The Substitute Female Supporting Character Sees the Bullet Screen

While Feng Hanying was busy organizing a selection for Nie Yinzhi, Gu Jiang, completely unaware of this, used a paper puppet left in the oasis to meet with Han Jing.

A quarter of an hour earlier, he had sensed the barrier of red leaves being disturbed, and his consciousness returned to the oasis. The one who had triggered the barrier was none other than Han Jing.

Over the past month, in his quest to find a way to erase the sword inscription, three of his avatars had traveled to various places, almost consulting every weapon-crafting sect in the cultivation world.

In the end, he found a solution in his homeland, the Cloud Scripture Sect.

One of the four secret realm fragments explored by Yan Yi was the ruins of the Ancient Sword Sect. This secret realm was once an outer branch of the Sword Sect. When the Sword Sect collapsed, someone had expended their true essence to preserve this place, sealing it as a secret realm.

Within this secret realm of the Sword Sect's outer branch, some ancient texts remained, along with a variety of unorthodox cultivation techniques. Among them was a book that collected and compiled the innovative practices of the sect's disciples, and the method to modify sword inscriptions was recorded within.

After their conversation, Gu Jiang returned to the Ten Thousand Demons Cave and released his spiritual sense to check on Nie Yinzhi. She hadn't spoken to him in two days and hadn't even slept beside him.

In the grand hall adorned with vermilion silk, Nie Yinzhi sat on the pavilion, resting her chin on her hand as she scrutinized a demonic cultivator on the stage. The cultivator peeled open his collar and removed his upper robe. As he activated his demonic energy, intricate runes began to surface on his lean body.

He had runes for summoning wind, rain, thunder, and fire—quite comprehensive.

Feng Hanying asked, "I see that Nie Yinzhi seems to like him. Shall we keep him?"

Gu Jiang noticed Nie Yinzhi touching the curse mark on her hand and pausing as she leaned back on the couch. The Ruan Family's symbiotic curse had always been coveted and fought over since its creation.

It was indeed an incredibly powerful curse. At the time, his opposition to Nie Yinzhi binding others with the symbiotic curse was somewhat unreasonable—like forbidding her from cultivating a technique that was right in front of her. To scare her, he had exaggerated the dangers.

Gu Jiang pondered for a moment before his figure vanished from the room.

In Molten Gold City's Wind and Moon Pavilion.

Feng Hanying, a man of many romantic entanglements, had never truly cared for love or held anyone dear in his heart. How could he possibly understand the complexities between Gu Jiang and Nie Yinzhi?

Killing was his forte, but comforting women was entirely out of his depth.

Moreover, which woman would dare to let him comfort her? If it weren't for Gu Jiang, someone as troublesome as Nie Yinzhi would have been strangled long ago, her grave overgrown with weeds.

Nie Yinzhi, distracted, replied to Feng Hanying, "Whatever, it's fine." She reassured herself internally that Gu Jiang likely didn't know her true intentions for having Feng Hanying select demonic cultivators—that she wanted to use their blood to bind them. He probably thought she just enjoyed the liveliness and was doing this to please her.

Feng Hanying: "..." Isn't this the phrase Gu Jiang always uses? Truly, bad company corrupts good morals.

[Feng Hanying, I think you're going to get beaten by your master.]

[Since the main wife has agreed, just bind them! If you can't bind three thousand, four shouldn't drive you mad. Give me one of each type of demonic cultivator!]

[Bind Feng Hanying, please! Out of these hundred demonic cultivators, which one can match his beauty? It's a waste not to bind him! I'll dedicate my life to prayer just to see the two beauties together. Amen.]

[Feng Hanying, you're the epitome of a foolish beauty. You and your master are equally clueless, no wonder you ended up together. How do you even plan to wreak havoc on the cultivation world like this?]

[I think that demonic cultivator in red looks good, and that demoness at number 37 is also great! Girls supporting girls!]

[This is incredible. That night, Gu Jiang said so much to you and even got struck by lightning, and all you took away was the last sentence??]

[According to the demon lord, ascending and merging with the Dao, becoming one with heaven and earth, is essentially the same as dying after ascension.]

[But in the original novel, ascension is possible. After the female lead jumps into the Ten Thousand Demons Cave to purify the demons, spiritual energy revives, and the male lead's cultivation breaks through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Both ascend and leave this realm.]

[And then?]

[That's the end. There's no 'and then.']

[Is it because the AI company didn't create data for the immortal realm, so ascension isn't possible in the show?]

[I don't think so. If ascension was possible in the original, why would the leaders of the four great sects choose to fall into demonhood instead of ascending?]

Was it Gu Jiang who was struck by lightning that night?

Nie Yinzhi suddenly turned to Feng Hanying. After the barrage of comments disappeared, she asked nervously, "That night when the lightning struck, was Gu Jiang on your Black Tower? Was he the one struck? Why was he struck?"

Feng Hanying was momentarily stunned by her rapid-fire questions. "How do you know about that?"

"Answer me first," Nie Yinzhi insisted.

Without hesitation, Feng Hanying vanished, choosing to flee. "Don't ask me. Go ask your master yourself."

Nie Yinzhi, filled with questions, couldn't stay seated in the pavilion. She immediately set off to find Gu Jiang. They had been arguing for two days and hadn't been staying together.

Gu Jiang was still living in the small courtyard, but he wasn't sleeping in bed. She searched around, lifting the bed curtains, and eventually found a fluffy snow rabbit avatar buried in the blankets.

This was highly unusual. Nie Yinzhi immediately ended their cold war, cradling the rabbit and asking, "Aren't you sleeping? Where did you go? What were you doing?"

Having spent two nights alone, Gu Jiang sensed Nie Yinzhi's presence. The snow rabbit nestled into her arms, its ears twitching, and it produced a piece of silk from somewhere, placing it on her lap.

"What's this?" Nie Yinzhi unfolded it. "A method to modify sword inscriptions?"

"Mm," the rabbit looked up at her. "The sword inscription can only be erased once. Doing it too many times will damage the spirit sword itself. You can think carefully before naming it."

"Where did you get this?" Nie Yinzhi asked curiously.

Gu Jiang didn't hide it. "Han Jing brought it."

Nie Yinzhi's eyes shifted. "Did he trade this for a glimpse of your tribulation scene? Will he be the next Demon Ancestor?"

"That depends on his abilities," Gu Jiang replied.

Nie Yinzhi lifted the snow rabbit to eye level, staring into its black, grape-like eyes. "Where are you now? I need to ask you something in person."

As soon as she finished speaking, the snow rabbit in her hands dissipated. The courtyard gate opened, and Gu Jiang walked in. Nie Yinzhi rushed to meet him, about to ask about the lightning strike, when she noticed four demonic cultivators following him, one of whom was respectfully holding Feng Hanying's shadow snake.

Nie Yinzhi suddenly felt a pang of guilt. "Why... why are you all here together?" But then she realized she had no reason to feel guilty. This was all arranged by Feng Hanying. She didn't need to feel guilty at all.

Feng Hanying shook his snake head. "These four are demon generals from the four cities. Two are at the Nascent Soul stage, and two are at the Transformation stage. They were personally selected by the master to serve you from now on."

He flicked his tail, and the three male and one female demon generals simultaneously bowed to Nie Yinzhi.

Nie Yinzhi blinked, looking at Gu Jiang. "You chose them for me?"

"Yes," Gu Jiang walked over and, as usual, wrapped his arms around her, touching the ribbon on her wrist. He conceded, "If you really want to bind a few more people with the symbiotic curse, that's fine. But it's best not to exceed ten..."

Nie Yinzhi's mind buzzed with anger. She cut him off, "So today's little show was really arranged by you, Gu Jiang. Did you think I would praise you for being magnanimous? You said you didn't lose your memory, so have you forgotten your own words?"

Gu Jiang sensed something amiss and glanced at Feng Hanying.

The shadow snake instantly retracted its neck, not even daring to flick its tongue. The people in the Black Tower hall felt a chill run down their spines. After a moment, the oppressive aura disappeared, and Feng Hanying, his face icy, smashed the lounge chair on the balcony.

"These two are so troublesome," he muttered, glancing at the Demon Sealing Mark above. A surge of blood-red moonlight erupted from the tower's peak, causing the sealing runes to glow densely. "When will they ever get to the real business?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

In the courtyard of Molten Gold City, Nie Yinzhi broke free from Gu Jiang's embrace and tried to leave on her sword. Gu Jiang, however, pulled her down without a word, his expression clearly saying, "You're not going anywhere. You're staying here to listen to my explanation."

Nie Yinzhi stumbled, unable to leave, and her anger only grew.

Gu Jiang held Nie Yinzhi with one hand while using the other to wave his sleeve, driving away the onlookers. He said coldly, “Get lost.”

The Shadow Serpent immediately coiled around the other four and disappeared from the courtyard.

【Damn, the demon lord isn’t following the script. The normal plot should have Nie Yinzhi flying out on her sword, with thunder rumbling in the sky and rain pouring down as heavily as the day Yiping went to ask for money.】

【Nie Yinzhi would be crying in the rain, then collide with a demonic cultivator mid-air, fall from the sky, hit her head, lose her memory, and the demon lord would be heartbroken, deciding to make the entire Ten Thousand Demons Cave pay for her lost memories.】

【Hahaha, to the person above, if any bookstore dares to sell your book, I’ll smash it immediately.】

Gu Jiang dragged Nie Yinzhi into the room, using his demonic energy to float a cup of tea to her. He softened his tone, “Running away to sulk alone isn’t as good as venting your anger on me.”

Nie Yinzhi was trying to pry his fingers off her when she glared at him, “You’re right. Being angry only hurts me.” She raised her hand and bit down on his wrist.

Gu Jiang didn’t even flinch. As she gnawed on his wrist, he calmly explained, “I thought selecting demonic cultivators was something you asked Feng Hanying to do.”

Nie Yinzhi, still biting him, mumbled angrily, “Don’t turn this around on me! He said it was you who told him to do it!”

Gu Jiang paused, “You don’t want to bind them?”

Nie Yinzhi angrily left a ring of teeth marks on his wrist, “I do! I really do! Fine, I’ll go bind them right now!”

“Don’t say things out of anger.” Gu Jiang gently stroked her face and sighed, “I’m sorry, I misunderstood. I remember what I said, but that was just my selfish desire imposed on you. I thought you didn’t want it, and I only said those things to scare you. The Life-Linking Curse isn’t so easy to lose control of. As long as you set the boundaries properly, binding a few more people would actually be better for you.”

Nie Yinzhi’s anger suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, leaving her feeling empty inside. She found it both funny and frustrating. Gu Jiang’s feelings of love had been sealed away. Now that he no longer had selfish desires or possessiveness toward her, he could look at the situation rationally.

“Nie Yinzhi, I just want you to be happy,” Gu Jiang said.

Nie Yinzhi leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face against him to collect her emotions. She wasn’t happy at all, but she couldn’t blame Gu Jiang. She had to work through her feelings herself.

From another perspective, the way Gu Jiang had harshly threatened her back then was just him being jealous.

One standing, the other sitting, her face was pressed against his abdomen. Gu Jiang, feeling uncomfortable, tried to use his sleeve to create some distance, but it didn’t work. He ended up lifting her up and letting her lean on his shoulder.

Nie Yinzhi gave him a puzzled look, her eyes catching the barrage of comments popping up.

【Ahhhh! Is this something I can watch for free?!】

【Gasp—broad daylight, clear skies, and they’re playing so boldly!】

【Sis, look carefully before you scream. The whole nation is watching you. Embarrassing.】

【Damn, I was scared for a second. From that angle, I thought they were doing something involving mouths and metal rods. I was like, how dare they be so bold?】

【I thought I was listening to a fetal heartbeat, lol.】

【I took off my pants for this? Why deceive us little viewers? This is downright evil!】

Nie Yinzhi was baffled by the comments, but based on her understanding of such chatter, the only thing that would get them this excited was *that* kind of thing. Then, her mind involuntarily recalled the vivid stick figures on the bathroom screen. Thinking about where she had just been leaning, her face turned bright red.

Why? What kind of nonsense were these comments?

“Pull your consciousness back from the paper doll,” Gu Jiang suddenly said.

Nie Yinzhi’s attention shifted away from the comments, “What’s wrong?”

“There’s no need to keep up the act. After all this time, the righteous cultivators must have noticed something wrong with the oasis. Plus, Han Jing triggered the Scarlet Leaf Blade Light Barrier today. Your arrangements can’t hide the truth anymore.”

Nie Yinzhi pondered, “Then they’ll soon know we’ve entered the Ten Thousand Demons Cave. They’ll definitely do something. Should we break the Demon Sealing Mark first?”

Gu Jiang already had a plan in mind, “No rush.”