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

"My legs are sore." Jiang Xiaochuan (Lu Xueqi's body) leaned back on the bamboo couch, frowning, his hand resting on his already noticeably protruding belly.

Five months have passed, and the little guy is growing quite fast. He stretches his arms and kicks his legs inside every now and then, making him restless.

Lu Xueqi (Jiang Xiaochuan's body) immediately put down the book in her hand, walked over, sat down on the edge of the couch, gently lifted one of his legs and placed it on her knee, her fingers gently kneading his calf. Her technique was very skilled, the force was just right, and her fingertips were warm.

"Here?" he asked in a low voice, looking up at her (him).

"Hmm... a little higher, yes, right there, hiss... gently, gently!" Jiang Xiaochuan inhaled and directed.

Lu Xueqi then softened her grip and patiently massaged the area.

Sunlight streamed through the bamboo window, illuminating his (or her) lowered brows and eyes. At that moment, she was calm and focused, exuding a unique tenderness.

Jiang Xiaochuan hummed comfortably twice, squinted at him, and as he looked at him, he suddenly reached out and pinched "his" cheek.

"You've lost weight," he muttered. "You must not be eating properly."

Lu Xueqi let him hold her hand, his hands continuing to move: "As long as you eat well, that's fine."

"How can that be?" Jiang Xiaochuan said, dissatisfied. "This is my body. You have to take good care of it for me. If you find that I'm missing even an ounce of flesh after I switch back, you will be held responsible."

"Okay." Lu Xueqi replied quickly, a smile playing on her lips.

Jiang Xiaochuan has become increasingly sleepy lately. He often falls asleep on the couch while talking, sometimes for most of the day. Lu Xueqi watches over him, sometimes fanning him, sometimes just watching quietly for hours.

Xiaobai was the first to realize something was wrong.

She often comes over to freeload meals.

At first, I just felt that Lu Xueqi's tastes had become picky. One moment she wanted to eat something sour, the next she complained that apricots were too sour, and then she would stare blankly at the steamed fish on the plate, muttering that it would be better if it were braised.

Jiang Xiaochuan, on the other hand, became much quieter, and his cooking skills changed dramatically, with the food becoming extremely delicious.

Until one day, she saw "Jiang Xiaochuan" squatting in the yard, carefully washing "Lu Xueqi's" feet. The warm water was steaming, and he held "Lu Xueqi's" snow-white jade feet in his hands, wiping them gently.

Lu Xueqi leaned back lazily in her chair, flipping through a Taoist book in her hand, occasionally sticking out her toes to gently brush against Jiang Xiaochuan's wrist.

Jiang Xiaochuan would look up at her (him) with a helpless yet indulgent gaze.

Xiao Bai stood in the shadows of the corridor, the plump, crisp peaches she was carrying, freshly picked from the back of Xiaozhu Peak, fell to the ground with a "thud".

She suddenly remembered that it had been a long time since she had heard Jiang Xiaochuan call her "Xiaobai" in that slightly ingratiating yet sly tone.

It's been a long time since I've seen Lu Xueqi sweep her over with that cold, unquestionable gaze.

And... Xiao Bai's gaze couldn't help but fall on Lu Xueqi's increasingly protruding belly, which was difficult to completely conceal even though she was wearing a loose Taoist robe.

An absurd yet seemingly the only reasonable conjecture exploded in her mind.

She left quietly without disturbing anyone inside.

A few days later, as if casually observing Hong Li's illusory appearance and her constant chatter with "Lu Xueqi," she suddenly asked, "Hong Li, how is your young master doing lately?"

Hong Li was playing with a strand of Lu Xueqi's hair in her mouth when she heard this. Without turning her head, she said, "She's doing very well. She can eat and sleep well, but her temper is getting worse. It's all because someone spoils her."

Xiao Bai looked at Jiang Xiaochuan, who was peeling grapes for Lu Xueqi.

"Someone" paused for a moment, then silently fed the peeled grapes to "Lu Xueqi's" lips.

Xiao Bai's heart sank little by little, and a dense, bittersweet feeling welled up inside.

She found an opportunity and asked them directly.

At that time, "Lu Xueqi" was dozing off on a soft pillow, with a thin blanket covering her abdomen.

Jiang Xiaochuan sat on the edge of the tatami mat, holding a needle and thread, clumsily sewing a small garment. Judging from its size, it was definitely not for an adult.

Faced with Xiaobai's straightforward question, "Jiang Xiaochuan" remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

Lu Xueqi also woke up. She didn't deny it, but simply reached out and intertwined her fingers with Jiang Xiaochuan's.

"Why?" Xiaobai heard his own voice was dry.

Jiang Xiaochuan (Lu Xueqi) raised his eyes and looked at her, his gaze clear and calm: "He's afraid I'll be in pain."

Just four words.

Xiao Bai couldn't finish her sentence.

Looking at the couple in front of her, who shared the same intimacy and tacit understanding despite sharing the same physical form, and at the curve in "Lu Xueqi's" abdomen that indicated the presence of a new life, she felt a hollowness in her heart, yet it was also filled with a heavy, indescribable emotion.

It wasn't anger, jealousy, or even sadness; it was a deeper, almost powerless, dull ache.

She stood silently for a long time, then turned around and went to the kitchen, where she brewed a calming soup and brought it in.

From then on, a white figure was often seen in the courtyard.

The night was deep, and the bamboo shadows swayed gently.

Jiang Xiaochuan lay on his side, one hand unconsciously resting on his swollen belly. The baby seemed to be asleep, very quiet. Lu Xueqi hugged him from behind, her warm palm pressed against his abdomen.

"Xueqi," Jiang Xiaochuan suddenly said in a low voice.

"Um?"

"I always felt that Xiaobai... was not quite the same as the one described in the book."

Lu Xueqi didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

"The naive girl in the book has lived for thousands of years and has seen everything. She is very rational, but now..." Jiang Xiaochuan hesitated for a moment.

"The way she looks at me sometimes makes me feel..." He didn't know how to describe it.

Lu Xueqi was silent for a moment, then gently stroked his abdomen with her hand and said softly, "Love makes people foolish."

Jiang Xiaochuan fell silent; he couldn't respond to that.

In the silence, Hong Li's voice rang out unexpectedly, carrying its usual mocking tone:

"If you ask me, young master, you're just too stubborn. Look at you, one after another, all of you are head over heels for you. You have cultivation, you have looks, and each of you has your own charm. Why make yourself and others suffer? Why not have them all, enjoy the bliss of having two women on each side? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Before Jiang Xiaochuan could react, Lu Xueqi behind him suddenly tensed up.

She (or he) suddenly opened her eyes, her voice as cold as ice: "Hongli, what nonsense are you spouting!"

Hong Li's illusory figure solidified slightly by the bedside. She lay on her side, propping her head up with her hand, smiling as she watched the two embracing, her gaze lingering particularly on Lu Xueqi's gloomy, dark face:

"How could I be lying? Isn't it true? You can't tell me you don't know what Linglong is thinking. Little Bai's eyes, tsk tsk, they break my heart. And that little girl Biyao from the Ghost King Sect, I heard she's still hung up on you. Not to mention..."

She drew out her words, her gaze drifting towards Jiang Xiaochuan (Lu Xueqi's body).

"Since you can't let go of them anyway, why not take them all? You're using Xiao Bingbing's body now, so at worst, you can let her..."

"Hongli!" Lu Xueqi's voice was filled with anger. She wanted to sit up, but she stopped herself because she was worried about Jiang Xiaochuan in her arms.

Hongli, however, was not afraid. Instead, she moved closer, almost touching Jiang Xiaochuan's (Lu Xueqi's) face, her breath sweet as orchids: "Little master, don't you think so? Can you bear to see them all heartbroken for you?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was forced to shrink back by her, but his stomach was in the way and he couldn't move. He could only awkwardly say, "Sister Hongli, please stop messing around..."

"How am I making a fuss?" Hong Li stretched out her ethereal finger and tapped Jiang Xiaochuan's (Lu Xueqi's body) nose, then pretended to touch his stomach.

"I'm just trying to help you out. Look, Xiao Bingbing is using your body right now, and I'm your natal magic weapon, connected to her life. As for you, you're using Xiao Bingbing's body. The two of you are now intertwined, inseparable. Adding a few more will just make the room a bit more lively, what's wrong with that?"

Lu Xueqi (in Jiang Xiaochuan's body) was so angry that her face turned pale. However, Hong Li was connected to Jiang Xiaochuan by life and death, so it seemed that hitting or scolding her would be useless.

She stared at Hong Li's smug, "What can you do to me?" smile, her chest heaving. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she said coldly, "Hong Li, don't forget, I'm using his body now."

Hongli raised an eyebrow: "So?"

Lu Xueqi (in Jiang Xiaochuan's body) stared at her and said, word by word, "What's the difference between you being so close to him and me being close to him?"

Hong Li's smile froze for a moment, then she burst into laughter, her illusory figure trembling: "Oh dear, my little Bingbing, you only just remembered? My life and his are intertwined, our souls are merged. In a sense, I am him, and he is me. To be close to him is to be close to myself, and you..."

She gave Lu Xueqi (Jiang Xiaochuan's body) a meaningful look. "You're using his body now, so who are you being intimate with—him or...yourself?"

These words, like a cold, venomous snake, suddenly slithered into Lu Xueqi's ears. She (he) froze, her face turning from white to red, then from red to green, and her fingers gripping Jiang Xiaochuan's arm unconsciously tightened.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt the force on his arm and heard Hong Li's shocking remarks, his head spinning.

He struggled but couldn't break free, so he lowered his voice, which was unusually stern: "Hongli, go back."

Hong Li pouted, her illusory figure flickered but didn't disappear. Instead, she took advantage of the situation, extending her ethereal arm to loosely embrace Jiang Xiaochuan (Lu Xueqi's body), resting her head on his shoulder, and making a face at the ashen-faced Lu Xueqi (Jiang Xiaochuan's body): "I won't! It's only natural for me to be close to my master. If you're so capable, hit me!"

Lu Xueqi (in Jiang Xiaochuan's body) was so angry that her fingertips trembled and her whole body turned cold.

Jiang Xiaochuan was genuinely annoyed. With a thought, he forcefully reconnected with Hong Li's life-bound connection deep within his consciousness, carrying an irresistible will: "Go back, now."

Hongli trembled. She raised her face and looked at Jiang Xiaochuan. For the first time, her charming eyes, which always held a smile, clearly revealed grievance, resentment, and a hint of barely perceptible hurt. She bit her lower lip, her voice lowering, with a touch of coquettish resentment: "Little Master...you were mean to me..."

Jiang Xiaochuan hardened his heart, avoided looking into her eyes, and repeated, "Go back."

Hong Li glared at him, then at Lu Xueqi, whose expression was icy cold. She snorted and loosened her arms from the loose embrace, but she didn't disappear immediately. She remained close to Jiang Xiaochuan, her face buried in the crook of his neck, maintaining that position.

Time passed slowly, and the bamboo leaves rustled outside the window.

Jiang Xiaochuan could feel Lu Xueqi's stiff body and the violent rise and fall of her chest. He could also feel Hong Li's illusory yet incredibly clear, defiant "hug." He was sandwiched between them, and the little one in his belly seemed to sense the mother's (father's???) unease and moved slightly.

He sighed, helplessly raised his hand, and patted Hongli's back lightly, his voice softening: "Sister Hongli, why don't you go back first, okay?"

Hong Li remained motionless and silent.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Hong Li's illusory image reluctantly faded little by little, eventually turning into a glimmer of light that disappeared into Jiang Xiaochuan's brow. But before it completely vanished, it left behind a hum with a thick nasal tone: "I'm going to find Linglong, I'm not talking to you anymore! One last thing, little master, you're too greedy and too soft-hearted."

"You want everyone, yet you dare not want anyone; you feel sorry for everyone, yet you don't want to feel sorry for anyone."

"But in this world, there's never such a cheap thing."

The room fell silent again, with only the slightly disordered breathing of the two people remaining.

Jiang Xiaochuan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that Lu Xueqi's body behind him was still tense. He moved slightly, turned around, faced her (him), and reached out to touch "his" furrowed brows: "Don't mind her, Sister Hongli is just... mean-spirited, but not mean-spirited. She's just teasing you."

Lu Xueqi didn't speak, but just looked at him, her eyes deep, filled with complex emotions—anger, grievance, and a hint of barely perceptible unease. After a while, she gave a muffled "hmm," pulled him back into her arms, held him tightly, rested her chin on the top of his head, and said nothing more.

……

Hongli's words were like venomous snakes, burrowing into her ears and her heart, laying eggs inside, and hatching into a dense mass of fear.

"Is he the one you're closest to, or yourself?"

she does not know.

All she knew was that when she embraced him with these hands, she would remember that they were his hands, the hands that had held a gun, the hands that had cooked for her, the hands that had once clumsily and cautiously touched her.

When she kisses him, she remembers that these are his lips, the lips from which he said "I love you," the lips from which he awkwardly responded to her kiss, the lips from which he once bit his tongue out of nervousness.

The tighter she held on, the more unfamiliar the person in her arms seemed, because what she was holding was her own physical body, while her true lover was using her body to hold their child in her arms.

How absurd.

How...terrible.

She suddenly remembered a dream she had many years ago, when she had just realized she had feelings for Jiang Xiaochuan that she shouldn't have.

In her dream, she became a tree, and Jiang Xiaochuan was a bird, perching on her branch.

She was delighted and gently stroked him with her leaves, but he suddenly flew away to another tree.

She panicked and tried to shout, but no sound came out.

She shook the tree branch desperately, trying to chase him back, but the roots were firmly planted in the ground, and she couldn't move.

She could only watch, watch the bird land on another tree, intertwining intimately with its branches and leaves.

That bird once perched on her branch. But what if, one day, it flew to another tree?

she does not know.

She could only hold him tightly, using her hands, which didn't belong to her, to embrace this body that didn't belong to her, listening to the gentle heartbeat of the tiny life inside her, a life that belonged to both of them.

Then I kept telling myself:

he's mine.

It's just mine.

It must be mine.

Even if it means cutting off all the branches, even if it means burning down the entire forest, even if it means turning to ashes together with him in the fire.

He's mine too.