Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

It was still dark, and the window paper was a hazy gray.

Jiang Xiaochuan felt a heaviness in his chest and had some difficulty breathing.

He opened his eyes groggily and saw something white and furry covering his face, with an indescribable smell.

He blinked, and the white thing moved, tickling his nose.

It's a newbie.

It looked like a fox, curled up in a big ball, lying on his chest, with its tail dangling over his stomach and...

No wonder I dreamt of being crushed by a mountain.

Jiang Xiaochuan tried to move, and just as he raised his arm, the furry mass on his chest moved.

Xiao Bai opened her eyes, and her dark, glassy eyes shone excessively brightly in the dim light.

It didn't seem fully awake yet, it yawned slightly, its pink tongue curled up, and then—it seemed to sense something, its body stiffened slightly.

Then, a voice rang out in his head, carrying the languor of someone just waking up and a hint of... disgust?

"Your thing is touching me."

Jiang Xiaochuan's mind went blank for a second, all sleepiness vanished. His face flushed, and he frantically tried to push Xiaobai away, quickly shrinking to the side himself. The blankets rustled.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" His voice trembled as he shrank into the corner of the bed, pulling the blanket over himself so only his flushed face was visible. "You're just a fox... what do you know?!"

Little White slowly stood up, stretched lazily on the bed, its back curving into a graceful arc, each white hair shimmering silver in the dim light.

It flicked its tail, glanced at him, and its eyes clearly said, "Stop pretending."

"I've lived longer than you've eaten rice, what haven't I seen?" The voice was lazy, with a hint of mockery. "Young upstart, hot-tempered, that's normal."

"Shut up!" Jiang Xiaochuan wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, but he also felt it was too stupid to argue with a fox (although the fox's core was that of an old monster who had lived for who knows how many years).

He grabbed a piece of clothing from beside his pillow, threw it on haphazardly, jumped out of bed, and shuffled to the door in his slippers. "I...I'm going to practice my martial arts!"

"Tsk, getting angry out of embarrassment." Xiaobai's voice followed, tinged with laughter.

It jumped off the bed, landed silently, and followed him out the door.

The morning breeze, carrying the fresh scent of dew and bamboo leaves, swept over me, cool and refreshing, finally dispelling some of the heat on my face.

The eastern sky was just beginning to lighten, the stars hadn't yet faded completely, like someone had casually scattered a handful of silver coins onto deep blue velvet.

A thin layer of mist still covered the open space in front of Shoujing Hall.

Jiang Xiaochuan walked to the bluestone where he usually meditated, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and tried to drive away the messy thoughts in his mind.

He silently recited the mental formula of Tai Chi Xuanqing Dao in his mind, and his breath rose from his dantian, slowly flowing along the familiar meridians.

With his cultivation at the fourth level of Jade Purity, he could feel a warm current flowing through his limbs and bones when he activated it.

Little Whitey lay on a rock not far from him, eyes closed, its tail tip swaying gently.

As the morning light gradually brightened, it shone on its snow-white fur, tinging the edges with a faint gold.

Sometimes, he would go to the Taiji Cave. Sitting inside to cultivate, his progress would indeed be a tiny bit faster. But he didn't really like it; it was too quiet, so quiet that it made him uneasy, as if he had been forgotten by the whole world.

He still preferred the back mountain, where there was wind, rustling bamboo leaves, birdsong, the warmth of the sun, and... well, there was an annoying fox snoring nearby.

"My wrist feels heavy again."

A clear, cold voice suddenly rang in his ears, like jade striking each other, instantly pulling him back from his reverie.

Jiang Xiaochuan was startled and opened his eyes. Lu Xueqi was already standing in front of him.

The hem of the moon-white Taoist robe brushed against the dew-covered grass, and the blue scabbard of the Tianya Sword gleamed with a cold light in the morning glow.

Her face remained expressionless; she simply watched his hand, which had just unconsciously made a sword gesture.

"Oh...oh." Jiang Xiaochuan quickly adjusted his posture.

Lu Xueqi didn't say anything. She walked over and naturally reached out to support his wrist. Her cool fingertips pressed against his wrist bone and lifted it up slightly.

"Xuechuan's swordsmanship lies in the refinement of ice and the speed of lightning. The wrist is the key; if it becomes too heavy, the swordsmanship will stagnate, and the lightning energy will not be able to flow smoothly."

Her fingers were cool, but when pressed against the skin, their presence was intensely burning.

Jiang Xiaochuan could smell her unique, crisp scent, like pine needles after a snowfall, mixed with a very faint fragrance, like that of a cold plum blossom.

He held his breath, afraid to move, his eyes fixed on the jade-like fingers on his wrist.

"So, you got it?" Lu Xueqi looked up at him. They were very close, close enough for him to see her long, thick eyelashes casting a faint shadow under her eyelids.

Her eyes were dark and deep, like two ancient wells, and at this moment, only his somewhat dazed shadow was reflected in the well water.

"I...I understand." Jiang Xiaochuan's throat was a little dry, so he quickly nodded.

Lu Xueqi then released her grip and took a half-step back. "Practice it once and let me see."

Jiang Xiaochuan followed the instructions and activated his inner energy cultivation technique, summoning the Snow River Sword from his dantian and holding it in his hand.

The moment the icy blue and silver-white sword appeared, the surrounding air seemed to cool slightly, and subtle lightning patterns flowed faintly across its surface. He focused his mind and drew his sword, mimicking the posture Lu Xueqi had just adjusted.

The sword light sliced ​​through the air, bringing with it a faint chill. At the tip of the sword, a flash of silver-white lightning disappeared.

"It's starting to look good." Lu Xueqi nodded, her face still expressionless, but her eyes seemed to soften slightly. "But the lightning energy is still too scattered and not concentrated enough. Let's try again."

So the whole morning passed by in a series of corrections, adjustments, and practiced swordplay.

The sun gradually rose higher, making people's backs feel hot, and sweat slid down their foreheads, flowing into their eyes and stinging painfully.

Jiang Xiaochuan's arms were trembling with soreness, but Lu Xueqi didn't tell him to stop, so he gritted his teeth and continued.

Occasionally, I would steal a glance at her; she always stood ramrod straight, her gaze fixed intently on his sword, as if she never tired.

Lu Xueqi called for a halt only when the sun was directly overhead. She walked to the shade of a nearby tree, where a small bamboo food box had been placed there sometime earlier.

She opened the lid, revealing several exquisite pastries shaped like plum blossoms and lotus flowers. They were translucent white, soft, and glutinous, exuding a sweet osmanthus fragrance. There was also a small dish of thinly sliced, translucent, rouge-colored dried meat, which smelled of salty and savory sauce.

"Take a break and have something to eat." Lu Xueqi pushed the food box in front of him, then sat down on a rock nearby and slowly took a sip of water from her water pouch.

Her profile was softened by the dappled shadows of the trees.

Jiang Xiaochuan was starving, so he didn't stand on ceremony and grabbed a piece of plum blossom cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

The pastry melted in his mouth, sweet but not cloying, with the aroma of osmanthus filling his mouth. He then picked up a piece of dried meat, savory and chewy, which perfectly balanced the sweetness of the pastry.

He ate so fast he almost choked, and Lu Xueqi naturally handed him her water pouch again.

"Thank you, Junior Sister Lu." Jiang Xiaochuan took the water, gulped down a large mouthful, and sighed comfortably as the cool water went down his throat.

He looked at the exquisite pastries in the food box, then at Lu Xueqi's cool and beautiful profile. The question that had been weighing on his mind for so long finally surfaced, and he asked, his voice muffled by the sweetness of the pastries, "Junior Sister Lu, why... are you so good to me?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. He had been too direct, as if he were asking for something.

Lu Xueqi was looking at the sea of ​​clouds flowing among the distant mountains when she heard this, and slowly turned her head.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing on her face. She didn't answer immediately, but just stared at him quietly for a long time, making Jiang Xiaochuan feel uneasy. He even forgot to eat the half-eaten pastry in his hand.

Then, he saw her eyes, which were always frosty, gradually melt away.

Like the spring sun shining on a snowfield, the ice breaks up, revealing the gentle, murmuring spring water underneath.

The corners of her lips curved upwards in a very light and slow arc.

The smile was faint, yet it instantly brightened her entire face, making Jiang Xiaochuan gasp for breath.

"Because," her voice was soft and gentle, like a feather brushing against his heart, carrying a warmth he had never heard before, almost a doting tenderness, "I love you."

"..."

Jiang Xiaochuan was stunned.

The sweetness in my mouth seemed to have suddenly changed, stuck in my throat, impossible to swallow or spit out. My ears were ringing, with only those three words echoing in my mind—"I love you."

Love? Lu Xueqi? Love him?

What a joke.

He suddenly lowered his head, not even noticing the crumbs of pastry falling from his hand.

My face was burning hot, and my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of my throat.

He dared not look at Lu Xueqi, his eyes fixed on an ant crawling on the ground.

He must have misheard, or Junior Sister Lu was joking and teasing him.

Yes, it must be a joke. How could Lu Xueqi... how could she say such a thing? She is the genius of Xiaozhu Peak, the future leader, Lu Xueqi!

"I..." He opened his mouth, his throat dry and sore, and the voice that came out was barely audible, "Junior Sister Lu, you must be joking..."

A hand reached out, slightly cool, yet with an irresistible force, gently cupping his face.

The calluses on her fingertips brushed against his skin. Jiang Xiaochuan stiffened, forced to look up, and met Lu Xueqi's gaze.

There were no jokes, no banter. Only a deep, soft, earnest light.

She looked at him, at his panic, his helplessness, his disbelief, her eyes calm, yet carrying a tenderness that bordered on pity.

"I'm not joking, Xiao Chuan." She called him by his name, not Jiang Shixiong, but Xiao Chuan. Her voice softened, as if she were soothing a frightened child. "I love you. I've loved you for a very, very long time."

Jiang Xiaochuan's mind went blank. He wanted to avoid her gaze and break free from her grasp, but his body felt nailed to the spot, unable to move.

He could only look into her eyes, at the clear reflection of his own stunned expression within them.

Lu Xueqi seemed to sigh softly, her breath brushing against his burning cheeks.

Her thumb lightly brushed against his cheek.

"It's okay," she said, her voice carrying a strange, reassuring certainty. "There's still a long way to go, we'll take it slow."

After saying that, she let go of his hand, stood up, as if the earth-shattering confession she had just made was just a casual question, "Have you eaten yet?"

She straightened her sleeves and picked up the food box. "I'll practice my sword techniques from this morning this afternoon. I'll come back tomorrow."

Then, she rode the Heavenly Sword, transforming into a streak of azure sword light, and disappeared into the distance beyond the mountains and forests.

Jiang Xiaochuan was left sitting alone under the shade of a tree, staring blankly at the empty stones. The wind rustled through the bamboo forest, birds chirped in the distance, and the sunlight shone brightly—everything seemed the same as before. Yet, he felt that everything had changed.

Something was pounding wildly in his chest, making his ribs ache. The spot on his face where Lu Xueqi's fingertips had touched burned. Those two sentences kept replaying in his mind.

I love you.

"There's still a long way to go, let's take it slow."

……