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

A few rays of morning light pierced through the cracks in the bamboo window, slanting across Jiang Xiaochuan's face.

He moved his eyelids and opened his eyes.

My vision was initially blurry, but gradually cleared. The first thing that caught my eye was a light blue fabric embroidered with extremely fine cloud patterns.

He was stunned for a moment before realizing that his face was pressed against this piece of fabric, and beneath the fabric was a warm, regularly undulating softness.

He froze abruptly.

Memories flood back: the words spoken in the basement, the kisses, and what happened afterward...

He carefully and very slowly raised his head slightly.

Lu Xueqi had her eyes closed, her breathing even and deep; she was still asleep.

She lay on her side, one arm around his shoulder, pulling him into her embrace. Jiang Xiaochuan's forehead rested against her chin, and the tip of his nose almost touched her collarbone.

Her face was so close, and her usually cool and aloof features were softened in her sleep. Her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyes, her nose was straight, her lips were a light pink, and a few strands of black hair were scattered on her cheeks, trembling gently with her breath.

Jiang Xiaochuan stared, somewhat dumbfounded.

Lu Xueqi's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Eyes facing each other.

Lu Xueqi's eyes were a little blurry when she first woke up, but they quickly cleared. She didn't immediately let go of him, nor did she look away. She just quietly looked at him, her arms even tightening a little.

"I'm awake." Her voice was low and hoarse, still soft from just waking up.

Jiang Xiaochuan's throat moved, and he hummed in response. He wanted to move, but his whole body was stiff, and he dared not move.

Lu Xueqi didn't speak, she just looked at him, her gaze slowly sweeping from his eyes to the bridge of his nose, then to his lips, lingering for a moment, then moving away, as if to confirm something, or as if she simply wanted to see.

Jiang Xiaochuan's face flushed under her gaze, and he finally couldn't help but whisper, "Um... could you... could you let go of me first?"

Lu Xueqi didn't let go. She was silent for a while before speaking, her voice calm: "Don't worry, we were just sleeping last night."

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback.

Lu Xueqi continued, "I won't do anything to you until you agree."

Jiang Xiaochuan's face flushed even more as he struggled to sit up.

Lu Xueqi then released her arms, letting him get up.

Jiang Xiaochuan hurriedly climbed off the bed, his bare feet touching the cool floor. He turned his back to the bed and straightened his disheveled clothes. He could feel Lu Xueqi's gaze on his back, as if it were real, burning his spine.

"I...I should go back now," he said, head bowed, not daring to turn around. "My master and mistress must be worried, and so must my fellow disciples..."

"Eat before you leave." Lu Xueqi also sat up and leaned against the headboard. Her collar was slightly open, revealing a section of her collarbone. She didn't care and just looked at Jiang Xiaochuan's stiff back.

"You should have your favorite osmanthus cake and jujube porridge this morning."

Jiang Xiaochuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He was indeed hungry, and... in his current state, he didn't know how to deal with the mess at Dazhu Peak.

Lu Xueqi got out of bed and walked up to him. She was much taller than him. She looked down at him, reached out to straighten his collar, and smoothed out a few wrinkles on his shoulder.

Jiang Xiaochuan stiffened his neck and let her do as she pleased.

"Don't be afraid."

Lu Xueqi said, lightly touching his earlobe with her finger, "Go back and talk to him properly. Master and Mistress are both reasonable people."

Jiang Xiaochuan gave a vague "hmm".

Lu Xueqi withdrew her hand and turned to change her clothes behind the screen. The rustling sound of fabric coming from behind the screen made Jiang Xiaochuan stare at the ground, but his ears were perked up. When the sound stopped, Lu Xueqi came out, now wearing a neat light blue dress, her long hair tied up with a simple wooden hairpin, revealing her fair neck.

"Let's go," she said, taking his hand.

Jiang Xiaochuan was pulled by her and left the bamboo hut. They walked along the path towards the dining hall. The small bamboo peak was very quiet in the early morning. There were only birdsong and the rustling of bamboo leaves in the wind. Occasionally, they would encounter female disciples who were practicing martial arts early in the morning. They would be surprised at first, then smile and walk past with their heads down, but their eyes would secretly glance over.

Jiang Xiaochuan blushed deeply and tried to pull his hand away, but Lu Xueqi held on even tighter.

"They're watching..." he muttered to himself.

"Let them see," Lu Xueqi said calmly. "They'll find out sooner or later."

There weren't many people in the dining hall. A few female disciples were having breakfast. When they saw them come in, their voices immediately quieted down, but then low giggles and whispers started up again.

Lu Xueqi remained calm and pulled Jiang Xiaochuan to sit down at a table by the window. Soon, a disciple brought out food: two bowls of hot jujube porridge, a plate of osmanthus cake, and a few light side dishes.

Jiang Xiaochuan buried his head in his food, almost burying his face in the bowl. Lu Xueqi, on the other hand, was calm and leisurely, slowly drinking her porridge. Occasionally, she would glance at him and, seeing that he was eating too quickly, would put a piece of osmanthus cake on his plate.

"Slow down," she said.

Jiang Xiaochuan gave a vague reply, but didn't slow down at all. He just wanted to finish eating quickly and leave this unsettling place as soon as possible.

He finally finished the last bite of porridge, put down the bowl, wiped his mouth, and looked up at Lu Xueqi. Lu Xueqi had just put down her chopsticks and wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.

"I...I'm leaving." Jiang Xiaochuan stood up.

Lu Xueqi also got up and saw him off to the gate of Xiaozhu Peak. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the bamboo forest in the distance was shrouded in a thin green. She stopped and looked at him.

"Are you sure you don't need me to go back with you?" she asked.

Jiang Xiaochuan quickly shook his head: "No need, no need, I can manage on my own."

What a joke! If she came along, Master would probably draw his sword on the spot.

Lu Xueqi didn't insist. She simply stepped forward, cupped his face in her hands, leaned down, and gently touched his lips.

It was a very light touch, and they separated instantly.

Jiang Xiaochuan froze, his face turning bright red.

"Go." Lu Xueqi released him, took a step back, and had a faint smile in her eyes. "Remember what I said."

Jiang Xiaochuan nodded haphazardly, turned and ran, almost fleeing in panic. Even after running a long distance, he could still feel the slightly cool touch on his lips and the gaze that had been following him from behind.

……

Dazhu Peak, Shoujing Hall.

Tian Buyi sat at the head of the table, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. He held a teacup in his hand but did not drink. He just stared at the tea leaves floating in the cup, his eyes frighteningly deep.

Su Ru sat to the side, holding a needle and thread, sewing a small bib. She lowered her eyes, stitching slowly and deliberately, occasionally glancing at Tian Buyi before lowering her head again, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Several disciples stood below the hall: Song Daren, He Dazhi, Du Bishu, Lü Daxin, Zheng Dali, and Wu Dayi. Each of them kept their eyes down, not daring to utter a sound.

Zhang Xiaofan wasn't there; he went to the back mountain to cut bamboo early in the morning. He said he was cutting bamboo, but actually he was just looking for some peace and quiet.

Tian Ling'er was still in seclusion and knew nothing of the storms raging outside.

The atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Footsteps approached from afar and stopped outside the hall. After a moment, Jiang Xiaochuan shuffled in, head down, not daring to look at Tian Buyi, and only whispered, "Master, Mistress."

Tian Buyi didn't respond. He slammed the teacup on the table with a loud "bang," and a few drops of tea splashed onto the clean surface.

Jiang Xiaochuan shrugged.

Su Ru stopped the injection, looked up at him, smiled, and asked gently, "Xiao Chuan is back? Have you had breakfast?"

"I ate, I ate," Jiang Xiaochuan said hurriedly, stealing a glance at Tian Buyi. Tian Buyi still had a sullen face and didn't even look at him.

"Come sit down." Su Ru patted the stool next to her.

Jiang Xiaochuan moved over and sat down next to the stool, his back straight and his hands on his knees, like a child waiting to be scolded.

Tian Buyi finally spoke, his voice deep and heavy, filled with suppressed anger: "So you still know how to come back?"

Jiang Xiaochuan lowered his head even further: "This disciple knows his mistake."

"You admit your mistake?" Tian Buyi scoffed. "What did you do wrong?"

Jiang Xiaochuan opened his mouth, but no words came out.

What went wrong?

Was it wrong of him to be kidnapped by Lu Xueqi?

He blushed slightly, shook off those chaotic thoughts, and whispered, "My mistake was... not staying out all night and making Master and Mistress worry."

"That's it?" Tian Buyi raised his voice a few decibels, his gaze sharp as a knife, scraping across his face.

"Did you hear what Lu Xueqi said here yesterday?"

Jiang Xiaochuan's throat went dry, but he forced a smile and said, "I...I heard it."

"She said she wanted to propose marriage." Tian Buyi stared at him, enunciating each word clearly, "What did you say?"

Several senior brothers below the hall pricked up their ears and secretly glanced over.