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

"I...I've had a different constitution than others since I was a child."

He forced himself to start making things up: "When you're injured or overexerted, your body automatically uses your cultivation to repair itself. This time... this time, taking that lightning bolt from you was too taxing, and my body couldn't handle it, so it used its cultivation to repair itself. That's why you see, I'm perfectly healthy and energetic. It's just that my cultivation... well, it's a bit low."

As he spoke, he stretched his arms and legs to prove that he was "alive and kicking".

Lu Xueqi stared at him blankly, the deathly stillness in her eyes slowly fading, replaced by confusion and... a faint, incredulous hope.

"Really...really?" Her voice was very soft and trembling.

"real!"

Jiang Xiaochuan nodded vigorously, his expression utterly sincere: "More real than real gold! Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, ask my master's wife; wasn't I like this when I was a child?"

As he spoke, he turned to look at Su Ru and frantically winked at her.

Su Ru was stunned for a moment. Looking at Jiang Xiaochuan's winking and then at the faint hope in Lu Xueqi's eyes, she understood a few things.

She sighed softly, nodded in agreement with Jiang Xiaochuan's words, and said gently, "Xueqi, what Xiaochuan said... is indeed true. He has had a special constitution since childhood, and he recovers from injuries exceptionally quickly, but... sometimes he loses cultivation. This time... is probably the same. Don't blame yourself too much."

Lu Xueqi stared at him blankly, her mind a jumbled mess.

Is there a special physique? Does getting injured consume cultivation points to repair the body?

She had never heard of such a claim before.

But if that's not the case, why wasn't he seriously injured at all? How could he only lose cultivation level after being struck head-on by the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique?

She looked at him; his eyes were clear, his expression sincere, and he didn't seem to be lying. But... really?

She wanted to press him for a clearer explanation.

But the words stuck in his throat.

What if it's true? What if he's just saying that to comfort himself?

Whether it was true or not, he didn't blame her. He was making excuses for her to ease her discomfort.

The moment this thought popped into my head, my eyes welled up with tears.

She lowered her head, not wanting him to see her tears. But she couldn't hold back the tears, and they fell in large drops.

She cried. She didn't make a sound, just silently shed tears.

His shoulders shrugged slightly, and his fingers gripped the hem of his clothes tightly, like a child who had done something wrong.

Jiang Xiaochuan watched her cry, and the panic in his heart turned into helplessness.

He fears nothing but women crying. Especially Lu Xueqi, who is usually as cold as ice, suddenly bursting into tears—the impact is too great.

As he spoke, his mind raced, trying to find a way to change the subject. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Oh, right, let me tell you a story."

Lu Xueqi paused, then looked up at him with tearful eyes.

Jiang Xiaochuan sat cross-legged, cleared his throat, and began to speak.

It tells the story of a young man named Xiao Yan, who goes from genius to good-for-nothing, suffers endless scorn, and whose fiancée comes to break off their engagement.

He made a vow: fortunes change every thirty years, and we should never underestimate a young man's potential.

Then he met a teacher who was a spirit, and he started cultivating again, leveling up all the way, and finally became a Dou Di, famous throughout the continent.

He spoke with great enthusiasm, his tone rising and falling, gesturing wildly.

He talked about Xiao Yan's anger when his engagement was broken off, his surprise when Yao Lao appeared, the hardships of cultivation, and the exhilaration of revenge.

Lu Xueqi listened quietly, her tears stopping at some point.

As she watched his animated expression and the light in his eyes, the heavy guilt in her heart slowly melted away, transforming into something more complex.

He's really stupid.

He was cleaved in two like this, his cultivation level dropped, and yet he's still here telling her stories and trying to cheer her up.

The story is over. Jiang Xiaochuan's mouth was dry, so he licked his lips.

Lu Xueqi asked softly, "And then?"

"And then..."

Jiang Xiaochuan thought for a moment: "Later, he became a Dou Di, married a beautiful woman, and lived a happy life. A standard wish-fulfillment novel ending."

Lu Xueqi hummed in agreement and didn't ask any more questions.

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, her voice soft but firm.

"I will take care of you."

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback: "Huh?"

"Until you get better."

Lu Xueqi looked at him, her eyes still red, but her gaze was clear. "It's all because of me. So... I'll take care of you."

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a chill run down his spine.

Lu Xueqi taking care of him? The thought was too beautiful to contemplate. He quickly waved his hand.

Before he could speak, his body suddenly became uncontrollable.

He heard his mouth open and utter a sentence, his tone natural and with a hint of a smile.

"Then I'll have to trouble Xueqi."

Jiang Xiaochuan: "???"

Hongli-jie! What are you doing?!

Lu Xueqi was taken aback, and then a glimmer of light flashed quickly in her tear-filled eyes.

He... agreed? He called me "Xueqi"... his tone seemed a little different from usual, but... he agreed.

"Um."

She nodded vigorously, tears still streaming down her face, but the corners of her mouth curved upwards almost imperceptibly, though she quickly closed them again. "I'll come every day."

Jiang Xiaochuan regained control of his body, looking completely bewildered. Hong Li's voice scoffed in his mind: "Silly boy, aren't you happy to have a beauty offering herself up to take care of you? Be grateful!"

"I'll laugh my ass off!" Jiang Xiaochuan wailed inwardly.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Lu Xueqi assumed he was tired, so she said, "Then you rest first, I... I'm going out." As she spoke, she turned and walked towards the door.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at her straight but slender back and the tear stains on her face, and something stirred in his heart.

He remembered that his face was covered in dust, and he had gotten her face dirty too.

"Wait," he called to her.

Lu Xueqi stopped and turned around.

Jiang Xiaochuan walked to the table and picked up another clean cloth from the basin.

It must have been brought by Lu Xueqi.

The water in the basin was dirty, so he carried it outside, filled it halfway with clean water from the vat under the eaves, and brought it back. The cloth was soaked and wrung out until it was half dry.

He walked up to Lu Xueqi and handed her a cloth: "Wipe your face. I'm sorry I got your face all smudged."

Lu Xueqi was stunned.

She looked at the still-dripping cloth he handed her, then looked up at him again.

His face was streaked with black and white, but his eyes were clear and a little embarrassed.

She didn't answer; she just stood there, looking at him.

Jiang Xiaochuan held up the cloth, a little embarrassed. Would she think I was dirty? The cloth was new, and the water was clean…

Seeing that she didn't move, he hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand, took the cloth, and gently wiped her cheek.

The movements were very light, with a hint of probing.

Lu Xueqi didn't dodge. The towel was cool and damp as it wiped her burning skin.

He wiped very carefully, from his cheeks to under his eyes, little by little, removing the tear stains and dust.

The room was quiet, with only the faint sound of a cloth rubbing against skin and the almost overlapping breaths of the two people.

Lu Xueqi stood there, like a jade sculpture, letting him do as he pleased.

Only her slightly accelerated heartbeat and increasingly flushed cheeks betrayed the turmoil raging within her.

He was very close; she could smell the faint burnt smell on him, along with the clean scent of soap. His hand occasionally brushed against her skin, his fingertips warm.

Jiang Xiaochuan focused intently on wiping, thinking to himself: "Make sure it's clean. That girl is shy; she was crying so much just now... Hmm, her skin is so nice, so smooth..."

Stop! What are you thinking about!

After wiping, he withdrew his hand, looked at Lu Xueqi's face which was now clean and fair again, and breathed a sigh of relief: "All done."

Lu Xueqi lowered her eyes and gave a barely audible "hmm." Her ears turned bright red.

"Well... I'm leaving," she said softly.

"Okay, see you tomorrow," Jiang Xiaochuan said.

Lu Xueqi nodded, turned around, pushed open the door, and walked out. Her steps were quicker than usual.

Jiang Xiaochuan watched her disappearing figure outside the door and scratched his head. Something felt... off.

……

After Lu Xueqi left, Su Ru walked to the bedside and sat down.

She looked at Jiang Xiaochuan with gentle eyes, yet with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Ogawa, what you said just now... you were lying to her, weren't you?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback, then scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "Master's wife, you... you noticed?"

Su Ru sighed softly, "You think you can hide your little schemes from me? But you did the right thing. Xueqi is a sensitive child; if she thinks she's the one who crippled your cultivation, she'll probably carry that burden for the rest of her life. But..."

She paused, looked at him, her gaze becoming more serious: "Tell me the truth, what exactly happened to your cultivation? Did you really just lose it?"

Jiang Xiaochuan paused for a moment, then nodded: "It really was just dropped. Master's wife, don't worry, I can train myself to get it back."

Su Ru looked at him for a long time, then reached out and gently brushed the stray hairs from his forehead, saying softly, "Yes, your master believes you. But don't scare people like that anymore. Your master was so worried, and Ling'er cried until her eyes were swollen."

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a warmth in his heart and nodded vigorously: "Understood, Master's wife."