Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

The sky gradually darkened.

After the sun set behind the mountains, only a few orange-red rays remained on the horizon, making the clouds look as if they were on fire.

The wind was cool, and when it blew against my body, goosebumps rose on my arms.

The three of them found a sheltered mountain hollow and prepared to spend the night there.

Lu Xueqi chose a flat spot, raised her hand, and several sword energies shot out, flattening several protruding stones and clearing away the surrounding weeds and dead branches.

The movements were clean and efficient.

Tian Ling'er pursed her lips, said nothing, and took out a piece of oilcloth from her bundle and spread it on the ground.

Jiang Xiaochuan was busy gathering firewood, dry branches, and fallen leaves, and brought back a large bundle.

Seeing him sweating profusely from his efforts, Lu Xueqi reached out and took the firewood from his arms. "I'll do it."

She squatted down, rubbed her fingers together, and a small blue flame appeared at her fingertips. With a gentle flick, the flame landed on the woodpile and burst into flames.

The firelight illuminated her face, half bright and half dark, her eyelashes casting long shadows beneath her eyes.

"Junior Sister Lu, you really can do everything," Jiang Xiaochuan couldn't help but say, sitting down by the fire and warming his hands. The heat from the flames warmed his face.

Lu Xueqi didn't say anything, but took out a few pieces of meat wrapped in oil paper from her storage bag, and took out a few sharpened branches, skewered the meat, and put it on the fire to roast.

The movements were very skillful: flipping the food, sprinkling salt, and occasionally brushing on some oil.

The oil dripped into the fire, making a sizzling sound, and the aroma quickly wafted out, mingling with the smoky smell of firewood, making one's stomach rumble.

Jiang Xiaochuan's eyes widened in disbelief. "You...you can grill meat?"

In his mind, a fairy like Lu Xueqi should be someone who doesn't eat human food, plays the zither, dances with swords, and drinks dew.

Barbecue? That's so down-to-earth.

Lu Xueqi looked up at him, the firelight reflecting in her eyes, casting a warm glow. "Mm."

"Why learn this?" Jiang Xiaochuan asked curiously.

Lu Xueqi paused, not answering. Why learn?

Because in his past life, he loved to eat.

Because he had a poor appetite when he was injured, she cooked different dishes for him.

He was caught by her eating snacks in the middle of the night, and he said guiltily, "Xueqi, I'm hungry."

Because she wanted to take care of him, wanted him to eat well, and wanted... for him to be inseparable from her.

But she couldn't say these things. She lowered her eyes and continued flipping the meat skewers in her hands. "If you want to eat them, then learn how."

The meat was grilled perfectly, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, glistening with oil. Lu Xueqi handed the best skewer to Jiang Xiaochuan. "Be careful, it's hot."

Jiang Xiaochuan took it, blew on it, and took a bite.

The meat was very fragrant, with just the right amount of saltiness and a subtle hint of fruity wood aroma. "Delicious!" His eyes lit up, and he finished the skewer in a few bites, licking his lips with lingering satisfaction.

Lu Xueqi watched him eat with relish, a slight smile curving her lips, and handed him another skewer.

Tian Ling'er watched from the side, feeling a pang of jealousy.

She also brought some dry food, which was cakes made by her mother. She originally intended to give them to Xiao Chuan.

But now... watching Jiang Xiaochuan wolf down the meat Lu Xueqi had grilled, and seeing how naturally Lu Xueqi took care of him, she suddenly didn't want to take the pancake out of her hand anymore.

"Eat yours," she said to Jiang Xiaochuan irritably, picking up a cold, hard biscuit and taking a big bite.

Jiang Xiaochuan glanced at Tian Ling'er, then at Lu Xueqi, sensing the strange atmosphere. He quickly lowered his head and ate his meat, not daring to speak.

Little White lay beside his legs, eyes closed, its tail occasionally swishing.

Lu Xueqi also tore off a small piece of meat and placed it in front of it. Xiaobai opened its eyes, glanced at the meat, then closed them again, without moving.

Lu Xueqi didn't mind, withdrew her hand, and slowly ate the rest of the meat.

After we finished eating, it was completely dark.

The forest quieted down, with only the chirping of insects and the crackling of burning firewood.

The stars came out, many of them, very bright, like a handful of diamonds sprinkled on black velvet.

"I'll keep watch for the first half of the night, and Junior Sister Tian will keep watch for the second half," Lu Xueqi said, her voice exceptionally clear in the silence. "Senior Brother Jiang, you should rest."

"Oh? I can keep watch too," Jiang Xiaochuan said.

"You're too weak." Lu Xueqi glanced at him, her tone flat, as if stating a fact. "You need to rest; we have to travel tomorrow."

Jiang Xiaochuan: "..." He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that he couldn't.

At the third level of the Jade Purity Realm, he was indeed a weakling compared to these two. He wilted and obediently nodded.

He found a relatively flat bluestone slab by the fire, spread his coat on it, and lay down.

The stone slabs were very hard, and they hurt my back.

He turned to the side, looking at the flickering campfire, at Lu Xueqi's straight back by the fire, and at Tian Ling'er on the other side, who was hugging her knees and staring blankly at the flames.

Sleepiness slowly crept in. He closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually became steady.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but in a daze, he felt someone else beside him.

It wasn't Tian Ling'er. Her aura was cold and aloof; it was Lu Xueqi.

She seemed to have sat down next to him, very close, and he could smell her faint scent, like bamboo leaves or frost.

Then, a coat, still warm from his body, was gently placed over him.

He tried to open his eyes, but he was too sleepy, his eyelids too heavy to lift. He mumbled a "hmm," buried his face in his coat that still carried her scent, and fell into a deeper sleep.

The night grew deeper. The chirping of insects ceased, leaving only the sound of the wind and the occasional soft popping of a flame.

Tian Ling'er hugged her knees and looked at Lu Xueqi, who was sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed.

The firelight danced on her cool face, flickering. Tian Ling'er's mind was in turmoil; she had many questions to ask, yet didn't know where to begin.

Just then, she saw Little White, who was lying beside Jiang Xiaochuan's legs, emanate a very faint, almost invisible white light. A flash of white light, and the fox vanished.

Instead, a woman in white with silver hair sat lazily next to Jiang Xiaochuan, one hand gently resting on the coat covering him.

Tian Ling'er gasped, her eyes widening in shock. Although she had suspected it beforehand, seeing it with her own eyes still left her speechless.

She pointed at Xiaobai, then looked at Lu Xueqi, her lips trembling, "She...she also..."

Lu Xueqi slowly opened her eyes, glanced at Xiaobai who had transformed into human form, and showed no surprise on her face, simply nodding slightly.

"You were reborn too?" Tian Ling'er asked Xiao Bai in a low voice.

She recalled her earlier intuition, the way the fox looked at Jiang Xiaochuan, and its various human-like behaviors... Sure enough! Something was definitely wrong!

Xiao Bai didn't answer, but simply extended her index finger and gently placed it to her lips, making a "shush" gesture. Then she glanced at the sleeping Jiang Xiaochuan, meaning not to wake him.

Tian Ling'er bit her lip, a bitter feeling welling up inside her. Wasn't one Lu Xueqi enough? Now another one was coming?

And this... judging from her posture, her relationship with Jiang Xiaochuan is definitely not ordinary!

She had felt before that this fox was too clingy to Xiao Chuan, and sure enough! A woman's intuition can sometimes be terrifyingly accurate.

"Biyao has also been reborn." Lu Xueqi suddenly spoke, her voice very soft, but clear in the quiet night.

Tian Ling'er was startled and abruptly turned to look at Lu Xueqi. "What?"

"Biyao. That one from the Ghost King Sect." Lu Xueqi looked at her calmly. "She's back too. And, judging from the looks of it, she doesn't intend to let go."

Tian Ling'er was stunned.

Biyao? That demoness from the demonic sect? She too...?

A tremendous sense of powerlessness instantly overwhelmed her. Lu Xueqi, Xiaobai, Biyao… a genius from Qingyun, a young master of the Ghost King Sect, a nine-tailed celestial fox who had lived for countless years… and what about herself?

He was just an ordinary disciple of Dazhu Peak. His cultivation was inferior to others, his cunning was inferior, and even... he seemed to have known them for a shorter time than they had.

How can we even argue like this?

She gave a bitter smile, her voice so low it was almost a soliloquy: "Senior Sister Lu, you have such talent, at the eighth level of the Jade Purity Realm, your future is limitless, why... why do you have to compete with me for an ordinary person?"

Lu Xueqi stared at her for a long time. The firelight flickered in her eyes, reflecting something deep and almost obsessive.

"He's not an ordinary person," Lu Xueqi said, her voice soft, but each word like a nail. "He is Jiang Xiaochuan. My Jiang Xiaochuan."

She paused, then turned her gaze to the sleeping Jiang Xiaochuan, her eyes softening instantly with an almost devout focus.

"My love is selfish and possessive. I only want him, and I only want him to belong to me. No matter how good or capable others are, they are irrelevant to me. No matter how ordinary or stupid they are, they are mine."

She withdrew her gaze and looked at Tian Ling'er again, her eyes regaining their coldness. "Therefore, I will not let go. No one can take him away from me."

Tian Ling'er was stunned by the decisiveness and possessiveness in her words.

She had always known that Lu Xueqi was devoted to Jiang Xiaochuan, but she never expected... to be this devoted. Almost to the point of madness.

"And what about you?" Tian Ling'er turned to Xiao Bai, her tone tinged with self-deprecation and provocation. "You're a peerless cultivator, an old monster who's lived for thousands of years. What kind of man haven't you seen? Why bother competing with me for a... young brat?"

Xiao Bai tilted her head, her silver hair shimmering faintly in the firelight.

She looked at Tian Ling'er and suddenly smiled, a smile that carried a hint of languor, a hint of amusement, and a trace of... indescribable vicissitude.

"Having lived so long and seen so much, I've come to realize that pure things are the most precious."

Xiao Bai's voice was very soft, like a sigh.

"He's simple, clean, like mountain spring water. Being around him is comfortable. No need to scheme, no need to be on guard, no need to overthink. And..."

She paused, her gaze falling on Jiang Xiaochuan's sleeping face, her eyes softening: "He's good to me. Genuinely good. Not because I'm a nine-tailed celestial fox, not because I'm powerful, just... good to Xiaobai. I haven't encountered this kind of kindness in a very, very long time."

Tian Ling'er felt even more bitter upon hearing this.

Yes, that's the kind of person Ogawa is.

She's kind to everyone, a bit naive, and doesn't have any ulterior motives. But that's precisely what makes her so unforgettable.

She remembered her past life. She remembered the days when Lu Xueqi disappeared and Jiang Xiaochuan lost his memory.

She was there for him, taking care of him, and helping him rediscover the world little by little.

He depended on her, trusted her, and eventually... even married her.

Those five years were the happiest and most authentic five years of her life.

She was his wife and the mistress of Qiyun Peak. They lived a peaceful and warm life like any ordinary couple.

She thought that would last forever.

But Lu Xueqi came back.

With her undeniable past and her strong, unquestionable love, she forcefully "snatched" Jiang Xiaochuan back from her side.

No, it wasn't robbery.

It's about "returning the item to its rightful owner." That's what Lu Xueqi said.

And she, Tian Ling'er, became the one who "usurped the nest".

During that time, Jiang Xiaochuan's memory slowly returned, thanks to Lu Xueqi's meticulous, attentive, and even "overly intimate" care.

She watched helplessly as his gaze gradually shifted from dependence on her to infatuation with Lu Xueqi. She watched them become inseparable and shameless once again.

She, like an outsider, was isolated from their world.

That kind of pain is unforgettable.

"But..." Tian Ling'er's voice trembled slightly as she looked at Lu Xueqi, her eyes reddening.

"In my past life, I was there for him during the time he lost his memory! I was the one who married him! We were husband and wife for five years! Does that mean those days... don't count?"

Lu Xueqi remained silent for a moment. The firelight cast flickering shadows on her face.

"Thank you for those days," she said, her voice low. "Thank you for being there for him and taking care of him when he was at his most vulnerable."

Tian Ling'er's eyes lit up, thinking there was a chance for things to turn around.

But Lu Xueqi's next words instantly plunged her into an ice cave.

"But that was just an accident, a mistake." Lu Xueqi looked at her, her eyes calm to the point of being cruel.

"Because I was 'not there,' because he 'forgot.' Mistakes need to be corrected. I'm back, and the mistakes should end. He was always mine, he was, he is, and he always will be. Nothing and no one can change that."

"As for those five years..." Lu Xueqi paused, her tone devoid of emotion.

"I will spend many more five years, fifty years, five hundred years to make up for it. I will make him completely forget all of that and only remember me."

Tian Ling'er's face turned deathly pale, and her whole body felt cold. She looked at Lu Xueqi, at this beautiful, powerful, yet terrifyingly stubborn and obsessive woman, and finally understood that she had no chance of winning.

No, perhaps it never was. From the moment Lu Xueqi decided that Jiang Xiaochuan belonged to her, it was destined.

Xiao Bai listened quietly without interrupting.

Her fingers unconsciously twirled a strand of her silver hair. The firelight illuminated her exquisite profile, her eyes somewhat unfocused, lost in thought.

The night was still long. The mountains and forests were silent, save for the occasional crackling of the campfire and the heavy thoughts swirling in the minds of the three women.

Tian Ling'er hugged her knees tightly and buried her face in them. Tears silently streamed down her face, soaking her clothes.

Lu Xueqi closed her eyes again and sat down to meditate and regulate her breathing. However, her breathing was not steady.

Xiao Bai raised her head, looked at the half-full moon on the horizon, and sighed softly.

After an unknown amount of time, Tian Ling'er wiped away her tears, raised her head, and said in a hoarse voice, "It's my turn to keep watch. You should go and rest."

Lu Xueqi opened her eyes, glanced at her, said nothing, got up and walked to a place a little away from the fire, sat down cross-legged, and closed her eyes.

Xiao Bai transformed back into a fox, curled up beside Jiang Xiaochuan, and closed its eyes.

Tian Ling'er sat alone by the fire and added a few more pieces of firewood. The flames rose again, illuminating her lonely figure.

She looked at the flickering flames, at the sleeping Jiang Xiaochuan, at Lu Xueqi meditating in the distance, and at the fox that was feigning sleep.

My heart feels empty, like there's a gaping hole in it, and the cold wind is howling in.

She knew she couldn't win. Neither in terms of ability, time, nor... her standing in that person's heart.

But could she just give up like that? She couldn't do it.

At least, for now, he's still by her side. At least, in this lifetime, none of this has happened yet.

She still has time. Even if it's just a tiny, faint glimmer of hope.

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

Never give up.

As night fades and the east begins to lighten with the first hint of dawn, a new day is about to begin.