Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Another year has passed.

Jiang Xiaochuan is eleven years old. He's grown taller, his face is still round, but his features are more defined. He's at the third level of the Jade Purity Realm, stable and unwavering.

He still chopped bamboo, practiced his martial arts, ate, and slept every day. Lu Xueqi would come every few days, bringing snacks and teaching him cultivation.

Tian Ling'er spent every day with him, making snacks, helping him cut bamboo, glaring at him, and occasionally pinching him.

Little White clings to him, turning back into human form at night to sleep with him, and turning back into a fox during the day to perch on his shoulder.

Life flows by like water, without much ripple.

Until that day, Jiang Xiaochuan was cutting bamboo when he suddenly stopped halfway through.

He remembered something.

Caomiao Village.

In the original story, a year later, the Grass Temple Village massacre would occur. The villagers included Monk Puzhi, Taoist Cangsong, Zhang Xiaofan, and Lin Jingyu. Of the village's 250 residents, only two children and one insane person remained.

He put down his wood-chopping knife, sat on a rock, and looked at the clouds in the distance. The clouds were very white, in clumps like cotton.

He remembered the books he had read in his past life, and the descriptions they depicted: blood, fire, and cries. Zhang Xiaofan knelt in the ruins, Lin Jingyu holding him.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked down at his hands. Eleven-year-old hands, small and weak. The third level of the Jade Purity Realm was nothing special within the Qingyun Sect.

Puzhi is one of the four great monks, and Cangsong is the head monk of Dragon Head Peak. And him? An ordinary disciple of the Qingyun Sect, with average talent and mediocre cultivation.

What can he do?

He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer. But he knew he had to do something. He couldn't just stand by and watch those two hundred and forty-seven people die, and he couldn't just stand by and watch Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu become orphans.

He stood up and continued chopping bamboo. Each stroke was forceful. Bamboo shavings flew up and landed on his face, stinging slightly.

That evening, Lu Xueqi arrived. She landed on her sword, Tianya on her back, her moon-white Taoist robe fluttering in the wind. Eleven-year-old Lu Xueqi had grown taller, her features more refined, but her eyes remained as cold as ice.

"Senior Brother Jiang," she said, her voice cool and clear.

"Junior Sister Lu." Jiang Xiaochuan nodded, his mind preoccupied with the affairs of Grass Temple Village, and was somewhat absent-minded.

Lu Xueqi glanced at him but didn't say anything. She walked over to him, sat down, took out an oil paper package from her bosom, and handed it to him.

"Osmanthus cake," she said. "Freshly made."

Jiang Xiaochuan took it and opened it. The pastry was white, sprinkled with osmanthus flowers, and smelled wonderful. He picked up a piece, took a bite, and found it sweet, soft, and chewy. But he had no appetite for it.

"What's wrong?" Lu Xueqi asked, looking at him.

"It's okay." Jiang Xiaochuan shook his head and stuffed the remaining half into his mouth.

Lu Xueqi didn't ask any more questions. She looked at him for a long time, then said, "You seem restless."

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback. "How did you know?"

"I can tell," Lu Xueqi said. "Is something wrong?"

Jiang Xiaochuan hesitated for a moment. He wanted to say Caomiao Village, but he didn't know how to say it.

If I told her I knew there would be a tragedy a year from now? If I told her I knew who the killer was? If I told her I wanted to stop it? Would Lu Xueqi believe me? What would she think?

"It's nothing," he shook his head again, "It's just... a little tired."

Lu Xueqi didn't press the matter further. She stood up, walked behind him, and placed her fingers on his shoulder.

"Relax," she said, pressing her fingers together.

Jiang Xiaochuan stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed.

Lu Xueqi's fingers were strong, pressing on the acupoints on his shoulder. It hurt a little, but it felt very comfortable afterward. He closed his eyes, enjoying this moment of relaxation.

Lu Xueqi pressed the buttons for a while, then stopped. She looked down at his profile. Eleven-year-old Jiang Xiaochuan still had chubby cheeks, long eyelashes, and a straight nose. She looked at him for a long time before speaking, her voice very soft.

"If anything happens to you, you can let me know."

Jiang Xiaochuan opened his eyes and turned to look at her. Lu Xueqi was also looking at him; her eyes were dark and deep, like two wells.

"I..." He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Finally, he said, "What if there's something you know will happen, and you want to stop it, but you're powerless to do so?"

Lu Xueqi didn't answer immediately. She looked at him for a long time, then said, "I'll do my best."

"Try your best?"

"Okay." Lu Xueqi nodded. "I'll do my best. If I can't, that's fate. If I don't, I'll regret it."

Jiang Xiaochuan remained silent. He recalled how, after he transmigrated and was reborn, he seemed to have been drifting along with the tide all along.

So be it if his cultivation is slow. He'll deal with Lu Xueqi's visits. He'll accept Tian Ling'er's kindness. He'll accept Xiao Bai becoming human. He hasn't thought about changing anything, hasn't thought about doing anything.

But now, he wants to change things. He wants to prevent the tragedy in Caomiao Village. Even if there's only the slightest possibility, he wants to try.

"Junior Sister Lu," he said, his voice earnest, "if...if one day I have to do something very dangerous, will you help me?"

Lu Xueqi looked at him without blinking. Then she said, "Yes."

One word, very light, yet very heavy.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a warmth in his heart. He looked at Lu Xueqi, at her exquisitely beautiful face, at her unfathomable eyes. He suddenly felt that with her there, he wasn't so afraid anymore.

"Thank you," he said.

Lu Xueqi didn't speak. She raised her hand and gently touched his head, as if petting a kitten.

Jiang Xiaochuan blushed. He lowered his head, not daring to look at her. Lu Xueqi withdrew her hand, turned around, and flew away on her sword.

As Jiang Xiaochuan watched her disappear into the night, the initial panic and confusion in his heart gradually subsided.

"Do your best," he told himself. "Do your best."

Tian Ling'er also thought of Grass Temple Village.

She sat in her room, looking out the window. Outside was a bamboo grove, the wind rustling the bamboo leaves.

She remembered her past life, that night, and the way Jiang Xiaochuan was carried back by Lu Xueqi, covered in blood.

I remember he was unconscious for three days, and the first thing he said when he woke up was, "How are the two children?" I remember the sadness on his face, that deep, unyielding sadness.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

In this life, I can't let him be like that again. I can't let him be covered in blood again, I can't let him be unconscious again, I can't let him show that expression again.

She wanted to stop it. She had to stop it no matter what.

But how could she stop it? She went to Tian Buyi and said, "Father, a year from now, there will be a tragedy in Caomiao Village. Monk Puzhi will die, Taoist Cangsong is the traitor, and half of the villagers will die."

Would Tian Buyi believe her? Of course he would. He might even think she'd gone mad from practicing her martial arts and lock her up.

She bit her lip until it bled, the taste salty. She couldn't think of a solution. She was only at the fifth level of the Jade Purity Realm, which was considered good within the Qingyun Sect, but in front of Puzhi and Cangsong, she was nothing.

Her father, Tian Buyi, might be able to stop her, but how could she convince him? How could she get him to take action?

She recalled her past life, how Jiang Xiaochuan fought desperately to hold off Puzhi. In this life, Jiang Xiaochuan had lost the God-Slaying Spear, and his cultivation was only at the third level. Could he hold him off? If not, he would die.

She shivered.

No. We can't let him go. Absolutely not.

She stood up and paced around the room. She walked in circles, her mind racing. She'd come up with one idea, then reject it. She'd come up with another, then reject it again.

Finally, she stopped and looked out the window. It was dark, and the stars came out, bright and clear.

She took a deep breath and made a decision.