The Failed Female Supporting Character [Transmigration] - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Nanshan was destined for greatness. As one of the future strongholds of the male lead’s Cangyun Sect and a “Lesser Immortal Realm,” it was far from an ordinary place. Feng Qi’s persistence in bringing Ruan Lan here had a very specific purpose.

The heroine’s legendary Qingyun Sword was hidden here. Although according to the plot, it wasn’t supposed to be discovered for another two years, Feng Qi figured that moving the timeline up wouldn’t cause any… major issues.

Actually, the sword was just a bonus. Feng Qi’s primary goal was to have Ruan Lan discover a hidden array—one capable of destabilizing the safety of the three realms.

…

The Hidden Passage

To avoid both demons and prying cultivators, they took a long detour through a narrow ravine to reach the side of the back mountain.

Feng Qi hopped off Ruan Lan’s light sword and scanned the surroundings. She tugged on Ruan Lan’s sleeve, pointing at a massive cliff wall. “Master, can you split this mountain open?”

Ruan Lan glanced at her, pulling her sleeve back. “No.”

Feng Qi sighed. If only she could. It would save them the trouble of finding the teleportation entrance. “The treasure is hidden right around here.”

Yu Qi and Ji Manqiu arrived shortly after. Yu Qi, ever the impatient one, walked up to Ruan Lan. “Sister, what are we doing here?”

Neither Ruan Lan nor Feng Qi had mentioned the treasure. Yu Qi and Ji Manqiu assumed they were just hunting demons as usual.

“I felt something was off here, so I came to investigate,” Ruan Lan said simply.

Yu Qi nodded, and despite her confusion, she didn’t press further. She and Ruan Lan began scanning the area for any anomalies. Ruan Lan hadn’t made any move to get rid of Yu Qi or Ji Manqiu during these days of scouting, which proved she had no intention of monopolizing whatever they found.

As for Feng Qi, she was even less interested in keeping it secret. She didn’t know if anyone other than the heroine could use the Qingyun Sword, and she wanted as many eyes as possible on the hidden array.

Feng Qi led them to the general area of the entrance, but the teleportation array appeared at irregular intervals. It required luck and skill. Feng Qi, knowing her own limits with arrays, grabbed Ruan Lan’s sleeve tightly to ensure they wouldn’t be separated if the portal suddenly flickered to life.

“The spiritual energy here is strange,” Ji Manqiu noted, cradling her fox. Her eyes landed on Feng Qi. “We are already inside an array.” She reached out to pull Feng Qi toward her.

Ruan Lan blocked her hand with the flat of her blade. “The exit is that way. If you’re worried, feel free to leave.”

Ji Manqiu smiled thinly. “I’m only worried for Feng Qi’s safety.”

“I will protect her.” Ruan Lan gripped Feng Qi’s wrist and led her to another side to calculate the next appearance of the teleportation point.

Feng Qi looked between the two, feeling the thick tension in the air but not quite understanding why they were so hostile toward each other.

…

The Accidental Slip

Yu Qi was completely lost. If Ji Manqiu hadn’t mentioned the array, she wouldn’t have known they were in one. She instinctively leaned toward Ji Manqiu, saying with a complex look, “You seem very focused on Feng Qi.”

“Do I?”

“She is my Sister’s disciple. If you hurt her, I won’t let you off,” Yu Qi whispered.

“Is this how you treat your savior?” Ji Manqiu tilted her head, leaning in to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Yu Qi’s ear. The gesture was surprisingly intimate. “I won’t save you next time, you know.”

Ji Manqiu found Yu Qi fascinatingly contradictory. The girl was always cold and arrogant to her face, yet she had been as docile as a rabbit when Ji Manqiu was bandaging her wounds earlier.

Whether it was the words or the touch, Yu Qi’s cheeks flushed. “There won’t be a next time! And I told you, I’ll pay you back.” She swatted Ji Manqiu’s hand away and turned to follow Ruan Lan.

But as she took a step, the ground beneath her seemed to vanish. The space around her is distorted. Ji Manqiu, acting on instinct, grabbed Yu Qi’s arm. In a flash of light, both vanished.

“The teleportation array!” Feng Qi cried out.

Ruan Lan, having finally deciphered the pattern, didn’t panic. She held Feng Qi’s wrist firmly, walked to a specific spot, and waited. A moment later, they too were swallowed by the light.

…

Secrets Revealed

The teleportation was violent. As they materialized, the sheer pressure of the spatial spiritual energy shredded a section of Feng Qi’s sleeve and left a deep, thin gash on her arm.

Ruan Lan caught the scent of blood. Seeing Feng Qi’s pale face, she immediately turned to inspect her. When she saw the wound, her brow furrowed deeply. She tore the sleeve open and reached for her medicine, but then she froze.

The wound was closing before her eyes. Within seconds, the skin was as fair and smooth as before. If not for the bloodstains on the fabric, there would be no proof she had been injured at all.

Feng Qi’s heart sank. Crap. I’m going to be suspicious. Trying to stay calm, she said, “I’m a demon… I mean, a cat demon. Our healing abilities are very strong.”

Ruan Lan remained silent for a long moment before putting the medicine away. “Is that so?”

“Yes!” Feng Qi nodded vigorously, quickly changing the subject. “We’ve been separated from Junior Martial Aunt and the others.”

They were inside the mountain. Pale spirit stones embedded in the walls provided a dim, eerie light. They stood on a narrow wooden bridge suspended over a dark, frigid pool. On the other side of the bridge were several dark tunnel entrances.

“Master, which one?” Feng Qi asked. She knew only two were real, and the others were illusions or traps. She decided to let Ruan Lan choose first.

Ruan Lan walked to a stone tablet near the entrances. After reading the inscriptions, she whispered, “This wasn’t left by the Wanyao Sect.”

“Then who?”

“It seems to be an immortal who successfully ascended.” The writing was vague, as if the author intentionally wanted to hide their identity.

Feng Qi scanned the text. When she saw the words Qingyun Sword, her eyes lit up. “Master, there’s a treasure sword in here!”

Ruan Lan nodded. She pointed to the entrance on the far right. “Let’s try this one.”

As expected of the heroine, Feng Qi thought. She picked the right one immediately.

…

The Divine Swords

The right tunnel was peaceful. After a long walk, the path opened into a wide, bright space. Dense spiritual energy filled the air, and mounds of naturally formed immortal stones—some the size of a person—lay scattered about.

“So many immortal stones!” Feng Qi exclaimed. She picked one up and turned to Ruan Lan. “Master, these are all yours.”

Ruan Lan’s eyes flickered. She walked over and touched the stone in Feng Qi’s hands. “Your ability is remarkable,” she said softly. Finding this place was beyond even her expectations.

In the center of the clearing stood a blue stone pedestal. Sticking out of it were two swords.

The Qingyun Sword was thin and elegant, similar to Ruan Lan’s current sword, glowing with a faint blue light like the feathers of a cyan phoenix.

Feng Qi walked up to it and tried to pull it out. It didn’t budge. Of course, only the heroine can. As she was about to let go, Ruan Lan stepped up behind her. Ruan Lan’s arm wrapped around Feng Qi’s waist, her hand covering Feng Qi’s on the hilt. With a sharp tug, the Qingyun Sword slid out.

“Do you like this sword?” Ruan Lan asked, releasing her. She flicked the blade. “It’s a divine artifact from the Immortal Realm.”

Feng Qi blinked and tried to hand it back. “I wanted to pull it out for you, Master.”

“You should keep it,” Ruan Lan said, turning to look at the second sword—the Liyang (Blazing Sun) Sword. “It can recognize a master. With this, no one below the Transcendence Stage can harm you.”

“But it suits you better, Master!” Feng Qi protested. A demon carrying a divine immortal sword was a waste.

Ruan Lan saw she truly didn’t want it and took the sword back.

“This other one… it’s for someone with a Fire Root,” Feng Qi said, eyeing the Liyang Sword. “A lot of Cangyun Sect cultivators have Fire Roots.”

Ruan Lan pulled the Liyang Sword out as well. “Like that cultivator named Chen?” she asked bluntly.

Feng Qi gave a dry, innocent laugh. “Which Chen? I don’t know who you mean.” Not falling for that again!

…

The Catnip Trap

As Ruan Lan gathered the swords, she noticed a small jade vial behind the pedestal. She opened it and smelled blood.

Meanwhile, Feng Qi had moved to some chests in the corner. When she opened the last one, a familiar, overwhelming scent hit her. “Master!”

Ruan Lan hurried over. “What is it?”

Feng Qi covered her nose with her hands, looking miserable. “There’s Silver Vine (catnip) in here. Why is this stuff everywhere?!”

Ruan Lan: “…”

“Knock me out,” Feng Qi said, bracing herself. She didn’t want her instincts taking over here.

Ruan Lan sighed, placed a finger on Feng Qi’s neck, and caught her as she slumped over. She picked the girl up—she felt no heavier than a kitten—and laid her on a large immortal stone.

After clearing out the Silver Vine and ensuring no more remained, Ruan Lan returned to Feng Qi’s side. Even in sleep, Feng Qi’s cheeks were flushed from the scent. Ruan Lan knelt down and pulled her sleeve up to clean the dried blood from her arm.

As her fingers traced the smooth, scarless skin where the wound had been, Ruan Lan’s hand trembled slightly.

Can a cat demon really do all this? The healing, the finding of secret realms… Ruan Lan whispered to the sleeping girl, “You aren’t hiding anything else from me, are you?”

Immortal stones, divine swords—things that would drive other cultivators mad with greed—and Feng Qi just gave them away like they were snacks. What did she actually want?

Probably just grilled fish, Ruan Lan thought, remembering the only thing Feng Qi had ever asked for.

…

The Other Side

While Ruan Lan and Feng Qi were having a relatively peaceful time, Yu Qi and Ji Manqiu were in a much worse state.

They had been teleported into a dead end filled with traps. They had fought their way out, but both were bruised and bloodied. Even Ji Manqiu’s fox had lost a tail.

Forbidden from using her demonic energy, Ji Manqiu was fuming.

“You can’t even pick a path right!” Yu Qi snapped, clutching her injured arm.

Ji Manqiu’s eyes flashed with a dangerous light. “Then perhaps we should move separately?” she suggested, her voice laced with ice.

Yu Qi snorted and pointed to the middle entrance. “We’re going into this one this time.”

Ji Manqiu stretched lazily. “As you wish.”