Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Under the moonlight, familiar bamboo shadows swayed, and the dark outline of Shoujing Hall appeared not far away.

This place... really is Dazhu Peak.

His house is not far ahead.

He actually managed to travel from Tongtian Peak back to Dazhu Peak in a very short time!

That speed... Xiaobai...

He turned his head and looked at Xiaobai, who was still holding his wrist calmly, his eyes filled with shock and lingering fear:

"How...how did you do that? This...this is too fast!"

Xiao Bai released her grip and shrugged indifferently: "Just a trivial skill. Let's go back to your room."

She walked towards Jiang Xiaochuan's house first, as naturally as if she were returning to her own home.

Take Xiaobai back to your room? This...

He followed after them, dawdling along.

Xiao Bai had already pushed open his unlocked door and gone inside. He skillfully found the tinderbox and lit the oil lamp on the table.

The dim, yellowish light instantly filled the small room, illuminating the familiar furnishings: a wooden bed, a table, a chair, and a simple wardrobe. The bed was covered with a worn blue sheet, and the quilt was folded fairly neatly.

Xiao Bai wandered around the room, sniffed, and nodded: "Hmm, the taste here is still the best. Much better than that crowded place on Tongtian Peak."

Jiang Xiaochuan stood at the door, somewhat at a loss.

"Um... Xiaobai, thank you for bringing me back. But... where... where are you sleeping tonight?"

Xiao Bai turned around, leaned against the table, crossed her arms, and looked at him leisurely with a playful look in her eyes.

"What? There's only one bed here. Where am I supposed to sleep?"

Jiang Xiaochuan blushed and stammered, "No, no! This... how can this be! You... you go back to your own place! Or... or I can make you a bed on the floor?"

"A bed on the floor?" Xiaobai raised an eyebrow, walked barefoot to the bedside, and reached out to press the not-so-thick bed.

"This bed is a bit hard, but two people can squeeze in. It's so cold sleeping on the floor, are you really going to let me sleep there?"

"I..." Jiang Xiaochuan was speechless. Looking at Xiaobai's beautiful face with its matter-of-fact expression and her silver eyes that shimmered alluringly under the lights, he felt his heart start racing again.

No! I can't let her bewitch me! This is a matter of principle!

"Absolutely not!" he retorted, trying to make his voice sound firm. "Men and women are different! You... you should at least... at least turn back into a fox!"

"Turn back into a fox?" Little White tilted its head, seemingly finding it amusing. "Why? Are you afraid I'll eat you? Or is it..."

She took a step forward, closer to Jiang Xiaochuan, her warm fragrance becoming even more pronounced. "When you see me in human form, you... can't control yourself?"

Jiang Xiaochuan was forced back a step by her, his back pressed against the door, his face burning hot, his eyes darting around in a panic:

"What nonsense are you talking about! I didn't! I, I just think... the human form is too, too... the fox form... is more, more familiar with..."

"Habit?" Xiaobai chuckled, taking another step closer, almost breathing in his ear, her warm breath brushing against his burning cheeks.

"Jiang Xiaochuan, it's been nine years. Aren't you used to me yet? Or are you actually used to me a long time ago, but you just won't admit it?"

"I didn't!" Jiang Xiaochuan said urgently, trying to push her away, but his hand froze halfway through, not daring to touch her.

"Anyway...anyway, if you don't change back, I'll sleep on the floor! You can sleep on the bed!"

Seeing his embarrassed yet resolute expression, his ears almost transparently red, Xiao Bai's smile deepened, mixed with a complex and indescribable emotion.

She looked at him for a long time, and finally, as if in resignation, she sighed softly.

"Okay, sleeping on the floor is fine too." She took a step back, creating some distance, which made Jiang Xiaochuan breathe a sigh of relief.

But her next words made his heart leap again: "However, turning back into a fox... I don't want to tonight."

"Why?" Jiang Xiaochuan was dumbfounded.

"No reason, I just don't want to." Xiaobai walked to the bedside, sat down naturally, and patted the spot next to her.

"I'll give you half of the bed. I promise, it'll just be for sleeping, nothing else. How about it?"

As she spoke, she raised three fingers as if to swear an oath, but the mockery in her eyes made it seem insincere.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked at her, then at the not-so-wide bed, his mind in turmoil.

To share a bed with her?

Although she promised "not to do anything," can that promise be trusted?

But if we don't agree, are we really going to let a woman (even though she's an old monster) sleep on the ground?

Or should I sleep on the floor? It's so late at night, the floor is definitely cold...

He hesitated.

Reason told him it was dangerous, but the dual exhaustion of body and mind, and the longing for his own clean and soft bed (compared to the floor mats on Tongtian Peak), kept tempting him.

Xiao Bai didn't urge him. She just sat on the edge of the bed, watching him leisurely. The moonlight and lamplight intertwined on her beautiful profile, revealing a rare quietness and... anticipation.

Ultimately, exhaustion and that inexplicable longing for "home" prevailed.

Jiang Xiaochuan gritted his teeth and walked to the corner of the wall, where he usually used an old cloth to wipe his sweat after practicing martial arts and a spare thick coat were piled up.

Without a word, he picked up the things, walked to the corner furthest from the bed, silently spread the cloth on the floor, and folded his coat to use as a pillow.

"What are you doing?" Xiaobai frowned.

"Sleep on the floor," Jiang Xiaochuan said sullenly, turning his back to her and starting to tidy up the makeshift "bed." "You sleep on the bed. I'll sleep here."

Xiaobai stared at his stubborn back, remaining silent for a moment. Then, she suddenly laughed, a low laugh in the quiet night, carrying an indescribable meaning—like helplessness, or perhaps… indulgence?

"Whatever you want." She didn't insist anymore, but simply blew out the oil lamp, plunging the room into darkness instantly. Only the cold moonlight shone through the window paper, outlining a blurry silhouette.

A rustling sound came from inside; it was Xiaobai lying down. Then, the room fell completely silent.

Jiang Xiaochuan lay on the cold, hard ground, with only a thin old cloth under him, and waves of cold air seeped up from the ground.

He curled up, listening to Xiaobai's steady, even breathing coming from the bed, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

Everything that happened today is flashing through my mind like a revolving lantern.

Lu Xueqi's words and embrace, Tian Ling'er's tears and questions, Xiao Bai's sudden appearance and "kidnapping"... and the unknown Seven Veins Martial Arts Tournament that will begin tomorrow.

Exhaustion washed over me like a tide, and my eyelids grew heavier and heavier. The chill on the ground didn't seem so unbearable anymore.

In his last moments before falling into a deep sleep, he vaguely thought: Tomorrow... I must get up early tomorrow and rush back to Tongtian Peak...

In the darkness, Xiaobai, who had been "sleeping" on the bed, quietly opened its eyes.

His silver eyes shone brightly in the moonlight, showing no sign of sleepiness.

She listened quietly to the gradually becoming long and steady breathing coming from the corner of the wall, and a very faint and gentle smile slowly curved her lips.

Then, she sat up silently, her bare feet touching the cold ground without making a sound.

She walked to the corner of the wall, squatted down, and looked at the boy curled up on the ground, his brows slightly furrowed even in his sleep.

She watched for a long time. She reached out and gently brushed her fingertips across the stray hairs on his forehead, her movements so soft as if she were afraid of disturbing something.

"Fool," she whispered, almost inaudibly.

Then, she bent down, slipped her arms under his knees and back, and with a little force, lifted him steadily from the cold ground.

The boy hummed unconsciously in his sleep, snuggled his head into her soft embrace, searching for a more comfortable position, and then fell into a deep sleep again.

Xiaobai carried him to the bedside, carefully placed him on the inside of the bed, and covered him with a blanket.

Then, she lay down on the outside, turned to her side, and naturally wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into her embrace so that his back was pressed against her chest.

Warm body heat seeped through the thin fabric, mingling with the boy's clean scent and her own fragrance.

Xiao Bai sighed contentedly, gently burying her face in the hair at the back of his neck, taking a deep breath as if she wanted to etch that breath into her soul.

"That's right." She closed her eyes, murmured softly, and drifted into a long-lost, peaceful dream.

Outside the window, the moon has moved high in the sky. The night at Dazhu Peak is quiet and profound.

Only the sound of the wind rustling through the bamboo forest could be heard, like a gentle lullaby.

Meanwhile, a hundred miles away on Tongtian Peak, outside the window of a female disciple's dormitory, a fiery red figure stood alone under the cold moonlight, gazing in the direction of the Dazhu Peak dormitory for a long, long time before silently turning back into the room, her clothes still damp with the chill of the night dew.

Beneath another secluded pine tree, a pale figure stood silently, the Tianya Sword on her back, its blade gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light in the moonlight. She too gazed in the direction of the houses on Dazhu Peak, her eyes deep and calm, lost in thought.