Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Listening to the Rain Pavilion, a stone chamber.

A faint, sweet incense scent filled the air, lit by Biyao, who said it was calming. But Jiang Xiaochuan only felt a tightness in his chest and dizziness when he smelled it.

How many days? Three days? Or five days? He couldn't tell.

The dark gold ropes on her hands and feet were replaced with softer leather straps with fine fur, still tied to the bedposts, but at least they weren't as uncomfortable.

But this did nothing to alleviate the frustration and despair in his heart.

He tried every possible method.

Hunger strike?

He didn't eat the first meal. Biyao took the bowl, scooped some food with a spoon, and smiled as she brought it to his lips.

Seeing him clench his teeth, without saying a word, she raised her hand and slapped him.

It wasn't heavy, but it was crisp and loud. The slap on his face stung, not physically, but psychologically.

"Not eating? If you starve yourself, how will you give birth to my child?" Her eyes were cold, but her tone was eerily gentle.

He opened his mouth in humiliation, swallowed the porridge that actually tasted quite good, and tears welled up in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Revolt?

He called her a "witch," a "madwoman," and "shameless."

Biyao sat on the edge of the bed, resting her chin on her hand, her deep green eyes watching him with great interest.

After he finished cursing, he slowly said, "Finished cursing? Are you thirsty? Do you want some water?" as if he were just performing a clumsy play.

He was trembling with anger, but she reached out and ran her cool fingertips across his flushed cheeks. "You look so handsome even when you're angry."

He remained silent, not looking at her, not speaking, like a block of wood.

Biyao didn't mind and just sat down next to her, talking to herself.

She talked about how mischievous she was when she was a child in Fox Hill.

She said her mother's pastries were delicious.

She said her father was both very authoritative and very loving towards her.

They talked about how the Soul-Eating Staff recognizes its master, and the wondrous uses of the Acacia Bell...

When she gets excited, she'll hum a couple of lines of a little tune with an exotic flair that Youji taught her.

The sound was crisp and clear, echoing in the silent stone chamber, like a dull knife cutting flesh, again and again.

What drove him most to the brink of despair were those "daily routines".

Need to use the restroom.

Biyao untied one of his hands and personally helped him off the bed, leading him to a small, screened space in the corner of the stone chamber where a chamber pot was placed.

She would stand outside the screen, and sometimes she would even lean half her body in, tilt her head, and look at him with an "innocent" expression.

"I'm afraid you'll run away, or do something rash," she said, her eyes sparkling with a malicious, amused enjoyment of his predicament.

His face was flushed, his body was stiff, and he felt like he was about to explode, but he couldn't resist his physiological needs.

Under that gaze, he felt as if all his dignity had been stripped away, and even the last shred of his dignity had been torn to shreds.

You need to wash up.

Biyao would fetch warm water and, with a damp cloth, carefully wipe his face, neck, arms, chest, and so on.

Her fingers were slightly cool, and her movements were gentle.

His eyes were tightly closed, and his body trembled slightly with shame and anger, like a soulless doll.

She could feel the taut muscles beneath his skin and his racing heartbeat, and her smile deepened.

He even tried more despicable methods.

Once, Biyao leaned closer to him again, her sweet fragrance filling the air. He deliberately stared at her and said in the most flirtatious tone he could think of, "Biyao, do you know that your mother... Madam Xiaochi, is actually quite charming, much more attractive than a little kid like you who hasn't even fully grown up yet."

He wanted to provoke her, to disgust her, even if it meant getting a beating in return.

But Biyao was only stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing, laughing so hard that she almost cried.

She reached out and ruffled his hair vigorously, as if she were petting a naughty, barking puppy.

"Xiao Chuan, you're so funny."

After she had finished laughing, she wiped her eyes and looked at him with her deep green eyes. There was no anger in them, only a kind of pity and knowing, amused look.

"Trying to provoke me? Or trying to distract me? It's no use. My mother is beautiful, but I'm not bad-looking either. Besides..."

She leaned closer, almost touching nose to nose, her voice low and seductive.

"I'm younger than her, more energetic, I can stay with you longer, and I can... give you more 'happiness.' You'll see later."

Jiang Xiaochuan was completely out of options.

Scolding is useless.

Resistance is futile.

She remained silent, talking to herself.

She treated even the most despicable provocations as a joke.

He was like a flying insect caught in a spider's web; the more he struggled, the tighter the web became, while the hunter remained leisurely, enjoying his disheveled state.

He doesn't understand, he really doesn't understand.

What is she after?

Just for that inexplicable "like"?

This liking is terrifying.

Today, Biyao seemed unusually irritable.

She paced back and forth in the stone chamber, glancing occasionally at the icy blue sword intent shield that still enveloped Jiang Xiaochuan, though its light was somewhat dimmer than a few days ago.

The sword intent left behind by Lu Xueqi was more resilient than she had imagined. Even after being worn down day and night by the ferocious energy of the Soul-Devouring Staff, it only intensified its fluctuations and did not truly break.

Moreover, she could sense that the connection between this sword intent and Lu Xueqi's body had not been completely severed, as if it was continuously drawing power from a distant place to slowly repair itself.

"Damn it! What a smelly and hard turtle shell!"

Biyao finally couldn't hold back and cursed under her breath.

She stopped, staring at the protective shield, a ruthless glint in her eyes. If she dragged this out any longer, too many variables would arise.

Lu Xueqi will definitely come looking for us, and that fox is lurking somewhere, not to mention the Qingyun Sect... We can't wait any longer!

She suddenly raised her hand, and the Soul-Devouring Staff suddenly shone with dark light. The deep purple bead at the top emitted a dark glow, and an aura that was far more ferocious and chilling than before burst forth!

The dark red patterns on the staff seemed to come alive, emanating a strong stench of blood. She poured all the anxiety and anger she had accumulated over the past few days into it, and slammed it down fiercely against the icy blue shield!

"Break it—!"

"BOOM—!!!"

With a loud bang, the stone chamber shook violently, and rubble fell down in a shower!

The icy blue shield emitted a screeching sound, like glass shattering under the strain, and its surface was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks!

Lightning crackled wildly, ice shards scattered, and the blood-red aura of the Soul-Devouring Staff fiercely clashed and annihilated each other!

Inside the protective barrier, Jiang Xiaochuan's blood and qi surged violently, his ears rang, and he stared in horror at the barrier that was about to shatter.

it's over...

However, just as the protective shield was about to completely collapse—

"Yao'er! Stop!"

"Little girl, don't get so angry."

Two voices rang out almost simultaneously, one gentle and the other languid, yet both carried an undeniable power.

The stone door was pushed open by a gentle yet powerful force.

Xiao Chi and Xiao Bai stood side by side at the door.

Xiao Chi looked at the mess in the room and the Soul-Devouring Staff gleaming menacingly in her daughter's hand, her face filled with anger and helplessness.

Xiao Bai, on the other hand, looked on with a lazy, detached expression, her silver eyes sweeping over Jiang Xiaochuan, who was tied to the bed and had a pale face, before turning her gaze to the aggressive Bi Yao, a half-smile curving her lips.

Biyao froze, and the bloody light on the Soul-Devouring Staff subsided by most, but it did not retract.

She turned her head and looked at the two people at the door. When she saw Xiaobai, a very complicated look flashed in her eyes.

She was wary, alert, and there was also a trace of... familiarity and resentment left over from her past life, which even she herself hadn't fully explored.

"Mother... Xiaobai... Auntie." Her last address sounded a little stiff.

In her past life, Xiaobai was indeed her elder, and they had a good relationship. He would even occasionally offer her some advice when she was troubled by love.

But in this life, Xiaobai is clearly on Jiang Xiaochuan's side, which makes her feel very uncomfortable.

"Forced love is never sweet, Yao'er." Xiao Chi walked in, looked at her daughter, then at Jiang Xiaochuan, who was still in shock on the bed, and sighed heavily.

"If you use force like this, even if you get him, what good will it do? Can you control his body and his heart? It will only make him hate you more and fear you more."

"Hate if you hate, fear if you fear!"

Biyao stiffened her neck, her eyes were a little red, and her voice trembled with stubbornness.

"At least he's with me! In my hands! That's better than... better than watching him be taken away by someone else, without even having the chance to hate or be afraid!"

She recalled the figure silently watching her in her past life, the excruciating pain and endless regret, and felt that her current "hatred" and "fear" were nothing at all.

As long as people are alive, there is hope.

Even if it's done in the most unpleasant way, keep it.

"It can quench your thirst," she added softly, as if trying to convince herself, or perhaps responding to her mother's words.

A forced relationship is never sweet, but at least it can temporarily relieve the burning, agonizing craving.

When Jiang Xiaochuan saw Xiaobai, his eyes instantly lit up with hope, like a drowning person grasping at the last straw.

He disregarded all pride and dignity, looking urgently at Xiaobai, his lips moved, and he silently uttered three words: "Help...me..."

Xiao Bai received his distress signal, and the smile in her silver eyes deepened, with a hint of "look how popular you are."

She didn't respond to Jiang Xiaochuan immediately, but slowly walked in, ignoring Biyao's wary gaze and the Soul-Devouring Staff she was still holding, and went straight to the bedside.

The cracked, crumbling, ice-blue protective shield seemed to pose no obstacle to her.

She extended her slender, white finger and gently touched the protective shield.

With a soft "pop," it sounded like a bubble bursting.

The sword intent shield that had held strong for several days suddenly turned into specks of icy blue light at her fingertips and quietly dissipated, revealing Jiang Xiaochuan inside, bound hand and foot and in a disheveled state.

Biyao's pupils contracted, and she gripped the Soul-Devouring Staff tightly.

Xiao Bai's seemingly casual move revealed a strength and control over power that far exceeded her expectations.

Xiao Bai bent down and carefully examined the leather straps on Jiang Xiaochuan's wrists and ankles. She then reached out and pinched his cheek, which was cold to the touch and a little swollen.

She clicked her tongue twice, shook her head, her tone teasing but her eyes a little cold: "Look at our little Chuan Chuan, look what he's done to him. His little face has gotten so thin."

Jiang Xiaochuan's hope instantly turned into embarrassment and a hint of grievance as she pinched his cheek. He turned his head away, not wanting her to see his reddened eyes.

Just then, a clear and steady sound of footsteps came from outside the stone chamber, growing louder as it approached.

A clear, cold female voice, like jade striking an icy spring, pierced through the stone wall and entered clearly. It was utterly devoid of any warmth or worldly concern, yet it sent a chill down the spines of everyone in the room except for Xiaobai.