The Failed Female Supporting Character [Transmigration] - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Unlike the Wanyao Sect, which was nestled among continuous mountain ranges, or the Misty Valley, built directly atop a peak piercing the clouds, the Lingyun Sect resided upon a chain of islands. Back when the Four Little Immortal Realms were still in their prime, the natural barrier of the Ling Sea served as their protective sect array.

The Lingyun Sect was the one most affected by the decline of the Four Little Immortal Realms. Their sect was built entirely upon the foundation of the Long Sea; once the Ling Sea lost its efficacy, their strength fell significantly lower than the other sects occupying the Little Immortal Realms.

However, that was only the situation when the problems first arose in the Four Little Immortal Realms, before the spiritual energy of the cultivation world became too scarce. Given the current state of the world—where even the Wanyao Sect had fallen—the Lingyun Sect was still considered one of the relatively better-off sects.

Because the city where Feng Qi and the others were currently staying was under the protection of the Lingyun Sect, the mortals within lived reasonably well; at the very least, they didn’t have to live in constant fear of demonkin.

“Master, when are we going to the Lingyun Sect?” Feng Qi stood by the window, looking down at the bustling flow of people below, asking absentmindedly.

While wiping her light sword, Ruan Lan replied in a low voice: “No rush.” Although they had already obtained the Qingyun Sword in Nanshan, Ruan Lan was still accustomed to using her own light sword.

“I’ve observed carefully over the past few days; there are quite a few Lingyun Sect disciples in the city,” Feng Qi said, stroking her chin. “Why don’t we just have them send a message to the Sect Leader of the Lingyun Sect?”

All major sects in the cultivation world prohibited outsiders from entering. Even if one approached with a friendly attitude, charging in directly without prior notice would still result in a poor reception. Without the Sect Leader’s consent, entering the Lingyun Sect privately would cause them to be treated as enemies and driven out.

“You seem very invested in this matter,” Ruan Lan said in a flat tone, without even lifting her head.

Feng Qi’s hand froze on her chin. She turned to sneak a glance at Ruan Lan, then moved closer to sit opposite her, saying sincerely: “I want to share my Master’s burdens.”

“Share my burdens?”

“I want to do something for you, Master.” Seeing Ruan Lan look up at her, Feng Qi smiled and said: “Master is so good to me, I want to be good to Master too.” Everyone likes to hear kind words, right?

Ruan Lan’s gaze lingered on Feng Qi’s face for a moment. She lowered her eyes, thinking of something, and after a while, she said: “Then change into your original form.”

Feng Qi: “?”

Ruan Lan put away her light sword. Facing Feng Qi’s confused gaze, she raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you wanted to be good to me?”

And you still claim you aren’t a cat person, Feng Qi thought, giving Ruan Lan a reproachful look before silently shifting into her original form.

The black cat crawled out from the clothes and hopped onto the table. Just as she extended her sharp claws to scratch the table while stretching, a hand grabbed her by the scruff and lifted her up.

Ruan Lan placed the black cat on her shoulder and stood up to walk toward the door. “You’ve grown a bit again.”

The black cat, who was licking her paw, stiffened. She carefully retracted her claws and pressed her soft paw pads gently against Ruan Lan’s neck. She leaned in and whispered: “Master’s observation is truly meticulous.”

The sensation on her neck was somewhat strange. Ruan Lan instinctively reached up to touch it but ended up touching the black cat’s head. Her fingers immediately switched directions to pinch the kitten’s ear, and she said calmly: “It’s quite obvious.”

It really isn’t obvious at all! Feng Qi turned to look at her own tail; she hadn’t noticed any change in her original form whatsoever.

Ruan Lan brought Feng Qi downstairs. It was early morning, and there were only a few occupied tables in the hall. Yu Qi and Ji Manqiu, however, each occupied a separate table with a significant distance between them.

“Senior Sister.” Seeing Ruan Lan come down, Yu Qi waved to her. Her gaze stayed on the black cat on Ruan Lan’s shoulder for a moment, and she asked in confusion: “Where is Feng Qi?”

Ruan Lan sat opposite her, placed the kitten on the table, and said with a straight face: “Still sleeping.”

Yu Qi frowned. “Senior Sister, don’t you think you are being too indulgent with her?” Back when she first entered the Misty Valley, she had to get up before dawn every day to practice her sword, and all her free time was spent on cultivation.

And the one who supervised her most strictly was the Ruan Lan right in front of her.

On the other hand, what about her Senior Sister’s own disciple? Not only did she not have to wake up early, but even though she hadn’t successfully entered the Qi Refining stage until now, her Senior Sister hadn’t expressed any concern and even gifted her a pile of defensive treasures.

Yu Qi had always thought that among the many disciples in the sect, her Senior Sister treated her the best. It turned out… she had indeed been too self-important.

Ruan Lan saw through Yu Qi’s thoughts at a glance, but she didn’t explain, only saying: “She is different from you.”

Yu Qi’s expression was complicated. Of course she knew it was different; the treatment was not the same at all.

“Senior Sister is biased.”

Ruan Lan furrowed her brows but, surprisingly, did not rebut.

The black cat sitting on the table looked at Ruan Lan and then at Yu Qi. Seeing Yu Qi looking unhappy with her head bowed, the cat thought for a moment and started walking toward her, but was grabbed back by Ruan Lan halfway.

“Drink water.” Ruan Lan placed a small bowl filled with water in front of the black cat. After a moment’s thought, she added a flower petal into it; the petal dissolved the moment it touched the water.

The black cat peeked inside and, unable to contain her curiosity, stuck out her tongue for a lick. Finding the water with the dissolved petal surprisingly delicious, she lowered her head and began lapping it up lick by lick.

“What a waste of heavenly treasures,” Yu Qi muttered softly, staring at the bowl of water.

Though the bowl wasn’t large, the black cat still couldn’t avoid getting water all over her face while drinking; the fur around her mouth became soaked.

Seeing that the water in the bowl had decreased significantly, Ruan Lan gently pushed the bowl away. She then held the kitten’s neck and used her finger to wipe away the water droplets from around its mouth.

Yu Qi watched the interaction between the person and the cat with envy, desperately wanting to bring out her own “little cutie” to play for a while. However, remembering that Ruan Lan might not approve, she forced herself to endure. Just as she was sighing, her calf was suddenly bumped. Ji Manqiu’s little fox had walked over at some point and was squatting by her leg, looking up at her.

“Why are you…” Yu Qi looked up blankly at Ji Manqiu. Ji Manqiu curled her lips into a smile; even the simple action of picking up her cup seemed to radiate infinite charm.

Yu Qi averted her gaze expressionlessly, but after a moment, she still picked up the little fox, stroking its back palm after palm while whispering to herself: “I only hate your master, I don’t hate you.”

As the sun rose higher, more people appeared on the streets, and the sounds of street vendors rose one after another. Yu Qi squeezed the little fox’s paw and asked Ruan Lan: “Senior Sister, has Master replied yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Then why don’t we find a Lingyun Sect disciple and have them send a message for us?” Yu Qi offered the same suggestion as Feng Qi. “I’ve met the Sect Leader of the Lingyun Sect; she is quite a gentle person.”

Ruan Lan shook her head slightly. “No need.” She was about to say more when a surprised voice sounded from behind them.

“Senior Sister Ruan? Senior Sister Yu?” Liu Cheng walked in from the door, looking at Ruan Lan and Yu Qi with shock. “I didn’t expect it to really be you.”

Yu Qi also knew Liu Cheng. Her heart stirred as she looked at her, and she nodded, saying: “Long time no see.”

Liu Cheng waved to her fellow disciples who were looking in curiously from outside, signaling them to go ahead. She then sat in an empty seat nearby, her gaze scanning the black cat on the table and the little fox in Yu Qi’s arms. After sitting down, she asked in confusion: “Why are you here?”

Seeing that Ruan Lan had no intention of speaking, Yu Qi took the initiative to say: “We have matters to discuss with your Sect Leader. Since we didn’t send prior communication, we didn’t dare to enter abruptly.”

“Master just happens to have come out of seclusion not long ago.” Liu Cheng was a clever person; hearing Yu Qi’s words, she proactively volunteered: “I can mention it to her after I return.”

Yu Qi nodded. “Then my Senior Sister and I will wait for word here.”

Liu Cheng smiled. She didn’t hurry to leave but instead tried to probe their purpose. “What do you wish to discuss with the Sect Leader, Senior Sisters? Speaking of which, the Sect Leader has been troubled by matters regarding the Elders lately. I also wish to share her burdens.”

Yu Qi frowned and said perfunctorily: “It’s nothing important. You’ll find out when the time comes.”

“…Alright.” The smile on Liu Cheng’s face faded slightly. She rose from the table and said softly: “Please wait for a couple of days, Senior Sisters. I will come to welcome you after I have informed the Sect Leader.”

Once Liu Cheng left, Ruan Lan glanced at her departing back and shook her head. “She might not necessarily deliver the message.”

Yu Qi shrugged. “Might as well try.”

She also knew that Liu Cheng was quite calculating, but they were there to see the Sect Leader, and there was no conflict of interest with her. It was just delivering a message; surely it wasn’t that complicated.

If Feng Qi knew what Yu Qi was thinking, she would definitely tell her that getting Liu Cheng to deliver a message really was that complicated.

Like Ruan Lan, Feng Qi didn’t hold much hope for Liu Cheng. The former was wondering if she should find another disciple, while the latter spent her time waiting for a reply from the Misty Valley. Several days passed this way, and just as everyone was about to forget about Liu Cheng, she suddenly reappeared.

“Senior Sisters.” Liu Cheng looked apologetic, and the other disciples behind her all hung their heads dejectedly. “Could we please ask for your help?”

Yu Qi was somewhat surprised. “What is it?”

“There is a group of demonkin outside the city. We came out intending to eliminate them, but once we arrived, we discovered their numbers had increased. We can’t handle them on our own.” Liu Cheng sighed and said: “They have killed many mortals who left the city. It is truly hateful.”

Hearing there were demonkin, Feng Qi, standing beside Ruan Lan, asked curiously: “Are there many of them?”

Liu Cheng glanced at her and nodded. “Five or six.”

Five or six, huh? Feng Qi blinked. That wasn’t a small number; it was basically a big meal. Thinking this, she turned her head to look at Ruan Lan. Ruan Lan contemplated for a moment and then nodded to Liu Cheng. “Very well.”

Liu Cheng looked relieved. “Thank you for your assistance, Senior Sister.”

“Where outside the city?”

“I can lead the way.” After saying this, Liu Cheng paused, looking at Feng Qi who was following behind Ruan Lan, and said instinctively: “Is she going too?”

Ruan Lan frowned, her voice cold. “And?”

“Ah, nothing.” Liu Cheng glanced at Feng Qi again, then turned to observe Ji Manqiu, who was following at a moderate distance. Her eyes flickered with unknown thoughts.

The demonkin outside the city had no fixed hiding place. Liu Cheng led them to several former hiding spots outside the city but found nothing. Finally, they could only search aimlessly by tracking demonic energy.

Feng Qi was very sensitive to demonic energy. While perceiving the nearby energy, she inconspicuously guided Ruan Lan in that direction. The group was positioned differently: Ruan Lan, Liu Cheng, and Yu Qi walked at the very front; Ji Manqiu followed unhurriedly at the back; while Feng Qi and the group of Lingyun Sect disciples stood in the middle.

But halfway there, Liu Cheng somehow slipped into the middle of the group and swapped positions with the person next to Feng Qi. Seeing Feng Qi turn to look at her, she smiled and said: “We met in the secret realm of the Cangyun Sect. Do you still remember?”

“A little, I suppose.” Feng Qi acted as if she had suddenly remembered something and said: “I remember now. Of the treasures we found in the secret realm, one of the chests distributed afterward was given to you, right?”

The smile on Liu Cheng’s face stiffened for a moment, but returned to normal the next instant. Looking at Ruan Lan’s back, she said softly: “Senior Sister Ruan is a generous person.”

Feng Qi glanced at her, her lips curving almost imperceptibly. Liu Cheng was extremely jealous. While she spoke words of praise for Ruan Lan, she was likely vomiting blood in her heart.

To be honest, she really didn’t want anything to do with Liu Cheng. Feng Qi felt she hadn’t given her any hints at all; why was she being targeted again? Surely it wasn’t a case of “like attracts like.” She wasn’t following the “villainous female supporting character” path of the original host.

Liu Cheng’s proactive approach this time was to probe Feng Qi for the purpose of Ruan Lan and the others being here. However, no matter what she said, Feng Qi played dumb and brushed her off. In the end, she found out nothing and instead left with a stomach full of frustration.

Ruan Lan, who had been leading the way, suddenly looked back. The Lingyun Sect disciples were walking on either side of Feng Qi and Liu Cheng, so her view was unobstructed as she saw the two of them chatting and laughing in the middle.

Feng Qi’s head was turned, so Ruan Lan couldn’t see her expression, but the smile on Liu Cheng’s face was an eyesore to her.

Ruan Lan stopped suddenly, and Yu Qi stopped along with her. She followed Ruan Lan’s gaze, raised an eyebrow, and said: “Why did she run over to Feng Qi’s side?”

“Tell her to come back.”

“Huh?”

Ruan Lan turned around with a cold expression. She raised her light sword and pointed it directly ahead. Several blades of sword-qi suddenly appeared, sealing off the forest in front. The blade trembled slightly, and the sword-qi suddenly exploded; the front row of trees was sliced in half, and several black shadows emerged from the woods, dodging the sharp sword-qi in a panic.

“Aren’t we looking for demonkin?” Ruan Lan lowered her sword and said coldly: “They have been found.”

The commotion in the forest drew everyone’s attention. Liu Cheng looked at Ruan Lan’s back, her eyes narrowing slightly as she whispered: “Senior Sister Ruan has broken through again…” Her cultivation was many times stronger than it had been back in the secret realm.

Feng Qi nodded as if it were a matter of course. “Naturally. My Master is very formidable.”