I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 29
Outside the hidden realm, a sudden chill settled over everyone who had yet to enter. Someone looked up and saw a distant figure, white as snow, riding the wind.
Before he even arrived, the cold, oppressive aura surrounding him washed over the area, and the temperature plummeted. What had been a warm spring day now felt inexplicably wintry and frigid.
Low murmurs broke out among the crowd. “It’s Daoist Master Lu Cang!”
“How rare! What brings the Daoist master out today?”
“Didn’t he take on a disciple over a decade ago? That disciple must be entering the realm today, right?”
Lu Cang’s expression was cold and detached. He ignored the chatter around him and made his way to the high clouds platform before selecting a spot to settle down. With a wave of his sleeve, he sat cross-legged and propped up his head with one hand as he closed his eyes to rest.
Throughout the process, he didn’t speak a word or look at anyone. His bearing exuded an air of utter indifference and arrogance.
However, no one dared to show any dissatisfaction towards him for it. Everyone looked up at him with respect and awe, even the sect elders sharing the platform with him. Some of them were older or had more seniority, but none dared object to his demeanor.
In the world of cultivators, power was paramount, and those strong enough would earn respect and submission from all.
Lu Cang was indisputably the strongest person within Guiyuan Sect. Indeed, he was undoubtedly the cultivator who stood before everyone else in the cultivation world.
Lu Cang was born with a natural constitution for cultivation. To him, any cultivation technique was as clear as black ink on white paper. With an enlightened heart and a mind that saw through all laws, he grasped the truths of the Dao in a way that others could only dream of after a lifetime of study. Such innate gifts made him, without exaggeration, a favored child of the heavens.
His life had been an exceptionally smooth path, unmarred by any challenges.
Perhaps because he had achieved an understanding of the ultimate Dao, or because he had reached the pinnacle of cultivation, Lu Cang’s temperament grew indifferent and aloof. It made him appear lofty and unfathomable to others.
Some below continued to glance up at the white-robed Daoist Master on the platform. Nearby, an elderly man with a kind face smiled and spoke to Lu Cang.
“An honoured guest indeed! Martial Nephew Lu, are you here today to keep watch over your disciple?” (2-15)
Without so much as lifting an eyelid, Lu Cang gave a cold, quiet reply. “Mm.”
The old man, who was at least nominally Lu Cang’s martial uncle, was accustomed to such attitudes from him and continued to smile. (2-16)
“I thought I’d only see you again when you’re ready for your tribulation and ascension. I didn’t expect you’d come down from Wandao Peak for this. It seems you chose well when you took on that disciple.”
Lu Cang remained impassive and silent.
The elder continued smiling cheerfully. “As I understand, your little disciple Lin Qingyun has good potential, right? She’s still young but has already reached the Golden Core realm—she’s the lead among her peers. I’d say she might one day surpass even you, Martial Nephew Lu.”
Abruptly, Lu Cang spoke with a frigid tone, “I have more than one disciple.”
The old man blinked. He was momentarily puzzled as he said, “What?”
Lu Cang slowly opened his eyes. He glanced toward the elder and stated matter-of-factly, “I have two disciples, not one. The elder disciple is named Lin Qingyun; the younger is named Lin Luoyin.”
The elder’s expression shifted to surprise. “Is that so? But I’ve never heard of your second disciple before.”
“You hadn’t heard of her before; it doesn’t mean you won’t in the future,” Lu Cang replied curtly. He showed a faint frown that quickly vanished. With that cold statement, he turned back, closed his eyes, and said no more.
What he didn’t know was that this casual comment would prove prophetic in the years to come.
When Ah Luo stepped through the portal, darkness enveloped her vision, and the surrounding sounds abruptly faded. She felt as if she were passing through an invisible barrier.
When she opened her eyes, as expected, Lin Qingyun, who had been holding her hand, was nowhere to be seen.
She stood alone in an endless wilderness, surrounded by unbroken plains stretching beyond sight. The plains were covered in lifeless, yellowed grass flattened by the wind.
After taking a few steps, the jade pendant hanging from her waist lit up. She lifted it, and Lin Qingyun’s voice came through.
“Yinyin, where are you? Are you safe? Do you see any danger?”
Ah Luo shook her head. When she finally remembered that her sister couldn’t see her, she quickly said, “I’m safe, Sister. I’m in a vast plain, so there’s nothing to worry about. Besides, Master already gave me a magical treasure.”
Hearing this finally allowed Lin Qingyun to relax, although she still spent a moment giving Ah Luo a few reminders before ending the communication.
Although this was Ah Luo’s first time in a hidden realm, she was familiar with the novel’s storyline and recognised this place from the novel’s descriptions of it.
It might seem like a plain, but it was actually a complex illusion, and at the center lay the formation’s core—a rare spiritual plant that the male protagonist would later find.
This place was meant for the male protagonist to increase his strength and experience. The plant that was its core would play a key role in the male and female protagonists’ budding romance.
However, by sheer coincidence, Ah Luo had arrived here earlier than he did, and she was closer to the core. According to the novel, the male protagonist would stumble upon the plant after accidentally entering the illusion. However, Ah Luo was already within the illusion.
If she was right, Gu Xingjue should be nearby. To seize the plant first, she had to act fast.
With this in mind, she mentally reviewed the plot details.
In the original storyline, Gu Xingjue had been trapped in the illusion for some time, but due to his talent with formations, he managed to find the core’s location after a day of intense study. There, he found the plant guarded by a spirit beast. After the fierce battle and suffering through severe injuries, he had no choice but to consume the plant and force himself to break through his current cultivation level.
Ah Luo’s had a goal in obtaining this plant.
Someone as powerful and detached as Lu Cang wasn’t likely to harbor feelings for any woman. He stood at the peak of the cultivation world, and there were probably none in it who could capture his attention. Ah Luo had no illusions about him growing fond of her.
Especially with the strict nature of master-disciple relationships; in this world, such a relationship was considered an unbreakable, almost familial bond. Romantic love between a master and a disciple was seen as forbidden and unnatural.
The only way she could hope to change things was to forcibly dismantle the master-disciple relationship between them and gauge Lu Cang’s reaction.
To do that, she needed this spiritual plant. Her purpose in entering the realm was solely to acquire this plan.
Her plan was to retrieve the plant and then ‘accidentally’ consume it in the hope that it might lead to a moment of intimacy with Lu Cang. If that didn’t move him, she could at least confess her feelings and let him know about her unconventional affection.
The first step to building a new relationship was breaking the old one.
As she thought this through, Ah Luo quickly found the key to breaking through the illusion. The detailed descriptions in the novel simplified things and gave her a clear path to the center of the illusion.
She used the novel’s descriptions as a guide and made it all the way to the center of the illusion formation. When she got here, the endless wilderness suddenly disappeared, and a small cave appeared in its place.
The light was dark, except for a faint beam of light coming from somewhere above. The beam of light illuminated a clear pool of water. In the center of the pool bloomed a glowing flower.
It stood above the water. Its layered crimson petals were lush and dewy, and they cast a soft red light that seemed to drape the entire cave in a faint crimson veil.
This flower, which was called the scarlet lantern flower, could strengthen one’s soul, enhance one’s willpower, and reduce the risk of creating inner demons. If combined with other plants to create a pill, it could even help resist the effects of mind-affecting treasures.
For high-level cultivators, this flower was a valuable resource; the higher one’s cultivation, the greater the risk of inner demons. Furthermore, during tribulation, inner demons often made for a critical and perilous test.
However, for those at lower levels, the flower’s effects were negligible. In the storyline, its main narrative function was simply to use its aphrodisiacal side effect to spark feelings between the male and female protagonists.
Ah Luo didn’t approach the flower recklessly. She remembered that the novel mentioned a guardian beast beside the flower.
Sure enough, after a moment, two small bubbles rose silently from beneath the glowing flower, spreading gentle ripples across the water.
Ah Luo braced herself. She held the jade bead that Lu Cang had given her tightly in her palms. The cool surface of the jade, after being held in her hand so long, had now warmed.
Despite her outward calm, she was truly anxious. The male protagonist had been gravely injured in his battle with the guardian beast even at the final level of the Foundation Establishment realm; compared to him, she was only at the seventh level of the Energy Refinement stage.
Ah Luo had observed that, among the people who entered the hidden realm, no one seemed to be below the ninth level of the Energy Refinement stage, which meant that she might just be the weakest person to ever enter this hidden realm.
“Master, I hope this treasure you gave me works,” she whispered before bringing the jade bead to her lips for a soft, hopeful kiss.
As soon as her words fell, the sound of splashing filled the air. The water burst into towering sprays as a massive black-scaled serpent surged up from the pool, jaws wide and fangs gleaming as it lunged ferociously at her.
Ah Luo’s heart pounded and she held her breath. Instinctively, she poured her spiritual energy into the jade bead.
In the blink of an eye, just as the serpent was about to strike, a tall figure in white robes appeared and stood protectively before her.
She didn’t see him move, but suddenly, he’d already frozen the serpent mid-lunge. A thin frost crept over the beast’s dark scales, and in an instant, it transformed into a solid ice sculpture. It hadn’t even grazed the hem of the figure’s robe before it shattered with a resounding crash, scattering into icy fragments that dissipated like ash.
Ah Luo blankly stared at the figure shielding her. She blinked slowly as she processed what had just happened.
“…Master?” she called out in a hesitant whisper.
The figure turned, and it was indeed Lu Cang. His face was as pale as snow, his brows as dark as ink, and his cold, penetrating gaze showed no trace of emotion.
In a steady voice, he answered, “Mm.”
Ah Luo looked up at him. Her mind was still muddled as she said, “I thought you weren’t allowed to enter the hidden realm…”
Lu Cang replied, “This is merely a projection of myself, not my true form.”
“Your… projection?” Ah Luo echoed. She was still bewildered.
Lu Cang explained plainly, “It’s a puppet of sorts. I crafted it and gave it to you. From now on, this body will be at your command and will remain by your side as your protector.”
Ah Luo finally looked up at him. She felt her heart pound faster than ever. Her once-intimidating master now appeared more accessible, and the absolute barrier between them seemed to have eased somewhat.
The joy bubbling up in her heart was nearly impossible to contain. She bit her lip and struggled to hold back a smile.