The Female Lead Is A Supporting Female Character - Chapter 8

What exactly is she planning?

Ming Ye had been waiting for Feng Cheng in the study for quite a while, but he didn’t expect Feng Cheng to arrive with company. Ming Yuemian and Fu Shuang stood on either side of him one in red, one in white. One was as fiery as a flame, the other as pure as snow, two distinct beauties flanking him. Though there was no physical contact, it made Feng Cheng look like a man enjoying the best of both worlds, surrounded by beauty.

The sight immediately fueled Ming Ye’s irritation.

“I summoned you,” Ming Ye said, his face darkening. “Why did you bring them along? How old are you now? Do you really need company for everything you do? Can you not handle a single task alone? Are you still a three-year-old toddler?”

“Master.” Feng Cheng was baffled. He hadn’t expected Ming Ye to lash out so harshly over such a trivial matter. Seeing his master’s grim expression, he froze for a moment before immediately dropping to one knee. “This disciple has erred.”

Ming Yuemian glanced at Feng Cheng, the corners of her lips curling upward.

Serves him right.

Seeing the scumbag getting scolded was immensely satisfying.

Ming Yuemian felt so refreshed that she even felt a pang of idiosyncratic regret: Why didn’t I transmigrate into Ming Ye’s body?

If she were in Ming Ye’s shoes, as Feng Cheng’s master and the Sect Leader of Tianxuan Pavilion, wouldn’t she be able to scold and punish him whenever she pleased? Things would have been much more convenient.

As her mind wandered through these chaotic thoughts, she stole a glance at Fu Shuang. The other woman looked cold and detached, her eyes empty, seemingly indifferent to Feng Cheng’s kneeling.

That’s more like it, Ming Yuemian thought with a sense of relief.

It seemed her words from last night had some effect after all, her breath hadn’t been entirely wasted.

The Underlying Tension

Ming Ye’s outburst was triggered by the small excuse of the company, but his true fury stemmed from Feng Cheng bringing Fu Shuang back. Not only had he brought back a beautiful woman, but he was also being brazenly intimate, making no effort to hide their connection.

Even worse, he was juggling both women at once. He stayed with Fu Shuang while still lingering around Yuemian and he didn’t even bother to put up a front in her presence?

What is he trying to do? This is blatant double-dealing!

Ming Ye had already tacitly approved of the marriage between Feng Cheng and Ming Yuemian. In his eyes, Feng Cheng’s behavior was no different from a worldly playboy taking a mistress before even marrying his primary wife.

Though he was fuming, the pretext was minor, so he couldn’t justify a heavy punishment. He simply gave a cold “Hmph” and muttered, “Stand up.”

Only then did Feng Cheng rise.

He had received many lectures growing up, but never had he been so confused. He felt as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning out of thin air.

What puzzled him even more was Ming Yuemian’s reaction. Usually, whenever he was scolded or punished, his junior sister would speak up for him. If Ming Ye didn’t listen, she would even threaten to take the punishment for him or insist on being punished alongside him. Ming Ye doted on his daughter above all else and usually gave in.

But… why is Junior Sister silent today? How can she just stand there and watch?

The “Polite” Eviction

Ming Ye turned to Ming Yuemian, his voice softening. “Yuemian, you and Miss Fu Shuang should head out first. I have matters to discuss with your Eldest Senior Brother.”

Though he called her “Miss,” the tone remained distant. It was no different from yesterday when he referred to her as an “outsider.”

Put bluntly, it was just a polite way of saying “Get out.”

Fu Shuang’s lips curled into a cold, faint smirk. Having lived through a past life, she was no longer that trembling, cautious girl. Back then, she would have done anything to please her lover’s master. Now, she wouldn’t care if she offended the entire Tianxuan Pavilion.

Just as she was about to snap back with sarcasm, a delicate, soft voice beat her to it.

“Father, why are you chasing your daughter away?”

Fu Shuang paused.

Right. Ming Ye’s dismissal hadn’t just been for her; it included his own daughter.

Capitalizing on the original character’s pampered and willful nature, Ming Yuemian grabbed Ming Ye’s arm and pouted. “Is there something your daughter isn’t allowed to hear? Father, do you like Eldest Senior Brother more than me now? I won’t have it!”

Ming Ye was caught between a laugh and a sigh. “What nonsense. How could I not love you? Don’t be ridiculous… I really do have serious business to discuss with your brother.”

Fu Shuang watched coldly but didn’t leave. The more Ming Ye wanted them gone, the more she wanted to hear what he had to say.

Serious business… Fu Shuang guessed it likely concerned her. The old Sect Leader probably wanted to warn Feng Cheng not to stray, for the sake of his daughter.

“What serious business?” Ming Yuemian blinked. “I want to hear it too. I can help Father with things.”

Both Feng Cheng and Ming Ye turned to look at her, clearly treating her words as a joke.

She had been pampered since childhood, she could barely handle a single dragon. What could she possibly do? Even if her cultivation were high enough, there were plenty of disciples in the pavilion. There was no need for the Sect Leader’s precious daughter to run errands.

“Stop messing around…” Ming Ye scolded indulgently. “What could you possibly do?”

“I won’t know until you tell me, Father.” Ming Yuemian looked up, her red lips slightly puckered in a display of innocent defiance.

Ming Ye, unable to resist her persistence, as he had never refused her anything in her life, finally relented.

“Fine…” Ming Ye said. “If you must hear it, then stay.”

He paused, then turned to Fu Shuang. “Miss Fu Shuang…”

“Sister Fu Shuang stays too!” Ming Yuemian cut in.

Ming Ye was stunned, then looked at his daughter with a mix of exasperation and amusement. “I haven’t even said anything yet.”

Ming Yuemian argued stubbornly, “If you make Sister Fu Shuang leave and act all secretive, people will think our Tianxuan Pavilion is plotting something shameful.”

She wore a sincere expression that suggested, I’m only doing this for the good of the sect.

Ming Ye: “…” Feng Cheng: “…”

Both knew she was willful, but today’s behavior felt subtly different. There was an inexplicable sense of strangeness.

This is ridiculous. Did Yuemian take the wrong medicine?

Even Fu Shuang was narrowed her eyes in confusion. Since her rebirth, she found this girl increasingly odd. From yesterday until now, her strange behavior wasn’t limited to just one or two instances.

She had intended to see what tricks the girl was playing, but she found herself understanding her less and less. Looking at the woman in red and her bright smile, Fu Shuang wondered:

What exactly is she planning?

The Mission to the Kingdom of Li

“Fine, fine…” Ming Ye shook his head and walked to the desk, picking up a wooden box. “It’s not actually a major life or death matter.”

He walked back, holding the box, and handed it to Feng Cheng. “Today, I received a letter from the King of Li.”

Feng Cheng opened the box. Ming Yuemian leaned over to peek and saw a pale purple letter inside, adorned with an exquisite Snow on Green flower pattern.

The Snow on Green is the national flower of the Kingdom of Li. In all the four seas, it grows nowhere else. Rare and precious, it serves as the symbol of Li, its pattern is strictly reserved for the royal family.

“The King of Li?” Ming Yuemian asked, puzzled. “Why is he writing to you, Father?”

Tianxuan Pavilion was a place of cultivation, but it wasn’t entirely cut off from the mortal world. Most immortal sects maintained ties with various kingdoms. Cultivators handled demons and spirits for the royals, while the royals provided funds, land, and rare treasures for the sects. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

“Is there some demon or evil spirit in the Kingdom of Li? Does he want Tianxuan Pavilion to exorcise it?”

Ming Ye nodded. “Exactly.”

Ming Yuemian frowned. “But the Kingdom of Li is so far away. Why didn’t he seek out a closer sect? I recall the Miaoyin Sect is right near Li. Why didn’t the King go to them?”

She only knew about the Miaoyin Sect because of the original novel, one of the female cultivators there was one of Feng Cheng’s many love interests.

Feng Cheng finished reading the letter and placed it back in the box. “We have always been on good terms with the Kingdom of Li. It’s natural for the King to seek our help.”

“Why are we on good terms?” Ming Yuemian asked. They seemed worlds apart.

Feng Cheng froze. “Junior Sister, you don’t remember?”

“…Remember what?”

“You have suffered from a heart ailment since childhood. The Snow on Green flower from Li is the best treatment for it.” Feng Cheng glanced at Ming Ye. “We originally had no connection with Li. It was because of your illness that Master traveled there many times to establish a bond. How could you forget all that?”

Ming Yuemian paused. “Oh.”

She really didn’t know that!

Wasn’t the villainess’s heart condition a lie? How was this actually a thing? Was it possible the original character had been deceiving her father and the male lead since she was a child?

Fu Shuang caught the subtle shift in Ming Yuemian’s expression and narrowed her eyes. She knew about the heart condition, the pain of having her heart cut out in the previous life was hard to forget. But looking at Yuemian now… it seemed like she was completely unaware of her own illness.

The expression she made when Feng Cheng spoke was… surprise?

A fleeting thought crossed Fu Shuang’s mind, but it was too faint to grasp.

“Ahem… so what does the King want us to do?” Ming Yuemian changed the subject.

Ming Ye explained, “Princess Fei Qiong of Li has been having nightmares every night and acting strangely during the day, as if possessed. The King wants Tianxuan Pavilion to exorcise the demon.”

“Oh…” Seeing that Ming Ye didn’t dwell on her ignorance of the flowers, Ming Yuemian breathed a sigh of relief. “If that’s all, then just go.”

Exorcism was routine work for cultivators.

Ming Ye said, “Cheng’er, I’ll have to trouble you to make the trip.”

Feng Cheng accepted the command. “Yes, Master.”

Ming Yuemian couldn’t wait for the scumbag to disappear. She said with a smile, “Safe travels, Senior Brother.”

And don’t bother coming back soon, she thought.

She glanced at Fu Shuang. With the scumbag gone, Fu Shuang wouldn’t be lured out for secret dates and manipulation every day. Between the travel and the exorcism, it would take at least a few months. Ming Yuemian was confident she could set Fu Shuang straight during that time.

No matter the method, she had to sever that toxic romance! This was the perfect opportunity to intervene.

But before her joy could fully settle, a bolt from the blue struck.

Ming Ye added, “By the way, Cheng’er, on this trip down the mountain, take Miss Fu Shuang with you. Find a good place to settle her. It’s not right for her to be delayed here at Tianxuan Pavilion indefinitely.”

Feng Cheng stiffened and looked up at Ming Ye.

Ming Ye’s voice was kind, but his eyes were cold. That wasn’t a suggestion; it was an order.

Fu Shuang wasn’t like the other girls Feng Cheng had brought back. Those girls were often helpless and needed protection. Fu Shuang was an orphan who had survived on her own for years. She had only come here because of her feelings for him. She didn’t need “settling.”

Ming Ye was using polite words to mask a harsh reality.

He was banning Fu Shuang from Tianxuan Pavilion.

Feng Cheng understood this perfectly and didn’t respond immediately. The atmosphere grew tense with silent conflict.

The deadlock was broken by Ming Yuemian’s sudden outcry.

“What?!” Ming Yuemian had thought she and Fu Shuang could stay in the sect together. She hadn’t expected this turn of events. “Then I’m going too!”