The Female Lead Is A Supporting Female Character - Chapter 10

“What on earth are you trying to do?”

Ever since her rebirth and meeting Ming Yuemian again at Tianxuan Pavilion, this question had been circling in Fu Shuang’s mind. She had asked it before, but unfortunately, she never received a response of any real value.

Ming Yuemian would look at her with watery, innocent eyes, acting as if she were telling the absolute truth, though to Fu Shuang, those heartfelt words were merely being tossed into the wind.

Fu Shuang, naturally, didn’t believe a word of it.

Just as she didn’t believe the words Ming Yuemian whispered yesterday while they shared a pillow: “Because we both like you.”

Not only did she disbelieve it, she felt the words were a mockery intended to tease her. Ming Yuemian hadn’t even bothered to come up with a plausible excuse, the lie was riddled with holes!

Since she couldn’t get any useful information from her opponent, Fu Shuang decided not to waste any more time or breath. With a cold expression, she turned and walked away.

Ming Yuemian wanted to chase after her to “pledge her loyalty” further, but as if sensing the pursuit, Fu Shuang spent a significant amount of spiritual power to cast a Shrinking Earth spell. Her figure instantly reappeared dozens of miles away.

Ming Yuemian: “…”

Is she really that unwilling to talk to me? But everything I said was the truth!

Truly a blockhead, Ming Yuemian sighed to herself. She thought back to the sweet talk her “scumbag Senior Brother” used in the original novel back then, Fu Shuang had foolishly believed every word, lacking any sense of suspicion. Yet now, she was incredibly wary of her.

Could it be that her limited supply of wit is being used entirely on me? Ming Yuemian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

There was nothing to be done. The gap between a powerful spiritual master and an ordinary person like her was simply too vast. As she watched that elegant, otherworldly figure vanish at the edge of her vision, Ming Yuemian found herself powerless to cling to her even if she wanted to.

Dejected, Ming Yuemian took out her frustration on a small pebble by the roadside, kicking it far away.

Sigh, I’ll just have to take it slow!

The next day, the group set out early.

Although Ming Ye had relented and allowed Ming Yuemian to go down the mountain to the Kingdom of Li, he remained uneasy and riddled with worry. He had been busy all night, hardly closing his eyes, personally packing Ming Yuemian’s luggage. Since she insisted on not taking any attendants, he compensated by packing a vast array of magical artifacts for her protection.

The entire Tianxuan Pavilion came to see them off. At the mountain gate, Ming Ye held Ming Yuemian’s hand, handed her the Sumeru Pouch, and spent a long time nagging her with instructions.

He spoke of everything from the usage of the artifacts to the climate and soil of the Kingdom of Li, down to her daily diet and living arrangements.

“Father was afraid you wouldn’t be used to the food outside. Last night, I had the kitchen make many of your favorites: lily cakes, hibiscus rolls, and milk pastries. Take them with you to eat on the road.”

Ming Yuemian said, “Isn’t this… a bit too much?”

The original body’s “cheap dad” truly adored her. This heavy outpouring of affection made Ming Yuemian feel a bit awkward.

“Dad, you gave me so much. I can’t finish it all. Won’t it go bad on the road?”

While the father and daughter talked, no one in Tianxuan Pavilion dared to interrupt. Feng Cheng stood by with a smile: “Master, I will take good care of Junior Sister. I won’t let a single hair on her head be harmed.”

Fu Shuang stood not far away, cradling her sword. She glanced at the heartwarming scene, then up at the drifting white clouds. Seeing the sun rising high while they remained stationary, she felt a flicker of impatience and a sharp pang of bitterness.

Fu Shuang watched the red-robed woman look up at her father with a smile, the curved corners of her eyes and her vibrant lips. That look couldn’t be faked, only a child raised in unconditional love for years could look like that.

Innocent, carefree, willful as a matter of course, and firmly believing that everyone should love her.

She clearly has everything, Fu Shuang thought quietly. So why does she still have to compete with me?

In her past life, Fu Shuang had agonized over this question without finding an answer.

Back then, all she wanted was Feng Cheng; he was all she had. Why did Ming Yuemian, who possessed everything, have to take the one thing she owned?

Fu Shuang still didn’t understand the “why” today, but she no longer cared to think about it.

It wasn’t important anymore.

Because she no longer wanted Feng Cheng.

She only wanted to stand alone.

“…Sister? Sister?”

Fu Shuang was pulled back from her thoughts by a voice. She turned her head slightly and saw a woman’s face magnified right in front of her. It was so close that she instinctively took a step back, her expression momentarily blank before she could regain her composure.

She happened to be standing in a spot where that step back caused her back to hit a towering ancient tree, making it look as though she had been startled.

Ming Yuemian: “…”

She touched her own face, feeling both frustrated and confused. Is my face really that ugly?

Ugly? Hardly. Ming Yuemian had admired herself in the mirror, she was a top-tier beauty!

So, why this reaction? It was as if the person approaching her wasn’t a vivid, beautiful woman, but some kind of hideous monster!

Their eyes met, and Fu Shuang was the first to recover. When she spoke, her expression was normal again: “…What is it?”

“Oh, I just wanted to say, we can hit the road now!” Ming Yuemian brushed past the awkward moment.

She wore the Sumeru Pouch on her back, the bundle tied across her chest. Fu Shuang noticed her dress was different today, though it was still a striking, flamboyant crimson, the style was less complicated than yesterday’s. The sleeves were much narrower, making it far easier to move.

Feng Cheng walked up with his sword and said softly, “Shuang’er, let’s head out.”

It seemed the farewells were finally over. Fu Shuang glanced at the mountain gate, seeing Ming Ye and a group of disciples still standing there, watching them leave with lingering reluctance.

She withdrew her gaze and gave a faint, “Mm.”

Ming Yuemian was actually someone who loved traveling. More accurately, she loved to have fun. Although she loved binge reading, watching dramas, and anime, she wasn’t a shut-in who stayed in a virtual world all day. Her life before transmigrating was very active, she often went on road trips with friends.

Ming Yuemian had extensive travel experience and knew all too well that friction was inevitable when away from home.

Isn’t there a saying? Don’t go on vacation with friends, or you might not be friends by the time you return. During a trip, differences in opinion are perfectly normal.

The same applied to the cultivation world, though this trip to the Kingdom of Li wasn’t exactly a “vacation” but more like a “business trip.” However, since the mission didn’t rest on Ming Yuemian’s shoulders, she treated it like a holiday.

But before they even left the mountain, the first disagreement arose.

The issue was how to get to the Kingdom of Li.

Ming Yuemian pondered for a moment. “Senior Brother, how did you used to go there?”

Feng Cheng replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: “By flying on a sword, of course.”

For a cultivator, sword flight was surely the most standard mode of transport.

He did a quick mental calculation. “By sword, we can settle into the capital of the Kingdom of Li in about an hour. Even if your sword riding skills are poor, Junior Sister, and you fly a bit slower, it shouldn’t take more than two hours at most, right?”

“What do you mean my sword riding skills are poor?!” Ming Yuemian’s eyes widened.

Thinking she was throwing another tantrum, Feng Cheng who had known how to coax her since they were children, softened his voice: “Alright, alright, Senior Brother misspoke. Mianmian’s sword riding is the most impressive.”

Ming Yuemian: “…”

No, that wasn’t what she meant.

What she meant was, she didn’t have “poor” skills, she had zero skills in sword-riding!

The original character in this novel might have just been a lazy cultivator, but the current Ming Yuemian was a total illiterate in the ways of magic! She was the kind of “lost soul” who hadn’t even finished the nine years of compulsory education in the cultivation world.

“…Senior Brother,” she negotiated with a complex expression, “can’t we just go like mortals, the normal way, by carriage or boat?”

Feng Cheng was bewildered and surprised. “Why?”

“Because…” Ming Yuemian obviously couldn’t admit she didn’t know how to fly. “It’s my first time down the mountain, and I don’t want to come back so soon. Can’t we take our time? I want to see the scenery along the way.”

Though it was an excuse, Ming Yuemian genuinely felt this way. It was her first time in this cultivation world, and she wanted to see what other places looked like.

“This…” Feng Cheng hesitated.

Ming Yuemian rolled her eyes internally. Such a small request and you’re still hem and hawing.

After Ming Yuemian wore him down with repeated nagging, Feng Cheng finally said, “Alright, alright.”

He turned to Fu Shuang to consult her: “Shuang’er, what do you think?”

Fu Shuang originally had no preference and didn’t care how they traveled. But seeing Ming Yuemian’s insistent attitude, she didn’t want to let her have her way. She said intentionally, “How much time would it take to go by mortal carriage or boat? Flying is much easier and more efficient.”

Ming Yuemian: “…”

But for her, it was more trouble.

Your humble servant simply cannot do it!

Feng Cheng was habitually indecisive. He could change his plans based on Ming Yuemian’s request, but as soon as a different voice chimed in, he began to sway back and forth.

He was like this with tasks, and he was like this with his female companions. How else could he be called a “Central Air Conditioner” or a “philandering scumbag”?

Exasperated by him, Ming Yuemian had no choice but to plead with Fu Shuang: “Sister.”

She tugged at Fu Shuang’s sleeve. “I beg you, I really don’t want to fly. Let me have this one, and next time there’s something you want, I’ll definitely give in to you.”

Fu Shuang was originally unmoved, but she paused upon hearing those words.

“Give in to me?” She looked at Ming Yuemian, a sense of smug satisfaction rising in her heart. She repeated Ming Yuemian’s words slowly: “Whatever I want… no matter what it is?”

Ming Yuemian: “…”

She seemed to keenly grasp Fu Shuang’s implication.

She doesn’t mean Feng Cheng, does she?

Damn! That won’t do!

Admittedly, Ming Yuemian didn’t want Feng Cheng, but such a trashy man wasn’t exactly a prize either; she didn’t want Fu Shuang to have him. Her purpose here was to pull Fu Shuang out of the “trash bin”!

But since things had reached this point and the atmosphere was set, Ming Yuemian could only bite the bullet for now: “Yes… no matter what it is.”

But Fu Shuang wouldn’t let her off with just a light remark. She stared calmly at Ming Yuemian, taking in every subtle change in her expression, and said coldly, “Swear it.”

Never mind Ming Yuemian, even Feng Cheng was stunned.

“Shuang’er…” Feng Cheng said in a low voice, “It’s just a small matter. Why take it to the level of an oath?”

Taking oaths was something couples did often, but no matter how flowery the words were, they were usually useless, it all came down to action.

However, it was different in the cultivation world.

In the setting of this novel, if you swore to the heavens and later violated it, the heavens would strike you down, a literal bolt from the blue.

Ming Yuemian’s expression turned complicated. So she does know about this.

Then why, back when she was dating Feng Cheng, did she believe all those sweet lies he spat out? Why didn’t she make him swear to the heavens?

Sure enough, every ounce of that wit was being used on her!

“…Fine.” Ming Yuemian bit her fingertip and truly swore an oath to the heavens with a drop of blood.

The blood droplet on her finger acted as if it were alive, rising into the air and condensing into a crimson talisman, much like a sales contract, this was the proof of her oath. There would be no denying it later.

Ming Yuemian thought, The Heavenly Way sure has a strong sense of contract.

Throughout the process, Fu Shuang’s cool, clear eyes watched her quietly.

She reached out, and the crimson talisman landed in her palm.

Ming Yuemian watched as she tucked the talisman carefully into her sleeve, thinking with lingering fear: If I try to stop Feng Cheng and Fu Shuang from being together later, will I actually get struck by lightning?

Heavens be my witness! Ming Yuemian prayed sincerely in her heart. God, it’s not that I don’t want to give her the good stuff!

It’s because Feng Cheng… he’s really not “stuff” at all!