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

The two walked on, through forests, across streams, and over mountains.

Underfoot was a thick layer of decaying leaves, which made no sound when stepped on. Above were ancient trees that blocked out the sky, and the light that filtered through was dappled and mottled, like gold leaf scattered on the ground.

When hungry, they would nibble on a couple of pieces of dried meat; when thirsty, they would scoop up a handful of mountain spring water; when tired, they would find an old tree, lean against it, and sit down. No one spoke, only the sound of the wind rustling through the treetops, as if telling some ancient story.

We encountered ferocious beasts on the way.

Once, a giant black python was coiled by the stream, its three-foot-long tongue flicking in and out, and a foul stench wafted through the air.

Jiang Xiaochuan drew his sword and charged forward. Xiaobai stood not far away, her hands tucked into her sleeves, tilting her head to watch.

She didn't make a move; she just watched, her gaze lazy, as if watching a child learn to walk.

But if he were truly in danger, such as if the giant python suddenly attacked, its tail sweeping across the battlefield, she would move. Her movements were so fast that they were almost invisible. A white shadow would flash by, followed by a muffled "boom." The giant python didn't even have time to scream before its head was shattered into dust. Its massive body twitched twice before collapsing limply to the ground, lifeless.

"I can do it myself." Once, after killing a bear, Jiang Xiaochuan squatted by the stream to wipe his sword. Blood flowed down the scabbard, spreading out in the clear water like dark red flowers.

Xiao Bai sat on a large blue stone, her two fair, jade-like feet swinging back and forth. Hearing this, she smiled and said, "I know."

"Then why do you always follow me?"

"I'd love to watch." She tilted her head, her eyes curving into crescents. "You look quite good when you fight."

Jiang Xiaochuan didn't say anything more. He knew that when she said "watching," she was actually afraid that he would get hurt, but since she didn't say it out loud, he didn't point it out either.

Between two people, some things don't need to be said too clearly; if they are, then the meaning is lost.

With her behind him, he did feel at ease.

It felt strange. He was a man, and he should be the one protecting her, but in the end, it was as if she was protecting him.

He didn't like this feeling, but he had to admit that it was good to have her around.

It was as good as a fire suddenly appearing on a cold night, or a house suddenly appearing after walking a long road.

They found a cave to spend the night.

The cave wasn't big; it was just big enough for two people to curl up and lie down. The entrance faced south, so you could see the daylight outside.

Jiang Xiaochuan gathered some dry firewood and started a fire. The flames leaped up, licking the dry branches and crackling, casting shadows that flickered on the cave walls.

Jiang Xiaochuan sat by the fire, took off his Ink Snow Sword and God-Slaying Spear, and began to clean them one by one.

He wiped it very carefully, from the tip of the sword to the hilt, from the head of the spear to the tail, leaving no corner untouched.

Xiao Bai leaned against the stone wall, quietly watching him rub the fire. The firelight fell on her face, flickering on and off, and her eyes followed suit, like two stars embedded in the night sky.

Sometimes, while he was watching, she would suddenly come over and sit down next to him.

They were so close, arm to arm, leg to leg, that you couldn't even fit a piece of paper between them.

She had a faint fragrance, not the vulgar scent of cosmetics, but the scent of grass, flowers, fruits, and mountains. It was hard to describe, but it smelled wonderful, like the thawing of a stream in spring, or the bamboo forest after the rain.

Jiang Xiaochuan tensed up a bit, but his hands didn't stop; instead, he rubbed even harder.

The strip of cloth brushed against the blade, making a faint "squeak" sound that was particularly clear in the silent cave.

"My little husband," Xiao Bai suddenly spoke, her voice soft with a slight upward inflection at the end, as if carrying a smile.

"Um."

"You're rubbing so hard, you're going to thin the sword."

Jiang Xiaochuan paused, turning his head to look at her.

She was resting her chin on her hand, smiling at him, her eyes reflecting the flickering firelight, sparkling like a whole Milky Way. He looked away and continued wiping his sword, wiping it even more vigorously.

Xiao Bai wasn't annoyed. Instead, she moved even closer, her chin almost resting on his shoulder, her breath brushing against his ear, warm and ticklish, like a feather gently brushing against him.

"My little husband," she called again, her voice even softer than before, so soft it seemed to melt away, "I'm cold."

Jiang Xiaochuan put down his sword, deftly took off his outer robe, and handed it to her. The robe was thick and still warm from his body.

Xiao Bai didn't take it, but shook her head: "My robe is cold, I want you to hold me."

Jiang Xiaochuan's hand froze in mid-air. A crackling sound came from the fire, and a few sparks flew out, landing in the ashes, shining briefly before going dark again.

Xiao Bai didn't speak, she just looked at him. The smile in her eyes faded a little, but it didn't disappear. She still looked at him quietly and patiently, as if waiting for a flower to bloom, unhurried and very determined.

A long time has passed, or perhaps just a moment.

Jiang Xiaochuan withdrew his hand, draped his outer robe back over his shoulders, and then reached out to pull her into his arms, wrapping them both in the robe. His movements were stiff, as if it were the first time he had ever hugged someone, his arms as rigid as two pieces of wood.

Xiao Bai obediently leaned closer, pressing her chest against him, burying her face in the crook of his neck, nuzzling him, finding a comfortable position, and then remaining still.

"Are you warm now?" Jiang Xiaochuan asked, his voice low and hoarse, as if he were holding grit in his mouth.

"Mmm," Xiaobai responded, gently closing her eyes.

Jiang Xiaochuan held her, unsure of where to put his hands. After hesitating for a long time, his hands finally rested on her waist.

Her waist was so slender, so thin that it could be encircled with one hand. He placed his hand there, not daring to move.

Xiao Bai stirred, burying her face deeper into his neck, her breath brushing against his skin, making him even hotter, the warm, moist air like a small cloud.

"My dear husband," she whispered, her voice muffled and weary, as if she were speaking in a dream.

"Um."

Do you like me?

Jiang Xiaochuan did not answer.

The cave fell silent, with only the occasional crackling of the fire remaining.

Xiao Bai waited for a long time but didn't get an answer. She didn't ask any more questions, but just snuggled closer to him and quieted down. Her breathing gradually became even and long, as if she had fallen asleep.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked down at her.

The firelight illuminated half of her face, revealing her thick, long eyelashes that cast two faint shadows beneath her eyes.

She slept soundly, a slight smile playing on her lips, as if she were having a sweet dream, perhaps of spring blossoms and fields covered in flowers.

He stared for a long time, so long that the firelight dimmed several times, before slowly raising his head and looking out of the cave.

Outside the cave, the night was pitch black, with specks of green light in the distance—the eyes of a pack of beasts, flickering in the darkness like will-o'-the-wisps, eyeing the little warmth within the cave. He instinctively tightened his arms around her, his hand gripping her waist even tighter.

Do you like it?

he does not know.

All he knew was that holding her made him feel at ease, seeing her smile warmed his heart, and her closeness made his heart leap.

Does this count as liking someone?

he does not know.

All he knew was that he didn't want to let go, didn't want to let go of this warmth.

Just as a drowning person doesn't want to let go of the driftwood, just as a person walking at night doesn't want to let go of the lamp.

Days passed like this, one after another.

They had encountered the merfolk.

Those creatures had fish heads and human bodies, covered in green scales, and emerged from the deep pool in dense numbers, numbering at least a hundred.

Jiang Xiaochuan grabbed his gun and charged forward, fighting them by the pool. They fought until they were soaked through, their blood mingling with the pool water, making it impossible to tell which were fish-men and which were his own.

Finally, he used the God-Slaying Spear to kill their leader, pinning the spear to a rock. The fish scattered and fled back to the deep pool.

Xiao Bai stood on the shore watching, holding his dry clothes in her arms. After he finished, she handed them to him, smiling and saying, "My little husband is really amazing."

His smile was clean and innocent, as if he had done something extraordinary.

They had encountered the Bear People.

Those guys were incredibly strong, each one like a small mountain. With a single slap, a tree as thick as a person's embrace would snap in two, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

Jiang Xiaochuan, stubborn as ever, insisted on exchanging blows with it. His arm went numb, his tiger's mouth cracked, and blood dripped from between his fingers. In the end, he used the Mo Xue Sword, piercing its throat with the tip emerging from the back of its head, before the giant bear finally collapsed to the ground.

Xiao Bai bandaged him up, her movements as gentle as a caress. As she wrapped the bandages, she muttered, "Don't try to fight back next time. You're a Qi cultivator, not a physical cultivator. Are you out of your mind to try and outdo a bear in strength?" Her tone was fierce, but her touch was incredibly gentle.

They also encountered the tiger-men.

Those things were as swift as the wind, as fast as lightning, and their claws were sharp enough to tear through iron armor.

Jiang Xiaochuan fought it for a full hour, suffering several cuts on his body. Finally, he used the God-Slaying Spear to pin it to the ground with a single thrust, the spear tip piercing its heart and embedding itself three feet deep into the soil.

Xiao Bai applied the medicine to his wound. The burning pain made him gasp and hiss. Xiao Bai's hand trembled, and she stopped, looking up at him with a thin layer of tears in her eyes.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"It doesn't hurt," Jiang Xiaochuan said.

"You're lying." Xiaobai lowered her head and continued applying the medicine, her movements even gentler than before. "If you do this again, I won't talk to you anymore."

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at the top of her head without saying a word. Her hair was very black and shiny, like the finest silk, gleaming softly in the firelight.

After the medicine was applied, Xiaobai wrapped the wound with strips of cloth, wrapping it tightly, so tightly it felt like it was digging into the flesh, as if trying to bind the skin and bones together. When she finished, she tied a knot, looked up at him very seriously, and said:

"Jiang Xiaochuan, do you know what I'm most afraid of?"

Jiang Xiaochuan frowned slightly from the pain: "What?"

"I'm afraid you'll die." Xiaobai lowered her head and continued tidying up the medicine bottles, not looking at him. Her voice was very calm, but her hands were trembling slightly.

"It's not that I'm afraid I won't live if you die. I've lived for thousands of years, what haven't I seen? Relatives die, friends die, clansmen die... I've been through it all, death is nothing to be afraid of."

She carefully plugged the medicine bottles and neatly packed them into the bundle. Then she looked up at him, her eyes slightly red, but she didn't cry.

"What I fear is that if you die, no one in this world will ever call me 'Little White' again."

Jiang Xiaochuan was stunned.

Xiao Bai smiled, her eyes still glistening with tears, but the smile was beautiful, like the first ray of sunlight filtering through the clouds after a rainstorm.

"They all call me 'Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox,' and 'Senior,' addressing me respectfully from a distance of eight zhang. Only you call me 'Little White.' It's as if I'm really just an ordinary little fox who gets hungry, gets cold, can be spoiled, and... gets scared."

She reached out and gently touched the new scar on his face with her fingertips, tracing it from his eyebrow to his cheekbone; it felt cool and soft.

"So don't die, at least don't die before me. I'm afraid I'll forget what it's like to be 'Little White' and turn back into that cold, indifferent nine-tailed celestial fox."

Jiang Xiaochuan suddenly grabbed her wrist, gripping it tightly until his knuckles turned white. His voice was strained, as if each word was being squeezed out from his throat: "You won't forget."

Xiao Bai shook her head, a hint of desolation in her smile: "I will. The longer I live, the faster I forget. Those things that were once unforgettable will become blurry after a hundred years, and after a thousand years, not even a outline will remain. My little husband, do you know how long a thousand years is? Enough for the ocean to turn into mulberry fields, enough for mountains to be leveled, enough for me to forget everyone I care about completely."

She took his fingers in her hand and slowly closed them together, one by one.

"So you have to live, and call me 'Little White' from time to time, to remind me who I am."

She paused, then leaned forward, getting even closer to him, close enough that he could see his own reflection in her eyes.

"Jiang Xiaochuan, you must take good care of yourself."

"……Um."

"Be okay, don't get hurt, don't risk your life, don't... don't worry me."

"……good."

Xiao Bai finally smiled.

The tears in her eyes slowly receded, then brightened again, sparkling like they held the entire Milky Way.

She leaned in and quickly touched his lips, as lightly as a butterfly landing on a petal, before it had even settled properly and was already flying away.

Then she quickly stepped back, turned around to tidy up the medicine bottles that had already been put away, her ears turning as red as if they were about to bleed.

Jiang Xiaochuan stood there, stunned, and raised his hand to touch his lips.

The soft touch lingers there, warm and gentle, like a spring breeze.

He watched her retreating figure for a long, long time, until another piece of firewood in the fire collapsed, before he whispered:

"The same to you."

Xiao Bai paused slightly, but didn't turn around, only giving a soft "hmm".

There was a hint of laughter in that voice.

And so they traveled through the mountains, stretching for miles.

Winter snow, spring flowers, summer rain, autumn leaves—the four seasons cycled around and around behind them.

The mountain road is long and the night is long, but with someone by your side, no matter how far the road is, it doesn't feel long.