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

The courtyard of the disciples of Xiaozhu Peak.

Master Shuiyue entered a simple house, and Lu Xueqi silently followed behind her, closing the door behind her.

The room was filled with the delicate fragrance of sandalwood incense, its smoke curling upwards.

Master Shuiyue sat down on the bamboo chair, not looking at Lu Xueqi, but simply picked up the lukewarm tea on the table and took a small sip.

Lu Xueqi stood in front of her with her hands at her sides, head down, looking at the tips of her shoes.

The room was quiet, with only the soft sound of tea being poured into a cup and her own slightly rapid heartbeat.

She didn't know what her master wanted to say to her by calling her back specifically. Was it about the sword being destroyed on the arena earlier? Or was it about... him?

"Xueqi." Master Shuiyue put down her teacup, her voice calm.

"Disciple is here," Lu Xueqi replied immediately.

"You did well today," Master Shuiyue said slowly, his gaze fixed on her face, his cold eyes revealing no emotion. "You acted decisively, deterring the villains. The disciples of Xiaozhu Peak do not cause trouble, nor are they afraid of trouble. Especially... those with wicked intentions."

Lu Xueqi was slightly taken aback. She raised her head and looked at her master, a hint of doubt showing in her clear, cold eyes.

Master Shuiyue looked at her, then suddenly changed the subject. His voice remained calm, but seemed to carry a different meaning: "That Jiang Xiaochuan from Dazhu Peak... you seem to care about him a lot?"

Lu Xueqi's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and a thin blush instantly spread across her fair cheeks, all the way to her ears.

She instinctively lowered her head, avoiding her master's gaze, her fingers unconsciously clenching her sleeves, her voice barely audible: "Master...this disciple didn't..."

"No?" Master Shuiyue repeated softly, her tone unreadable, "No, you kept looking down at the audience during the match? No, after you won, you didn't come to see me first, but instead stared at him? No, you blushed when he casually praised you?"

A series of rhetorical questions, though not harsh or even calm, were like fine needles, precisely piercing Lu Xueqi's heart.

Her blush deepened, her head drooped even lower, almost burying itself in her chest, her lips pressed together until they turned white, and she couldn't utter a single word.

My mind was in turmoil; I felt ashamed, flustered, and embarrassed that I had been seen through.

Master Shuiyue looked at her like this, remained silent for a moment, and a very complex emotion flashed deep in his eyes, a mixture of helplessness, pity, and... something else.

She sighed softly, her voice softening: "Xueqi, you've always been aloof and simple-minded, lacking worldly experience. Some things, some people, you need to... observe slowly, observe carefully, think things through, and then make a decision. Do you understand?"

Lu Xueqi raised her eyes and looked at her master.

Master Shuiyue's gaze was calm, even carrying a rare hint of gentleness. She seemed...not to object? Not angry? Just...let her observe at her own pace?

Lu Xueqi's initial panic subsided slightly. She looked at her master, nodded gently, and said in a low but clear voice, "Disciple... understands."

Master Shuiyue hummed in agreement, said nothing more, picked up her teacup again, and slowly sipped. Wisps of tea steam rose, blurring her cool and aloof face.

Lu Xueqi stood there, her mind replaying her master's words. Slowly observe... think it through...

And... what about him? What is he doing now? Is he going to watch Junior Sister Tian's competition again? Or did he go back to Dazhu Peak?

As dusk fell, the first day of the Seven Sects Martial Arts Tournament finally came to a close.

Disciples from each lineage dispersed in twos and threes, discussing the exciting matches of the day, and headed towards their respective temporary residences.

The Cloud Sea Square gradually emptied out, leaving only the huge arena casting a long shadow in the twilight, and lingering clouds that flowed slowly along the smooth jade ground.

Jiang Xiaochuan didn't rush back. He stood at the edge of the square, shading his eyes with his hand, and looked around.

Where has that lazy little gray monkey run off to again? I haven't seen him all day. Could he have sneaked into some kitchen or gone to cause trouble at some female disciple's residence again?

As they were searching, two dog barks came from afar.

Then the big yellow dog came running over, carrying the gray monkey on its back. The little gray monkey had one paw wrapped around the big yellow dog's neck, and in its other paw, it was holding a small handful of tender, juicy bamboo shoots that it had picked from somewhere, and it was munching on them with relish, with crumbs sticking to its mouth.

Jiang Xiaochuan was both annoyed and amused. He strode over and lifted Little Gray, who was still swaggering on Big Yellow's back, into the air.

"Squeak!" Little Gray was happily munching away when it was suddenly lifted up. Startled, it dropped the bamboo shoot and kicked wildly with its four paws, then turned its head to grab at the hand holding it.

"Huh?" A surprised exclamation rang out beside Jiang Xiaochuan.

Jiang Xiaochuan turned his head and saw that it was an unfamiliar Qingyun disciple.

He was around twenty years old, dressed in a blue robe, and quite handsome. He was holding a folding fan painted with a landscape painting, and his eyes were wide open, staring intently at the squeaky little gray dog ​​in his hand. His face showed a mixture of surprise and excitement, and he was muttering to himself:

"That was close... I was careless for a moment and almost forgot that the three-eyed monkey is fierce and hates strangers getting close, as it can easily hurt people..."

He muttered to himself, but his gaze was fixed on Little Grey. His eyes looked like those of a beggar who hadn't eaten for three days seeing a feast of Manchu Han Imperial Feast, all green and glistening with desire.

Little Grey felt uneasy under his gaze and became even angrier, waving its monkey paws as if to scratch his face again.

The man reacted quickly, leaning back to narrowly avoid the attack, exclaiming, "That was close!"

Jiang Xiaochuan frowned and casually gave the still struggling Little Gray a light but not heavy "smack" on the forehead.

With a "thud," Little Gray was startled by the knock, but instead of being annoyed, it was pleased. It squeaked twice and became a little more obedient, though its round eyes were still staring at the unfamiliar disciple.

Jiang Xiaochuan then turned to the man and smiled apologetically, "Senior brother, I'm sorry, this monkey is used to being wild, did it hurt you?"

The disciple in the green robe waved his hand dismissively, finally shifting his gaze from Xiao Hui to Jiang Xiaochuan's face. He looked Jiang Xiaochuan up and down, his surprise deepening, tinged with uncertainty, as he hesitated, "You...you are...Old Jiang?!"

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback. Old Jiang? Who is this person calling him?

He looked closely at the person before him: a handsome face, smiling eyes, and a pretentious folding fan in hand… A corner of his memory seemed to be touched. It seemed… vaguely familiar?

Seeing that Jiang Xiaochuan looked blank and obviously didn't recognize him, the man's face immediately showed a hint of disappointment, and his shoulders slumped a little.

But he quickly perked up, pointed to his nose with his folding fan, and reminded himself, "Me! Zeng Shushu! Feng Huifeng, Zeng Shushu! You've forgotten? Nine years ago, Uncle Tian brought you to our Feng Huifeng. We were both young then, and we got into a fight over something trivial. You, you..."

As he spoke, he seemed to recall some painful past events; his facial muscles twitched, revealing a lingering fear in his expression.

"You were really fierce back then. You pinned me to the ground, straddled me, and gave me a good beating that almost made me vomit my breakfast! I've remembered that beating for nine whole years! It gave me psychological trauma!"

He described it vividly, even making an exaggerated "riding and fighting" gesture, and tried hard to squeeze out a few tears of grievance on his face. Unfortunately, his acting skills were lacking, and he only managed to produce a comical expression.