Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Jiang Xiaochuan's punch landed on his own head with quite a thud, causing Long Nianchuan to stop carving the wooden figurine he was halfway through. Liuli looked on in confusion as she watched her father grimacing and clutching his head, a small red mark quickly appearing on his forehead.

"Father?" Long Nianchuan called out cautiously, his tall body leaning forward as if to check what was wrong with his head.

The kitchen curtain was lifted, and Linglong came out carrying another bowl of steaming soup. When she saw Jiang Xiaochuan covering his head with a distorted expression, she paused, gently placed the bowl on the table, and quickly walked over.

"What happened? Did you bump into something?" Her voice was still gentle and concerned as she knelt down in front of him to check the injury on his forehead.

Jiang Xiaochuan is still on the verge of self-doubt and a reshaping of his worldview.

The pain in my forehead was real, as was the exquisitely beautiful and gentle face before me, and the kiss she had just given me—a kiss as light as a feather yet as heavy as a thousand pounds…

No, it's a kiss on the forehead.

His mind was a jumbled mess, like a pot of boiling porridge, with fragments of information colliding:

Lu Xueqi's assertiveness, Xiaobai's cunning, Tian Ling'er's tolerance, Biyao's stubbornness, and the mysterious, gentle woman in front of him who cooks well, speaks eloquently, and seems to have some kind of... indescribable feelings for him.

He looked at Linglong's beautiful face, so close to his, her eyes so clear they seemed to reflect his current dishevelment and bewilderment.

An absurd yet strangely fitting thought, like a bolt of lightning, cleaved through his chaotic thoughts.

Linglong… Nianchuan… Home… Heyang City… In the mountains… Far away and quiet… Not many people… It’s just Nianchuan and me at home…

Those fragmented conversations, the occasional glimpses of vicissitude and wisdom she revealed that far exceeded her outward appearance, Nianchuan's overly pure gaze and unusual closeness to him, and her almost shocking statement just now, "I don't mind"...

"You..." Jiang Xiaochuan opened his mouth, his voice terribly dry. He looked at Linglong, his gaze as if he were seeing her clearly for the first time. "Miss Linglong, who...who exactly are you?"

Linglong squatted down in front of him, looking him in the eye.

Upon hearing his question, the worry and tenderness in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by a deeper, calming stillness that seemed to have carried the weight of eternity.

She didn't answer immediately, but just looked at him quietly, as if scrutinizing him or confirming his identity.

After a few breaths, she spoke softly, her voice still gentle, but with a strange, ethereal rhythm that seemed to come from time immemorial.

"I am Linglong," she said, pausing before adding, "Linglong, a witch from a thousand years ago."

Jiang Xiaochuan's pupils shrank sharply, his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and his breath caught in his throat for a moment.

The shrine maiden... Linglong?

That legendary witch from southern Xinjiang, the most mysterious and closest to the gods?

The priestess Linglong who created... the Beast God?

How is that possible?

Those are all legends from so many years ago!

How could she still be alive?

Still so...young?

As if knowing what he was thinking, Linglong's gaze slowly shifted to Long Nianchuan, who looked bewildered and worriedly at Jiang Xiaochuan.

"Nianchuan is no ordinary idiot."

Linglong's voice was soft, yet every word struck Jiang Xiaochuan's heart: "He is a being I created, using the malevolent energy of heaven and earth as a foundation, and fusing it with... my essence and obsession. I named him. Long Nianchuan."

Long Nianchuan. The dragon, derived from the character "Linglong" (玲珑). Nianchuan… Nianchuan…

Jiang Xiaochuan's mind went blank for a moment, as if something had exploded.

Long Nianchuan... Beast God?

That legendary beast god, created by the witch Linglong, possessing the power to destroy the world, but ultimately annihilated by the Eight Fiends Profound Fire Formation...?

Is this the tall guy who's excessively handsome, has pure eyes, calls him "Dad," squats at the door waiting for him, and clumsily tries to carve wooden figures?

No, not possible!

Absolutely impossible!

That's not how it's written in the novel!

The Beast God should be sealed in the Demon-Suppressing Cave!

Linglong should have been long ago... Besides, how could the Beast God possibly call him father?

What is all this nonsense?!

The massive information overload and cognitive upheaval caused Jiang Xiaochuan's already overloaded brain to completely shut down.

The calm and beautiful face of Linglong and the handsome face of Long Nianchuan, filled with innocence and concern, began to distort and spin.

His ears were ringing, his vision was starting to blur, and the spot on his forehead where he had hit himself was throbbing with pain, making his whole head feel like it was going to split open.

"I...I..." His lips trembled as he tried to say something, but he couldn't utter a complete sound.

His body swayed, everything went black, and he fell straight backward.

"Father!" Long Nianchuan exclaimed, reaching out to help, but his movements were somewhat clumsy.

Linglong was even faster. Before he fell, she had already gotten up, stretched out her arm, and steadily caught his falling body.

Jiang Xiaochuan wasn't heavy, and Linglong caught him and carried him horizontally in her arms.

This movement, performed by a slender woman, should have seemed somewhat incongruous, yet she executed it with remarkable naturalness and fluidity, as if it were effortless.

She held Jiang Xiaochuan in her arms, looked down at his still-frowning brows and slightly pale face while he was unconscious, and a barely perceptible trace of pain and pity flashed in her eyes.

She was too hasty and scared him.

"Nianchuan, keep an eye on the shop." Linglong instructed Long Nianchuan, who was anxiously surrounding her, then picked up Jiang Xiaochuan and turned to walk towards the back of the shop, where she usually rested in her simple inner room.

The interior was simple, with a wooden bed, a table and a chair, and the room was clean and bright.

Linglong gently placed Jiang Xiaochuan on her usual bed and pulled the thin blanket over him.

She sat on the edge of the bed, reached out her hand, and a soft, warm white light gathered at her fingertips, gently touching his brow.

As the light seeped in, Jiang Xiaochuan's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, his breathing became steady and long, and he fell into a deeper sleep.

Linglong looked at him quietly for a while before getting up and going to the outer room.

Long Nianchuan was still standing at the door, gazing longingly towards the inner room.

"Mother, what's wrong with Father? Is he alright?" Long Nianchuan's voice was filled with unease.

"It's nothing, I was just too tired and fell asleep." Linglong patted his strong arm reassuringly.

"You stay here and keep watch, don't let anyone disturb us. I'm going out for a bit."

"Oh." Long Nianchuan nodded obediently, dragged a stool over, and sat down at the doorway of the inner room like a door god, staring intently at the curtain.

Linglong walked to the shop entrance, gazing at the setting sun outside the alley. Her expression was calm, but her eyes seemed to be deep in thought.

What she just touched on his forehead was not only a calming spell, but also a very subtle mark belonging to her original witch power.

In this way, no matter where he is, she can roughly sense his state.

However, not long after the mark was planted, she sensed a cold yet powerful aura rapidly approaching Heyang City, heading... directly towards her little shop.

Her exquisite eyes flickered slightly.

coming.

Sure enough, in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, a figure in moonlight appeared at the alley entrance, moving with light yet swift steps, and arrived at the "Homecoming" door in just a few steps.

It was Lu Xueqi. Her face was colder than usual, and there was a hint of anxiety between her brows.

The Tianya Sword hung at his waist, with a faint blue light flowing around it.

She immediately spotted Long Nianchuan, who stood like a small mountain blocking the doorway to the inner room, and his excessively handsome face, which carried a childlike wariness.

Lu Xueqi frowned, her gaze sweeping past Long Nianchuan and landing on Linglong, who was walking out from the inner room by lifting the curtain.

Two women, one aloof and ethereal like ice from the heavens, the other gentle and graceful like an orchid in a deep valley, gaze at each other quietly in the dimly lit shop.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Miss Lu," Linglong spoke first, bowing slightly with an elegant posture.

"Where is he?" Lu Xueqi ignored her politeness and asked directly in a cold voice.

She sensed Jiang Xiaochuan's presence in the shop, but it was faint, which made her uneasy.

"Young Master Jiang is resting inside." Linglong stepped aside, clearing the doorway.

"He just learned some things, which agitated him, and he fainted. I have used magic to put him to sleep, and he is fine, but he needs to rest."

Lu Xueqi's sharp gaze swept over Linglong's calm face, then glanced at Long Nianchuan, who was blocking the doorway with a stubborn look in his eyes, her heart filled with complex emotions.

She didn't ask any more questions and stepped into the inner room.

Long Nianchuan tried to stop her, but Linglong stopped him with a look.

Inside the room, Jiang Xiaochuan lay quietly on the bed, his breathing steady and his complexion rosy again, though his brows were still slightly furrowed, as if he were having troubles in his dream.

Lu Xueqi walked to the bedside, reached out to check his pulse, and carefully examined his complexion. After confirming that he was indeed just asleep and showed no signs of injury or poisoning, her tense nerves relaxed a little.

But seeing him lying on another woman's bed, covered by another woman's blanket, Lu Xueqi felt that uncomfortable feeling well up up again.

She bent down, reached out, and picked up Jiang Xiaochuan, blanket and all.

Linglong stood at the door, watching her skillful movements, her eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't say anything.

Lu Xueqi, carrying Jiang Xiaochuan, turned and walked out of the inner room without even glancing at Linglong and Long Nianchuan, heading straight out of the shop.

As she passed Linglong, she paused slightly, turned her head, and her cold eyes fell on Linglong's face. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unmistakable chill.

"Stay away from him."

After saying that, without waiting for Linglong's response, she hugged Jiang Xiaochuan, and her moon-white figure flashed out of the shop and quickly disappeared into the alley.

Linglong stood there, gazing at the empty alleyway, and after a long while, she sighed softly.

She walked to the table, picked up the half-eaten bowl of soup that Jiang Xiaochuan had left, which had gone cold, and ran her fingertips along the rough rim of the bowl, her starry eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Mother..." Long Nianchuan walked over and called out in a muffled voice. Liuli's eyes were full of reluctance and grievance. "Father was taken away by that cold woman again."

"It's alright." Linglong put down the bowl, raised her hand, and stroked Long Nianchuan's soft black hair as if comforting a child. Her gaze remained fixed on the direction of Qingyun Mountain. Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of melancholy, yet also a touch of determination, "There's plenty of time in the future."

When Lu Xueqi carried Jiang Xiaochuan back to Dazhu Peak on her sword, it was already nearly dusk.

Without disturbing anyone, she entered Jiang Xiaochuan's small house through the back window, gently placed him on the bed, and carefully tucked him in.

She didn't leave; she simply moved a chair, sat down by the bed, and quietly watched his sleeping face.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window paper, casting a warm hue on her cool profile, but it couldn't dispel the doubts and worries in her eyes.

Linglong... that mysterious woman, and that strange, tall man.

Ogawa seemed to trust her a lot and often went to her place.

What is their relationship?

Why did Xiaochuan faint today due to "mental turmoil"?

Was it because of something that woman said?

What did you do?

A series of questions swirled in her mind.

She reached out and gently brushed her fingertips across Jiang Xiaochuan's slightly furrowed brow, as if trying to smooth out the wrinkles.

As night deepened, moonlight replaced the setting sun.

Lu Xueqi remained seated on the edge of the bed, showing no intention of leaving.

She simply closed her eyes, as if she were meditating and regulating her breathing.