The Outcast Male Sub-Lead Stole the Female Lead’s Role - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jiang Xu looked at Yan Huan in disbelief. “Wait, why would you say that?”

Yan Huan turned her face toward him, looking puzzled. “Senior Brother, when you were praising the Eldest Senior Brother just now, you sounded exactly like someone in the throes of spring fever.”

?? Him? Spring fever?

Jiang Xu nearly choked. No matter how you looked at it, shouldn’t he have seemed like a matchmaker?

Seeing the sheer earnestness on Yan Huan’s face, he was just about to open his mouth to explain when he saw Shi Jingyu, who had been explaining things to the junior disciples nearby, walking toward them.

He immediately shut his mouth and consciously stepped back. Internally, he was gloating; the male lead truly couldn’t suppress his heart’s flutter upon seeing the female lead, running over even while he was busy. Hehehe.

Jiang Xu’s eyes sparkled as he watched Shi Jingyu approach, glancing sideways at the female lead with a smug sense of satisfaction. He felt he was one step closer to finishing his mission, only to see Shi Jingyu walking straight toward him.

Is he just greeting me out of necessity because I’m in the way?

He shuffled back further, wearing what he thought was a very kindly smile, only to see Shi Jingyu give Yan Huan a brief nod of acknowledgment before coming right up to him. A look of confusion crossed Shi Jingyu’s face. “Junior Brother, why are you standing so far away?”

Jiang Xu pointed at himself. “Senior Brother is speaking to… me?”

The confusion on Shi Jingyu’s face deepened, and even Yan Huan spared him a quiet glance. Jiang Xu cleared his throat and explained, “I happened to run into Junior Sister Yan Huan. This Medicine Valley is dangerous, so I thought it best to bring her here. With Senior Brother around, one can finally feel at ease.”

Shi Jingyu nodded, then asked, “And Junior Sister Fu? Shouldn’t Junior Sister Yan Huan be with her?”

Just as Jiang Xu was wondering how to explain, Yan Huan spoke up herself. She cupped her hands and said, “I became separated from Senior Sister. Fortunately, I ran into Senior Brother Jiang.”

Not expecting her to cover for Fu Bihan, Jiang Xu glanced at her and quickly followed up, “Exactly, exactly!”

Shi Jingyu nodded then, offering a word of helpless reproach. “Junior Sister Fu must have been careless again today, failing to notice even when someone beside her was missing.”

Jiang Xu nodded repeatedly; his only goal now was to push the male and female leads together. “…So, Senior Brother, I’ll leave the Junior Sister to you. You’re so capable, she’ll surely learn a lot following you. I still have things to do, so I’ll head back first.”

“Junior Brother seems to have a deep acquaintance with Junior Sister Yan,” Shi Jingyu said, his brow suddenly furrowing slightly. “I wonder if you two knew each other before?”

Before Jiang Xu could explain, Yan Huan spoke first. “Senior Brother Jiang and I did not know each other previously.”

Jiang Xu nodded along hurriedly. “I just found the Junior Sister very agreeable to the eye,” he balance-bullshitted with a straight face. “It felt like meeting an old friend at first sight, so I paid a bit more attention.”

To his surprise, as soon as he said this, the expressions on both their faces became quite strange. He blinked innocently. “Is something wrong?”

Yan Huan shook her head, looked at him, and asked seriously, “Is what Senior Brother said… true?”

Jiang Xu immediately held up three fingers. “Of course!”

“Ahem, in that case, Junior Brother may rest easy and head back,” Shi Jingyu said with a smile. “I will take care of Junior Sister Yan.”

Though he was smiling, it made one feel that the Eldest Senior Brother was in a bad mood. Jiang Xu took an extra look at Shi Jingyu’s expression but ultimately didn’t overthink it. The Eldest Senior Brother was always gentle; why would he get angry for no reason? At that thought, he relaxed, cupped his hands, and said with a beaming smile, “Many thanks, Senior Brother!”

Shi Jingyu watched his retreating back, lowered his eyelashes, and said softly, “Junior Sister, let us go.”

After leaving the Medicine Valley, Jiang Xu returned to his small thatched hut and remembered he still had a “time bomb” on his hand. Unwrapping the handkerchief and gently parting the Galam Grass, he found the wound had improved significantly. The purplish bruising had stopped spreading, though the bite site was a bit swollen and showed signs of oozing.

“This looks terrifying,” he re-tied the handkerchief, planning to find an antidote.

Among the six peaks of Lingyun Mountain, each had its own strengths. Qingcen Peak was famous for spiritual medicine and healing. The Peak Master, Zi Su, was a female immortal master renowned for her skill in alchemy. It was said her medicines could cure a hundred illnesses and neutralize a thousand toxins; she surely had the antidote for Green Spider venom.

In the original book, the original owner of his body often went to Qingcen Peak, but not to learn medicine. It was because the Medicine Valley there was larger and more exotic than the one on Jingming Peak. Usually, disciples weren’t allowed to wander to other peaks, but the original owner was a rule-breaker. Later in the plot, when he couldn’t go openly, he went secretly. He seemed intensely interested in medicine-making, yet never brought any herbs back.

It wasn’t until later in the novel that the reason was revealed: because the original owner practiced evil arts, he was constantly at risk of Qi deviation and had to use drugs to suppress it.

But that’s a story for later.

In short, he needed the antidote, and that meant a trip to Qingcen Peak.

He made up his mind and was about to set off when he heard a knock at the door. It was already late; he wondered who would be looking for him…

Jiang Xu rose and opened the door, only to find Yan Huan dressed in white, holding a food container, standing before him with a cold expression.

“…Junior Sister Yan?” Jiang Xu looked at her in confusion, peeking behind her. “Shouldn’t you still be at the Medicine Valley at this hour?”

Yan Huan gave a slight nod and explained, “I spoke with Senior Brother and came back early.”

Jiang Xu’s grip on the doorframe tightened as he made room for her. “Oh… then please, come in.”

Yan Huan nodded and stepped over the threshold, standing by the door once inside without moving further.

When Jiang Xu read the book, he thought the female lead was a cold, arrogant, “big sister” type beauty. But experiencing it in person, he felt that while she was cold, she was also somewhat endearingly stiff.

He couldn’t help but smile, feeling a bit like an old father looking at his daughter. He closed the wooden door and walked toward the table. “Junior Sister, please sit.”

Only then did Yan Huan carry the container over and sit with him. The two weren’t well-acquainted, and sitting across from each other, Jiang Xu didn’t know how to start the conversation. He looked at her face and ventured, “Junior Sister, did you come to see me for something specific?”

The food container was slowly placed on the table. Yan Huan’s fingers twitched slightly as she spoke. “Thank you for saving me today, Senior Brother. I made these myself as a small token of my gratitude.” Finally, she took an exquisite wooden box from her wide sleeve and placed it on the table.

She glanced at Jiang Xu’s bandaged hand and pushed the box forward. “This is the antidote. You can take it shortly.”

Jiang Xu looked at the box in shock. “Where did you find this medicine?” He had just been about to go looking for it; how did she bring it directly to him?

“I gathered enough herbs today, so I made the antidote myself and brought it over.”

“You know how to make medicine?!”

A faint blush appeared on Yan Huan’s fair face as she nodded gently. “My neighbor was a physician who taught me some pharmacology.”

Jiang Xu was surprised for a moment, then remembered that in the original book, Yan Huan indeed had a talent for this. To be honest, as the female lead, she was naturally gifted in everything—otherwise, how could the “everyone-loves-her” attribute be justified? It just hadn’t fully manifested yet since they had just entered Lingyun Mountain.

“Junior Sister, you’re amazing.” Jiang Xu meant it. He took the medicine without a second thought, poured a cup of plain tea from the table, and swallowed it in one go. Then he started to unwrap the handkerchief to check the wound, but Yan Huan stopped him.

In their three meetings, she had always worn a cold mask. This time, for some reason, she laughed. When she didn’t smile, she was a cold beauty; when she did, the contrast was striking—her eyes curved like a lotus flower blooming at dawn.

“It won’t heal that quickly. Don’t be in such a hurry, Senior Brother.”

As soon as she said that, Jiang Xu realized what she was laughing at. He sheepishly withdrew his restless hand and chuckled. “…True.”

Yan Huan stopped laughing and pushed the food container forward again. The pinkish tint that had faded returned to her face. “Senior Brother, as I said, I made this myself. Just some snacks to show my appreciation.”

Jiang Xu thought to himself that everyone seemed to like saying “thank you” with homemade pastries. Seeing Yan Huan’s serious expression and knowing he couldn’t refuse, he took the container. “Then, thank you, Junior Sister.”

He only hoped her skills were slightly better than the little sister’s.

Seeing him accept it, a faint smile appeared on Yan Huan’s face. She stood up quickly, took the empty medicine box from the table, and tucked it into her sleeve. “Rest early, Senior Brother. I shall take my leave. Sorry for the intrusion.”

Jiang Xu stood up to see her off, but she stopped at the door. “What is it?” he asked, puzzled.

Yan Huan seemed conflicted, her hands clenched slightly at her sides as if gathering courage. She turned to look at Jiang Xu. “Senior Brother, I believe that love does not distinguish between men and women.”

With that, she turned and left, leaving Jiang Xu standing stunned in the room. It took a long moment for the meaning to sink in, and when it did, his brain felt like it exploded.

Help! She doesn’t actually think I like the Eldest Senior Brother, does she??

He rushed out to chase her, but Yan Huan was already long gone.

“…She sure runs fast,” he leaned against the doorframe with a bitter smile, wanting to cry but having no tears. “Wasn’t the female lead supposed to have a genius IQ? I worked so hard to hint at things today; how did she manage to misunderstand so catastrophically?” And so wildly off-track!

Forget it, he’d have to explain clearly another day.

He closed the door and looked at the food container with a grimace. After a thought, he opened the lid with a spark of hope, seeing a small celadon bowl with a cover.

Jiang Xu sat down with a thud, shocked. “It’s not pastries!” He shifted the container and found another layer beneath. Removing the bowl, he saw a plate of translucent pastries shaped like… spiders.

He moved the plate, feeling breathless, and found a slip of paper underneath. On it was a line of elegant handwriting: Senior Brother must hate the Green Spider deeply today, so I specifically made them in this shape to help you vent your anger.

Jiang Xu put down the note and looked away, his expectations completely vanished. He looked up and sighed deeply. “Why didn’t the author tell me the female lead had this side to her personality!”

Fortunately, the snacks weren’t too detailed—just a general shape—and the color was bright. He frowned and muttered, “I don’t actually hate the Green Spider that much…”

“Oh well, whatever.” Fortunately, Jiang Xu was easygoing. As long as it was a pastry, the shape could be ignored, especially since his stomach was growling. He took out the plate of snacks and opened the celadon bowl to find a bowl of brightly colored lotus seed porridge.

The porridge looked, smelled, and seemed delicious. Jiang Xu was starving and the aroma was enticing. Just as he was about to pick up the spoon, he suddenly remembered something.

In the original book, wasn’t the one who loved lotus seed porridge the most Wen Hexue!!

He looked down at the porridge and silently put the lid back on. He grabbed a piece of the spider pastry and took a bite with his eyes closed. Surprisingly, it tasted great—sweet and light, a complete contrast to its appearance.

He finished the snack in one go, packed up the lotus seed porridge, and after a thought, rolled up his sleeves and headed to the kitchen. After a long time of messing around, his face was covered in soot, the kitchen was a mess, and his porridge was burnt.

Nothing for it. Jiang Xu wiped his smudged face, looked at the celadon bowl, and sighed. “Sorry, Junior Sister, I really just can’t cook.”

Before he could even clean his face, there was another knock at the door. He stood up in confusion. It was certainly a busy day. He opened the door to find Shi Jingyu standing there, also holding… a food container.

Is this some kind of established tradition? Does everyone who visits me bring a box of food?

He gave a sheepish laugh as Shi Jingyu handed over the container somewhat awkwardly. “Junior Brother said he was hungry today, so I brought some food. I hope you won’t find it beneath you.”

“Huh? Oh, okay…” Jiang Xu took it blankly, too surprised even to refuse. Then he heard the Eldest Senior Brother ask in a low voice, “What does Junior Brother think of Junior Sister Yan Huan?”

Hearing this, Jiang Xu immediately got excited and started praising her heavily. Finally, he concluded, “In short, Junior Sister Yan is truly a rare and wonderful woman in this world…” Before he could add “Senior Brother, don’t miss out,” Shi Jingyu spoke up, his voice sounding rather dejected.

“Is that so… then Junior Brother, make sure you don’t miss out.” He looked up with a faint smile. “It’s late, I’ll be heading back.”

“…”

Wait, what?

Jiang Xu stared blankly at the spot where Shi Jingyu had vanished instantly. His head felt dizzy. “Did he… misunderstand something too?”