After the Demon Lord was Reborn, She Switched to a Master-Disciple Romance Script - Chapter 39

On the day of the Secret Realm Trial, Zhu Jiyun woke up early and clung to Xun Juexue for a long time, pitifully saying she wouldn’t see her Master for ages. She wore Xun Juexue down until the woman had no patience left, finally leaving with great reluctance.

Knowing her Master would be going to Kangtuo as soon as she left, Zhu Jiyun’s mood remained gloomy. When she arrived at the assembly point, the group waited for the headcount before heading toward the Autumn Water Secret Realm.

When the Qingmiao Sect group reached the entrance of the Autumn Water Secret Realm, a crowd had already gathered outside, chattering noisily and creating a lively atmosphere.

Xia Lianjiao’s eyes darted around, dazzled by the disciples from other Sects. Their robes varied widely, some vibrant and others plain, but no matter the style, they looked striking on these spiritually refined individuals.

Han Banmeng tugged at her sleeve, warning, “Stop looking around. Ji Chengyu has been staring at you the whole time.”

Since Elder Yue’s crimes were exposed and he was executed, and Zhao Qianfan was imprisoned, Han Banmeng had become a pitiful orphan with no Master or Senior Brother or Sister to guide her.

However, the Elders of the other Main Peaks had taken an interest in her, asking if she wanted to choose a new Master. In the end, Han Banmeng chose Xia Lianjiao’s Master, with whom she had the closest relationship.

So now she was Xia Lianjiao’s direct Junior Sister.

At Han Banmeng’s reminder, Xia Lianjiao tilted her head slightly and saw Ji Chengyu’s cold, wolfish gaze fixed on her, his tightly furrowed brows practically capable of crushing a person.

She snorted coldly, pretending not to notice, and continued to enjoy the visual feast before her.

Xia Lianjiao’s movement was subtle, but Zhu Jiyun, standing close beside her, easily caught the brief exchange between her and Ji Chengyu.

A faint flicker of light flashed in Zhu Jiyun’s eyes as she watched the approaching figure in the distance, saying nothing.

Xia Lianjiao, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted the exceptionally charismatic figure moving through the crowd toward them.

She glanced at him and whispered to Han Banmeng, “Why does that person look so familiar?”

Han Banmeng, having already recognized the approaching figure, was flushed with excitement and completely missed Xia Lianjiao’s whispered question.

Zhu Jiyun watched her target for this trip, Gongye Yuan, draw closer. A slight curve tugged at her lips. When Gongye Yuan, his once prematurely gray hair now dyed jet black, stopped before her, she extended her palm and said calmly, “Pay up.”

Gongye Yuan’s suave smile froze on his face as he shot a resentful glance at the cold and heartless Zhu Jiyun. “Fellow Daoist Zhu, you demand repayment without even a greeting? How cold.”

Zhu Jiyun raised an eyebrow. “Hello. Repay the debt.”

Gongye Yuan was speechless.

His fan, meant to exude elegance, remained still. A twitch ran across his fair face before he finally tossed a money pouch into Zhu Jiyun’s hand with ill-concealed annoyance.

Zhu Jiyun opened the pouch right in front of him, glanced inside, and found it filled with high-grade spirit stones. She weighed it in her hand. It was indeed worth two thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Satisfied, she tucked the pouch into her Cosmic Pouch.

By now, Han Banmeng could no longer contain her excitement. Her face flushed red as she timidly called out, “Young Master.”

Gongye Yuan turned his head, his eyes lighting up with surprise. “Banmeng?”

Seeing that the Young Master hadn’t forgotten her, Han Banmeng nodded contentedly, her eyes glistening with tears. “It’s me, Young Master.”

After greeting Han Banmeng, whom he hadn’t seen in ages, Gongye Yuan finally noticed Xia Lianjiao, who had been staring at him the entire time.

With her excellent memory, he raised an eyebrow, instantly recognizing her.

“Little Apple?”

“Is that you?”

The two spoke in unison, their voices colliding. Xia Lianjiao snapped back to reality. Hearing the nickname, she felt a little awkward. “What’s with the ‘Little Apple’ thing?”

So this is Gongye Yuan, the one Han Banmeng’s been thinking about?

The thought gradually eased Xia Lianjiao’s discomfort at being teased. She studied the dashing man before her, secretly assessing him.

He doesn’t seem to have any special feelings for Banmeng.

Her gaze swept over Han Banmeng’s face, which was truly as red as an apple. Xia Lianjiao murmured to herself, She really is like a red apple.

A faint smile played on Zhu Jiyun’s lips as she watched Gongye Yuan flit around Xia Lianjiao and Han Banmeng like a butterfly. The smile deepened when she saw him talking to Xia Lianjiao.

Meanwhile, Ji Chengyu, who had been watching them closely, nearly burst into flames when he saw Xia Lianjiao smiling sweetly at a stranger. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Jiaojiao has been like a different person lately. Not only does she never come to me first anymore, but whenever I try to talk to her, I end up making her angry.

They were supposed to set out together, but the night before their departure, they had argued over some trivial matter. Now, he was forced to watch Xia Lianjiao with Zhu Jiyun, the person he despised most, and even saw her smiling happily at another man.

Given Ji Chengyu’s temper, he should have exploded long ago.

But the thought of the look Jiaojiao would give him after such an outburst made his expression shift repeatedly, and he ultimately restrained himself.

His icy gaze swept over Gongye Yuan, who was laughing flamboyantly, before he turned his head away, refusing to look in that direction any longer.

This movement brought him face to face with a pair of contemptuous eyes that hadn’t had time to withdraw.

Ji Chengyu’s gaze flickered, his eyes lingering on the person with a barely perceptible scrutiny.

Gongye Heng, acutely sensitive to others’ gazes, quickly noticed Ji Chengyu’s appraisal.

With a cold snort, Gongye Heng hugged his sword and indifferently averted his eyes.

Ji Chengyu: “……”

Openly scorned like this, he seethed inwardly, vowing to remember this person.

With only a quarter of an hour remaining before the Autumn Water Secret Realm opened, Gongye Yuan finally revealed her true intentions after chatting for most of the day. Raising an eyebrow meaningfully, she glanced at Zhu Jiyun and asked, “I wonder if I could join your team for this Secret Realm Trial?”

Xia Lianjiao, who had been chatting animatedly, paused.

For this Secret Realm Trial, Ji Nianyan had encountered cultivation issues and been detained by her Master, instructed to participate in the next trial instead.

Since their departure, the three of them had been traveling together. After Xia Lianjiao declared she would never team up with Ji Chengyu, the trio had tacitly agreed to form a team.

In truth, the Secret Realm Trial didn’t mandate team formation; both solo and group trials were permitted. However, most participants preferred to team up with familiar companions when entering the unfamiliar and perilous Secret Realm. Consequently, at the trial’s commencement, groups of cultivators entered the realm in succession.

These teams typically consisted of members from the same Sect, as familiarity fostered a sense of security.

Han Banmeng felt a flicker of temptation. Yet, years of instinctively deferring to others had ingrained the habit deeply. Though her recent mission to the Human Realm with Zhu Jiyun and Xia Lianjiao had brought some change, such deeply ingrained habits couldn’t be shed overnight.

Despite her interest, she pressed her lips together, casting a hopeful glance at Zhu Jiyun.

She knew that among the three of them, Zhu Jiyun, though quiet, was the true backbone of their group.

Xia Lianjiao instinctively smiled and politely declined Gongye Yuan. “Look, our team is already formed. Besides, you’re so handsome. You could just ask around, and I’m sure plenty of people would want to team up with you.”

She knew Zhu Jiyun rarely associated with men. Though Zhu Jiyun hadn’t explicitly stated it, Xia Lianjiao, having known her for years, had picked up on this tendency.

Before Gongye Yuan could even register his disappointment, Zhu Jiyun, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. “Sure, why not? Young Master Yuan, one of the Twin Paragons of the Gongye Clan, is offering to join our team. With someone so capable, our team would be incredibly fortunate to have him.”

Xia Lianjiao looked a bit puzzled, but since Zhu Jiyun had already spoken, she quickly and naturally changed her tone. “Oh, you’re that impressive? Well, I guess I was too quick to reject you earlier!”

Han Banmeng looked pleased.

Gongye Yuan waved his fan and grinned. “Aiyo, you’re making me blush with all these compliments!”

Though he claimed to be embarrassed, the smile on his face couldn’t be suppressed.

This shameless display caught Gongye Heng’s eye, and his expression turned sour, as if he’d swallowed a fly. His eyes were filled with disgust.

Why hasn’t this good-for-nothing died in the Human Realm yet?!

Gongye Heng had always despised Gongye Yuan. Back in the Human Realm, despite being the eldest son of the clan leader, Gongye Yuan showed no ambition, spending his days laughing and indulging in frivolous pursuits. The sight of it made Gongye Heng want to vomit.

No matter how hard he worked or how talented he was, Gongye Heng’s father never gave him a second glance, his eyes fixed solely on that useless bastard.

Gongye Heng harbored deep resentment and contempt for his half-brother, who occupied the position of heir without earning it.

When they reached Liulan Mountain for their Spirit Awakening, Gongye Heng barely had time to rejoice in discovering his own Spiritual Root before learning that Gongye Yuan, that lazy good-for-nothing, possessed one too.

To make matters worse, they were assigned to the same Sect.

*****

Over the past five years, Gongye Heng always advanced first, only for Gongye Yuan to immediately follow suit like a shadow.

Even though Gongye Heng consistently stayed one step ahead, he couldn’t shake his deep-seated dissatisfaction.

How could that useless playboy, who spent his days indulging in women, possibly deserve this?

And now, this same useless bastard was neglecting his own Sect members to fawn over others.

What a disgrace!

Gongye Yuan didn’t miss Gongye Heng’s haughty expression. Her face remained cheerful, but inwardly, she was growing impatient.

Sensing her mood, Zhu Jiyun fell back a step to walk beside Gongye Yuan. A faint smile curved her lips as she asked, “You don’t like Gongye Heng?”

Unsurprised that Zhu Jiyun had noticed her barely concealed impatience, Gongye Yuan let out a soft hum. “Oh, he’s my brother,” she drawled lazily. “Why would you think that?”

Zhu Jiyun recalled the brief glance she’d taken earlier, at that arrogant figure who seemed like a low-rent version of Ji Chengyu. She wondered what Ji Chengyu would think if he saw someone as conceited as himself.

Ugh, I’m so disgusted.

Ignoring Gongye Yuan’s masked hypocrisy, Zhu Jiyun remarked, “Your brother really has a face that makes you want to throw up. No wonder you ran off to join another sect’s team despite having a brother.”

A face that makes you want to throw up.

Hearing Zhu Jiyun’s blunt yet sharp comment, Gongye Yuan couldn’t help but smirk. At least now he wasn’t constantly accusing her of taking advantage of his misfortune.

[Ding! The Male Supporting Character Gongye Yuan’s Favorability Quest has been completed!]

[Host, your quest rewards have been credited! Keep up the good work!]

The System’s cheerful notifications rang out one after another. Zhu Jiyun’s lips curved into a smile, and the amusement in her eyes deepened.

A handsome man who’s outwardly male, with decent strength and affection for the Female Lead, who would inevitably provoke the Male Lead’s jealousy and become his romantic rival? How could he not be a Male Supporting Character?

With the Primordial Return Pill secured, Zhu Jiyun finally felt some relief from the gloom that had weighed on her since leaving her Master.

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