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

At this moment, Lu Xueqi gracefully descended from the arena, walked to Master Shuiyue, bowed slightly, and said in a cool voice, "Master."

Master Shuiyue looked at her, and the icy coldness on his face, which had never melted over the years, seemed to loosen slightly, revealing a faint expression of satisfaction.

She nodded, said nothing, and just gave a soft "hmm".

Lu Xueqi straightened up, but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Jiang Xiaochuan behind Master Shuiyue.

Jiang Xiaochuan was looking down, his heart pounding, when he suddenly felt a gaze fall on him. He subconsciously looked up and met Lu Xueqi's clear, sharp gaze. That gaze seemed to hold some... tension? And some... inquiry?

He was taken aback. Why was Lu Xueqi looking at him? Was she waiting for his opinion? Or... was she worried that he thought she had gone too far?

He opened his mouth, about to say something, like a polite remark such as "Senior Sister Lu is so amazing."

"Xueqi, let's go." Master Shuiyue's voice interrupted him.

Lu Xueqi paused almost imperceptibly, her gaze still fixed on Jiang Xiaochuan's face, but her feet did not move.

"Xueqi." Shuiyue called out again, her voice still calm, yet carrying an undeniable authority.

Lu Xueqi pursed her lips, finally slowly shifting her gaze, bowing slightly to Shuiyue again, then turning around and following Master Shuiyue out of the arena.

After walking a few steps, she couldn't help but look back again.

Jiang Xiaochuan was still standing there, looking at her with a blank expression on his face. He seemed to have not yet fully recovered from the brief but incredibly shocking competition and the subsequent verbal exchange between the two leaders.

Seeing his appearance, Lu Xueqi's inexplicable tension and unease suddenly dissipated. She withdrew her gaze, quickened her pace, and followed closely behind her master.

The figure in light blue gradually disappeared into the crowded throng and the swirling clouds in the distance.

Jiang Xiaochuan stood there, watching the direction she left in. The pounding in his heart gradually slowed down and weakened as the distance increased, eventually returning to a familiar, cold, and deathly silence.

It's as if that earth-shattering sword strike and that glance back were just an illusion.

"Jiang Xiaochuan!"

A sharp, angry shout snapped Jiang Xiaochuan out of his daze. He turned his head and saw Tian Ling'er standing beside him, her fiery red skirt like a burning flame, her face flushed with anger, her eyes wide and fixed on him.

"Ling, Senior Sister Ling'er?" Jiang Xiaochuan thought to himself, "This is bad."

"You really are here!" Tian Ling'er's chest heaved, her voice shrill and sharp. "I knew it! You came to see her, didn't you?"

Jiang Xiaochuan opened his mouth, feeling a bit of a headache: "I... no, Senior Sister Ling'er, please let me explain, it's Master he..."

Tian Ling'er was even angrier, her eyes slightly reddening: "You come just because my father told you to? Why weren't you here when I was competing in the arena? Huh? Why didn't you come to see me?!"

"I was competing too... I finished my competition, and yours was over too, right? We couldn't make it in time." Jiang Xiaochuan tried to reason with him.

Tian Ling'er didn't listen at all, her logic clear and reasonable: "So you had time to come see Lu Xueqi? Your match was in the 'Zhen' position, hers was in the 'Qian' position, they're far apart! After your match, you rushed over here to watch her match! What about mine? You don't care about mine at all, do you?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was a little stunned by her barrage of questions. He felt that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It seemed... that made sense, but it also seemed not entirely right.

"I..." He was at a loss for words.

Seeing his speechless expression, Tian Ling'er felt a surge of bitterness and grievance welling up inside her like a burst dam. She glared at him fiercely, turned her head away, and refused to look at him again, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Jiang Xiaochuan watched her trembling back and felt a pang of guilt. He sighed, scratched his head, and softened his voice, "Ling'er, don't be angry. Um... shall we go watch the other senior and junior brothers' matches? Xiao Fan seems to have won too, shall we go congratulate him?"

Tian Ling'er didn't say anything or move.

Jiang Xiaochuan waited for a while, and seeing that she didn't react, that feeling of helplessness welled up inside him again. He turned around, pretending to leave: "Aren't you leaving? Then I'm leaving."

Before he could finish speaking, his wrist was suddenly grabbed. The grip was so strong that his bones ached.

Tian Ling'er held his hand, still not turning around, but forcefully pulling him back, her voice muffled and tinged with defiance: "Let's go!"

Jiang Xiaochuan stumbled slightly as she pulled him along, but had no choice but to follow. After a couple of steps, he couldn't help but say, "Ling'er, be gentle, my hand hurts."

Tian Ling'er paused for a moment, but didn't let go. She just seemed to loosen her grip on him slightly.

She still didn't turn around, but her voice lowered, carrying a hint of awkwardness: "Your hands... why are they still so cold? Like ice cubes."

"I'm prone to feeling cold, is that not good?" Jiang Xiaochuan replied casually, but in his heart he thought, it's all because of that broken bead on my chest.

"Cold-blooded?" Tian Ling'er snorted, finally turning her head to glance at him quickly, her eyes filled with a hint of disdain and...inquiry.

"I think it's kidney deficiency?"

Jiang Xiaochuan's face darkened: "You're the one with kidney deficiency! Tian Ling'er, can't you watch your mouth, you're a young lady!"

"Mind your own business!" Tian Ling'er blushed, turned her head away, and stopped talking. She just grabbed his hand and tightened it, pulling him forward with big strides. Her fiery red back showed a stubbornness.

The two of them squeezed through the crowd for a long time before finally finding Zhang Xiaofan. He was surrounded by Du Bishu, He Dazhi and the others, who were praising him one after another. His dark face was flushed red, and he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. He could only smile sheepishly, but the light in his eyes could not be hidden.

Seeing Jiang Xiaochuan and Tian Ling'er approach, Zhang Xiaofan's eyes lit up even more. He pushed past his senior brothers, ran to Jiang Xiaochuan, and exclaimed excitedly, his voice trembling slightly, "Senior Brother Jiang! I... I won! I really won!"

Jiang Xiaochuan was quite pleased to see him like this. He reached out and patted his noticeably stronger shoulder, laughing, "Good job, Xiao Fan! I knew you could do it!"

With just that simple sentence, Zhang Xiaofan felt as if he had received a tremendous affirmation. He nodded heavily, his eyes reddening slightly, and looked at Jiang Xiaochuan with an overwhelming sense of trust and gratitude.

Watching from the side, Tian Ling'er felt her frustration dissipate somewhat.

She pursed her lips and muttered, "It's just winning one game, what's there to be proud of..." Her voice wasn't loud, and there wasn't much malice in it.

Zhang Xiaofan didn't mind, he just smiled sheepishly.