Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

At night, the door to the main room on the third floor was always the first to close. Red candles weren't often lit; Lu Xueqi found the light too bright. Instead, she lit a small, dim oil lamp and placed it on the bedside table. The soft, diffused light enveloped the bed.

Jiang Xiaochuan lay there, watching her remove her hairpins and let her hair down. Her silvery hair cascaded down, making her face appear even whiter, and the curve of her neck resembled fine, cold jade in the dim light. Her movements were always slow and gentle; she loosened her belt, removed her outer garments, layer by layer, unhurriedly. Jiang Xiaochuan watched, his breath unconsciously held. She had a very faint fragrance, not floral, but like pine needles after a snowfall—cool and refreshing, yet slightly alluring.

Once in bed, she would sometimes just hold him, resting her chin on the top of his head, her fingers gently combing his hair, without saying a word. Jiang Xiaochuan leaned against her, able to hear her steady heartbeat, thump, thump, each beat seeming to settle all the jumbled thoughts in his mind. He liked it this way; he didn't have to think about anything, didn't have to do anything, and just felt at peace.

But sometimes, she didn't just want to hold him. She would turn over, prop her elbows on his ear, and look down at him. The coldness in her eyes would melt away, like a fire burning beneath the ice, deep and mysterious. She wouldn't say anything, just look at him, making Jiang Xiaochuan's face burn and his throat dry. He wanted to look away, but couldn't tear his eyes away.

Then she kissed him.

One time, at the end, Jiang Xiaochuan was so tired he didn't want to move his fingers, and his eyelids drooped heavily. Lu Xueqi lay on her side, her arm around him, her fingertips unconsciously tracing circles on his back. The room was quiet, so quiet that they could hear the rustling of the wind through the bamboo outside the window, and their breathing gradually becoming even.

Jiang Xiaochuan's mind was foggy, but some words that had been bottled up for a long time finally came out in his drowsiness and rare peace.

"Xueqi..."

"Hmm?" Her voice was a little hoarse, with a languid quality to it, as she gently stroked his earlobe.

"I..." He snuggled closer to her, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder, his voice muffled, "I probably... will never be able to say 'I only love so-and-so' again in this lifetime. I know it's wrong, it's unfair to you, to them. I'm an idiot."

Lu Xueqi's circling finger stopped.

Jiang Xiaochuan didn't look up, continuing to speak to himself, his voice growing softer and softer, as if he were talking to himself: "But Xueqi, to me, you are the most special, the most...different. I don't know how to describe it, it's just...seeing you, I feel half at ease. With you by my side, I feel like even if the sky falls, it's not so scary. I owe you the most, and...I don't want you to be sad the most. If, if one day you really can't take it anymore, tell me, I..."

"Don't talk nonsense." Lu Xueqi interrupted him, her voice low but cutting him off completely. She hugged him tighter, lowered her head, and kissed his sweaty temple. Her lips were soft and warm. "There are no ifs."

She paused for a moment, then found his lips and gently pressed them together, a brief touch followed by a soothing gesture.

"Go to sleep."

Jiang Xiaochuan fell silent. The unspoken bewilderment seemed to have been swallowed back by the kiss. He closed his eyes, inhaling her cool yet reassuring scent, and slowly drifted into a deep, sweet dream.

He didn't see that after he fell asleep, Lu Xueqi kept her eyes open, staring at the top of the tent for a long time. A little moonlight peeked in through the window, illuminating her cool profile, which was expressionless except for her tightly pursed lips. After a while, she sighed very softly, almost imperceptibly, pulled the person in her arms closer to her, rested her chin on the top of his head, and closed her eyes as well.

When it was Biyao's turn, the atmosphere in the bamboo house became lively. Her light green dress was like a gust of wind, stirring up trouble wherever it went.

She liked to drag Jiang Xiaochuan to the back mountain, find a secluded high slope, and look at the stars. Actually, they couldn't look for long before she started talking too much. One moment she would point to a star and say it looked like a candied hawthorn, and the next she would say that one looked like the eaves of the Ghost King Sect's main hall. As she talked, she would laugh and fall onto his shoulder.

The night was the same. The starry sky was bright, and the Milky Way stretched across the sky like a bucket of shattered diamonds spilled by someone. The night breeze was a bit cool, making the bamboo rustle in the wind.

Biyao leaned against him, silent, only looking up at the sky. Jiang Xiaochuan had his arms around her, feeling the warmth of her body and the faint, sweet fragrance in her hair, different from Lu Xueqi's cool scent.

"Biyao," he suddenly spoke, his voice soft and carried by the wind, "don't you... feel wronged?"

The person leaning against him stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Biyao didn't turn around immediately, but kept looking at the sky. After a while, she asked in a flat voice, "Feeling wronged? Feeling wronged about what?"

"It's just...like this now." Jiang Xiaochuan felt his throat was a little dry; the words were burning his tongue, but he still said them, "You know, I...I can't be good to only you. To Xueqi, to Xiaobai, to Ling'er, Linglong, even Ping'er...am I...am I too greedy?"

Biyao remained silent. The night breeze ruffled her hair, brushing against Jiang Xiaochuan's chin, causing a slight tickle. All around them were the rustling of bamboo leaves and the faint sound of a distant waterfall.

After a while, Jiang Xiaochuan heard her chuckle softly and briefly, but there was no trace of happiness in her laughter.

"You're pretty greedy," she said, her voice not loud, but clear in the quiet night. "Greedy to death, Jiang Xiaochuan, you're a bastard, a big bastard."

Jiang Xiaochuan's heart sank, and his arms unconsciously tightened.

"But," Biyao's tone shifted abruptly, becoming somewhat strange, as if she were sulking or mocking herself, "So what if you're a jerk? Who told me... I just happen to like you, you jerk."

She finally turned her head, her eyes shining brightly in the night, like two pools of water that didn't fall. "Feeling wronged? Of course I felt wronged. Seeing you go into someone else's house, hearing you in someone else's room... my heart felt like it was being ripped apart. I wanted nothing more than to rush in and snatch you out, or simply burn this bamboo house down so we could all never live together again."

She spoke bluntly, with that reckless, uncompromising spirit unique to Biyao. Jiang Xiaochuan felt a pang in his heart, wanting to say something, but she raised her hand and pressed it to her lips.

"But it won't work." Biyao looked at him, her eyes glistening with tears, which she then forced back. "What good would it do to snatch it back? What good would it do to burn it? If you're unhappy, I'm even more unhappy. Sister Xueqi... she tolerated me, tolerated them, that's already an immense... kindness. In my past life I longed for but couldn't have you, but in this life I can see you every day, touch you, hear you speak, and occasionally... even like now, lean against you and look at the stars, I'm already... very content."

"I'm sorry." Jiang Xiaochuan's throat tightened; he didn't know what else to say besides those three words.

"Who asked you to apologize!" Biyao suddenly bristled, raising her hand to punch his shoulder lightly, but her eyes reddened. "Jiang Xiaochuan, let me tell you, I don't regret it! Not even a little bit! Even if it happened a hundred times, a thousand times, I, Biyao, would still meet you, still like you, and still cling to your side! You can't be driven away no matter what!"

As she spoke, she suddenly leaned in and, with a touch of fierceness, kissed him hard on the lips, then quickly pulled away, turned her face away, and shrugged slightly.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a mix of sadness and unease, as if his heart was being filled with something. He reached out and pulled the person who was stubbornly refusing to turn around into his arms, his chin nuzzling against the top of her head. "Yeah, I can't get rid of her. In this life, and in the next, I can't get rid of her."

Biyao struggled in his arms but couldn't break free, so she simply stopped moving and buried her face in his chest. After a while, a muffled voice came out, with a heavy nasal tone: "It feels so much better to cry it out. I was so suffocated."

Jiang Xiaochuan wanted to laugh, but then felt his eyes welling up with tears, so he could only gently pat her back.

"Let's go back!" Biyao suddenly broke free from his embrace, hastily wiping her face. Her eyes and nose were red, but she had already raised her chin, regaining some of her usual spirit. "It's freezing outside! I want to drink the ginger tea you made!"

"Okay, make ginger tea." Jiang Xiaochuan stood up and took her hand. Her hand was a little cold, so he gripped it tightly and tucked it into his sleeve.

On the way back, Biyao looked at their clasped hands and suddenly remembered something, inwardly cursing herself. Back in the Ghost King Sect, how could she have been so foolish as to send that girl Jin Ping'er to "keep an eye on" him near Qingyun Mountain? Her intention was to protect him in case something happened, but who would have thought… that girl, seemingly clever, ended up completely headfirst, even more stubborn than Biyao herself. Now, there's another one to share the spoils. Even though she had tacitly approved it, even… facilitated it, thinking about it still made her want to slap her past self. What a mess!

On Xiaobai's side, it was a completely different story.

Once you're in her room, forget about going to bed early. She always has endless energy and a constant stream of new ideas. The candlelight is lit high, reflecting off her scarlet gauze dress and snow-white skin, making one dizzy.

"Xiao Chuan~" she drawled, her voice like a hook, her fingers fidgeting, poking and touching here and there, "Why do you seem a little listless today? Did you tire yourself out somewhere? Hmm?"

Jiang Xiaochuan grabbed her mischievous hand, his face burning: "Stop messing around... Sister Xiaobai, I really can't take it anymore today, it's been three times already..."

"Only three times~" Xiaobai chuckled, her other hand sliding down to his waist and gently scratching him. "I haven't had enough yet~"

Jiang Xiaochuan was ticklish, and when she tickled him, he flinched, both annoyed and amused: "I really can't take it anymore... Sister Xiaobai, please have mercy on me..."

His words were sincere, but to Xiaobai, they sounded more like a playful rejection. Her eyes darted around, and she was about to add fuel to the fire when Biyao's annoyed voice suddenly came from next door. It was muffled through the wooden wall, but clear: "You vixen! Tone it down! He has to get up early to practice his sword tomorrow! Can't you even control yourself!"

Xiao Bai paused, snorted, and shouted towards the next room, "Mind your own business! You have no taste, but you can't let others have it? Xiao Chuan likes it very much, doesn't he, Xiao Chuan~" Then, she went to tease him again.

Jiang Xiaochuan was driven to desperation by her antics. In a moment of panic, he didn't know what he was thinking, so he lowered his head and gently bit her there.

"Mmm..." Xiaobai shuddered and let out a short groan. Far from being annoyed, her eyes shone even brighter. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tighter, her breath hot against his ear. "Yes, that's it~ Xiaochuan is such a good boy~"

Jiang Xiaochuan: "..."

From next door came the sounds of Biyao turning over in anger, and a faint muttering: "...Shameless!"

Xiao Bai pretended not to hear and focused on continuing her "great undertaking." Jiang Xiaochuan half-heartedly resisted, and in the end, he was left only with gasps for breath.

The next day, at the dinner table.

"Some people, relying on their age and thick skin, don't know how to care about others at all." Biyao picked up a piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks, her words carrying a hidden meaning.

"Some people, they have no ability themselves, all they do is spout sour words." Xiao Bai slowly ladled soup, not even lifting her eyelids, "They're like tender melon vines, what do they know about romance?"

"Who are you calling a tender seedling? They're still better than a thousand-year-old monster like you!"

"Oh, so what if I'm thousands of years old? I'm eternally young, much better than some people who have lived two lifetimes and are still like firecrackers, ready to explode at any moment, without any progress."

"you!"

"What's wrong with me?"

"Alright, alright, let's eat." Jiang Xiaochuan was at his wit's end. He quickly put a piece of meat in each of their bowls. "Keep your mouth shut."

Lu Xueqi ate quietly, seemingly oblivious. Tian Ling'er lowered her head and chuckled to herself. Linglong gently served Jiang Xiaochuan a bowl of soup. Jin Ping'er kept her eyes down, trying her best to minimize her presence.

This kind of scene plays out every few days. Jiang Xiaochuan went from being initially embarrassed and helpless to now being used to it, even able to smooth things over without batting an eye. As long as they don't get physical, he lets them argue. Anyway, once they're done arguing, things will go back to normal.

Linglong's gentleness is another kind of indulgence.

The incense in her room was always calming, a faint scent of herbs that instantly soothed. She didn't talk much, but would look at you with those all-encompassing eyes, gently massaging your sore shoulders and neck, or handing you a cup of honey water at just the right temperature.

"Brother Chuan, are you tired?" That's how she always called him, her voice so soft it seemed to drip with water. She used to call him "Young Master Jiang," but at some point, she changed it to "Brother Chuan," as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Jiang Xiaochuan was not used to it at first, but he eventually agreed.

Several times, Jiang Xiaochuan was so exhausted in her arms that he couldn't even lift a finger, his mind hazy, as if he were about to faint. Linglong would gently pat his back, humming an unknown, ancient, and melodious tune, until he fell into a deep sleep. That gentle embrace was more intoxicating than any strong liquor.

Tian Ling'er, on the other hand, has gone down the path of "playing" and there is no turning back. Her Amber Crimson Silk now has even more "ingenious uses".

"Xiao Chuan, do you think this is fun?" Her eyes sparkled as she used a red ribbon to tie his wrists to the bedpost in a delicate knot, then sat on his lap, her cheeks flushed.

Jiang Xiaochuan tried to break free but couldn't. He said helplessly, "Ling'er, is this amber cinnabar silk... meant to be used like this? What if Master's wife finds out..."

"Mother would never know!" Tian Ling'er wrinkled her nose, then leaned closer, her breath hot on his face. "Besides, it wasn't just you who was tied up..."

As she spoke, her face flushed even more, and her voice softened, tinged with a hint of eager excitement: "I...I can tie myself up too...for you...for you to play with...Xiao Chuan, why don't you try it~"

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a chill run down his spine and his mouth go dry.

He sighed and gave up resisting: "...Whatever."

Tian Ling'er became happy and leaned down to kiss him. As she did so, the crimson silk fluttered, creating an ambiguous sound.