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

Jiang Xiaochuan noticed that the slight smile on her lips had disappeared and wondered to himself, "What happened now?"

He thought for a moment, then gently nudged her with his elbow: "Xueqi?"

Lu Xueqi turned to look at him, her eyes clear and expressionless.

"Um... the candy doesn't taste good?" Jiang Xiaochuan asked tentatively.

Lu Xueqi shook her head, remained silent for a moment, and then whispered, "The sword tassel... is a little dirty."

Jiang Xiaochuan said "Oh," and then realized, "So that's what it was about."

The dark blue tassel with silver threads on the hilt of the Tianya sword was newly made before the last great battle. It was stained with blood and ash and really needed to be replaced.

He immediately said, "If it's dirty, just change it. I still have some silk thread; I'll braid a new one for you when we get back."

"Go now," Lu Xueqi said, her tone calm but leaving no room for change.

"Huh?" Before Jiang Xiaochuan could react, Tian Ling'er objected.

"Where are you going now!" Tian Ling'er grabbed Jiang Xiaochuan. "Your injuries aren't fully healed yet, why are you making sword tassels! Go back and lie down!"

Lu Xueqi looked at her, her voice still steady, "It's just making a sword tassel, no trouble at all."

"That won't do either!"

Jiang Xiaochuan was sandwiched between the two, feeling extremely overwhelmed. He struggled, and this time with a bit of force, he finally managed to free both arms and jumped a step to the side: "Alright, alright, stop arguing. I'll go back and make it myself, it'll be quick. Ling'er, you go do what you need to do, Xiao Fan, you go back too."

He looked at Lu Xueqi and softened his voice, "Xueqi, why don't you go back to Xiaozhu Peak first? I'll finish weaving it and bring it to you, okay?"

Lu Xueqi looked at him without saying a word.

After a few breaths, she suddenly stepped forward, reached out and took his hand. Her hand was soft, but she held it tightly.

"I'll go with you and watch you weave," she said, and then, without another word, she took his hand and started walking back.

"Hey? Wait!" Tian Ling'er tried to stop her, but Lu Xueqi walked quickly, and with Jiang Xiaochuan in her hand, she turned into a bamboo forest and disappeared.

Tian Ling'er stomped her feet in anger, staring at the direction the two had disappeared in, her eyes a little red. Zhang Xiaofan silently walked to her side and whispered, "Senior Sister Ling'er, let's go back first."

Tian Ling'er bit her lip, ignoring him. After standing there for a while, she finally turned around and stormed off. Zhang Xiaofan glanced in the direction Jiang Xiaochuan had left, then at Tian Ling'er's back. His face remained expressionless; he simply clenched his fist, turned around, found a clean rock, sat down, and began to meditate. He didn't leave.

……

His hands were bigger than hers, with long, warm fingers. As Lu Xueqi held his hand, she could clearly feel the slight pulsation of the blood vessels under the skin of his hand, and the warmth of a living person emanating from his skin. This warmth filled a long-empty space in her heart little by little.

She recalled the rainy night at Liubo Mountain, when he held her tightly as they fled with his spear, her face pressed against his chest, and she could feel his warmth even through their soaked clothes.

Even earlier, when they fell into the Abyss of the Dead, he shielded her with his body. His embrace was initially icy, but somehow it warmed up later.

Now, she holds this warmth in her hands; it is real and belongs to her.

She tightened her grip on his hand slightly, as if afraid that the warmth would slip through her fingers, and unconsciously, her fingertips gently caressed his palm.

The touch made her ears feel slightly warm, and a strange, subtle throbbing surged in her heart, like tiny insects crawling on her, itchy, yet with a touch of frantic pleasure.

She didn't dare to turn her head to look at him, only staring straight ahead, her steps steady.

But her entire focus was on their clasped hands. She could feel the stiffness in his fingers and the barely perceptible, subtle force that seemed to want to pull away. She pretended not to notice and simply gripped his hand tighter.

Walk slower, even slower, this road is a little longer, a little longer.

Jiang Xiaochuan was led by Lu Xueqi all the way back to his room in the disciples' quarters of Dazhu Peak. His hand was held the whole time. He tried to pull his hand away, but Lu Xueqi held it tightly, so he let her have it.

The room was much the same as when he left—simple and clean. Lu Xueqi led him to the bedside, then naturally let go of his hand and sat down first, right on the edge of his bed. She looked up at him and gestured with her eyes: "Keep making this up."

Jiang Xiaochuan touched his nose, walked to the table, sat down in the chair, and opened the drawer. Inside were several small compartments containing various colored silk threads, jade beads, and small tools.

He selected dark blue and silver silk threads, and chose a small, lustrous jade bead as a pendant. He then twisted the silk threads between his fingers and began to weave them and tie knots.

Lu Xueqi sat on the edge of the bed, quietly watching him.

Her gaze lingered on his lips, which were always smiling but now serious, from his eyebrows to his straight nose.

He recalled the moment on Black Wind Cliff when Biyao forcefully kissed him, his lips pressed against another soft surface; he recalled the moment on the beach when she fiercely wiped his lips with her handkerchief, trying to erase a non-existent mark.

That dark thought resurfaced in her mind: she wanted to touch that place, not with a handkerchief, but with her own lips, like Biyao did, but differently. She wanted to be very gentle and careful, so as not to hurt him or frighten him, and then tell him: This place is mine, and only I can touch it.

She watched his Adam's apple bob gently as he swallowed.

Looking at the small section of his collarbone peeking out from his collar, his clearly defined collarbone, and the soft glow of his neck under the light... she wanted to touch it, to bite it, to leave something behind, a mark belonging to Lu Xueqi, so that everyone would know that this person was hers.

The thought made her breathing slightly disordered and her fingertips burning. She forced herself to look away and look at his moving fingers. But those hands were also beautiful, with distinct knuckles, moving nimbly between the threads. She remembered the fierceness of those hands when they held a gun, the firmness when they stood in front of her, and... the warmth when they would unconsciously rest on her waist.

All her senses seemed to awaken at this moment, clamoring for the person in front of her, but she just sat quietly, like a jade sculpture, with only her slightly curled toes and the trembling fingertips in her sleeves revealing the turbulent undercurrent in her heart.

……

Soon, a new sword tassel took shape in his hand. It was deep blue with simple cloud patterns wrapped in silver threads, and the end was adorned with a jade bead. It was more exquisite than the previous one. He picked it up, looked at it in the window light, nodded in satisfaction, and handed it to Lu Xueqi: "Here, see if you like it."

Lu Xueqi took it, her fingers caressing the cool jade bead, then looked at the tightly woven knot, and nodded: "Beautiful."

Jiang Xiaochuan laughed: "You didn't say that before. I used to make one for you, and you always said it was ugly and told me to make a better one next time."

Lu Xueqi also slightly curved the corners of her lips: "I was indeed ugly back then."

The door creaked open, and Tian Ling'er stood angrily in the doorway, clearly ignoring Zhang Xiaofan's advice and still coming.

She glared at the new sword tassel in Lu Xueqi's hand, then looked at the silk threads on the table, pursed her lips, and snorted, "They're just worthless trinkets, why bother weaving them like this?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback, scratched his head, and laughed, "Ling'er is right, it's really nothing valuable, just a small token of my appreciation."

Lu Xueqi's eyes dimmed slightly. She didn't speak, but carefully tied the new sword tassel to the hilt of the Tianya sword, replacing the old one that was stained with blood. She didn't throw away the old tassel, but carefully put it into her sleeve.

Seeing that he agreed with her, Tian Ling'er felt a little better. She walked in and glanced around the room. Suddenly, she noticed a piece of green jade bracelet sticking out from Lu Xueqi's wrist. The bracelet had an antique style.

She was startled again, pointing at the bracelet: "This...this was also a gift from you?" She looked at Jiang Xiaochuan.

Jiang Xiaochuan glanced at it and nodded, "Yes, I saw it at the market in Heyang City before. I thought it suited her, so I bought it." He then pointed to the simple white jade hairpin in Lu Xueqi's hair, "That one too."

Tian Ling'er's face paled, and her chest heaved. She had always thought that Jiang Xiaochuan had only given her those little trinkets, candies, snacks, and wooden animal carvings he had made.

Unexpectedly... he gave Lu Xueqi so many things: sword tassels, bracelets, hairpins... all of which she wore close to her body. Suddenly, she felt a bitter taste in the candy she had just eaten.

Jiang Xiaochuan glanced at Tian Ling'er's pale face, then at Lu Xueqi, who was silently stroking the new sword tassel with her eyes downcast. He sensed that the atmosphere in the room was a bit off again.

He coughed lightly and stood up. "Well, the sword tassels are finished. Xueqi, did you need something? If not, I..."

"Yes." Lu Xueqi suddenly spoke, stood up, walked to him, and took his hand again. "Master said he wants to see you."

"Huh?" Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback. "Uncle-Master Shuiyue? Now?"

"Okay." Lu Xueqi nodded, took his hand, and walked outside. "Let's go now."

Tian Ling'er grew anxious and blocked the doorway: "Wait! What does Aunt Shuiyue want with him? His injuries haven't healed yet; he shouldn't be moving around!"