(GL) The Supporting Female Character Strategy Manual - Chapter 39

Jian Tongyao divided her attention. Her eyes followed the lively figure of Qian Jiujiu bouncing around, while her mind spun through memories of every conversation they had about the little golden dragon. She remembered it clearly now. Every time the topic came up, Dingding would begin to speak but always hesitated and held back. Just as the words were about to be spoken, she would stop. In the end, the topic would always be left hanging.

Back in the day, Dingding had still been a weapon spirit. She was direct, never hiding her feelings. If she liked something, she showed it. If she disliked something, she said so. She had always been completely open with Jian Tongyao. She had never kept a secret from her, not even once, and had never told a single lie throughout all those years.

Who would have thought that times would change? Even that once-honest little cutie had learned to hide things.

“Dingding, do you think that little golden dragon might have been kidnapped?”

“Mm…”

“Why don’t you help us locate her? When we find her, we’ll just tie her up and bring her back. A disobedient brat like that might start behaving after a few beatings.”

The more Jian Tongyao spoke, the more feasible the idea seemed. Over the past two centuries, just so her little Jiu could have a rival to chase, both children had trained until they were nearly evenly matched. If they both went all out, it would be an even fight.

“Xiao Jiu, beat her.”

“…”

Jian Tongyao frowned. From Dingding’s tone, filled with gritted-teeth frustration, it did not seem like she was hiding anything. Could she have been mistaken?

“Master, Master, look!”

Once they left the Lingshen Sect, they soon arrived at Immortal Path Town at the foot of the mountain. The town was dotted with small workshops, each selling a colorful variety of goods that dazzled the eyes. For Qian Jiujiu, who had never stepped foot outside Lingjiu Mountain before, this was a land of temptations.

Jian Tongyao watched her charge into the crowd with excited leaps, following at a leisurely pace. She took a pouch of gold coins from her storage bag.

“Whatever Jiu likes, we’ll buy it.”

Qian Jiujiu saw the gold coins and instantly thought of the cramped spot where that little golden dragon liked to hole up. She wrinkled her nose with disgust.

“No.”

Jian Tongyao, “???”

Qian Jiujiu affectionately linked her arm through hers and tugged her forward. “Master should buy it.”

Jian Tongyao laughed helplessly. Of course, she melted under this tactic. In the past, her Seventh Sister always bought everything for her. Now the tables had turned. Finally, it was her turn.

They first visited a small workshop that specialized in cloth, where they commissioned a few sets of clothes. The outfit Qian Jiujiu wore had been infused with spiritual energy. It was always a vivid red, blazing like a ball of fire. Jian Tongyao planned to make several more for her, covering the full spectrum of seven colors, with three sets in each hue.

Qian Jiujiu gave her sleeve a gentle tug, her wide eyes blinking with hopeful anticipation.

“Master Jiu.”

Jian Tongyao felt her blood rush at those eyes full of dependence. She fought down the urge to scoop her up and instead reached out to straighten the girl’s loose strands of hair, ruffled from all her running.

“You don’t like them?”

Qian Jiujiu instinctively rubbed her face against her palm. The warmth of her skin passed through her.

“The colors I just chose, please make three sets in Master’s size as well.”

Jian Tongyao lit up. If they went out wearing matching clothes, wouldn’t that be couple’s outfits?

“Alright. We’ll do it your way.”

Along the way, Qian Jiujiu gravitated toward anything bright and colorful. She toyed with each item under the merchants’ hopeful gazes, only to toss them aside after a quick look. Her taste screamed of spoiled indifference.

Jian Tongyao noticed a stall hawking candied hawthorn skewers. The glossy, sugar-coated fruits were a deep red that made the mouth water. She bought two sticks. Qian Jiujiu took one in each hand, tasted each in turn, and squinted from the sourness. But she still smiled and held one out to her.

“Master, eat.”

Jian Tongyao took a small bite. A faint spiritual energy sparkled on her tongue. She laughed in surprise.

“They’ve really blended in with the locals here.”

Qian Jiujiu clearly had little interest in food. After finishing both skewers, her curiosity dwindled. Cultivators rarely needed to eat anyway. Tasting was just for fun.

Seeing her boredom, Jian Tongyao brought her to the Treasure Pavilion. It was a chain store that offered a wide variety of valuable items such as tools, pills, and divine artifacts. As long as one had the coin, they could take home whatever they liked.

“Jiu, have a look. Whatever you like, Master will buy.”

“Jiu.”

Phoenixes, like dragons, loved collecting treasure. The shinier the better. After following Qian Jiujiu around, Jian Tongyao had a decent grasp of her preferences.

“Please bring out all the treasures that assist with cultivating fire spirits. This includes pills, divine tools, rare herbs, and anything else related. And if you have any colorful accessories, bring those too.”

Jian Tongyao kept her spiritual pressure hidden, so her level couldn’t be seen. But the clerk’s eyes were sharp. One look at the inconspicuous storage pouch on her waist, and they hurried to bring out all their most valuable wares.

There was an old umbrella, a fireball sealed under a glass dome, and several round pearls.

Jian Tongyao’s gaze was immediately drawn to the agitated ball of fire.

“Jiu, come look at this.”

Qian Wanyu’s eyes had already been locked onto it. As a fire spirit herself, the pull was undeniable. Even with the barrier between them, the attraction was strong.

“That one.”

The attendant beamed and began to explain.

“This is the Fire Soul, extracted from the Heart of the Earth Lotus. It takes five hundred years to bloom just once. You two have excellent taste. It’s lucky to have caught your eye. As for this umbrella, though it looks worn, it’s called the Soul-Cutting Umbrella. It can withstand three strikes of heavenly lightning.”

Qian Jiujiu saw Jian Tongyao glance longingly at the umbrella and instantly hurled a fireball at it. The attendants jumped in fright. But the flame fizzled out the moment it touched the umbrella. Only then did Qian Jiujiu nod in satisfaction.

“Want it.”

Jian Tongyao picked up the pearls on the last tray. They were thumb-sized, round, and smooth like pearls.

“These can’t be ordinary. Tell me.”

The attendant didn’t play coy.

“These are Heart-Stealing Bells of the Bi Flame. They were once a set of eight, but now only five remain.”

“Heart-Stealing Bells.”

“Yes.”

Jian Tongyao bought everything in one go. Along the way, she also managed to buy a piece of information.

After they left, one of the attendants asked, “Why did you reveal the location of the Earth Lotus? Aren’t you afraid the supervisor will blame you?”

The other smiled meaningfully.

“This was a favor to the Lingshen Sect. Even if the supervisor finds out, he won’t mind. Besides, the Fire Soul takes five hundred years to form. The last one has already been harvested. Even if they rush there now, it’s unlikely they’ll gain anything. What can they do, scoop up the lava itself?”

Jian Tongyao was in high spirits. Beside her, Qian Jiujiu stubbornly insisted on holding the umbrella for her. Though it looked old, the surface had clearly been repaired and could easily block both wind and rain.

“Jiu, do you like this umbrella?”

It didn’t match a little phoenix’s taste at all. Qian Jiujiu pouted and had to tiptoe just to hold it up properly.

“Master likes it.”

Seeing her struggle, Jian Tongyao scooped her up and wrapped an arm around her waist, casually taking the umbrella.

“Let’s find a place to absorb the Fire Soul. Then you’ll be able to hold the umbrella for Master.”

The little phoenix had grown just a little taller over the past two hundred years. Her feathers had shed and regrown countless times. The phoenix bloodline in her body was purer than ever. Jian Tongyao believed that with continued cultivation, she would eventually find the right path.

“Jiu, why are you so determined to find Ling Yan?”

Jian Tongyao never had a great impression of Ling Yan, the original world’s female lead.

Qian Jiujiu’s eyes went wide. She clenched her tiny fists.

“To beat her up.”

“…”

Her Seventh Sister never forgot a grudge. Anyone who had wronged her would be remembered in a little notebook. And once she rose again, she’d settle each score one by one.

Still the same old Seventh Sister.

But this version was too cute. Every bit of her petty temper showed on her face.

Jian Tongyao couldn’t help it. She rubbed the top of her little phoenix’s soft head.

“Absorb the Fire Soul first. Then we’ll go beat her. Alright?”

Qian Jiujiu quickly released the bouncing, energetic Fire Soul. But it was clever, born after five centuries. The moment it came out, it shot far away.

Jian Tongyao swiftly formed a barrier around them. Qian Jiujiu played chase for several days, running after it like a game of hide-and-seek. In the end, frustrated, she swallowed it whole and sat down to cultivate.

Jian Tongyao guarded her the entire time, keeping watch for over a full month.

The distinct tuft of feathers on Qian Jiujiu’s head now held a faint shimmer of new color. It wasn’t obvious, but Jian Tongyao noticed the soft touch nuzzling her cheek.

“Our little Jiu is getting prettier again.”

Qian Jiujiu’s cheeks flushed. She buried her face in the curve of Jian Tongyao’s neck. After a long while, she shook her wings.

Jian Tongyao noticed the change at the base of her phoenix tail first. A tiny new feather trailed behind her. She couldn’t resist touching it.

Qian Jiujiu’s whole body trembled. She quickly buried her face in her wings, curling up into a small ball.

Was she shy? Angry?

Probably shy. If she were angry, she would have pecked.

It was the first time Jian Tongyao had seen her act like an ostrich. She barely held back her laughter. Her fingers weaved through her feathers, making the little one tremble even more. Her head tucked deeper.

“Our little Jiu is almost a grown girl now.”

She hadn’t even realized it. Her little phoenix had already left the fledgling stage and was stepping into the next. Once the tail feathers fully grew in, she would undergo a complete transformation into a true phoenix.

Jian Tongyao teased her for a while. When Qian Jiujiu still wouldn’t come out of her wings, she cleared her throat.

“Jiu, Ling Yan is currently in the Yunyan Sect. Do you still want to find her?”

Qian Jiujiu’s head popped up at once. Her eyes turned sharp, though her flushed cheeks made her look less convincing.

“Jiu!!!”

Alright then.

Ling Yan had basically become her Seventh Sister’s obsession. The sooner they resolved it, the better. That way, her little Jiu wouldn’t be thinking about other people all the time.

Yunyan Sect was second only to the Lingshen Sect. After being rejected twice at the Lingshen gates, Ling Yan had no choice but to turn to Yunyan for a teacher. Fortunately, her bloodline was excellent. She was now the chief disciple under the sect leader, receiving top-tier training and resources.

Jian Tongyao wasn’t impressed. No matter how much training she received, it wouldn’t compare to the Lingshen Sect. Not to mention that in just two hundred years, her little Jiu had exhausted an entire fire spiritual vein. Along the way, she hadn’t even bothered encouraging her.

To Jian Tongyao, this would be a decisive victory. It was practically guaranteed.

Until she saw Ling Yan, who was now even larger than Qian Jiujiu.

Jian Tongyao, “…”

Qian Jiujiu sat upright on her shoulder with a serious look on her face.

Author’s Note:

Xiao Jiu: What the heck did she eat to grow like that?

Seventh Sister: Jiu. Has no will to live.JPG