I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 38

The resounding question lingered in the vast and silent snowfield, carried far on the wind. For a moment, even the falling snowflakes seemed to pause.

All around the snowy expanse, countless cultivators hovered at varying distances and observed the scene intently.

Every pair of eyes was fixed on the pair before them: the Daoist master Lu Cang, cold and austere as snow in his white robes and silver hair, and the delicate young girl in pink, Lin Luoyin, held tightly in his arms.

It was only now that many realised Lu Cang had such a young disciple. For years, she had remained obscure, only to make her mark on the sect in this shocking, unforgettable scene. Her name, which was previously unknown, had suddenly become infamous—she had been quiet for so long, only to erupt in a blaze of sensation at this moment.

Hearing the sect leader’s question, Ah Luo’s face turned pale. Her heart skipped a beat, and her instinctive reaction was to deny it outright. “No, Sect Leader, you misunderstand. Master only came to rescue me. There’s absolutely no improper relationship between us!”

A romance between a master and disciple in this world was akin to incest—a scandal so disgraceful that it would invite widespread ridicule and contempt.

She could not allow her master to bear such a stain on his reputation. He was a man of unmatched pride and strength, revered by all as the untouchable Daoist master. Ah Luo couldn’t imagine him being subjected to the jeers and curses of others.

He had been pure and untainted for his entire life. From the moment he had been born, he had been destined to stand high above the world’s turmoil, looking down on the masses from a distant mountaintop. He was not meant to be dragged into the mire, sullied by a stigma that could never be washed away.

Ah Luo loved him deeply, and because she loved him, she could not bear to see such a fate befall him.

Immortal Dao Yuan let out a faint sigh of relief. However, his expression remained stern as he said, “Is that so? Lu Cang, do you agree with what Lin Luoyin has said?”

Unless absolutely necessary, the sect leader was reluctant to confront Lu Cang. Lu Cang was not only a renowned Daoist master but also Guiyuan Sect’s greatest protector and trump card. Over the years, he had eradicated numerous powerful demonic cultivators, which greatly elevated the sect’s prestige and brought it substantial benefits.

For this reason, even after Lu Cang killed Elder Li Yu, Immortal Dao Yuan chose to downplay the incident. However, the romance between master and disciple was a scandal that the cultivation world could not tolerate. Even if Immortal Dao Yuan were willing to overlook it, the sect’s elders, who had lived for thousands of years, would not. To uphold the sect’s honour, they would never allow such a disgraceful matter to occur.

As Immortal Dao Yuan’s words faded into the air, Lu Cang remained silent.

The moments stretched into a suffocating stillness.

Ah Luo panicked. She struggled to get down as she tugged on her master’s robes and, while whispering, pleaded, “Master, please say something!”

Lu Cang’s long lashes trembled faintly. Then, all of a sudden, he lifted his gaze. With one arm, he pulled his young disciple tightly against him, and with the other, he extended his hand. A sword formed of crystalline ice and snow appeared in his grasp, shimmering like glass.

“Come then,” he said coldly while pointing the blade directly at Immortal Dao Yuan and the elders. His eyes glinted with a piercing light as he declared, “Yes, I, Lu Cang, have feelings for Lin Luoyin. If you wish to stop me, then you’ll have to go through my sword!”

In that instant, the wind and snow stilled, and an absolute silence fell over the world.

Ah Luo’s eyes widened as she stared at him in stunned disbelief. Her ears echoed with nothing but the frantic, accelerating thrum of her heartbeat.

He had admitted it. In front of all these people, he had confessed his feelings, effectively renouncing his unblemished reputation and choosing her without hesitation.

A flood of complex emotions surged through Ah Luo’s heart, and bittersweet tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She knew all too well that acknowledging such a forbidden relationship meant they might not leave the sect alive. Guiyuan Sect would never allow them to be together. They would undoubtedly use every means to stop them, likely silencing them permanently to maintain the sect’s reputation.

Yet, in that moment, Ah Luo found herself not caring anymore. What did death matter?

In the hidden realm, she had believed she would die, but the thought of dying in the arms of the puppet her master had given her had filled her with a strange sense of peace.

Now, held in her real master’s embrace, after hearing him declare his feelings and defy the world for her, she felt that even if only death awaited them, she could face it with a smile.

The crowd erupted into chaos. Sharp gasps filled the air as murmurs and heated discussions broke out among the cultivators.

At the very moment, Lu Cang’s words fell, the vast snowfield underwent another dramatic transformation. The ice cracked, the frost melted, and the tall cherry blossom tree behind him soared higher. Its roots spread, splitting the frozen ground with thunderous cracks. Pink petals filled the air, turning the once-pristine snowfield into an ocean of vibrant pink.

His Ice and Snow Dao domain had finally succumbed to an irreparable fracture.

When had it all begun?

At first, it was nothing more than a fleeting moment of pity for a trembling young girl kneeling before him—a passing impulse, a minor act of kindness not worth mentioning.

Perhaps, at that very moment, a tiny sprout had emerged from the snowy ground—a tender green shoot pushing through the frost.

In the hidden realm, his silent indulgence of her had been more than just allowing her proximity. It wasn’t just her ragged breaths and whispered confessions that reached him; he had also heard the cracks spreading through his Dao heart.

Each instance of self-indulgence had been another blow to his Dao heart’s integrity.

Eventually, he attempted to halt the inevitable by withdrawing his puppet and entering closed-door cultivation. He had thought that if he could persist, perhaps they might return to their previous relationship. However, he failed.

When he awoke from seclusion and realised her dire situation, his first instinct had been to rescue her. In that instant, he heard the thunderous roar of avalanches and melting ice within his Dao domain.

Now, while standing before the world, he had admitted aloud that he loved her.

At that moment, Lu Cang’s Ice and Snow Dao domain collapsed completely.

A distant voice called out mockingly, “Lu Cang, your Ice and Snow Dao is shattered. Why persist in your delusions?”

Lu Cang’s tone remained indifferent as he stood tall. His strikingly handsome features were still cold and impassive. While holding his sword, he replied, “Even without the Ice and Snow Dao, I can still defeat all of you.”

“Hmph! Such arrogance!”

The speaker scoffed but still hesitated to approach. Lu Cang’s title of Daoist Master was not one bestowed lightly; he was born with a Dao constitution, which enabled him to master countless Dao techniques. Without his Ice and Snow Dao, he still had the Sword Dao, the Killing Dao, and the Life-and-Death Dao.

Yet everyone understood that these were secondary paths. Lu Cang’s true core Dao, his ultimate essence, was the Ice and Snow Dao. Now that it had shattered, his cultivation base would inevitably decline over time. They planned to bide their time and strike once his strength waned.

The elders blocking his path shared this unspoken strategy.

Lu Cang understood his condition better than anyone. While gripping his sword tightly, he advanced forward. The group retreated bit by bit; they were clearly intending to delay and outlast him.

But he had no intention of waiting. If they would not fight, he would force their hand. Only by overwhelming the world with his power could he and his disciple carve a path out of this encirclement, and he was running out of time.

Lu Cang took a single step forward. He vanished in a blur and reappeared instantaneously in front of one of the elders. Before the elder could react, Lu Cang’s sword pierced through his inner core.

The elder’s expression froze in disbelief and shock, but by then, his consciousness had already fled his body.

“Lu Cang! You dare!” another voice roared, laden with fury and fear.

“Either let us leave, or come and fight!” Lu Cang’s voice echoed coldly across the snowfield.

“Fine! Since you’re so insistent, don’t blame us for being ruthless!”

The group of elders exchanged glances, their faces grim. Then, as one, they launched their attack. In that brief moment, a gentle force enveloped Ah Luo, lifting her from the battlefield and placing her safely on the outskirts.

Clad in his pristine white robes, Lu Cang gripped his crystalline sword as his full might was unleashed without any restraint.

The overwhelming pressure swept through dozens of miles, toppling trees and sending birds and beasts to the ground. Nearby cultivators were caught off guard and fell to their knees. Their lower cultivation bases were no match for Lu Cang’s suffocating aura. Some coughed up blood and fainted.

However, Ah Luo—despite her meagre cultivation, remained unaffected. The oppressive force seemed to deliberately bypass her.

Lu Cang and the elders, all in the Great Ascension stage, moved with such speed that Ah Luo could barely follow their movements. All she could see were countless afterimages darting across the sky. Occasionally, one of the figures would plummet like a broken kite, crashing to the ground.

Each time someone fell from the battle, Ah Luo’s heart would tighten. However, none of them was her master.

She counted silently, one by one. By the time thirteen had fallen, only one figure remained in the sky.

A towering, imposing figure stood alone. The once-pristine white of his robes was streaked with blood. His face was pale as death, his dark eyes laced with red veins, and his translucent sword now gleamed crimson with blood.

“Who else dares? I, Lu Cang, will face you all to the end!” 

His defiant voice rang out, echoing in the silence. However, no one answered.

Ah Luo gazed up at him, and her tense body finally relaxed. Tears welled up in her eyes but were replaced by a soft, prideful smile. Her heart swelled with admiration and awe.

This was her master—a powerful and unparalleled man.

As if sensing her gaze, Lu Cang lowered his head. His piercing eyes locked onto hers.

His snow-white hair fluttered in the wind. His robes billowed against the sky. In that moment, the cold and aloof Daoist master seemed like a god, detached from human emotions and desires.

“Master…”

A sudden fear gripped Ah Luo’s heart. She was terrified that he might vanish, carried away by the wind like a fleeting apparition.

However, as soon as the thought surfaced, Lu Cang’s figure blurred, and he appeared before her. He dragged his sword along the ground while he moved slowly and stiffly towards her. When he stopped in front of her, he extended his broad, slender hand and leaned slightly forward to her. In a low, hoarse voice, he said, “Come.”

Ah Luo placed her hand in his, and he clasped it tightly before pulling her into his arms.

A fallen elder, sprawled on the ground, rasped, “Lu Cang, you and your disciple have defied the natural order. You’ve committed an unforgivable sin against the heavens. You will meet a terrible end!”

Lu Cang’s voice was icy as he responded, “If the heavens cannot tolerate me, then let the heavens punish me. I, Lu Cang, have no fear!”

With one arm wrapped firmly around Ah Luo’s waist, he ascended into the sky. While carrying her, he soared swiftly in a chosen direction, leaving Guiyuan Sect far behind.

Ah Luo nestled in his arms and clung to his neck. She leaned closer and tried to glimpse his face while saying, “Master, are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Lu Cang raised a hand to cradle the back of her head. Gently but firmly, he pressed her face into his shoulder. His voice was low and gravelly as he said, “I’m fine.”

His refusal to let her see him only deepened Luo’s concern.

While she rested her cheek against his neck, her voice trembled with suppressed sobs. “Master, you’ve done all this for me. You were a revered Daoist master, admired by countless people, and now, because of me, you’ll face their scorn. This is all my fault…

“From the moment you said those words, I’ve stopped wishing for anything more in this life. What I wanted most, I’ve already obtained. I admire you. I’ve always admired you. I only want you to be well, to remain as you were—high above, revered by all. You’ve lived a life of purity. Why, at the very last moment, would you tarnish yourself for my sake?”

She couldn’t stop her tears from falling. The warm droplets fell onto his cool skin and seared him like they were fire.

Lu Cang remained silent and only lowered his gaze slightly. His dark eyes shifted to a deep crimson, and his lips trembled faintly. When he finally spoke, his voice was slow and deliberate, but each word he said cut sharply through the air.

“I cannot lie to my heart. I tried to suppress it, to deny it, but the torment of inner demons nearly consumed me.

“And now, I have accepted it. I, indeed, harbour forbidden feelings for you. This is my choice, and it is not your responsibility to bear.”