The Failed Female Supporting Character [Transmigration] - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Ruan Lan stated that there was another demon hiding nearby, but Feng Qi couldn’t sense even a trace of demonic aura. Lying on the old wooden bed covered with a soft cloak, she voiced a hint of doubt: “Is there really a demon here? Could it have run away long ago?”

There were many empty houses in the village. Though covered in dust, Ruan Lan could clean them with a few simple spells. However, each house only had one bed. Now that Feng Qi had claimed it, Ruan Lan could only sit on a nearby wooden stool.

“It might not be a demon,” Ruan Lan said, shaking her head slightly. “I can’t say for sure; it’s just a premonition.” She occasionally sensed a wisp of danger, but she couldn’t pinpoint the source.

Fewer than ten people remained in the village, most of whom were bedridden. Aside from the woman and the child they had met earlier, everyone else stayed hidden inside, too afraid to come out.

As dusk fell, Feng Qi wandered around the village but found nothing. Following Ruan Lan’s instructions, she left food and medicine at every doorstep. Only the little girl from earlier opened her door to whisper a thank you, but before Feng Qi could respond, a hand pulled the child back inside and the door slammed shut.

Was that the girl’s father? Feng Qi frowned. Though it was just a glimpse, the man looked unwell—his eyes were sunken, and he was as skeletal as a corpse.

Feng Qi sniffed at the door for a moment. Sensing no demonic aura, she turned back.

…

The Night Watch

Back in the room, Ruan Lan was meticulously wiping her light sword. Feng Qi watched her back for a while before saying, “Master, you should cultivate here.” She then shifted into her original form—a black cat—wriggled out of her clothes, scratched at the wooden bed by instinct, and curled up in a tiny corner.

“Are you going to sleep just like that?” Ruan Lan put away her sword and walked to the bedside, staring at the cat. The black cat opened one eye and let out a soft meow in response.

It seems being a demon isn’t entirely useless, Ruan Lan thought. In her original form, she took up no space at all and was actually quite cute. Ruan Lan sat on the bed and glanced at the kitten one last time before entering a meditative state. It was a novel experience to have a cat accompanying her during cultivation.

The night dragged on. When Feng Qi woke up, it was still dark outside. She looked at Ruan Lan, who was deep in meditation, and leaped silently to the floor.

Ruan Lan had set up a boundary around the village. Feng Qi, now back in human form, wandered outside. The bright moonlight cast a cold, eerie glow over the village. It was so silent that not even the sound of an insect or bird could be heard. Despite the lack of demonic aura, something was definitely wrong.

Feng Qi stood before a wooden hut, her gaze eventually landing on a withered well at the eastern end of the village. The well was overgrown with weeds and looked long abandoned.

She stared at it for a long time, then frowned and crept toward it. A faint, almost imperceptible scent drifted from the well. Feng Qi’s eyes flashed; she paused for a second and then turned to run back to Ruan Lan.

She finally knew what Ruan Lan was looking for.

Rather than a “demon person,” it was a Demonic Creature. These beings originated in the Demon Realm but were often driven out because they were disliked even by their own kind. Some came to the mortal realm. These creatures had no physical form, existing only as a mass of mist, which was why their demonic aura was nearly impossible to detect.

They fed on souls, slowly eroding a human’s spirit and using the body as a vessel to transform into… a Demon.

Feng Qi’s pace slowed. A breeze blew, carrying a faint scent of blood in the cool air. She turned toward the source: the little girl’s house.

The human being consumed was the girl’s father. Realizing this, Feng Qi’s expression changed completely. She rushed to the house and kicked in the locked door. Moonlight flooded the room, allowing Feng Qi to see everything clearly. Her face went pale instantly.

“Kill it.”

A hand pressed gently on her shoulder. Ruan Lan’s cold voice sounded in her ear, and a cool palm gripped hers as a light sword was pressed into her hand.

Feng Qi’s voice was strained. “Master…”

Ruan Lan sighed softly. “It’s a demon. You’ve realized it, haven’t you?”

In the small room, the man lay on the floor twitching. The little girl’s hand was buried in his chest, her mouth and face smeared with blood. She looked up at Feng Qi and, in the same milky voice as before, called out: “Big sister.”

I guessed wrong. Feng Qi’s expression was complex. Seeing the man’s condition earlier, she had assumed he was the one possessed. These creatures had no thoughts, only instincts, until they fully transformed. Once they became demons, they instinctively mimicked the behavior of their host.

But their soul-devouring nature and cruelty never disappeared.

The withered well must have been the creature’s original hiding spot, and this girl—who still had no detectable demonic aura—had likely been possessed only recently.

Feng Qi gripped the sword tightly. She took a step forward and looked into the girl’s eyes. They were wide, innocent, and pure. She slumped her head in defeat and said weakly, “Master… you should do it.”

She knew the thing before her was a monster, but she couldn’t bring herself to strike something that looked like a human child.

Ruan Lan pulled Feng Qi to a clear space and drew a protective sword circle around her. Seeing Feng Qi’s pale face and uneasy eyes, Ruan Lan silently took an azure silk ribbon from her storage stone and gently tied it over Feng Qi’s eyes.

“Wait for me here,” Ruan Lan whispered.

Feng Qi nodded silently.

Since the transformation was recent, the creature’s power was mediocre. Ruan Lan dealt with it swiftly. When she turned back, Feng Qi was gone from the circle—only a pile of clothes remained.

Ruan Lan walked over, lifted the clothes, and picked up the dejected kitten huddled inside. “Are you okay?”

The black cat nodded.

“Not going to change back?”

The cat nodded again.

Ruan Lan, feeling a bit helpless, placed the cat on her shoulder. After cleaning up the bodies in the hut, she didn’t return to the village to rest but left under the cover of night.

…

Lessons on Survival

Feng Qi stayed quiet on Ruan Lan’s shoulder for a long time. Finally, Ruan Lan broke the silence. “When your Junior Martial Aunt first joined Piao Miao Valley, she cried the first time she saw a corpse.”

Junior Martial Aunt… Yu Qi? The image of the proud and haughty Yu Qi crying from fear lifted Feng Qi’s spirits slightly. “Meow—cough—Really?”

Ruan Lan gave an affirmative grunt.

“Has she killed anyone?”

“She has,” Ruan Lan said flatly. “In the cultivation world, no one’s hands stay clean. Those who don’t get blood on their hands don’t survive.”

“Since you’ve had the fortune to become a demon, you must prepare yourself for the world. Useless kindness and hesitation will only cost you your life.”

Feng Qi was stunned. Was Ruan Lan teaching her how to survive in this world?

“You are a demon. Even if you cannot cultivate normally, you might become stronger through rare herbs and treasures,” Ruan Lan said, patting the cat’s head. “I will help you find them. Don’t be afraid.”

Ruan Lan is so good to me. Feng Qi nuzzled against Ruan Lan’s neck, moved by her words. “Master, you’re so good to me. Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray you?” She was good to the original Feng Qi, too, and look how that ended—with a literal knife in the back.

It seemed Ruan Lan was telling her to discard unnecessary kindness, yet Ruan Lan kept her own.

As Feng Qi was feeling sentimental, Ruan Lan answered her question: “I’m not afraid.”

“Huh?”

“If you betray me, I’ll just kill you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

The black cat, who had been nuzzling affectionately, froze for a moment, then began nuzzling even more vigorously. “Master, I definitely won’t betray you!”

I’ll probably never match the protagonist’s mental state in this life, Feng Qi thought.

Ruan Lan tilted her head and moved the cat to her arm. Her neck felt itchy from the nuzzling; she frowned and wiped it several times before feeling comfortable again.

…

The Gift

They passed several more villages but didn’t stop, as no demonic aura was detected. Since shifting into her original form, Feng Qi hadn’t bothered to turn human again. She either sat on Ruan Lan’s shoulder or lay in her arms, only hopping down to walk when she got bored. She found this much more comfortable.

Leaving the desolate roads behind, they bypassed a forest and entered a valley teeming with birds and insects. The burst of life encouraged Feng Qi to shift back into human form to enjoy the greenery.

Deep in the valley was a clear stream. Feng Qi stood on a blue stone by the water, leaning forward. Her eyes lit up. “Master, there’s fish!”

She turned around expectantly. “Can we roast them?” She was still craving the taste of the grilled fish from last time.

I guess all cats really do love fish, Ruan Lan thought. Without a word, she flicked her hand. A burst of spiritual energy dived into the stream and emerged a moment later, tossing a large fish onto the stone.

Ruan Lan held her light sword, and a flurry of sword intent enveloped the fish. Scales and innards fell away in perfect order. Her movements were as graceful as if she were practicing a high-level sword form.

Feng Qi blinked and praised her sincerely: “Master’s swordplay is number one in the three realms!”

Ruan Lan gave her a strange look. I caught the fish, I cleaned it, and I have to roast it. The one eating it just has to say a few nice things. It feels like our roles have reversed.

Feng Qi didn’t notice Ruan Lan’s thoughts. She looked at the light sword in Ruan Lan’s hand and sighed. “Master, is it really okay to use your precious sword to scrape fish scales?” She remembered how carefully Ruan Lan had wiped it in the village.

“It’s not mine.”

“Huh?”

Ruan Lan finished cleaning the fish and tossed the light sword to Feng Qi. “It’s yours,” she said calmly.

Feng Qi caught it, looking dazed. “Mine?” She examined it closely and realized it wasn’t Ruan Lan’s usual sword—it was slightly shorter.

So, this was a gift from Ruan Lan? Feng Qi was silent for a moment, then took the sword to the stream and began quietly washing the blade.