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

Upon regaining consciousness, Jiang Xiaochuan first heard a crisp yet clearly angry voice coming through the door.

"...What is he doing here? Huh? Senior Sister Wenmin, explain yourself! Why is he in your room? And lying on your bed? Lu Xueqi! Did you do this? What did you do to him?!"

It is Tian Ling'er.

Jiang Xiaochuan's eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened them.

What came into view were unfamiliar, simple and plain bamboo beams, and a faint, elegant fragrance belonging to a woman in the air, which was completely different from his room crammed with eight men.

He turned his stiff neck and saw a person sitting quietly by the bed.

Lu Xueqi.

She sat on the bamboo stool by the bed, her back ramrod straight, her hands on her knees, her eyes fixed on him.

When she saw him wake up, a glimmer of light flashed in her clear, cold eyes, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief, but it was quickly covered by deeper guilt and worry.

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but didn't, and just looked at him.

She seemed not to hear Tian Ling'er's commotion outside the door.

Jiang Xiaochuan was still a little dizzy, but his memories were slowly returning.

Rainbow Bridge... Moonlight... Complaints... Then... That hug... The cool, soft touch... A frantic heartbeat... And then... That was it.

He actually fainted from Lu Xueqi's hug?!

This is fucking...so embarrassing!

Jiang Xiaochuan's face instantly turned bright red, and a surge of heat rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He wished he could dig a hole in the ground and disappear, or just faint again.

"You...you're awake. How are you...feeling? Are you feeling unwell?" Lu Xueqi finally spoke, her voice a little dry and cautious.

Jiang Xiaochuan saw the clear guilt in her eyes, and swallowed back the embarrassment and complaints that were on the tip of his tongue.

He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "It's...it's alright...it's just...I'm a little dizzy." He propped himself up, trying to sit up.

Lu Xueqi immediately reached out to help him, but stopped halfway through and withdrew her hand, simply looking at him.

"Um... how did I end up here?" Jiang Xiaochuan looked around; it was clearly a woman's room.

"You fainted last night," Lu Xueqi said softly, avoiding his gaze.

"I... I didn't know where to take you, so I brought you back first. This is Senior Sister Wenmin's room; she squeezed in with another junior sister last night."

She paused, then added, as if eager to clarify something, "You sleep in the bed, I... I slept on the floor."

She pointed to the floor beside the bed, where a simple quilt was indeed laid out, neatly folded.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at the makeshift bed on the floor, then at Lu Xueqi's thinner face and the faint dark circles under her eyes. The embarrassment and shame he felt were suddenly replaced by a more complex emotion. He had actually let her sleep on the floor and keep watch over her all night?

"I'm sorry..." he said softly, his voice a little hoarse, "I've caused you trouble."

Lu Xueqi immediately shook her head and said quickly, "I'm the one who should apologize. It's my fault...it's all my fault."

She bit her lip and didn't say anything more. Was she supposed to say, "I shouldn't have hugged you; I scared you so much you fainted"?

Just then, Tian Ling'er, who was outside the door, seemed to hear the commotion inside. Her voice suddenly rose: "Jiang Xiaochuan! Are you awake? Come out here! Explain yourself!"

Lu Xueqi frowned, seemingly annoyed by the noise.

She glanced at Jiang Xiaochuan, then suddenly stood up, walked to the table, picked up a clean, damp towel, walked back, and handed it to him. Her tone returned to its usual cool and calm, carrying an unquestionable air: "Wipe your face. The Seven Veins Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin; we need to hurry and have breakfast."

Jiang Xiaochuan took the still-warm towel, and paused for a moment, then asked, "Us?"

"Hmm." Lu Xueqi nodded. "Your senior brothers... have probably already eaten and gone to the arena."

Jiang Xiaochuan remained silent. Thinking about it, it made sense; how could those senior brothers, who were practically reincarnated from starving ghosts, possibly wait for him?

Seeing that he didn't move, Lu Xueqi reached out and grabbed his hand that wasn't holding the towel.

"Come with me," she said, pulling him off the bed with a slight force.

Jiang Xiaochuan was pulled by her and stood up unsteadily, his mind still a little dazed.

Lu Xueqi pulled him out of the room filled with the fragrance of a woman.

Outside the door, Tian Ling'er stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes wide as she watched them walk out hand in hand, her face flushed with anger: "You...!"

Wen Min quickly stepped forward, grabbed Tian Ling'er, and tried to smooth things over with a smile: "Alright, Junior Sister Ling'er, it's good that Junior Brother Jiang is alright. Let's eat first, let's eat first, the competition is the most important thing." As she spoke, she winked at Jiang Xiaochuan.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a chill run down his spine and could only manage a dry laugh at Tian Ling'er: "Good morning, Senior Sister Ling'er... Um, I'm going to eat first..."

Tian Ling'er glared at him fiercely, then glared at Lu Xueqi, stomped her foot, and ran away.

Breakfast was eaten in the side hall where the disciples of Xiaozhu Peak ate.

There weren't many people. Besides Wen Min, there were a few unfamiliar female disciples from Xiaozhu Peak who curiously glanced at Jiang Xiaochuan, then looked at their own aloof and ethereal Junior Sister Lu, their eyes filled with gossip. Jiang Xiaochuan felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, hastily shoveling down a few mouthfuls of porridge, unable to taste anything.

Lu Xueqi remained calm, sipping her porridge with dignified composure, as if the gazes around her did not exist.

After finally finishing our meal, we arrived at Yunhai Square.

Overnight, eight towering arenas, constructed from massive logs as thick as a man's embrace, were erected in the vast plaza, arranged in neat rows with each other spaced dozens of feet apart.

Below the largest arena in the center, a huge red list several meters high stood, covered in ink and filled with the names and signatures of the participating disciples, as well as their first-round matchups.

Many disciples had already gathered under the red notice board, looking up at it and discussing it animatedly.

Jiang Xiaochuan and Lu Xueqi also walked over. Just as they stopped, they heard someone call out to them from the side.

"Ogawa."

It was Tian Buyi and Su Ru. The two walked over; Tian Buyi still had that stern face, while Su Ru smiled gently.

"Master, Mistress," Jiang Xiaochuan and Lu Xueqi bowed simultaneously.

Tian Buyi hummed in agreement, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Xiaochuan's face before glancing at Lu Xueqi beside him. A subtle, inscrutable look flashed in his small eyes. He didn't ask further, simply stating, "You've seen the red list? Which round?"

"I was just about to look." Jiang Xiaochuan looked up, searching through the densely packed names. He quickly found his own.

"The first round is the 'Shock' position arena," Jiang Xiaochuan said.

Tian Buyi nodded without saying anything, but his eyes clearly said, "Don't embarrass me." Su Ru then gently cautioned, "Be careful, don't underestimate your opponent."

"Disciple understands."

At this moment, Lü Daxin, Du Bishu, and Zhang Xiaofan also squeezed in. "Sixth Senior Brother!" "Senior Brother Jiang!" They surrounded him. Zhang Xiaofan looked at the red list, both nervous and excited: "Senior Brother Jiang, you're in the first round! Good luck!"

Jiang Xiaochuan smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "You guys keep it up. Where's Senior Sister Ling'er?"

"Senior Sister Ling'er was in the 'Leaving' position arena, which was also the first round. Senior Brother and the others accompanied her there," Du Bishu said.

Jiang Xiaochuan nodded and said to Tian Buyi and Su Ru, "Master and Mistress, I'll go and make the preparations."

Tian Buyi waved his hand.