(GL) The Supporting Female Character Strategy Manual - Chapter 28

The little white fox spent all day jumping around, chasing after Xiuxiu Sword. One demon and one sword became fast friends within just a few days and didn’t settle down even while traveling on the road.

For instance, stealing chickens.

For instance, hunting birds.

For instance, catching mice.

Every time the little white fox and Xiuxiu Sword went out for a round, they would first seek out Jian Tongyao to help destroy some evidence. She had long grown accustomed to it and skillfully pulled out a white cloth to gently wipe away the bloodstains on the sword.

“Xiuxiu, if one day she catches you and Xiao Hui in the act, don’t you dare betray me.”

Qian Wanyu stood not far away holding some fruit. “Betray you for what?”

Jian Tongyao was so startled that she quickly tucked away the cloth and desperately winked at Xiuxiu Sword and the little white fox. The former reacted lightning fast, but the latter stood there stupidly holding two completely dead wild chickens that hadn’t yet been plucked and cleaned.

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

Qian Wanyu calmly glanced at those two wild chickens. “Come over and have a fruit to quench your thirst.”

Jian Tongyao had winked until she was exhausted. Not only did the little white fox fail to understand her meaning, but she even happily bounded over to them and presented the two wild chickens as if claiming credit.

“Xiao Jiu, eat chicken!”

Jian Tongyao thought, Eat, eat, eat. What a useless pig friend who drags everyone down.

Jian Tongyao guiltily hid the two wild chickens that had been pierced through the heart by a single sword strike behind her back.

“Xiao Hui loves eating chicken. She gets terribly restless if she doesn’t have it for a meal.”

Qian Wanyu handed her a green fruit. “What do you like to eat most?”

Since transforming into human form, Jian Tongyao would take small tastes of whatever food she encountered. Qian Wanyu had traveled with her all the way from Linchuan County but had never seen the little vine demon show particular fondness for any food. Unlike that little fox demon, who was not only obsessed with all kinds of chicken but could also eat just about anything else, with a stomach like a bottomless pit.

When passing through small towns and county seats, they could still go to inns for a hearty meal. On ordinary days out in these desolate wilderness areas, the little fox demon hunted for food on her own.

Qian Wanyu turned a blind eye to this.

Jian Tongyao looked worriedly at the fruit in her palm. She could eat any food except that she had no tolerance for sourness.

Qian Wanyu glanced at her. “It’s sweet.”

Jian Tongyao took a small taste. The sweet and refreshing flavor immediately rushed to her tongue, much like crispy dates. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she ate three more before settling down. She watched as Qian Wanyu slowly and methodically savored a red fruit, her lips stained with the fresh crimson juice that looked like a quietly blooming rose.

She suddenly recalled the taste from that night when she first sampled it. But after that night, Qian Wanyu’s attitude had immediately undergone a complete 180-degree change and returned to its initial state of strangeness. Aside from necessary exchanges while traveling, all other times she would hold the Xiuxiu Sword and space out or keep watch at night. The sense of distance emanating from her could reject people from a thousand miles away.

Jian Tongyao had instead figured out one thing. She wanted this person.

So, following her demon heart, she couldn’t help but shift closer to where Qian Wanyu sat. While moving, she observed the surrounding situation and was especially on guard against sudden attacks from the little white fox and Xiuxiu Sword.

“The fruit in your hand looks delicious. I want to taste it.”

Qian Wanyu hesitated with an indescribable expression as if wanting to speak but holding back. “Are you sure you want to taste it?”

Jian Tongyao’s heart pounded like a drum. Here it comes again.

Every time she moved closer to the other person, that excited feeling that made her whole body tremble would surge up from the bottom of her heart, leaving her parched. She could almost confirm she had been poisoned by this person named Qian Wanyu. The other party was like a blooming poppy flower carrying the allure of ultimate destruction, tempting her to approach recklessly again and again.

She leaned over, bypassing the half-eaten red fruit in the other’s hand. Tilting her head slightly upward, she pressed against the place she had been dreaming about day and night these past days. With an almost masochistic gaze fixed on the shock coloring the other’s face, she wickedly nibbled and teased before withdrawing. Still unsatisfied, she licked the corner of her lips.

“What I most want to eat is you.”

Thud.

The fruit in Qian Wanyu’s hand fell to the ground and rolled twice, completely inedible now.

Her eyes darkened as she stared intently at the little vine demon’s cherry-like mouth opening and closing as if inviting her to taste. Her long arm swept out to pull the person who was preparing to retreat back into her embrace and pressed down heavily. Just as things were becoming passionate and chaotic, Jian Tongyao felt a pain on her lips. She had been bitten hard.

Jian Tongyao quickly pushed the person away and complained with an aggrieved expression. “You bit me.”

Qian Wanyu subconsciously licked the taste of the other’s blood, which carried a faint fresh fragrance of plants and trees, exactly the same as in her memory.

“You wicked little demon.”

Ding!

The long-absent happiness value flashed and increased by fifteen points.

If the happiness progress bar hadn’t reminded me, I would have almost forgotten about my mission. But what’s so wicked about me? I just can’t control myself.

With beauty nearby dangling in front of my eyes every day, being able to endure these past days is already my limit.

Jian Tongyao also found it baffling. It seemed like there was nothing wrong with liking someone of the same sex, and she was particularly fixated on it.

Ugh, I seem to have become a lustful vine without even realizing it myself.

The wound on Jian Tongyao’s mouth quickly healed on its own. She absentmindedly picked up a red fruit and took a bite. Her delicate brows immediately scrunched up like trembling caterpillars. Qian Wanyu took out another green fruit and exchanged it for the red fruit in the other’s hand, eating it with an unchanged expression.

These past days, green fruits went to her, and red fruits went to Qian Wanyu.

Jian Tongyao had thought that…

She stared blankly at the green fruit in her hand for a long while. A little sweetness quietly sprouted in her heart. Recalling that bite just now, the sour and sweet taste had a special flavor. It seemed that sour fruits weren’t so unacceptable after all.

That evening, the little white fox’s belly was once again stuffed round. She slept carelessly sprawled across a tree trunk. To prevent falling off, her long tail wrapped around the trunk twice, with the white tip of her tail twitching.

Qian Wanyu kept watch by the campfire while sitting with her sword. Whenever they were outdoors along the way, it was basically like this. Because Jian Tongyao had been burned by fire before, she feared it and always avoided it from a distance.

After that earlier bite, looking at that flower on the high peak reflected in the firelight, Jian Tongyao’s lustful heart stirred restlessly again. Thin vines rustled down the tree toward where Qian Wanyu sat. Qian Wanyu’s ears twitched but the demon-slaying sword in her embrace remained completely still.

Qian Wanyu sat with closed eyes, digesting the drop of blood she had swallowed earlier. The bite she had made was to punish the little seductress who kept making her heart flutter with anxiety. Unexpectedly, not only did the other’s leaves contain tremendous spiritual power, but her blood was the same as well.

If other people or demons learned of this…

Jian Tongyao first tested the waters by circling around the other’s ankles and wrists, gently caressing them. Seeing that the person didn’t object, she immediately pushed her luck and went deeper.

Just as the vine’s claw was about to reach her chest, Qian Wanyu suddenly wrapped it with her hand and pulled. Following the vine to find its source, she yanked the person over. The latter not only showed no remorse but shyly threw herself into her embrace. Her soft body clung on like it had no bones.

This was an entirely different concept from the thin vines playfully coiling around.

“Xiao Jiu.”

“You also like me, don’t you?”

Jian Tongyao had been uncertain before, but now she was absolutely certain. This person was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, cold-faced but kind-hearted. If she truly didn’t like her, she would have long ago swung her demon-slaying sword and chopped her in half. That would naturally be more effective than any kind of driving away. How could she repeatedly allow her to get close and blatantly take advantage?

Qian Wanyu froze. The hand pulling at the other paused briefly. Just as she was about to let go, the other party seized the opportunity. Their ten fingers interlocked and pressed together.

Jian Tongyao used half her body sitting in the other’s lap to twist and turn, actually pushing her down to the ground. Those bright eyes flashed with determination.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it. Who made me like you? I like you terribly.”

Qian Wanyu pressed her lips tightly together, her brow twitching. As those vines nimbly began to undo her clothes, she warned through gritted teeth.

“You little demon really are… Do you know what my identity is?”

Jian Tongyao’s face was flushed red, and she was even somewhat embarrassed.

“I didn’t expect you to be so eager. Well then, verifying your identity now is still in time.”

Qian Wanyu, “…”

Countless vines wove into a cage, isolating everything watching from the darkness. The burning firelight flickered bright and dim, only reflecting two entangled figures with you in me and me in you…

The next day.

The little white fox fell from the tree and landed in a daze. Lifting her head, she spotted the large ball woven from vines not far away. She rubbed her bottom and limped over. First, she discovered the lonely Xiuxiu Sword about five meters away. “Xiuxiu.”

Xiuxiu Sword listlessly shook and then flopped to the ground with a thud.

The little white fox circled around the vine sphere several times.

“Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu.”

The vines rustled open automatically. Jian Tongyao lay contentedly on Qian Wanyu’s back. Their clothes were even more tidy than usual, only their dark hair was stained with quite a bit of green.

Qian Wanyu pressed her lips tightly together.

“I’m going to find water to wash up.”

Jian Tongyao watched her figure flee in near panic and couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased. She glanced at the happiness value progress bar. Yesterday, it had dinged several times, but she had been too busy to look.

With this glance, she froze completely in place.

It had increased by thirty points in one night.

She only needed fifteen more points of happiness value to complete this mission.

Jian Tongyao felt it was too surreal. She pinched herself several times before confirming this wasn’t a dream. Thinking back to the act of refusing yet welcoming that had played out yesterday, she deeply felt she had been tricked and deceived.

“If I had known this, I should have made my move much earlier.”

When Qian Wanyu returned, she found her pounding her chest and stamping her feet, her expression deep with regret.

Her heart skipped. “What happened?”

Jian Tongyao looked at her with a melancholy gaze and sighed heavily.

The one who falls in love first loses from the start.

Qian Wanyu glanced at the bewildered little white fox and Xiuxiu Sword lying on the ground, playing dead. She could only gather their things first and continue on their way.

“After traveling for a few more days, we’ll be able to reach the foot of Shenji Mountain.”

Shenji Mountain was where Qian Wanyu had grown up. She had also deliberated carefully before temporarily deciding to face her own heart honestly.

Jian Tongyao was distracted and just hummed in agreement to whatever the other said.

Qian Wanyu saw her absent-minded state. Only when everyone was resting did she pull the person aside.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Jian Tongyao’s recovery ability was top-notch. She could handle several more rounds without issue. However, facing this person’s blatant concern, she lowered her head and muttered extremely quietly.

“Yes, you used too much force last night. You made me hurt so much.”

It had been like a violent storm that nearly swallowed her whole.

A suspicious red color appeared on Qian Wanyu’s eternally unchanged face. Before she could properly soothe this seductive little vine demon, she heard the other quietly suggest, “So… can I be the one next time?”

Author’s Notes:

Seventh Sister: Absolutely not!

Just how many vines does a vine demon have? One, two…