(GL) The Supporting Female Character Strategy Manual - Chapter 40

If one had to compare the bloodlines of the two phoenix chicks by size and the softness of their feathers, then under Jian Tongyao’s meticulous care, Qian Jiujiu was actually smaller than Ling Yan?

That didn’t make sense.

Jian Tongyao even started to question her entire worldview.

Qian Jiujiu seemed to sense something. She began hopping on Jian Tongyao’s shoulders, stepping on the left, then the right. After this energetic little performance, she affectionately nuzzled Jian Tongyao’s cheek. Then, with a flutter, she flew out from under the Soul-Cutting Umbrella and, in a flash, transformed into a slim young girl dressed in red.

“Ling Yan, let us have a match.”

“You—”

Ling Yan looked Qian Jiujiu up and down. Compared to the scrawny, often bullied clown bird from before, this version of Qian Jiujiu had undergone such a transformation in aura and strength that it could only be described as a world of difference. Once she confirmed Qian Jiujiu’s identity, Ling Yan’s demeanor turned cold and her expression grew disdainful.

“So it was you.”

Such a shift in attitude didn’t escape Jian Tongyao’s notice. Ling Yan had been the original protagonist of this world and naturally possessed a deep-rooted sense of pride, which was entirely justified. She had always enjoyed a smooth cultivation path, possessed the purest phoenix bloodline, and had the protection of Jian Tongyao, the Lingshen Sect’s cherished mascot. She was a beloved daughter of destiny.

But now? That bird was merely accepted into Yunyan Sect. The Phoenix Trial was not yet decided, and everything was still up in the air. What right did she have to look down on Jiu?

Jian Tongyao subtly twisted the Soul-Cutting Umbrella to distract herself from the growing itch in her hands.

Ling Yan ignored Qian Jiujiu’s challenge and instead focused her attention on Jian Tongyao, who was still holding the umbrella. Jian Tongyao had disguised herself before arriving. Her previously stunning face had been dulled into plainness, her cultivation barely detectable. At a glance, she looked like just another forgettable stranger one might pass on the road.

Qian Jiujiu noticed that Ling Yan was staring unblinkingly at her master and angrily bounced over, puffing up her chest.

“Are you too scared to fight?”

Ling Yan scoffed as though she had heard a ridiculous joke.

“Afraid? No. I’m worried I might accidentally kill or cripple you. Then that elder from Lingshen Sect might come make trouble for me. But if you’re willing to sign a death match agreement in advance, then I’ll accept.”

Death match?

Jian Tongyao frowned and instinctively gripped the umbrella handle. In the cultivation world, especially when it came to duels between members of the same bloodline, signing a death match agreement was nearly unheard of. It was used to resolve deeply personal grievances or rivalries, where life and death would no longer be pursued afterward.

Clearly, Ling Yan was playing a calculated game.

As far as she knew, her Xiao Jiu and Ling Yan only had some minor spats in childhood. Could there be something she had overlooked?

Qian Jiujiu tilted her head and feigned ignorance.

“So you really are too scared. Cowardly Jiu.”

With that said, she walked off without hesitation.

Ling Yan was so infuriated by her carefree exit that she nearly laughed out loud. Seeing that her bluff had failed, she called out, “Stop right there.”

With her back to Ling Yan, Qian Jiujiu gave Jian Tongyao an exaggerated wink, her face lit up with mischief like a fox that had just outwitted a hen. Jian Tongyao suspected that her Xiao Jiu’s tail would have lifted proudly if she had more than one modest feather.

Ah, Seventh Sister was simply too adorable.

Qian Jiujiu turned around, feigning reluctance.

“You’re really annoying. Are we fighting or not?”

Ling Yan gritted her teeth and once again glanced strangely at Jian Tongyao.

“Let’s set the rules first. We go by Yunyan Sect’s customs. No one else is allowed to interfere, no matter what happens.”

Jian Tongyao whispered, “Dingding, I’m getting a strange feeling. I think Ling Yan might have recognized me.”

Dingding replied, “Xiao Jiu, she definitely didn’t.”

Ling Yan brought Qian Jiujiu to Yunyan Sect’s dueling arena. There hadn’t been many people around at first, but as soon as word spread that Ling Yan was participating, a large crowd quickly gathered.

Perhaps it was because the Soul-Cutting Umbrella stood out too much. A few cultivators who had been chatting near Jian Tongyao gradually drifted away.

“Wow, that girl challenging Senior Sister Ling Yan must be quite brave.”

“Indeed.”

“Senior Sister already entered the Phoenix’s growth phase fifty years ago. Once her final tail feather grows in, she’ll achieve her first Nirvana.”

“Rumor has it that two hundred years ago, the Lingshen Sect also took in a phoenix…”

Jian Tongyao couldn’t hear the rest. She was staring thoughtfully at Ling Yan on the dueling platform.

“So in just one century, Ling Yan has already far outpaced my Xiao Jiu?”

Sensing Jian Tongyao’s gloom, Dingding kept quiet as a mouse.

Ling Yan glared at Qian Jiujiu, her voice cold.

“Let’s settle the score from two hundred years ago today.”

Qian Jiujiu, “???”

In a flash, both transformed. One became a four-feather-tailed phoenix, the other, a one-feather-tailed phoenix. The arena fell silent as everyone stared wide-eyed at the two phoenixes whose color and size were nearly identical.

“T-two… two phoenixes! I actually see two!”

“That girl is a phoenix, too? And she’s only just grown her first tail feather? She’s almost as strong as Senior Sister!”

“I’ve never seen another phoenix challenge Senior Sister before. Doesn’t she know how powerful she is?”

“That little phoenix isn’t from our Yunyan Sect, is she?”

In less than the time it took for a single incense stick to burn, the entire dueling ground had filled with spectators.

Qian Jiujiu stared at Ling Yan’s fiery red aura, tilted her little head, and calmly pecked at her own wings. Her indifferent attitude drew sighs from those watching.

Jian Tongyao broke into a cold sweat. She was full of regret for not investigating Ling Yan’s current strength beforehand. Now her Xiao Jiu was fighting above her level.

Dingding offered, “If you’re worried, just beat her up.”

Jian Tongyao didn’t respond.

She worried that stepping in would embarrass her Xiao Jiu and possibly disgrace the entire Lingshen Sect. Her status made her actions too sensitive.

But seeing her Xiao Jiu so nonchalantly scratching herself, Jian Tongyao relaxed.

“Let’s see how Jiu handles it.”

Over the last two hundred years, Qian Jiujiu had sparred with the little golden dragon thousands of times. She had become a true battle-hardened phoenix. Jian Tongyao had watched them grow stronger together.

Ling Yan proudly spread her wings, displaying her brilliant plumage. When she saw Qian Jiujiu still grooming herself, she nearly exploded with rage. Without further politeness, she surrounded Qian Jiujiu with blazing flames. Her phoenix form rose, wings burning, as the red glow darkened the skies.

“Eh? What happened?”

“I can’t see Senior Sister anymore.”

“That’s Phoenix Fire. She’s getting closer to her Nirvana.”

Jian Tongyao narrowed her eyes. With a flick of her Soul-Cutting Umbrella, a strange wind scattered the smoke and fire. The view cleared, revealing the two phoenixes locked in a chaotic skirmish, chasing and pecking at each other like roosters.

Each time Ling Yan tried to rise into the air, Qian Jiujiu tackled her to the ground and pecked her ferociously. Peck, peck, peck. With every peck, red feathers flew.

The entire crowd went silent.

Jian Tongyao almost burst out laughing. This was the battle method her Xiao Jiu had honed over the past century. When spiritual power was ineffective, she relied on her powerful beak. That was how the little golden dragon had ended up wetting itself so many times.

Jian Tongyao herself had been pecked. It didn’t hurt, but it was definitely ticklish.

But when the tide of the battle turned, she stopped laughing. Gripping the Soul-Cutting Umbrella tightly, she watched red feathers whirl through the air, worried her Xiao Jiu might molt again. For months afterward, she’d be in a deep sulk, impossible to comfort.

“Strange. Ling Yan’s Phoenix Fire doesn’t seem to affect her. Is it because she’s a phoenix too?”

“That little phoenix is terrifying.”

“Totally fooled by her appearance.”

“Senior Sister is being pinned down and pecked… I feel oddly heartbroken.”

“This is brutal.”

The once-lively onlookers grew quieter. They had not expected their beloved Senior Sister Ling Yan to be so thoroughly defeated by a phoenix who hadn’t even reached the growth phase.

Jian Tongyao whispered, “Good thing I was cautious and bought her gear in advance.”

Otherwise, Qian Jiujiu would have been the one getting wrecked.

Dingding chirped, “Grade-Ten Fireproof Feather Robe. Five-star rating.”

When the Phoenix Fire lost effectiveness, the fight became a melee. After enduring endless training, Qian Jiujiu was second to none when it came to hand-to-hand combat. No one dared claim otherwise.

Jian Tongyao watched as Ling Yan’s flames surged again, engulfing the arena. But each time her Phoenix Fire neared Qian Jiujiu, it instinctively veered away.

“Ling Yan relies too much on her fire spirit.”

Qian Jiujiu was different. She knew how to exploit her strengths and cover her weaknesses.

In her countless battles with the little golden dragon, her fire spirit had never once pierced its sword body. In the end, it always came down to a fistfight, which she inevitably won.

“Seventh Sister truly is gifted.”

“She is.”

Jian Tongyao shamelessly praised her until she realized that Qian Jiujiu had returned to her human form. Her clothes remained intact, though her carefully tied hair was now loose. She quickly grabbed the disheveled Ling Yan, pinned her down, and punched her repeatedly.

After a few solid hits, she stood up and declared with satisfaction,

“I’m done. That’s enough to clear the past.”

The crowd, “…”

She was utterly, outrageously arrogant.

Jian Tongyao smiled and held out a hand.

“Let’s go.”

Qian Jiujiu hopped happily into her arms, practically hanging off her.

“I won.”

Jian Tongyao saw the sparkle in her eyes. Her adorable face practically begged to be praised.

She couldn’t resist. Tugging the Soul-Cutting Umbrella lower, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to Qian Jiujiu’s smooth forehead.

“My Xiao Jiu is the best.”

Qian Jiujiu’s round eyes widened. Then her face flushed red, and she buried herself in Jian Tongyao’s chest.

“Ah, mmm.”

Jian Tongyao patted her shoulder.

“Walk properly, or I’ll have to carry you.”

Qian Jiujiu very pointedly refused to walk. In a flash, she turned back into her bird form, burrowed into Jian Tongyao’s arms, and refused to come out.

Author’s Note:

Xiao Jiu: Ahhhhh! Master kissed me, kissed me, kissed me…