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

"Kill me," he suddenly said, his voice very soft and calm, frighteningly calm.

Jin Ping'er was taken aback, thinking she had misheard: "What?"

"I said," Jiang Xiaochuan turned his gaze back to her, his eyes filled with unfathomable weariness and a kind of...

"Kill me, with your knife, here," he gestured with his eyes to the cold blade against his neck, "slash it down hard, quickly."

Jin Ping'er was completely stunned. She looked at Jiang Xiaochuan, at the utterly despondent calm on his face, at his eyes that were now dull and lifeless, as if covered by a layer of gray. This was not an angry remark, nor a threat; he really... did not want to live anymore?

This realization caused a slight, inexplicable prick in a corner of Jin Ping'er's heart.

"You..." She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but was speechless for a moment.

The purple blade was still pressed against his neck; the icy touch was so clear. Kill him? Easily, but…

I heard that ten years ago, in the Jade Purity Hall, he did the same thing, holding a dark red spear to the neck of a girl dressed in light green.

Was he also putting on this act of calm and composure back then?

Was his heart filled with the same icy despair and... the pain of betrayal as Biyao's heart was now... no, as filled with the same pain he felt now?

Jin Ping'er suddenly remembered some things, about how Yao'er had been searching for this person all these years, and about the stubborn, painful, and unwilling-to-give-up light in her eyes when she mentioned "Jiang Xiaochuan".

She also recalled the boy from three years ago on the deserted island in the East China Sea, who rescued her from the clutches of a demon, handed her a candied hawthorn, and although he saw through her disguise, he ultimately did not expose her, but simply smiled lazily and said, "I'm leaving."

That single tear, without warning, landed on Jin Ping'er's arm, which was gripping the purple blade and wrapped around Jiang Xiaochuan.

Warm and slightly damp, it slid slowly down her fair arm, leaving a cool trail of water.

Jin Ping'er's arm trembled almost imperceptibly. She looked down at the tear on her arm, then looked up at Jiang Xiaochuan's face, which was so close to hers.

He didn't cry out loud, and his face was barely visible, except that his eyes were red and filled with tears. That tear rolled down quietly without warning and landed on her arm.

Then came the second drop, the third drop...

He cried, silently and quietly, tears just falling like a tap that couldn't be turned off.

But his face still held that empty, numb expression, as if his soul had been ripped away.

Jin Ping'er's throat felt dry. She had seen men cry—pleading, fearful, desperate—but she had never seen anyone like this. It was as if all emotions had been emptied out, leaving only the most instinctive, uncontrollable physiological reactions.

"You..." she heard her own voice, which was a little hoarse, "...Don't be like this."

Jiang Xiaochuan didn't react, but tears were still flowing. He looked into the distance, yet it seemed like he wasn't seeing anything at all.

Jin Ping'er suddenly felt that the purple blade pressed against his neck was burning hot.

Instinctively, she moved the blade back slightly, then, as if to break the suffocating silence, or perhaps to convince herself, she whispered quickly:

"I won't kill you. If I do, Yao'er will fight me to the death." She paused, her voice lower, carrying a hint of barely perceptible complexity.

"Moreover... three years ago, in the East Sea, you saved me. Although I, Jin Ping'er, am not a good person, I would never stoop to repaying kindness with enmity."

Jiang Xiaochuan remained silent, his tears seemingly dried up, though his eyes were still red and his gaze was vacant.

Looking at him like this, Jin Ping'er felt a surge of inexplicable irritation and... a vague, indescribable emotion welling up inside her again. She tightened her grip on his arm, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say. Should she scold him for being useless? Should she comfort him and tell him to think more positively? Neither seemed right.

Jin Ping'er suddenly felt a bitter taste in her mouth. She leaned closer to Jiang Xiaochuan's ear, deliberately softening her voice with her usual alluring breath: "My benefactor, it's not good to be naughty. Be good, don't move around. I'll take you away from this dangerous place, okay?"

Jiang Xiaochuan seemed not to hear, still looking in the direction of the stone gate, his eyes unfocused.

She held his arm, unconsciously tightening it a little more, not in a threatening way, but rather like... an awkward tightening that she herself wasn't even aware of, as if she could suppress something silently crumbling within the person in her arms.

In a deep, quiet place within her mind, a clear voice, tinged with doubt, softly echoed. It was Linglong asking, "Why would he do this?"

Another, more unconventional, playful, and complex voice rang out; it was Hong Li's.

"Tsk, silly boy, he's just feeling down. With his current cultivation level, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to break free from this girl's grip, but..."

Hongli paused, her tone a little strange, "He probably doesn't have the mind to cause trouble right now. But speaking of which, Linglong, this little vixen from the Hehuan Sect has such a soft body. It must be so comfortable to hold her. Would you consider this... um, a different kind of perk for our little master?"

There was no sound from Linglong's side, only a deeper silence.

Just then, the sky darkened without warning.

Jin Ping'er's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously looked up. She saw that the sky above, which had just been shrouded in a thin mist, was now rapidly enveloped by a vast expanse of orange-yellow color. The color was magnificent and dazzling, stretching for dozens of feet in circumference, completely blocking out the sunlight and casting huge shadows. An aura of solemnity and holiness, carrying the majesty of the king of birds, pressed down from the sky.

"cracking--!!!"

A clear, melodious cry, like the cry of a phoenix soaring through the heavens, came from the orange-yellow clouds!

Below, the Black Water Serpent, which was frantically crashing into the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury, suddenly stopped!

It suddenly raised its huge snake head, its scarlet vertical pupils staring intently at the descending orange-yellow light above it, letting out a threatening roar, baring its fangs, and coiling its body tightly as if facing a formidable enemy.

The orange-yellow clouds receded and transformed into a magnificent giant bird with feathers that shimmered with orange-gold luster!

Its wingspan was nearly a hundred feet, casting a shadow like a cloud hanging from the sky. Its sharp eyes were like lightning, its claws like hooks, and its whole body was bathed in a faint golden halo, exuding a majestic and awe-inspiring aura.

It is the Yellow Bird, the natural enemy of the ancient mythical beast, the Blackwater Serpent!

The yellow bird circled in the air, looking down at the Blackwater Serpent coiled on the tree trunk below, wounded but still ferocious. There was no fear in its eyes, but rather a burning fighting spirit and a cold light as if it had seen its nemesis.

Faced with this sudden predator, the Blackwater Serpent clearly felt a great threat. It temporarily abandoned its ramming of the stone gate, coiled its massive body, raised its head high, and breathed out venomous mist from its mouth and nostrils, emitting a low, defiant hiss.

"This... must be the legendary Nine Heavens Spirit Bird, the Yellow Bird," Jin Ping'er murmured, her eyes filled with awe as she gazed at the majestic and awe-inspiring figure in the sky.

Subconsciously, she hugged Jiang Xiaochuan, who seemed unresponsive to the changes in the outside world, even tighter, almost as if she wanted to embed him into her arms, as if only in this way could she find a tiny bit of support under the suffocating pressure of the two ancient beasts confronting each other.

Her gaze, however, involuntarily drifted once again to the tightly closed, silent stone door of the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury.

Yao'er, how are you now?

……