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

At night, in the temporary dormitory area for disciples arranged by Tongtian Peak.

The small room where the eight male disciples of Dazhu Peak were crammed together was bustling with activity at the moment.

The sounds of snoring, teeth grinding, and murmurs, along with the brief arguments and grumbling that erupted when someone rolled over and pressed on another person's arm, all intertwined and filled the small, hot space.

The air was thick with the smells of sweat, foot odor, and the lingering, restless heat characteristic of young men.

Jiang Xiaochuan lay on the hard floor, covered only by a thin sheet, his eyes open, staring at the dark, low beams.

It was crowded, hot, noisy, and all sorts of smells filled my nose.

Can't sleep.

My mind was a jumbled mess. Images flashed through my mind: Lu Xueqi's stunning yet ruthless sword strike during the day; her nervous gaze as she looked at me after stepping off the stage; Master Shuiyue's "smooth-tongued" remark and inscrutable expression; Tian Ling'er's flushed face and the hand that gripped him so tightly it hurt; Zhang Xiaofan's honest and bright smile after winning the match; Zeng Shushu's gossipy and cheeky demeanor…

Finally, for some reason, the scene freezes on the edge of the Rainbow Bridge, on Lu Xueqi's sudden, cold, and stiff embrace.

Then he fainted.

That's fucking shameful.

Jiang Xiaochuan buried his face in the sweaty pillow and let out a silent wail. What kind of mess is this?!

Beside him, Little Gray seemed quite energetic.

It somehow found another half of a hard, dry steamed bun and squatted down next to Jiang Xiaochuan's pillow, happily munching on it. In the quiet (relatively speaking) night, the sound was exceptionally clear.

Annoyed by its noise, Jiang Xiaochuan suddenly reached out, grabbed it, and without saying a word, smacked it twice on the forehead.

"Slap! Slap!"

The sound was crisp and clear.

Little Gray's head lolled to the side after being hit, and the crumbs of the steamed bun he hadn't finished eating fell out of his mouth.

It paused for a moment, but instead of getting angry, it excitedly squeaked twice, dropped the steamed bun, and pounced over to hug Jiang Xiaochuan's arm.

Jiang Xiaochuan's lips twitched as he looked helplessly at this shameless monkey who was fearless, unyielding, and only got more energetic the more he was beaten. In the end, he sighed and let go.

Freed from his confinement, Little Gray immediately seized the opportunity, crawled into his bed, found a comfortable position to curl up, and soon began to snore softly and rhythmically, sleeping more soundly than anyone else in the room.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at the small tuft of gray fur beside his pillow and listened to its soft purring. For some reason, the slight irritation in his heart calmed down a bit.

Never mind, let's go to sleep.

There will be another competition tomorrow.

He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the surrounding noise and smells, and attempted to fall asleep.

……

Rainbow Bridge.

The night was cool and still. A mountain breeze blew up from the deep valley, carrying a biting chill, stirring the slowly flowing rainbow-colored light on the bridge, and also blowing the clothes and hair of the water-blue figure standing quietly at the bridgehead.

Lu Xueqi had been standing here for a long time.

I've been standing here since night completely fell. Yunhai Square is now deserted, with only a few scattered lights from the disciples' dormitories in the distance and a few stars in the sky.

She gazed in the direction of the square, in the direction he had come from during the day. Her clear, cool eyes shone like stars in a cold pool in the night, yet they also held a cautious, expectant look.

Will he... come again tonight?

He went with his master during the day, but was later pulled away by his junior sister, Tian. Could it be that... he couldn't sleep again, went for a walk, and... ended up here?

Just like last night.

This thought had been swirling in her mind since dinner time, growing clearer and more persistent. She made an excuse, avoiding her roommate, and quietly came here alone.

and so on.

The night dew dampened her skirt, the mountain wind chilled her cheeks, and her hands and feet felt stiff. Yet she remained standing, motionless, gazing in that direction.

Time passed slowly. One by one, the lights in the distant dormitories went out. The night grew deeper and quieter.

He...did not come.

Perhaps he was tired from the competition today and went to bed early.

Perhaps, it was Junior Sister Tian who was holding him back, preventing him from coming out.

Perhaps... he never even considered coming.

The faint hope in my heart was like a candle flame in the wind, flickering and eventually fading away in the increasingly cold mountain wind.

Only a hollow, chilling disappointment remained, slowly spreading and permeating every part of my body.

She stood at the bridgehead for a long time, until the last light in the inn went out, and the entire Tongtian Peak seemed to sink into a deep sleep.

She finally moved her somewhat stiff fingers slightly and slowly turned around.

The figure in light blue blended into the shimmering light of the Rainbow Bridge and the deep darkness of the night, silently making its way towards the courtyard where the female disciples of Xiaozhu Peak lived.

The mountain wind blew across the empty Rainbow Bridge, whistling and swirling up a few fallen leaves that seemed to have drifted from nowhere, sending them twirling and falling into the bottomless valley.

On the bridge, the colorful lights still flow silently, unchanged through the ages.

It was as if no one had ever stood there, waiting.

……

As dawn broke, a considerable number of people had already arrived, their buzzing discussions like a swarm of bees at morning, mingling back and forth between the massive arena and the red notice board.

Jiang Xiaochuan squeezed his way to the bottom of the red list with the people from Dazhu Peak. Half of the ink on the list had just dried, while the other half of the names had been roughly crossed out.

He looked at the name "Chen Feng of Dragon Head Peak" next to his own, but couldn't quite place it. Was there such a person in the original story? Probably just a minor character.

Suddenly, someone patted his shoulder. Jiang Xiaochuan turned his head and saw Qi Hao standing next to him at some point, his face still bearing that impeccable, gentle smile, but there was something else in his eyes.

"Junior Brother Jiang."

Qi Hao cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "Chen Feng, whom you are facing today, is my junior brother from Dragon Head Peak. He is a bit arrogant, but he's not a bad person. If he offends you in any way, I hope Junior Brother Jiang will show him mercy."

Jiang Xiaochuan chuckled. Was this a preemptive warning?

He waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry, Senior Brother Qi. It's just a friendly spar between fellow disciples. It's fine for a young person to have a bit of pride, like the sun at eight or nine in the morning, full of vigor! Good, good, good."

As he spoke, his eyes glanced at Zhang Xiaofan, who was staring at the red list and unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes.

This kid won the first game, but the timidity and sullenness ingrained in his bones didn't seem to have dissipated much.

It's just like my past life: pathetic, resentful, and always feeling inferior.

If we could let him spend a few days at Longshou Peak and learn from his "I'm the best in the world" attitude, maybe he'd have a breakthrough.

Zhang Xiaofan noticed Jiang Xiaochuan's gaze, turned his head, and grinned sheepishly with a slightly embarrassed expression on his dark face.

"What are you looking at?"

Jiang Xiaochuan walked over, put his arm around Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder, and leaned close to his ear, his hot breath hitting Zhang Xiaofan's earlobe, which immediately turned red.

"Have you heard of Chu Yuhong from Chaoyang Peak today? He uses a fire-attribute immortal sword, his style is pretty fierce, it's called 'Shaoyang Sword' or something. That kid is incredibly arrogant."

Zhang Xiaofan nodded nervously, his palms starting to sweat again.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

"If he's arrogant, you should show weakness first. Let him have a few moves, make him think you're not good enough. When he thinks he's won, and shows a weakness..."

He made a "click" gesture and a sly smile appeared on his face.

"Just go all out on him. Remember, strike the snake at its vital spot, beat someone in the face... uh, I mean, catch them off guard and win with one blow."

Zhang Xiaofan listened intently, his eyes wide, but he still nodded vigorously, memorizing every word Jiang Xiaochuan said. Senior Brother Jiang's teachings must be correct.

"Okay, go ahead. If you win, I'll treat you to something nice." Jiang Xiaochuan patted his shoulder, quite forcefully.

Zhang Xiaofan blushed even more and whispered, "Senior Brother Jiang, I... I will definitely do my best and not let you down."

"What's shameful about it?"

Jiang Xiaochuan clicked his tongue: "I personally taught you, so just don't 'go offline' too early."