Chapter 4.4
As soon as he leaves the spirit-land, the tile denoting one as a disciple of the Heavenly Cosmos sect tucked away in his sleeve begins to vibrate violently and heat up. This indicates a fellow sect disciple is met with danger and is requesting help from their peers.
Well aware that the victim this time is the female lead, Sui Yuan immediately abandons his efforts to decipher his spirit beast’s meows. Extending his senses outwards, he pinpoints the direction where a spike of spiritual energy is coming from, then dashes away.
His current location is quite a distance from Shen Jiayi, hence, even if there is nothing to delay him on the way there, someone has already come to the female lead’s aid by the time he reaches. Seeing that everything is developing accordingly with no alterations, Sui Yuan’s heart relaxes. Quickly striding over, he calls out. "Junior Sister Shen!"
"Senior Brother Liu..." Shen Jiayi raises her head, gaze falling on the harried-looking Sui Yuan. A touch of gratefulness enters her eyes and she hurriedly greets him with a bow. "Many thanks for Senior Brother Liu’s timely assistance."
"It’s a shame that I appear to have arrived too late, and didn’t manage to lend a hand," Sui Yuan says somewhat regretfully, then his tone turns concerned. "Junior Sister Shen, are you injured?"
"Only a few scrapes, nothing for Senior Brother Liu to trouble yourself over." Shen Jiayi smiles, then turns to the youth standing by her side. "Senior Brother Shao was the one who rescued me."
Sui Yuan shifts his gaze to the other supporting male lead, offering him a faint smile and cups his hand before him[1] in thanks. "I thank Peiyuan for your assistance."
"You’re too kind." The youth named Shao Peiyuan waves a hand dismissively, bearing confidence and at ease as he walks up to Sui Yuan, dropping a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Our Heavenly Cosmos and Heavenly Element sects are brothers. Seeing a Heavenly Cosmos disciple in a difficult situation, we are obliged to help. However, I didn’t expect to meet Minghui. Indeed, it is karma!"
Even though the polite smile is plastered on his face, Sui Yuan subconsciously stiffens, unease surging through his being - because this Shao Peiyuan is one of the important supporting male leads, and he fulfils all three criteria for the male lead: white clothes, bland smile, and high cultivation!
Shao Peiyuan is the Heavenly Element sect’s Head Disciple, meaning he shares the same status as Liu Minghui. These two are equally gifted, willing to help others, and receives the respect and adoration from the other disciples. Besides the fact that one is a genuine gentleman and the other is a hypocrite, both youths are not much different from each other.
Shao Peiyuan stood out from amongst his peers at an earlier date then Liu Minghui. One can say that the latter used the former as a template to create a false front. He carefully studied Shao Peiyuan’s naturally warm character and gracious attitude carefully, then gradually refines himself to be one step more kind, gentle and gallant. As time passes, his popularity amongst the disciples of both sects overtakes Shao Peiyuan, making him the number one most desirable talent in this region.
Only, Liu Minghui is well aware of his true personality. Perhaps it is due to discomfort at knowing he is only pretending, he fears the consequence of being discovered whenever he is in the presence of the genuinely nice Head Disciple. Therefore, he has always regarded Shao Peiyuan as a threat to his safety, and a thorn in his side. On the surface, Liu Minghui and Shao Peiyuan are a couple of close, like-minded friends. But in reality, Liu Minghui is constantly thinking of ways to pull the other down from his horse. As long as the genuine product is destroyed, then this fake will be unique and unmatched. However, the big-hearted Shao Peiyuan treats Liu Minghui sincerely, completely unaware that this close friend is like a tiger stalking its prey, waiting for an opportunity to pounce.
Sui Yuan’s muscles become taut not simply because of Liu Minghui’s reservations towards Shao Peiyuan, but also due to his misgivings regarding him possibly being Zhao Xihe. Originally accustomed to receiving friendly or even intimate gestures, Sui Yuan is now feeling all kinds of unease. Instinctively, he knows that he cannot continue ignoring these sorts of behaviours as long as he is in this world.
Smoothly avoiding Shao Peiyuan’s arm, Sui Yuan strides over to Shen Jiayi’s side, inspecting her for visible injuries. The other youth, who completely doesn’t detect Sui Yuan’s evasive manoeuvre, cheerfully allows his hand to drop back to his side as he suggests tagging along with Sui Yuan from here on.
Although Sui Yuan’s heart thumps in worry, the storyline doesn’t allow him to refuse...
"That spirit beast just now was definitely guarding something." The delegation of people arrives at the place Shen Jiayi was attacked a moment ago, and begins to examine this place attentively for anything unusual. Being at peak Core Formation stage like Sui Yuan, Shao Peiyuan has been to this Eternal Bliss Heavenly Ground a few times too, hence, he is rather familiar with the circumstances one might face here. "Perhaps here is where the hidden reward is located?"
Sui Yuan nods to express his agreement. Unlike the other disciples, he refrains from wandering aimlessly around. Remaining in his spot, his slightly narrowed eyes scan their surroundings thoughtfully.
"Minghui, did you notice something?" Shao Peiyuan stops beside Sui Yuan and questions in a low voice.
Sui Yuan glances at him, then begins to recite from the script. "Don’t you feel there’s something peculiar about this valley’s terrain? As if it...looks familiar?"
Shao Peiyuan knows very well that Sui Yuan specialises in charms, with a lesser specialisation in arrays. Faced with this question, he can only chuckle helplessly. "Minghui, don’t be so reluctant to share. You know I don’t have the slightest proficiency in arrays."
Shooting him another glance, Sui Yuan directly answers his own question. "This is a mirage array."
Saying thus, he walks over to the tree on the south-eastern side and sticks a fire charm on it while instructing Shao Peiyuan to stand at the east. Seeing that Sui Yuan is working to break the array, the other disciples spontaneously gather, automatically following his directions and staying within the safe zone. Blindly trusting him and paying close attention to his every movement, they watch with admiring gazes, oblivious to the fact that Sui Yuan is merely doing as the text instructs.
Say the reward is a large cake, and a handful people are waiting to receive a slice of it, then everyone will only be able to obtain a small portion. Having found this fortune with great difficulty, Liu Minghui will definitely not allow so many mediocre people to enter the zone safely. He merely needs a few able disciples to act as his hands and feet, but only those with true strength and talent would be able to break through this predicament to lay hands on the reward.
Undoubtedly, amongst the disciples present, only Shao Peiyuan and him possesses the necessary strength required not to fall victim to the various traps littering the path leading to this reward. And, of course, the female lead Shen Jiayi who has her halo.
The moment Sui Yuan ignites his fire charm, his expression changes and he yells, "Not good! This array has been altered slightly! Everyone, be careful!"
However, his warning comes a second too late as everyone is sucked into the array, and the ground beneath them rumbles and shudders dangerously. Long prepared for this, Sui Yuan reveals an appropriately faint, self-satisfied smirk before abruptly feeling a presence at his back.
His heart leaps in alarm and his mind shouts a warning for his body to dodge. Glancing over his shoulder, he instead sees Shao Peiyuan anxiously throwing himself at Sui Yuan, grabbing his arm and herding him backwards a few steps, neatly evading being smashed by a huge boulder falling from the sky.
Not daring to rush indiscriminately into action, Sui Yuan allows himself to be manhandled. Waiting until everything has settled, he discovers there is no one else in their vicinity.
"Minghui, are you all right?" Shao Peiyuan asks in concern, apparently not noticing all that happened is Sui Yuan’s doing.
Sui Yuan shakes his head. "I’m fine, how about you?"
"Naturally untroubled." Shao Peiyuan’s smile is bright and honest before a light wrinkle creases his brow as he glances around. "I don’t know where everyone else went."
Sui Yuan frowns too, but for a different reason.
Since the original text is from the female lead’s point of view, it doesn’t describe what happened to the other disciples the moment the array activated because the female lead is too busy trying to take care of herself, let alone trying to take care of others. Therefore, Sui Yuan doesn’t know if Shao Peiyuan’s display just now is the norm or not. He didn’t bother to save the lower-levelled cultivators who are in more need of protection, instead choosing Sui Yuan, whose strength is on par with his, which seems somewhat strange.
The gaze which Sui Yuan uses to regard Shao Peiyuan now holds a trace of caution as he feels the possibility of this person being Zhao Xihe increasing by the minute. If Shao Peiyuan is Zhao Xihe, then it would clearly explain his actions.
"Minghui, is something wrong?" Feeling Sui Yuan’s burning stare, Shao Peiyuan turns his head around to ask, face displaying simple and honest curiosity.
Sui Yuan hesitates a little, then decides to ask frankly. "Why did you choose to protect me? You are fully aware that my cultivation level is not lower than your own. Dealing with it wouldn’t be any trouble."
Shao Peiyuan freezes for a second too, then forces a strained smile. "That...not protecting my fellow Heavenly Element disciples is indeed an oversight. But for some reason, my first thought is to protect you." He pauses, then spreads his arms in a helpless gesture. "Perhaps it is because the impression you left on me when we first met is too deep. You looked so small and innocent that I feel I ought to protect you. But it seems you don’t need it anymore..." Shao Peiyuan seems somewhat lost as he trails off.
Pondering over this, Sui Yuan peruses the original text and discovers a few little things denoting Liu Minghui and Shao Peiyuan’s childhood, eventually accepting this excuse with a healthy dose of scepticism. Adding his suspicion of Shao Peiyuan’s true identity with the storyline, Sui Yuan believes it would be best to separate from the other youth.
If this guy is indeed Zhao Xihe, he needs to lessen contact with him as much as possible. If he isn’t, however, the plot indicates that Shao Pieyuan recovers the reward, and smoothly ascends to Nascent Soul stage before Liu Minghui. This clearly means that the two of them were not together when that happens, or else Liu Minghui will not allow his rival to snatch this rare chance away from him so easily.
Thinking up to here, Sui Yuan opens his mouth again. "This time, I was too rash and didn’t realise the mirage array isn’t an ordinary one with a single entrance and exit point. Although we managed to avoid death’s door today, we were drawn into a maze. While the chances of anyone dying is rather slim, it is still dangerous. In my opinion, we should separate and quickly find the other Junior Martial Brothers and Sisters." freewebno(v)el.com
"You are right." Shao Peiyuan’s dignified air returns and he nods, then glances at Sui Yuan hesitantly. "Still...Minghui, will you be fine on your own?"
"Naturally." Sui Yuan smiles. "Peiyuan, are you still viewing me as a vulnerable child?"
Shao Peiyuan laughs and doesn’t waste more time talking. With one last warning to be careful, he picks a random direction and sets off, movements brisk and purposeful.
Seeing this, Sui Yuan’s heart relaxes a little, his suspicion of the other being Zhao Xihe moving down a notch.
Alone, Sui Yuan doesn’t have anything he needs to be doing. With free time on his hands, he absently pats the still downcast spirit pet around his shoulders, then lifts it up and places it on the ground, curious to see what it would do.
As soon as the Crystal beast’s four limbs touch the ground, it shoots off, then halts two paces away. Turning its head, the spirit pet meows incessantly at Sui Yuan, urging him to follow it. With nothing else to do, Sui Yuan falls into step beside the cat, puzzling over what has gotten it so excited.
Following the Crystal beast blindly, Sui Yuan comes across more than a handful of good loot accompanied by a fair share of trouble. Fortunately, he hasn’t slacked even a little in raising his cultivation level upon entering this world. Adding on the fact that he carries a few artefacts and charms on his person, he suffered more heart attacks than injuries. Walking for more than half a day, a heavy scent of blood suddenly wafts towards him from up ahead. Sui Yuan’s eyebrows draw together, calling his spirit pet back before approaching cautiously. His face abruptly drains of colour when he spots a blood-stained Shao Peiyuan collapsing, the corpse of a Golden Python laying close by.
"What happened here?!" Sui Yuan stares at the scene, stunned. Even if the other party is only a supporting male lead, Shao Peiyuan is an important character that cannot die here ah! This thought strikes him like a lightning bolt, causing him to be momentarily at a loss, turning to 5237 for help.
"In the script, Shao Peiyuan was indeed bitten before he beheaded that Golden Python. As he struggles between life and death, he managed to break through to Nascent Soul stage. But now...don’t talk about his breakthrough. Whether or not he is able to live is the question!" 5237 cries bitterly, racking its brain for an explanation as to why the plot suddenly derailed. After a while, it freezes, then turns slowly to regard the oblivious Crystal beast cheerfully licking its front claws.
Feeling the system’s stare, the Crystal beast tilts its head to the side with a "Meh?", an extremely innocent look on its furry face. Sui Yuan’s gaze locks onto the disguised black cat for five seconds, then covers his face with both hands. "You mean...everything I gathered when following this spirit pet affected whether or not Shao Peiyuan will live?"
"Basically...yes." 5237 nods its head gravely. "Unless he really is Zhao Xihe. Otherwise, I cannot think of any other reasons why his current situation differs from the plot. Storylines are a finicky thing. Can’t say for sure that amongst what you have picked up, there is something which can save Shao Peiyuan’s life?"
Sui Yuan falls silent for a while, then steps out of the shadows.
"......Are you going to save him?" 5237 hesitantly drifts over to Sui Yuan’s side. "It would be out of character ah..."
"Do you feel that staying in character, or making sure a character who is most probably the male lead survive is important?" Sui Yuan grumbles.
"Shao Peiyuan’s life." 5237 has to concede to Sui Yuan’s logic. Out of character will one result in a few lost points, but if an important character dies before their time, it will influence the entire story! "However...just in case his injury is a deliberate act to expose you... But we cannot watch him die simply because we suspect he is Zhao Xihe... Wait a minute, I’ll help you exchange points for something!"
Sui Yuan looks at 5237 as his system turns around, then tendrils of light flow out of its plump body, congealing into a sphere that floats over to hang in front of his face. Lifting up a hand to catch it, the light disperses to reveal a feather-light mask.
"This item allows you to break away from the role you are currently playing and act out of character. Wearing this mask when you save him means you will not be penalised by the regulation. It’s worth every point spent!" 5237 puffs up its chest and declares smugly. "However, its period of effectiveness is very short since I bought the cheapest one, so be quick!"
Sui Yuan nods in acknowledgement, then places the mask on his face and rushes over to Shao Peiyuan.
Crouching down, he lifts Shao Peiyuan to a sitting position and fishes out the jade bottle given to him by Xuan Ling a while ago. Taking out a Jade Pearl pill, he feeds it to the injured youth.
Indeed worthy of being called a precious healing panacea. In less than a few seconds, Shao Peiyuan’s fitful breathing evens out and colour returns to his cheeks. Sui Yuan transfers some of his spiritual power to him, calming the other’s disorderly inner energy. Staying until he is sure Shao Peiyuan is no longer in a critical condition, Sui Yuan stands up to flee the scene, only for his hand to be abruptly caught.
Sui Yuan stiffens, gazing down at the dazed Shao Peiyuan valiantly trying to open his eyelids all the way and feels his hair standing on end. He fears hearing "Sui Yuan" these two words fall from the youth’s mouth.
As anxiety grips Sui Yuan, Shao Peiyuan exposes a feeble smile and slurs, "......Minghui......?"
Sui Yuan is torn between sighing in relief and remaining tense. "I am not Minghui, you’ve recognised the wrong person."
"......Minghui......" Whether or not he heard Sui Yuan’s answer, Shao Peiyuan obstinately calls again, rendering Sui Yuan incapable of forming another response.
"Time’s almost up, quickly leave!" 5237 also doesn’t understand what is unfolding before its eyes, but it dutifully reminds its partner that the mask’s time limit is almost up. Without further ado, Sui Yuan pulls his hand back, not forgetting to lay Shao Peiyuan gently back on the grass before whirling around and sprinting away.
Just as he disappears from Shao Peiyuan’s line of sight, the mask on Sui Yuan’s face falls. Wringing the mask in his hands, Sui Yuan inquires nervously, "Do you think he recognised me?"
"......Actually, I think he is merely muddle-headed." 5237 comforts.
"......If he still calls out for Liu Minghui even when befuddled......" Sui Yuan’s expression is a tad complicated. After experiencing a few worlds - and having a hand in turning all of them into BL - he has more or less developed a keener sense regarding ’feelings’ between men.
"......Argh! Don’t say anymore!" 5237 swiftly turns its back on him, tears streaming down its face. "It’s a misconception! It’s definitely a misconception! Shouldn’t Shao Peiyuan be a supporting male lead or potential male lead who likes the female lead?! How the hell did he turn bent for another supporting male lead?! What in the world is going on?!"
Sui Yuan: "......Actually, I reckon you are overthinking this way more than me......"
Footnotes:
[1] Cupping/clasping hands to greet or salute: (Added on just in case visual reference is needed)
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢