she was still panicked and scared. These days, she kept having dreams at night, in which he was covered in blood, calling her "Senior Sister Ling'er," and then he turned into a light in front of her and disappeared. Every time, she would wake up screaming, covered in cold sweat.

Su Ru came out of the cave, carrying a wooden tray with several bowls of congee and a dish of pickled vegetables on it.

Seeing the father and daughter's appearance, she sighed softly and placed the wooden tray on a flat stone beside them.

"Ling'er, come and have something to eat." Su Ru said gently as she walked over and put her arm around her daughter's shoulder. "Your father is right. Xiao Chuan... he will definitely be safe. We must believe in him."

Tian Ling'er nestled into her mother's arms, inhaling the familiar and comforting scent emanating from her mother, and finally couldn't hold back her tears.

"Mother...I'm scared..."

Su Ru gently patted her back, her gaze drifting towards Xiaozhu Peak. Beneath that gentleness lay a deep, unseen undercurrent of emotion.

That child… she watched him grow up. He was practically like a son to her, no… Su Ru closed her eyes.

"Don't worry," Su Ru's voice softened, as if she were coaxing Tian Ling'er when she was little. "Xiao Chuan is very clever and will definitely be able to turn bad luck into good. Maybe right now, he's thinking of a way to get back."

Tian Ling'er nodded in her mother's arms and slowly stopped crying.

She raised her head, wiped away her tears, and looked at Zhang Xiaofan, who had been standing silently at the cave entrance.

"Xiao Fan, don't worry too much," Tian Ling'er said, her voice still nasal.

Zhang Xiaofan turned around, still holding the dark blue Abyss Thunder Sword in his hand.

He nodded, his face expressionless, but the knuckles of his fingers gripping the sword were slightly white.

Isn't he worried? He's more worried than anyone else.

It was Senior Brother Jiang who introduced him to the sect, taught him the techniques, and patted him on the shoulder when everyone looked down on him, saying, "You're something else."

It was Senior Brother Jiang who found him this sword and told him, "If you want it, just do it."

Senior Brother Jiang is the brightest light in his heart, and he is the reason why he perseveres.

If something really happened to Senior Brother Jiang...

Zhang Xiaofan dared not think about it; he could only grip the sword tighter, as if that would allow him to grasp a sliver of hope.

Looking at the gloomy and dejected people in the cave, Tian Buyi felt irritable and somewhat powerless.

He stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and looked out at the gloomy sea and sky.

Hey kid, where are you...?

……

The night was deeper.

Liubo Mountain sank into a deep silence, with only the monotonous, dull, and never-ending sound of waves crashing against the rocks.

Lu Xueqi, clutching her gun, leaned against the cold stone wall and fell asleep.

She slept restlessly, her brows furrowed and her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

In my dream, it was the Rainbow Bridge over Tongtian Peak.

The colorful light flowed silently beneath my feet, so beautiful it seemed unreal.

Jiang Xiaochuan stood on the other side of the bridge, dressed in a jet-black outfit that made his skin appear even whiter.

He waved to her with his usual smile on his face.

"Xueqi!"

He called her name, his voice clear and bright, with a smile in it.

Lu Xueqi stood on this side of the bridge, looking at him, without moving.

Her heart was pounding, and something was pounding wildly in her left chest, making her eardrums buzz.

Jiang Xiaochuan waited for a while, and seeing that she didn't move, he walked over by himself. His steps were light and quick, and he made little noise on the glass bridge.

He walked up to her, stopped, and stood very close. She could smell his clean, sun-kissed scent.

"What are you daydreaming about?" he said with a smile, reaching out and gently brushing the tip of her nose with his fingers.

Their actions were intimate and natural, as if they had done it a thousand times before.

Lu Xueqi stiffened, but did not flinch. She raised her eyes and looked at his face, which was so close to hers, and at his smiling, clear eyes.

"you……"

She opened her mouth, wanting to ask "Where did you go?" and "Are you alright?", but her throat felt blocked, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at her, his smile gradually fading, his gaze becoming very focused and gentle.

He raised his hand, this time not to scratch her nose, but to gently stroke her cheek, his warm palm soothing her slightly cool skin.

"Fool," he whispered, his voice filled with an emotion she had never heard before, an emotion so intense it was almost overwhelming. "Wait for me to come back."

Lu Xueqi's heart clenched painfully.

She wanted to say "I'll wait for you," and "You must come back," but she couldn't make a sound. She could only look at him, intently and greedily, wanting to etch his image into her very bones.

Jiang Xiaochuan smiled again, but this time there was something else in his smile, like helplessness and indulgence at the same time. He lowered his head and gently pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling and their temperatures mingling.

"Practice your swordsmanship diligently, eat well, and sleep well."

He spoke slowly and earnestly, word by word, "Don't make me worry."

Lu Xueqi's eyes welled up with tears, and something hot surged up inside her. She nodded vigorously, very strongly.

Jiang Xiaochuan seemed satisfied. He stepped back a little and gave her one last look. His eyes were as deep as the sea, churning with a myriad of emotions she couldn't understand.

Then he turned around and walked towards the other end of the Rainbow Bridge.

"Jiang Xiaochuan!" Lu Xueqi finally called out, her voice trembling.

Jiang Xiaochuan paused, but didn't turn around. He simply raised his hand and waved it behind him. His figure gradually blurred and faded in the colorful light, finally disappearing like mist.

"Jiang Xiaochuan!"

Lu Xueqi suddenly opened her eyes.

Before her were cold, rough stone walls, and the cave was pitch black. In her arms, the spear was still cold, and it hurt her chest.

There was no rainbow bridge, no flowing light, and no one who called her "silly" with a smile.

Only the ceaseless sound of the waves outside the cave and the deathly coldness deep within my left chest.

She slowly raised her hand and touched her cheek. Her fingertips touched something damp and cold.

It is tears.

She remained motionless, holding the gun, in the impenetrable darkness and solitude.

Only that one tear, following the curve of her cheek, slowly slid down, dripping onto the cold gun barrel, silently seeping in, and quickly swallowed by the deeper darkness.

Outside the cave, where the sea meets the sky, a faint, cold, fish-belly white light appears.

It was almost dawn.

……