When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 3

At this moment, in Yun Zhuoran’s eyes, the martial arts arena fills with countless straight lines, each colored differently, extending from every person present, yet their owners remain completely unaware. 

The lines are vividly colored but intertwine in confusion, causing Yun Zhuoran’s eyes to begin to ache from the flickering light. He shifts his focus back to Shen Lingshu, concentrating for a moment before silently turning to Jiang Zhibai. His gaze is so intense that it makes Jiang Zhibai shiver.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Zhibai thinks, could it be because of Senior Brother Shen?

In the past, Senior Brother Shen has taken care of Junior Brother Yun the most. Who would have thought that after Junior Brother Yun emerges from his ten-year seclusion, he would see the senior brother who once cared for him the most holding someone else…?

So, is Junior Brother Yun unhappy?

Yun Zhuoran does not respond. He slightly lowers his head and closes his eyes, but only Jiang Zhibai and the heart demon, who are close to him, notice that his body seems a bit tense. 

There seems to be something wrong with his eyes.

Moments earlier, Yun Zhuoran has focused on Shen Lingshu for a while and sees many lines extending from him. Starting with Shen Lingshu, he notices that every person he looks at thereafter also has these lines appear.

Yun Zhuoran has already confirmed that only he can see these lines, and the number of lines on everyone varies. Besides the red lines, there are also purple lines of different shades, but for the most part, each person has only one red line, and only a very few in the crowd possess a red line.

In addition, Yun Zhuoran also sees faint orbs of light on some people. 

The gray orbs emanate a gloomy aura, while the remaining purple orbs appear quite friendly.

This multitude of strange light orbs surges into his field of vision, blinding him. Among them, the most dazzling is the unique golden light emanating from Shen Lingshu, which makes Yun Zhuoran’s eyes hurt even more.

What does this golden light mean?

Seeing Yun Zhuoran rubbing his forehead, Jiang Zhibai expresses concern, “Junior Brother Yun, what’s wrong with you?”

Yun Zhuoran takes a deep breath, and when he lifts his eyes again, all the various lines he has seen moments before have completely vanished, as if it has just been a momentary illusion.

“…It’s nothing.”

At this moment, on the martial arts stage, Shen Lingshu finally sets Gu Qiuming down. 

The boy has sustained significant injuries and nearly falls backward in confusion, but soon someone catches him.

Thinking that the boy is injured right under his nose, Shen Lingshu’s originally gentle expression darkens. He steps forward to say something when suddenly he keenly hears someone in the crowd call out, “Junior Brother Yun.”

The white-clad cultivator, under the gaze of thousands, suddenly hesitates and then gracefully flies down.

Everyone is confused until they see Shen Lingshu walking towards Yun Zhuoran with a smile. Suddenly, the crowd falls silent, all staring blankly at Yun Zhuoran.

Even Shen Lingshu, with his usually gentle tone, can’t hide his astonishment. “Junior Brother Yun.”

Upon hearing the voice, Yun Zhuoran looks up and sees a blinding mass of golden light approaching him. 

“…”

Yun Zhuoran’s eyes hurt even more. 

Shen Lingshu’s approach draws the attention of everyone present to Yun Zhuoran, and when Gu Qiuming sees his face clearly, his eyes light up. “It’s him!” 

Holding him up, his senior brother Cheng Yu snaps back to reality and stops looking at the exceptionally handsome young man in white among the crowd, his face slightly reddening. “Do you recognize him?”

Gu Qiuming shakes his head but appears excited.

“I saw him once not long ago.”

Yun Zhuoran also notices the sudden attention gathering on him. He ignores it, but the closer Shen Lingshu gets, the more uncomfortable his eyes feel. When Shen Lingshu finally stands in front of him, he can barely make out his face and has to suppress his discomfort and bow respectfully, saying, “Senior Brother Shen.”

Jiang Zhibai, standing beside him, immediately greets Shen Lingshu. 

It has been too long since Shen Lingshu has heard Yun Zhuoran’s voice; the last time was half a year ago through a sound transmission talisman. He nods at Jiang Zhibai, his nostalgic gaze falling on Yun Zhuoran’s face.

“Junior Brother Yun.” Looking at Yun Zhuoran, Shen Lingshu smiles gently and says, “Congratulations, Junior Brother Yun, on successfully forming your golden core. It seems the past ten years of seclusion were not in vain.”

The heart demon has already started to stir when Shen Lingshu approaches. Yun Zhuoran has simply cast a spell on it, so at that moment, it can neither speak nor move, lying listlessly on his shoulder without drawing too much attention. However, Yun Zhuoran still feels some worry, as he finds it hard not to associate the abnormality he feels with the heart demon. 

He needs to leave this place immediately.

Without thinking, Yun Zhuoran says, “Senior Brother Shen is busy, so I won’t disturb him.” He drops that line and really begins to walk away.

Shen Lingshu is taken aback, staring at Yun Zhuoran’s retreating figure and turning helplessly to Jiang Zhibai as if asking what he has done wrong.

Jiang Zhibai certainly can’t say in front of everyone that Junior Brother Yun has been acting strange ever since he saw Senior Brother Shen holding Gu Qiuming without letting go. He gives Shen Lingshu a reassuring look and hurriedly goes after Yun Zhuoran. “I’ll go check!”

Shen Lingshu stands in place, watching the two leave, his white robes fluttering in a desolate manner. Everyone thinks he will be angry for having lost face, but instead, he smiles slightly, his clear and elegant brows revealing a sense of helplessness and indulgence.

This smile stuns the surrounding disciples. No one in the Tian Dao Sect is unaware of Shen Lingshu. They all say he is upright as jade; indeed, he is a gentle person, but that gentleness always carries a hint of aloofness. People speculate it is because he inherits the emotionless path of the sect leader, but they have never seen him smile like this before…

The aftermath of the incident during the inner sect assessment is soon dealt with. Ji Chen arranges for the seriously injured Gu Qiuming, and when he approaches, he is greeted by Shen Lingshu’s gentle smile. 

Ji Chen is not surprised at all. He looks around and, while speaking, secretly rolls his eyes. “I heard that our Junior Brother Yun, who has finally formed his golden core after more than thirty years of cultivation, is back. Where is he? Why haven’t I seen him?”

His tone sounds friendly, but he deliberately emphasizes the word “finally,” making it sound somewhat sarcastic.

Shen Lingshu’s smile suddenly fades. Without turning his head, he asks in a calm voice, “Is it done?”

“That young master from the Gu family has quite the audacity, coming to the Tian Dao Sect and causing a ruckus. Does he really think our Tian Dao Sect is their Gu family’s territory?”

The young master of the Gu family is the very one who has attacked Gu Qiuming on the stage.

Shen Lingshu replies, “Then send him back to the Gu family.”

Ji Chen asks, “What about Gu Qiuming’s injuries?”

Shen Lingshu recalls Gu Qiuming’s pure and transparent eyes, his expression softening slightly. 

 “That child has good aptitude and has indeed been wronged this time; he should be properly treated.”

Ji Chen nods. “Understood.” 

Just as Ji Chen is about to take his leave for the Discipline Hall, he hears Shen Lingshu’s somewhat cold voice. “Forming a golden core after thirty years of cultivation is already quite good, Junior Brother Ji. There’s no need to say such things in the future.”

Ji Chen pretends not to understand. “But after cultivating under the number one in the immortal path for thirty years, he barely forms his golden core. Senior Brother Shen, isn’t that a joke?——–Fine, I misspoke!” Seeing Shen Lingshu’s expression unchanged but his gaze becoming more serious, Ji Chen unenthusiastically admits his mistake. “He has excellent aptitude, is that okay?”

“Junior Brother Ji, you are also only in the mid-Core Formation stage.” Shen Lingshu, having broken through to the infant stage two years ago, is the best disciple of this generation in the Tian Dao Sect. He says solemnly, “I may not have cared before, but I am not ignorant either. Junior Brother Ji, you are no longer children. I do not wish to see anyone ostracizing Junior Brother Yun anymore.”

Ji Chen’s face turns pale. “I didn’t…”

Shen Lingshu says, “Remember to apologize to Junior Brother Yun in person later. After all, we are brothers in the same sect. It has been so long, and you should understand that who can become Master’s disciple is Master’s own choice.”

Ji Chen’s expression grows increasingly grim. 

But Shen Lingshu is already determined to be the future sect leader, and his words hold more weight in the Tian Dao Sect than the acting sect leader and several elders. In the end, Ji Chen grits his teeth and agrees, but in his heart, his disdain for Yun Zhuoran only deepens. If it weren’t for Senior Brother Shen’s protection, who would care to ignore Yun Zhuoran?

Shen Lingshu smiles with satisfaction, his gaze meaningful as he looks toward the snowy clouds atop the mountain. 

“It has been many years since we last met, and Junior Brother Yun has indeed changed a lot.” 

The only thing that hasn’t changed is that he remains cold and stubborn, never willing to lower his head and ask for help. 

This reminds Shen Lingshu of the younger disciple from earlier, whose name seems to be Gu Qiuming.

By this time, Yun Zhuoran has returned to his residence in the back mountain, amidst the Baiyun Jian. 

This is the place personally arranged for Yun Zhuoran by the sect leader Gu Shensu, located far from the front mountain but closest to Gu Shensu’s residence. Even true disciples like Shen Lingshu only live in the back hall of the front mountain.

After distancing himself from Shen Lingshu, Yun Zhuoran’s eyes indeed feel much better; they are no longer dry and painful. However, his spiritual energy has gone awry, making it difficult for him to maintain his cultivation level. Seeing his increasingly pale complexion, Jiang Zhibai realizes he is genuinely uncomfortable and quickly uses his sword to send him back to the Baiyun Jian.

This location is known for its extremely cold springs on the back mountain’s main peak, constantly shrouded in thick white mist all year round. A three-story small building is hidden in the fog, with the words “Baiyun Jian” on its sign. Surrounding the small building are water blue flower vines sprawling across the pure white sandy ground, covered in crystalline three-leaf flowers.

Jiang Zhibai usually doesn’t like coming here; he always feels this place resembles a cage that looks somewhat ethereal. After delivering Yun Zhuoran, he takes his leave but leaves behind a jade talisman, instructing Yun Zhuoran to crush it if he feels unwell. Yun Zhuoran patiently accepts it, and once Jiang Zhibai leaves, he quickly walks toward the three-story small building.

A barrier instantly envelops the entire small building, a flash of golden-red light passing through while the restraints placed on the heart demon are simultaneously lifted. 

Yun Zhuoran doesn’t have time to enter the building and instead sits down among the water blue flowers to adjust his breathing.

The heart demon anxiously floats around Yun Zhuoran a few times, its tone unsettled. “Brother?”

“…Nothing.”

Yun Zhuoran closes his eyes, suddenly furrowing his brows as he opens them to look at the small black mass floating in front of him. He is incredulous—only three days ago, he just advanced to the Out-of-Body stage, and now he is experiencing another breakthrough?

He can only begin to sort through the sudden surge of spiritual energy in his dantian. After briefly comforting the heart demon, he closes his eyes again to focus on absorbing the spiritual energy.

As dusk falls, the crescent moon slowly rises above the willow branches.

In the outer disciples’ courtyard, in the narrowest room at the edge, Gu Qiuming is applying medicine to a one-foot-long cut on his shoulder while holding a bottle of external injury medicine in one hand. He hasn’t built his foundation yet, and no one in the outer sect is willing to expend their spiritual energy to heal him.

Gu Qiuming grits his teeth as he applies the medicine, cold sweat pouring down from the pain. However, the medicine is quite effective; the bleeding quickly stops, and the wound begins to scab over. 

At that moment, Cheng Yu arrives.

Gu Qiuming hurriedly tidies up his clothes and opens the door, only to see Cheng Yu holding a tray with a neatly arranged set of simple white robes on it, along with a silver storage bag.

Outer sect disciples uniformly wear simple white clothing, and Gu Qiuming immediately recognizes that the set of robes is meant for inner disciples.

“What is this?”

Cheng Yu smiles. “Congratulations! You passed the assessment and are now officially an inner disciple.”

Gu Qiuming steps aside to let him in, his face flushed with excitement. 

“Really?!”

Cheng Yu places the items on the table and notices the pile of low-grade injury medicines. “You’ve gotten quite injured this time. These medicines won’t be very useful, but this storage bag contains excellent healing medicine sent specifically as a reward by Senior Brother Shen.” As he speaks, he leans in and whispers, “Don’t worry. Your brother, Gu Qi, has already been sent away. With the support of the Shengjing Gu Family, it is not easy for the sect to punish him, but no one will bully you in the future.”

At the mention of that person, Gu Qiuming’s smile falters. “I didn’t want his life.”

“But he wanted yours,” Cheng Yu replies, somewhat indignant, but then shakes his head. “Forget it; he’s gone now anyway. You’ll be moving to the main peak tomorrow.” He smiles appreciatively. “During this inner disciple assessment, several peak masters and Senior Brother Shen saw you. If it weren’t for Senior Brother Shen’s intention to accept disciples, the peak masters would have already determined your placement. However, since Senior Brother Shen is strict about accepting disciples, you’ll stay at the main peak for now.”

Hearing this, Gu Qiuming’s face fills with uncontrollable joy. “This is already great.”

“Oh, right.” Gu Qiuming suddenly remembers something. “Senior Brother Cheng, did you find out about the senior brother who was with Senior Brother Shen and Senior Brother Jiang today?”

Cheng Yu, who has been in the Tian Dao Sect for nearly ten years and is also an inner disciple, hadn’t recognized Yun Zhuoran earlier, thinking that the main peak is too far from his own Qinghe Peak, so he intends to inquire further. But upon hearing Gu Qiuming mention it, Cheng Yu’s expression changes, and he hesitates, losing the infatuation he had earlier.

“Senior Brother Cheng?” Gu Qiuming urges.

Under the gaze of the boy’s bright, shining eyes, Cheng Yu helplessly says, “I found out. Qiuming, have you heard of Gu Shensu and Yun Peiran?”

“How could I not know Gu Shensu after joining the Tian Dao Sect? He is our sect leader! As for Yun Peiran, I remember he seems to be from the Tianqing Sect…”

Gu Qiuming scratches his head and suddenly recalls, “That’s right! It’s widely known that Gu Shensu practices the Supreme Emotionless Dao and is the number one under the heavens. Below him, there are two who rank second: one being the Asura Path Yun Peiran from the Tianqing Sect, and the other being Penglai Immortal!”

As Gu Qiuming speaks, he grows more curious. “Why does Senior Brother Cheng suddenly mention these two seniors?”