Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 112 | Converging Paths | Novela.app

Accompanied by Meiqiu, Zhai Bairong and Nie Shiyun traveled leisurely, enjoying the scenery along the way. Nie Shiyun couldn't help but feel a sense of profound emotion. In all the years since he had arrived in the cultivation world, aside from his brief period of residence in Flower City, he had spent almost all his time either in secret realms or within his sect. Only now did he finally have the leisure to go sightseeing. It had to be said that the psychological pressure brought upon him by the original "Heavenly Dao" had been significant. The group did not venture into remote areas. Generally speaking, the daily life of the cultivation world was not as fiercely competitive as the environment within secret realms. Even though the two of them suppressed their cultivation to the Foundation Establishment stage, they encountered no trouble and enjoyed a peaceful journey. At most, the sight of two male cultivators traveling in close intimacy with a child drew some curious glances. However, the cultivation world was full of eccentricities; passersby would look twice and then quickly put it out of their minds. When the journey became monotonous, Nie Shiyun would call Zhai Bairong into the jade pendant to rest. Zhai Bairong was not one for idleness; even when asked to sit and relax, he couldn't stay still. He would spend his free time cultivating in bursts or refining a few batches of pills. Traveling and stopping in such a relaxed manner, more than seven or eight days passed. Meanwhile, back at the Yingyue Sect, the two disciples who had been concealing the truth finally informed Qu Zhanmeng of Duan Mingyu’s disappearance. Both were trembling with anxiety. Although Qu Zhanmeng had arranged for several cultivators to patrol the mountain and the town, these two had been specifically assigned to the courtyard. When something went wrong, they were the first to bear the responsibility. Qu Zhanmeng fell into a long silence, his face turning ashen. The two disciples realized the situation might be even more severe than they had imagined. "Have you asked the disciples on the mountain? He has no flying sword; he would certainly have been spotted trying to run down the mountain. He might still be hiding somewhere on the peaks." Of the two kneeling disciples, one looked slightly startled, a glimmer of hope appearing in his eyes. The other, however, turned even paler. Duan Mingyu definitely had a flying sword in his storage bracelet—because he was the one who had returned it to him. He was still young, after all, and not adept at masking his expressions. He could deceive his peers, but he could not fool a senior like Qu Zhanmeng, who was hundreds of years old. Qu Zhanmeng saw at a glance that the boy knew something. After several rounds of interrogation, the disciple finally confessed in terror that he had returned the storage bracelet to Duan Mingyu. "You... you never mentioned this before!" the other disciple cried out in shock. He had thought they were both equally ignorant of the details. Realizing he was being dragged down, his mind raced, and he remembered something. "Senior! Come to think of it, it was strange. We didn't talk much, but he suddenly came to me, saying he had obtained some excellent pills and wanted to share them with me. I was delighted at the time and didn't think much of it, so I chatted with him. Shortly after that, Duan Mingyu vanished..." Qu Zhanmeng understood exactly what had happened. He had witnessed Duan Mingyu’s talent for ensnaring men before, but he hadn't expected that in just a few days, even cultivators who previously had no intersection with him would fall for such a honey trap. He coldly cursed the disciple for losing his wits over a beauty and released the full weight of a Nascent Soul cultivator's pressure. The two kneeling before him were terrified, their entire bodies shaking. In truth, Qu Zhanmeng himself was deeply sexist. Like many men in the cultivation world, although there were female cultivators under his sect, he ultimately believed that women could not compare to men on the path of immortality. When it came to important matters, he prioritized giving tasks to male disciples. Had he chosen two female cultivators to watch over Duan Mingyu this time, this mishap likely wouldn't have occurred. He calculated inwardly that this matter must not reach the ears of the Soul Transformation Ancestor above. That elder had been in seclusion for many years, only emerging once to inspect Duan Mingyu when he was first taken in, leaving all subsequent arrangements to Qu Zhanmeng. As long as he brought the boy back, it would be as if this had never happened. Qu Zhanmeng’s expression darkened. He wondered if Duan Mingyu had sensed something, given how persistently he had tried to escape. Once the boy was brought back this time, it seemed he could not afford to wait for his cultivation to increase further. It would be better to simply refine him now to put his mind at ease. "Senior... spare us..." The pressure released by a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was not something two juniors could withstand. Furthermore, Qu Zhanmeng had infused it with killing intent; the two kneeling disciples felt as though the breath was being squeezed out of them. Finally, Qu Zhanmeng withdrew his pressure. The two disciples felt as if their bodies were broken; they could barely even remain kneeling. "I will search! I will definitely find him and bring him back!" the disciple who had been caught in the crossfire wailed. "You should have been expelled from the sect. If you truly can find him, I will take a step back and allow you to stay as an outer sect disciple," Qu Zhanmeng said with cold indifference. The disciple’s lips trembled. He desperately wanted to plead his innocence, but the decisions of these seniors allowed no room for questioning. Although he had worked hard to become an inner disciple, he was now back to square one. At least there was a sliver of hope. He hurriedly kowtowed, his forehead hitting the ground, and stood up shakily to begin his search. The culprit who had actually released Duan Mingyu tried to stand up as well, but he felt a massive surge of pressure and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Who said you could leave as well?" "I... I will also go search. It started because of me..." Before the disciple could finish, another surge of metallic sweetness rushed up his throat. "No need. When the time comes to face that fellow, a person with such weak willpower as yours might just ruin things again." As he spoke, the kneeling disciple began to feel as though his internal organs were being crushed. He finally realized he had committed a catastrophic error and, through tears and snot, struggled to beg Qu Zhanmeng for his life. He no longer asked to stay in the Yingyue Sect; he only wanted to keep his life. After a long while, Qu Zhanmeng withdrew his strength. The disciple breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had escaped death. But immediately following that, a violent pain spread from his Dantian to the tips of his fingers. The disciple quickly lost consciousness from the agony. Fifteen minutes later, Qu Zhanmeng summoned the other disciples he had previously assigned tasks to. Everyone was fined five full years of their stipend. They usually didn't even get to see a single hair on Duan Mingyu’s head, so this was a bolt from the blue. However, Qu Zhanmeng told them to search in secret; if they could bring the person back, everything would return to normal. The crowd breathed a sigh of relief. Now that their own interests were at stake, they felt a surge of resentment toward the runaway Duan Mingyu. One by one, they knelt and accepted the order. The disciple who had been demoted also returned; he was now an outer sect disciple, and if Duan Mingyu didn't come back, he would be kicked out entirely. His response was more earnest than anyone's. His eyes darted around, wanting to take revenge privately on the fellow disciple who had ruined him for personal gain, but he couldn't find the man anywhere. An inexplicable chill rose in his heart, but at this moment, he could barely look after himself. He naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to ask about the man's whereabouts. Soon, he left the Yingyue Sect with the others to begin the hunt for Duan Mingyu. Qu Zhanmeng held a pivotal position in the sect and did not dare to move recklessly, fearing that if the other sects didn't already know about Duan Mingyu, his personal involvement would make it look suspicious. He sent people to gather news from other sects. Unsurprisingly, Rong Lü had left Lingfeng Mountain last month. However, news from Red Rock Cliff was that Xu Yehua had been in seclusion and had never left. Qu Zhanmeng felt more at ease, knowing that Duan Mingyu likely only had Rong Lü by his side. He thought about the group of mediocre disciples he had sent out and ultimately decided to contact Zhai Bairong. Although Zhai Bairong had slipped up once during his breakthrough, causing the Yingyue Sect to nearly give up on him, the eldest disciple had been very reliable since recovering. In the etiquette of the cultivation world, a master does not need to negotiate when making demands of a disciple. Qu Zhanmeng naturally wouldn't be polite with Zhai Bairong. He had already disclosed the truth about Duan Mingyu’s constitution before, and now he was even more blunt, directly ordering Zhai Bairong to find and bring Duan Mingyu back. As for Rong Lü, if they truly came to blows, it was fine to kill him—as long as it was done cleanly. Zhai Bairong, who was currently enjoying the sights with Nie Shiyun, was naturally startled when he received this message, and he immediately became troubled. He hadn't expected Duan Mingyu to eventually escape, nor had he expected that even at this stage, Qu Zhanmeng would still use him to hunt Duan Mingyu down. Seeing Zhai Bairong’s face full of worry, Nie Shiyun naturally asked what was wrong. After clarifying the facts, the two of them discussed it. Zhai Bairong simply informed Qu Zhanmeng that Nie Shiyun had felt bored recently and had dragged him out to travel, and that Nie was currently nearby. He thought this would give him an excuse to be unable to pull himself away. Unexpectedly, Qu Zhanmeng was quite unscrupulous, thinking this made it even more certain they could capture the target. He told Zhai Bairong to deceive Nie Shiyun, saying only that Duan Mingyu had broken sect rules and the sect needed to bring him back, asking Nie Shiyun to help with the task. He figured Nie Shiyun must also loathe Duan Mingyu; after all, the boy had not only rejected him but was also Zhai Bairong’s ex. Once the boy was caught, as long as Nie Shiyun didn't kill him, he could vent his anger however he pleased. Qu Zhanmeng thought these words were a private exchange with Zhai Bairong, but in fact, Nie Shiyun was right there the whole time. Nie Shiyun was speechless, thinking to himself that he wasn't that petty. Moreover, Qu Zhanmeng really knew how to put people to work. He was a Nascent Soul cultivator, yet in Qu Zhanmeng’s eyes, he seemed to be just a foolish man infatuated with his disciple, easily deceived by such a reason. Zhai Bairong said helplessly, "What should we do? I told you he was incredibly vain; you must have given him too much face before." Nie Shiyun couldn't think of a good solution for the moment. If they didn't agree, Qu Zhanmeng hadn't given Zhai Bairong the option to refuse. If they did agree, it would be too suspicious if a Nascent Soul cultivator like himself couldn't catch a single Duan Mingyu. While they were hesitating on how to respond, within half a day, Qu Zhanmeng sent follow-up instructions without any hesitation. Zhai Bairong started by listening with a helpless expression, but his face gradually grew solemn. "What did he say?" Nie Shiyun asked urgently. Zhai Bairong said with a conflicted look, "He said the Yingyue Sect disciples found some information. Although it's not certain yet, it seems those two are low on Disguise Pills and pills to treat body-chill. They've been using aliases to buy them intermittently at auctions and shops along the way. Their direction is... heading toward the southeast coast." Nie Shiyun froze. Wasn't that exactly the direction they were planning to go? If nothing went wrong, the Heavenly Fire was wandering in that vicinity. He hadn't expected that even though the plot had changed so much, in the end, by some strange twist of fate, it was still gravitating toward the final development of the original story. In the original work, after Duan Mingyu’s group fled in panic, they were supposed to head straight south first, scurrying through the demon race's territory, picking up Meiqiu’s egg, and then relying on Du Zhi—a local of the demon race—to shake off their pursuers and recuperate before fleeing east. Now, without Meiqiu and without Du Zhi, and with the timeline delayed by several months, the heavens had simply skipped that segment for them and sent them straight to the final destination. However, everything was interconnected. Because they didn't have the alchemist Zhai Bairong with them, Duan Mingyu, who had to rely on pills to maintain his physical condition, had his tracks exposed much faster. "Only Rong Lü and Duan Mingyu? No Xu Yehua?" Nie Shiyun thought of something and asked with a frown. "It's said there are only the two of them. When I 'kindly' warned him back then, I only told Duan Mingyu to find Rong Lü to take him away. I heard before that Xu Yehua has been in seclusion; perhaps he hasn't emerged yet," Zhai Bairong said. "I have a feeling that man won't be so well-behaved." Nie Shiyun hadn't originally been dead-set on obtaining the Heavenly Fire; it was just that Zhai Bairong was quite interested in it. Even if Duan Mingyu truly took it, Nie Shiyun wouldn't consider him a threat; he would just feel it was a waste of a good item. But Xu Yehua was a constant hidden danger, and since they both possessed fire spiritual roots, Nie Shiyun immediately became vigilant. "I was too careless before. But this works out; you can give Qu Zhanmeng an answer now," Nie Shiyun sighed. "We start moving today. It's no longer time for leisure." | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 异火 | Heavenly Fire | Also known as Exotic Fire; rare and powerful flames sought by cultivators. | | 体寒 | Body-chill | A physical condition, likely related to Duan Mingyu's special constitution or an injury. | | 易容丹 | Disguise Pill | A pill used to change one's physical appearance. | | 东南沿海 | Southeast coast | The geographical destination where the plot is converging. | | 杜执 | Du Zhi | A character from the original plot (demon race) who is absent in this timeline. | | 凌峰山 | Lingfeng Mountain | The location/sect associated with Rong Lü. | | 赤岩崖 | Red Rock Cliff | The location/sect associated with Xu Yehua. |