The Outcast Male Sub-Lead Stole the Female Lead’s Role - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Outside world rumors paint the Demon Race as perpetually terrifying, and the territory of the Demon Realm as utterly horrific, where demonic beasts run rampant and poisonous plants grow everywhere.

The legends regarding the Demon Lord, Bai Liu, are even more extreme—saying he is bloodthirsty, murderous, and possessed of a volatile temperament; in short, a man of profound terror.

Bai Liu’s true form is a snake. Although he is the son of the previous Demon Lord, his background is tragic.

His father, Lord Bai Yuan, was notorious for his cruelty. Not only were his methods of governing the Demon Realm savage and tyrannical, but his treatment of his own flesh and blood was equally brutal.

He had a son and a daughter. His daughter, Bai Chu, was three years older than Bai Liu. Since they were small, the two were thrown into pits of demonic creatures and were forced to kill them just to survive. Even with their demon blood, they were only small children—how could they face adult demonic beasts? Bai Liu’s sister died protecting him from being harmed by the monsters.

Afterward, Bai Liu’s personality changed drastically. At first, he became withdrawn and silent, and later, he became manic and erratic. How could his father tolerate such a “crazed” state? Far from relenting, he became even stricter, locking Bai Liu in a secret chamber to undergo bitter cultivation until he became the person he is today.

As Jiang Xu was carried aloft by Bai Liu, he looked down and felt that the Demon Realm wasn’t quite so terrifying. The forests below were lush and green, filled with plenty of exotic flowers and strange herbs. While there were many demonic beasts as rumored, they didn’t look particularly horrific—some of the smaller ones actually looked quite cute.

Bai Liu was not polite to Jiang Xu at all. His strength was immense, and he dangled Jiang Xu in mid-air by the back of his collar with just one hand.

“Can we change positions?” Jiang Xu’s neck was hurting from the constriction. No matter how beautiful or strange the scenery below was, it couldn’t compensate for his physical discomfort. He reached out to loosen his collar, but his hand was snatched away.

Bai Liu glanced at him with an inscrutable expression. After a moment, he asked, “You really want to change?”

“Of cour—” Before he could finish the word “course,” Jiang Xu shrunk his neck and looked at him suspiciously. “Are you really being this kind?”

Bai Liu smiled slightly. “Since you feel uncomfortable, and I am not an uncivilized person, I shall naturally satisfy you.”

Jiang Xu thought to himself that kidnapping him was already uncivilized enough. The next second, he felt the grip on his neck loosen. Before he could even rejoice, his body began to plummet.

They were still high in the sky, far from the ground. The wind roared in his ears. Jiang Xu screamed, “I told you to change positions, not throw me, you bastard!” He kicked his legs, and as the ground rushed toward him, his heart leaped into his throat.

Just as he was about to hit the ground, a hand suddenly grabbed his waist and hauled him up.

With his heart still racing, Jiang Xu instinctively clung to the person beside him and glanced at the ground with lingering fear.

“I heard that the disciples of Lingyun Mountain are all brave and heroic, with exceptionally high spiritual cultivation. How is it that when it comes to you, you can’t even manage to hover in mid-air?” Bai Liu held him effortlessly by the waist, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Jiang Xu was infuriated by the mocking tone. “Yes, yes, yes, you’re amazing, you’re the best,” he muttered. “As if throwing someone at will gives you the right to be self-righteous…”

Bai Liu suddenly accelerated, diving toward the ground. Jiang Xu, still shaken from the previous scare, gripped him tightly and wouldn’t let go. It was only when his feet touched solid ground that he felt a modicum of peace.

“Have you forgotten that this is my territory?” Bai Liu released him and glanced at Jiang Xu’s hand. With the corners of his lips quirked and his eyes narrowed, he said, “It seems this immortal cultivator is quite fond of my waist.”

Jiang Xu froze, only then realizing he was still hugging the brat. He let go immediately, retreated several steps, and said righteously, “Apologies, my hand slipped. Besides, your waist is too hard; it’s uncomfortable.”

“…” Bai Liu stared at him for a long while, then gave a soft chuckle and flicked his robes as he walked forward. “How interesting.”

Why is he just leaving? Jiang Xu looked at the black-clad back. Without time to dwell on it, he turned and ran in the opposite direction. Strangely, Bai Liu did not pursue him.

The situation seemed suspicious, but Jiang Xu didn’t have time to think. After running dozens of meters, he stopped to catch his breath. Just as he was about to continue, a rustling sound came from a nearby haystack. His body stiffened. Before he could take more than a few steps, something pounced from behind. Jiang Xu dodged violently, falling to the ground, and finally saw what had been hiding in the grass.

It was a demonic beast the size of a leopard with pitch-black fur and two sharp, snow-white fangs. Its long tail lashed back and forth, ending in a spike like a stinger. It was currently baring its teeth at Jiang Xu, drool dripping from its mouth, its eyes filled with greed.

Jiang Xu swallowed hard. He was less than five meters from the beast. Given its speed, he certainly wouldn’t be able to outrun it, especially since he couldn’t flexibly use his spiritual power…

He gritted his teeth, fixed his eyes on the beast, and slowly climbed up from the ground. As he retreated, the beast lowered its body, letting out a low growl from its throat as saliva dripped onto the ground, slowly closing in on him.

What a nightmare, Jiang Xu thought, his legs feeling weak. He racked his brain for the techniques the original owner had learned but could only recall one. Trembling, he quickly picked up a branch by his feet and focused his mind. The branch was enveloped in a layer of bright light; when the light faded, it had transformed into a longsword—well, a half-finished sword.

The upper half was still a branch, while only the bottom part was sharp metal. Jiang Xu slapped his forehead. Why was he so useless at the critical moment? He vowed to recover the original body’s cultivation memories when he got back!

The demonic beast tilted its head, seemingly confused by the weapon in his hand. After a few seconds of silence, it took half a step back, its powerful hind legs coiled to spring, and then it lunged.

Just as the creature was about to pounce, something seemed to hook onto Jiang Xu’s waist. He looked down, and then his entire body was jerked backward. The demonic beast’s face, which had been inches away, suddenly receded. The creature pursued him unwillingly for a while, but whatever was pulling Jiang Xu was faster than it was—and it seemed to have eyes of its own, dodging many thorns and brambles along the way.

Jiang Xu simply closed his eyes, feeling the wind whistle past his ears until his body finally stopped and the constraint on his waist loosened.

“It was just a small beast,” Bai Liu’s voice appeared again. Jiang Xu snapped his eyes open. Before him was a pool of black spring water, and Bai Liu was sitting on a stone platform, propping up his chin as he watched him.

Jiang Xu panted, “…You didn’t leave?”

No wonder Bai Liu had walked away so easily earlier; he had placed something on Jiang Xu’s person beforehand.

“Why would I leave without my little pet?” Bai Liu smiled, his white hair flowing and his red eyes clear, looking perfectly innocent. He held out his hand, and on his index finger was a thin red thread glowing with a faint crimson light.

Jiang Xu quickly looked down and felt around his waist. Sure enough, he felt a thin thread—touchable but invisible. He tugged at it, but it didn’t break. “Hiss, what is this? Can you undo it for me?”

Bai Liu raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a smile. “It’s a chain for binding a pet. Why would I undo it?”

He hooked his finger, and Jiang Xu felt a tug at his waist. His whole body was pulled forward, and just as he was about to fall into the deep spring in front of Bai Liu, a cool hand gently grabbed his wrist.

Bai Liu’s pull was stopped. Jiang Xu saw the expression on Bai Liu’s face turn quite colorful for an instant. Turning his head, he saw Wen Hexue dressed in white. Wen Hexue gave him a gentle tug backward, then swept his finger across Jiang Xu’s waist. The pulling force vanished instantly. Unable to maintain his balance, Jiang Xu leaned back and fell into Wen Hexue’s embrace.

Wen Hexue lightly held his shoulder to steady him.

As soon as Jiang Xu was steady, he quickly scrambled out of the embrace. “I’m sorry, Master!”

“Master?” Bai Liu’s gaze moved playfully between the two. He suddenly flew over to stand before them. Looking at Wen Hexue’s cold face, he laughed. “Immortal Wen, why are you letting him call you ‘Master’ now?”

Bai Liu seemed to be an old acquaintance of Wen Hexue. Jiang Xu frowned; hearing those words, he couldn’t help but feel that he also had some connection with the two of them.

The plot involving Bai Liu and Wen Hexue was undoubtedly a hidden thread in the original book. Perhaps he could take this opportunity to learn more…

Thinking this, Jiang Xu glanced at Bai Liu, poked his head out from behind Wen Hexue, and asked, “According to seniority, it is only natural for me to call Master ‘Master.’ What is the problem with that?”

Bai Liu looked at him, his red eyes narrowing. “Trying to bait me into talking?” He took a step closer and reached out his hand, but it was instantly slapped away by Wen Hexue. Wen Hexue extended his arm to shield Jiang Xu, and as they retreated several steps together, he smoothed his sleeves and spoke with thin lips: “How I deal with my disciple has nothing to do with the Demon Lord.”

“How can you say it has nothing to do with me?” Bai Liu frowned with feigned surprise, his eyes containing a hint of ambiguity. “You and I had such deep feelings back then. What, has only a few years passed and you’ve already turned your back on me?”

A-Xue? Jiang Xu’s eyes widened at these words. Could it be that this Demon Lord and his Master had some romantic history in the past? He looked up at the person shielding him—so ethereal in white, with “devoid of love” written all over him.

He shook his head, instinctively placing the blame on the flirtatious-looking Demon Lord. “Even if there were feelings, it must have been you pestering my Master. How could Master ever take a fancy to you?”

The ambiguous look on Bai Liu’s face vanished, replaced by a blank expression for a few seconds before he scoffed. “This little disciple is still so interesting; he reminds me of the past…”

“The Demon Lord’s infiltration into our sect’s mountains was already a breach of boundaries. Now, abducting my disciple—I wonder what the Demon Lord intends,” Wen Hexue interrupted him. “There is no sentiment between me and the Demon Lord. Counting these two incidents today, if we were to settle accounts, it would be a matter of enmity.”

Bai Liu was choked for words, his expression turning quite ugly. He flicked his dark red sleeves, his red eyes returning to their cold state. “You are just as boring as before.”

Wen Hexue stopped speaking. Jiang Xu could tell that although his cold and elegant “ice beauty” Master remained polite toward Bai Liu, his expression was quite poor. They certainly didn’t have a good relationship. Although he wasn’t well-acquainted with his Master either, they were on the same side, so he had to speak up for him.

“Master is very interesting!” Emboldened by hiding behind Wen Hexue, and without realizing he had instinctively grabbed a piece of the snow-white sleeve, he stuck his tongue out at Bai Liu. “Don’t you worry about it!”

Surprisingly, Bai Liu didn’t get angry. Instead, he laughed loudly, a strange light flashing in his eyes. “Truly interesting, A-Xue,” he called to Wen Hexue, but his gaze remained fixed on Jiang Xu. “Keep a close eye on him this time.”

Jiang Xu sensed that Wen Hexue was angry. He stared at the Master’s profile, only to see him raise his hand. A speck of glowing blue light flew toward Bai Liu’s face. Bai Liu didn’t dodge; the light fell to the ground, instantly exploding into an ice pillar. He then took Jiang Xu by the wrist and turned to leave.