Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Xiaozhufeng.

The quiet room was dark, with only moonlight filtering in from the window. Lu Xueqi sat cross-legged on a futon, her eyes closed, her breathing long and even.

She was eight years old. She had been reborn three months ago. Three months ago, she woke up under the tutelage of Master Shuiyue, with the body of a seven-year-old but the soul of an adult. She spent three days confirming that this was not a dream, seven days accepting reality, and half a month cultivating back to the third level of Jade Purity. Then she pretended that it had taken her half a year to reach the first level of Jade Purity.

She's not in a hurry. There's plenty of time.

But some things can't wait.

She opened her eyes and looked out the window. Moonlight, like water, spilled onto the white jade floor of the Moon-Viewing Terrace. There, in her past life, she first saw him. He wore a blue Taoist robe from Dazhu Peak, had a chubby face, and bright eyes. He looked at her, his eyes filled with curiosity, scrutiny, and something else she couldn't understand.

Later she realized it was pity. He knew her fate, knew what she would go through. So he helped her, taught her, and protected her. And then...and then she could never let go.

Lu Xueqi lowered her head, looking at her hands. Small, white, with thin calluses on her fingertips from practicing swordsmanship. These hands, in her past life, had wielded the Tianya sword, the Zhuxian sword, and killed many people. In the end, the only hand she held was his.

But he disappeared.

Upon her rebirth, the first thing she did was inquire about Dazhu Peak. She heard that Tian Buyi had taken in a child named Jiang Xiaochuan a few years ago, the seventh child in his family. She heard that Jiang Xiaochuan's aptitude was average, and his cultivation was slow. She also heard… he was still alive.

"It's good that he's still here," Lu Xueqi thought. As long as he's still here, she can find him.

Master Shuiyue said that Uncle Tian might bring him to Xiaozhu Peak in six months. Lu Xueqi waited. But she wasn't sure if things would change. In her previous life, Tian Buyi was the one showing off his disciple; in this life, Jiang Xiaochuan's aptitude was ordinary. Would Tian Buyi still bring him?

What if he doesn't come?

Lu Xueqi stood up and walked to the window. A night breeze blew in, carrying the fresh scent of bamboo leaves. She looked towards Dazhu Peak, its shadow undulating in the moonlight like a sleeping beast.

Then go find him.

She won't wait. In her past life, she waited too long, almost losing him. In this life, she will take the initiative.

But it's not the right time yet. She's too young, and her cultivation is too low. Master Shuiyue is watching her closely; she can't leave. Besides… she needs to figure out how to see him. Should she just say, "I'm Lu Xueqi, I've been reborn, and I miss you?"

Would he believe it? He'd be terrified. Eight-year-old Lu Xueqi saying this to him now.

Lu Xueqi pursed her lips. The moonlight shone on her face, highlighting her sculpted features.

She remembered her past life, when he always said she was too cold and didn't like to talk.

I said to myself, "Then I'll talk to him more." He said, "Okay."

Then she really started talking a lot. She talked about what sword techniques she practiced that day, which junior sister cried again, and how the bamboo on the back mountain had blossomed. She talked on and on, about all sorts of trivial things. He listened, sometimes laughing, sometimes sighing, sometimes snuggling closer to her.

Can those words still be said now?

Lu Xueqi turned around and sat back down on the futon. She closed her eyes and began circulating her internal energy. Spiritual energy flowed powerfully through her meridians. The bottleneck at the fourth level of the Jade Purity Realm was as thin as paper. She could break through it at any moment, but she held back. She couldn't be too fast; being too fast would arouse suspicion.

Take it slow. Wait six months. If he comes after six months, that would be best. If he doesn't come, she'll go.

Anyway, he can't escape.

Xuanhuo Altar.

The third level was very cold. Not the kind of chilling, bone-deep cold, but the kind of icy, snow-covered cold. Frost covered the stone walls, and the stone slabs underfoot were frozen solid. On the central stone platform, eight crimson chains extended, binding a huge white fox, twice the height of two people.

It is the nine-tailed celestial fox, Xiaobai.

Xiao Bai opened his eyes.

It took her a while to adjust to this body. Locked for three hundred years, her muscles were stiff, her blood stagnant. But her soul was clear, her memories intact. In her past life, she left this place and met that person. He helped her unlock her chains and took her away. And then… and then came a very, very long story.

She looked down at the Xuanhuo Chain on her wrist. The crimson chain, having burned for three hundred years, was still scorching hot. But it couldn't scorch the fire in her heart.

This time, she did it herself.

She stood up, the chains rattling. She walked to the end of the stone wall, where there was a cylindrical stone platform. She raised her hand, and a flash of light appeared in her palm—an ancient bronze mirror. The mirror was crimson, its edges engraved with flame patterns.

Mysterious Fire Mirror.

She didn't know why, but after being reborn, this thing was inside her. Maybe it was a spatial distortion, maybe something else. It didn't matter. What mattered was that it could unlock these damned chains.

She placed the Fire Mirror on the stone platform, mirror facing down, aimed at the source of the chains. Flames surged from the mirror, and crimson heat spread along the chains, melting frost and scorching the stone platform. The chains began to vibrate, emitting a buzzing sound.

Then came a soft "click".

The first chain broke. Then the second, the third... all eight chains snapped at once.

Xiao Bai moved his wrist and saw burn marks on his skin, but they weren't deep and healed quickly.

She put away the Mystic Fire Mirror and turned to look at the array in the center of the stone chamber. The Eight Fiends Mystic Fire Array.

Without the Xuanhuo Mirror to activate it, this formation was merely a decoration for her. She raised her hand, drawing a line in the air with her fingertips. Flames shot out from her fingertips, condensing into a rune in the air and imprinting itself on the center of the formation.

The formation lit up briefly, then dimmed completely.

Xiao Bai stepped out of the stone chamber and climbed the steps. First floor, second floor. Pushing open the heavy stone door, the night sky of Burning Incense Valley appeared outside. The moon was bright and the stars were few, and the wind carried the smell of scorched earth.

She took a deep breath. Three hundred years had passed, and finally, she could smell the scent of freedom again.

Then she thought of him. That silly boy. He must still be young now. Is he cutting bamboo on Dazhu Peak? She smiled, a smile slightly blurred in the moonlight.

No rush to find him. I need to take care of some things first.

She vanished into the night in a flash.

Xiaochi Town.

Deep within the Black Stone Cave, lava churned. A six-tailed demon fox lay on a rock, barely breathing. A three-tailed demon fox knelt beside him, holding a dimly lit bead in her hands.

When Xiaobai walked in, both foxes were stunned for a moment.

"Who?!" The three-tailed fox stood up and blocked the six-tailed fox.

Xiao Bai didn't speak, but raised his hand and waved. A beam of white light entered the Six-Tails' body. The Six-Tails' body trembled, and it opened its eyes. It looked at Xiao Bai for a long time, then its pupils suddenly contracted.

"you……"

"Don't speak." Xiaobai walked to his side, squatted down, and placed her hand on his chest. White light surged from her palm and seeped into Liuwei's body. The chill on Liuwei's body began to dissipate, and his complexion gradually regained its rosy hue.

The three-tailed fox stared blankly, the bead in its hand falling to the ground.

After an incense stick had burned, Xiao Bai stopped. Liuwei was already able to sit up, and he looked at Xiao Bai, his lips trembling.

"Where is the Mystic Fire Mirror?" Xiaobai asked.

"They suddenly disappeared a few days ago," Liuwei said. "I thought they were people from Burning Incense Valley..."

"It wasn't them." Xiaobai stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "Pack your things and get out of here."

"Where to?"

"Southern Xinjiang. Deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, find a place with mountains and water, and hide away." Xiao Bai looked at him. "The people from Burning Incense Valley will come again. Shangguan Ce's injuries will heal in at most six months."

Six-Tails was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

The three-tailed fox helped him up, and after a few steps, they turned back. "And what about you?"

Xiao Bai looked at the moonlight outside the cave. "I'm going to Qingyun Mountain."

"Qingyun Mountain? That's... "

"Go find someone," Xiaobai interrupted him, "someone...who owes him a lot."

She didn't say who owed whom. Liuwei didn't ask either. He watched Xiaobai's back, his white clothes fluttering in the red light of the lava, like a cloud that might disperse at any moment.

"Take care," he said.

Xiao Bai didn't turn around, but waved.

She stepped out of the Black Stone Cave; dawn was breaking. The sky was tinged with the pale light of day, and the stars had not yet faded. She determined her direction and headed towards Qingyun Mountain.

On the way, she recalled some things from her past life.

He remembered the first time he saw her, his eyes widened, and he said, "You're really a fox?"

I remember he almost went blind trying to save the Six-Tails.

I remember his wedding day, wearing a bright red wedding dress, smiling like a fool.

He recalled Lu Xueqi standing beside him, also dressed in red, breathtakingly beautiful.

She stopped and looked up at the sky. It was dawn; the clouds were golden.

This time, it will be different. She doesn't know. But she wants to try.

Let's see if we can find him before he meets Lu Xueqi.

Let's see if we can make him remember her, not as the fox demon Xiao Bai, but as...

She shook her head and smiled. What are you thinking? He's only eight years old this year. And she's only... three hundred years old plus eight years?

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Let's get going.

She quickened her pace, her shadow stretching long on the mountain path. The sun rose, shining warmly on her.

Qingyun Mountain was still far away. But she wasn't in a hurry.

Take it slow, you'll get there eventually.