When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 47

Was it just an illusion? For a brief moment, Gu Jinping senses an icy chill in Yun Zhuoran’s gaze, so piercing that it seems to cut through her. A sudden wave of dread washes over her, as if she is teetering on the edge between life and death, making her breath hitch.

She doesn’t know how much time has passed before the suffocating pressure finally recedes. Slowly, she regains her composure, but by then, Yun Zhuoran has already turned and walked away.

Overwhelmed by the sheer presence of Yun Zhuoran—someone whose cultivation is clearly inferior to hers—Gu Jinping feels a mix of shame and anger. Biting her lip, she stubbornly calls out after Yun Zhuoran, unwilling to back down.

“You know I’m telling the truth! Everyone knows it was Yun Peiran who killed Gu Shenshu! Yun Zhuoran, if you still remember how well Sect Master Gu treated you, you should have left Tiandao Sect long ago! Staying will only bring harm to Brother Shen. Don’t forget—you’re nothing but a useless vase!”

The camp is full of people, and Li Jianming’s group isn’t far away. Gu Jinping’s loud accusations are heard by many sharp-eyed, sharp-eared cultivators, drawing immediate attention.

Li Jianming and his men quickly approach.

But before they can speak, a cold, deep voice rings out from the distance.

“When did the affairs of Tiandao Sect become the concern of the Gu family’s eldest daughter?”

It is Lu Qi.

Yun Zhuoran turns to see Lu Qi, Shen Lingshu, and the Shen sisters approaching from behind Gu Jinping. Lu Qi’s expression is especially icy, his face unreadable but filled with displeasure.

A flicker of panic flashes in Gu Jinping’s eyes. She had only intended to quietly pressure Yun Zhuoran into leaving. Lately, Shen Lingshu has been too preoccupied with Yun Zhuoran to spare her any attention, which makes her feel increasingly threatened. She hadn’t expected Shen Lingshu and Lu Qi to overhear her.

The coldness on both Shen Lingshu and Lu Qi’s faces is unmistakable. Even the usually arrogant Gu Qi doesn’t dare to step forward to defend her.

Still unwilling to back down, Gu Jinping mutters under her breath, “But what I said is true…”

Shen Lingshu’s voice is calm but firm. “Daoist Gu, you have overstepped.”

His words make it clear—she is meddling in things that aren’t her concern.

Gu Jinping’s face immediately flushes red with embarrassment and frustration. She feels humiliated, her eyes stinging as tears well up.

Without another word, she turns and runs off.

Seeing his sister being scolded, Gu Qi can’t stand by idly. Even though Shen Lingshu and Lu Qi are stronger than him, he doesn’t care. He immediately jumps out and shouts, “My sister isn’t wrong! Why are you all being so mean?!”

Lu Qi, unlike Yun Zhuoran, has no patience for verbal disputes.

Without hesitation, he draws his sword. “You want to fight?”

Gu Qi freezes in fear, trembling as he stammers, curses under his breath, and bolts.

Li Jianming and Song Shao arrive just in time to witness the scene, momentarily speechless.

“The Gu siblings really are their father’s children,” Li Jianming remarks. “Just as confused as he is.”

Gu Qiuming chimes in, “They’ve been arrogant in Shengjing for too long. They’ve always treated people like this. Senior Brother Yun, don’t take it to heart.”

Song Shao crosses his arms unhappily. “I’ll remember them.” He mentally notes their names in his grudge book, already planning to report them to the Penglai Immortal when he returns—he isn’t going to let them anywhere near Yun Zhuoran again.

With the continued reassurances from the group, Yun Zhuoran finally gives a slight nod, the cold glint in his eyes fading.

Lu Qi sheathes his sword and says, “You only took longer than others to form your core. When it comes to talent and strength, you’re no worse than anyone else. Junior Brother Yun, I believe you’ll catch up soon.”

Hearing this, Yun Zhuoran is momentarily dazed, but he nods. “Thank you, Senior Brother Lu.”

Although Yun Zhuoran doesn’t understand why Lu Qi always trusts him so much, he can sense the sincerity in the way Lu Qi defends him. Because of that, he considers Lu Qi a good person.

Everyone is helping him, which makes him appear weak—but in truth, he is only pretending to be. The thought amuses him slightly, but he remains silent, merely keeping their kindness in mind. He will repay them when the opportunity arises.

Just then, Shen Xi steps out from behind Shen Lingshu and whispers, “Honestly, I don’t think much of those siblings. Gu Jinping acts like she’s already my sister-in-law and keeps bossing me around. It’s so annoying. Yun Zhuoran, you’re a man. I’ve had to deal with her stares for so long, and I never got this worked up. Just ignore her.”

Only now does Yun Zhuoran notice that Shen Lingshu has brought both his sisters along. For a moment, he can’t tell whether Shen Xi’s words are meant to mock him or if she’s being sincere.

Out of the corner of his eye, he catches sight of Shen Man shrinking behind Shen Xi, clearly still wary of him, as if he were a walking disaster. She hasn’t recovered from her last “malicious accusation” against him.

“Stop talking,” Shen Lingshu immediately cuts Shen Xi off, then turns to Yun Zhuoran. “Junior Brother Yun, can you walk with me?”

Everyone around them has clearly heard Gu Jinping’s outburst. Some cultivators in the distance sneak curious glances their way, all guessing that Shen Lingshu wants to speak with Yun Zhuoran in private.

Shen Lingshu won’t be at ease until he has properly explained things.

Yun Zhuoran doesn’t refuse and walks toward the river in the distance. Shen Lingshu bids farewell to the others before following him, looking somewhat uneasy.

“Xi’er doesn’t mean any harm. You saved her from Ji Ruo last time, and she remembers it. She just has a bad temper and tends to speak harshly, but she has been worried about you all this time. She’s young. After her mother passed away, there was no one to properly guide her at home, so she grew up like this.” Seeing that Yun Zhuoran remains silent, Shen Lingshu sighs and continues, “She told me she regrets how she treated you before and asked me to thank you on her behalf. But if you’re still dissatisfied, Junior Brother Yun, just tell me. I also want to take this chance to help change her temper.”

Yun Zhuoran looks at Shen Lingshu in confusion. Is he trying to have a casual chat with me?

Noticing his discomfort, Shen Lingshu grows serious. “Junior Brother Yun, don’t worry. Gu Jinping and Gu Qi won’t trouble you again. If you want, I’ll have her apologize to you in person.”

“There’s no need. I’m used to it,” Yun Zhuoran replies.

Gu Jinping has annoyed him, but it’s his own problem to deal with. If he wants revenge, he’ll do it on his own terms—he doesn’t need anyone else’s help.

Shen Lingshu isn’t surprised by this response. After years of interacting with Yun Zhuoran, he has long grown accustomed to his refusal to accept assistance.

In Shen Lingshu’s eyes, Yun Zhuoran seems to have almost no desires. He never seeks material things like magical artifacts or spirit stones. The only thing Shen Lingshu has done for him is reject Tianqing Sect’s request to take Yun Zhuoran as a disciple under the Son of Buddha.

But that decision wasn’t made solely for Yun Zhuoran’s sake.

There is no reason for Tiandao Sect to hand over one of its own disciples to Tianqing Sect. Even though Yun Zhuoran is Yun Peiran’s younger brother, he is also the registered disciple of Sect Master Gu Shenshu and Shen Lingshu’s junior brother. Right now, he’s only in the Golden Core stage—if Shen Lingshu actually agrees to Tianqing Sect’s request, how will he establish his authority in the future?

A cold, fishy wind blows in from the river, brushing against the hems of their robes. Shen Lingshu suddenly stops, turns to face Yun Zhuoran, and speaks seriously.

“Junior Brother Yun, we never finished our last conversation.”

Yun Zhuoran’s expression remains calm.

Shen Lingshu patiently reminds him, “Back on the North Mountain Cloud Pool, you asked me about Ji Chen. I originally planned to explain everything to you, but Junior Brother Lu suddenly came looking for you, so I had to let you go first.”

Yun Zhuoran has actually guessed as much, but he hasn’t expected Shen Lingshu to remember it so clearly.

At the time, he had been carefully observing Shen Lingshu, trying to understand his mindset—why had he guided Ji Chen to target him and isolate him? However, Shen Lingshu’s attitude back then had made him deeply uncomfortable, so he had chosen to let it go.

After a brief moment of thought, Yun Zhuoran asks, “What was it that Senior Brother Shen wanted to tell me back then?”

Shen Lingshu seems a little tense. “I wanted to hear what Junior Brother Yun thought. Do you truly believe that I deliberately led Ji Chen to suspect you of stealing a place as our master’s disciple? And that I deliberately led him to that conclusion?”

Yun Zhuoran is momentarily stunned. He looks at Shen Lingshu and asks in return, his voice calm, “And how would Senior Brother Shen answer that?”

To his surprise, Shen Lingshu actually nods. “I did it.”

Yun Zhuoran has known all along that it was Shen Lingshu’s doing, but he has never expected him to admit it so openly.

At Qingyang Peak, Shen Lingshu had denied everything. But now… he confesses?

Shen Lingshu gives a bitter smile. “Junior Brother Yun was only seven years old when he first arrived at Tiandao Sect. I still remember how you never spoke, ignoring everyone. The only time you reacted was when you heard Yun Peiran’s name. Even Master couldn’t reach you. But I knew—beneath that cold exterior, you weren’t truly emotionless. Master treated you well, so I approached you little by little. I read scriptures in front of you every day, and finally, one day, I heard your voice. Only then did I believe what Master had said—you weren’t indifferent, you had simply shut yourself away and guarded yourself against the world. I was lucky to be the second person to enter your world after Master.”

There is truth in his words. Yun Zhuoran can’t deny that when he first comes to Tiandao Sect, he trusts no one. At the time, his world consists only of his elder brother, Yun Peiran.

But then, Gu Shenshu and Shen Yu—who is still just an innocent child—force their way into his life. They appear before him every day, tirelessly, until at last, he lowers his guard.

But in the end, Shen Yu is pushed away.

When does it start?

Probably around the time Shen Yu changes his name to Shen Lingshu.

Yun Zhuoran has never understood why Shen Yu is so fixated on a name. In truth, he witnesses Shen Yu’s transformation long before it becomes obvious. That is why, even though he still tolerates Shen Lingshu, he can never treat him the way he once did. The distance between them is already set.

Shen Lingshu seems lost in nostalgia, a faint trace of satisfaction appearing in his expression. “Those two years were when Junior Brother Yun and I were closest. But then, two years later, you left with your brother. I thought we would never meet again. But five years later, you returned, this time as Master’s registered disciple. I was really happy then.”

At this point, Yun Zhuoran’s expression becomes slightly strange as he looks at Shen Lingshu.

Of course, he knows how happy Shen Yu was back then. But the Shen Yu from five years later is no longer the same. His once-sincere eyes begin to hold something else—an obvious ambition. He is slowly becoming the Shen Lingshu of today. No matter how one looks at it, it is a strange transformation.

Yun Peiran has told him that people grow, that their mentalities change, and that it is normal.

Yun Zhuoran understands that. But Shen Yu’s change still makes him uncomfortable.

Shen Lingshu’s gaze on Yun Zhuoran shifts as well. There is a faint trace of resentment in his eyes as he smiles bitterly and says, “But you changed, Junior Brother Yun. Your eyes no longer saw me. And so, I made a mistake.”

A vague sense of absurdity rises in Yun Zhuoran’s mind.

Sure enough, Shen Lingshu continues, “I don’t know why you started to drift away from me. When we met again after five years, your eyes shone even brighter. You seemed capable of anything, never growing tired. You cultivated too quickly… and you no longer needed me by your side.” Shen Lingshu lets out a bitter laugh and sighs, mocking himself. “I was unwilling to give up, so I made a mistake. The reason I chose Ji Chen was because, given his personality, no matter how much he hated someone, as long as that person hadn’t made a grave mistake, he would only make things difficult for them with words. I thought that as long as your surroundings were quiet, you would finally see me. I was always behind you—ready to solve all your problems the moment you spoke—but you never did.”

Hearing this, Yun Zhuoran’s usually calm face shows an indescribable expression.

Shen Lingshu has guided Ji Chen to target him… just in the hope that he would ask him for help? Has he heard that correctly?

“I just wanted you to relax in front of me sometimes,” Shen Lingshu continues. “I wanted you to be able to complain about your struggles, to let me protect you.”

Yun Zhuoran finds it utterly absurd. “Senior Brother Shen, are you joking?”

Shen Lingshu gives a sorrowful smile, looking at him with an expression of quiet resignation. “See? I knew you wouldn’t believe me. But it’s the truth. Later, I realized I had been wrong. You’re smart, Junior Brother Yun. I’m sure you must have guessed something. But I never dared to be honest with you, so I tried to make up for it in other ways—until Ji Chen admitted everything himself.”

Yun Zhuoran pauses. “Make up for it? Does that include refusing Tianqing Sect’s request to send me away?”

Shen Lingshu shakes his head. “From the very first day you arrived at Tiandao Sect, Master entrusted me with looking after you, and I took it to heart. And guiding Ji Chen… that was the only mistake I ever made. That’s the absolute truth!”

Whether Yun Zhuoran believes it or not is one thing—he hardly even understands Shen Lingshu’s reasoning.

Shen Lingshu shakes his head helplessly. “I know my thinking was naïve, but that’s how it was. My little schemes were just my way of trying to make you look back at me. I didn’t even understand why I did it—until a few months ago, when I saw my fate at Lingshan Sect, and suddenly, everything became clear.”

Yun Zhuoran grows even more confused.

However, the heart demon who has read The Emotionless Daoist sees right through everything. Initially just as bewildered as Yun Zhuoran, the heart demon perks up warily upon hearing those words.

Shen Lingshu looks at Yun Zhuoran with an unusual seriousness. The warmth that usually lingers in his gaze is replaced with hesitation and unease.

After a brief pause, he finally speaks. “A few months ago, a divination revealed that I would have a Daoist partner, and our fates would be bound together—an inescapable destiny.”

That day, Fairy Qingbo casts the hexagram and instructs Shen Lingshu to find this person at all costs.

That is all she can divine. Whether this fate is good or bad, she can’t tell. What she doesn’t know is that she is calculating a marriage fate, while Shen Lingshu is seeking guidance on his Daoist path.

And so, Shen Lingshu becomes convinced—whoever he is destined to marry will be crucial to his cultivation.

After returning to the sect, he begins dreaming of Yun Zhuoran again and again. From their first meeting to their reunion five years later, everything becomes clear to him.

Shen Lingshu, both excited and uneasy, stares into those cool, distant eyes in his dreams, desperately searching for his own reflection within them.

“Junior Brother Yun,” he says with quiet certainty, “when I returned, I thought—if I, Shen Lingshu, am fated to have a Daoist partner in this life, then that person must be you.”

At the same time, the heart demon inside Yun Zhuoran screams hysterically.

“AHHH! This Shen guy is really going to marry my brother, just like in the storybook! Brother, don’t believe him! He’s definitely planning to deceive you, steal your body, and kill his spouse to attain enlightenment!”

Luckily, Yun Zhuoran and his heart demon always communicate internally. No matter how much the demon screams, it only gives Yun Zhuoran a headache—Shen Lingshu, oblivious, hears nothing.

And truthfully, Yun Zhuoran is utterly shaken.

Until now, it has never even crossed his mind that Shen Lingshu might want to form a Daoist partnership with him. Even after reading the storybook—well, cultivators all know that fate is unpredictable. No matter how uncanny the book seems, Yun Zhuoran has never thought to take it as a prophecy of the future.

Besides, even the most skilled diviner in Lingshan Sect, Fairy Qingbo, can’t foresee something with such precision. How can a mere storybook, with no known origin, be trusted so easily?

Yet here he is, standing face-to-face with a character from that very book.

And now, even the story’s major plot points are unfolding in real life.

The realization leaves Yun Zhuoran momentarily stunned—until his heart demon’s screaming snaps him back to reality.

Expressionless, he presses down on the restless demon inside him, his emotions in complete turmoil.

It is ridiculous. Completely unbelievable.

Looking at Shen Lingshu’s face—so full of confidence and expectation—Yun Zhuoran almost laughs out loud.

After Ji Chen’s confession, he has speculated that Shen Lingshu’s actions might have been driven by hatred… or perhaps jealousy.

But never—not once—has he imagined that Shen Lingshu, just like in the storybook, has been scheming all along… to make him his Daoist partner.

To put it bluntly, Yun Zhuoran’s mindset this whole time has been:

This person might be plotting against me. I need to be cautious and wait for the right moment to sever ties.

But who would have thought—

Shen Lingshu actually wants to marry him!