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

Su Ru's tears finally fell. She wanted to reach out and pull Jiang Xiaochuan, but she pulled her hand back halfway.

Tian Buyi still didn't turn around, but his shoulder moved almost imperceptibly. His hands, which were on his knees, clenched into fists, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

Lu Xueqi knelt beside Jiang Xiaochuan in silence until he finished kowtowing. Only then did she speak slowly, her voice clear and cold, yet carrying an unprecedented solemnity:

"Master, Mistress, the matter four years ago was entirely my fault. I forced him, I coerced him, I... used tricks to keep him. Xiao Chuan is kind-hearted and loyal. I took advantage of his soft heart and his respect for Master and Mistress, forcing him to choose between the sect and me. All the blame lies with me. If Master and Mistress want to blame someone, blame me. If you want to punish someone, punish me. Xiao Chuan... was just deceived by me and had no choice in the matter."

After she finished speaking, she also bent down and kowtowed properly. The sound of her forehead hitting the ground was even more muffled than Jiang Xiaochuan's.

Jiang Xiaochuan turned his head to look at her. Lu Xueqi had her eyes downcast, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows under her eyes. Her face was expressionless, except for her tightly pursed lips, which revealed a hint of tension.

"Xueqi, you..." Jiang Xiaochuan wanted to say something, but Lu Xueqi gently shook her head to stop him.

Su Ru glanced at the two kneeling figures, then at Tian Buyi, whose back was to them. She walked back to Tian Buyi's side, gently nudged his shoulder, and said in a tearful voice, "Buyi, the child has already admitted his mistake, and Xueqi has taken all the blame upon herself. What more do you want? Do you really want the child to keep kneeling?"

Tian Buyi's shoulders were stiff, and he still didn't move.

Su Ru got impatient and punched him hard: "Tian Buyi, say something! It's been four years, and the child has finally come back, and this is your attitude? Do you have to force him to kowtow to you a few more times until he bleeds before you're satisfied?"

Tian Buyi's body trembled, and finally, extremely slowly, he turned around.

His face was still dark, but his usually sharp eyes were now bloodshot, sunken, and filled with exhaustion.

He stared at Jiang Xiaochuan kneeling on the ground for a long time, then looked at Lu Xueqi kneeling upright beside him. Then, he let out a long, heavy sigh, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Get up," he said, his voice hoarse and nasal. "The ground is cold, don't kneel."

Su Ru quickly stepped forward and pulled Jiang Xiaochuan and Lu Xueqi up from the ground, one in each hand. Her hands were warm and trembling slightly, making Jiang Xiaochuan's arm ache.

"Master's wife..." Jiang Xiaochuan looked at her face covered in tears, and his heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. His eyes also reddened.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..." Su Ru kept saying, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to wipe Jiang Xiaochuan's tears, but she herself cried so hard that she couldn't speak.

Tian Buyi stood up, walked to Jiang Xiaochuan, and reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to pat Jiang Xiaochuan's shoulder. He stopped halfway up, and finally just lightly pinched Jiang Xiaochuan's arm, saying in a muffled voice:

"You haven't lost weight, looks like... you're doing well."

With just that simple sentence, Jiang Xiaochuan could no longer hold back his tears, which welled up in his eyes. He opened his mouth, wanting to call out "Master," but his throat was choked and he could not make a sound. He could only nod forcefully.

Tian Buyi watched him cry, his brows furrowed tightly, his lips twitching as if he wanted to scold him for being "pathetic," but he swallowed the words back, turned his face away, and blinked hard to force back the tears in his eyes.

"Alright, stop crying," he said gruffly, turning to Lu Xueqi, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment with complex emotions, before his tone softened.

"You should get up too. Let's not talk about the past."

Lu Xueqi stood up and bowed deeply to Tian Buyi and Su Ru again: "Thank you for your magnanimity, Master and Mistress."

Su Ru wiped away her tears, pulled Jiang Xiaochuan and Lu Xueqi to sit down on the chairs next to her, and then busied herself pouring tea. Tian Buyi also sat back down at the head of the table, picked up the cup of tea that had long since gone cold, took a sip, and frowned even more deeply, but did not say anything.

The atmosphere was still a bit tense, but much better than before.

Su Ru poured tea and handed it to Jiang Xiaochuan and Lu Xueqi. She then sat down beside them, looking at Jiang Xiaochuan, tears welling up in her eyes again: "Xiaochuan, how have you been these past few years?"

Jiang Xiaochuan shook his head, holding the warm teacup: "Very good, Xueqi...she took good care of me. Look, Master's wife, I've even gained weight."

Su Ru burst into laughter through her tears, reaching out to pinch his cheek: "You've gained weight, and you look much better than when you were at Dazhu Peak."

She looked at Lu Xueqi and said gently, "Xueqi, thank you for your hard work."

Lu Xueqi shook her head: "It's only right."

Su Ru looked at Jiang Xiaochuan again, hesitated, and finally asked, "Xiaochuan, do you... regret it?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was stunned for a moment, then realized what she was asking: regret for the choice he made four years ago, regret for leaving Dazhu Peak with Lu Xueqi.

He was silent for a moment, then looked up, his gaze sweeping over Tian Buyi and Su Ru's faces before finally settling on Lu Xueqi's serene profile beside him. He slowly shook his head, his voice soft but unusually firm:

No regrets.

Lu Xueqi's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. She lowered her eyes, looking at the tea leaves floating in the cup, and didn't say anything. But Jiang Xiaochuan felt her other hand, which was resting on her knee, quietly reach out and hold his hand.

Su Ru looked at their clasped hands, a hint of understanding flashed in her eyes, followed by a touch of melancholy, which finally turned into a relieved smile. She nodded and said, "It's good that you don't regret it, it's good that you don't regret it."

Tian Buyi coughed heavily, put down his teacup, looked at Jiang Xiaochuan, and said sternly, "You brat, don't think this is all over! Four years without a trace, not even a letter. Do you even respect me as your master?"

"Master, I..." Jiang Xiaochuan tried to explain.

"What do you mean, 'you'!" Tian Buyi interrupted him, glaring at him. "You think you've grown wings, huh? You've married a wife and forgotten your mother...forgot your master and mistress, haven't you?"

"I didn't!" Jiang Xiaochuan said urgently, "I'm just... I'm just afraid that you're still angry with me, Master, and won't see me..."

"So what if I'm angry? Just because I'm angry doesn't mean you won't come back!" Tian Buyi raised his voice. "I raised you for twenty years, only for you to run away in a fit of anger and not show your face for four years?"

"I know I was wrong!" Jiang Xiaochuan said quickly.

"Is admitting your mistake enough?" Tian Buyi sneered. "Has your skill declined these past few years? Let me see, after you got married... cough, after you went to Little Bamboo Peak, has your cultivation improved or regressed!"

Jiang Xiaochuan was both amused and exasperated, but he knew that his master was showing concern for him in a roundabout way.

Tian Buyi narrowed his eyes, examining the gun in his hand and sensing the aura around him. He raised an eyebrow and his expression softened slightly: "Ninth level of Jade Purity? Not bad, you haven't been slacking off."

"It's all thanks to Xueqi's good supervision," Jiang Xiaochuan said honestly.

Tian Buyi glanced at Lu Xueqi, said nothing, and waved his hand at Jiang Xiaochuan: "Alright, put it away, sit down and talk."

Jiang Xiaochuan sat down again.

Tian Buyi picked up the hot tea that Su Ru had just poured for him, took a sip, and remained silent for a while before saying, "I've heard some of what's happened over the years... You were badly injured at the Dead Swamp, weren't you?"

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a warmth in his heart, knowing that although his master didn't say it, he still cared about it.

"It's all better now, Master. It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

"A mere scratch?" Tian Buyi glared at him. "I heard from Ling'er that my back was almost ripped open, and you call that a mere scratch?"

Jiang Xiaochuan chuckled and secretly glanced at Lu Xueqi. Lu Xueqi held her teacup, looking down at her nose and seemingly oblivious to what he had heard.

Su Ru chimed in, looking at Lu Xueqi with eyes full of heartache and gratitude, "Xueqi, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, Xiao Chuan..."

"You flatter me, Master's wife," Lu Xueqi said softly, putting down her teacup. "It's my fault for not protecting him properly."