The Outcast Male Sub-Lead Stole the Female Lead’s Role - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Though he felt guilty, the task had to be done. As Jiang Xu carried that bowl of lotus seed porridge toward Wen Hexue’s quarters, he felt a distinct sense of committing a crime.

It wasn’t just that his culinary skills were unrefined; even a simple side dish coming from his hands was… an acquired taste, to put it mildly. He had no choice but to “borrow flowers to offer to the Buddha”—using Yan Huan’s labor to gift to the Great Buddha, Wen Hexue.

Passing a tall tower along the way, Jiang Xu stopped. This structure differed greatly from the other buildings; a bell hung from every eave corner. As a gentle breeze brushed past, they emitted a chorus of light chiming. The sound was exceptionally clear; even with hundreds of bells ringing together, it wasn’t noisy, but rather sounded like a composed melody.

Unconsciously drawn to the tower, he took a step forward, wanting to get a closer look, but was blocked by an invisible barrier. When his palm touched it, a faint white light rippled out; when he withdrew his hand, the air returned to its calm state.

Jiang Xu’s eyes widened. He felt the barrier again, lured by its water-like texture into stroking it a few more times. He looked up at the tower, clicking his tongue in wonder. “It’s built so well, yet they won’t let anyone in.” Shaking his head, he turned to leave, only to spot a dark shadow flashing quickly in the distance. He hurried over, rounded a corner, and collided with an unfamiliar disciple.

The two nearly crashed. Jiang Xu braked just in time, shielding the food box in his hands as he stepped back half a pace. Before he could steady himself, he heard the person call his name in confusion: “Jiang Xu?”

The man wore deep blue robes with a black sword hanging at his waist. Jiang Xu looked up to see a handsome face with narrow eyes, currently regarding him with an expression of displeasure. “What are you doing here?”

Jiang Xu scrutinized him. Based on his attire and features, he looked familiar. Searching through his memory, he realized this was Chu Weiling, a disciple under the Sect Leader’s tutelage.

He remembered the original book mentioned that Chu Weiling utterly loathed Jiang Xu. This expression was… expected.

“…Senior Brother Chu? Uh, I have business with Master.”

Chu Weiling glanced at the food box in his hand. “Master likely won’t see you.” Having said that, he refused to utter another word and turned to walk away.

As Jiang Xu watched him leave, he noticed something he had missed in the shadows earlier. As Chu Weiling passed by a lantern, Jiang Xu saw that a small corner of the hem of his robe was missing.

How strange. He turned his head in confusion. In the original book, Chu Weiling was extremely fastidious about his image—he would rather not leave his room than allow his appearance to be anything less than perfect. How could he not have noticed a torn hem?

Jiang Xu shook his head and stopped overthinking it. With one last glance at the tall tower, he continued on his way.

Wen Hexue preferred solitude. His residence, named the “Moonlight Pavilion,” was situated in a remote and quiet location. The house was surrounded by a grove of tall bamboo; when the moon rose, its silver light filtered through, creating a cold, serene, and elegant atmosphere—truly a scene of “chilly moonlight reflecting on the steps, thin shadows of purity.”

This was Jiang Xu’s first time here. Staring at the house—which, though elegant, featured winding verandas and intricately carved eaves—he couldn’t help but feel a sense of disparity.

Both were wooden houses, both were surrounded by bamboo. He looked up at the moon in the sky; the lunar glow was clear and pure, like the color of jade.

“…Why does the moon here look different from the one at my place?” he muttered. After a few sighs and a lament about how people are truly born into different worlds, he stepped into the courtyard drenched in moonlight.

Upon entering, a ghostly fragrance wafted over. The scent was light and clean, incredibly pleasant. Jiang Xu took a couple of breaths, thinking to himself that Wen Hexue seemed to carry this same scent.

The Moonlight Pavilion was silent, save for the slight splashing in the pond by the veranda, likely from fish that had not yet gone to sleep.

Entering this overly quiet space, Jiang Xu instinctively lightened his footsteps. A peach tree grew in the courtyard right before a wooden window. It was currently in full bloom; the tender red petals were lush, clustering together in a brilliant display that remained vivid and warm even in the night.

He had assumed Wen Hexue wouldn’t like such romantic and passionate flowers, yet he hadn’t expected to find one planted right outside his window.

Jiang Xu retracted his gaze and stepped onto the stone stairs, ascending quietly. Reaching the door, he saw a warm, melting light glowing from within.

Summoning his courage, he took a deep breath and knocked. “Master?”

There was no answer. Jiang Xu curled his fingers and knocked again. “Master, are you there?” Still, there was no response. He tried a few more times with the same result.

How could Master not be in his room at this hour? Besides, the lamp is still lit…

He needed to get some clarity regarding the plot today. Since he had finally found an opportunity to come, he couldn’t just leave.

He looked down at the food box, bit his lip, and whispered an apology for being rude. He gently pushed open the wooden door. Immediately, a fragrance more concentrated than the one in the courtyard—identical to the scent on Wen Hexue—poured out. Jiang Xu stepped over the threshold and entered the room.

The scent was elegant. Jiang Xu’s first instinct upon entering was to look around, but he saw no burning incense burner. The interior decor was simple and antique. In the center sat a snow-white zither; on the desk were several bamboo scrolls and two or three thick books stacked together.

He shifted his feet and tried calling out again, but there was still no response, only the slight crackle of the burning candle. He stopped moving, thinking that perhaps Master really wasn’t there and he should come back another time.

Just as he turned to leave, he heard Wen Hexue’s voice drifting out from further inside: “Since you are here, come in.”

Jiang Xu froze and turned back, looking around in confusion without seeing a trace of his master. Then, the voice spoke again: “Walk further in.”

He knows someone entered the room even without being here? Did he know the moment I stepped through the door?

“…” Jiang Xu had no choice but to walk deeper into the room. Bypassing the white zither and the screen, he discovered a hidden world within the house. Behind a thin sheet of white gauze, warm, damp mist was swirling. He pulled back the gauze curtain and was stunned by the sight before him.

Behind the curtain was a hot spring pool. Wen Hexue’s back was turned to him; his black hair was draped loosely, partially covering skin as fair as jade, submerged in the hazy steam. It looked ethereal and surreal.

“I’m sorry, Master!” He quickly covered his eyes and stepped back, only to hear a very faint laugh, like a clear spring, reaching his ears.

“It is no matter.” After a pause, the voice continued, “Open your eyes.”

That was true, Jiang Xu realized. They were both men; what was there to avoid? It was probably just that Master’s own aura was so cold and distant that he seemed only meant to be viewed from afar, so seeing him like this felt awkward.

Thinking this, he opened his eyes. However, the moment he did, his gaze was drawn to a vivid red lotus on his master’s shoulder.

He had been too flustered to notice earlier, but now, the sight left Jiang Xu dazed. The lotus was as red as blood, appearing even more decadent and brilliant against Master’s cold, white skin, as if it were truly alive.

Of course, it wasn’t just the flower that caught his attention. Jiang Xu had assumed that because Master was so beautiful, he would have the physique of a “pretty boy.” But looking at the shoulders and back, that notion was shattered. The lines there were elegant yet firm, with no hint of frailty; he might even be stronger than Jiang Xu himself.

Before he could look away, the air seemed to be masked by a layer of water mist. He heard the sound of water splashing, and when he blinked again, Wen Hexue was standing before him, fully and neatly dressed.

“…” Jiang Xu blinked. “Master, you’re fast.”

The tips of Wen Hexue’s hair were still damp, and his features appeared even more defined after being moistened by the steam. Compared to his usual cold and otherworldly appearance, there was now a touch of intensity. He curled his lips slightly. “Not that fast.”

Not fast? Jiang Xu grumbled internally, but seeing him lift the curtain to walk toward the front hall, he hurried after him with the food box.

Wen Hexue sat at the desk and looked at Jiang Xu, who was still standing. He pointed to the space in front of him. “Sit.”

Only then did Jiang Xu sit. He looked at the food box, placed it on the desk, glanced at Wen Hexue, and said, “Master, um, I heard you like lotus seed porridge. I specifically made—uh, no, I specifically brought some lotus seed porridge.”

Wen Hexue raised an eyebrow slightly. “How do you know I like lotus seed porridge?”

Jiang Xu thought, I can’t exactly say it’s the author’s setting, can I? After a moment, he said, “The whole sect knows.”

Wen Hexue said nothing more, yet he still didn’t look at the food box. He picked up a bamboo scroll and unrolled it. “Did you make this lotus seed porridge?”

A wave of guilt hit Jiang Xu. He spoke sheepishly, “…Not exactly. Master, that’s not important. I just wanted to thank you for saving me from the Demon Lord that day. You should eat it while it’s hot; it won’t be good once it’s cold.”

Hurry up and accept it. Only after you accept it will I have the courage to ask you things.

The lid he was about to open was pressed down by a slender, warm hand. Jiang Xu looked up in confusion, only to see Wen Hexue looking at him with a faint smile—though there was no warmth in his eyes. “Then I am afraid the whole sect has remembered incorrectly. I do not like lotus seeds.”

“Huh? Oh…” Jiang Xu withdrew his hand, then suddenly looked up again. What? He doesn’t like lotus seeds! Where did the author’s setting go?

He looked at Wen Hexue awkwardly, thinking how embarrassing this was. He quickly apologized, “…I’m sorry, Master. I must have… remembered wrong.”

A light chuckle sounded as Wen Hexue pushed the food box aside. “No matter. You seek me likely because you have questions.” He looked at Jiang Xu. “Is it regarding Bai Liu and me?”

Jiang Xu froze for a few seconds before speaking gloomily, “Master, you… how did you know?” He hurriedly added, “I just find it strange. The Demon Lord was so rude to you! Thinking it over, I suspected you might have known each other before for him to speak like that.”

Wen Hexue picked up a brush, measuring where to start on the paper spread across the desk while still holding the scroll in his other hand. Hearing the words, his hand paused slightly. “Bai Liu has lived for a century, and I have lived for quite some time. It is unavoidable that our paths would cross.”

Not getting the answer he wanted, Jiang Xu frowned. He looked at him, gathered his courage, and continued, “But Master, Bai Liu seems to know a lot of things. Did you really just ‘cross paths’?”

“In a hundred years of life, one cannot sever the thousands of threads connecting them to the mortal world. One might meet people from that world in the present, or catch only a fleeting glimpse without even knowing their names—that too counts as not truly knowing them,” Wen Hexue finally dipped his brush in ink and began to write. “If one knows the other’s background, yet there is only the karma of a past life, and in this life things have changed and paths no longer cross… Do you think that counts as knowing each other?”

The long explanation made Jiang Xu’s head spin, but he understood that Master hadn’t really answered his question. He thought about it and replied, “Why wouldn’t it count? Meeting is fate. If it were me, if I knew someone in a past life, even if we had no connection in this life, I would still remember that bit of past karma.” He paused and threw the question back. “I asked if you two know each other; why did you bring up all this? If it were you, Master, how would you see it?”

The scent of ink gradually filled the air. Wen Hexue looked up at his earnest expression, smiled, and slowly shook his head. He wrote two words on the paper: I don’t know.

“…Master just doesn’t want to tell me, so you said all that to wind me in circles.” Jiang Xu pouted. He had expected to be nervous being alone in a room with him, but now, under the faint candlelight as Wen Hexue wrote and he watched from the side, he felt a sense of ease and relaxed considerably. “But I still think you know each other. The Demon Lord called you so affectionately that day…”

Before he could finish, he was interrupted. Wen Hexue’s voice turned cold, and his brow furrowed. “Nonsense.”

Seeing his expression, Jiang Xu startled and muttered, “…I suspect you two have a grievance.” He looked at Wen Hexue again, his mind instinctively going back to the red lotus he had just seen. Just as he was about to ask about it, he was cut off.

A sudden commotion broke out outside. Jiang Xu pricked up his ears and heard someone shouting in panic: “The Spirit Accumulation Stone is gone!”