Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

On the open ground in front of Shoujing Hall at Dazhu Peak.

"Stand up straight! Stand firmly! Clench your fists!"

Su Ru's voice was clear and bright, but carried an undeniable sternness.

Holding a bamboo stick in her hand, she walked back and forth among her disciples, her eyes scanning each person's movements like an eagle's.

Jiang Xiaochuan, Tian Ling'er, Song Daren, Wu Dayi, Zheng Dali, He Dazhi, Du Bishu... all the disciples of Dazhu Peak were present.

They all struck their stances and practiced their boxing. Their movements had to be precise, their breathing steady, and their eyes focused.

Su Ru's requirements were even stricter than Tian Buyi's.

"The Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament is in five years!" Su Ru stopped and looked at everyone, raising her voice.

"Our Dazhufeng Peak ranks last every year! You may not feel ashamed, but I do!"

She paused, then made a "whoosh" sound as she chopped through the air with the bamboo strip.

"From today onwards, everyone, double your training! Practice boxing in the morning, swordsmanship in the afternoon, and meditation in the evening! Anyone who slacks off..." Her gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Jiang Xiaochuan.

"Seventh Brother, tell me, what are the consequences of slacking off?"

Jiang Xiaochuan, who was practicing and sweating profusely, was taken aback upon hearing this and blurted out, "Add fifty more repetitions?"

"Wrong!" Su Ru's bamboo stick lashed out at the ground beside him, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"It's an extra hundred repetitions! Did you hear me!"

"We heard you..." the group replied listlessly.

"Speak louder!"

"I heard you!"

Su Ru nodded in satisfaction and continued her inspection. The bamboo cane occasionally struck disciples whose movements were not up to standard; it didn't hurt, but the sound was loud and unsettling.

Jiang Xiaochuan gritted his teeth and continued practicing.

He felt his arm was about to break, his leg was about to snap, and his breath was ragged. But he dared not stop. If he stopped, the bamboo stick would come down.

He missed Lu Xueqi. When Lu Xueqi was around, she would teach him step by step, explain things softly, bring him snacks, and... smile at him. Unlike his teacher's wife, who only had bamboo sticks and scolding.

As he was thinking, a streak of blue light descended from the horizon. Lu Xueqi had arrived.

She landed on the open ground, Tianya sword on her back, her moon-white Taoist robe spotless. She glanced at the crowd practicing haphazardly in the arena, her gaze lingering on Jiang Xiaochuan for a moment.

"Junior Sister Lu is here." Su Ru put away the bamboo stick, a smile appearing on her face. "Are you looking for Xiao Qi?"

"Yes." Lu Xueqi nodded, her voice cool and clear. "I have some questions about cultivation that I would like to ask Senior Brother Jiang."

Jiang Xiaochuan's eyes lit up. He quickly composed himself, ran to Su Ru, and looked at her expectantly.

"Master's wife, I..."

Su Ru looked at him, then at Lu Xueqi, and smiled.

"Go ahead," she waved her hand.

"Ask questions properly, don't be lazy."

"Thank you, Master's wife!" Jiang Xiaochuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and he grabbed Lu Xueqi and ran away as if his life depended on it.

Tian Ling'er watched their retreating figures, bit her lip, and clenched her fists even tighter.

She took a deep breath, readjusted her stance, and practiced with even more force and intensity.

She needs to become stronger. Strong enough to stand beside him, strong enough to... be second to none.

Deep in the bamboo forest on the back mountain.

Jiang Xiaochuan leaned against the bamboo, panting heavily.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, hitting the ground and kicking up tiny specks of dust. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat, but his arm ached so much he could barely lift it.

Lu Xueqi stood beside him, looking at him without saying a word. She took a handkerchief from her bosom and handed it to him.

Jiang Xiaochuan took the handkerchief and wiped his face. The handkerchief was moon-white and had a faint fragrance, the same as Lu Xueqi's scent. After wiping himself, he wanted to return it, but Lu Xueqi shook her head.

"Keep it," she said.

Jiang Xiaochuan paused for a moment, then tucked the handkerchief into his pocket.

He looked up at Lu Xueqi, and Lu Xueqi looked back at him. Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, illuminating her face, half bright and half dark. Her eyes were dark and deep, like two wells, their bottoms unfathomable.

"Junior Sister Lu..." Jiang Xiaochuan began, his voice a little hoarse.

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Lu Xueqi asked.

"Thank you for saving me." Jiang Xiaochuan smiled wryly. "If I keep training like this, I feel like my arm will be ruined."

Lu Xueqi looked at him for a long time, then reached out and gently pressed her hand on his shoulder. Her fingers were cool, but the pressure was gentle, and it felt very comfortable on his sore muscles.

"Relax," she said.

Jiang Xiaochuan relaxed. Lu Xueqi's fingers pressed on his shoulder, rhythmically. He closed his eyes, enjoying this moment of peace.

After pressing for a while, Lu Xueqi stopped. She walked up to him, squatted down, and looked at him.

"Are you tired?" she asked.

"I'm tired," Jiang Xiaochuan said honestly.

"But it's alright. It's just... my progress is too slow. My master's wife said that the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament is in five years, and with my current level of cultivation, it would be embarrassing to go up there."

Lu Xueqi didn't speak. She looked at him for a long time, then said, "I'll teach you."

"Haven't you been teaching me all along?"

"It's different." Lu Xueqi stood up, walked to the open space, turned to look at him, "Before, I taught you martial arts techniques and mental cultivation methods. Now... I'll teach you practical combat."

She raised her hand, and Tianya was drawn. A flash of blue light, and the sword tip pointed at Jiang Xiaochuan.

"Come on," she said, "hit me."

Jiang Xiaochuan was stunned. "Hit you?"

"Mm." Lu Xueqi nodded.

"Use all your skills."

Jiang Xiaochuan hesitated for a moment, then stood up and assumed a fighting stance. He took a breath and charged at Lu Xueqi, his fist aimed straight for her face.

Lu Xueqi didn't dodge. She raised her hand and gently deflected Jiang Xiaochuan's fist with the scabbard. He lost control of his momentum, stumbled forward two steps, and almost fell.

"Again," Lu Xueqi said.

Jiang Xiaochuan gritted his teeth and charged forward again. This time he was smarter; he feinted and then swept his leg across her lower body.

Lu Xueqi didn't dodge; she simply lifted her foot slightly and stepped on his sweeping leg. The force wasn't great, but Jiang Xiaochuan felt his leg go numb and fell again.

"Too slow," Lu Xueqi said. "Let's try again."

Jiang Xiaochuan got up and continued.

Once, twice, three times... each time his attack was countered as soon as he made a move, and each time he was left battered and bruised. But he didn't stop; he gritted his teeth and continued.

Lu Xueqi wasn't in a hurry. She just stood there, waiting for him to attack, and then deftly deflected his attacks. Her movements were light and gentle, but each time she managed to make him fall hard.

After practicing for an hour, Jiang Xiaochuan was exhausted. He lay on the ground, panting heavily, covered in dirt and his face was filthy.

Lu Xueqi walked over, squatted down beside him, and looked at him.

"There's been progress," she said.

"Really?" Jiang Xiaochuan said weakly. "I feel like I'm still pretty useless."

"Yes," Lu Xueqi said confidently. "The first time, you just charged straight at me. The second time, you knew how to use feints. The third time, you changed direction. Although... you're still quite clumsy."

Jiang Xiaochuan: "..."

He rolled his eyes and didn't want to say anything.

Lu Xueqi looked at him and suddenly smiled. It was a very faint smile, but her eyes curved like crescent moons. She reached out and poked his cheek.

"It's dirty," she said.

Jiang Xiaochuan blushed and quickly wiped his face. But the more he wiped, the dirtier it became, his face streaked with black and white, like a tabby cat.

Lu Xueqi laughed. Her laughter was soft and crisp, like jade beads falling onto a plate. Jiang Xiaochuan stared at her, mesmerized. He rarely saw Lu Xueqi laugh, so happily, so… beautifully.

Lu Xueqi laughed for a while, then stopped. She looked at him with soft, gentle eyes, like a pool of water.

"Rest when you're tired," she said. "Work and rest should be balanced."

She stood up, walked to the pool, scooped up a handful of water, and washed her face. The water was clear and cool, washing away the sweat and dust from her face. After washing, she turned to look at Jiang Xiaochuan.

"Come here," she said.

Jiang Xiaochuan got up and walked to the pool. Lu Xueqi scooped up some water and gently splashed it on his face. The water was cold, and he shivered, but it felt good. He closed his eyes and let Lu Xueqi wash his face.

Lu Xueqi's hands were light and soft, like feathers. The water was cool, but her hands were warm. She washed him carefully, removing every speck of dirt from his face. After washing, she dried him with a handkerchief.

Jiang Xiaochuan opened his eyes and looked at her. Lu Xueqi was also looking at him, her eyes bright and dark, reflecting his face.

"Thank you," he said.

Lu Xueqi didn't speak. She put away her handkerchief, walked to the rock next to her, sat down, and patted the spot beside her.

"Sit down," she said.

Jiang Xiaochuan sat down beside her. The sun was shining brightly, warming them. The wind rustled through the bamboo grove. Fish swam in the pond, occasionally leaping out of the water and splashing water.

It was very quiet and beautiful.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at the pool, at the fish, and at the distant mountains. He suddenly felt very at ease. It was as if as long as Lu Xueqi was by his side, he had nothing to fear.

He didn't know that Lu Xueqi was also watching him.

Look at his dirty face, look at his clear eyes, look at his silly appearance.

She remembered her past life, their shameless days, and how he held her and whispered in her ear, "Xueqi, you are so beautiful."

I remember how he taught the children to practice swordsmanship, how clumsy he was, and how the children disliked him.

She recalled how he sneaked into the kitchen at night to steal snacks, and when she caught him, he looked guilty.

Those images were like honey, sickeningly sweet. But they were also like needles, pricking my heart with pain.

In this life, she will spoil him rotten. Spoil him so much that he can't live without her, so much so that he only has eyes for her.

She wanted everyone to know that Jiang Xiaochuan belonged to her, and could only belong to her.

She reached out and gently took his hand.

Jiang Xiaochuan was taken aback and turned to look at her. Lu Xueqi didn't look at him, but kept her eyes on the pool, her hand still on his.

Her hands were cold but soft. Jiang Xiaochuan's heart skipped a beat, and his face flushed. He tried to pull his hand away, but Lu Xueqi held it tightly, and he couldn't.

"Junior Sister Lu..." he whispered.

"Mmm," Lu Xueqi responded, but still didn't look at him.

Jiang Xiaochuan remained silent. He let her hold his hand, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

He wondered, what's wrong with Lu Xueqi today? Why is she acting so strangely?

But he didn't ask. He just looked at the pond, at the fish, and at the distant mountains. His hand was held by Lu Xueqi; it was warm and reassuring.

Sunlight, bamboo grove, wind. Two people sit side by side, holding hands.

Like a painting.