The Outcast Male Sub-Lead Stole the Female Lead’s Role - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Jiang Xu followed Fu Bihan for a long distance until they reached a path shaded by celestial woods. There, the two other junior sisters who had been with her departed together for parts unknown, leaving Fu Bihan to continue inward alone.

After some thought, he followed her. Although the trees were dense, the area was not large, and the air was filled with a pleasant floral fragrance.

After walking for a while, Fu Bihan turned into another narrow trail. Jiang Xu followed her around the bend, and his vision suddenly opened up. A spiritual lake appeared before his eyes, its surface shrouded in a light mist. Rare flowers and exotic herbs flickered in and out of view through the celestial fog, creating a scene like a fairyland.

Hiding behind a tree, Jiang Xu observed her movements. He saw Fu Bihan stop by the lake, find a clean stone on the shore to sit on, and rest her chin on her hand as she gazed at the distant scenery.

Wasn’t she just plotting something with the other two sisters? Jiang Xu watched her with confusion, but his doubts were soon resolved.

The two sisters who had left earlier now returned, and they had brought someone else with them.

It was Yan Huan.

Yan Huan followed behind them with a calm expression, seemingly unaware of where she was being led. Watching from the side, Jiang Xu became increasingly certain that Fu Bihan had called the female lead here alone to do something wicked.

Sure enough, as soon as Yan Huan arrived, Fu Bihan stood up, shot a look at the two sisters behind her, and said, “I hope I haven’t interrupted your business, Junior Sister Yan?”

Yan Huan seemed not to notice the two people gradually closing in behind her. She simply replied to Fu Bihan, “If Senior Sister calls, there is no reason for Yan Huan to refuse.”

“You haven’t been at Lingyun Mountain for long, and there are many places you haven’t visited. The other day, I saw you going out to gather herbs. The Medicine Valley is far and dangerous, whereas the Yaotai Realm is much closer and has plenty of medicinal plants. Everything you usually need can be found here,” Fu Bihan said with a smug look, pointing at the fairyland around them. “It saves a lot of trouble, so I brought you here to take a look.”

Is she really being that kind? Jiang Xu watched them and moved forward a few more steps. As he moved, he brushed against a low branch, and his hem was torn with a sharp rip. He thought to himself, Oh no, and quickly crouched down to hide.

“Senior Sister? Did you hear something?” one of the sisters asked, looking toward Jiang Xu’s direction with concern.

“Who could be here?” Fu Bihan put her hands on her hips and said dismissively, “If someone were here, I would have noticed long ago.”

Yan Huan cast a brief, subtle glance toward Jiang Xu’s hiding spot before quickly looking away, her eyes resting back on Fu Bihan.

Fu Bihan turned to look at the lake and said to Yan Huan, “This spiritual lake has the most spiritual creatures in the Yaotai Realm. Did you know that, Junior Sister?”

Yan Huan followed her gaze and said calmly, “I did not. Please explain, Senior Sister.”

Fu Bihan gave her a satisfied look and beckoned, “Come closer.”

Yan Huan obediently stepped forward until they were both standing by the lake, the clear water right at their feet. Jiang Xu clutched his chest, wondering, Is this girl going to push Yan Huan into the water?

He watched closely, but Fu Bihan actually began explaining things to Yan Huan quite seriously.

Confused, he then noticed the two sisters in white sneaking forward. With a flick of their fingers and a flash of white light, something dived into the lake. They then retreated a distance, occasionally chiming in to support Fu Bihan’s explanation.

Jiang Xu frowned as he noticed the once-placid surface of the lake beginning to ripple. From the distance toward the shore, the ripples grew heavier.

There’s definitely something fishy going on. As the lake water began to churn, Jiang Xu’s expression turned grim. He looked at Yan Huan, but she seemed to have no reaction to the anomaly.

Isn’t Yan Huan supposed to be very powerful in the original book? Her spiritual roots are exceptionally good, and she’s been an apprentice for half a month now—shouldn’t her talent be showing? How can she not see through Fu Bihan’s petty tricks?

And if Shi Jingyu were here now, he wouldn’t have to be so terrified. Wouldn’t a “hero saving the beauty” be a perfect chance to advance their relationship?

Jiang Xu rubbed his temples. But where am I supposed to find Shi Jingyu right now?

He looked up and saw the water surging more violently. Looking at Yan Huan again, he saw a semi-transparent tentacle emerge from the bottom of the lake, about to wrap around her foot. Jiang Xu gritted his teeth and dashed forward again.

Seriously, First Senior Brother, this is the second time I’ve saved your future wife. You better give me some rewards next time.

The two junior sisters clearly hadn’t expected anyone else. They were startled when he suddenly appeared. “Jiang Xu?”

They immediately covered their mouths and corrected themselves in a whisper, “Senior Brother Jiang.”

Jiang Xu thought, I know you guys hate the original host, but you don’t have to call me by my full name like that, do you?

Fu Bihan turned around immediately. Seeing him, her face filled with shock. She gritted her teeth, glanced at the thing under Yan Huan’s feet, and snapped exasperatedly, “Jiang Xu! Why is it you again!”

Jiang Xu had no time to deal with her. He threw the stone he was clutching, hitting the tentacle perfectly. The thing instantly shrunk back. He took the opportunity to pull Yan Huan away, asking anxiously, “Are you okay?”

“…I’m fine.” Yan Huan didn’t seem surprised to see him. She just looked back at the thing that had been struck, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Thinking she was frightened, Jiang Xu comforted her, “It’s okay, it’s okay. That thing is alre—” The lake water erupted. The tentacle from before lunged out of the water, heading straight for him. He let out a wail, pushed Yan Huan away to run, but his ankle was instantly ensnared. A massive force jerked him toward the water!

“Senior Brother!” “Jiang Xu!”

Fu Bihan and Yan Huan’s voices rang out simultaneously. Yan Huan ran forward and reached out to him. Jiang Xu’s eyes widened, but before he could reach back, he was dragged into the water by the creature and instantly submerged.

Once underwater, he saw the thing clearly—it was a plant-like vine with tentacles as agile as an octopus. He couldn’t tell if it was a plant or an animal. The semi-transparent tentacles quickly surged up and wrapped around his body.

Jiang Xu held his breath and tried with all his might to pull the vines off, but they wouldn’t budge.

Oh no, am I going to die this time? He was ready to cry. The next second, Shi Jingyu broke through the surface of the water, longsword in hand. With a few swift strokes, he severed the things binding Jiang Xu, grabbed him by the waist, and leaped out of the water.

Back on land, finally breathing fresh air, Jiang Xu began to cough violently. Shi Jingyu stood behind him, lightly patting his back, his sword braced against the ground to support them.

“Senior Brother!” Yan Huan ran over, looking worried. Having caught his breath, Jiang Xu noticed her feet were completely wet. Seeing his gaze, Yan Huan withdrew her feet and explained, “I was just about to go into the water when the First Senior Brother arrived.”

“Cough, cough.” Jiang Xu spat out some water, steadied his breathing, and looked at Shi Jingyu. He said hoarsely, “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Looking at Jiang Xu’s wet eyelashes, Shi Jingyu’s earlobes suddenly turned red. He pursed his lips and said uncomfortably, “It was nothing. How do you feel now, Junior Brother?”

Jiang Xu steadied himself and smiled. “I’m fine. Luckily you came in time.” He tried to stand up, but a sharp pain shot through his ankle. With a muffled groan, he fell back down.

Shi Jingyu hurried to support him. “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Xu bent his head, lifted the hem of his robe, and reached down to pull off his sock. Shi Jingyu suddenly grabbed his hand. Jiang Xu turned his head in confusion and saw Shi Jingyu’s face was slightly flushed. “…What are you doing, Junior Brother?”

“…” Jiang Xu looked at him strangely, wondering why he was blushing, and explained, “Senior Brother, my ankle hurts. I’m checking it.”

Shi Jingyu froze and quickly let go, his expression turning serious. “You were touched by the Water Vine just now. It seems you’ve been poisoned by it.”

“Huh?” Jiang Xu looked at him in disbelief. “That thing was poisonous too?”

“Indeed. However, Water Vines are normally docile, and their venom isn’t very strong,” Shi Jingyu explained. Then he asked curiously, “Why did you say ‘too’?”

Jiang Xu laughed nervously and said, “Nothing, nothing.” By “too,” he naturally meant the green spider from before.

There are so many poisonous things on Lingyun Mountain. Is this what a spiritual mountain is like?

Before he could think further, another wave of pain hit his ankle. He quickly took off his shoe and pulled up his pant leg, revealing a snowy-white ankle. Near the ankle bone, there was a visible purple ring.

“…Junior Brother, um,” Shi Jingyu suddenly began to stammer, “The Water Vine isn’t very toxic. The medicine I carry with me can cure it…”

Seeing his bashful look, Jiang Xu asked in confusion, “Then just give me the medicine, Senior Brother.” Why the blushing?

He looked up and saw that the junior sisters had already turned around, looking as if they were trying not to see anything improper.

“…” Jiang Xu was speechless. Then he heard Shi Jingyu explain in a low voice, “Although the poison isn’t heavy, it needs to be combined with spiritual power to heal completely.” He glanced shyly at Jiang Xu’s exposed ankle and quickly looked away, his face turning even redder. “Please do not take offense, Junior Brother.”

Offense? At what?

Jiang Xu looked at his blushing face and then at his own exposed skin, finally understanding.

No way. Is the First Senior Brother really the type to blush just from seeing a man’s leg?

He looked at Shi Jingyu with a complex expression, sighed, and pulled his pant leg even higher. “Just go ahead, Senior Brother.”

Shi Jingyu took out the medicine, looked at him, then at the bottle in his hand. Gritting his teeth, he finally reached out with red ears. He applied the spiritual medicine to the purple ring, then pressed his palm against it. After whispering “Excuse me,” he began to circulate his spiritual power.

A moment later, Jiang Xu’s ankle returned to normal. He moved his foot and, finding the pain gone, relaxed and smiled. “Thank you, Senior Brother!”

Shi Jingyu withdrew his hand, curled his fingertips, and looked down as he stowed the medicine bottle. “It was nothing. Try to stand up, Junior Brother.”

Jiang Xu nodded, stood up, and moved around. “This medicine is amazing.” He looked at Shi Jingyu. “Thanks to you, Senior Brother.”

Shi Jingyu smiled. Then, as if seeing something, he let out a light cough and turned away. “Junior Brother, perhaps you should dry your clothes first.”

He was wearing white today, and having fallen into the lake, his clothes were completely soaked. Jiang Xu was tall but quite lean. Now that he was drenched, his slender figure was perfectly outlined. The white clothes clung to his body, making his fair skin clearly visible. His pitch-black hair hung loose like ink, and his handsome features, touched by the water, appeared even more vivid, with his lips a bright red. He looked strikingly beautiful.

He really should dry off before showing himself to others.

Yan Huan and Fu Bihan, who had been standing to the side, also turned around. Seeing Jiang Xu like this, Fu Bihan immediately covered her eyes, while Yan Huan coughed lightly and looked away.

Jiang Xu shook the water from his sleeves and looked at the three people who wouldn’t look at him. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped up to Shi Jingyu. To save face, he leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Senior Brother, could you help me?”

The warm breath tickled the back of his ear, and the faint scent unique to the person behind him surrounded him clearly. Shi Jingyu’s face turned completely red. Usually a steady First Senior Brother, he now acted like a nervous boy, barely managing not to show his panic. “…Okay.”

He whispered an incantation, and a gentle spiritual power enveloped Jiang Xu. In an instant, Jiang Xu’s clothes were restored to their original state.

Jiang Xu shook his clothes and happily draped an arm around Shi Jingyu’s neck. “Thanks so much, First Senior Brother!” Then, noticing Shi Jingyu’s face was still bright red, he asked in confusion, “Senior Brother, why is your face so red?”