When the Cannon Fodder Male Supporting Role Picks Up the Script - Chapter 99

The jade Qilin doesn’t give Yun Zhuoran a chance to refuse. The City Lord’s Token suddenly turns into a streak of flowing light, as fast as lightning, and shoots straight into Yun Zhuoran’s brow like lightning. He doesn’t even have time to react. His vision blurs for a moment, and in the blank, vast sea of consciousness, the City Lord’s Order has already settled into place.

Yun Zhuoran touches his slightly warm brow, then opens his eyes to see Weiran and Qin Zheng looking at him tensely.

“…I’m fine.”

“Young man, you are fated with the Floating City. From now on, it will be entrusted to you.” The jade qilin lets out a low sigh and looks toward the sky, its eyes full of reluctant attachment. But its body, already at the brink of collapse, quickly dissolves into spiritual light and dissipates.

The three on the rooftop are left

From the moment Gu Shenshu’s resentful incarnation disappears, to Yun Zhuoran receiving the City Lord’s Order, to the sudden dissolution of the jade qilin’s spirit—it all happens too quickly. Before they can react, the sky abruptly brightens.

The stars and moon fade, and the dawn light slowly creeps in.

It is as if the Floating City, under new ownership, is announcing a new beginning from this very moment.

Yun Zhuoran frowns suddenly. He hears the final words left behind by Qilin echo in his mind through the City Lord’s Order. Then, the method for controlling the Floating City is directly transmitted into his consciousness. The influx of information makes his head spin.

Fortunately, the heart demon grabs his arm and holds him steady. “Brother, what’s wrong?”

After receiving the method to control the Floating City, Yun Zhuoran regains his composure and shakes his head.

“He… never truly establishes ownership over Floating City before. The jade qilin’s lifespan has simply run out.”

The heart demon and Qin Zheng both understand immediately. “He” clearly refers to Gu Shenshu’s resentful incarnation, who has previously controlled the city—and also explains the jade qilin’s hasty demise.

The Jade Qilin doesn’t have much time left, and passes the Floating City to Yun Zhuoran so quickly, it is as if he fears Yun Zhuoran would refuse. He has directly imprinted the City Lord’s Order into Yun Zhuoran’s sea of consciousness, forcing him to accept whether he wants to or not.

Now that the Floating City is his, Yun Zhuoran is no longer bound by its many restrictions. He can spread his divine sense freely and take in the whole situation. He sees cultivators still trying to pass the trials, sees Tongye and the others walking away from the City Lord’s Mansion, and sees the Penglai immortal waiting below the city.

There is too much to process all at once.

Feeling overwhelmed, Yun Zhuoran closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, steadying himself with the help of his heart demon. Then, he finally has time to glance at Qin Zheng, who is still standing nearby.

“Why are you still here?”

Qin Zheng hesitates. “The Sect Master…”

“His soul has scattered.”

Qin Zheng has already heard that from the resentful incarnation, but hearing it again from Yun Zhuoran still makes her heart sink.

“…Let’s go.” Yun Zhuoran ignores the grief-stricken Qin Zheng, takes the heart demon’s wrist, and leads him off the rooftop.

The matter of the Floating City is over. Though he hasn’t found any clues to Yun Peiran’s whereabouts, he has uncovered the truth behind the past and cleared Yun Peiran’s name. It is an unexpected gain.

The heart demon follows Yun Zhuoran across the bridge, glancing back at Qin Zheng. She hasn’t moved, still trapped in grief and regret.

The heart demon curls his lip in disdain, having no sympathy for her. He quickly catches up to Yun Zhuoran and reaches out to grab his pale fingers. “Brother, where are we going?”

“Leave the city. Go see Xian’er.” Looking at the warm sun rising in the east, Yun Zhuoran exhales slowly.

But before leaving, he has to take care of the mess left by Gu Shenshu’s resentful incarnation—those cultivators who have been tricked into coming up to take the trials, and the gatekeepers pulled up from the Demon Sealing Well who bear heavy sins.

The resentful incarnation has given those sinners a chance at redemption, replacing the dark, suffocating Demon Sealing Well with the relatively freer Floating City, using rules to restrain them. Everyone left behind in the city has been assigned a sentence.

Now that Yun Zhuoran has inherited the City Lord’s Order, the terms of these contracts are transmitted into his mind. The resentful incarnation has handled it all well, and Yun Zhuoran has no intention of changing his arrangements.

A secret realm like the Floating City exists beneath the Heavenly Dao, but outside its control. It is a small world unto itself. The gatekeepers can stay—but the challengers have to go.

The resentful incarnation has arranged this place in a clever way. If a challenger passes the trial, they receive a random reward from the Floating City’s treasure vault.

After watching the resentful incarnation judge and take revenge on Shen Fu and the others through the Floating Life Mirror, the challengers have been dragged back into the game—but they cannot stay here forever.

Yun Zhuoran uses the City Lord’s Order to command all the gatekeepers to expel the challengers.

To Yun Zhuoran, the Floating City is a burden. He hasn’t even wanted to manage Penglai, much less this. Thankfully, the Floating City can move with him. With a single thought, he can make it vanish from the world. If he wants to reenter, he only needs the City Lord’s Order.

So, when Yun Zhuoran and Weiran walk out of the Floating City, all the remaining cultivators inside are kicked out—Qin Zheng included.

Beneath the Floating City, a large crowd has gathered. The cultivators who have been standing guard and those newly ejected from the city stare at each other in confusion. Then someone suddenly cries out:

“The Floating City is gone!”

The entire Dongling Wasteland erupts into chaos—because the Floating City really has disappeared.

Qin Zheng stands in the commotion, subconsciously looking around for Penglai.

By then, Yun Zhuoran and Weiran have already reunited with Penglai Immortal, Song Shao, and Song Yun, who have left the city earlier. None of them speaks.

Yun Zhuoran crushes a teleportation talisman and brings them all back to the inn.

Just half a day after the Floating City vanishes, the truth behind Gu Shenshu’s death spreads throughout Shengjing.

Many people refuse to believe that Juefei and the others are capable of such actions, but when they question Tongye, the Shen siblings, and the rest, not a single one refutes the claim. After that, Tianqing Sect, the Shen family, the Gu family, and the Baili family all fall into silence.

Countless cultivators who have once cursed Yun Peiran also begin to regret their actions, or turn their anger toward Tianqing Sect, the Shen family, and the others—those who have stabbed Gu Shenshu in the back and framed Yun Peiran.

Some even want to apologize to Yun Zhuoran—especially the Tiandao Sect and Tianqing Sect.

At the same time, the news that Shen Lingshu possesses Gu Shenshu’s immortal bone quietly begins circulating in Shengjing.

Song Shao and Song Yun have left the city earlier than Yun Zhuoran. After they reunite with Penglai Immortal, they tell him everything that has happened. When they return to the inn and Penglai Immortal sees Yun Zhuoran looking a little pale, he assumes it is from grief and exhaustion over Gu Shenshu’s death, so he doesn’t press the matter and lets Yun Zhuoran and Weiran rest.

Yun Zhuoran truly is a bit tired. Before going back to the room, he takes Weiran to soak in the hot spring. But throughout the whole process, Weiran remains unusually stiff—and the sorrow in Yun Zhuoran’s heart is gradually replaced by curiosity.

“…Why is Weiran blushing?”

The heart demon doesn’t dare to approach Yun Zhuoran, not even daring to look at Yun Zhuoran’s snow-white neck just exposed above the misty water. His eyes dart around nervously, and his face shrinks beneath the mist. “It’s hot,” he mutters.

Weiran is acting more and more strangely—almost like he doesn’t want to be alone with him anymore.

Yun Zhuoran suddenly furrows his brow.

With a splash, Yun Zhuoran stands up from the pool.

Hearing the sound, Xinmo hurriedly turns his head away, tightly shutting his eyes and anxiously chanting in his mind, No, no!

Every time he sees his brother without clothes now, he thinks of the thoughts he is hiding deep inside…

He really doesn’t want to find a Dao companion for his brother!

But the heart demon doesn’t dare to listen to Li Jianming’s advice to seduce his brother and practice dual cultivation with him…

It is too hard.

The heart demon sighs secretly.

Suddenly, Yun Zhuoran’s voice comes from a distance, “Wash up properly before coming out.”

Startled, the heart demon hurriedly turns around, only to see Yun Zhuoran’s neatly dressed back walking away. Soon, he disappears out of sight.

The heart demon pats his chest and sinks his flushed face back into the warm pool water.

How on earth is dual cultivation supposed to work…

After calming down and dressing neatly, the heart demon goes to find Yun Zhuoran.

Yun Zhuoran is sitting in the courtyard, talking with Penglai Immortal. As he approaches, he hears Penglai Immortal sigh, “Where does my brother go?”

After learning the truth that Yun Peiran is framed by Juefei, Penglai Immortal does not curse him. Instead, with disdain and disgust, he asks Yun Zhuoran, “But now that you’ve inherited Floating City, does that mean you’ll be stationed here permanently?”

Penglai Immortal looks worried, staring at Yun Zhuoran as if he might cry if Yun Zhuoran really says he wants to stay.

Yun Zhuoran says, “The Floating City can be taken away. It is now in my sea of consciousness.”

Penglai Immortal is relieved. “Great… Then Xiao Zhuoran, the matter of the Floating City is over. Let’s go back to Penglai. I clean your and your brother’s rooms before I leave!”

Yun Zhuoran falls silent.

Penglai Immortal says dejectedly, “What else does Xiao Zhuoran want to do? You haven’t been back to Penglai for a long time. I’m the only one on the island.”

He means the inner island of Penglai. People from the surrounding outer islands are indeed not allowed to approach.

Yun Zhuoran isn’t like Yun Peiran. He isn’t good at coaxing people, nor does he want to lie. He can only confess, “I want to go to Yun City to find Yun Peiran. But you’ve been away from the island for a long time. It’s time to go back.”

After leaving the Floating City, Yun Zhuoran realizes that the few days spent on the Floating City are actually three months outside of it, and Penglai Immortal has been away from Penglai for over half a year. The spiritual energy here isn’t enough to sustain his body, which hasn’t yet healed from old injuries.

“Yun City?” Penglai Immortal is stunned.

Yun City is very far from Penglai, even farther than from Penglai Immortal Island to Shengjing. Without Yun Zhuoran saying it, Penglai Immortal knows he doesn’t plan to take him along, and also knows his own body cannot endure such a long trip.

The heart demon sits down next to Yun Zhuoran, also a little surprised by his sudden decision to go to Yun City.

“Brother?”

Yun Zhuoran glances at the heart demon, who has been getting shyer recently. “I’ll take you.”

The heart demon feels relieved.

On the inner island of Penglai, Penglai Immortal has the lowest status. First is Yun Peiran, in charge of all Penglai, eloquent and able to choke people with a single word. Then Yun Zhuoran, who never talks nonsense, is indifferent and taciturn, and once he decides, he sticks to it. Just like Yun Peiran has suddenly taken Yun Zhuoran away from Penglai and ordered him to rest, now Yun Zhuoran wants to go to Yun City alone. What else can Penglai Immortal do?

No matter how reluctant, Penglai Immortal has to take Song Yun and the others back to Penglai.

Except for the heart demon, Yun Zhuoran doesn’t plan to take anyone else to Yun City. Song Shao and Song Yun aren’t very skilled, and Yun City is the heartland of the demonic world. Going there would attract a lot of attention, so it isn’t good to take more people.

Penglai Immortal nods and agrees, his head drooping as if about to cry.

Yun Zhuoran’s eyelids twitch, and he coughs lightly, adding stiffly, “If there’s no clue about him in Yun City, I’ll return to Penglai.”

Penglai Immortal smiles again. “I’ll wait for you at home!”

Weiran emphasizes, “And me!”

Penglai Immortal is happy to get Yun Zhuoran’s promise to return and nods without hesitation. “Okay. I’ll decorate your room after I go back.”

Weiran feels Penglai Immortal is being perfunctory with him. “I want to live with my brother.”

Yun Zhuoran tilts his head and looks at Weiran. Sometimes Weiran avoids him, but more often he is very clingy. Yun Zhuoran is more and more puzzled. What is Weiran worried about?

Under Weiran’s persistent insistence, the Penglai Immortal has no choice but to agree. When they return, he will replace Yun Zhuoran’s little bed with one big enough for several people to roll around on. Then, happily avoiding his wheelchair, he floats off in high spirits, completely forgetting that he’d been upset earlier about Yun Zhuoran not returning to Penglai. Clearly, he is very easy to coax.

Yun Zhuoran watches them leave happily and feels relieved.

When he is young, he thinks Penglai Immortal is stupid, but he cannot bear to see him sad—probably because Penglai Immortal is one of the few people he cares about.

As for the others—Gu Shenshu’s tragic death, Yun Peiran’s unjust framing and years of disappearance…

Yun Zhuoran’s eyes darken.

The heart demon sees Yun Zhuoran silent for a long time and comes over, whispering, “Brother.”

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

“Brother, are you tired?”

Yun Zhuoran smiles, “A little.”

He doesn’t hide it from the heart demon. After being inside the Floating City for so long, his physical strength is drained every day. He is indeed a little tired, but what really exhausts him is his heart.

The truth about Gu Shenshu’s tragic death makes Yun Zhuoran a little sad. He is also disappointed not to have found Yun Peiran, and the disappearance of Gu Shenshu’s resentful incarnation makes everything confusing.

Who is the ‘him’ that the incarnation of resentment wants to avoid?

Why would the incarnation of resentment rather vanish completely from the world than face that person?

The truth of Gu Shenshu’s death has been revealed. Yun Peiran’s innocence has been vindicated. Yet Yun Zhuoran still feels a heavy weight in his heart. He no longer needs to fear those who hate Yun Peiran and, by association, turn their hostility on him—but even without that burden, he cannot relax.

At this moment, he feels physically and mentally exhausted.

Bound by a blood contract, the heart demon vaguely senses Yun Zhuoran’s bad mood. After thinking for a moment, he pulls Yun Zhuoran back to the room and sits him on the bed.

“Then brother, go to sleep.” The heart demon coaxes in a low voice, “Brother, sleep peacefully. Weiran will accompany you.”

Yun Zhuoran cannot help but chuckle. “You’re the one who’s sleepy, aren’t you?”

The heart demon says, “Then I’m sleepy. Brother, will you accompany me to sleep?”

Yun Zhuoran finds it a little amusing, but the heart demon just stares straight at him with a serious face, as if saying, You’re being disobedient again.

Yun Zhuoran presses his lips and obediently lays down.

The heart demon smiles with satisfaction, sits down, and places his hand over Yun Zhuoran’s eyes.

“Brother, go to sleep. Weiran’s here.”

The heart demon is not human, and even his body temperature isn’t as warm as a normal person’s. There is only a faint warmth in his palm where it touches Yun Zhuoran’s eyelids, it unexpectedly makes him feel a bit sleepy.

The heart demon notices the slight trembling of the eyelashes beneath his palm, like a feather brushing past, which makes him feel a little ticklish. Then, feeling the warmth on Yun Zhuoran’s eyelids, the heart demon subconsciously holds his breath, gazing at Yun Zhuoran’s handsome, flawless face. His fair cheeks flush again as he whispers, “Brother, sleep well… and be sure to dream of Weiran.”

Yun Zhuoran’s mouth twitches into a small smile, and the haze in his heart seems to disperse instantly like the warm sunlight. He finds the heart demon’s childish but sincere words amusing, yet also feels they are like a lullaby.

He cannot resist the sudden sleepiness and soon falls into a deep sleep.

The heart demon has already withdrawn his hand. When he hears Yun Zhuoran’s breathing lighten, he knows he is asleep. He cups his face, staring at Yun Zhuoran for a long time, then carefully climbs onto the bed and lays down beside Yun Zhuoran’s arm. His movements are light, afraid of waking him, but after a while, he feels he cannot see Yun Zhuoran, so he slowly turns over, puts one hand under his head, and stares with bright eyes at Yun Zhuoran’s sleeping face.

This is the first time Yun Zhuoran falls asleep in front of the heart demon, and the first time in twenty years he sleeps so relaxed and peaceful.

As the heart demon watches, his eyes flicker slightly. He leans over and gently kisses Yun Zhuoran’s cheek, then quickly pulls back. Seeing Yun Zhuoran still asleep, he hooks Yun Zhuoran’s fingertips.

After doing all this, the heart demon’s cheeks burn so bright it seems they might catch fire. He finally closes his eyes, rests his head against Yun Zhuoran’s shoulder, and hugs his wrist before willingly falling asleep himself.

When Yun Zhuoran wakes up, it is already bright outside—he has fallen asleep at dusk. He doesn’t expect to have slept nearly six hours without any dreams, and he feels very comfortable.

The chirping of birds comes from outside the window, and Yun Zhuoran suddenly comes to his senses—but he cannot move. His hand is caught by the heart demon, whose leg is draped over him.

Yun Zhuoran slightly turns his head and sees the heart demon snuggled up next to his shoulder, sleeping soundly. But Yun Zhuoran, having been pressed on all night, only then realizes his arms and legs are somewhat numb.

“…”

Helpless, Yun Zhuoran circulates spiritual power to break the stiffness in his joints.

He doesn’t know when the heart demon will wake, and since his current tasks are finished and he has nothing to do, he doesn’t plan to wake the heart demon. So, he blankly probes into the city lord’s order in his sea of consciousness with a wisp of spiritual consciousness—

The floating city appears before Yun Zhuoran. The monsters and demon cultivators caught in the city by Gu Shenshu’s resentful incarnation no longer have to serve those who break through the gates, and they run freely in the streets.

The Floating City has many layers of restrictions, so even if people occasionally quarrel, they cannot fight.

Yun Zhuoran is curious about the lives in this small world, but the more he looks, the more disgusted he feels. As expected from demons caught in the Demon Sealing Well, they are shameless. Some gamble, some indulge in promiscuity in broad daylight, and some go out to exchange verbal fights.

To be honest, even if fighting is forbidden, these people won’t settle down. They just exploit loopholes in the rules to amuse themselves.

In the floating city, without challengers, all places are unlocked, the distance between buildings returns to normal, there is more scenery, and endless jungles appear outside the city.

Yun Zhuoran also finds two familiar figures among the idle demons: the tiger demon and fox demon from Shuanglu Pavilion. These two demons hide in a corner garden of the city intending to practice dual cultivation.

They even take animal forms.

Yun Zhuoran frowns.

He glances once and turns away, but this doesn’t stop him from resenting the fox demon, who dares to give the fire avoidance map—unsuitable for children—to his heart demon, even lying that it is essential for adults.

Yun Zhuoran says nothing, uses his spiritual sense to summon a thunderstorm upon the two demons, then withdraws from the floating city.

Regardless of how scared those two demons will be, after punishing these evil demons corrupting the child, the moment Yun Zhuoran’s divine consciousness leaves the Floating City, he suddenly notices an anomaly in the vast spiritual sea.

He isn’t sure if it is an illusion, but he catches a glimpse of a white light flashing in his sea of consciousness.

But this is Yun Zhuoran’s sea of consciousness—if there is a problem, he should have known. Could it be the light from the city lord’s order of the floating city?

While Yun Zhuoran is pondering this, he notices the heart demon also wakes. Confident in his spiritual sea, Yun Zhuoran opens his eyes and turns his head slightly, seeing the heart demon half-closing his eyes, rubbing his forehead against Yun Zhuoran’s shoulder.

Yun Zhuoran smiles inwardly, “Awake.”

“Huh?” The heart demon freezes, suddenly raises his head, eyes wide.

Yun Zhuoran’s voice is cold but pleasant, hoarse from just waking. What surprises the heart demon isn’t that he still holds his brother’s hand before waking—though that shocks and makes him feel guilty—it is Yun Zhuoran’s eyebrows that he stares at in disbelief.

“Brother, you…”

Yun Zhuoran sees the tension on the heart demon’s face and asks blankly, “What’s wrong?”

The heart demon touches his own forehead, then sits up, takes out a bronze mirror from his storage bracelet, and holds it to Yun Zhuoran’s face. “Brother, look!”

Yun Zhuoran takes the mirror and pauses slightly when he sees his reflection. His other hand slowly touches his forehead — once smooth and fair, but now, without his noticing, a cluster of silver-white and pale gold flames has appeared. When his fingertips approach, an intense icy coldness instantly wraps around his slender fingers.

“This is…”

His eyes flicker with surprise. He suddenly recalls the cluster of flames that devoured the resentment manifestation — the flaming totem on his forehead is very similar to that fire which has burned away the resentment incarnation.

“Brother.”

The heart demon stares blankly, his faintly red eyes full of surprise and obsession. He knows his brother is good-looking but hasn’t expected him to be even more beautiful—and he still doesn’t want to find a Dao companion for his brother!

At that moment, someone knocks on the door.

Yun Zhuoran puts down the bronze mirror and calmly asks, “What is it?”

Song Shao’s voice comes from outside: “Young Island Master, the acting leader of Tiandao Sect and several peak masters want to see you. They say…” He hesitates, then continues, “Tiandao Sect has no leader and wants to ask the young island master to return to preside over things. The Penglai Immortal is unhappy and does not welcome them. Young Island Lord, what should we do?”

The heart demon still stares at Yun Zhuoran infatuatedly, as if not hearing a word.

Yun Zhuoran lowers his eyes, looks at the flame between his eyebrows in the mirror expressionlessly, and replies coldly, “No. Let them return to where they come from.”