When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 142

Along with Weiran’s mockery came a layer of eerie black mist rushing straight at him. 

Shen Lingshu had never fought this red-robed Little Island Master of Penglai before, nor had he ever seen him truly fight. But the moment he sensed the killing intent, Shen Lingshu immediately drew his longsword, coating his recently repaired natal spirit sword—still lined with several cracks—with a layer of spiritual power. He turned the blade and struck first. He had thought that since Yun Zhuoran hadn’t made a move, he could still escape, but he had severely underestimated his opponent.

Before this Little Island Master, he was utterly helpless—instantly sent flying backward.

Shen Lingshu was filled with disbelief. 

Just as he attempted to stand and retrieve his spirit sword, a wisp of black mist flew before him, coiled around his neck, and slammed him back to the ground. The force tightened abruptly, suffocation exploding in his chest, the skin of his cheeks and neck flushing rapidly.

In a daze, Shen Lingshu recalled his encounter with Yun Shaowei the previous night. The Little Island Master was now choking him in almost the exact same manner. But he could not simply wait to die. 

Gritting his teeth, he released a burst of golden light from his body, dispelling the cold black mist. He rolled clumsily to the side and hastily snatched up the fallen spirit sword.

“Another immortal bone.” Weiran saw through him at a glance, scoffing. 

Several dense wisps of black mist seeped from its pale fingertips, drifting slowly yet traveling impossibly fast—reaching Shen Lingshu instantly. 

Shen Lingshu swung his sword frantically to block the attacks while the Little Island Master merely stood there with its arms crossed, watching him flee in all directions.

The other party was clearly toying with him. Humiliation followed by shock washed over Shen Lingshu. He had never expected this Little Island Master to be so overwhelmingly strong—able to crush him with the flick of a finger.

At the same time, resentment and jealousy surged within him. He felt like a complete joke in the Little Island Master’s eyes.

He was right. The heart demon was treating him like a joke while also gauging his current strength. “Almost at the Nascent Soul stage, huh? Fengtian Divine Palace treats you quite well.”

With the Immortal Bone inside him, Shen Lingshu wasn’t worried about dying. It was an extremely powerful life-saving talisman—a shield stronger than most artifacts. But knowing its source, even after being spared repeatedly, he felt no relief. To him, the Immortal Bone was a mockery, a constant reminder that it was stolen—stolen from his master.

A reminder that his master, the one who raised him, had been killed by his own father.

The heart demon barely needed to lift a finger. A few drifting streaks of demonic energy from its fingertips were more than enough to deal with Shen Lingshu. 

Shen Lingshu spent considerable effort clearing them away, and by then, he was exhausted, face dark as he stared at the heart demon. “Don’t waste your time. You can’t kill me.”

The heart demon didn’t attack again. “I’ll say it one more time: stop wasting time tracking my brother. If you dare harm him again, even if I can’t kill you, I have plenty of ways to deal with you.”

Shen Lingshu’s lips tightened. “I tracked him, not to harm him.”

Weiran chuckled. “And what exactly do you want? Who would believe a word you say now? You’re already in the Fengtian Divine Palace, playing allies with Yun Duo and that bunch. Don’t forget how you treated my brother in Old Yun City when you were fighting for the Taiyin True Fire. You—surnamed Shen—this is my last warning: stay away from my brother.”

Everything the Little Island Master said was true, and Shen Lingshu was deeply embarrassed, but unwilling to give up. “And what right do you have to drive me away?”

Weiran looked at him like he had said something stupid. “Didn’t you see last night? My brother and I are about to become Dao companions. No need for congratulations—I can make decisions for him.”

“So you did all that last night on purpose?” Shen Lingshu’s hand tightened around his spirit sword, veins bulging, face ashen as he stubbornly said, “He and I are at least childhood brothers. Even without deeper feelings, there is still a bond between us. But you’re just a demon who doesn’t dare show your true face. What right do you have to stand at his side?”

Weiran stared at him like he was hopeless. “Brotherly bond? Didn’t my brother already sever ties with you? Don’t try to sow discord. I know everything you’ve done.”

Shen Lingshu… feeling somewhat guilty, still refused to back down. “What can you give him? I hurt him unintentionally, but at least I’ve taken good care of him all these years. I know what he likes. Before he came out of seclusion, I was already preparing the place where we would live after becoming Dao companions. We’ve known each other since childhood—he was only seven. I was his first friend in the Tiandao Sect, his first senior brother. He remembers everything!”

Someone ignorant might feel sorry for him, but to the heart demon, it only earned a disdainful glare.

“Oh, stop. Everything you just said is pure self-pity. Living in your own fantasies all day is pathetic. And let me remind you—while you’re feeling sorry for yourself—don’t forget you once manipulated the Tiandao Sect disciples to isolate him for your own selfish goals, and you stabbed him in the back in Old Yun City.”

Shen Lingshu’s expression twisted, unwilling to admit it.

What the heart demon hated most was Shen Lingshu’s persistent obsession with Yun Zhuoran. He only remembered the tiny bit of kindness he had shown, and conveniently forgot the countless things he had done to harm him.

The heart demon knew all of this clearly. There were plenty of people who liked Yun Zhuoran; if Shen Lingshu had simply kept his distance, everything would’ve been fine. But he was someone who remembered only his own imagined affection, who believed his past kindness gave him the right to linger forever—and that Yun Zhuoran would always wait for him.

The heart demon looked at him with absolute disgust. “Don’t bother reciting your delusional affection. Every time there is a choice, you choose yourself and throw him away. From the very beginning—when you manipulated the sect disciples just to force him to plead to you for his release—you already showed what kind of person you are.” The heart demon paused, eyes brightening. “Originally, I only wanted to beat you up and send you away. But since you insist on talking about all this disgusting sentimental nonsense… if I don’t tie you up, lock you in Kunwu Sword Sect, and then notify the Tiandao Sect to come collect you, wouldn’t that be letting down all the effort you put into ‘caring’ for us?”

Hearing this, Shen Lingshu immediately gave up arguing and turned to run.

The heart demon silently watched, its form dissolving into black mist. 

The familiar scene made Shen Lingshu tense, but before he could draw his sword, a strand of black mist appeared in front of him, and a pale, jade-like hand materialized.

After parting ways with the heart demon, Yun Zhuoran returned to Xu Zhichun’s residence. 

Lu Yu was concentrating on manipulating his compass over a jade pendant, while Li Jianming stood solemnly at the side, awaiting the results. 

Yun Zhuoran didn’t disturb them, quietly entering the room and scanning it once more. They had already searched Xu Zhichun’s residence several times today and confirmed there were no clues left behind by the Wu Clan. Now that they finally had some free time, it was clear that Xu Zhichun’s residence contained nothing unusual. Besides some clothes, the room was filled entirely with medical books and pills.

The room was spotless, reflecting Xu Zhichun’s diligence as a medical cultivator.

After a while, Lu Yu finally opened his eyes. 

Li Jianming asked anxiously, “Did you find it?”

Lu Yu put away the compass, and this time he told Li Jianming with certainty, “In the Sword Sect.”

Yun Zhuoran was somewhat surprised. “The Wu Clan wouldn’t have taken Master Xu back to the Sword Sect.”

Li Jianming was equally puzzled, but regardless of where Xu Zhichun was, he had to find his godfather. 

Once Lu Yu confirmed the direction, Li Jianming immediately headed out.

“I’ll go back fir—”

“Quick! Someone come!” A shout from afar cut him off. 

Hearing the familiar voice, Li Jianming instinctively looked toward the doorway. 

Yun Zhuoran raised an eyebrow, brushed past him, and quickly went outside. Lu Yu followed right after. 

Only then did Li Jianming realize—wasn’t that Ji Ruo’s voice? “It’s from the herb garden behind us!”

Li Jianming, recognizing the direction, ran ahead to lead the way. Though he was desperate to find his adoptive father, Ji Ruo was someone Yun Zhuoran had brought along, and seeing Yun Zhuoran’s growing tension, he decided to check on Ji Ruo first.

Yun Zhuoran and Lu Yu were visiting Changchun Pavilion for the first time and were unfamiliar with the layout. With Li Jianming leading, they quickly reached the herb garden behind the main building. Ji Ruo’s voice grew clearer. 

Rushing in, they found Ji Ruo being dragged back by Yun Shaowei, both chased by several strange black-robed figures.

“Yun Zhuoran! There are Wu Clan members here!” Seeing Yun Zhuoran in the distance, Ji Ruo frantically pointed at the figures and shouted. 

Yun Shaowei, nervously tossing magical artifacts behind him, let out a relieved breath the moment he spotted Yun Zhuoran and hurried over with Ji Ruo.

The Wu Clan members seemed startled to run head-on into them. 

After Ji Ruo’s shout, they paused briefly before one of them called out, “Never mind! Capture Li Jianming first!”

Li Jianming stared blankly. “Why capture me?”

Yun Shaowei finally reached them with Ji Ruo, panting heavily. Noticing the Wu Clan members resuming their chase, he immediately hid behind Yun Zhuoran.

Yun Zhuoran glanced at Yun Shaowei’s shoulder, a bit surprised that the Taiyin True Fire he left behind was still intact. It seemed Yun Shaowei and Ji Ruo had only stumbled upon the Wu Clan and weren’t hurt.

Thinking Yun Zhuoran wanted an explanation, Yun Shaowei said between breaths, “We were in the herb garden and noticed figures in the woods by accident, so we accidentally alerted them!”

Li Jianming didn’t bother thinking about why the Wu Clan was hiding near Changchun Pavilion or why they wanted to capture him. All he cared about was finding Xu Zhichun. Now that Wu Clan members had appeared right in front of him, he drew his sword and charged without hesitation.

Yun Shaowei and Li Jianming were at the same cultivation level, but as a sword cultivator, Li Jianming was slightly stronger. Even though Yun Shaowei had been chased miserably—and Ji Ruo hadn’t even summoned his demonic pet—Yun Zhuoran didn’t believe Li Jianming could defeat the Wu Clan alone. 

Just as he prepared to help, Lu Yu held up a hand and stepped forward. “They’re all Nascent Soul stage. I’ll handle this.”

Facing thirty-five Nascent Soul-stage Wu Clan cultivators was nothing for Lu Yu. 

Since he had already made a move, Yun Zhuoran didn’t intervene and instead watched with Yun Shaowei and Ji Ruo.

It wasn’t surprising that Wu Clan members appeared at Changchun Pavilion; all clues pointed to their involvement in Xu Zhichun’s disappearance. But their appearance now intensified Yun Zhuoran’s unease. 

First, Xu Zhichun had already been captured—so why were they still here?

Second, they had tried to capture Li Jianming. 

This wasn’t difficult to understand: Li Jianming was Wen Jianxian’s favored disciple, a secret within Kunwu Sword Sect. With the Sword Sect targeting the Wu Clan, they were enemies. Capturing Li Jianming could be used to blackmail Wen Jianxian.

The same was true for capturing Xu Zhichun.

But if they already had Xu Zhichun, why return for Li Jianming? If they wanted leverage against Wen Jianxian, Li Jianming was indeed a better target—his cultivation was weaker than Xu Zhichun’s. Yet their first move had been against the Changchun Pavilion Master, Xu Zhichun, an ally of the Sword Sect. 

Since they already had him, why come back?

Did they not expect others would investigate Xu Zhichun’s disappearance and run straight into them?

Yun Zhuoran couldn’t make sense of it.

Although Lu Yu intervened, he mainly assisted Li Jianming from behind, occasionally tossing a few bursts of spiritual energy. Even so, it took effort for the two of them to subdue everyone.

Once the battle ended, Yun Zhuoran led Yun Shaowei and Ji Ruo over. 

Ji Ruo, having just caught his breath, saw the Wu Clan members lying in a miserable heap and immediately puffed up with arrogance again.

“Tsk, tsk. Weren’t you trying to kill me to shut me up? Why are you all on the ground now?”

Yun Shaowei tugged at his sleeve, silently telling him not to go too far.

Ji Ruo glared back. If he had summoned the ghost infant demonic pet Yun Zhuoran returned to him earlier, he could have handled these people himself. But his cousin always worried and never allowed him to take action.

The Wu Clan members also looked extremely frustrated. Being defeated by Yun Zhuoran or Lu Yu was one thing—but being beaten by Li Jianming, whose cultivation was far below theirs, was humiliating. They had become Li Jianming’s whetstones, leaving the Nascent Soul cultivators thoroughly annoyed. 

But with Li Jianming’s sword pressed to one of their throats, none dared move.

Li Jianming asked coldly, “Where are you hiding my godfather?”

The Wu Clan members exchanged glances, remaining silent for a long moment. Their expressions made it seem like they didn’t understand. 

Yun Zhuoran observed them closely and noticed one of them nod slightly. He found this odd, but before he could think further, the Wu Clan members—except the one under Li Jianming’s sword—suddenly sat down to meditate.

The group looked completely bewildered.

“What are they doing?” Ji Ruo asked. “Do they think we won’t kill them?”

Yun Shaowei whispered, “Probably not. They might be trying to rescue someone.”

Except for the unlucky member trapped under Li Jianming’s blade, the other four sat cross-legged, spiritual energy leaking from their bodies and gathering into a single point in the air.

Yun Zhuoran suddenly realized what was happening and shouted to Yun Shaowei and the others behind him, “Back off!”

Li Jianming also released the Wu Clan member, drew his sword, and retreated with the others. 

At that moment, the single point of dark purple light rapidly expanded into a sphere, enveloping the four Wu Clan members.

The sky dimmed, and the entire Changchun Pavilion sank into darkness. Only the red lanterns around the buildings glowed eerily.

At the back door, the heart demon sensed danger. It quickly bound Shen Lingshu with black mist, threw him to the ground, glanced up at the suddenly darkened sky, and cast another look of disgust at Shen Lingshu. “You didn’t come alone?”

Shen Lingshu struggled violently, still stunned by the strange phenomena in the sky. Hearing the heart demon’s question, he looked bewildered, and his expression didn’t seem fake.

The heart demon had never trusted Shen Lingshu and naturally didn’t believe him now. He shot him a cold glare, then, suppressing his disgust, grabbed him by the back of the collar and flashed toward the location of Yun Zhuoran’s aura.

At the source of the disturbance, a hurricane-like storm raged in the open space near the herb garden where Yun Zhuoran and the others had been standing. A massive dark-purple sphere of light continued to expand outward, emanating a chilling, malevolent aura. 

The group watched helplessly as the hair of the four Wu Clan members inside the sphere turned gray, and the skin on their faces and hands aged rapidly.

Seeing this, Lu Yu finally understood. “Not good! Those four are preparing to self-destruct together!”

Yun Shaowei looked shocked. “The four of them self-destructing at once… the explosion would destroy the entire Jialan City!”

Ji Ruo was both horrified and furious. “Are you crazy!? We didn’t even do anything to you! If you want to die, fine—but why drag everyone into your mass suicide!”

“Stop them.” Yun Zhuoran’s tone was calm, but his expression was grim. 

Only now did he fully understand just how troublesome the Wu Clan was, as Wen Jianxian and the others had said repeatedly. Even if they escaped in time, countless people in Jialan City would be trapped.

Yun Zhuoran looked at Lu Yu, who only shrugged helplessly. He instantly understood, and with a sweep of his sleeve, sent Yun Shaowei and Ji Ruo flying backward. “You two leave first.”

In a situation like this, those with insufficient cultivation could not help. 

After sending the two cousins away, Yun Zhuoran naturally did not forget Li Jianming, whose cultivation was also low.

But before he could act, he saw the remaining Wu Clan member suddenly appear behind Li Jianming, who hadn’t noticed at all. 

Yun Zhuoran frowned sharply and flashed to Li Jianming’s side, releasing a burst of spiritual energy that blasted the attacker away.

Hearing a noise, Li Jianming turned and finally realized the Wu Clan member had used the chaos to strike him. 

The Wu Clan cultivator stumbled to his feet and charged again without hesitation. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, he was someone Li Jianming could never defeat. 

Lu Yu knew this well, so he stepped toward the four Wu Clan members at the center of the glowing sphere and said, “Handle the last one first. I’ll take care of these!”

“Senior Lu was as heroic as ever.” Yun Zhuoran answered and was just about to send Li Jianming away when he saw the Wu Clan member lunging forward again, even faster this time. Spiritual energy gathered in Yun Zhuoran’s palm—but before he could release it, the Wu Clan member vanished.

Yun Zhuoran narrowed his eyes, listening carefully to the wind. In the next instant, he turned sharply behind Li Jianming, two fingers pressed together, and Li Jianming’s spirit sword flew from its sheath.

Under Li Jianming’s astonished gaze, streaks of brilliant sword light flashed across the darkness, illuminating the area around the black-purple sphere. 

The Wu Clan member collapsed at their feet, and the sword returned to its sheath, trembling slightly.

Yun Zhuoran’s expression remained composed; in the biting wind, his white robe and white hair looked ethereal.

Li Jianming gave a thumbs-up. “Awesome.”

The Wu Clan member lay at their feet, barely alive. Even without further action, he wouldn’t last long. He crawled forward unwillingly, trembling hands dragging blood across the grass in twisting lines.

Yun Zhuoran said, “You go fir—” His words stopped abruptly. 

The dying Wu Clan member’s shaking hand had quietly drawn a strange triangular pattern on the ground. As he exhaled his last breath and his hand fell limp, a bizarre black-purple halo lit up beneath Yun Zhuoran and Li Jianming’s feet, enveloping them. Before they could react, a violent force surged up from the array.

Yun Zhuoran’s expression changed—he had been careless.

When the heart demon arrived, Lu Yu was fighting alone against the terrifying sphere created by the four Wu Clan members using the combined power of four Nascent Souls and their own lives. 

The heart demon ignored Yun Shaowei and Ji Ruo in the distance, tossing Shen Lingshu aside as he landed. The red-robed figure stood beside Lu Yu, scanning the area but seeing no trace of Yun Zhuoran.

“Where’s my brother?”

Lu Yu, knowing who he was, couldn’t spare a glance. If he left now, the explosion would devastate all of Changchun Pavilion. He thought, The Wu Clan really is troublesome, then said gravely, “I wasn’t watching carefully and fell for their trick. He seems to have been sent away. I can’t leave—go find him!”

The heart demon’s eyes widened. “Sent away…”

He was about to ask where, but seeing Lu Yu turn his full attention back to the sphere, he knew Lu Yu likely didn’t know either. 

Panic surged through him. He shot a furious glare at Shen Lingshu, who looked genuinely startled. The heart demon looked away suspiciously, closed his eyes, and searched for Yun Zhuoran’s aura.

Moments later, he opened his eyes—now blood-red—his expression dark. Grabbing Shen Lingshu by the collar again, he released a surge of black mist, and the two vanished.

The sky was dark. The river roared nearby. The occasional caw of crows echoed through the night.

After the strange halo enveloped them, Yun Zhuoran and Li Jianming found themselves on a desolate riverbank. Lu Yu, Yun Shaowei, and the others were all gone. Around them were bare hills and a layer of miasma hanging over the rushing river.

Li Jianming stood in shock on the gravelly bank, staring at the drastically changed surroundings. After a long time, he exhaled and asked Yun Zhuoran—the only person beside him—“Where is this? Did we enter an illusion?”

“It’s not an illusion. It’s a simple teleportation array.” Yun Zhuoran looked around and realized the dying Wu Clan member had used the power of the four Nascent Souls to send them here. He said plainly, “But they were probably aiming to send you away.”

Meaning Yun Zhuoran had been dragged along.

Li Jianming flushed with embarrassment. “Ah… why are they targeting me…? This place is so eerie. We’re definitely not in Jialan City anymore, right?”

Yun Zhuoran didn’t answer. He walked straight to the riverbank. 

It was a new moon, the sky was dim, and even their reflections were barely visible.

Looking closely, the river water was pitch-black.

Li Jianming felt like he had stepped into the underworld. Holding his sword, he followed Yun Zhuoran—who stood silently watching the river—until he suddenly spoke. “We’ve arrived at the Wu Clan territory. This should be the Black Moon River.”

Then Yun Zhuoran said flatly, “The Wu Clan intended to take you back to their domain.”