When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 76

A quarter of an hour ago.

The middle-rear section of the Xinglan Bridge—just past the sixth checkpoint on the bridge.

Cheng Ruyi, now so old and thin that he is nearly unrecognizable as human, lies directly on the bridge, struggling to breathe. The effects of Xinglan Bridge have drained his strength—he can’t make it past the sixth level. It is Yun Zhuoran who brings him this far. After crossing the sixth level, Cheng Ruyi completely runs out of strength.

By contrast, Yun Zhuoran’s appearance improves—the few strands of white frost at his temples are gone, and his face even looks younger, more handsome and refined than before he ascends the bridge.

Cheng Ruyi looks at him with envy, panting like a bellows. “I can’t go on…”

Yun Zhuoran nods. “I know.”

As he speaks, he releases a stream of spiritual power that strikes Cheng Ruyi’s body. Cheng Ruyi’s robe billows from the impact, and some color returns to his gray face.

Yun Zhuoran grips the three-foot jade branch and says, “I’ll continue on my own from here.”

Cheng Ruyi lets out a sigh of relief, surprise and gratitude flashing across his face. “Then I…”

“I’ll pass the level. You can leave once I do.” Yun Zhuoran speaks calmly, then turns and continues toward the bridgehead.

Cheng Ruyi stares after him in a daze, then slowly climbs to his feet, watching Yun Zhuoran’s slender back.

They aren’t related in any way—in fact, they belong to opposing sects, one righteous and one demonic. It is Cheng Ruyi who insists on following Yun Zhuoran onto Xinglan Bridge. Yun Zhuoran has no obligation to help him, but he still takes the time to heal his wounds.

Now… is he going to help him pass the level without asking for anything in return?

Cheng Ruyi’s gaze is conflicted—part awe at Yun Zhuoran’s righteousness, part deep gratitude.

There are seven small checkpoints on Xinglan Bridge. After each one, a rest area appears. Between these checkpoints are barriers—one-way passages that allow only forward movement, not retreat.

Yun Zhuoran now stands before the barrier to the seventh level. As the light shimmers before him, he closes his eyes. When he opens them again, a cold gleam flashes in his gaze. Gripping the jade branch tightly, he steps forward.

A brilliant light fills his vision.

The final checkpoint of the Xinglan Bridge is different from the previous six. It resembles the resting areas more than the trials, reflecting what the bridge originally looks like. Beneath it, the river sparkles with waves, and shadowy figures move across the bridge.

But none of them are real people.

On both sides of the broad redwood bridge appear scene after scene—like silhouettes on a paper screen.

Yun Zhuoran walks forward. At first, what he sees are all the events he has experienced since the first checkpoint: himself, transformed into a child, facing ghostly creatures disguised as humans—conversing, fighting. From checkpoint one to six, from a child to a teenager to a young man, he grows bit by bit. Every image shows a different version of him, but without exception, he is present in all of them.

The second half of the Xinglan Bridge stretches about a li in length to the end.

After the sixth checkpoint’s shadow scenes, new images begin to appear—ones that make Yun Zhuoran stop in his tracks and stare. These are not illusions. They are memories from real life.

Familiar and unfamiliar faces alike fill the frames: Yun Peiran, Gu Shenshu, the immortals of Penglai, senior brothers and peak lords from the Heavenly Dao Sect…

And then, in the final images, his heart demon appears beside him. From then on, every scene includes the demon as well.

Yun Zhuoran passes through each silhouette like retracing his entire life.

At the very end of the bridge, voices drift toward him.

Yun Zhuoran stops abruptly.

On the right side of the bridge stand two figures—one tall, one short. One wears pure white robes, the other bright red. The one in white leans lazily on the bridge railing, gazing at the river. The one in red sits on the ground, looking up with a smile and crescent-moon eyes.

The one in white is Yun Peiran. The youth in red is his heart demon, Weiran. They seem to be chatting and laughing, the atmosphere unusually warm and peaceful.

The seventh level’s illusion, unlike the earlier trials, is unexpectedly beautiful.

Like a seductive dream.

Yun Zhuoran can’t make out what Yun Peiran and Weiran are saying. But unlike the shadowy silhouettes behind him, these two feel complete—almost real.

“Do you want to go over there?”

Yun Zhuoran stiffens. His expression shifts from complex emotion to guarded alertness. He tightens his grip on the jade branch and slowly turns.

Standing on the bridge is Gu Shenshu—no, the demonized Gu Shenshu, in a black robe.

His blood-red eyes hold a trace of a smile. He radiates a strange gentleness, an elegant evil that feels both serene and ominous—like a fallen deity.

He gazes at Yun Zhuoran with mild curiosity. “Gu Shenshu never teaches you the Path of Detachment, yet you’ve grasped seventy percent of its heartlessness. Little Zhuoran, have you truly given up all desire? I can’t figure out what else you care about besides these two. Ah, I forgot—you’re still looking for me.”

Yun Zhuoran looks at the figure in front of him, feeling faint disappointment.

The Gu Shenshu before him might be projected here from far away, but the demonic aura he emits is real.

Just a wisp of spiritual consciousness.

Even if it isn’t the real body, it’s enough to talk face to face.

Yun Zhuoran asks, “Who killed you?”

Gu Shenshu smiles. “Ask me again once you find me.”

Yun Zhuoran pauses, then asks again, “Is this the seventh level of Xinglan Bridge?”

“You were too fierce. You scared away the little monster guarding the bridge,” Gu Shenshu teases lightly. “So beautiful, yet so harsh. The children on the bridge are afraid of you.”

Yun Zhuoran frowns slightly, clearly annoyed.

Gu Shenshu finds it amusing and reminds him, “Xiao Zhuoran, you’ve already passed the test.”

Yun Zhuoran’s expression remains calm. “You came to find me—what do you want me to do?”

This is the first time Gu Shenshu seeks him out on his own. Before this, Gu Shenshu always avoids him.

“No wonder I like listening to you speak,” Gu Shenshu says lightly. “You’re better looking than others, your voice is pleasant, and you speak directly. Not as troublesome as the rest.”

His praise isn’t sincere—just a casual remark. Then he gets to the point. “Xiao Zhuoran, Master has been waiting for you here for a long time. I want to give you one last chance…”

“You’re not my master,” Yun Zhuoran says expressionlessly. “Don’t bother giving me choices.”

Gu Shenshu laughs in vain. “I haven’t even finished speaking, and you’ve already made your decision?”

Yun Zhuoran says, “Now that I’m in the floating city, I won’t leave so easily.”

Gu Shenshu smiles. “I know. That’s why this isn’t the choice I’m offering.”

As he speaks, a point of spiritual light flicks from Gu Shenshu’s fingertip. It transforms into a scroll opposite the illusion of Yun Peiran and the heart demon. The scroll unrolls—starting with a blinding red flash. Once it is fully open, a small figure in red appears at the center.

The scene on the scroll is alive: a sea of fire, a narrow, ancient stone plank road along the mountainside. A young man in red, bearing a strong resemblance to Yun Zhuoran, is curled up on the road, his figure pitiful and disheveled.

It is the heart demon!

Yun Zhuoran unconsciously steps forward, then quickly catches himself and turns to look at Gu Shenshu.

“Are you threatening me?”

Gu Shenshu says calmly, “Seems this little monster is indeed your weak spot.”

Yun Zhuoran’s expression chills. “What do you want?”

The corners of Gu Shenshu’s mouth curled slightly, but his smile was cold, never reaching his eyes.

The corners of Gu Shenshu’s mouth curl slightly, but his smile is cold, never reaching his eyes.

“Between your little monster and me, Xiao Zhuoran, who will you choose?”

A moment later, a notice is issued to everyone’s floating order in the city:

Congratulations to Yun Zhuoran, Lord of Penglai Island, the first to clear the hard-level instance and light up the Xinglan Bridge. Reward: one mystery package.

The sky dims and brightens again. Yun Zhuoran stands beneath Xinglan Bridge, his dark eyes slightly dazed.

Behind him, Cheng Ruyi slowly walks down from the bridge, exhausted. He stops after clearing the sixth level, and when Yun Zhuoran crosses the bridge, he too is able to exit safely, regaining his youthful appearance.

Seeing Yun Zhuoran from afar, Cheng Ruyi runs over excitedly. “Young Island Master, you’re amazing! You cleared the seventh level so quickly!”

“…I failed,” Yun Zhuoran says, staring at the jade talisman in his hand, his thoughts drifting to that earlier moment.

Gu Shenshu asks whether he would choose to meet him or to find his heart demon.

At that time, Yun Zhuoran stares for a long time at the image of the heart demon walking through fire.

Gu Shenshu seems to be considering something as well.

And in that silence, the heart demon on the other side of the bridge—who has been talking to Yun Peiran—stands up, smiles brilliantly at Yun Zhuoran, and calls out in a clear voice:

“Brother!”

Yun Zhuoran is shaken.

Gu Shenshu says, “Floating City is my business. You really shouldn’t get involved.”

Yun Zhuoran opens his mouth, but doesn’t know what to say. In the end, he remains silent.

Gu Shenshu looks at the figure in red amidst the flames in the painting. “Do you want to see him more… or me?”

On one side is Gu Shenshu, whom he has been searching for all this time. On the other is the heart demon he is just about to find.

Yun Zhuoran looks at Gu Shenshu for a while, then finally turns toward the youth in red within the scroll.

“As you wish,” Gu Shenshu says knowingly, smiling as he tosses something to Yun Zhuoran.

It is a teleportation talisman.

Yun Zhuoran catches it and looks up. Gu Shenshu has already turned and walked away.

His laughter echoes, seemingly far away, yet also right by Yun Zhuoran’s ear.

“I’ll be waiting for you at the City Lord’s Mansion.”

The City Lord’s Mansion…

Yun Zhuoran grips the teleportation talisman tightly, silently repeating the name—the center of the floating city, a place no one has yet managed to light up.

Hearing Yun Zhuoran’s words, Cheng Ruyi is confused. He doesn’t understand.

He clearly passes the level—so why does he say he fails?

Yun Zhuoran offers no explanation. Under Cheng Ruyi’s gaze, he takes the so-called mysterious package floating in midair, opens it, and retrieves a plate of osmanthus cake—only thirty-five pieces.

In reality, the true mysterious reward is the teleportation talisman given by Gu Shenshu. The plate of snacks is just a front.

Yun Zhuoran remains expressionless and hands the osmanthus cake to Cheng Ruyi.

Cheng Ruyi, now restored to youthful vigor, has exhausted himself in the trials. He takes the osmanthus cake, still puzzled, and eats a piece in front of Yun Zhuoran. At once, he feels lighter—his energy significantly restored. He eats three more pieces before handing the rest back.

“This osmanthus cake is quite effective. Just one piece restores physical strength. Young Island Master, would you like to try?”

Yun Zhuoran shakes his head. He has no need.

So, Cheng Ruyi continues eating with peace of mind, occasionally glancing at Yun Zhuoran. When they pass other travelers on the first road of Xinglan Bridge, Cheng Ruyi is no longer quite so afraid of him. He even makes a joke.

“This sweet-scented osmanthus cake is good, but my favorite is Linglongfang’s Penglai Spring Wine. It has nothing to do with Penglai Fairy Island, but still—if I ever get the chance, I’d love to have a drink with the Young Island Master.”

Yun Zhuoran gives him a thoughtful glance, then lowers his head and pulls out the floating city’s map.

“I’m leaving.”

Cheng Ruyi looks surprised. “Young Island Master, are you going to challenge the next level?”

Yun Zhuoran shakes his head.

He is going to see Weiran.

To the west of the floating city lies Shuanglu Zhai.

From the moment the heart demon stands up in the square, the fox demon grows inexplicably nervous.

And when that delicate-looking young boy—who has never done a single chore—utters the words “I’m hungry,” the fox demon immediately turns pale and glances fearfully at the tiger demon standing on the chessboard.

The tiger demon’s chess piece stands only one square—a mere zhang—away from the heart demon.

(Translator’s Notes: zhang (丈) is a traditional Chinese unit of length  commonly used to measure height, depth, or distance, especially for people, buildings, and land.In modern metric terms, 1 zhang ≈ 3.3 meters or ≈ 11 feet)

Compared to the inexplicably terrified fox demon, the tiger demon remains much calmer. It casts a soothing glance at the fox demon, then turns to glare at the heart demon across from it. “Are you sure you want to continue?”

The heart demon curls his lips. “Why not? Let’s get it over with. I’m hungry.”

The fox demon’s tail twitches slightly. She forces a gentle smile. “If you’re hungry, why not eat something first? I have plenty of meat here.”

The tiger demon is immediately displeased. The fox demon is offering his meat to someone else? For free?

The heart demon seems intrigued. “What kind of meat? I want it raw.”

The fox demon’s face turns even paler.

He’s this picky about food and still wants raw meat? He probably wants to eat me alive!

The tiger demon can’t bear it anymore and says coldly, “There’s no meat! If you want to play, then play. It’s my turn next.”

“Brother Tiger…”

The fox demon looks anxious, but seeing the tiger demon’s glare, he has no choice but to shut up.

The Little Island Master of Penglai has devoured a whole nest of weasels from Ruyi Pavilion—word has already spread among the monsters of Floating City. No one wants to encounter him again. And now, here he is, at their Shuanglu Zhai.

Of course the fox demon is scared.

That little island master is a monster. So cruel!

The fox demon lives close to the weasels and knows how powerful and cunning they are. Even he dares not provoke them. Who could’ve guessed this devil from Penglai would swallow the whole nest in one bite!

But the tiger demon is braver—reckless even. The fox demon neither dares to oppose him nor flee in front of the boy. He feels tormented, torn between two dangers.

Outside the game board, several injured cultivators who are meditating to recover are stunned by the heart demon’s decision.

Their blue team has only one chess piece left: the rat piece, represented by the Little Island Master of Penglai. It can devour all beast pieces except the elephant. But now it’s surrounded by five red pieces. No matter how you look at it, it seems doomed. How can they keep playing?

Li Jianming jumps up before he finishes healing. “Little Island Master! Shuanglu Zhai’s rules say best of three! We still have one more round—we can turn it around! Don’t rush!”

Jiang Zhibai nods, and Gu Qiuming cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Little Island Master, just forfeit this one! Let’s strategize for the next!”

“Don’t want to,” the heart demon waves them off.

He ignores the voices from outside the board and turns to face the tiger demon. Compared to the fox demon—who still has visible ears and a tail—the tiger demon’s human form is complete. It looks powerful. Actually, both are quite strong: one is at the Nascent Soul stage, the other in the Spirit Transformation stage…

If he eats them, he’ll be about half full.

The heart demon’s appetite begins to stir.

But the glowing Floating Order seems to remind him: no more eating.

The heart demon sighs regretfully and says to the tiger demon, “Let’s begin.”

The tiger demon has long been wary of the Little Island Master—but unlike the fox demon, it isn’t afraid—on the contrary, it’s fired up for battle. Unfortunately, the chess game has been controlled by the fox demon until now, who hasn’t let him get close. That’s why the Little Island Master has lasted this long. But now that they face each other, the tiger demon isn’t going to follow the fox’s commands anymore.

“He’s just a devil who eats monsters. What’s so scary? Let me deal with him!”

The fox demon can only smile bitterly. “Alright, Brother Tiger. Be careful.”

The tiger demon steps forward into a square close to the heart demon. There are red pieces guarding the heart demon from three directions, so he can’t escape the two blue demons’ pincer attack.

Not just the fox demon—even the red side spectators are getting nervous.

Some worry for the Little Island Master. Others watch closely, waiting to see how he’ll respond. Some are even gleeful at the idea of watching him fall—Gu Jinping among them.

After all, no one else here holds as deep a grudge against the heart demon as Gu Jinping does.

Strangely, Ji Ruo is also worried. Watching the Little Island Master ignore all the advice from Li Jianming and the others makes him irrationally angry. “This is a life-or-death game! If you can’t do it, get off the board already!”

Unfortunately, he mutters too softly. Most righteous cultivators are avoiding him, so only Young Master Yin—who is deliberately standing nearby—hears him.

Young Master Yin laughs. “Young Master Ji, was that a curse or were you acting cute?”

Warm breath hits the back of Ji Ruo’s neck. He spins around and sees Yin too close for comfort. Ji Ruo jumps back three feet and snaps, “Get away from me! I don’t know you!”

Young Master Yin fans himself leisurely, smiling. “Aren’t we both cultivators of the demonic path? Both young masters? That’s enough of a bond. Oh, by the way—where is the eldest master? Every time you travel far, he’s always by your side. Strange that he’s not here in the Floating City.”

He already knows Ji Wuwang has passed the level—everyone has seen the announcement. But he brings it up just to mock him. Without Ji Wuwang backing him, Ji Ruo is just a useless nobody.

Ji Ruo catches the jab and fumes, “None of your business!”

But Young Master Yin isn’t annoyed. He turns his attention back to the game board, eyes narrowing. “Young Master Ji, do you know how strong this little Penglai Island Master is?”

Ji Ruo looks at him warily.

Yin continues, “We underestimated him. The rules of this round obviously favor the fox demon. In the next round, we’ll have to join forces and win it back.”

Ji Ruo silently agrees but doesn’t trust Yin at all. He knows this guy would absolutely step on his corpse to pass the level.

Shen Lingshu also watches the young man in red closely. Part of him hopes the boy will succeed, but another part refuses to accept being left behind.

That boy, once a mere Golden Core cultivator he looked down on, has jumped straight to the Integration Stage—leaving Shen Lingshu in the dust.

He knows his thoughts are wrong, but he can’t help it. Ever since he’s fallen from grace, ugly emotions have begun to fester within him.

Back on the board.

After the blue team’s second monster moves, it’s now the heart demon’s turn. Except for the square directly in front—blocked by the tiger demon—he has three directions to go: left, right, and back. But none can get him out of the enemy’s encirclement.

 The tiger demon stands one square away, ready to strike next. It isn’t his turn yet, but his looming presence serves as a silent threat.

The tiger demon is secretly pleased. He narrows his eyes and asks sinisterly, “Have you thought about how you’re going to escape, little Island Master?”

Now that they’re close, the heart demon can clearly smell the other’s sinister aura.

“…It smells so good.”

The tiger demon expects a look of panic—not that random comment. He’s stunned, then furious.

“Stop spouting nonsense! Move already!” He sneers, “Run, little Island Master. If you’re too slow, I’ll catch you and tear you to pieces.”

The heart demon accepts the kind reminder with a serious nod. “Okay.”

But… he still really wants to eat.

Then, to everyone’s shock, the heart demon steps straight toward the tiger demon.

Li Jianming’s jaw drops. “Little Island Master! That’s the wrong way! Not that way!”

The others are all shocked. How can he dare to rush into the tiger’s mouth? Is the little master of Penglai Island truly brave and skilled, or just not very smart?

The heart demon walks forward, slurping his saliva. He can’t eat the opponent, but maybe… just a sip?

Both the fox demon and the tiger demon are stunned by his choice. The former can tell at a glance that this little island master is probably truly capable and is already preparing to escape, while the tiger demon simply smiles smugly.

When he sees the heart demon walk into the square where he stands, the tiger demon’s palm morphs into sharp claws.

“You made this choice yourself,” the tiger demon says. “Don’t blame us for being unfair. I’ll remind you one last time—your move isn’t within the original rules, but it’s allowed under the laws of Shuanglu Zhai. And you’re challenging me. Only by defeating me will this grid belong to you.”

In truth, the heart demon doesn’t understand the rules at all—but it doesn’t matter. The rules of Shuanglu Zhai depend entirely on the whims of its two masters and can change at will. Hearing the tiger demon’s warning, he just nods casually.

“Mm.”

Seeing his perfunctory response, the tiger demon sneers. “You really don’t know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is.”

Very well, the tiger demon thought. Then let me teach this little island master a lesson!

In a flash, the tiger demon pounces at the heart demon like lightning, his claws aimed directly at the heart demon’s face. He’s long been displeased with that face—ever since the heart demon showed up, the fox demon has been staring at him!

Li Jianming and the others, watching from afar, shout in panic for the heart demon to dodge.

But the heart demon doesn’t react. He stares at the tiger paw approaching his mouth—his eyes lighting up.

Food delivered to the door? How can he let it go?

The red figure stands still—then opens its mouth and bites down hard on the tiger’s claw.

“Ahhhh—!”

A piercing howl of pain echoes across the chessboard, silencing everyone.

Just a breath ago, the tiger demon is a mighty jungle king, a powerful incarnate…

One breath later, he’s kneeling before the Little Island Master, his claw caught in the boy’s mouth, who is now desperately sucking away his demonic energy. The tiger demon can only scream helplessly as his power is drained.

If not for the heart demon’s remaining shred of reason, he might eat the tiger’s claw raw.

The tiger demon, despite being at the middle stage of Spiritual Transformation, has all his demonic power drained in an instant. His form reverts to a regular tiger, lying limp on the square.

Seeing this, everyone outside the chessboard is dumbfounded.

In the distance, the fox demon licks his lips with satisfaction when he sees the Little Island Master finally let go of the tiger’s claw. The hair on several of his tails suddenly stands up. 

Run!!

But before the fox demon can flee, the heart demon has already sensed it. Just as the fox, now a small brown fox, launches himself from the board, the heart demon turns into a cloud of black mist.

To those outside the board, they only see a white shadow flash across the square—then in the blink of an eye, it’s pinned against the jade-white chessboard by a dark figure moving at impossible speed.

The thick black fog reforms into a human figure—it’s the red-robed little Island Lord of Penglai.

Li Jianming can’t help muttering, “I finally understand how the weasel disappeared…”

Jiang Zhibai stares wide-eyed, dazed. “Ah… This little island master is way too strong…”

Next to the stunned Ji Ruo, Young Master Yin shakes his head in amazement. “The master of Penglai Island is indeed no weakling.”

Hearing this, Shen Lingshu quickly sobers, the light in his eyes dimming.

He’s underestimated the little island master—just like he’s underestimated Yun Zhuoran for years.

In the next moment, the heart demon returns to human form and absorbs all the evil energy from the fox demon.

The fox demon is even weaker than the tiger. He’s drained before he can even finish half a breath. It isn’t even satisfying.

The heart demon lets go of him with disdain. The fox lies on the chessboard, tongue hanging out, limp and drained of all strength.

“Well, I’m barely full.”

The heart demon squats beside him and tugs at one of the fox’s large, shiny tails.

“Nice tail.”

Fox demon: “…Ying!”

He’s only absorbed power from two monsters—still within the Floating City Lord’s rules.

Seeing that there’s no warning this time, the heart demon grins and takes three of the fox’s fluffy tails, intending to give them to his brother. The nearly beige tails are pretty enough—barely worthy of his brother.

Finally, the fox, holding onto his only remaining big tail, gets grabbed by the scruff of his neck and thrown onto the paralyzed tiger demon. The little brown fox hits the tiger’s spine and yelps in pain.

When the big tiger sees the heart demon return, his eyes fill with fear, but he still circles his tail protectively around the fox.

Everyone outside the chessboard finally comes to their senses and hurries to rejoin the game.

Without the two demons controlling it, the chess game is no longer restricted, and they’re able to enter smoothly.

Seeing the big tiger silently protecting the little fox, Li Jianming laughs gloatingly, “Yo, isn’t this yellow furball the ‘co-master’ of Shuanglu Zhai who was throwing his weight around just now? What happened to all that swagger?”

Fox: “…” You try getting drained like that! I’ve got no energy left! And I lost three tails! My cultivation’s dropped to Foundation Establishment!

The tiger demon is just as miserable—his cultivation has dropped to the Golden Core stage, but he doesn’t even dare complain.

Everyone looks at the trembling tiger and fox pair—they look so miserable, it’s almost amusing.

The heart demon frowns, kicking the tiger. “Where’s the treasure you’ve been hiding?”

The tiger is so miserable, he can’t even answer.

So the little fox forces out a reply. “Mercy, my lord! We’ll bring it out right now!”

He fumbles through his only remaining tail and finally pulls out a storage ring. The heart demon grabs it and begins pulling out items at random—spiritual stones, magical tools, spiritual herbs, all kinds of beautiful clothes and bones the fox has collected.

Under the fox’s pained gaze, he picks through the items until a yellow-covered book catches his eye.

“What’s this?”

The heart demon instinctively wants to throw it away—he hates reading and learning most of all!

The fox says timidly, “…It’s my private collection—the kind only adults can look at.”

The heart demon, determined to grow stronger, hesitates—then earnestly opens the yellow book.

He wants to learn.

But after flipping it open, Xinmo discovers that unlike the dense text in other books, this one is full of vividly drawn little figures tangled together in all kinds of poses.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t understand it at all. With the onlookers wearing weird expressions, he closes it.

“Only adults can understand this?”

The little fox thinks for a moment, then nods solemnly. It’s a fire-avoidance manual—clearly meant for grown-ups.

Not wanting to admit he’s not an adult yet, the heart demon stuffs the book into his arms, pretends to understand it, and throws the rest of the items—including the empty ring—back at the fox.

“I was asking about the teleportation array. The weasel said you had one here.”

Everyone around is stunned. So there’s a teleportation array!

The little fox curses, I knew that yellow-furred traitor sold us out! Then turns to the heart demon, eyes teary, and pleads: “My Lord, please understand! The teleportation array isn’t with us! If you want anything else, we’ll do our best, but the array really isn’t here!”

As if to show sincerity, everyone’s floating orders light up at that moment, and the prompt appears: Penglai Island Master Yun Weiran has lit the Shuanglu Zhai icon and received a reward.

As for the “reward,” the fox uses his paw to push forward the pile of treasure from the ring and says earnestly, “Look, my lord! It’s all yours!”

But the heart demon’s good mood vanishes the moment he learns there’s no teleportation array. His expression turns cold.

At the same time, the jade chessboard beneath their feet vanishes, and everyone is returned to Shuanglu Zhai.

Nothing has changed, except that the fox and tiger demons are now back in their true forms.

The young man in red stands in front of the two animals, his face frosty.

The tiger demon instinctively pulls the little fox close with his tail and trembles.

The heart demon stares silently. He’s in a terrible mood—everyone can feel it.

“If you won’t give me the teleportation array, then…”

Suddenly, the evil aura around him surges, plunging all of Shuanglu Zhai into a cold, eerie gloom.

Sensing the danger, everyone instinctively backs away from the red-robed youth.

Whether illusion or not, a terrifying sense of crisis looms over them.

Just then, a cool breeze blows through the open doors of Shuanglu Zhai—and a cold voice follows.

“Weiran.”

That familiar tone makes the heart demon whip around.

Yun Zhuoran stands at the gate of Shuanglu Zhai, radiant in red, smiling gently.

In that moment, the icy, evil energy within the room vanishes entirely.

Everyone watches as a red shadow flashes past and leaps into someone’s arms. The man staggers slightly from the impact, but manages to catch him. His cold eyes soften with a helpless smile.

“Slow down.”

The heart demon quickly shakes his head. When he looks up again, his eyes are slightly red.

The same little master of Penglai Island who was so fearsome just moments ago now looks like a pitiful child.

His voice is soft, almost crying.

“Brother, Weiran missed you so much!”