Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 138 | A Letter and a Lead | Novela.app

After a long trek through the city, they finally exchanged the harvest of the past few months for spirit stones and found an inn to rest. For a rogue cultivator like Shen Yan, who had no permanent residence and wandered from place to place, the best option was to periodically rent a cultivation room where spiritual energy was concentrated. This time, he paid a bit extra for an inner chamber suitable for meditation. Seeing that he had paid for two people, Xuan Yang blinked and followed him closely. Shen Yan noted that Xuan Yang now had an income of his own. Upon entering the room, he unceremoniously held out his hand and demanded half of the spirit stone cost from him. The cheerful expression on Xuan Yang’s face froze. "Eh?" "Before, I took it easy on you because it was your first time out and you were unlucky enough to lose your funds. Now that you’ve earned your own money, surely an 'adult' like you wouldn't want to be a freeloader?" Shen Yan said. Xuan Yang was very concerned with his pride. Hearing Shen Yan acknowledge him as an adult, he couldn't bring himself to lose face. He obediently fished out the spirit stones and handed them over. *He clearly has feelings for me, yet he’s still so stingy about money. No wonder this guy never found a cultivation partner before...* "What is it?" "Nothing!" Seeing Xuan Yang’s huffy expression, Shen Yan guessed the kid was just pained by the loss of money. However, he had already been quite generous when splitting the materials; now was not the time to keep spoiling him. Seeing that Shen Yan actually went into the small partitioned area to cultivate after he had grumpily said "nothing," Xuan Yang gritted his teeth in frustration. Feeling somewhat spiteful, Xuan Yang turned his back to the direction of Shen Yan and sullenly opened his storage bracelet to check the recent earnings. They had been in such a rush earlier that he had simply stuffed the entire bag of spirit stones into his bracelet. Only now did he have the time to count them carefully. It would have been better if he hadn't; his already sour mood worsened—there were so few spirit stones! Even though Shen Yan had given him the lion's share, these spirit stones seemed like a meager reward for several months of tirelessly hunting enemies day and night. It was far below Xuan Yang’s expectations. It turned out that the ease with which Nie Shiyun and the others made money was not a level that could be reached so easily. Xuan Yang curled his lip. Though full of disappointment, he finally began to gradually accept this reality. After listlessly counting the stones in the bag, Xuan Yang found himself with nothing to do now that he finally had a moment to stop and rest. It had been three months since he left Yunqing Pavilion without a word. Nie Shiyun hadn't tried to find him through their contract even once. He couldn't help but worry—was Nie Shiyun angry? Could he really have abandoned him? But his communication crystals had all been left at home; even if Xuan Yang wanted to make contact, he had no way to do so. Xuan Yang glanced at the focused Shen Yan. Feeling he wasn't in the mood to cultivate, he watched for a moment before making a decision. He hopped off his stool and ran out the door alone. The town they were staying in this time was relatively large. Unfortunately, Xuan Yang, who was now reluctant to spend money, wandered around without daring to buy anything, only window-shopping to satisfy his eyes. After circling the town, he finally stopped in front of a certain shop. "Fellow Daoist, do you need something?" Seeing Xuan Yang peering in at the door, a worker busy inside called out to him. People were coming and going within the shop, constantly transporting goods. This was a long-established relay point for cargo, capable of sending letters and items to various sects and residences. However, since it passed through third-party hands, it was generally only used for unimportant or inexpensive items. It was Xuan Yang’s first time in such a place, and he found it quite novel. His eyes were glued to the people passing by, but he quickly remembered what Shen Yan had said about not appearing too ignorant in public. He immediately withdrew his gaze and cleared his throat. "Ahem. I want to write a letter to Yunqing Pavilion." "Certainly, this way please." He was led into a private booth. After informing them that he hadn't written it yet, the shop kindly provided paper and brush. "To be opened by Nie Shiyun personally," Xuan Yang wrote on the envelope after a long silence. In the eyes of everyone at Yunqing Pavilion, he was supposed to be in secluded cultivation. Xuan Yang didn't mention his name, nor did he sign it. However, Nie Shiyun would recognize his handwriting at a glance; there was no need for anything else. After agonizing over it with a frown for a while, Xuan Yang began to write slowly: "I am doing very well. These past few days, I easily earned spirit stones on my own, though I haven't earned quite enough yet." His thoughts jumped around, and his writing was a bit disjointed, but the general idea was clear. Though there was a hint of exaggeration, he essentially wanted to show that he was safe and could earn his own way—that he was very capable. "You probably can't guess who I ran into. We are traveling together now. It's quite a bother being constantly stared at, sigh. There's no helping it; I suppose this is fate." Once finished, Xuan Yang folded the paper and placed it in the envelope, carefully sealing it with a spiritual tool. Xuan Yang deliberately didn't tell them who he had met, thinking triumphantly that he was leaving them in suspense. He had no idea that back at the inn, Shen Yan had already taken advantage of his absence to contact Nie Shiyun and report on the recent situation, fulfilling his role as a dutiful "babysitter." "Alright, we'll send this out tomorrow. Yunqing Pavilion isn't too far from here; it should arrive in about fifteen days." Xuan Yang nodded, intentionally putting on an act as if he traveled often and knew the ropes. The shop staff were experienced and saw through him instantly, but they found the boy's behavior rather cute and didn't expose him. "Do you know where any rare spirit beasts can be found?" Xuan Yang had heard Shen Yan say that people in these shops saw many travelers and knew a lot of news. Xuan Yang figured that rare things would naturally fetch a high price, so he casually asked the person at the counter. "You've asked the right person. I heard recently that Calamity Beasts have appeared in the south. Those beasts only appear in clusters every few hundred years. Each one has a cultivation level comparable to a Golden Core cultivator, but they have no sanity. However, the south is the territory of the Demon Race. The destruction caused by the Calamity Beasts won't affect us, so human cultivators don't bother meddling." Xuan Yang’s eyes lit up as if he had heard the sound of a gold mine. This was important intel that even Shen Yan didn't know yet! Xuan Yang had also learned some human customs; after hearing the news, he gave the man a few spirit stones. "Little Daoist, don't blame me for overstepping, but while curiosity is normal, you must act within your means..." Because he was suppressing his cultivation, the people around him didn't know his true strength. However, Xuan Yang was already close to the Nascent Soul stage, so he naturally didn't think a Golden Core beast could do anything to him. Still, if there were many of them, it might be tricky. Thinking it over, he realized he couldn't hog all the glory; he would need Shen Yan’s help. Seeing the child before him with eyes sparkling and eager to try, clearly not listening to a word he said, the man at the counter shook his head helplessly. When he returned to the inn, Shen Yan was exactly as he had been before Xuan Yang left, still sitting there cultivating. Xuan Yang excitedly interrupted his meditation, telling him about his plan to eliminate the Calamity Beasts and inviting Shen Yan to come along, suggesting they split the harvest depending on the situation. Shen Yan was going to follow him anyway. Since Xuan Yang had brought it up himself, he naturally agreed. "But allow me to finish absorbing these spirit stones first. A few days won't make a difference. We aren't that far from the border of the Demon Race territory." Xuan Yang nodded. "Alright." With that, Shen Yan closed his eyes again. The room fell into silence. Normally, Xuan Yang would have chosen to take a nap. But the price of this room included the cultivation chamber, and Shen Yan had taken half his money regardless of whether he used it or not. After thinking it over, Xuan Yang felt it would be a waste not to use it. He tucked his robes and sat down not far from Shen Yan to cultivate as well. Fifteen days later, Zhai Bairong at Yunqing Pavilion received the letter addressed to Nie Shiyun. "Directly for Shiyun?" Zhai Bairong took the envelope from the Yunqing Pavilion disciple. "Yes. The envelope says 'To be opened by Senior Nie personally.' But since Senior Nie is in secluded cultivation, we weren't sure whether to wait for him to come out or give it to you," the disciple said respectfully. He looked up at Zhai Bairong, his face full of nervousness... If possible, they all preferred interacting with Senior Nie Shiyun. Despite being a great senior at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, Nie Shiyun possessed a strange sense of approachability. He didn't put on airs when he spoke, and he would occasionally tease or joke around unreservedly. The disciples of Yunqing Pavilion both respected and liked him, feeling very relaxed in his presence. Zhai Bairong was the exact opposite. He had lived at Yunqing Pavilion for a long time, and the disciples were familiar with him, knowing that he and Nie Shiyun shared everything. However, even though he was perfectly polite, no one dared to be informal with him. Even looking him in the face during a conversation felt like a lot of pressure. Zhai Bairong wondered who it could be. After all, everyone close to them had Nie Shiyun’s communication crystal, and official business was usually directed to Yunqing Pavilion rather than to him personally. However, seeing the somewhat familiar handwriting on the envelope, he understood. "Thank you for your trouble," Zhai Bairong thanked the messenger plainly. "I will hand it to him shortly." "Y-yes. Thank you for your hard work, Senior." The disciple was flustered. Although he often saw Zhai Bairong, the man usually just stood beside Nie Shiyun and never spoke to them. This was his first time speaking to Zhai Bairong, and he was so nervous he was tripping over his words. Zhai Bairong didn't pay him much mind. He turned and summoned his flying sword, leaving the front mountain of Yunqing Pavilion at a speed the disciple could barely track. "Senior Zhai, I... Huh? Where did he go?" Du Zhi asked, emerging from the house looking bewildered. Recently, Du Zhi had been preparing the medicinal pills needed to advance to the Nascent Soul stage. Although he knew Zhai Bairong almost never accepted external requests for alchemy, given his relationship with Senior Nie Shiyun, Du Zhi felt he was thick-skinned enough to ask. Sure enough, Zhai Bairong had readily agreed. They were in the middle of talking when his daughter’s loud crying came from inside. Du Zhi doted on his daughter, so he said he would go in to check on her first. Since Qi Xuan'er was also in the room, it wasn't convenient for Zhai Bairong to follow. He smiled and told him not to rush, saying he would wait outside the courtyard. It was during this time that the disciple, who had been turned away while looking for Nie Shiyun, saw Zhai Bairong and plucked up the courage to ask him to deliver the letter. "Senior Zhai received a letter for Senior Nie and hurried back to the rear mountain. Could it be that I interrupted the two seniors' business?" the Yunqing Pavilion disciple asked anxiously. "Ah, it's fine! It wasn't urgent; we can just continue the chat next time," Du Zhi scratched his head and laughed. "He’s the same as always—nothing is more important than Senior Nie’s affairs." Qi Xuan'er had likely coaxed their daughter to sleep. Hearing the voices outside, she followed him out. After hearing the explanation, she said somewhat helplessly, "I was inside, what could have happened? She was just hungry or tired... You're asking Senior Zhai for a favor, how could you leave him standing there mid-sentence? You're a father now; it's not good to be so reckless." Since becoming a mother, Qi Xuan'er spoke a bit more firmly than before, but her nature hadn't changed; even when scolding someone, her voice was soft and gentle. Du Zhi nodded repeatedly in apology, though it was unclear if he was actually listening or just thought his wife’s voice sounded lovely. The disciple felt it was time for him to make an exit. He tactfully slipped away, thinking to himself, *You're talking about Senior Zhai Bairong, but aren't you just as bad, Senior Du Zhi?* The rear mountain of Yunqing Pavilion. The restrictions Nie Shiyun had set up were merely for show to Zhai Bairong. Everyone at the front mountain thought Nie Shiyun was in seclusion again, praising the senior for his diligent cultivation. However, Zhai Bairong, who lived on the rear mountain, knew very well that Nie Shiyun was just being lazy lately and didn't want to see people. "Shiyun." Zhai Bairong hurried through the restriction. Sure enough, Nie Shiyun, who wasn't cultivating at all but was lying on his side on the bed reading a leisure book, looked up. From those two short words, he could easily hear the urgency in the other's tone. This wasn't like Zhai Bairong’s usual style. "What's wrong?" Nie Shiyun put down his book and sat up nimbly. "I believe Xuan Yang sent a letter." Zhai Bairong took out the envelope and handed it to Nie Shiyun, gesturing for him to look at the handwriting. Although Shen Yan was there and had sent updates a few times over the past months, that was because Nie Shiyun had requested it. Now that the sulking Xuan Yang was willing to send a letter back, the two of them naturally felt a sense of relief. "Have you read it?" Zhai Bairong said, "It says 'To be opened by Nie Shiyun personally,' so naturally, you should be the one to read it." Nie Shiyun smiled helplessly. He and Zhai Bairong had long since stopped keeping secrets from each other; they were essentially one and the same. However, Zhai Bairong was quite principled in this regard; unless it was an emergency, he would never touch Nie Shiyun’s things without permission. Nie Shiyun had Zhai Bairong sit beside him, and the two of them read the letter together. Although Xuan Yang had learned to write, he rarely practiced. His handwriting was quite unpresentable, but it was very distinctive. Nie Shiyun looked it over and saw there was no signature, feeling quite relieved that the silly bird finally understood a bit about hiding his tracks. Sending letters through a relay station was cheap, but the efficiency was very low. The letter didn't mention any future plans, only going on and on about how he had earned money, sounding quite proud of himself. Unfortunately, Shen Yan hadn't left Xuan Yang any face at all; he had long since seen through the bird's disappointment and reported it all to Nie Shiyun and the others. Nie Shiyun snorted. "So he finally knows that earning money isn't easy. He's been a bottomless pit for food since he was little. Even when he was just an egg, he cost me so many spirit stones..." Zhai Bairong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Looking back now, those few spirit stones were nothing to Nie Shiyun. Yet he still held a grudge against the child from when he was an egg. "However, he didn't mention a word in the letter about going south to find the Calamity Beasts. He's still trying too hard to be brave. I've heard of the Calamity Beasts; while they shouldn't be a threat given his cultivation, Xuan Yang is reckless, so I'm still a bit worried," Zhai Bairong said. This was actually a misunderstanding of Xuan Yang; the decision to go south was only made after the letter had been sent. Of course, Shen Yan had found an opening to tell the two of them about this the very next day. "Why else do you think I haven't actually gone into seclusion? If something goes wrong, I can set out at a moment's notice, can't I?" Nie Shiyun countered. Zhai Bairong looked at the stack of storybooks and miscellaneous texts piled on his bed and joked, "Is it not because of these?" The two talked about other things for a while, drifting off-topic before eventually bringing it back to Xuan Yang. "Speaking of which, you found Xuan Yang’s egg in the Demon Race territory." "Exactly. I haven't been back to that side since. This time, he can be considered to be visiting his old home. I fished him out of a small stream back then; the egg must have floated down from upstream. I don't know if his mother's tribe lived there year-round or if they just happened to be migrating and left him behind." Mentioning the Demon Race, Nie Shiyun couldn't help but think of Flower City. That was a very special place for him and Zhai Bairong; if they had the leisure in the future, they really should go back and stay for a while. Clearly, Zhai Bairong was also remembering those times. His expression softened, and a smile he couldn't control appeared on his face. However, unlike the egg in his memory that had been shivering from the cold, Xuan Yang, who was currently revisiting the area and getting closer to the Demon Race border, was drenched in sweat. "It's so hot." "You have phoenix blood, yet you're afraid of heat?" Shen Yan was very surprised. Legend had it that phoenixes were born from fire, and demon cultivators with phoenix blood were all primary fire-roots who shouldn't even fear lava, let alone heat. "...I don't really understand it myself," Xuan Yang said sullenly. He didn't understand the *feeling* of heat; even inside a fireball, he didn't feel a burning sensation. However, this human body still sweated because of the temperature. Nie Shiyun had said that if he weren't a phoenix, he would be able to experience it—this feeling called "heat." In short, the sticky sensation he felt right now made him very unhappy. "I've been near here during the height of summer before, and the temperature was never this high. They say Calamity Beasts are massive, covered in flames, and move between the earth and the forests. They eat all the spiritual herbs and food wherever they go, and forests and houses are burned to the ground. Perhaps it's because of their influence." "What? So they're just specialized in destruction. They don't sound like very impressive spirit beasts. Can we even earn spirit stones from them?" Xuan Yang pouted. "For those low-cultivation demon villages, Golden Core beasts are already very powerful. Don't compare everything to your own special bloodline," Shen Yan said. "I know I'm very special, you don't have to keep emphasizing it..." Xuan Yang patted his chest smugly. Shen Yan was always finding ways to praise him; it was truly a bother! | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 灾兽 | Calamity Beast | Destructive beasts that appear periodically in clusters. | | 驿站 | Relay station / Post station | A place for sending letters and goods. | | 大暑 | Great Heat | One of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar, the hottest time of year. |