When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 49

Compared to most of the cultivators in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest, Yun Zhuoran should have encountered Qilin earlier and gathered more information. He knows that the barrier trapping the forest is either created by Gu Shenshu or the Qilin, with the latter being more likely. After all, the Qilin is a straightforward being who would rather die than live in disgrace.

If Yun Zhuoran wants to break the barrier, he will likely have to wait for Gu Shenshu and Qilin to settle their conflict. However, the impact of the barrier alone makes survival in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest extremely difficult.

Breaking the barrier seems impossible. Not only is it challenging to find a small array eye in the vast forest spanning tens of millions of miles, but Yun Zhuoran has also been kicked out of the most likely location—Qilin’s Cave. Where else can he look?

For now, waiting is his only solution. Surviving in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest isn’t difficult for him, but he fears the barrier will trap him for too long.

For others, though, survival in the forest, especially with the ongoing beast tide, is far more difficult.

After Yun Zhuoran stops secretly releasing pressure to drive away the surrounding monsters, the others begin to suffer greatly. Whenever they have a moment of respite, they miss the relative peace of the previous two days. However, they can never have imagined that it is Yun Zhuoran—whom they have been avoiding—who has been providing that peace. Despite the addition of three Nascent Soul stage combatants, many of them are exhausted and complaining.

After nearly ten hours of travel, they finally arrive at the source of the golden light signal. It is a small mountain surrounded by a golden light barrier, emanating a strong aura.

Yun Zhuoran recognizes at once that this mountain’s protective formation is the work of the Buddhist cultivators of Tianqing Sect.

The cultivators on the mountain notice the approaching group and send people to greet them. Influenced by Yun Peiran, Yun Zhuoran is particularly resistant to the Tianqing Sect. He becomes more silent than ever as they enter the mountain.

There are many cultivators who have arrived, most of them injured, so no one pays much attention to Yun Zhuoran, who remains in the corner. The Buddhist cultivators of Tianqing Sect approach to call the representatives of each sect. Song Shao and Li Jianming also leave, and the group separates. Lu Qi takes Yun Zhuoran and Gu Qiuming to find the Tiandao Sect’s camp.

This small mountain, protected by a formation to isolate the frenzied monsters outside, is a rare piece of safe land. Occasionally, monsters fly across the dark sky. The mountain itself is safe, but the surrounding area is teeming with more numerous and ferocious monsters than those encountered on the way here.

Currently, the cultivators who have gathered account for only 70% of the total number—over 90 people. After so many days, the leaders of the younger generation have all arrived. Without the protection of stronger cultivators, the remaining ones are likely in danger.

Li Jianming has, indeed, found his brothers here, and they are being taken to the Kunwu Sword Sect’s camp for lectures.

Though the various sects are gathered on this hill, they maintain separate private camps. The Tiandao Sect’s camp is located on the edge. Lu Qi has promised Jiang Zhibai that he will stay close to Yun Zhuoran to prevent him from running away.

As Yun Zhuoran sits in silence, Li Jianming suddenly runs over, calling his name.

The surroundings are quiet, and Li Jianming’s shouting disturbs many cultivators.

Li Jianming bows and smiles at everyone, then sits down beside them, panting. “I have something to tell you!”

Gu Qiuming welcomes him and serves him tea.

Li Jianming, feeling thirsty, gulps it down in one go before urgently saying, “Jue Fei from the Tianqing Sect is here, and Penglai Immortal has also arrived!”

Upon hearing “Penglai Immortal,” Yun Zhuoran feels both guilty and surprised. “He’s here?”

Yun Zhuoran’s reaction is so quick that Lu Qi and Gu Qiuming are also taken aback, not paying much attention.

“Yes, yes…”

Li Jianming nods and takes a deep breath. When Yun Zhuoran’s expression turns serious, he continues, “It’s not in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest, but back there. My senior brother said Jue Fei came with Penglai Immortal to pick up Ji Ruo. But when the barrier shifted that day, Penglai Immortal seemed to have discovered something and went off to investigate alone.”

Li Jianming turns to Yun Zhuoran with a solemn look. “Jue Fei is a senior brother among the Tianqing Sect. Although he’s known for being easygoing, he’s from the Tianqing Sect, and his cultivation has even reached half-step Integration.”

Li Jianming doesn’t need to say more. Those who understand the situation already know why he’s in a hurry. The presence of Jue Fei makes him worry that the Tianqing Sect might use the opportunity to harm Yun Zhuoran.

Yun Zhuoran isn’t afraid of Jue Fei. Compared to him, the Buddhist disciples of Tianqing Sect are much harder to deal with.

Gu Qiuming, feeling uneasy, asks, “Then what should Senior Brother Yun do?”

Lu Qi shakes his head, offering no answer.

Li Jianming shrugs. “Just be careful for now. Stay away from those people.”

When he refers to “those people,” he means the Buddhist cultivators of Tianqing Sect.

Tianqing Sect has always looked down on Yun Peiran—whether before his rise to fame or after his disappearance. After all, the criminal they had imprisoned had comprehended the long-lost Shura Dao under the Buddhist Pagoda using only a few pages of fragments, surpassing their own Buddhist disciples. Yun Peiran had repeatedly refused to become a disciple of the Tianqing Sect, and the sect was reluctant to acknowledge this.

From the beginning, the relationship between Yun Peiran and Tianqing Sect has been strained.

Especially after the news of Yun Peiran killing Gu Shenshu spread, the Tianqing Sect had been cursed by many cultivators who respected Gu Shenshu. Their thousand-year-old reputation had been shattered in a single day, and they were left humiliated. Naturally, this caused them to resent Yun Peiran even more, and it would be unreasonable to expect them to treat his brother well.

Of course, Yun Zhuoran doesn’t like Tianqing Sect either.

But his focus is on the news about Penglai Immortal.

Penglai Immortal has entered the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest, and he has separated from everyone the day Qilin woke up. Jue Fei has mentioned that Penglai Immortal might have discovered something, which makes Yun Zhuoran wonder if Penglai Immortal visited Qilin’s cave that day. If so, would Penglai Immortal have encountered Gu Shenshu?

Unfortunately, Yun Zhuoran only learns about Penglai Immortal’s arrival after entering the mountain.

After delivering the news, Li Jianming leaves again, but Yun Zhuoran has no intention of waiting any longer. Since Lu Qi has been following him ever since they reunited, Yun Zhuoran needs to find a way to get rid of him.

With this in mind, Yun Zhuoran takes a jade talisman from his storage bag under the cover of his sleeve, pretending to have picked it up from the ground. He hands it to Gu Qiuming and says, “Li Jianming left something behind. Take this to him.”

Gu Qiuming, trusting Yun Zhuoran completely, nods and stands up.

Lu Qi pays no attention to this. Seeing his disinterest, Yun Zhuoran stands up and says, “I’ll go with you.”

As soon as he speaks, Lu Qi immediately looks up, as though he intends to follow. It is clear he is following Jiang Zhibai’s advice.

Yun Zhuoran quickly adds, “We’re both already inside the mountain, just the two of us should be fine.”

Lu Qi hesitates but nods.

Yun Zhuoran lets out a quiet sigh of relief and gestures for Gu Qiuming to follow him. He takes the lead, initially heading toward the Kunwu Sword Sect’s camp. However, as they walk, he subtly veers off toward the woods, gradually moving farther away from the camp.

Gu Qiuming, noticing the change, begins to feel uneasy. “Senior Brother Yun, aren’t we looking for Senior Brother Li?”

Ahead, not far from the edge of the mountain protection formation, is a cold and desolate area with no one in sight. Yun Zhuoran stops, holding his heart demon, and turns around. Compared to Lu Qi, Gu Qiuming is much easier to deceive.

The surroundings are eerily quiet, with only the occasional rustling of grass and trees brushing against each other, as if something is lurking in the darkness. Gu Qiuming suddenly blushes and asks, “Did Brother Yun ask me to come out on purpose?”

Yun Zhuoran, who has cast a silence spell on him, is confident in his abilities. “Yes.”

To his surprise, Gu Qiuming becomes excited. “Brother Yun, what do you want me to do?”

Yun Zhuoran responds calmly, “Aren’t you afraid?”

“No!” Gu Qiuming replies quickly. “There’s no reason not to do what Brother Yun asks, especially since Brother Yun once…”

Gu Qiuming trails off, not because he doesn’t want to say it, but because he can’t say it. He quickly corrects himself. “Brother Yun, if you want me to do something, just tell me. I’ll do it!”

In truth, Yun Zhuoran hasn’t asked him to do anything. He only wants to use him to get rid of Lu Qi. Seeing Gu Qiuming’s eagerness, Yun Zhuoran is momentarily taken aback, but then walks toward him as if it’s exactly what he wants. “Alright.”

Gu Qiuming immediately straightens his back, his expression serious as if preparing for something monumental.

Yun Zhuoran raises his hand and places it on Gu Qiuming’s shoulder, slightly lowering his head to cast the same silence spell as before. But just then, a loud roar comes from the forest. “Yun Zhuoran, what are you doing?!”

Someone has been hiding in the forest!

As the figure emerges, the rustling of leaves fills the air, and a snow-white robe gradually becomes visible in the darkness. When Yun Zhuoran and Gu Qiuming see the figure’s face, astonishment overtakes them both.

Shen Lingshu’s face is particularly dark as he glares at Yun Zhuoran’s hand resting on Gu Qiuming’s shoulder. He had come out just to get some fresh air and hadn’t expected to stumble upon this…

“Still not letting go?” Shen Lingshu approaches with a heavy presence, his eyes filled with resentment and anger, particularly as he looks at Gu Qiuming, as though seeing a betrayer.

Yun Zhuoran frowns.

Shen Lingshu mistakes Yun Zhuoran’s silence for displeasure at being interrupted. He smiles bitterly. “Junior Brother Yun, so this is what you like?”

Yun Zhuoran raises an eyebrow in confusion. “?”

Gu Qiuming blinks in shock, equally confused.

“I understand now.” Shen Lingshu looks between the two, seemingly realizing something, and gives a bitter laugh. “Yun Shidi, so you refused to become my Dao companion because you already have someone in your heart. You’ve hidden it well. I never noticed before…” He turns and strides away, but before leaving, he shoots one last deep look at Guo Qiuming.

Yun Zhuoran’s heart sinks at the thought. He only explained things to Shen Lingshu yesterday and expected some resentment. However, it now seems that Shen Lingshu harbors even more hatred for Gu Qiuming.

Gu Qiuming is still shocked. “Senior Brother Shen… wanted to be your Dao companion?”

The young man seems to have missed Shen Lingshu’s misinterpretation and is more concerned about Shen Lingshu’s feelings toward Yun Zhuoran. “Senior Brother Yun, would you agree to be Dao companion with him?”

Gu Qiuming doesn’t want to see Senior Brother Yun with Shen Lingshu. Although Shen Lingshu is good, he feels that Senior Brother Yun deserves someone better…

He doesn’t mean to disrespect Senior Brother Shen, but in his eyes, Senior Brother Yun is a god without desires, while Senior Brother Shen is still just a mortal…

Gu Qiuming coughs lightly, covering his mouth with his hand, his voice muffled.

“I won’t ask anything! I won’t tell anyone anything!” Gu Qiuming rolls his eyes and glances at the barrier not far away, then lowers his hand and reminds, “Senior Brother Yun, do you want to leave?”

With Shen Lingshu and Gu Qiuming having said their piece, what more could Yun Zhuoran add? He looks at the boy silently before walking in the direction they came from. “Let’s go back.”

He acted impulsively just now, and it seems he dragged Gu Qiuming into it. If they leave like this, Gu Qiuming will face difficulties.

Yun Zhuoran feels a twinge of displeasure and returns to the camp without a word.

Gu Qiuming follows him quietly, not speaking.

Lu Qi appears confused but says nothing, instead meditating and practicing in silence.

Yun Zhuoran notices this and absentmindedly rubs the little black ball in his arms.

Forget it, he thinks, they will have to find another chance. Besides, they still don’t know where Penglai Immortal is.

As long as Penglai Immortal doesn’t encounter Gu Shenshu, everything should be fine.

Shen Lingshu, still stung by the sight of Yun Zhuoran and Gu Qiuming in the forest, can’t shake the feeling of being betrayed. He is consumed with jealousy. How could Yun Zhuoran, who rejected him, be so fond of someone like that little devil?

But as he walks away, regret creeps in. Perhaps he misunderstood? Maybe if he listened to Yun Zhuoran or Gu Qiuming’s explanation, things wouldn’t be so complicated now.

Just then, a low, hoarse voice interrupts his thoughts.

“You calmed down so quickly?”

Shen Lingshu snaps to attention, scanning the forest warily. “Who’s there?”

The voice comes from nowhere, its tone laced with amusement. “Aren’t you disappointed in them? Don’t you want revenge?”

Shen Lingshu’s face darkens, and he snaps, “Who are you? Show yourself!”

The Tiandao Sect camp is eerily quiet. Lu Qi is still meditating, and the others are resting, creating an atmosphere where no one dares to make a sound.

In Yun Zhuoran’s arms, the heart demon suddenly pokes its head out, its eyes bleary from sleep.

Yun Zhuoran notices and asks softly, “What’s wrong?”

The heart demon closes its eyes, then, after a moment, shrinks back into Yun Zhuoran’s arms, curling up gently.

Yun Zhuoran thinks it has a nightmare and, seeing it quickly fall asleep again, doesn’t pay much attention. He murmurs softly, “Go to sleep, it’s not your concern.”

The heart demon, half-awake, snorts softly and drifts back to sleep.

Yun Zhuoran shakes his head in bemusement.

Then, he pauses, his ears twitching. When he turns to look, he sees a figure standing in the distance at the edge of the forest. The man says nothing but raises a pale index finger, signaling for Yun Zhuoran to stay quiet.

Yun Zhuoran’s eyes widen in shock. His gaze sweeps around. Most of Tiandao Sect’s disciples are meditating like Lu Qi, and the rest are resting. For the moment, no one seems to be paying attention to that area.

A faint scent of blood wafts in on the cold breeze, accompanied by the sound of water droplets falling.

Yun Zhuoran furrows his brow. He immediately stands up and walks toward the man in red at the edge of the forest.