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

The young, fair-skinned monk had the most serene gaze. He stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and spoke first, his voice gentle and pleasant: "Amitabha, well said, well said. May I ask if you four benefactors are disciples of the Qingyun Sect?"

Qi Hao stepped forward, returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and his expression had returned to its usual composure: "Indeed. I am Qi Hao from the Dragon Head Peak of the Qingyun Sect. May I ask who you gentlemen are...?"

The young monk smiled slightly: "I am Faxiang from Tianyin Temple, and this is my junior brother, Fashan."

He stepped aside to gesture, and Fashan greeted him in a deep, resonant voice, pressing his palms together in homage: "Amitabha."

Fa Xiang then turned to the couple on his right: "These two are esteemed disciples of Fenxiang Valley, Senior Brother Li Xun and Junior Sister Yan Hong."

The handsome man named Li Xun and the beautiful woman named Yan Hong merely nodded slightly upon hearing this, their expressions carrying a hint of innate arrogance. Their gazes lingered on Jiang Xiaochuan for a moment longer, their furrowed brows never relaxing.

Qi Hao frowned almost imperceptibly, slightly displeased with the attitude of the two from Fenxiang Valley, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he smiled at Faxiang and said, "I have long admired the name of Senior Brother Faxiang from Tianyin Temple. Meeting you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary."

Fa Xiang humbly shook his head: "Senior Brother Qi, you flatter me. This humble monk is dull-witted and has only been fortunate enough to be taught a meager Dharma by my master. I dare not compare myself with the talents of my fellow disciples in the Qingyun Sect."

Qi Hao smiled, stepped aside to introduce his fellow disciples, and when he introduced Jiang Xiaochuan, a knowing look flashed in his eyes. His gaze swept over the shocking filth on Jiang's body and the horrific battlefield around him, and he put his palms together and said, "Senior Brother Jiang, I have long admired you."

Li Xun suddenly sneered, glancing sideways at Jiang Xiaochuan, his voice laced with sarcasm: "Senior Brother Qi, your Qingyun sect has always called itself the leader of the righteous path, claiming your Taoist methods are unparalleled in the world. How come today you have such... disheveled and wretched disciples? Did you encounter some insurmountable trouble on the road, ending up in this state?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the four members of the Qingyun Sect all changed!

After Li Xun's sarcastic remark, Lu Xueqi suddenly spoke, her voice as cold and clear as ice striking stone:

"Senior Brother Li."

Li Xun was taken aback and looked at her.

Lu Xueqi's gaze calmly fell on his spotless robes and boots, then slowly moved back to his face, her voice flat: "Your shoes are very clean."

Those five simple words, devoid of any emotion, instantly made Li Xun's face flush red.

Everyone understood the unspoken message: Where were you when we were fighting bloody battles? What right do you have to mock us?

After Lu Xueqi finished speaking, she stopped looking at him, turned around and walked to Jiang Xiaochuan's side. She took out her handkerchief and began to wipe the bloodstains off his face as if no one else was there.

Jiang Xiaochuan seemed not to hear the sarcasm. He scratched his head, (resulting in a hand covered in scabs). He looked at his hand, wiped it on a slightly cleaner part of his body, then looked up at Li Xun, sighed, and wore an expression of shame and helplessness.

"Alas! Senior Brother Li, you are unaware of this! To tell you the truth, we also suffered a great calamity last night! We intended to rid the people of this scourge and cleanse them of the demonic aura, but from dawn till dusk, we fought valiantly, and our true energy was almost exhausted! Look at my body; it's proof of the bloody battle with those beasts! Alas, it's truly shameful to say. There were simply too many bats to eliminate them all. We exerted all our strength, and could only force these ferocious creatures back to their cave. We failed to achieve our goal and ended up covered in this filth. Shame on us, so very shame!"

He spoke with such sincerity, coupled with his breathtaking "blood-stained battle robe" and the real mountains of corpses and seas of blood around him, that it was impossible not to believe him.

Qi Hao and Zeng Shushu immediately realized what was happening and hurriedly echoed with sorrowful expressions, "Yes, Junior Brother Jiang is right. Last night's battle was truly brutal!"

The four people opposite each had a different expression.

Li Xun snorted coldly, his lips curling up in disbelief, but looking at the mountain of bat corpses, he had no way to refute it.

Yan Hong lowered her head shyly, but when she looked at Jiang Xiaochuan again, the disdain in her eyes faded, replaced by surprise and sympathy.

Faxiang smiled, his gaze towards Jiang Xiaochuan filled with genuine admiration.

The straightforward Fa Shan, seeing Jiang Xiaochuan's "blood-stained battle robe" and hearing about his heroic deeds of "fighting valiantly" and "forcing back the bat swarm," showed undisguised admiration on his dark face and said in a deep voice, "Senior Brother Jiang...you've worked hard!"

Faxiang smiled and said, "I see. Senior Brother Jiang has rid the people of this scourge and must be exhausted from his journey. Why don't we go down the mountain together first, find a place to rest, and recharge our energy tomorrow morning before exploring the Ten Thousand Bats Cave together?"

Jiang Xiaochuan immediately nodded: "Brother Faxiang is absolutely right! That's exactly how it should be!"

He paused, then added sincerely, "Um... I really need to... clean myself up."

Faxiang nodded with a smile: "Thirty miles from here, there is a mountain spring, quite clear and secluded. Brother Jiang may go there to wash up. This humble monk will lead the way for Brother Jiang."

Jiang Xiaochuan thanked him, summoned the God-Slaying Spear, stepped onto it, and was about to take flight when he noticed a figure in light blue also summoning the Heavenly Jade and following beside him.

Jiang Xiaochuan: "...Senior Sister Lu, why are you following me?"

Lu Xueqi looked at him calmly: "You are injured and your spiritual energy is depleted. I'm worried about you being all alone."

She paused, then lowered her voice, but with an undeniable authority, "Call me Xueqi."

Jiang Xiaochuan: "...There's Brother Faxiang..."

Lu Xueqi: "I'm worried. I'm concerned about you."

Jiang Xiaochuan fell silent. The words "I'm worried about you" fell softly, but they were like a small stone hitting the cold spot in his heart, creating a slight, unfamiliar ripple.

Faxiang stood to the side, eyes downcast, seemingly oblivious to everything, and said gently, "Gentlemen, please follow this humble monk."

Three beams of light flew up one after the other, sweeping across the desolate mountains and landing behind a secluded hill. Sure enough, there was a clear spring that seeped out from a crack in the rock, forming a small pool of water. The water was crystal clear and surrounded by trees, making it quite tranquil.

Faxiang had already walked to a large rock some distance away, sat cross-legged with his back to the pool, and was chanting Buddhist scriptures in a low voice. He was obviously protecting them and avoiding any suspicion.

Jiang Xiaochuan walked to the edge of the pool, looked at his reflection in the water, his features obscured by blood, and sighed. He reached out to untie his belt, but halfway through, he suddenly remembered something, froze, and slowly turned his head.

Lu Xueqi stood a few steps behind him, quietly watching him. The morning light dappled her face and body through the gaps in the trees, and her clear, cool eyes reflected the light of the pool, sparkling brightly.

Jiang Xiaochuan's ears felt a little hot: "Um... Xueqi, you... turn around."

Lu Xueqi looked at him but didn't move.

"Turn around," Jiang Xiaochuan urged again, his voice tinged with embarrassment.

Lu Xueqi then said "Oh," slowly turned around, her back to the pool, her back ramrod straight.

Jiang Xiaochuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took off his tattered coat, which was so worn that its original color was no longer discernible and was covered in blood scabs and filth.

The cool air touched his skin, raising a layer of tiny goosebumps. He reached out to test the water temperature; it was refreshingly cool. He jumped in.

With a "plop," water splashed up.

The icy spring water instantly enveloped his entire body, making him shiver. But soon, the coolness carried away most of the sticky, hot feeling on his skin, leaving him feeling very comfortable.

He sank into the water, held his breath, then surfaced, shook his head, splashing water everywhere, and began to vigorously scrub the dried, hardened bloodstains from his face, hair, and body.

The filthy blood dissolved, turning the clear pool water a light reddish-brown, which then slowly spread and diluted.

He was so focused on washing that he didn't notice that the upright figure with its back to him had quietly turned around at some point.

Lu Xueqi stood by the pool, watching the boy scrubbing himself vigorously in the water. The clear spring water washed away large patches of filth from his face, revealing his originally pale skin, straight nose, and lips.

Water droplets rolled down his wet black hair, slid down his neck, over his well-defined collarbone, and over his chest and abdomen, where the muscles were clearly defined but not exaggerated...

Her gaze involuntarily drifted downwards. The water rippled around his waist, hazy and indistinct, yet some outlines could not be hidden.

Lu Xueqi felt her cheeks burning; she suddenly remembered that book…

She abruptly looked away, but her heart started racing uncontrollably, pounding so hard it made her eardrums ring. Her nose felt itchy and hot.

She took a deep breath, pursed her lips tightly, and suppressed the unfamiliar heat and strange sensation in her nose. After a while, she couldn't help but quietly turn her gaze back.

He's fine, perfectly fine. He's vigorously scrubbing a stubborn scab off his arm, the lines of his shoulder rising and falling with the movement, water droplets glistening in the morning light.

As Lu Xueqi watched, the tension in her heart, caused by the bloody battle of the previous night and her earlier worries, slowly eased.

A sense of peace and reassurance quietly spread through me; thankfully, he was alright.

She watched him for a long time, until he was almost finished washing and began to wring the water out of his hair. Then, as if suddenly awakened, she quickly and silently turned back to the pool, her back straight, as if she had never moved.

Jiang Xiaochuan emerged from the water, shivering. He quickly retrieved a set of clean black clothes from his storage space.

He quickly changed his clothes and hastily wiped his wet hair with a dry cloth.

After tidying up, he walked behind Lu Xueqi and coughed lightly.

Lu Xueqi turned around. She had already returned to her usual aloof demeanor, but a faint blush remained on her cheeks, barely visible in the morning light.

"Are you done washing?" she asked, her gaze sweeping over his face and body.

He was clean now. Although his hair was still wet and his face was still a little pale, the heavy smell of blood and filth was gone, leaving only the clear scent of spring water and the clean, faint smell of soapberry in the sunlight on his body.

"Okay." Jiang Xiaochuan nodded, looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice, "Um... Xueqi, when there are outsiders around, shall I... still call you Senior Sister Lu for now?"

Lu Xueqi looked at him without saying a word.

"To avoid...gossip," Jiang Xiaochuan added, his voice even lower.

Lu Xueqi was silent for a moment, then asked, "What if there are no outsiders?"

Jiang Xiaochuan looked into her clear, stubborn eyes that were fixed on him, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was so low it was almost inaudible: "...Xueqi."

Lu Xueqi's lips curved upwards very slightly, though she quickly closed them again.

She hummed in agreement.

Seeing that they had finished packing, Fa Xiang led the two back to join Qi Hao, Fa Shan, Li Xun, and Yan Hong.

After a brief conversation, the group decided to go up the mountain together the next morning to explore the Ten Thousand Bats Cave.

The next day, as dawn broke, the eight of them set off together towards Mount Kongsang. The mountains and fields were desolate and silent, with only the sound of their footsteps and the rustling of their clothes against the sand and stones.

Faxiang and his group arrived a few days earlier and had already found the exact location of the Ten Thousand Bats Cave.

The group followed carefully until they reached the entrance of the ancient cave.

It was an enormous cave halfway up the mountain, located in a shady, off-the-spot area.

The cave entrance is slanted, huge and deep, with only a few faint rays of sunlight able to shine in from the entrance, illuminating a very small area at the entrance. Further in, it is pitch black, like the mouth of a giant beast that devours everything.

Even when they were still five or six zhang away from the cave entrance, a chilling wind swept in from inside, making their clothes flutter and their skin feel cold. The wind was accompanied by a faint but continuous rustling sound, like countless tiny claws rubbing against the rocks, or like the whispers of ghosts or the cries of vengeful spirits, sending shivers down their spines.