(GL) The Supporting Female Character Strategy Manual - Chapter 32

She had previously only heard that a day in the mountains equals a thousand years in the mortal world. She never imagined that in the mere blink of an eye, time would fly by, accelerating a hundredfold like a progress bar being dragged forward, pulling her straight into the twilight of her life.

Jian Tongyao was panicked beyond belief.

She had been flustered the last time she changed colors, but the visual impact had not been as terrifying as it was now. She had grown old and ugly, having unwittingly swiped away decades of her life’s youth in an instant.

“Xiao Jiu.”

“Xiao Jiu, where are you?”

Whoosh!

Before the person arrived, the sword arrived first.

Jian Tongyao covered her face, climbed up, and ran with trembling steps. She exerted all her strength to run three meters, but the Xiuxiu Sword had already shot five meters ahead with a whoosh. Realizing belatedly that she hadn’t kept up, it flew back with another whoosh.

It was so thoughtful that it made one want to cry one’s eyes out.

When Qian Wanyu found her, she saw her little old lady crying, beating her chest, and stamping her feet. If she cried for a moment longer, she would likely faint. Qian Wanyu slowed her pace and walked over slowly.

“Why are you hiding here, crying like a child? Fortunately, Xiuxiu was able to find you.”

As she spoke, she pulled the person tightly into her arms.

Jian Tongyao struggled for a long time but could not match Qian Wanyu’s strength. Exhausted and paralyzed, she said aggrievedly, “Go away, I don’t want to see you anymore.”

Qian Wanyu swept her up into a princess carry. “Be good, let’s go back.”

Jian Tongyao never expected that the first princess carry of her life would happen under these circumstances. Looking up slightly, she could still see the other party’s tightly pursed lips and sexy jawline. She thought to herself that she currently had no strength, couldn’t run fast, and had a Xiuxiu Sword by her side that was better at tracking than a dog…

“Am I about to die?”

“No.”

Qian Wanyu replied with absolute certainty, but Jian Tongyao did not believe it in the slightest. She knew her own body best. During the time she changed colors, no matter how she transformed, she remained full of energy, with inexhaustible strength. Now, however, she was like a dying old person; she couldn’t run or use her demon power.

“System, am I about to die?”

“Yes.”

Receiving the accurate answer, Jian Tongyao’s heart turned to dead ash. It wasn’t until she was resettled on that bed that she remembered she still had a mission.

The happiness progress bar was approaching full value, with only five points left.

Qian Wanyu tucked the quilt around her and, taking out a wooden comb from somewhere, combed her hair stroke by stroke. Jian Tongyao felt comfortable, even becoming somewhat drowsy. She pinched herself, forcing herself to perk up. Before this, she had just felt a bit sleepy, and once she slept… it was the end of her life.

“If you are sleepy, sleep a while. I will always be here.”

“Not sleepy.” Her eyelids kept drooping. She wanted to ask what happened to Yan Song and Yan Ying afterwards. She also wanted to know where Xiao Hui went and what that unlucky child would do without her. She also wanted to ask why the other party hadn’t stayed on Shenji Mountain to be the boss.

“Where is this?”

“Fushou Town.” Qian Wanyu held her hand and leaned by the bed, kissing it.

“I heard that those who live here receive the protection of the heavens, living a long life of a hundred years with unparalleled fortune and prosperity.”

Jian Tongyao closed her eyes and couldn’t help but want to laugh. The corners of her mouth twitched, but even smiling was incredibly strenuous. To think someone actually believed such rumors, it sounded like a lie. Besides, she didn’t even know how long she had lived. From the moment she had memories, she had been a vine.

Perhaps decades, perhaps centuries.

Unfortunately, the time she had known this person was too short, so short that she wished the heavens would grant her a few more decades of time to grow old with this person, until death.

Jian Tongyao fell into a deep sleep once more amidst her regrets.

Qian Wanyu gathered the large handful of white hair that had fallen onto the pillow, tied it with a red string, and tucked it into her bosom. Then, unhurriedly, she wiped Jian Tongyao’s body clean and changed her into fresh clothes.

“Don’t be afraid. I am here.”

Only after doing all this did she open the demon-sealing bag. The little white fox hopped out and also tilted its head to look at the aged person on the bed for a while, patting the edge of the bed with its small paws.

“Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu.”

Qian Wanyu said, “If you regret it, it is still not too late.”

The little white fox swished its tail and climbed onto the bed with a whoosh. It rested its furry little head in the hollow of Jian Tongyao’s shoulder and nuzzled her. Then, it transformed into a lively little girl. She rubbed her face against the peacefully sleeping little old lady on the bed.

“For Xiao Jiu, I am not afraid. You take it.”

The Xiuxiu at Qian Wanyu’s waist began to tremble, attempting to rush out, but was ultimately suppressed by Qian Wanyu’s spiritual power.

…

When Jian Tongyao woke up again, she looked suspiciously at the canopy of the bed. The canopy had turned into a rustic red, giving off a homely feeling, unlike an inn.

She raised her hand. Upon seeing that fair hand clearly, she bounced up from the bed in disbelief. With a light and effortless leap, she searched the room for a bronze mirror, finally seeing her youthful face in a basin filled with water. Her face was glowing with health, her skin like snow.

“I… I’m cured.”

Qian Wanyu pushed open the door and saw Jian Tongyao hopping around like a monkey.

“Xiao Jiu.”

Jian Tongyao made a fierce dash, slamming straight into the other party’s embrace and knocking her back several steps.

“I’m cured, I’m cured! I can accompany you again.”

Qian Wanyu smiled and rubbed the other party’s smooth hair. Two or three strands slipped down her hand. She did not miss them.

“Yes, thank you for being willing to stay by my side.”

Jian Tongyao was so happy she wanted to scream. Releasing Qian Wanyu from her embrace, she rushed outside, only to discover they were in an extremely unfamiliar courtyard. The courtyard was filled with flowers and plants, rich with the breath of life, and without a single weed, showing that someone was tending to it.

Qian Wanyu watched her tilt her head to size it up.

“This is the residence I newly bought. Do you like it?”

For a vine demon who had long weathered the wind and rain in the wild, having a place to settle down and live was already a blessing. Now, she not only had that but had also found the person she loved. How could she not be excited?

“I like it, I like it so much. From now on, our family of three will live here.”

The smile at the corner of Qian Wanyu’s mouth stiffened slightly.

“Xiao Jiu, let’s get married.”

Jian Tongyao turned her head abruptly, blinked once, then blinked again.

“Do you want me to marry you? But I don’t have any silver. Marrying a wife should cost a lot of silver. Wedding robes, wedding quilts, and I have to give betrothal gifts…”

All her words were blocked back by a familiar softness.

Qian Wanyu stroked the little fool’s head. “Don’t worry, I have silver. We can prepare everything we need together. We will buy whatever you like.”

Jian Tongyao’s eyes lit up. “Okay!”

Since she had slept for two rounds, it felt like she had missed most of the world. Jian Tongyao didn’t want to waste a single minute, dragging the person along to go shopping in town.

Fushou Town was close to the capital and was much more bustling than ordinary small towns. The merchants coming and going were all dressed according to the capital’s trends, and the styles of their clothes were numerous, dazzling the eyes.

Jian Tongyao was like a country bumpkin entering a village. At every shop she visited, she had to look at and touch everything one by one. Qian Wanyu accompanied her by her side, watching her make selections with eyes full of affection.

“If you like it, buy it and take it home.”

Jian Tongyao shook her head. “No, I don’t like it. I’m purely admiring it.”

#Discussion on the comparability of ancient craftsmanship and modern technology.#

After wandering until they were tired, the two found a teahouse to drink tea and listen to storytelling. The storyteller kept up with the times, telling a poignant love story about a fox spirit and a disciple of a noble family.

The eternal tragedy of love between demons and humans always aroused people’s yearning.

Unfortunately, a pair of human and demon lovers sat right below the stage.

“It is said that this fox demon was different from other foxes. Born with a short tail, she was a Fragrant Fox rarely seen in a thousand years. This kind of fox was one of a kind. It is said that the Son of Heaven fell ill with a strange disease, and the medicinal primer required was the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart of this fox. After hearing this, the master of the noble family deceived his own foolish son into agreeing to the marriage. After drugging this Fragrant Fox into a faint, he sacrificed her heart to the current Son of Heaven, thereby obtaining high official positions and rich salaries…”

Qian Wanyu frowned slightly. “We still need to buy two pieces of cloth to make wedding robes. Once you’ve chosen them, we’ll buy them and have someone make them, then choose an auspicious day to get married. How about it?”

Jian Tongyao was obviously a bit distracted.

“Okay, okay. I like whatever you like.”

When the two left, the storyteller’s tale had risen and fallen towards its conclusion. The audience below applauded. Some sighed with regret, some cursed, and some secretly wept for the infatuated fox spirit.

Jian Tongyao followed behind Qian Wanyu like a little wife for several steps before finally asking the question she hadn’t had time to ask.

“Where is Xiao Hui? I haven’t seen her since I woke up. Where did she go?”

Qian Wanyu’s eyes darkened. When she turned her head again, her face was full of smiles.

“You were in a coma and wouldn’t wake up, so I let Xiao Hui roam at the foot of Shenji Mountain. One day, she met her relatives. Seeing that her tail had grown fully, the fox demon clan took her away. Xiao Jiu, you wouldn’t be reluctant to let her leave, would you?”

Hearing this, Jian Tongyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“So she went back to the fox clan. That’s great. Scared me to death.”

The story told by that storyteller just now really had a nose and eyes to it, almost as if he was using Xiao Hui’s prototype to tell the matter.

“These storytellers really know how to make up stories. No wonder people say fiction comes from life. These words really have some truth to them. But Xiao Hui is different from that unlucky fox spirit. Xiao Hui’s tail grew out. She is the same as a normal fox demon.”

She was not some rare Fragrant Fox of the world, nor could her heart serve as a medicinal primer.

Qian Wanyu took her hand and squeezed it lightly.

“She will definitely live very well in the fox clan. No one will bully her in the future. You can be at ease.”

Jian Tongyao nodded, her steps light and brisk.

“Absolutely. If those fox demons bully her, I’ll bring her back to live with us again. It’s a pity she can’t attend our wedding.”

Qian Wanyu took her desolate expression into her eyes. Quickly selecting a few bolts of bright-colored cloth and designating them to be made into two sets of wedding robes, she hurriedly returned home.

Jian Tongyao asked questions all the way back, pouring out all the questions she had wanted to ask before in one go. Qian Wanyu answered them all patiently.

“After Junior Sister Jiang Qin returned, I unloaded my heavy burden. I had a reason I had to leave, because I want to live a good life with you, this little demon.”

Shenji Mountain did not allow little demons to go up the mountain. Although Qian Wanyu had placed righteousness above family loyalty by killing her Master and Yan Ying, she herself had violated the sect rules. Being able to leave safely was the last bit of dignity Shenji Mountain gave her, their Senior Sister.

From this day forward, she could never go back.