(GL) The Supporting Female Character Strategy Manual - Chapter 43

“Hahaha!”

“Yan’er, what are you laughing at?”

Guan Tian could barely make sense of anything. He understood some of it, yet most of it eluded him. Watching Ling Yan burst into crazed laughter, he grew uneasy.

“Elder Jian, we have indeed offended you today. Please, I beg your forgiveness and mercy. Spare us this once.”

Jian Tongyao spread her hands helplessly. “But she doesn’t look like she wants to let us go.”

Ling Yan’s laughter stopped abruptly. Her beautiful face twisted into something cruel.

“Why must you interfere in what doesn’t concern you? Wouldn’t it be better to stay in your Lingshen Mountain, shut yourself away, and ignore the world?”

Jian Tongyao shook her head. “No.”

Her Seventh Sister wished to see the cultivation world, and naturally, she would accompany her. Wherever her Seventh Sister was, that was where she would be. Over these two centuries, she believed she had protected her Xiao Jiu well. The only thing she had overlooked was the woman standing before her.

“Dingding, did you forget to tell me something?”

“Nope.”

“…”

Jian Tongyao sighed. “Once we gather all of Seventh Sister’s scattered souls, Dingding, you should quit this line of work.”

Dingding’s tone was immediate. “Yeah, it’s not very fun anymore.”

Ling Yan grew more furious seeing her opponent distracted. “Anyone who blocks my path will die without mercy.”

Jian Tongyao turned the Soul-Cutting Umbrella slowly.

“Ling Yan, you have already fallen into madness. If you continue down this path, you might die even more miserably than you did in your previous life.”

Ling Yan’s pupils contracted sharply. “You—”

Jian Tongyao saw her expression tighten and immediately knew she had hit the mark.

That ancient Phoenix Tree had been moved to Lingshen Mountain by her own hand. Very few knew the secrets of the Phoenix Clan. Two hundred years ago, Ling Yan had still been just a young fledgling who only knew how to fight with Qian Jiujiu. After joining Yunyan Sect, her cultivation had improved at an astonishing pace.

The only possibility was that she had carried her past life’s memories with her.

Ling Yan recovered quickly. “Impossible. You’re lying. There’s no way you could know that. It’s impossible.”

Jian Tongyao recalled that she had paid little attention to Ling Yan’s behavior before, since all her focus had been on Qian Jiujiu. Now, thinking back, she realized that during the disciple selection, Ling Yan had deliberately leapt into her arms, relying on her so-called destiny. Beneath that arrogant confidence had been a strange certainty.

Had she been so sure that Jian Tongyao would take her as a disciple?

In that original world, Ling Yan had not only devoured Qian Jiujiu’s bloodline power but also drained every ounce of value from Jian Tongyao herself. Using her master’s favor and the sect’s indulgence, she had risen smoothly through the ranks. After her Nirvana, she became the purest phoenix of all, leading the avian race to prominence within the cultivation world. Later, she even took a young dragon as her partner. When her Nirvana went awry, it was Jian Tongyao who had borne all the backlash for her.

Thinking through it all, it became clear that the original Jian Tongyao had been ruined by Ling Yan’s schemes.

“What are you two talking about?” Guan Tian asked nervously.

Jian Tongyao looked at this hapless man, likely another fool deceived by Ling Yan. “Your disciple has already fallen into demonic madness. To advance her cultivation, she willingly corrupted herself. Now, she’s no different from a demon. You were merely a pawn she used for convenience. Now that you’re useless, she’ll discard you.”

Guan Tian’s lips parted, but no sound came out.

Ling Yan chuckled darkly, her hands gathering fiery energy that made the entire magma pool tremble like a roaring dragon.

“You’re right. None of you are useful to me anymore.”

Jian Tongyao shielded the dazed Guan Tian with one hand while suppressing the raging magma beneath them to keep her Xiao Jiu safe during cultivation.

This thoughtful act only seemed to enrage Ling Yan further. Her eyes burned crimson, as though bleeding. “Do you really think you can protect her?”

Jian Tongyao smirked. “Would you rather I protect you instead?”

After her rebirth, Ling Yan had spent years dreaming of the master who once cared for her so deeply. She had sworn never to repeat the same mistakes. As long as she could choose differently, she could avoid the backlash and rise to the peak once more.

Yet everything that should have belonged to her now belonged to that ridiculous little bird. Every opportunity she had once possessed vanished before her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, fate toyed with her mercilessly.

What, then, had been the point of her rebirth?

Ling Yan had struggled, despaired, and finally broken when Jian Tongyao chose that strange little creature, Qian Jiujiu, instead. Despite her many attempts to appear before Jian Tongyao again, all she received was an order forbidding any member of the bird clan from approaching Lingshen Sect. The mountain had remained sealed for two hundred years.

What else could she do?

A sharp, clear phoenix cry pierced the air. Unlike Ling Yan’s mature call, this one was crisp and lively. Hearing it, Jian Tongyao’s lips curved into a warm smile. The magma’s ripples softened, no longer as violent as before.

Qian Jiujiu peeked out cautiously from the magma. Seeing her master holding her umbrella with her back turned, she flitted out of the molten pool, carrying a blooming lotus in her beak.

“Master, here.”

“My Xiao Jiu truly is the most beautiful phoenix in the world.”

Jian Tongyao used her spiritual energy to protect the Earthfire Lotus, but kept her gaze fixed on the newly grown fifth tail feather trailing behind Qian Jiujiu. The iridescent feather shimmered in the light, perfectly matching the colorful tuft of down on her head.

Wait.

Seven-colored?

Jian Tongyao remembered that in the original world, Ling Yan had displayed her purest bloodline only when her feathers turned rainbow-colored. Absentmindedly, she brushed her fingers over the soft plume. Qian Jiujiu nuzzled her hand affectionately in return.

The intimate gesture made Ling Yan’s eye twitch.

“You foolish creature. Since we have both reached the Nirvana stage, why don’t we see whose bloodline is purer? Whoever loses must leave her willingly.”

Jian Tongyao chuckled. To think she had become a wager on someone’s bet was truly a novel experience.

Qian Jiujiu, who had been gentle as a tame bird a moment ago, shot forward like lightning the instant Ling Yan finished speaking. She slammed Ling Yan into the magma, beating her down from left to right. The magma surged violently but avoided Jian Tongyao’s position completely.

Guan Tian trembled as he watched the battle, his voice quivering. “Elder Jian, will they be alright?”

Jian Tongyao cast him a sidelong glance. From her faintly amused expression, he thought he caught a trace of sympathy. His heart sank. “Yan’er has always been obedient. She has never made any excessive demands…”

Jian Tongyao arched an eyebrow. “Coming to rob me doesn’t count as excessive?”

Guan Tian’s words stuck in his throat. He had no defense. Meanwhile, the two phoenixes fought fiercely within the magma. The flames surged and vanished against the barrier, and no matter how many times he tried, Guan Tian couldn’t break through it.

“Elder Jian, Yan’er is of the pure phoenix bloodline. I understand her mistakes now. Let me take her back to Yunyan Sect for punishment.”

Jian Tongyao had seen masters who defended their disciples before, but never one as blind as this.

“Your disciple created this barrier. She plans to kill us all inside.”

Guan Tian’s eyes widened. “!!!”

Jian Tongyao’s tone was mocking. “Why don’t you go ask your good disciple to open the barrier and let you leave?”

Guan Tian’s expression froze. For a long time, he couldn’t utter a single word.

At last, peace returned to Jian Tongyao’s ears. Qian Jiujiu had the upper hand completely, just like before in Yunyan Sect.

“Xiao Jiu, that’s enough.”

Qian Jiujiu looked at her master with faint resentment, then plucked a feather from Ling Yan and offered it up. “Master.”

Perhaps it was her imagination, but Jian Tongyao thought her Xiao Jiu seemed aggrieved. “Be careful. This woman is cunning. She may have another scheme.”

Qian Jiujiu wrapped her arms around her master’s waist. “Master, I want to kill her.”

Jian Tongyao froze. It was the first time she had ever heard her Xiao Jiu express such a desire. After hundreds of years of cultivation, Qian Jiujiu had never spoken of killing anyone. Even those who irritated her, like the golden dragon or the ancient phoenix tree, had never provoked true killing intent.

“Why?”

Qian Jiujiu’s voice trembled. “I hate her. I really, really hate her.”

Ling Yan laughed darkly. “And I hate you just as much. I wish I could drain your blood and tear off your skin.”

Without Jian Tongyao’s restraint, both transformed into phoenixes once more. They clashed, their fiery wings creating towering waves of magma. Only the distinct markings on Qian Jiujiu’s forehead made it possible to tell them apart.

“Dingding, if she kills the world’s chosen heroine, will the world collapse?”

“Xiao Jiu, there’s a ninety percent chance it will.”

Damn it.

Jian Tongyao clenched her fist. “Xiao Jiu, come back.”

Qian Jiujiu had lost control, her eyes bloodshot. For the first time, she disobeyed her master’s command. The two phoenixes darted across the magma’s surface, moving too fast to distinguish one from the other. Something beneath the lava began to stir. Jian Tongyao rushed forward to pull her back, but a fiery red dragon roared and burst upward.

Fire splashed everywhere. Jian Tongyao raised the Soul-Cutting Umbrella in defense, but the dragon lunged and clamped its massive jaws around the umbrella’s top. With brutal strength, it yanked her away from the center of the field.

A dragon?

A fire dragon.

For a brief moment, Jian Tongyao froze, then quickly regained focus. But she was still a step too late. In a battle between masters, even a moment’s delay could change everything. While she was pulled aside by the fire dragon, Ling Yan seized the opportunity, dragging Qian Jiujiu with her into the whirlpool that led into the Earthfire Core.

She was attempting Nirvana.

“You’re courting death.”

“Roar!”

Jian Tongyao grabbed the fire dragon like a chick and slammed it hard against the stone wall. The rocks split with a thunderous crack. Guan Tian stood frozen, terrified by her strength. Only now did he truly understand the extent of her power.

“I might not be able to kill her, but I can certainly kill you.”

“As a fire spirit, your flesh and blood will make fine nourishment for my Xiao Jiu.”

With a few brutal blows, the fire dragon’s form shattered and twisted into that of a handsome man. Jian Tongyao realized immediately who he was. This must be Xu Jiao, Ling Yan’s partner. He was a jiao who had transformed into a dragon with her help.

He was the male lead of the original world.

Jian Tongyao almost laughed in disbelief. She gripped his throat tightly. “I just want to know what difference it makes whether I kill you or her.”

Xu Jiao had been half-unconscious, but the choking forced him awake.

“Elder Jian, please, calm down. I know what Ling Yan plans—”

“If I kill you, I’ll know anyway,” Jian Tongyao interrupted coldly.

Xu Jiao hesitated, then pulled out a golden coin. It looked ordinary, yet the aura surrounding it felt familiar. It carried the faint scent of the little golden dragon.

Jian Tongyao froze, her grip loosening slightly. “Where did you get this coin?”

Xu Jiao coughed. “I met a young dragon who told me that if I told the truth in exchange, this coin would save my life when it mattered most.”

Jian Tongyao blinked. “?”

She crushed the coin effortlessly in her hand. The shards felt oddly soft, almost like the little dragon’s delicate bones.

“Speak.”

“Ling Yan intends to seize Qian Jiujiu’s body during Nirvana.”