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

Jiang Xiaochuan was beaten badly.

With a bruised and swollen face, a cut on his lip, and a bruise around his eye, he sat on the ground, leaning against the wall, panting heavily, looking at the woman in front of him.

Linglong sat opposite him, also panting. She had put on clothes, which were the attire of the Wu tribe, brightly colored and embroidered with strange patterns.

Her hair was still wet, hanging over her shoulders, dripping water. Her skin was very white, the kind of pale that comes from years of not seeing the sun. Her eyes were large, with dark brown pupils, and she was staring at him with a fiery look in them.

"Tell me, where did you come from?" Linglong asked, her voice trembling slightly with anger.

Jiang Xiaochuan licked the blood from the corner of his mouth; it tasted fishy. He grimaced, pulling at his wound, and hissed in pain.

"I told you, I came from a cave," he said. "There was a stone coffin in the cave. I lay down in it, and when I opened my eyes again, I was here."

Which hole?

"It's... the Demon-Suppressing Ancient Cave."

Linglong frowned: "The Demon-Suppressing Ancient Cave? Never heard of it."

Jiang Xiaochuan's heart skipped a beat.

"Are there any unusual caves nearby?" he asked tentatively. "Are there stone coffins, skeletons, and a malevolent spirit guarding them?"

Linglong stared at him for a long time, making Jiang Xiaochuan feel uneasy. Then she stood up, walked to him, and squatted down.

She stared into his eyes and said, word by word, "Say it again, how did you get here?"

Jiang Xiaochuan forced himself to repeat it.

It is said that he and Xiaobai were looking for the Demon-Suppressing Cave in the Ten Thousand Mountains. They found a cave entrance with a stone statue. The evil spirit told him to go in. He went into the cave, saw a stone coffin, lay down inside, and that's how he ended up here.

He spoke incoherently, omitting some details, such as why he was looking for the cave or who Xiaobai was. Linglong didn't interrupt him, but listened, her eyes fixed on him.

After he finished speaking, Linglong didn't say anything, but got up and paced around the room.

The room wasn't big, and the furnishings were simple: a bed, a table, a cabinet, and a large bathtub—the one Jiang Xiaochuan had just fallen into. The floor was made of wood, and it creaked when you stepped on it.

She paced around twice, then stopped and looked at him.

"You say you've never come from here," she said. "What proof do you have?"

Jiang Xiaochuan opened his mouth, then closed it again.

What evidence could he possibly have?

He said he knew she would create the Beast God? He said he knew she would die? He said he knew what the world would be like thousands of years from now?

I can't say.

If he told her, she might really kill him.

"I have no evidence," he said. "Believe it or not."

Linglong stared at him, then suddenly reached out and grabbed his neck. Her hand was cold and she gripped him tightly, making it hard for him to breathe.

"You think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Her voice was cold.

Jiang Xiaochuan's face turned red from her pinching, and his eyes bulged out. He reached out to pry her hand off, but couldn't. He tried to kick her, but she held him down with her other hand.

"I..." he began with difficulty, "I'm actually your future... friend..."

Linglong loosened her grip.

"Friends?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, friend," Jiang Xiaochuan gasped, "a very good friend. You...you'll need my help in the future, so you can't kill me now."

Linglong stared at him for a long time, so long that Jiang Xiaochuan thought she was really going to strangle him. Then she let go and stood up.

"I don't need friends," she said, "especially someone like you whose background is unclear."

She walked to the table, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it. Jiang Xiaochuan sat on the floor, touching his neck and coughing.

"So what do you want?" he asked.

Linglong didn't turn around; she kept her back to him.

"You are the eleventh generation priestess," Jiang Xiaochuan said.

"We shouldn't just kill people randomly."

Linglong's body stiffened.

"You know quite a lot," she said, turning to look at him. "Who told you that?"

"You don't need to worry about it," Jiang Xiaochuan said. "I know anyway."

Linglong's expression changed.

"So you can't kill me," Jiang Xiaochuan said, leaning against the wall to stand up, her legs still a little weak. "If you kill me, you won't be able to be the witch goddess anymore."

Linglong stared at him, then suddenly laughed. It was a cold, mocking laugh.

"You think I care?" she said. "Witch Queen, let whoever wants to be one be one."

Jiang Xiaochuan was stunned.

"What I care about," Linglong walked up to him, staring into his eyes, "is how you know all this? Who exactly are you?"

Jiang Xiaochuan fell silent.

The two stood facing each other, neither willing to give in.

Birds chirped and chattered outside the window, making quite a racket, but inside the room was very quiet, so quiet that you could hear each other breathing.

In the end, Linglong was the first to look away.

She walked to the window, pushed it open, and saw mountains outside, rolling mountains, so green they were almost black. A breeze blew in, carrying the scent of grass and trees.

"You'll stay here with me for now," she said with her back to him. "You're not allowed to go anywhere. If you dare to run away, hmph."

She didn't finish speaking, but Jiang Xiaochuan understood.

If you run, you have to die.

……

Jiang Xiaochuan settled down in the exquisite house.

Linglong made him a makeshift bed in the corner. During the day, she studied witchcraft in the room while he meditated in the corner. At night, she slept on the bed while he slept on the makeshift bed. The two kept to themselves and ignored each other.

Sometimes Linglong would go out to the altar to discuss matters with other elders of the witch clan. Before she left, she would lock the door, seal the windows, and place a restriction on the house.

Jiang Xiaochuan tried to break the seal, but he couldn't. Linglong's witchcraft was far superior to his; his cultivation was no match for hers.

He stayed put and waited for her to come back.

Sometimes she would come home late, covered in injuries. Once, she had a deep cut on her arm that exposed the bone, and the blood stained her sleeve red. But she didn't cry out in pain. She sat on the edge of the bed, tore off a piece of cloth, and gritted her teeth to bandage it.

Jiang Xiaochuan couldn't stand it, so he went over and said, "I'll help you." She glared at him and said, "Get lost."

He rolled back into the corner.

After she finished bandaging him, he asked, "How did you get hurt?"

Linglong remained silent, threw the bloodstained cloth on the ground, and lay down on the bed to sleep.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at the cloth for a while, then got up to pick it up and took it outside to wash. The water was cold, and it took three washes to clean the blood off the cloth. He wrung it out, hung it outside the window, and went back inside to continue meditating.

The next day, Linglong woke up and saw the cloth hanging outside the window. She didn't say anything. At lunchtime, she tossed him a piece of fruit.

The fruit was red, about the size of a fist, and smelled delicious. Jiang Xiaochuan took it and looked at her, but she lowered her head and ate her own food, ignoring him.

He ate it; the fruit was very sweet and juicy, and the fragrance lingered in his mouth after he finished eating.

"Thank you," he said.

Linglong hummed in agreement, indicating that she had heard.

Days passed by like this.

Sometimes Linglong would ask him questions, such as where he was from, who else was in his family, and how he cultivated Taoism. Jiang Xiaochuan would answer half-truthfully, saying that he was an orphan who was adopted by the Qingyun Sect and had learned some Taoist magic. Linglong would listen without commenting, only saying "Oh".