The Outcast Male Sub-Lead Stole the Female Lead’s Role - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jiang Xu had just rushed over when he heard 001’s voice. He didn’t have time to ask questions; his gaze was fixed on the cyan jade pendant in Shi Jingyu’s hand, and he froze in a daze.

Shi Jingyu cast a small spell, and the jade pendant, which had been stained with mud and grass, instantly became clean. Its beautiful, lustrous color was revealed. Jiang Xu stared at it for a long time, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

“Junior Brother, is it this one?” Shi Jingyu spoke up suddenly with a smile. “Looking at it now, I recall seeing you wear this jade pendant before, though it disappeared later on.”

He had worn it before? Jiang Xu’s eyes widened slightly as he reached out to take the jade. The moment the cool jade touched his skin, fragmented memories flashed through his mind—but they were gone in an instant, impossible to grasp.

Jiang Xu stroked the jade. “Senior Brother?”

“What is it?”

He lowered his gaze. “Ah, nothing.” What exactly went wrong? I clearly have no memory of ever seeing this jade…

A sudden gust of wind swept through the forest, making the leaves rustle loudly. Shi Jingyu’s expression shifted instantly. He grabbed Jiang Xu’s hand. “Not good, Junior Brother. We must leave at once.”

“What’s happening—”

Before he could finish, a roar erupted behind them like a clap of thunder. Without time to look back, Jiang Xu was swept up by Shi Jingyu as they began to run.

The wind whistled past his ears as the spirit beast roared in pursuit. Jiang Xu stole a glance back and saw a beast the size of a black bear, its face distorted and ferocious.

The beast had the body of a tiger but a single horn on its head. Its fur was pure white, and its powerful tail left heavy gashes on the trees it passed, even snapping thinner trunks outright.

“It’s smart; it blocked our path back,” Shi Jingyu said through gritted teeth. “But I’ve never seen a spirit beast go mad like this. Most of them should be docile…”

As they fled deeper into the woods, a louder roar echoed from the depths. A violent surge of spiritual energy followed, and a massive black spirit beast suddenly appeared, blocking their path.

Jiang Xu had never seen such a situation. If he were the original owner of this body, he might have charged forward to fight, but right now, he didn’t even know how to use spiritual power. With only his Senior Brother there, facing two spirit beasts seemed impossible.

Pinned between the two beasts, 001’s voice rang out again, tinged with urgency: [Host, please complete the mission as soon as possible!]

The black beast was prowling, ready to strike at the slightest provocation. But…

Jiang Xu looked at Shi Jingyu, who was shielding him, and hesitated.

At that moment, the white beast pounced. Shi Jingyu drew his sword and met the attack. The fierce struggle immediately drew the attention of the other beast; it watched them like a hawk but strangely made no move to attack Jiang Xu.

Standing to the side, Jiang Xu felt redundant for the first time. Why isn’t this beast attacking me?

As he pondered, a sharp gust of wind lashed out. Shi Jingyu retreated several steps, sword in hand. Jiang Xu moved to support him, but the black beast suddenly lunged from behind. Seeing the massive claws about to strike Shi Jingyu, Jiang Xu gritted his teeth and shoved Shi Jingyu aside, throwing himself in front.

The beast came to a dead stop, but its momentum carried its claws forward. Seeing them about to rake across his face, Jiang Xu’s body froze in terror. He squeezed his eyes shut. A second later, he felt his body become weightless. A hand gently circled his waist, and a cold, elegant fragrance filled his nose.

It felt as though he were floating in mid-air. Jiang Xu kept his eyes shut as 001 screamed: [Plot Turmoil… Plot Turmoil!]

Amidst the chaos, he heard Shi Jingyu cry out in shock: “Master?!”

Master?? Jiang Xu snapped his eyes open. The first thing he saw was pale skin and a sharp, well-defined jawline.

Was this the person who was mentioned but never seen in the original book—the Master, Wen Hexue? In the original story, Wen Hexue never appeared. Why was he showing up now?

The man noticed his gaze and looked down. Jiang Xu was momentarily stunned by the face before him.

He had never seen a man with skin so pale, yet it looked as pure as fallen snow. His pale lips were slightly pursed, providing a subtle accent to his complexion. Most striking were his eyes—slightly upturned at the corners, deep and narrow. Looking into them felt like staring into a deep pool of melted snow: profound, still, and quiet beneath long lashes.

The previously enraged spirit beasts didn’t dare step forward. The man held Jiang Xu lightly by the waist as they drifted slowly to the ground, his bamboo-colored robes fluttering gracefully. His hair was held up by a jade crown, giving him an aura of ethereal transcendence.

His hand remained on Jiang Xu’s waist, showing no intention of letting go. Dazed, Jiang Xu could only stare at the man’s face until he was snapped back to reality by Shi Jingyu’s suppressed, surprised voice.

“…Master! Aren’t you still in secluded meditation? Why have you come out early? Could it be that the disciples disturbed you?”

The word “Master” finally brought Jiang Xu back to his senses. He straightened up, only to realize the hand behind him hadn’t moved. He looked up and realized this “Master” was not only ethereally beautiful but also much taller than him.

Their eyes met. Wen Hexue did not look away immediately; he held Jiang Xu’s gaze for a few seconds until Jiang Xu, unable to endure the intensity, looked away first.

The two large spirit beasts had long since vanished into the forest. Shi Jingyu, still holding the jade pendant, looked at Wen Hexue with great reverence, not daring to approach.

Wen Hexue glanced at him and gave a faint “Mm.” Turning back to Jiang Xu, he spoke: “Name?” His voice was like melting snow—clear, cold, and leisurely, matching his face perfectly.

Jiang Xu paused. The man spoke again: “Jiang Xu?”

“…” If you already knew, why did you ask?

Jiang Xu shifted uncomfortably against the arm at his waist. Only then did Wen Hexue release him, hiding his fingers back into his wide sleeves. He turned to Shi Jingyu. “Is all well within the sect lately?”

Jiang Xu hurriedly backed away to stand beside Shi Jingyu, listening as his Senior Brother replied, “Master need not worry, everything is well.”

Wen Hexue cast a brief glance at Jiang Xu and reached out. A speck of glowing blue light flew toward Jiang Xu, circling his body once before returning to the Master’s fingertip.

Though the light seemed faint, Jiang Xu felt refreshed as it passed. The dull ache at the back of his head vanished instantly. Jiang Xu exclaimed in surprise, “What spell is that? It’s amazing!”

Shi Jingyu shot him a look, signaling him to be quiet. Jiang Xu quickly covered his mouth, blinking as he stared at the celestial Wen Hexue.

He had been so startled he forgot that this Master loved peace and quiet; he was a man of few words who disliked chatter, let alone someone shouting so boisterously.

For a moment, only the sound of wind in the leaves remained. Jiang Xu waited guiltily for a punishment that never came. Instead, he heard a very faint chuckle. He froze and looked up, once again mesmerized.

That fleeting smile made the snow-like face even more breathtaking—like moonlight suddenly breaking through clouds. It was soft and gentle, making it impossible to look away. Even those cold eyes seemed touched by a hint of worldly tenderness.

“…Master?”

Shi Jingyu, likely not expecting Wen Hexue to smile, called out in a low, stunned voice.

Wen Hexue ignored him. He took a few steps forward, his gaze landing on the jade pendant in Shi Jingyu’s hand. He paused.

Jiang Xu, watching him closely, noticed a slight frown when the Master saw the jade, though it vanished so quickly he thought he might have imagined it. The next second, Wen Hexue flicked his finger. The jade flew out of Shi Jingyu’s hand and landed in Jiang Xu’s palm. The Master turned, his gaze sweeping over him once more. “Keep it safe.” In the next heartbeat, he was gone.

Coming and going like a ghost… Jiang Xu looked at the jade in his hand, tucked it into his belt, and brushed off his clothes. “Senior Brother, shall we head down the mountain?”

Shi Jingyu seemed to be in a daze, staring at the spot where Wen Hexue had vanished. Jiang Xu clicked his tongue and patted his shoulder, making Shi Jingyu jump.

“Senior Brother, what’s wrong with you?”

“Ah,” Shi Jingyu retracted his gaze and shook his head slowly. “I just felt that Master was a bit strange today. He usually doesn’t say so much.”

Jiang Xu looked at him in shock. “That was much??” How little does he usually talk then??

Shi Jingyu shook his head and smiled. “Well, Master has been in seclusion for ten years. It’s natural for his temperament to change. Junior Brother, since we found your jade, let’s head back.”

Jiang Xu’s mind was still on Wen Hexue. He nodded blankly. “Right, let’s go back.”

On the way down, he replayed the events in his head. 001 was unusually silent, not mentioning the mission once.

It wasn’t until they reached Jiang Xu’s simple little thatched hut that he snapped out of it, still fingering the jade at his waist. It seemed the plot had changed—first the mysterious jade, then Wen Hexue’s appearance. This direction was very strange.

Lost in thought, Jiang Xu nearly walked straight into the doorframe. Luckily, Shi Jingyu noticed and placed his hand against the frame. Jiang Xu’s forehead hit the broad palm instead of the wood, saving him from a large bump.

“Hiss…” He steadied himself and looked apologetically at the worried Shi Jingyu. Without thinking, he grabbed the other man’s hand to check it. “Thanks, Senior Brother. Is your hand okay?”

The owner of the hand didn’t answer immediately. Thinking he had actually hurt him, Jiang Xu looked up anxiously. “Does it really hurt? Is my head that heavy?”

As he looked up, he stared straight into Shi Jingyu’s eyes. The other man was staring at him intensely; when their gazes met, Shi Jingyu’s face flushed bright red. He turned away and left in a hurry. “Junior Brother, rest for now. I will come find you if anything happens.”

Watching the figure vanish in an instant, Jiang Xu blinked. After a moment, he walked inside, puzzled. “Why was his face so red? I only hit his hand?”

[Hello, Host.]

“Aah!” Jiang Xu clutched his chest, glaring at the system that had suddenly appeared. “You don’t show up when I need you, and then you pop out to scare me now?”

001’s tone remained cold, but carried a strange hint of gloom. [Does the Host know what that jade pendant is?]

Jiang Xu paused and took the jade out. It was fine-grained, exquisitely carved and polished—smooth and cool to the touch. The lower half featured a blooming flower, beautiful but of an unrecognizable species.

As his finger traced the texture of the flower, he was surprised to see a faint halo of light emanate from the spot he touched. It was soft and fleeting, disappearing the moment he moved his hand.

“What is this?” Jiang Xu’s eyes widened. He touched it again, but this time the light didn’t appear. He looked to 001 for answers, only to see the system looking extremely grave. He faltered. “Is there a problem?”

[This jade pendant never appeared in the original book. It wasn’t even mentioned.]

001’s voice, already cold, became even more serious. [The plot has changed. The Host’s original mission can only be cancelled.]

“Wait, if that’s the case, then Wen Hexue’s appearance is also a sign of the plot changing?” Jiang Xu rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment before looking up at 001. “Hold on, didn’t you say I can only go back by earning points from missions? If the mission is cancelled, how do I get home?”

001 stayed silent for a moment before answering coldly: [The Host must still live out the plot as the original ‘Jiang Xu,’ but because the plot has collapsed, the system cannot provide assistance. The Host must find his own way.]

“…” Jiang Xu fell silent. He pursed his lips, then suddenly grabbed 001 and began squeezing the system in his hands. “Are you kidding me?!”

[Host, please let go…] 001’s face was squished into a ball, its cold voice sounding much less stable.

Jiang Xu didn’t let go, venting his frustration while rubbing the system. “But what am I supposed to do? I might have remembered the original plot, but now that everything’s changed, how am I supposed to manage…” He stroked 001’s fluffy fur when a spark of inspiration hit him. “Since the plot is broken, I’ll just follow my memory and force it back on track! Won’t that work?” He gave 001’s face a final squeeze. “Quick, praise me!”

[…Character from the book detected. Please respond appropriately, Host.]

As soon as it said that, 001 vanished. The fluff in Jiang Xu’s hands turned into thin air. He pouted, but then heard a soft knock on the door. He paused and called out, “Wait a moment!”

“Is there something… Big… Brother?” Jiang Xu stared at Wen Hexue standing outside his door, completely stunned. What is going on?