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

"Why did you lie to me in Heyang City? You said your name was Han Li."

"It's fun!"

Jiang Xiaochuan said casually, even with a hint of a smile, "Otherwise what? Should we meet and say, 'Greetings, young lady, I am Jiang Xiaochuan from Dazhu Peak of Qingyun Sect,' and then what? Should we say, 'Nice to meet you, I am Biyao from the Demonic Sect'?"

He paused, noticing Biyao's eyes widen in surprise, and added, "Oh, by the way, which faction of the Demonic Sect are you from? The Joyous Union Sect? The Hall of Longevity? Or... the Ghost King Sect?"

Biyao's expression changed. He really knew her identity, or rather, he guessed it. Back in Heyang City, he probably already realized that she and Aunt You were not ordinary people.

"Ghost King Sect." She raised her chin, her tone carrying the arrogance of a Ghost King Sect heiress, along with a hint of barely perceptible probing. "My father is the Ghost King. What, now that you know I'm the young sect master of the Ghost King Sect, are you scared?"

Jiang Xiaochuan smiled, not a cold laugh, nor a mocking laugh, but a very ordinary smile, his eyes crinkling.

"No wonder," he said.

Biyao was taken aback: "No wonder what?"

"No wonder..." Jiang Xiaochuan's gaze swept over her face, and he said very seriously, "She's so beautiful."

Biyao: "..."

All the words she had prepared, all the probing, all the arrogance and wit of a demonic sorceress, were stuck in her throat by this blunt, almost shameless remark. The heat that had just subsided on her face suddenly surged back up, even more intensely than before.

She opened her mouth, wanting to scold him for being frivolous and shameless, but the words that came out were just a muffled groan of annoyance.

She turned her face away from him, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her wide robe. After a long while, she spoke softly, her tone tinged with self-mockery and a hint of resignation:

"I was heartbroken because of you, and now I'm wounded and powerless to fight back. Do with me as you please."

Jiang Xiaochuan didn't say anything.

The cave fell silent, save for the faint sound of waves outside and the extremely subtle dripping of water seeping from the cracks in the rocks, a sound that resonated deep within one's heart.

A long time passed, so long that Biyao thought he had fallen asleep or was considering how to deal with her, before she heard him chuckle softly.

The laughter was low, with an indescribable meaning.

"Kill you? Why would I kill you?"

Biyao turned her head and looked at him. There was no murderous intent on his face, and his eyes were calm, as if he was being sarcastic.

"Aren't you a member of the Qingyun Sect?" she retorted, her tone deliberately sharp. "I am the demonic witch you all despise. Isn't it the duty of righteous disciples to eliminate demons and uphold justice?"

Jiang Xiaochuan stared at her for a long while. Then, he suddenly moved closer.

Biyao instinctively wanted to back away, but with her back against the rock wall, she had nowhere to retreat. She looked at his approaching face and, in the dim light, could see his straight nose and pale, slightly pursed lips. His eyes were dark, reflecting the faint light from the beads on the cave ceiling, and she could not tell his emotions.

He reached out, his fingers icy cold, and gently pinched her chin.

Biyao froze, trying to break free, but the fingers, though not strong, carried an undeniable force. She looked at him, her heart skipping a beat for no apparent reason.

"What a waste to kill you."

Jiang Xiaochuan spoke, his voice low, right in front of her, his breath brushing against her cheek, carrying his clean yet cold aura, "It would be better to..."

He paused, then gently stroked her chin with his thumb. The touch was cool, calloused, and a little rough.

"It's better to keep her," he said, his gaze lingering on her face, his tone slow and playful, "A lone man and a lone woman in a room, dry wood igniting a fire..."

"You!" Biyao trembled with rage, her face flushed crimson. She abruptly shoved his hand away, her chest heaving violently, her eyes blazing with murderous intent. "Shameless! Vulgar! You...you dare!"

"What wouldn't I dare to do?"

Jiang Xiaochuan withdrew his hand, leaned back against the rock wall, and watched her exasperated appearance with amusement, even smiling.

"You're powerless to fight back now, and the magic weapon is with me. Can you stop me from doing what I want?"

Biyao stared at him intently, her lips trembling, but she couldn't utter a word. Yes, she couldn't stop him. He had taken the Heartbreak Flower, and she was injured now, her spiritual energy stagnant. If he really wanted to force himself on her, she...

She closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, all that remained was a cold indifference and a sense of resignation.

"Whatever," she said softly, her voice weary with a sense of resignation. "Anyway, I... can't resist now."

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at her eyes, which dimmed instantly, and her helpless expression, and suddenly felt a pang of unease.

This girl, who usually looks lively and cunning, and as arrogant as a little peacock, reminds him of her final fate in the original story.

He shook his head, banishing those thoughts, his gaze lingering on her large outer robe, and suddenly asked:

"Speaking of which, Miss Biyao, as the young sect leader of the Ghost King Sect and the Ghost King's only daughter..."

He paused, his eyes brightening slightly, as if he had thought of something interesting: "Tell me, how much are you worth? Ten taels of silver? Fifty taels? Or a hundred taels?"

Biyao, who was wallowing in self-pity and brewing up emotions of grief and indignation, suddenly looked up when she heard this, as if she hadn't heard clearly: "...What?"

"Ransom," Jiang Xiaochuan said seriously, counting on his fingers.

"Look, you're of noble birth and beautiful. Although you have a bad temper, you should be quite valuable, right? The Ghost King dotes on you so much. If I send him a message saying you're in my hands and he needs to pay a ransom, how much do you think he'll give? One hundred taels? Five hundred taels? Or one thousand taels?"

His eyes grew brighter as he spoke, as if he could already see mountains of gleaming silver piled up before him.

Biyao: "..."

She was stunned at first, then a huge sense of absurdity and anger rushed to her head!

He... he was actually thinking about this?!

They're thinking of using her to pay ransom?!

One hundred taels back?!

She, Biyao, the eldest daughter of the Ghost King Sect, is only worth one hundred taels?

"Jiang, Xiao, Chuan!"

She practically spat out those three words through gritted teeth, trembling with anger. Forgetting all about self-pity and self-harm, she pointed at his nose, her voice shrill.

"You...you bastard! I...I'm only worth a hundred taels?! Are you blind?!"

As soon as she said it, she realized something was wrong; she seemed to have missed the point.

She should be angry that he wanted to exchange her for money, not that he underestimated her value.

But the words had already been spoken and couldn't be taken back.

Looking at the puzzled expression on Jiang Xiaochuan's face, as if asking "Could there be more?", she became even more furious. Her chest tightened and her vision blurred.

Biyao trembled with rage. One hundred taels? She, Biyao, the eldest daughter of the Ghost King Sect, had lived a life where everything she ate, wore, and used was priceless. This bastard actually used one hundred taels of silver to measure her worth?

But as she got angry, she suddenly found it a little... funny. From childhood to adulthood, the way others looked at her was either fearful, greedy, or calculating.

No one had ever treated her in such a... common way, as if she weren't the young lady of the Ghost King Sect, but just a pretty girl on the street who could be bargained over.

This strange sense of novelty diluted her anger at being slighted. She glared at him, suddenly thinking: If he really kidnapped her to pay the ransom, what would her father's expression be? How anxious would Aunt You be? The thought made her lips involuntarily curl up, but she quickly suppressed it.

In his mind, a dormant being seemed to be awakened by the commotion, letting out a very soft, mocking laugh.

Is it Hong Li? Has she woken up? Or did she never sleep at all and was just watching the show?

Jiang Xiaochuan ignored the voice in his mind, but looked at Biyao's face, which was flushed with anger, and the way she looked like she wanted to pounce on him and bite him, and found it a little funny.

This girl is much more lively when she's angry than she was just now, when she's so lifeless.

He waved his hand, his joking expression fading, and said casually, "Alright, I was just teasing you. Not everyone in the Demonic Sect is bad, and not everyone in the Righteous Path is good. I understand that much."

He paused, as if remembering something, and curled his lip. "Besides, among the people in your demonic sect that I don't like, there are probably some people in our righteous path who are more annoying than me. Do you know Li Xun from Burning Incense Valley? Tsk, that arrogant attitude of his, if it weren't for my fellow disciples being there, I really wanted to shoot him."

Biyao was still angry and paused for a moment when she heard this.

Li Xun? Who? She didn't recognize him, but judging from his tone, he seemed extremely disliked that Fenxiang Valley disciple. Was this... a complaint to her?

Her anger inexplicably subsided a little, but her face remained tense. She snorted and didn't reply.

Jiang Xiaochuan didn't mind. He looked at her face and asked, "You seem to be in good spirits. You shouldn't have any internal injuries, right? Just some skin and muscle pain?"

He should have kept quiet, because the moment he did, Biyao felt pain all over her body. She had been hit by the Black Water Serpent's gale and giant waves, and although Aunt You's magic weapon had blocked some of the impact, the aftershocks were still enough to hurt her. Later, when she crashed into the reef, she was seriously injured.

I didn't feel anything while I was unconscious, but now that I'm awake, all the pain comes rushing in at once. My bones feel like they're about to crack, and my internal organs are also aching dully.

Her face paled, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and she bit her lip, remaining silent, but her slightly trembling body and furrowed brows betrayed her condition.