When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 31

Li Jianming is just joking as he sits down with the iron-eating beast cub in his arms and takes out an object. “Alright, I happened to run into you, so I’ll return this.”

When Yun Zhuoran sees the Penglai Jade Branch he hands over, he recalls the letter Penglai Immortal had sent to him via a paper figure. He’d wondered how Penglai Immortal knew he’d given the jade branch to someone else. It turns out Li Jianming had taken it with him. Li Jianming must have shown it off, drawing the attention of Penglai’s people, who assumed it had come from Yun Zhuoran.

“You’ve been in seclusion for a few days. Shen Yu wanted to return the jade branch to you but didn’t dare disturb you. I thought you lent it to me, so I kept it a bit longer,” Li Jianming says, sounding guilty. “I didn’t go around telling people that you gave me the Penglai jade branch. I only told my senior brother that I borrowed it, but no one else believed me. Just now, people from the Penglai Immortal Palace asked me why you gave it to me… I explained, but Yun Zhuoran, I owe you for this. If you need any help later, just let me know!”

So that’s how it happened. Yun Zhuoran glances at the people from Penglai Immortal Palace who arrived with Gu Qiuming and, with no other choice, takes back the jade branch. “I understand.”

Li Jianming laughs awkwardly, saying nothing more.

Gu Qiuming returns, holding a kettle and looking somewhat uneasy. “Senior Brother Yun, a few Taoist friends from Penglai Immortal Palace expressed a wish to meet you…”

Those were the exact words of the Penglai people, and Gu Qiuming relays them faithfully. He had only gone to fetch some water and hadn’t expected to run into Li Jianming, much less have the people from the Penglai Immortal Palace request to join him to meet Yun Zhuoran.

Unwilling to keep them waiting, Yun Zhuoran rises and coincidentally encounters the people from Penglai Immortal Palace. Seven people have come with Gu Qiuming, led by a striking young man dressed in red.

“This must be Senior Brother Yun,” the young man greets him. Although his red attire is eye-catching, his appearance is elegant rather than flamboyant. He approaches Yun Zhuoran with a smile, clasping his hands in greeting. “My name is Song Shao, from Penglai Immortal Palace. It’s an honor to meet Senior Brother Yun.”

Yun Zhuoran returns the greeting with a cupped hand. “Greetings, Fellow Daoist Song.”

Upon receiving this courtesy, Song Shao’s eyes sparkle with delight, and he bows even lower, quickly saying, “Senior Brother Yun, you’re too polite! No need for formalities—please, just call me Xiao Shao!”

Are you sure the one you’re addressing so politely isn’t yourself? 

Yun Zhuoran finds the excessive courtesy a bit strange, fearing that if he reciprocates too much, he’ll be caught in an endless cycle of politeness. So, he straightens and gets straight to the point. “Fellow Daoist Song, did you come here for a particular reason?”

Song Shao arrives with a group of impeccably dressed young men and women in red, creating a picture-perfect scene. Yet now, he is smiling so broadly that his eyes nearly disappear as he replies, “No specific reason. I just heard that Senior Brother Yun was here and wanted to come pay my respects. Ah! I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

Li Jianming can’t help but mutter, “A bit too friendly.” When he’d encountered Song Shao on the way, the man had been aloof and repeatedly hinted that he should quickly return the Penglai jade branch. Remembering this, Li Jianming quickly waves his hands and says, “I’ve already returned the jade branch to him!”

With Li Jianming’s words, Yun Zhuoran understands what he has been dealing with lately. He frowns slightly. “I lent him the jade branch. Is there an issue?”

At this, Song Shao looks alarmed, casting a displeased glance at Li Jianming before saying sincerely, “Senior Brother Yun, please don’t misunderstand! Penglai Immortal truly admires you and wishes to meet you personally. I was specifically instructed to protect you if I encountered you in the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts.”

Another visit from Penglai Immortal? Li Jianming and Gu Qiuming both show expressions of envy.

Yun Zhuoran says, “I understand. I’ll go see Penglai Immortal after I leave the forest.”

“Great! That’s wonderful.” Song Shao breathes a sigh of relief, his mission seemingly accomplished. Noticing that Yun Zhuoran and his companions seem a bit uneasy around them, he bows and takes his leave. “In that case, I won’t disturb Senior Brother Yun any further. Senior Brother Yun, take care.” He pauses, then looks up slightly, smiling warmly at Yun Zhuoran. “Senior Brother Yun, don’t worry—I’m human.”

After saying this, Song Shao departs with the other six Penglai disciples, looking quite pleased. Yet they don’t go far; they merely move to a distant spot to rest, planning to stay there for the night.

Once they leave, Li Jianming finally relaxes, patting his chest as he grumbles, “That Song Shao is exhausting. I thought he was quite attractive at first, you know? I mean, it was a rare encounter, so I struck up a conversation with him, and then he and his people followed me for seven days! Seven days! Every day, he brought up your Penglai jade branch…”

Yun Zhuoran raises an eyebrow, as though he can’t quite believe it.

Li Jianming says anxiously, “Really? Is the jade branch that rare in Penglai, especially if it’s a gift from Penglai Immortal himself? Maybe Song Shao is envious because he can’t get one like yours. But then again, he’s so polite to you—maybe he thinks you gave me the jade branch and doesn’t think I’m worthy of it?”

Yun Zhuoran feels speechless, though he doesn’t entirely disagree with Li Jianming’s assumptions. Penglai Immortal does seem to have a playful streak, so it’s more likely that Penglai Immortal thinks Li Jianming isn’t worthy of the jade branch he’d given to Yun Zhuoran, rather than Song Shao harboring personal jealousy.

Yun Zhuoran knows Penglai Immortal, though they haven’t met in many years.

Li Jianming suddenly looks horrified and clutches Yun Zhuoran’s sleeve. “Wait! Yun Zhuoran, why did Song Shao say he’s human just now?”

Yun Zhuoran looks into the distance calmly.

Song Shao is sitting in front of the campfire, the flickering firelight casting shadows on his handsome face, giving him an inexplicable hint of eeriness. The other Penglai disciples sit in a circle around him, cross-legged, eyes closed, backs straight, and completely motionless. Their postures are identical, as if meticulously arranged to match a precise standard.

Yun Zhuoran says, “Maybe it’s because, except for him, the others aren’t human.”

Hearing this, goosebumps prickle along Li Jianming’s arms, and he shoots Yun Zhuoran a resentful look. “Yun Zhuoran… why are you trying to scare me out of nowhere?”

Yun Zhuoran turns around and sits down quietly. He’s simply stating the truth. The so-called Penglai Immortal Palace is merely a divine palace on Penglai Immortal Island, and the Penglai disciples in the distance, apart from Song Shao, are all puppets.

Penglai’s puppetry is indeed lifelike, so much so that even experienced cultivators can’t easily see through it. But seeing that both Li Jianming and Gu Qiuming are slightly spooked, Yun Zhuoran decides not to reveal the full truth just yet, letting them stay on edge.

Gu Qiuming, more open-minded and less talkative than Li Jianming, soon takes out a pot from his storage bag and begins stewing some monster meat. Before long, a savory aroma of meat drifts across the river.

Li Jianming eventually gives up on pestering Yun Zhuoran and turns his attention to assisting Gu Qiuming. Once the meat is cooked, Li Jianming brings a large bowl over to Yun Zhuoran, who receives a small bowl of his own.

Yun Zhuoran, holding the bowl, looks a bit stunned—he hasn’t eaten anything in years. As he hesitates, the heart demon in his arms slurps eagerly.

When Gu Qiuming and Li Jianming glance over, the bowl is already empty. Assuming Yun Zhuoran ate too quickly, Gu Qiuming asks if he wants more. Yun Zhuoran shakes his head and returns the jade bowl.

Gu Qiuming looks disappointed.

Yun Zhuoran averts his gaze a bit guiltily, glancing down at the little black creature in his arms, who is smacking its lips.

The heart demon then comments, “The taste has improved, but there’s no demonic energy in it.” Without the energy of a demon beast, the heart demon isn’t interested in eating more.

The evening breeze sweeps along the river, bringing a refreshing chill. Yun Zhuoran sets up a barrier, and within it, Li Jianming, full and content, can’t keep quiet.

“My mission is to collect three Red Mist Grasses. What about you?”

Yun Zhuoran replies, “The same.”

Li Jianming had expected this. “We’re at about the same cultivation level, so our tasks are similar. I noticed Song Shao is a bit more advanced than me, in the later stages of the Golden Core; his mission seems to involve high-level spirit herbs.”

As he speaks, he takes a tender bamboo shoot from his storage ring and feeds it to the young iron-eater in his arms. At the sound of the crisp crunching, Yun Zhuoran glances over, and the heart demon in his arms makes a sound.

“Hmph!”

Yun Zhuoran calmly turns his head back.

“I’ve already gathered all my Red Mist Grass. How about you, Yun Zhuoran? Let’s compete to see who finds more by the end of the trial!”

Gu Qiuming, sitting nearby with his chin in his hands, perks up, clearly intrigued.

However, Yun Zhuoran remains indifferent, casting an unintentional glance at the furry creature across from him. “Red Mist Grass isn’t rare; it’s widely available on the market.”

Since its market value isn’t high, it can be sold, but only for a small amount of spirit stones. Yun Zhuoran thinks betting on it would be a pointless wager.

Li Jianming, catching on to the hint, exclaims, “True! Then let’s look for something more unique. Three months later, we’ll see who finds the rarest items!”

Yun Zhuoran doesn’t even look at him.

Undeterred, Li Jianming continues, “Then let’s try something else, like high-level immortal herbs. Even better would be immortal-grade spirit herbs, though those are hard to find. I’ve heard that only the inner depths of the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts have them, but the trial area is limited to the outskirts. In past years, the rarest herbs found here were just high-level ones.”

Gu Qiuming looks curious. “Senior Brother Li, is this just the outskirts of the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts?”

Li Jianming, pleased to have an audience, patiently explains to the junior disciple.

“This Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts is actually vast. Just how vast? In thousands of years, only a handful have managed to traverse it completely, and they were all exceptionally powerful figures. The last person to make it out from the depths was the Lord of the Floating City. Do you know, this Floating City Lord held the top position in the immortal ranks two hundred years before my master took over?”

Before Wen Jianxian—and even before Gu Shenshu—there was the Floating City Lord, though Yun Zhuoran had never heard of him. While Yun Zhuoran knows Li Jianming tends to exaggerate, he still takes note of it.

Gu Qiuming chimes in, intrigued, “Who is the Floating City Lord? I’ve never heard of him.”

“My master told me that the Floating City Lord fell long ago,” Li Jianming replies. “They say he had an immortal city in the sky named Floating. Very few have actually been there, not even my master. It’s also said that he brought out a jade Qilin from the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest and successfully made a spirit beast contract with it. At his peak, people thought he’d ascend to immortality!”

Li Jianming spreads his hands. “But he fell unexpectedly. No one knows why—some say he may have failed the thunder tribulation. After his death, the fabled Floating City vanished, and the Jade Qilin, gravely injured, returned to the forest’s depths and was never seen again.”

“What a pity,” Gu Qiuming says with a frown.

Yun Zhuoran, still calm, asks, “How long ago was this? How come I have never heard of it?”

“About 400 years ago—back when my master wasn’t yet a sword immortal,” Li Jianming replies, then gestures toward the darkness. “It’s true! My master says the Qilin might still be in the forest, but there are too many powerful monsters in the forest’s depths. With our level of cultivation, we can’t even get close!”

Seeing Li Jianming’s confidence, Yun Zhuoran feels slightly swayed. Still, he reasons that whether or not the Qilin exists in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest has nothing to do with him.

As dawn approaches, Li Jianming shares legends from nearly 500 years of the cultivation world. Gradually, the monsters around them fade into the quiet of the morning.

Everyone parts ways.

After a night together, Li Jianming and Gu Qiuming have bonded deeply. Knowing Yun Zhuoran’s solitary nature, Li Jianming assumes he won’t continue traveling with Gu Qiuming, so he offers to take Gu Qiuming back to the Tiandao Sect himself, ensuring his safe return.

Meanwhile, Song Shao packs up his puppets and hands Yun Zhuoran a palm-sized rag doll. The doll, pure white and faceless, has no visible stitching and is exquisitely crafted, resembling Yun Zhuoran’s substitute puppet. Song Shao hints that it is the prototype for his other puppets, so Yun Zhuoran doesn’t refuse.

After sending everyone away, Yun Zhuoran plans to take the heart demon back to the valley where Lu Qi had detected some irregularities.

Along the way, the heart demon stirs uncomfortably. Noticing this, Yun Zhuoran holds him gently, his eyes showing a hint of concern. “Are you hungry?”

The heart demon stirs, extending tiny claws, sharp as pine needles. “Look, Brother.”

Yun Zhuoran doesn’t quite understand.

The heart demon clarifies, “Weiran’s claws may be hairless, but they’re also very nice to touch.”

Yun Zhuoran pauses, slowly realizing the heart demon is jealous.

Is it because I petted the young iron-eating beast’s furry paws last night?
After all this time, the heart demon still remembers?

A subtle smile appears in Yun Zhuoran’s usually cold eyes. He gently holds the heart demon’s tiny claws between his fingers, brushing them softly.

“Then Weiran can hold Brother’s hand,” he murmurs.

The heart demon looks up, stunned, seeing Yun Zhuoran’s gentle face reflected in his dark eyes. Suddenly, two faint blushes bloom on the little black ball.

I really want to grow up quickly, he thinks, holding Yun Zhuoran’s slender, pale fingertips tightly and sneaking in a tiny, secret kiss.