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

"Jiang Xiaochuan..." Lu Xueqi's voice was muffled in the crook of his neck, thick with nasal tone and a sob that she tried hard to suppress but still managed to let slip, "Is this a dream?"

Jiang Xiaochuan's throat moved, and he said in a low voice, "It's not a dream, Senior Sister Lu, I'm back. I'm sorry to have made you...worried."

"Call me by my name," Lu Xueqi said immediately, her voice stubborn.

Jiang Xiaochuan remained silent.

"Call me by my name, Xiaochuan," she said again, lifting her head slightly from the crook of his neck and looking up at him.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, with lingering tears, yet her gaze was intensely bright, looking straight into his eyes.

Their eyes met, and the forced calm in her eyes finally shattered, revealing a torrent of emotions that almost overwhelmed him: worry, fear, the ecstasy of regaining what was lost, and something deeper that he couldn't quite make out.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at her pale face so close to his, at her reddened eyes, at her stubborn gaze, and felt a pang of sadness and tenderness in his heart, as if something had struck him hard.

He heard his own voice, a little dry, a little unfamiliar, as he whispered:

"Xueqi".

Lu Xueqi's body trembled almost imperceptibly. She looked at him for a long time, and then responded very softly but clearly, "Mm."

She paused, as if savoring the address, the corners of her mouth curving upwards very slightly before quickly smoothing them out, and she whispered, "It sounds so nice."

Jiang Xiaochuan was a little confused: "What... is there to like about this?"

"Don't worry about it," Lu Xueqi said, burying her face back in his shoulder and tightening her arms around him.

"These days, I keep having dreams."

"...What were you dreaming about?"

"Dream Rainbow Bridge. You stand at the other end, smiling at me. I walk over, and you disappear."

Jiang Xiaochuan was speechless for a moment. He wanted to say something to comfort him, but he felt that anything he said would be inadequate. In the end, he only whispered, "...It was just a dream."

"Was it a dream?" Lu Xueqi asked softly.

"Um."

"That's good."

The two stopped talking and simply held each other quietly. The bamboo leaves rustled, and the sea breeze blew through the bamboo gaps, bringing the faint sound of distant waves.

The pounding in Jiang Xiaochuan's left chest gradually subsided, but it was still clear, one beat after another, striking his consciousness, and seemingly striking her perception as well. Her heart was also beating fast, faintly echoing the rhythm in his chest through the fabric of his clothes.

After a long while, Lu Xueqi's voice rang out again, softly but with an undeniable resolve: "Promise me."

"...Promise what?"

"Next time, I absolutely cannot leave you alone again. If you die, I will never live on alone, absolutely not."

Jiang Xiaochuan's heart skipped a beat as he looked into her eyes.

There were no jokes, no probing, only an almost obsessive seriousness and determination. He opened his mouth, wanting to say "Don't talk nonsense," wanting to say "It's not worth it," but all the words stuck in his throat.

He couldn't agree, how could he agree? He didn't even know how long he would live, but she was different. She was Lu Xueqi, a once-in-a-century genius of the Qingyun Sect. She deserved a bright future and shouldn't be tied to him.

"Don't talk nonsense." He finally said, "You are the most outstanding disciple of Xiaozhu Peak. You will bring glory to Qingyun Sect in the future."

"That's for later," Lu Xueqi said immediately.

"It's the same now."

"Now," Lu Xueqi looked at him, her eyes unwavering, "I just want to look at you."

Jiang Xiaochuan fell silent. He looked away and gazed at the bamboo shadows swaying in the wind beside him, saying nothing.

Lu Xueqi stopped pressuring him and simply hugged him tightly again, pressing her face against his chest. This time she calmed down and just held him, as if to confirm his presence and his temperature.

After a while, she suddenly whispered, "Your body... is back to normal."

"Um?"

"Your temperature is normal now. Before... it was ice cold," Lu Xueqi said, her voice carrying a hint of doubt, but mostly reassurance. Warmth is always better than cold.

"Oh, I got a little stroke of luck," Jiang Xiaochuan mumbled.

Lu Xueqi hummed in agreement, not pressing for details. She looked up, reached out, and gently touched his swollen cheek with her fingertips. "What happened?"

"I bumped into it by accident."

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt."

Lu Xueqi's fingertips lingered on the swollen area of ​​his cheek for a moment, then she said very softly, "It hurts."

Jiang Xiaochuan fell silent again, a bitter feeling welling up inside him.

Hong Li's voice echoed deep in my mind, tinged with a lazy teasing: "Oh, what Little Bingbing said... is kind of sweet, isn't it? Kid, your heart is beating like a drum, I can hear it even through the door."

Jiang Xiaochuan ignored her. He felt the soft body in his arms and the back that seemed thinner than he remembered, and whispered, "You've lost weight."

Lu Xueqi did not respond.

"I'm sorry," Jiang Xiaochuan said again.

Lu Xueqi shook her head in his arms, her voice muffled: "I don't want your apology, I just want you... to be alright."

She still wouldn't let go. Jiang Xiaochuan felt a little helpless, yet also strangely attached to the warmth. He paused for a moment and said, "Xueqi, I have something... to tell you."

Lu Xueqi tightened her grip on his arm, nuzzled her face against his neck, and whispered, "Go on. I'm listening."

But she still showed no sign of letting go, as if he would disappear if she did.

Jiang Xiaochuan had no choice but to let her hold him and begin to tell her the story in a low voice.

He spoke slowly and carefully about the first volume of the Heavenly Book he saw on the stone wall of the Dripping Blood Cave, about the profound words and phrases, about the key points of the Ghost King Sect's basic cultivation techniques, and even about his vague understanding of a few sentences in the second volume of the Heavenly Book. He also talked about a rudimentary idea of ​​Qi circulation that he had vaguely figured out based on these, which seemed to be able to integrate the difference between righteous and demonic.

Lu Xueqi listened quietly, her face buried in his shoulder, motionless, only occasionally her eyelashes would gently brush against his neck.

The only sounds in the bamboo grove were his low, gentle narration and the rustling of the wind and leaves.

After speaking for an unknown amount of time, Jiang Xiaochuan finally finished and stopped.

The person in my arms remained motionless for a long time.

Jiang Xiaochuan waited a moment, then moved slightly.

"Xueqi?"

Lu Xueqi slowly raised her head. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were somewhat vacant, as if she was still immersed in those profound contents, or as if she was looking through him at something else.

She looked at him for a long time before speaking softly, her voice somewhat unsteady:

Why?

"...Why? Why?"

"Why?" Lu Xueqi looked at him, her gaze gradually focusing, his image reflected in her clear eyes. "Why are you telling me all this?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback. He scratched his head, recalling Lu Xueqi from the original story—a woman of extraordinary talent, aloofness, and tragic fate; her lonely figure practicing swordsmanship alone on the Moon Gazing Terrace; and her final moments…

He blurted out, "Because you deserve it."

Lu Xueqi was stunned. She looked at him with pure confusion in her eyes, and a very faint flutter that she herself did not even notice.

"Because I... am worth it?"

"Yes," Jiang Xiaochuan nodded, his tone matter-of-fact, "With your talent and high comprehension, if I tell you these things, you'll definitely understand them more deeply and your cultivation will advance greatly. Then..."

"That doesn't count."

Lu Xueqi interrupted him, shaking her head with a determined look in her eyes, "What's this about whether it's worth it or not? Senior Brother Qi, Junior Sister Tian, ​​Junior Brother Zhang... what about them? Why didn't you tell them?"

"Uh..." Jiang Xiaochuan was stumped by the question.

He racked his brains, thought for a moment, and said, "Because...because we're good friends!"

"No, that doesn't count." Lu Xueqi immediately denied it, her eyes clear and unyielding, refusing to be fooled. "Senior Brother Qi and the others are also your friends, why are you only telling me this?"

Jiang Xiaochuan let out an "Ah," then fell silent.

He looked at her face, so close to his, persistently asking questions, and at his own slightly embarrassed reflection in her clear eyes. His mind raced.

Finally, as if he had nothing to lose, he said, half-jokingly, "Because...because you have the best talent! Look, you've learned it, your cultivation has improved, and you've become the best in the world. So, as your...good friend, can't I just cling to your coattails and walk around the Qingyun Sect with my head held high?"

After he finished speaking, he felt that his reason was a bit far-fetched and was a little embarrassed, so he looked away.

Lu Xueqi was stunned. She looked at his slightly reddened ears and his forced self-righteousness that couldn't hide his guilt, and blinked.

Then, little by little, the corners of her mouth curved upwards into a very faint, yet incredibly genuine, arc. She didn't laugh out loud, but her entire demeanor softened instantly, and the stubborn questioning in her eyes melted away, transforming into something gentle and understanding.

"Okay," she said softly, her voice gentle, "Hold onto their legs. Walk sideways."

Jiang Xiaochuan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he had finally gotten through this hurdle. A relieved smile appeared on his face, and he was about to say something.

Lu Xueqi loosened her grip on him and took a small step back.

With his arms suddenly empty, the coolness of the sea breeze rushed in, and Jiang Xiaochuan felt a sense of emptiness in his heart as well.

Lu Xueqi stood a step away from him, quietly watching him. Then, she suddenly spoke, her voice calm, yet it made Jiang Xiaochuan's heart tighten:

"You smell like another woman."

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a chill run down his spine. He knew it was here. During the time he spent with Biyao in the Dripping Blood Cave and Black Stone Cave, and then eating and living together in Changhe City, and later in the Lonely Island Cave... his aura had probably already been tainted.

Tian Ling'er hugged him just now, but Lu Xueqi could clearly tell the difference.

His expression froze, his eyes darted around, and he chuckled dryly, "Perhaps it was Senior Sister Ling'er? Or perhaps Master's wife? Just now they were both..."

"Neither." Lu Xueqi interrupted him, her eyes clear and bright as she looked at him, as if trying to see into his heart. "It's something else, very faint, but... different."

Jiang Xiaochuan fell silent. He pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and stared at the soft, damp fallen leaves at his feet, feigning ignorance.

Lu Xueqi looked at him for a while, but didn't ask any further questions. She took half a step forward, got closer to him, and then reached out and lightly touched his lips with her fingertips.

My fingertips were slightly cool, with thin calluses.

Jiang Xiaochuan froze and looked up at her.

"Don't say it now," Lu Xueqi looked at him, her eyes deep, churning with emotions he couldn't understand, which eventually settled into a profound silence. "I... don't want to hear it."

She withdrew her fingers, the warmth of his lips still lingering on her fingertips.

The bamboo grove fell silent. Only the wind and the leaves could be heard.

The two stood facing each other, very close, able to feel each other's breath. Jiang Xiaochuan's left chest pounded, and in this close distance and silence, it became clearly audible.

After a while, Lu Xueqi raised her hand, holding the Tianya Divine Sword in its sheath. She placed the sword between the two of them and pointed to the faded, crookedly woven dark blue tassel on the hilt.

"It's too old," she said, her gaze shifting from the sword tassel to Jiang Xiaochuan's face. "I want a new one."

Jiang Xiaochuan stared blankly at the ugly sword tassel he had casually made and forced on her, then said, "I'll make you another one when we get back to Qingyun. There's no suitable thread here."

"Mm." Lu Xueqi responded, putting away Tianya, her gaze still fixed on him, "But remember this."

"I've got it." Jiang Xiaochuan nodded.

Lu Xueqi seemed satisfied. She looked at Jiang Xiaochuan, who felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze. Suddenly remembering something, he reached into his pocket (storage space) and pulled out two bright red candied hawthorns, each wrapped separately in oil paper.

He handed one over. He had bought it at Changhe City before and kept it.

Lu Xueqi stared at the candied hawthorn handed to her, paused for a moment, and then reached out to take it.

She peeled back the oil paper, revealing a glistening sugar shell. She lowered her head, took a small bite, and the sugar shell cracked between her teeth, making a soft, crisp sound.

"Sweet," she said, looking up at him.

Jiang Xiaochuan didn't say anything, he just watched her eat the candied hawthorn in small bites.

Under the moonlight, her cool and aloof features seemed to soften slightly by the vibrant red of the candied hawthorn, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved upwards slightly.

I peeled off the oil paper myself, took a bite, and the sweet and sour taste melted on my tongue.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

Lu Xueqi shook her head.

"Then... shall we go back to our cave? I'll have Xiao Fan make you some more."

Jiang Xiaochuan said, "His cooking skills are quite good; the pancakes and soup just now smelled pretty good."

Lu Xueqi shook her head again. She slowly ate the candied hawthorn, her gaze fixed on his face as if she couldn't get enough of looking at him.

"See you tomorrow," she said.

Jiang Xiaochuan paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay. See you tomorrow."

Lu Xueqi finished eating the last candied hawthorn and held the bamboo skewer in her hand.

She took another small step forward, so close that they could almost feel each other's body heat, and then she lowered her head slightly.

A light, quick kiss, carrying the sweet scent of candied hawthorn, landed on Jiang Xiaochuan's lips.

Instantly separate.

Jiang Xiaochuan froze on the spot, his eyes widened slightly, his mind went blank with a "boom", but the slightly cool and soft touch on his lips and the lingering sweetness were incredibly clear to him.

Lu Xueqi had already stepped back and turned around. Her pale figure appeared somewhat thin amidst the sparse bamboo shadows, yet she stood tall and straight.

She didn't turn around, but simply raised her hand, turned her back to him, and gently shook the bare bamboo skewer in her hand.

"Mmm," her cool voice drifted on the wind, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible hint of satisfaction, "it's still sweet."

After saying that, she quickened her pace and soon disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest.

Jiang Xiaochuan remained standing there, holding a half-eaten candied hawthorn, not moving for a long time.

The sea breeze rustled through the bamboo leaves, brushing against his burning ears and lips that still held a lingering, subtle sensation.

He slowly raised his hand and touched his lower lip with his fingertips.

Then, very slowly, he exhaled the breath he had been holding.