Chapter 4.14
Xuan Ling and Sui Yuan’s dual-cultivation ceremony shocks the entire cultivation world, causing countless jaws to drop to the ground. Firstly, it is because they are a male-male pair. Secondly, it is because the formidable Sword Cultivator, who practises a ruthless Sword Art and is in the late stage before Ascension, is actually getting married for love.
Not long ago, when he gave into fury and nearly decimated an entire Demonic sect, his blade didn’t show mercy to even the Demon Ruler, gravely injuring him. This news has already spread far and wide. No matter if one reveres Xuan Ling for his good looks or are taken in by his prowess, they gather to give their blessings one after another. Suffice to say, everybody celebrated together as soon as the news went out. Even if someone is inwardly disdainful, none would dare expose their true feelings in a public place with countless people. They can only control themselves and sneer in private. As there are individuals jealous of Xuan Ling’s incredible strength, there are also those envious of the little Core Formation Talisman Cultivator who is lucky enough to catch the eye of this Elder and climb this large tree.
And at this very moment, what is said lucky Core Formation cultivator who managed to hug a golden thigh doing?
......He is cornering the female lead.
5237: "......"
"Senior Martial Brother, don’t say anymore!" Shen Jiayi yells as she retreats, tone full of suffering. In the next blink of an eye, however, she masks it all under a serene expression. "You are Master’s partner, and my respected elder. No matter the past between us, we can only be senior and junior now!"
Sui Yuan gazes at her, then slowly closes his eyes in grief, complexion pale and unsightly.
"......I understand your misery." Shen Jiayi sighs, tone softening in pity and distress. "You agreed to be Master’s companion for the sake of the sect, for that I am grateful and...sad. But Master loves you so much. He is willing to give anything up for you. I believe he will treat you very well and you...you will surely come to love him gradually too..."
"Love him? I clearly have another whom I love..." Sui Yuan murmurs softly, leaving the latter half unsaid as he chuckles bitterly. "Yes, you are correct. Since I have already made my decision for the benefit of the sect, I have to continue walking down this path. I should not attempt to do anything else in vain."
"Senior Martial Brother..." Struggling with herself for a while, she finally bows respectfully. "I wish you will always be hand in hand with Master and ascend together."
"......Many thanks." After a long silence, Sui Yuan chokes out these two words as he watches Shen Jiayi unhesitantly turns his back on him, walking briskly away as though trying to flee without looking like she is running away.
Staring at her retreating back, Sui Yuan covers his mouth with a hand, concealing his cheerful smile. Inwardly, he praises himself for displaying such a moving scene, conveying Liu Minghui’s repressed feelings towards the female lead.
"I give you eight points," 5237 evaluates drily.
"What did you deduct two points for?" Sui Yuan is an individual willing to take criticism and learn from his mistakes, a student eager to study and increase his knowledge.
"Because this dialogue doesn’t appear in the original script," 5237 replies blandly.
He abruptly staggers as though an arrow struck his knee. He nearly fell down on all fours before his system! Did it really have to keep reminding him of that?! Before his legs give out from under him in despair, an arm wraps around his waist to steady him.
"Minghui, are you all right?!" Shao Peiyuan asks anxiously. He was actually already here earlier, and heard the entire conversation between Shen Jiayi and Sui Yuan. His gaze never strayed from Sui Yuan, so he clearly witnessed the longing stare fixed on Shen Jiayi’s retreating back. Seeing him stagger from heartbreak, Shao Peiyuan forgets to mask his discourteous action of eavesdropping and immediately darts forward, his own heart aching on Sui Yuan’s behalf.
Ever since he heard about the dual-cultivation ceremony to be held for Elder Xuan Ling and Liu Minghui, Shao Peiyuan feels his emotions have all been kicked askew! Frustration and impatience burning through his veins, he impulsively wants to rush over to the Heavenly Cosmos sect and interrogate Minghui. However, he was obstructed by his cool-headed master, who proceeds to shake him from his daze.
But no matter how Shao Peiyuan tries to clear his head, he remains incapable of peaceful meditation. At last, he gives up and seized the first opportunity to get out of the Heavenly Element sect, heading straight here.
The dialogue he overheard between Shen Jiayi and Minghui allowed him to piece together the full story. Helplessness is instantly replaced by rage, and if he had been as impulsive as he was a couple of days ago, he would have recklessly challenged Xuan Ling and fight for Minghui’s freedom.
Shao Peiyuan constantly tells himself that all he is doing is coming to the aid of a close friend suffering an injustice, his fury due to not wanting to see Minghui live in sorrow. Never has he pondered the deeper meanings behind his actions - or one would be more accurate to say that he dares not think too deeply.
The abrupt appearance of Shao Peiyuan causes Sui Yuan to stiffen. Fortunately, he retains his habit of keeping a façade up anytime and anywhere in order to prevent leaks. When he sees the distress on the other Head Disciple’s face, sympathy surfaces in his heart and he grips Shao Peiyuan’s hand in his.
Being so close to Sui Yuan, Shao Peiyuan’s chest feels heavy, robbing him of the ability to think properly. Eyes fixed on those moving lips, he doesn’t hear Sui Yuan’s plea, but can only nod his head instinctively to ease his friend’s grief.
Sui Yuan’s expression relaxes a little as soon as Shao Peiyuan nods. "Junior Sister Shen...I will trouble you to take better care of her..."
Shao Peiyuan freezes. An automatic protest rises, but doesn’t get past this throat as he recalls his nod just moments ago. He cannot go back on a promise. Even if his principles allow him to take his words back, he finds that he cannot when a gratified smile blooms on Sui Yuan’s face. "Don’t worry, I will definitely not renege on my promises to you."
Straightening with a soft laugh, Sui Yuan pushes Shao Peiyuan away gently. "Go on, then. Junior Sister Shen will...she will need someone to console her right now."
"But you..." Shao Peiyuan hesitates.
"He has me." A chilly voice interrupts. Clad in his usual snow white robes, Xuan Ling strolls over. The spiritual pressure bearing down on Shao Peiyuan almost sends him to his knees and causes him to pale drastically.
With a wave of his sleeve, he shoves Shao Peiyuan away from where he stands too close to Sui Yuan.
Shock running through his being, Shao Peiyuan forgets to give a respectful greeting. "Wh - when did you get here?!"
Sui Yuan and Shen Jiayi are both Core Formation stage cultivators, so they naturally couldn’t sense the Nascent Soul Shao Peiyuan. Similarly, being an initial-level Nascent Soul cultivator means it is impossible for him to sense Xuan Ling, who is near Ascension. If the Elder knows Sui Yuan still harbours feelings for Shen Jiayi, and only agreed to be cultivation partners for the benefit of his sect, then... What will come next is something he doesn’t wish to imagine.
Apparently not caring about Shao Peiyuan’s fluctuating emotions, Xuan Ling glides over to Sui Yuan and places a possessive hand on the youth’s shoulder. Only then does he focus all his attention on Shao Peiyuan. Under the razor-sharp stare, the Shao Peiyuan who has always patiently endured any animosity directed towards himself can feel the deep, unconcealed hostility emitting from the Elder.
Clearly, Xuan Ling can pinch a mere Nascent Soul cultivator like him to death... But he knows why the other doesn’t lift a hand. Towards this, he can only breathe a relieved but sorrowful sigh.
Looking at the two of them standing side by side, the air between them is oddly harmonious, so companionable that they seem inseparable. Inwardly admitting defeat, Shao Peiyuan’s shifts his line of sight away. Turning his back on them, he walks off in the direction Shen Jiayi took.
Seeing Shao Peiyuan finally leaving, Xuan Ling’s imposing aura vanishes as he scoffs in displeasure. Although he knows it is all acting, personally witnessing it still fills him with resentment.
Unfortunately for him, Sui Yuan doesn’t notice his gloomy mood. Once the scene has ended, he lifts Xuan Ling’s hand from his shoulder and drops it without a second’s hesitation, before spinning on his heels and striding away.
Even though he obtained his body and will be officially declared his husband in the very near future, the indifferent gaze in Sui Yuan’s eyes whenever the youth looks at him is extremely stifling. Therefore, he will naturally have to vent this frustration on Sui Yuan’s body.
On Sui Yuan’s side, this poor person who has to endure Xuan Ling’s insatiable desires is currently crying tears of blood. He deeply regrets being foolishly lured into agreeing with Zhao Xihe’s proposal. This time, he truly walked down the path to hell on his own!
"Do you know..." After their latest bout of sex is over, Xuan Ling hugs the boneless Sui Yuan to his chest, lips wandering aimlessly across the slender neck and shoulder, occasionally nipping or sucking a small red mark on the smooth skin. "The sole point I am pleased about this world that 5237 picked is that we will reside in this world for a relatively long period. An ordinary person’s lifespan is a mere hundred years on average, so a story will mostly span only a few years, or the rare few decades. However, in this type of setting, a decade is a mere blink of an eye for cultivators, so it is possible that we can spend several hundred years together..."
Sui Yuan chokes. "......Save..."
Xuan Ling: "What’s that?"
"Save me... QAQ"
Xuan Ling: "......"
So, in order to save himself from being ravished nightly for several hundred years, Sui Yuan risks his life to drive the plot forward as quickly as possible. Although Xuan Ling frequently impedes his progress by outwardly helping but secretly hindering, he cannot outwit Sui Yuan, who is now exceedingly familiar with his true nature.
Therefore, besides the little hiccup with Liu Minghui obtaining a husband and having a different villainous co-worker, everything else proceeds as according to the plot. Under Sui Yuan and Xuan Ling’s urging, Shao Peiyuan becomes closer and closer to the female lead. Initially, due to harbouring feelings for the same target only to let another snatch them away, these two mutually console each other, helping one another to pull out of their grief. Afterwards, with Sui Yuan out of the picture, their friendship deepens. As one of the important supporting male leads meant to fall in love with Shen Jiayi, Shao Peiyuan is naturally able to let go of the crush even he himself is unaware of. Bit by bit, the female lead’s halo draws him in, and Shen Jiayi also develops deeper regards towards him. In short, the plan to push this supporting male lead, Shao Peiyuan, into the seat of male lead is very successful.
Following that, Sui Yuan begins to reveal his cloven foot, allowing Shen Jiayi’s suspicion of him to rise.
Taxing his mind and body, Sui Yuan finally walks to the eve of his scheduled death. At last, he is able to tell Xuan Ling "I’ll go to my death first, you continue doing your best." Just as he finishing saying these words, tears of excitement nearly fall from his eyes.
Lifting a hand, Xuan Ling pats his head with a gentle smile. "Don’t worry, I will follow you as quickly as I can. I will absolutely not let you wait too long."
Sui Yuan: "......Please slow down."
"Be good. Don’t think unrealistic thoughts anymore," Xuan Ling’s tone is especially compassionate.
Sui Yuan & 5237: "........."
In the Dark Mystic Cave, Sui Yuan’s plan to steal the female lead’s treasures fails spectacularly, and was instead coerced by her to fall into her trap. Bound and vulnerable, Sui Yuan raises his head to look at the combined disappointed, distressed gazes of Shen Jiayi and Shao Peiyuan. Laughing wildly as he hacks up mouthfuls of blood, he is finally able to recite the lines he spent the last few decades going over.
The downside to every villainous character or leader of villainous organisations is the fact that they follow their own brand of logic, one of which is the need to proclaim themselves and their ideas in front of the main leads before their inevitable death. Of course, Liu Minghui is no different.
Ever since he became cultivation partners with Xuan Ling, Liu Minghui grew into a well-known figure within the cultivation world. Naturally, everyone present is well aware of his identity, and never did they imagine the mastermind behind the scenes would turn out to be him.
Listening to Sui Yuan’s monologue, Shen Jiayi and Shao Peiyuan becomes increasingly grieved. "Senior Martial Brother, we know you were compelled to become Master’s cultivation partner and have been suffering ever since. But you have really walked down the wrong path this time ah... Whatever you wish for, Master will definitely not refuse. So why do you insist on harming others without benefitting yourself? By doing this...have you ever considered how sad Master will be? I don’t believe that after being together for so long, you still do not harbour even the slightest trace of friendly regard for him!"
Sui Yuan’s mind screeches to a halt, silently skimming through the script only to discover that this question is not written down. How should he answer it, then?!
The sudden silence causes a sliver of hope to rise in Shen Jiayi. Just as her thoughts race, trying to find the best way to convince her originally virtuous and upright Senior Martial Brother to see the error of his ways, another voice unexpectedly cuts through the tense, quiet atmosphere. A familiar voice that makes her eyes widen in shock.
"What you said is not wrong. Whatever he wishes for, how can I refuse?" Appearance eternally unchanging even after several decades has passed, Xuan Ling strolls through the crowd. Even though his words are directed towards Shen Jiayi, his gaze is firmly locked on the bloodied Sui Yuan.
"Master?!" Shen Jiayi exclaims in disbelief. "You - you have always...don’t tell me you have known about this all along?!"
"Indeed, I have always known. I even assisted him in the dark," Xuan Ling replies quietly. Kneeling down to gather Sui Yuan into his arms and planting a soft kiss on his forehead, he doesn’t seem to care about his partner’s fresh blood staining his white robes.
Staggering back from hurt and devastation, Shen Jiayi retreats into the embrace of an equally numb Shao Peiyuan.
The Senior Martial Brother whom she always trusted and loved is the true mastermind behind the scenes. And the Master whom she deeply respects actually helped him walk into dangerous situations time and again. In this one split-second, her perception of black and white has been horribly flipped on its axis.
"I know you are perhaps incapable of accepting this as the truth." Xuan Ling eventually glances at Shen Jiayi, his dark pupils carrying a glint of tranquillity and accomplishment. "But no matter what, I cannot bring myself to toss him aside. If he stays righteous, I will remain so. If he becomes a demon, so too, will I. If he steps down the wrong path, I am powerless to prevent it, and can only walk alongside him."
Xuan Ling’s head tilts down, staring at Sui Yuan in his arms, whose breathing is coming out shorter and more feebly, but still stubbornly struggling to keep his eyes open. The corners of Xuan Ling’s mouth pulls up into an affectionate, calm smile. "If he dies, I will follow."
As Xuan Ling’s emotional, public declaration of the depths of his love comes to an end, Sui Yuan breathes his last. Not knowing what to say, he merely eyes the other man with a somewhat accusing stare before his eyelids finally slide close, soul separating from the body.
Xuan Ling’s dark irises darken to a pure black, one arm tightening even further around the corpse, as though trying to fuse with it. His other hand grips Sui Yuan’s cooling hand, intertwining their fingers together.
For a long while, the Elder remains motionless, so everyone within the cave don’t dare have any ideas either. Liu Minghui may not be someone they fear, but Xuan Ling is a Sword Cultivator who is just half a step away from Immortal Ascension. If he wants to take revenge on his partner’s behalf, everyone in this cave - no. It should be the entire cultivation world will not be able to escape his wrath!
As the silence stretches without end in sight, the first individuals to break it is Shen Jiayi and Shao Peiyuan, the couple who shared a deep relationship with Xuan Ling and Liu Minghui.
Softly calling their names, Shao Peiyuan pushes Shen Jiayi behind his back, cautiously approaching first to scout out the situation. However, when he finally steps up beside them, he realises there is absolutely no reaction from the silently embracing couple.
A huge fright instantly envelops Shao Peiyuan’s heart. Falling to one knee, he lifts a lightly trembling hand to touch the tightly intertwined fingers. As soon as his fingertips brush their skin, he freezes.
"Peiyuan..." Shen Jiayi says quietly, wanting to inch forward and see for herself, but afraid to know the answer.
"They have...passed on..." Shao Peiyuan forces out before choking on grief, vision obscured by tears.
Shen Jiayi and he never planned to take Liu Minghui’s life. They only wanted to expose him, then turn him back onto the right path. However, he was unexpectedly stubborn, refusing to give them any opportunities to convince him to return. Instead, he ended his own life in a haughty manner.
And Xuan Ling...naturally chose to follow him...
Memories of his childhood flash through Shao Peiyuan’s mind. The first time he ever saw Liu Minghui, the thin, small boy was also headstrong and arrogant, resembling an aloof beast with no sense of fear, who is always on guard around people and very observant of his surroundings. Even as a child, Shao Peiyuan cannot help but want to break down Liu Minghui’s barriers, to become his close friend.
As that boy grew, he became gentle, well-mannered, reliable, honest, and trustworthy. It was as though he didn’t possess a single flaw. Shao Peiyuan still clearly remembers that very day in the Eternal Bliss Heavenly Ground, where Liu Minghui saved him from the verge of death but refused to acknowledge it. It was around that time Liu Minghui caused confusion to surface in his heart, turning his world upside down.
His distress, his laugh, the gorgeous, serene look beneath the moonlight. Every frown and every smile was imprinted deep in his heart. Only until he genuinely fell in love with Shen Jiayi does he come to realise his feelings for Liu Minghui were beyond simple friendship.
Even if Liu Minghui walked down the wrong path, even if he attempted to harm them time and again, the enlightened Shao Peiyuan never once harboured a grudge against him. The only thought he had was to rescue this friend who abandoned himself to despair...that’s all...
Liu Minghui saved his life once before. Even if asked to exchange his life for Minghui’s, Peiyuan will definitely not hesitate in the slightest!
Only, it appears his understanding of Minghui is still insufficient. He forgot how prideful the other can be, how he has never been able to tolerate the slightest personal flaw. Now that Shen Jiayi and Shao Peiyuan had revealed his schemes and dark plans, how could Liu Minghui bear to continue living in a world where his reputation was blackened?
Perhaps if he had been more considerate, if he had caught onto Minghui’s difficulties and helped him through it, maybe... Maybe Liu Minghui wouldn’t have given up on life?
Tears streaming down her face, Shen Jiayi’s knees thud heavily to the ground. While she feels she did not do anything wrong, she also cannot excuse herself. Her method of handling this issue led to the deaths of her beloved Senior Martial Brother and Master. Smacking her forehead on the ground as she bows, Shen Jiayi sobs wholeheartedly, uncaring about the trickle of blood seeping down between her eyes. Everything happened too quickly for her to react. All that remains now is a bone-deep sorrow, terror and regret.
"...This was their choice." Shao Peiyuan wraps an arm around her shoulders in comfort, his voice cracking with restrained emotions.
Liu Minghui chose to stake everything in this plan and took his own life when his deeds were exposed. His pride and dignity didn’t allow him to continue living after being thoroughly discredited. As for Xuan Ling, he chose to accompany the person he treasures with all his being, not letting go even in death.
All those years ago, Liu Minghui went against his heart, renouncing the woman he loves due to his duty, living an unhappy life as Xuan Ling’s cultivation partner. After all, the sect must come first. But what kind of talented man with such a bright future ahead will willingly give himself wholly to another man he doesn’t love, subjecting himself to be mocked and ridiculed behind his back? Thus, his situation caused him to become twisted, abandoning himself to despair, willing to give up everything in order to free himself of these unwanted chains. And as the very person who placed these chains on Liu Minghui, Xuan Ling’s love is too deep for him to even consider letting Liu Minghui go. So the only thing he could do was allow his treasured one to do as he pleases, to accept his misconducts and walk alongside him forever. Ultimately, due to this infatuation and lingering guilt, he forsakes the chance of Ascension within reach and followed the other to his death.
The cycle of karma and retribution. In the end, no one can really say who the offender is and who the victim is. Is it Xuan Ling and his love, or Liu Minghui and his hatred? The only thing anyone can do is hope that this tragic couple left this world without regrets...
The author has something to say: This time it is a relatively peaceful scene where they die together in the name of love...
Perhaps I should change this title to <<101 Ways For the Supporting Male Lead and Male Lead to Die Together in the Name of Love>>...?
P.S: In the eyes of everyone else, the reason for their death is always so grave and sorrowful... °(ಗдಗ。)°.
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