Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

Jiang Xiaochuan was stunned by Biyao's words "He is mine" and Jin Ping'er kneeling and crying. He saw Biyao's hand reaching out to grab him again.

Almost reflexively, he abruptly broke free from Biyao's grasp, darted behind Linglong, and peeked out with only half his head, his voice distorted as he spoke to Biyao:

"Screw you! Biyao, what are you doing?!"

His face was burning hot, half from shame, half from anger, and half from the embarrassment brought on by the chaotic scene.

"What do you mean 'yours' and 'mine'?! And Jin Shimei, you...you, you get up! What is all this nonsense?!"

He was incoherent, wishing he could disappear into the ground or vanish on the spot.

Linglong was slightly swayed by his sudden movement, but quickly regained her balance, still wearing that gentle smile on her face.

He didn't dodge or speak; he simply stood quietly, like a serene bamboo stalk, perfectly blocking Biyao's burning gaze.

Biyao was taken aback by his reaction and the "Go to hell" remark. Then, her eyebrows furrowed, and her deep green eyes glared at him, filled with anger and grievance: "Jiang Xiaochuan! What are you hiding for! Come here!"

"I'm not going!"

Hiding behind Linglong, Jiang Xiaochuan felt a little safer and bolder, although his voice was still a bit weak.

"You, just talk! What kind of behavior is this, pulling and tugging like that! And what do you mean 'your person'? I, I'm my own person!"

"you!"

Biyao was furious, pointing at him, her chest heaving.

"You heartless bastard! I went through all that trouble to come here so I could see you openly and honestly, and this is how you treat me?!"

"I……"

Jiang Xiaochuan was speechless. Looking at Biyao's eyes, which were brimming with tears and on the verge of bursting into flames, the anger in his heart inexplicably dissipated, leaving only a sense of powerlessness.

"That's not what I meant... I meant... sigh!"

He scratched his head in frustration, stepped out from behind Linglong, but still kept a few steps away from Biyao, his face full of helplessness and distress.

"Biyao, Junior Sister Jin, and... all of you,"

His gaze swept over Lu Xueqi, Xiaobai, and Tian Ling'er, before finally returning to Linglong. His voice lowered, sounding weary.

"Can you please stop... I... my mind is a mess..."

Lu Xueqi watched him quietly, noticing the embarrassment, panic, helplessness, and a hint of weariness on his face.

She slowly loosened her grip on the Tianya Sword, and the invisible chill emanating from her body dissipated.

She walked up to Jiang Xiaochuan, blocking Biyao's piercing gaze. Her voice was clear and calm, yet carried a strange, soothing power:

That's enough.

The two words, though not high, made both the somewhat excited Biyao and the sobbing Jin Ping'er pause for a moment.

Lu Xueqi looked at Biyao, then at the others, her gaze calm and unwavering, as if stating a perfectly simple fact:

"He's right here, he won't run away. What's the point of you doing this except scar him and make him hide even further away?"

Biyao bit her lip and didn't speak, but the anger and grievance in her eyes slowly subsided, turning into a deeper stubbornness and resentment.

Xiao Bai raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

Tian Ling'er lowered her head and kicked at the pebbles at her feet.

Linglong still smiled.

Jin Ping'er was still kneeling on the ground, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Lu Xueqi turned around and looked at Jiang Xiaochuan. Her gaze fell on his furrowed brows and his face full of irritation. Her voice softened unconsciously, with a barely perceptible sigh: "Let's go eat first. Senior Brother's wedding is approaching, and he has a lot to do."

Her tone was very ordinary, as if she were saying that the weather was nice today, as if the chaotic scene, Biyao's announcement, and Jin Ping'er's crying had never existed.

This strange calm actually made Jiang Xiaochuan's tense nerves relax a little.

He glanced at Lu Xueqi's calm, unwavering eyes, then at the others around him with their varied expressions, and finally slumped his shoulders in dejection, letting out a soft "hmm."

Yes, let's eat first.

Even the most important things must be dealt with first, and then you have to fill your stomach.

Besides, he really needs some time to sort out this mess.

……

Over the next few days, Dazhufeng was eerily lively.

Biyao indeed settled into an empty room next to Shoujing Hall, ostensibly to "keep talking with her martial uncle and mistress," but in reality, she spent ten out of the twelve hours a day with her eyes glued to Jiang Xiaochuan.

When he went to practice his skills, she would move a small stool and sit beside him to watch, occasionally offering a few comments, or handing him water or wiping his sweat, her actions as natural as if it were the proper thing to do.

Jiang Xiaochuan was initially uncomfortable, but later he became thick-skinned and let her be, just trying his best to keep his eyes straight ahead and concentrate on practicing his sword.

Lu Xueqi still appears on the back mountain every day on time to check homework, occasionally give guidance, and doesn't talk much, but her presence is very strong.

With her around, Biyao's overly intimate actions would always be toned down, and a silent, tacit confrontation would permeate the two of them.

Jiang Xiaochuan was caught in the middle, feeling like the filling in a sandwich, the kind that could burst at any moment.

Xiao Bai came even more frequently, sometimes during the day, sometimes in the dead of night, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.

Unlike Biyao, who openly "stalked" him, or Lu Xueqi, who gave him "serious" guidance, she seemed more like someone who came to... tease him.

She would suddenly hang upside down from the bamboo tip to startle him while he was practicing swordsmanship, or snatch meat from his bowl while he was eating, or swagger into his bed when he was about to go to sleep at night, always with the excuse that "it's cold to sleep alone."

Jiang Xiaochuan went from struggling desperately with a flushed face at the beginning to becoming numb and indifferent in the end, all in just a few days.

He finally understood that reasoning with this thousand-year-old fox demon was useless; resisting would only embolden her.

Tian Ling'er didn't cling to him as much as before, but her big eyes would always sneak glances at him from time to time. When she was caught, she would immediately blush and look away, but after a while, she couldn't help but look back again.

She didn't talk to Biyao and Xiaobai much, spending most of her time alone or helping Su Ru prepare things for her senior brother's wedding. However, she was clearly in low spirits and would often space out.

Linglong and Long Nianchuan remained at Qiwuzhu, seemingly oblivious to the hustle and bustle of Dazhu Peak.

When Jiang Xiaochuan was feeling down, he would still go there to sit for a while. Linglong would not ask or say anything, but would simply warm a pot of tea or cook a bowl of sweet soup, and Long Nianchuan would lie down beside him and quietly play by himself.

There, time moves slowly, and the heart finds peace.

Sometimes Linglong would softly share her insights on spiritual practice or tell ancient myths and legends. Her voice was gentle, like a clear mountain spring, which could slowly soothe the restlessness in his heart.

Jiang Xiaochuan liked that place very much; it was like the only safe haven in his chaotic world.

Jin Ping'er came several times, each time with her head down, her eyes red, glancing at them from afar, not daring to get close, nor daring to make eye contact with Bi Yao and Lu Xueqi.

Once, Jiang Xiaochuan couldn't bear to watch any longer and went over to say a few words to her, telling her to stop kneeling and crying. But before he could even open his mouth, Jin Ping'er ran away like a startled rabbit, leaving Jiang Xiaochuan scratching his head in the middle of the scene.

That afternoon, Jiang Xiaochuan was "harassed" by Xiaobai again and hid in a secluded crevice behind the waterfall, hoping for some peace and quiet. But he had only been sitting down for a short while when he heard voices outside.

It's Biyao and Lu Xueqi.

"Lu Xueqi, what exactly do you mean?" Biyao's voice was tinged with annoyance.

"It doesn't mean anything." Lu Xueqi's voice was as calm as ever.

"What do you mean? You're always by his side, what are you? Don't think I don't know what you're thinking! So what if he was your lawfully wedded wife in your past life? It's not certain in this life!" Biyao's tone rose a little.

"I don't think it's anything special." Lu Xueqi paused, her voice still flat, "but I won't give up."

"You!" Biyao seemed to choke for a moment, then said resentfully, "Then why are you stopping me? I want to see him, I want to be close to him, what's it to you?"

"He's very troubled right now," Lu Xueqi said.

"He's troubled? What's he troubled about? Yes, he doesn't remember now, but he'll remember sooner or later! I've waited for him for so long, thought about him for so long, and now that we're finally together, why can't I be close to him?"

Biyao's voice was choked with sobs and grievances.

There was a moment of silence outside.

Jiang Xiaochuan hid in the crevice of the rocks, holding his breath, his heart pounding.

Remembering? Remembering what?

"Before he remembered, he was Jiang Xiaochuan."

Lu Xueqi's voice rang out again, colder than before, "He has his own feelings; he's afraid, annoyed, and wants to hide. Pressuring him like this will only push him further away."

"I pressured him? How did I pressure him? I just wanted to be good to him! I wanted him to know how I felt!"

Biyao's voice was trembling with tears.

He knows how you feel.

Lu Xueqi's voice lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness and...something deeper.

"We all know that. But so what? There's only one of him."

"Then what do you suggest? Are we going to have a fight, and whoever wins gets to keep it?" Biyao sneered.

"Let's have a fight?" Lu Xueqi seemed to chuckle softly, her voice faint and devoid of warmth.

"What's the point? Who can you beat? Me? Xiaobai? Or Linglong? Or do you think that even if you win, he'll obediently go with you?"

Biyao fell silent.

After a long while, Lu Xueqi's voice rang out again, softly but clearly reaching Jiang Xiaochuan's ears:

"Biyao, we are all the same."

Everyone wants to have it all, but it's impossible for anyone to have it all.

He chose me in his past life, but in this life... no one knows.

But no matter what, he's here.

Forcing him will only make him run away. Perhaps... we should just leave it at that.

"That's it? How is it?" Biyao sniffed, her voice muffled.

"Just like that, watch over him, guard him, and wait for him."

Lu Xueqi's voice was calm, so calm that it made Jiang Xiaochuan's heart tighten. "Wait for him to slowly accept it, wait for him to make a choice. Or... wait until he can never make a choice, and we... just stay by his side like this."

"Are you willing to accept this?" Biyao asked.

"I'm not willing to accept it," Lu Xueqi replied quickly and decisively.

"But compared to losing him, compared to seeing him suffer and run away, I would rather be unwilling to accept it."

Another silence followed.

"Linglong...does that's what you think too?" Biyao asked, her voice devoid of emotion.

"She's lived so long, she sees things more clearly than any of us."

Lu Xueqi said, "Xiaobai... she probably finds it very interesting. As for Ling'er..." She didn't finish her sentence.

"What about Jin Ping'er?" Bi Yao's voice turned cold.

"she?"

Lu Xueqi's voice turned cold as well, "That's someone you brought, deal with her yourself. But don't hurt her, Xiao Chuan will be upset."

Biyao didn't say anything more.

Jiang Xiaochuan leaned against the cold stone wall, feeling chilled to the bone, as if his blood had frozen.

Their conversation struck him like a series of heavy hammer blows.

Who exactly is he? What has he forgotten? And who are they?

He clutched his head, feeling a splitting headache. Those blurry fragments, warm touches, familiar whispers, chaotic dreams... surged up like a tide, then quickly receded, leaving only endless bewilderment and... fear.

He was afraid. Afraid that what they said was true.

I'm afraid I might have really forgotten something important, or someone important.

I'm afraid I can't bear the weight of their heavy and unwavering emotions.

I'm afraid I'm not good enough for them at all.

Like a coward, he hid in the cracks in the rocks for the entire afternoon, until dusk before he finally stumbled back to his hut, looking utterly dejected.

He didn't see anyone, fell asleep immediately, but couldn't sleep all night.

……

A few days later, Song Daren and Wen Min's wedding was held in a lively and bustling manner, with the joint efforts of Dazhufeng and Xiaozhufeng.

The wedding wasn't particularly grand, but it was very warm and intimate.

The entire Dazhu Peak was decorated in festive red. There weren't many guests, but they were all close teachers and fellow students.

Tian Buyi was wearing a brand new dark red robe, which was rare for him. Although his face was still dark, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had smoothed out.

Su Ru was busy running around, with a smile on her face the whole time.

Dao Xuan Zhenren and Shui Yue Master, as elders of both sides, also attended and sat at the head of the table, watching the newlyweds exchange greetings.

Song Daren, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, was so nervous that he didn't know where to put his hands and feet. His honest face was flushed red, but his eyes were surprisingly bright as he stared at Wen Min, who was wearing a veil and a phoenix coronet and wedding gown.

Even through the veil, Wenmin could almost feel his burning gaze. Her body trembled slightly, a mixture of nervousness and joy.

As the junior brother, Jiang Xiaochuan also changed into a more formal outfit and stood next to Du Bishu and the others. Looking at his senior brother's silly grin, he couldn't help but smile along, feeling genuinely happy for them.

In this world, it is such a wonderful thing that lovers can finally be together.

Bow to Heaven and Earth, bow to the parents, and the husband and wife bow to each other. The ceremony is complete.

Cheers, blessings, laughter, and clinking glasses filled the air.

Song Daren was forced to drink by He Dazhi and the others, while Wen Min was led to the bridal chamber by her junior sisters from Xiaozhu Peak.

The air was filled with lively voices, bright lights, and the aroma of wine and joy.

Jiang Xiaochuan also drank a few cups, his face felt hot, but he had an indescribable feeling in his heart.

He watched his eldest brother, his face beaming with happiness, his steps unsteady yet his eyes crinkling with a wide grin; he watched his master's wife gently wiping the wine stains from the corner of their master's mouth; he watched Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu huddled together, whispering and laughing; he watched Master Shuiyue's profile soften in a rare moment; he watched Dao Xuan Zhenren stroke his beard and smile…

His gaze involuntarily searched through the crowd.

Then, he saw them.