When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 90

At this time, Yun Zhuoran returns to his room with the heart demon, leaving only a trace of his consciousness behind to supervise Ji Chen and the others at work. When he passes by Tongye, the latter seems like he wants to say something but ultimately remains silent.

Speaking of which, Tongye’s strength is greater than Yun Zhuoran’s. If they were to truly fight, Yun Zhuoran might not be able to win.

But Tongye never shows any intention of doing so—except for that time outside the inn on Penglai Immortal Island, when Yun Zhuoran angers him and he nearly uses his Red Lotus Karma Fire.

Yun Zhuoran has long sensed that Tongye is strange, but he can’t figure out his intentions. Nor can he understand what Yun Peiran has done to make Tongye so fixated on him—on Yun Peiran’s younger brother.

Two hours later—which is two days later in the inn—the backyard is now filled with the words the heart demon has written. Yun Zhuoran withdraws his consciousness with satisfaction, and Ji Chen and Shen Man are released. The backyard is now covered in Weiran’s name. Ji Chen and Shen Man have even layered several protective barriers to prevent tampering, causing inn patrons to twitch their mouths in awkwardness every time they see it.

Before going downstairs with Yun Zhuoran, Weiran looks like a crazed rabbit out for fun. Under the strange gazes of many, he sees the spectacular sight of the backyard covered in hearts and his name. Even someone as naive as him turns red in the face, his mouth agape in speechless shock.

“This is Ji Chen and Miss Shen’s compensation,” Yun Zhuoran says.

Weiran’s face flushes red. He turns his head stiffly toward Yun Zhuoran, slowly covering his burning cheeks. Yun Zhuoran can’t tell if he is pleased or not, so he asks, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know…” Weiran says, eyes confused. “Did brother do all this?”

Yun Zhuoran nods. “I did.”

Weiran’s flushed cheeks pull into a forced smile. He claps his hands stiffly and says, “…My brother is so good to me! I like it here!”

His dark eyes, slightly tinged with red, glow as he looks brightly at Yun Zhuoran, as if afraid the latter won’t believe him. Then he opens his arms and dives into Yun Zhuoran’s embrace, hugging him tightly.

“Brother is so good!”

Weiran’s smile feels a little different than usual—more surprised than happy.

Yun Zhuoran lowers his gaze, looking at the display of love on the ground and the characters of Weiran’s name…

He has been the instigator of all this—and now, watching the scene unfold, he is suddenly amused.

The heart demon looks down at his own name on the ground, scratches his hair, and glances behind him. The strange gazes follow them into the backyard. The ground is covered in petal-written words, leaving no room to walk and limiting everyone’s movement. Of course, they are also curious about the little island owner’s reaction.

The heart demon immediately senses their anticipation and glares at them. Then he blinks, turns to Yun Zhuoran with a deliberately moved expression, and says, “Brother is so smart. Why didn’t I think of spreading our names all over the ground? That way, everyone would know how close we are!”

The onlookers’ expressions start to shift—was the young island master showing off?

Yun Zhuoran is momentarily stunned.

“Our names?”

The heart demon nods earnestly and points at the two characters beneath his feet. “This is you, Brother.”

Yun Zhuoran is silent for a moment. “Okay.”

Suddenly, his calm expression changes slightly, and his cold gaze shifts to behind him.

Tongye is standing under the eaves across from them. “Yun Zhuoran, I need to talk to you.”

Yun Zhuoran hesitates briefly, then nods and tells the heart demon to wait there.

The heart demon nods obediently, watching Yun Zhuoran’s figure in red walk toward Tongye. Everything in the backyard seems to lose color. The heart demon bites his finger and stares at Tongye’s back.

Yun Zhuoran doesn’t go far. Tongye sets up a sound barrier, preventing others from hearing their conversation. Yun Zhuoran glances back toward the heart demon not far away and gets straight to the point. “What did you want to talk about?”

Tongye’s light-colored eyes look at him coldly. “You’re on good terms with Ji Wuwang?”

Yun Zhuoran doesn’t understand. “What?”

“Someone saw Ji Wuwang meeting with you.”

There are many people in Yuelai Inn. Ji Wuwang has gone upstairs to find Yun Zhuoran that day, and someone on the third floor must have noticed. It isn’t surprising that word gets back to Tongye. What’s surprising is that he seeks Yun Zhuoran out specifically to talk about it.

“So?” Yun Zhuoran asks.

Tongye pauses. “Do you know who Ji Wuwang’s father is?”

Yun Zhuoran looks at him with growing suspicion. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Tongye replies, “There are some people whose names have never appeared on the Floating Order.”

Yun Zhuoran thinks he’ll bring up the Sealed Demon Well but doesn’t expect this. He has already noticed that some cultivators have gone missing in Floating City. Even cultivators with weak cultivation have their names recorded in the clearance prompts, but those people don’t.

Tongye is indeed observant. But Yun Zhuoran isn’t interested.

“That has nothing to do with me.”

Tongye looks at him deeply. “Aren’t you worried you’ll be next?”

In the distance, the heart demon is jumping between the patches of love-shaped writing, now squatting under a tree like a little mushroom. Yun Zhuoran glances that way and says bluntly, “If there’s nothing else, I won’t keep you company.”

Tongye frowns and opens his mouth to say something, but the red-clad youth before him has already turned and walked away. His slender back looks distant and cold—it’s clear he doesn’t care at all about those fellow cultivators who have vanished without a trace.

He is different from Yun Peiran—and yet very much the same. Tongye clenches the Bodhi beads in his hand.

The heart demon uses a branch to poke at an apricot-colored sachet near the tree root. It is hidden beneath a pile of petals. If not for his sharp eyesight, he probably wouldn’t have noticed it. The scent of the sachet is especially sweet, which makes the heart demon instinctively dislike it. Out of boredom, he uses the branch to flip it over—just as a black shadow looms behind him.

“What is this?”

The heart demon throws away the dry branch and turns around with a surprised expression. “Brother, you’re back!”

Yun Zhuoran nods. “Who dropped it?”

He gestures to the sachet on the ground, which is clearly finely crafted. The heart demon also shakes his head, but a voice calls out from not far behind them:

“That’s mine… Could the island owner please return my sachet to me?”

Recognizing the familiar voice, Yun Zhuoran and the heart demon exchange a knowing glance.

The person standing under the opposite eaves is indeed Shen Man. She has been arranging the petals here for over two hours and has clearly put in considerable effort. Perhaps out of fear, she stands at a distance, not daring to approach the scattered petals. She makes her request carefully, “I didn’t destroy the little island owner’s writing, but this sachet is a relic from my mother…”

As expected, Shen Man’s eyes begin to shimmer with tears, as if she is about to cry again.

Upon learning it belongs to her, the heart demon immediately loses all interest. Yun Zhuoran, without changing his expression, pulls him up. With a subtle movement of his fingers, an invisible wave of spiritual energy turns into a gentle breeze, lifting the sachet and sending it toward Shen Man.

She catches it with tears in her eyes, holds it to her chest, kneels briefly, and hurriedly leaves.

The heart demon snorts in displeasure.

“Stay away from her from now on.” Yun Zhuoran has noticed a faint aura of death on Shen Man and suspects she will face misfortune soon. After giving his instruction, he walks out of the courtyard. His toes float just above the carpet of petals, not touching a single one—his figure as ethereal as a celestial being.

The heart demon follows closely behind, paying no mind to the petals beneath his feet. What concerns him more is Tongye. “Brother, Tongye…”

“He’s strange,” Yun Zhuoran replies.

He still can’t understand why Tongye has sought him out. Surely it isn’t because he sees Yun Zhuoran’s cultivation level and wants to team up to investigate the disappearances of certain cultivators?

Yun Zhuoran shakes his head silently, waits for the heart demon to catch up, then extends a white, slender hand.

“Back to the room to practice calligraphy.”

The heart demon’s expression is a mix of joy and reluctance, but he obediently takes Yun Zhuoran’s hand.

“Okay.”

As the two of them return to the third floor, someone happens to step out from the Tianzi Room No. 1 next door. It is Lu Qi and Shen Lingshu. Shen Lingshu lives on the first floor, and Lu Qi on the second. Last time Yun Zhuoran went downstairs, he passed Lu Qi in the corridor. They didn’t exchange words—just nodded in greeting.

After staying in the same inn for some time, Yun Zhuoran naturally knows that among his neighbors are Qin Zheng and Li Jianming, and that the room next to Li Jianming is occupied by Young Master Yu.

When Ji Wuwang visited him that day, only those few people were around. The one who could’ve spread the word is either Young Master Yu or Qin Zheng. The only person who might have passed the news to Tongye is Qin Fengzhu—the master of the Tiandao Sect, who always acts like a peacekeeper.

Yun Zhuoran ignores Lu Qi and the others. His cold eyes sweep past the blue-robed monk at the next room’s door, then he returns to his room with the heart demon.

Once Yun Zhuoran’s door is shut and a barrier blocks all prying eyes, Lu Qi and Shen Lingshu unconsciously follow his earlier line of sight and see that Qin Fengzhu’s face has gone pale.

Shen Lingshu asks, “What’s wrong, Fengzhu?”

Qin Zheng silently circulates his energy to dispel the cold aura that has invaded his body. Pale-faced, he replies, “It’s nothing. You both go rest. There are too many people in the inn right now, and I can’t keep an eye on everything. You brothers must be careful—don’t carelessly offend Ji Chen, Young Master Yu, or the others.”

“Others” clearly refers to Yun Zhuoran.

Shen Lingshu and Lu Qi understand instantly.

After bowing and saying their goodbyes, Qin Zheng quickly closes his door. His stiff body leans weakly against the door panel, and a faint smile curls his lips.

“…Truly the disciple of the sect master.”

What a pity—people who walk different paths can never work together.

Night falls quickly, and once again, darkness covers Yuelai Inn.

Everyone is used to the half-hour light, half-hour dark rhythm by now. There is little they can do but wait. As usual, the heart demon goes to bed the moment it turns dark.

Yun Zhuoran is reviewing the heart demon’s homework for the day. As the heart demon yawns and looks ready to flop into bed, Yun Zhuoran flips through the blank spaces around the few neatly written characters and says, “Wash the ink off your hands.”

The heart demon floats off to wash his hands with heavy eyelids. He glances resentfully at Yun Zhuoran’s graceful figure seated at the desk and wonders how many books, brushes, and ink stones are stored in his brother’s storage ring.

Why do others enter the Floating City to clear levels, but he is stuck practicing calligraphy?

The heart demon sighs miserably.

Yun Zhuoran gives Weiran a barely-passing score of six for the day’s work. Weiran, still slowly washing his hands, eventually wanders back over and touches his stomach.

“…Hungry.”

His stomach is like a bottomless pit—he can devour anything. But only things infused with demonic or devilish energy make him feel full, so he is a bit picky. After tasting the power of strong demons, he now turns his nose up at ordinary earthbound spirits or evil souls.

Especially after entering the inn, time here flows much faster than in the outside world—one day here equals only one hour. The heart demon has not only gotten used to sleeping as soon as it gets dark, but also insists on having three meals within that single hour.

The problem is, today’s three meals have already been eaten not long ago. Yun Zhuoran counts the food reserves and worries that the heart demon, who can’t control his appetite, will finish the stockpile before the month is out. He has no choice but to refuse firmly.

“Save some for tomorrow. Go to sleep.”

The heart demon sits down behind Yun Zhuoran, stretches out his arms to hug his slender waist, and rubs his cheek against his shoulder blade.

“I’m so hungry.”

The heart demon’s body temperature is alarmingly hot. Yun Zhuoran pulls away and turns around.

The heart demon looks aggrieved, his eyes red, clinging to Yun Zhuoran’s arm like soft glue. “I’m starving…”

Yun Zhuoran reaches out and touches his forehead—it is burning.

“Are you really hungry?”

Normally, when the heart demon complains about being hungry, his eyes wouldn’t turn red, and his body wouldn’t get this hot. Seeing the flushed face and the light sheen of sweat on his forehead, Yun Zhuoran frowns.

“Why are you so hot?”

The heart demon blinks his hazy eyes and mumbles, “I don’t know.”

For some reason, Yun Zhuoran detects a trace of coquettishness in his expression. The very thought shocks him. At that moment, the evil spirit sealed under layers of restriction quietly leaks out, baring its fangs and claws as if trying to provoke him. Yun Zhuoran is taken aback that he can’t suppress the demonic aura.

The heart demon’s hand unconsciously presses against Yun Zhuoran’s collar, and his fingertips brush a white collarbone. The cool sensation makes him instinctively loosen the collar, as if chasing after that refreshing touch.

Yun Zhuoran grabs his wandering hand and lightly taps the scarlet sword mark between his brows with two fingers, channeling spiritual energy into him.

A translucent arc-shaped barrier unfolds inside the room. Golden-red spiritual light wraps around them, flowing bit by bit into the heart demon’s body under Yun Zhuoran’s control. It looks like fire but feels icy cold.

Gradually, the red haze fades from the heart demon’s eyes, and his body temperature drops.

Only then does Yun Zhuoran retract the Golden Light Spell. Though he dislikes Tianqing Sect, he has to admit that the Golden Light Spell Yun Peiran inadvertently passed on to him is extremely useful. It can be used for attack, healing, and purification.

The Golden Light Spell is especially effective against heart demons tempted by desire. As the heart demon raises his hand to cover his still-cold forehead, Yun Zhuoran reaches out to touch his cheek. The heat is gone; the skin now cool to the touch. His expression finally eases.

“I’m not hungry anymore…” the heart demon murmurs.

Yun Zhuoran finally understands. The heart demon hasn’t even realized what he is doing when he crawls into his arms. He has simply thought he is starving.

Yun Zhuoran presses his fingers to his own brow and says, “You were being controlled by your demonic nature.”

The heart demon looks at him, confused.

Eventually, he will have to grow up. To avoid being taken advantage of next time, Yun Zhuoran patiently explains, “You were driven by desire just now. That’s why you felt overheated and… and wanted to do something bad to me.”

The heart demon looks confused. “Eat you, brother?”

Yun Zhuoran skips past that question. “In short, someone did something to you. We’ve been together the whole time—only when Tongye came to find me did we separate for a moment.” His gaze darkens as he grabs the heart demon’s wrist. “Think carefully. During that time, did anything touch you? Did you see anyone?”

The heart demon obediently tries to recall. He frowns and says, “No… I didn’t see anyone or run into anything. Brother was talking to that bald donkey, and I was waiting right there. Nobody even looked at me.”

Yun Zhuoran ignores the disrespectful nickname for Tongye and ponders. The heart demon is right—he has been nearby the whole time. No one had the chance to get close. The only time the heart demon had wandered off was when he had been playing under the tree…

Yun Zhuoran’s expression darkens.

“Shen Man’s sachet.”

The heart demon scratches his head. “I didn’t touch it.”

“It was the scent.”

The heart demon’s eyes widen in anger. “If I’d known, I would’ve ignored it!”

Yun Zhuoran pats his head. “It’s not your fault. Someone set a trap.”

Fuming, the heart demon growls, “That sachet was Shen Man’s—she’s up to something again! Brother, I’m going to eat her!”

Yun Zhuoran holds him back. “The scent alone isn’t enough to seduce you.” The crucial point is that, as a demon, even the smallest external trigger can provoke his demonic nature.

“She’s already targeted me three or four times. What does she want from me?”

Back in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest, Shen Man tried to take something from Yun Zhuoran’s puppet substitute. She had clearly been working with Shen Fu. Shen Fu had ties to Cui Shen, the disciple of the Blood Demon Ancestor, and had even hidden him in the Shen family’s ancestral hall. That alone shows how rotten the Shen family is from within.

Yun Zhuoran’s eyes narrow. “She must have a backup plan.”

The heart demon scoffs. “If I eat her now, I won’t have to worry about her again!”

Yun Zhuoran holds his claws down. “I want to see what the Shen family is plotting.”

The heart demon restrains his fury and asks, “Then what do you want to do, Brother?”

Yun Zhuoran glances subtly at the little blue sparrow perched in its cage, watching the drama unfold. The bird quickly shuts its eyes tight.

A faint smile appears on Yun Zhuoran’s lips. He lightly brushes his finger across the scarlet mark between the heart demon’s brows, and a glint of cold murderous intent flashes in his calm black eyes.

“Of course, I’ll need Weiran’s help.”

The heart demon’s eyes light up. He clenches his fists excitedly and straightens his back. “Brother, don’t worry!”

At the same time, in a guest room on the second floor—

Shen Man stares at the incense burner on the dressing table. The red incense stick is halfway burned, with white smoke curling upward, yet no scent can be detected. Since it was lit, the sparks on the tip of the incense flicker intermittently, and it even goes out once. Fortunately, under her watchful gaze, it begins burning steadily again.

Shen Man exhales a breath of turbid air and gently rings the golden bell in her hand.

“I don’t mean to hurt you. I just want to meet you alone.”

Amid the clear sound of the bell, the red incense begins to burn noticeably faster.

When it finally burns out, Shen Man tightens her grip on the bell, cold sweat breaking out on her back from the tension. At that moment, Chen Xi, who has been sleeping soundly on the bed, suddenly mumbles something in his sleep, startling her and making her heart skip a beat.

It’s fine. She strokes her chest to calm herself—Yun Zhuoran wouldn’t notice. After all, she didn’t target him directly.

One night passes, and the inn remains peaceful.

Yun Zhuoran and Weiran do not go out as usual. Young Master Yin and Young Master Ji, the two young lords of the demonic path, also stay quietly in their rooms to recover. Their injuries heal slowly, and every night their conditions regress, making recovery difficult. Whenever that happens, Ji Ruo sends Ji Wuwang to beat up Young Master Yu, so Young Master Yu hides in his room daily to avoid the unreasonable Ji Wuwang’s fists.

Among these demon cultivators, only Ji Wuwang is free to wander the inn. He sometimes harasses Song Shao and Song Yun from neighboring Penglai Immortal Island, but because Tongye is also staying on the second floor, Ji Wuwang has been relatively restrained.

As night falls, the cultivators in the lobby return to their rooms. Most of them live on the second floor. The corridor grows quiet, and the sound of subtle footsteps echoes clearly.

A cultivator pauses, glancing down the hallway curiously.

In that moment, his gaze freezes, and a dazed look washes over his face.

A young man in red walks slowly through the dim corridor. His figure is elegant, his face delicate. As if sensing someone’s gaze, he glances over, and his cold, piercing eyes instantly paralyze the onlooker.

Fortunately, the man in red soon disappears into a guest room.

Once the door closes and the figure vanishes, the cultivator finally comes to his senses. Still in shock, he stares at the door in awe and admiration.

The young master of Penglai truly lives up to his reputation—cold and flawless, his presence alone feels suffocating, as though one more glance from him could reduce a person to dust.

Yun Zhuoran’s late-night arrival surprises Song Shao and Song Yun. They have been following the young island master’s instructions to stay inside and focus on cultivation, unaware of any developments outside.

Yun Zhuoran says nothing. He simply sits quietly, looking down at the tea Song Shao serves.

The two of them are puzzled.

Yun Zhuoran raises his hand, and a water mirror appears on the surface of the tea. In it is the image of a young man in white, with a scarlet sword mark on his forehead.

Song Shao is surprised. “Isn’t that the little island master?”

That bright, sweet, obedient smile—who else could it be but Penglai’s little island master?

Still, Yun Zhuoran remains silent, his gaze fixed on the mirror.

At that moment, a very soft sound comes from the second floor—someone is opening a door. In the water mirror, the young man in white sits cross-legged at the edge of the bed, holding a demon core and crunching away at it.

Song Shao guesses that Yun Zhuoran wants them to watch over him. But since Yun Zhuoran says nothing, Song Shao grows more and more confused… Surely not? He forcibly suppresses a strange excitement. The young island master can’t possibly be the kind to secretly spy on the little island master, right?

Still, Song Shao can’t help feeling conflicted, especially as the expression in Yun Zhuoran’s eyes shifts.

In the mirror, the little island master stuffs a large demon core into his mouth, jumps off the bed, and runs to the door. Before opening it, he straightens his clothes, squares his shoulders, and adopts a stern expression. The high-spirited energy from earlier vanishes, and he looks like a lifeless puppet.

The heart demon adjusts his appearance and slowly opens the door.

Standing outside is a girl in a white dress, her lips curved in a sweet smile. Her face is soft and charming, glowing with allure. She reaches out to gently touch the cheek of the heart demon.

“You’re such a good boy…”

Just before her fingers make contact, the heart demon quickly steps back.

Shen Man slowly lowers her hand, observing the boy in white in front of her.

“Does the little island master still remember me?”

The heart demon tilts his head, confused. “Who are you?”

 This reaction isn’t what Shen Man expected. But considering that the little island master belongs to Yun Zhuoran, the red incense’s effect may have been weakened.

“Looks like you really don’t like me—you still remember to keep your distance.”

Seeing the dazed look in his eyes and the faint haze on his face, Shen Man relaxes and steps into the room.

“The little island master is so much easier to approach. The young island master’s cold nature makes him too hard to get close to. It was the right choice to target you instead.”

Hearing this, the heart demon secretly rolls his eyes, closes the door, and follows her inside.

Shen Man walks toward the only bed in the room with a gentle smile.

“When will the young island master return?”

The boy in white replies seriously, “Brother will be back soon.”

Shen Man lights a fresh red incense stick she has brought and places it on the low table beside the bed. The sweet and seductive fragrance slowly spreads throughout the room. She inhales deeply and smiles in satisfaction. “It’s really a waste to use Hehuan Incense on you, but when your brother returns, it will fulfill its true purpose.”

The heart demon senses that the Hehuan incense is no ordinary thing and grows curious.

“What is this?”

The little island master and Yun Zhuoran look alike, but their personalities are entirely different. Still, they both have a charm that is hard to resist.

Shen Man winks playfully at him. “It’s a treasure from the Hehuan Sect. Right now, I’m the only one with the formula. The little island master is still young, but when Sister Chen becomes your sister-in-law, I’ll teach you exactly what Hehuan incense is for.”

The heart demon furrows his brow. “Sister-in-law?”

Shen Man smiles coyly, her lips covering her grin. “To put it simply, it’s a treasure that aids in the dual cultivation between me and your brother. You’re really just a child—why do you have so many questions at your age? It’s rather tiresome.”

The heart demon’s voice drops slightly in coldness. “Dual cultivation?”

Shen Man immediately senses a shift in his mood and becomes alert. She suspects that the little island master might not be entirely under the influence of the Hehuan incense and the Dream Falling Bell, and could wake up at any moment.

Standing up, Shen Man studies him for a moment, pursing her lips as she smiles. She shakes the golden bell in her hand, and the clear, ringing sound echoes through the room. The heart demon’s focus falters for a moment.

“There’s no need to be anxious, little brother. Your brother loves and dotes on you. Once I become your sister-in-law, I’ll dote on you just the same. You don’t have to worry about me taking him away from you. You’ll just have one more person who loves you,” Shen Man coaxes gently as the bell’s delicate chime continues. “Even if it’s not me, your brother will have a dao companion one day. If it were someone else, they might dislike you and persuade the island master to drive you out of Penglai.” Shen Man sighs and adds, “But I’m different. I can accept you. I won’t even compete with you for his affection—because I don’t need it at all. All I want is…”

She pauses, and the bell goes silent.

The heart demon’s expression softens, and his eyes lock with hers.

“You can leave now.” Shen Man waves her hand casually, smiling warmly. “When I dual cultivate with your brother, Sister Shen doesn’t want too many people around. Be good, little brother—go find a place to stay quietly by yourself.”

The Heart Demon stubbornly asks, “You don’t want my brother’s affection—then what do you want?”

Shen Man smiles and shrugs. “What I want has nothing to do with you, little brother.” She spreads her hands. “Your brother will always have a Dao companion eventually. you’ll be separated from him one day. Dual cultivation is between him and me, not you. If you’re content with that, I’ll let you stay in Penglai in the future.”

The heart demon’s eyes turn red, and his voice is filled with determination as he speaks, “I will not be separated from my brother.”

Seeing his distressed look, Shen Man’s expression softens. “No one can live without each other. You’re not real brothers. Everyone knows you’re just a little monster who feeds on demon cores. Even if Yun Zhuoran doesn’t mind his reputation and wants to support you, he can’t support you forever. Eventually, even the closest partners must part eventually.”

The heart demon glares at her, his eyes heavy, as the red mark on his forehead begins to glow faintly with blood.

“I said,” he repeats, voice firm, “I will not be separated from my brother.”