Thinking that there was nothing left for her to do, Que Tang decided she could simply stay within her own little corner of the world. As long as she didn't snatch any opportunities or the male lead from the female supporting character, the story would unfold just as it had before the rebirth. Naturally, the female supporting character and the male lead would develop feelings for each other, everyone would be happy, and the mission would be complete. It was a beautiful plan.
Thus, Que Tang fell into a state of total decadence. She spent her days basking in the sun outside her house, eating snacks, taking afternoon naps, and occasionally wandering down the mountain. Regardless, even if she didn't actively cultivate, her body would autonomously absorb spiritual energy and increase her cultivation level.
"Can the Host please take the mission seriously? I heard that the stupid Dog Planet next door has sent out a Little Mushroom to find people for system missions. We can't lose to them! This is a matter of feline pride! Meow~" Xiao Xianggu, unable to watch any longer, hopped onto her stomach.
"You, a cat who spends all day hiding who-knows-where to sneak-eat dried fish, who fails to remind me of important things and neglects your duties—how dare you say I'm not serious! At least I went to find the female supporting character!"
The human and the cat, unable to see eye to eye, were on the verge of a physical brawl.
When Wei Ruoyun arrived, she saw the person she had been constantly thinking about playing with a small cat. She hadn't expected that her gentle Senior Sister—the god-like, high-and-mighty Senior Sister, the occasionally girlish Senior Sister—could also have such a childlike, innocent side. And she was the only one who got to see it.
At this thought, her gaze turned so soft it seemed to brim with liquid tenderness as she stared at Que Tang’s figure.
Suddenly, she saw the cat swipe at Que Tang, leaving a faint trail of blood on her face. Wei Ruoyun’s expression shifted instantly. she rushed forward and pulled the cat away, scooping Que Tang into her arms from behind. She tilted Que Tang’s face up, confirming there was only a tiny scratch that a dab of the healing salve Senior Sister had given her would fix. Only then did she scold her sternly, "Senior Sister, how can you be so careless while playing? What would you have done if you were seriously hurt?"
Que Tang, who hadn't yet recovered from being forcibly embraced, answered blankly, "I'd just apply some medicine."
Staring at her dazed expression, Wei Ruoyun couldn't help but chuckle.
Only then did Que Tang realize the female supporting character had appeared. She cleared her throat and pulled back to create some distance. "Ruoyun... Junior Sister, why have you come?" She shot a secret glare at Xiao Xianggu, who only stuck its tongue out at her.
"Thanks to the Foundation Establishment Pill you gave me, I have successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage over the past fortnight. After Master taught me the Sword Kinesis Art, I thought of coming to thank you, Senior Sister." Wei Ruoyun thought of how hard she had cultivated these past fifteen days, all so she could master the sword early and come see her Senior Sister sooner. Now that she was actually here, she felt shy and clumsy, not knowing what to say.
"You reached Foundation Establishment in just half a month? Junior Sister, you truly are a heaven-sent talent." Que Tang thought to herself that she was indeed the original female lead; without characters like herself who had 'read the script,' this girl could probably rule the world. Moreover... she looked closer. After reaching Foundation Establishment, the girl's entire aura had transformed. She now possessed the ethereal grace of a true cultivator, and her features had become even more beautiful.
Of course, more than her appearance, what caught Que Tang's eye was the eyesore of a label floating above her head: *Female Supporting Character of this World.*
"No, this is far from enough. With a hardworking genius like Senior Sister before me, how could I be satisfied with this?" She took her Senior Sister as her goal, striving to keep up with her footsteps. No matter how hard it was, nothing could stop her. As long as she reached that position... she would be able to have everything she wanted, right?
Sensing the atmosphere between them was becoming a bit strange, Que Tang said seriously, "...If Junior Sister encounters any difficulties in your cultivation in the future, feel free to come find me if there's anything I can help with." After saying it, Que Tang realized something was wrong and quickly tried to mend the situation. "However, Eldest Senior Brother is one of the top disciples of our sect, and his cultivation technique is the same as yours. You would likely benefit much more from asking him."
But once the words were out, they couldn't be taken back. Wei Ruoyun merely smiled and thanked her. "Then I shall thank Senior Sister in advance."
*Thank me for what? Don't thank me! Don't come looking for me!* Que Tang wailed internally, as if she could already hear the notification sound for the female supporting character's favorability rising.
But spoken words are like a drink that you accidentally spray out when you're choked by a bad joke while browsing the internet; they cannot be reclaimed.
From that day on, Wei Ruoyun came to find Que Tang often. Occasionally, they would talk late into the night, discussing obscurities in the Dao. Que Tang had to act the part of the mentor, forcing Xiao Xianggu to come to her rescue in her mind. Fortunately, she managed to pass through these encounters without any major mishaps.
She also discovered that her Senior Sister seemed to dote on that little cat, so, out of love for the owner, she frequently prepared many roasted small fish. Consequently, Xiao Xianggu was always lingering at her feet. Seeing this, Que Tang’s trust in the cat’s integrity and the system’s reliability plummeted to zero.
The story of these two highly gifted sisters, so diligent and sharing such a deep bond, soon became a popular tale within the sect. One day, the Sect Leader even brought it up during the morning assembly, telling everyone to follow their example.
Que Tang could only manage a bitter smile.
Finally, another half-month passed. Calculating that the Eldest Senior Brother was about to return, Que Tang immediately decided to go into seclusion to create opportunities for them to spend time together.
Taking advantage of the moment when her Junior Sister arrived as usual to discuss the Dao, she told her not to come starting tomorrow.
Wei Ruoyun’s brow furrowed, but she smoothed it over instantly. "Senior Sister... do you find Ruoyun bothersome?" She looked as though she were suppressing a deep sense of loss.
"How could Junior Sister think that? I have simply reached a critical juncture for a breakthrough, so I need to enter seclusion for focused cultivation." Que Tang remained the Senior Sister who cared about everything and always smiled warmly at her. "It just so happens that Eldest Senior Brother is returning. Even if I am not here, someone will be able to look after you so you don't fall behind in your progress. Only then can I enter seclusion with peace of mind."
Wei Ruoyun’s eyes widened in surprise, her current feelings beyond description. She was but an orphaned girl with no background; what had she done to deserve such care from the Senior Sister whom the entire sect cherished like a precious treasure? Thinking of how she had just assumed her Senior Sister found her annoying, and remembering the dark thoughts she’d had when she first arrived, she felt so ashamed she wanted to cry.
She closed her eyes for a long time—so long that Que Tang thought she had entered a meditative trance and was about to sneak away—when she suddenly opened them. "Senior Sister, I will work hard too. I will never fail you."
Que Tang’s heart skipped a beat under that obsessive gaze. She suddenly remembered that the female supporting character’s blackening value was at eighty, reaching the level of a paranoiac... Sure enough, the long-absent notification sounded in her ear:
"Female supporting character's favorability toward the protagonist has increased by ten. Current favorability: eighty. Meow~"
"Wait! when did it get so high? Why didn't you give me any prompts!"
"Maybe you were asleep and didn't hear it, meow~" Xiao Xianggu replied irresponsibly.
Que Tang glared at the cat lying at Wei Ruoyun’s feet, munching on 'Cultivation World Brand' dried fish, and really wanted to strangle it.
Looking back at the smiling female supporting character, Que Tang desperately wanted to beg her to stop overthinking things and raising the favorability.
To avoid further complications, as soon as the girl left with the stupid cat that night, Que Tang immediately packed her bags and hid in her private seclusion cave, drawing a powerful restrictive seal. Finally, she cast a sleeping spell on herself, intending to sleep until the end of time—or at least until the mission ended.
While she slumbered within, the female supporting character used her 'Golden Finger' and 'hacks' to reclaim her original destiny. First, while sent by the Great Elder to train in the back mountains, she accidentally found an Ancient Divine Beast Red Dragon Egg. Every time she explored a secret realm, she obtained treasures that others could only dream of. Furthermore, while on a mission with the Eldest Senior Brother, they were pursued by demonic cultivators and hid in a cave, where she discovered a nameless cultivation technique that only she could decipher.
Repeatedly facing desperate situations and breaking through at the brink of death, combined with the nameless technique that allowed her to achieve twice the result with half the effort, caused the girl's cultivation to soar within a few short decades. She had already become the renowned head disciple of the sect.
"Junior Sister, the moon is lovely tonight. Would you be interested in admiring it together?" The Eldest Senior Brother looked with admiration at Wei Ruoyun, who sat languidly under a peach tree, looking dashing and unrestrained.
In these decades, the Eldest Senior Brother had not failed Que Tang’s efforts; his favorability toward Wei Ruoyun had grown as rapidly as her cultivation.
Wei Ruoyun gently stroked the cat in her arms, which was enthusiastically biting a piece of dried fish, and let out a soft chuckle. These decades had led her in a completely different direction from Que Tang. She carried an air of enchanting allure; even a slight lift of her brow could drive countless men in the cultivation world mad.
The Eldest Senior Brother’s handsome face flushed as he sat down unceremoniously.
He felt he understood this Junior Sister less and less. When they first met, she was like a simple lotus, wearing her heart on her sleeve. Her hesitant, shy manner always made him want to tease her. But as she went through several seclusions, her personality gradually became profound and unpredictable.
She was no longer easily embarrassed, nor did she timidly call him 'Eldest Senior Brother' as she once had. Instead, she was distantly polite. Her aura had become sharp and confident, her every look possessing a peerless elegance.
But such a Junior Sister made him fall for her even more helplessly.
Wei Ruoyun didn't care at all what her Senior Brother was thinking. she was only thinking that decades ago, under a similar moon, her Senior Sister had said she was entering seclusion. That seclusion had lasted decades without a single meeting. She hadn't forgotten how, every time she returned to the sect after a mission or emerged from her own cultivation, she always hoped to see her Senior Sister, only to be disappointed time and again.
Now, her cultivation was the best among her peers; she was valued by the sect and respected by her juniors. She had reached the position she wanted, but that person was not there.
A trace of unease suddenly rose in her heart. Could it be that Senior Sister failed her breakthrough and... Wei Ruoyun didn't dare speak the unspoken words, but she made a silent decision. Once this mission was over, she would immediately return to the mountain and forcibly break the seal Senior Sister had set to confirm if she was alright, even if it meant facing her Senior Sister's anger.
"Meow~ Male lead's favorability toward the protagonist has increased by ten. Current favorability: eighty."
Que Tang’s hand, which was busy eating noodles, paused for a moment before she continued moving her chopsticks as if nothing had happened. "I've slept for nearly fifty years, and the mission still isn't over!"
"Because the female supporting character is still thinking of you, meow~"
"Don't mention that again. If I hadn't heard you say her favorability was maxed out, I wouldn't have been scared awake. How can favorability increase while I'm avoiding her and focusing on sleeping? Is there a calculation error in your system?"
"Absolutely not. That's because she's working hard for your sake, meow~" From the other end came the sound of Xiao Xianggu tearing at something. "A side-quest for 'More than Friends, Less than Lovers' has been unlocked. Does the Host plan to complete it? Meow~"
"Ab-so-lute-ly not!" Que Tang gritted her teeth.
"This side-quest gives five thousand reward points, meow~"
"...How can such an unprincipled side-quest have such high points? I only get five hundred for a main mission. How do you have the face to set such a point system? But no matter how high the score, I will absolutely not sell my body!" Que Tang was prepared to die rather than submit. The female supporting character from the last world had left too big a shadow on her. "That's it, no more talking. I'm going back to my travels."
After Que Tang woke up, she had nothing to do and didn't want to see the female supporting character. She simply made up an excuse to tell her Sect Leader father, saying she had failed her breakthrough and intended to travel down the mountain to experience the world, hoping for a new realization.
The Sect Leader, who had cherished Que Tang since she was a child, immediately agreed. He prepared funds for her and let her sneak down the mountain from the back. Thus, father and daughter worked together to launch Young Lady Que Tang’s fantastic journey. However, Que Tang also obediently promised her father to keep in touch and to help if she encountered any sect disciples in trouble.
She had been down the mountain for over a month, spending every day eating, drinking, and having so much fun she forgot about home. She had come to this small town because she happened to meet a traveler who told her how delicious the local wild game was, so she abandoned her original plan to take this detour.
Except... she used the act of eating noodles to mask her gaze. This small town had actually gathered quite a few cultivators.
At night, using the excuse of watching fireflies, she slipped out of the house where she was staying. She sensed a disturbance coming from the deep mountains to the south of the town. Changing into more convenient clothing, she rushed over, dodging several groups of people from various sects along the way. Upon reaching the most crowded spot, she quietly hid in the distance to observe. Sure enough, she saw disciples from her own sect. Then, she stared in shock at the two large labels standing at the very front of the disciples: *Female Supporting Character of this World* and *Male Lead of this World.*
Wei Ruoyun seemed to sense something and glanced in her direction. Terrified, Que Tang quickly disguised herself as a lagging disciple from another sect, panting as she hurried forward to blend into the crowd.
That glance from the female supporting character just now was truly, terrifyingly sharp. She had only slept for fifty years; how had that girl who always smiled so gently disappeared? Had this unprincipled system opened a new expansion pack while she was sleeping? Or had she just opened her eyes the wrong way this morning?
