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

Lu Xueqi was not annoyed when she heard this. Her face remained calm and indifferent, but the corners of her mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly.

She looked at Jiang Xiaochuan and said:

"Okay. If Senior Brother Jiang loses, don't cry."

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback, then chuckled and laughed.

"A shrewd scholar," he muttered to himself.

But for some reason, hearing her say these things in such a serious tone actually felt...not bad.

What does it resemble? ...

Just as she was pondering this strange feeling, Wen Min's smiling voice came from beside her, soft and gentle, like a feather brushing against her ear: "Junior Sister Lu, Master is calling you. It's time to go to the Qian position arena. It'll be your turn soon."

Lu Xueqi nodded, but her gaze never left Jiang Xiaochuan's face.

She looked at him, her lips moved as if she hesitated for a moment, before speaking, her voice seemingly a little lower than before: "Senior Brother Jiang...do you want to go take a look?"

"I'm not going." Jiang Xiaochuan blurted out without thinking, even waving his hand subconsciously as if to brush away some unseen trouble.

"You're so good-looking, with such high cultivation, and you're carrying a divine weapon like Tianya. The Qianwei arena must be packed with people by now, like dumplings being dropped into a pot. I hate the heat, and I hate being crowded even more."

He spoke casually, even with a hint of complaint in his tone, without looking at Lu Xueqi. Instead, he glanced around as if he were genuinely looking for a cooler spot.

After hearing this, Lu Xueqi was stunned for a moment. Her clear, cold eyes looked at him, and the faint light in them seemed to dim. She lowered her eyes.

But then, perhaps she caught the words "good-looking" and "highly cultivated" in his words, her long eyelashes trembled again, and a very faint blush slowly spread across her fair cheeks, like white jade dyed with the sunset.

She pursed her lips and didn't speak, but the faint smile that had almost disappeared from the corners of her mouth seemed to deepen a little more.

Wen Min stood to the side, her eyes darting between the two men. Suddenly, she chuckled, her eyes darting around with a mischievous glint in them. She said to Jiang Xiaochuan, "Junior Brother Jiang, are you afraid of being crowded? What's so difficult about that? Just come and stand here on our Little Bamboo Peak. Master and the elders are in front, and we female disciples are in the back. It's spacious and has a good view. I guarantee you won't be crowded."

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a chill run down his spine and quickly waved his hand, "No, no, Senior Sister Wenmin, I really won't go. I'll just stay here and watch the other arenas, cheering on my fellow disciples..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was lightly patted on the back of the head.

With a crisp "snap," the sound was clear and sharp.

Jiang Xiaochuan cried out "Ouch!" and turned around, grimacing as he covered the back of his head.

Tian Buyi's chubby face was right in front of him, his small eyes staring at him, their eyes filled with the words "good-for-nothing".

"What are you dawdling about? Junior Brother Lu invited you to see him, that's a big favor! All this fussing and making excuses, what kind of behavior is this!"

"Master, I..." Jiang Xiaochuan still tried to struggle.

"Get out!" Tian Buyi glared, his words leaving no room for argument.

Jiang Xiaochuan's shoulders slumped, his face full of helplessness, like a wilted eggplant.

He hung his head, turned around, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace at Lu Xueqi and Wen Min: "Well... Senior Sister Lu, Senior Sister Wen Min, let's go."

Lu Xueqi glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to leave.

The light blue skirt swayed gently in an arc. Wen Min followed beside her with a smile, and even turned back to wink at Jiang Xiaochuan.

Jiang Xiaochuan sighed, his shoulders slumped, and followed behind the two female disciples, moving slowly with his feet.

After taking a few steps, he remembered something, turned back, waved to Song Daren and Zhang Xiaofan who were still standing there, and shouted in a loud voice, "Senior Brother, Xiaofan, good luck to you! Especially you, Xiaofan, don't be nervous!"

Zhang Xiaofan was nervously rubbing his hands. Hearing this, he nodded vigorously, his dark face full of seriousness: "Yes! Don't worry, Senior Brother Jiang!"

Jiang Xiaochuan added, "I... I don't think it will be too long before I come back to you guys after I finish watching."

After saying that, he turned around, quickened his pace, and caught up with the light blue figure in front of him.

Wenmin detoured to another arena halfway through the journey, where she also had a match.

Only Jiang Xiaochuan and Lu Xueqi remained, walking silently one after the other.

The closer they got to the Qianwei arena, the more people gathered around them. The buzzing discussions surged in like a tide, and the air became even hotter.

Many disciples glanced at Lu Xueqi and then curiously looked at Jiang Xiaochuan, who was following behind her and looked utterly dejected.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt extremely uncomfortable, as if countless tiny insects were crawling all over his body.

He glanced at Lu Xueqi's straight back in front of him. Her light blue dress stood out like a clear spring in the crowd, inexplicably separating her from the noise and heat.

The coldness in his chest began to throb restlessly again, a slow, persistent thumping that reminded him of her presence.

The atmosphere was lively as they approached the ring.

Tian Ling'er jumped off the stage, her fiery red dress like a leaping flame, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, her face flushed, and her eyes shining brightly.

She had just defeated Shen Tiandou of Chaoyang Peak. Although the victory was hard-won, her joy and pride were clearly written on her face.

"Ling'er, not bad."

Tian Buyi walked over with his hands behind his back, a rare genuine smile appearing on his chubby face. Although he quickly suppressed the smile as he was used to, and put on a serious expression, "But don't be arrogant, there are still tough battles ahead."

"Okay, Dad!"

Tian Ling'er answered cheerfully, skipping over to Tian Buyi's side. Her eyes, however, darted behind him, scanning the area. Not seeing the person she wanted to see, her brows immediately furrowed. "Father, where are Senior Brother and the others?"

"There are competitions everywhere, so they're all scattered," Tian Buyi replied casually.

Tian Ling'er bit her lip and glanced into the crowd again, but still couldn't see him. She couldn't help herself; her voice lowered, carrying a hint of urgency she herself didn't realize: "Then...where's Xiao Chuan? Wasn't he with you? Has he finished his competition? Did he win?"

Tian Buyi said "Oh," as if he had just remembered. His chubby face twitched, and he said in a flat tone, "He won. One move. After that, he went with Lu Xueqi from Xiaozhu Peak to watch other people's matches."

The smile on Tian Ling'er's face seemed to freeze, stiffening little by little before slowly disappearing.

She didn't speak, but lowered her head, looking at the dusty tips of her shoes, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

Su Ru watched her daughter's face darken instantly, sighed softly, and glared at Tian Buyi reproachfully, her eyes clearly saying: You, why do you have to bring up the sore spot?

Tian Buyi was glared at by his wife and realized what was happening. A hint of embarrassment flashed across his face. He coughed twice, wanting to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't know what to say.

He wasn't a sensitive person to begin with; he just thought his daughter should be happy that she had won the competition. Little did he know that a single sentence would upset the little girl.

Su Ru walked over, gently put her arm around Tian Ling'er's shoulder, and said softly, "Ling'er, come on, let's go see the other senior brothers' competitions. Your senior brothers Song and Wu should be starting soon too."

Tian Ling'er lowered her head and looked at the tips of her shoes, which were covered in dust.

She won. She fought so hard and finally won, and her first thought was to tell him, wanting to see him smile and praise her, "Senior Sister Ling'er is really amazing."

But he wasn't there.

He went to watch Lu Xueqi's competition.

She suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, as if something was blocking it. It wasn't pain, but a blockage that made it hard for her to breathe.

She remembered their childhood, together in the cradle, him pulling her hair, her biting his hand. She remembered when they were a little older, he taking her running all over the mountains, picking wild fruit, raiding bird nests. She remembered the night she gave him the warm jade beads, which he finally accepted, saying, "They're very beautiful, I like them very much."

When did he start having someone else by his side?

When did the way he looked at her start to resemble the way he looked at his sister?

She blinked hard, trying to suppress the bitterness in her eyes.

It's okay. She told herself. What's so good about Lu Xueqi? Cold and aloof, she hardly ever says a word.

She raised her head, her face now showing its usual expression, but her fiery red silhouette looked somewhat listless.