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

Zeng Shushu's face turned pale instantly, his eyes widened, and his voice changed tone:

"Old Jiang! No! Brother Jiang! Grandpa Jiang! You can't betray me! We've been childhood friends! Nine years of friendship!"

"Childhood friend?"

Jiang Xiaochuan raised an eyebrow. "My childhood friend, you were just trying to steal my monkey?"

"I wasn't... I was just eager to nurture talent!"

Zeng Shushu was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He bowed and scraped, "Brother Jiang, I was wrong! I was really wrong! This book... this book is yours! Consider it an apology! Please keep this a secret for me! If my father finds out, he'll break my legs and lock me up for another ten years!"

Jiang Xiaochuan was secretly delighted to see him so terrified, but kept a straight face: "You gave it to me?"

"It's yours, it's yours!"

Zeng Shushu nodded vigorously: "I only beg Brother Jiang to be lenient and keep this a secret!"

"Alright then." Jiang Xiaochuan nodded "reluctantly," and casually stuffed the blue book into his collar, tucking it away close to his body. Hmm, it's quite thick.

"Since you've been so sincere, I'll let it go this time. But don't let it happen again."

When Zeng Shushu saw that he had accepted the book and promised to keep it a secret, he finally breathed a long sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and was still shaken.

Then he felt sorry for the book; it was a rare gem that he had worked so hard to get his hands on!

However, compared to the consequences of being discovered by my father, a book... well, never mind, it's better to lose money than to suffer a terrible loss.

As the two emerged from the bamboo grove, Zeng Shushu asked, "By the way, you said you were going to watch Lu Xueqi's competition?"

Zeng Shushu nodded, his gossipy smile returning to his face: "Yes, to the Qianwei Arena. Today, Junior Sister Lu is facing Senior Brother Duan Lei from Tongtian Peak. He's the top disciple of the current generation of the Changmen Sect, and I heard his cultivation is at least the fifth level of the Jade Purity Realm, maybe even the sixth. It's bound to be a fierce battle! Let's hurry, we might still make it in time!"

Jiang Xiaochuan shook his head: "I'm not going."

"Huh? Why?" Zeng Shushu asked, puzzled. "Don't you want to see Junior Sister Lu's strength?"

"What are you looking at?" Jiang Xiaochuan said lazily. "I bet if we went over there now, there wouldn't be anyone left on the stage."

"Impossible!" Zeng Shushu exclaimed in disbelief. "Senior Brother Duan Lei isn't made of clay, how could he be so fast?"

"Don't believe me?" Jiang Xiaochuan shrugged. "How about we make a bet? We'll bet... whoever loses has to wash the other's socks for a month. Are you in?"

Zeng Shushu hesitated for a moment, looking at Jiang Xiaochuan's confident expression, and felt a little uneasy. But he really didn't believe that Lu Xueqi could deal with Duan Lei so quickly.

"Let's bet! Who's afraid of who! Let's go!"

The two of them led Zhang Xiaofan and walked quickly toward the Qianwei arena.

Even from a distance, you could see that the arena was surrounded by layers upon layers of people, several times more than Zhang Xiaofan's group had been.

There was a buzzing of voices, but no particularly loud shouts or gasps.

Squeezing closer, they saw that the huge Qian-rank arena was completely empty. Only the referee was standing at the edge of the arena, talking to a senior disciple.

Below the stage, the crowd was slowly dispersing, with many people still looking unsatisfied and... bewildered after the shock?

Zeng Shushu was dumbfounded and grabbed a tall Feng Hui Peak disciple who was about to leave: "Senior Brother Peng! Senior Brother Peng! Wait! On stage... is the competition over? Lu Xueqi and Senior Brother Duan Lei?"

The tall man turned his head. He saw Zeng Shushu, nodded, and said with a look of amazement, "It's over. It's a pity you didn't see it, Junior Brother Zeng."

"Really...really finished?" Zeng Shushu still couldn't believe it. "How many moves did Senior Brother Duan Lei...last?"

Peng Chang held up three fingers and shook them: "Three moves. Strictly speaking, Junior Sister Lu only used two swords. Senior Brother Duan Lei was defeated by the third sword. His immortal sword 'Thunderclap' was almost cut in half by Tianya, and he was also knocked off the stage by the sword energy, suffering serious internal injuries. He has already been carried away to receive treatment."

He paused, lowered his voice, and showed a look of awe on his face, "Master was watching from below the stage just now, and said that Junior Sister Lu's cultivation... has probably already reached the ninth level of Jade Purity, or even... may have touched the threshold of Upper Purity. It's unfathomable."

Zeng Shushu gasped, his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

The ninth level of Jade Purity? And you've even touched the threshold of Upper Purity? This... this is ridiculous!

He suddenly remembered the bet he made with Jiang Xiaochuan, and his face immediately fell. He turned to look at Jiang Xiaochuan, his face contorted with grief, "Old Jiang...you...you knew all along?"

Jiang Xiaochuan shrugged and said with a smile, "A bet's a bet, Junior Brother Zeng. Remember to hand wash your socks for a month, and use hot water."

Zeng Shushu wanted to cry but had no tears.

Jiang Xiaochuan was in a good mood and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I'll definitely be the champion. As for you..."

He deliberately dragged out his words, looking Zeng Shushu up and down, "I beat him up nine years ago, and now... I guess it'll be the same. Haha."

Zeng Shushu's face flushed red, whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell. He jumped up and said, "Old Jiang! What kind of lewd words are you spouting! What do you mean by 'beating someone while pinning them down'! What kind of talk is that if someone hears this!"

"Huh?" Jiang Xiaochuan looked completely innocent. "What did I say? Wasn't it the truth? Nine years ago at Feng Hui Peak, wasn't it me who rode on top of you and beat you up?"

"You...you shut up!" Zeng Shushu wanted to pounce on him and cover his mouth. Her face turned even redder, and she avoided looking at the curious gazes from those around her.

Jiang Xiaochuan found it even more amusing to see his utterly ashamed and indignant expression.

What did he say? It was just the truth.

This Zeng Shushu, his mind is always filled with all sorts of nonsense.

……

The two then went to watch Tian Ling'er's competition.

Her opponent was a disciple of Chaoyang Peak, and his strength was not weak. The two fought for nearly a hundred rounds before Tian Ling'er seized an opportunity with the agility and versatility of her Amber Crimson Silk, and swept her opponent off the stage with a single sling.

She stood on the stage, her face flushed, her chest rising and falling slightly.

His gaze swept across the audience and immediately spotted Jiang Xiaochuan standing in the crowd.

He was looking at her, smiling, nodding, and giving her a thumbs up.

The lingering fatigue and tension from the fierce battle in Tian Ling'er's heart vanished instantly, as if infused with a sweet, warm current, making her feel light and bright. Even the joy of winning seemed less delightful than that one glance from him.

She jumped off the platform, like a joyful little bird, hopping and skipping to Jiang Xiaochuan, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him: "I won!"

"I saw it, congratulations." Jiang Xiaochuan smiled, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pine nut candy wrapped in oil paper (which he had taken from Zhang Xiaofan that morning).

He unwrapped the candy and handed it over, saying, "Here, your reward."

Tian Ling'er's eyes lit up even more. Without thinking, she leaned over, took his hand, and with a flick of her tongue, rolled the candy into her mouth.

"Mmm, so sweet!" She squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

Zeng Shushu, who was standing next to her, stared wide-eyed, swallowed hard, and leaned over, mimicking Tian Ling'er in a high-pitched voice: "Brother Jiang... I want candy too..."

Jiang Xiaochuan's face darkened, and he raised his foot as if to kick: "Get lost! You're disgusting!"

Tian Ling'er then noticed that there was a strange man next to Jiang Xiaochuan. He was quite handsome, but his eyes... were a bit sly, and the way he looked at people made people uncomfortable.

She frowned and asked warily, "Xiao Chuan, who is he?"