“Xuan’er?”
Nie Shiyun and Qi Xuan’er were currently observing a session in Nie Li’s smithy when a pleasant voice rang out. Immediately following the voice, a spirited figure burst through the door without the slightest hint of reservation.
His junior sister, Qi Xuan’er, stood up, tossing the smithing lesson to the back of her mind. She ran forward excitedly and took the newcomer’s hand. “Sister Miaohan! What are you doing here? How did you manage to sneak out of Pinyin Pavilion?”
The newcomer huffed. “Why do you always think so poorly of me? I finished all the cultivation tasks Master assigned for the past while, so I came out to clear my head.”
With such an interruption, the day’s smithing research was effectively scrapped. Although the young woman was only a junior, Nie Li’s attitude toward her was quite respectful. Nie Shiyun vaguely recalled who she was, though he didn’t remember the original host of his body having any interaction with her in the book.
However, the original Nie Shiyun had been dead for many years in the original timeline. Having changed history, it was only natural that many things were no longer the same.
The visitor was Qi Miaohan, a disciple of the Pinyin Pavilion, one of the four major sects. The Pinyin Pavilion was located in the far north of the cultivation world, a place of perennial snow that only recruited female disciples. While they didn't hold an advantage in swordplay or dueling among the four great sects, their disciples were mostly skilled in talisman crafting and alchemy. They also maintained numerous medicinal gardens, allowing them to uphold a delicate balance of power between the sects.
The current sect leader, Jiang Baixiang—the only female Deity Transformation stage cultivator in the current cultivation world—had taken this girl, Qi Miaohan, as her final personal disciple.
Nie Shiyun had been surprised when he first learned that Qi Miaohan and Qi Xuan’er were close friends. He later found out they were actually sisters who had been scouted in the mortal realm as children and brought to the cultivation world. Unfortunately, though they shared a surname, they did not share the same fate. Qi Miaohan possessed a rare variant Wind Spirit Root, a talent seen once in a century, and was immediately accepted as an inner disciple of Pinyin Pavilion. Qi Xuan’er, on the other hand, had Fire and Earth dual roots. Although Pinyin Pavilion took her in, she wasn't given the same level of attention. Furthermore, the feminine whip techniques practiced at Pinyin Pavilion didn't suit Qi Xuan’er’s spirit roots. After failing to make any progress for a long time, she eventually left in dejection.
Afterward, she happened to develop an interest in smithing. Through various coincidences, she was taken in by Nie Li as a disciple. Though life at Yunqing Pavilion wasn't as prestigious as being in a major sect, she lived quite happily.
The bond between Qi Miaohan and Qi Xuan’er had not faded, and the two frequently exchanged letters.
Learning of this backstory, Nie Shiyun couldn't help but look at his junior sister with a bit more respect. It is difficult to go from luxury to frugality; yet, in the face of her brilliantly talented sister, Qi Xuan’er remained her usual self. Her temperament was truly excellent.
“So you’re Nie Shiyun? I’ve visited twice before. Once you were said to be out traveling, and the other time you were behind closed doors. You certainly put on quite the air,” Qi Miaohan said as she sat in the reception hall, munching on spiritual snacks. Her mouth was full, lacking any semblance of a refined lady's grace. If the elders of Pinyin Pavilion saw her now, she would surely face a lecture.
Nie Shiyun gave a wry smile. “How was I to know you were gracing us with your presence?”
“What’s with this ‘you’ business? Call me Senior Qi,” Qi Miaohan said, putting on airs.
“Sister, please don’t argue with Senior Brother...” Qi Xuan’er said softly from the side.
Nie Shiyun wasn't good at dealing with women—or rather, he had little interest in interacting with them. However, while Qi Miaohan was occasionally willful in her speech, she wasn't a bad person at heart.
The main point was that he was curious. In the book, this woman named Qi Miaohan was wholeheartedly in love with Xu Yehua. It was said they were mere acquaintances, but Qi Miaohan had fallen for his peerless appearance at first sight. Unfortunately, it was a case of unrequited love; she unilaterally believed they shared a mutual affection, unaware that Xu Yehua didn't care for her at all. The gifts she boldly sent him over time ended up benefiting Duan Mingyu. Later, when she confronted Duan Mingyu in public, she was harshly humiliated by her beloved, losing all face.
She was devastated by the incident. Later, out of resentment, she tried to harm Duan Mingyu in a secret realm. Naturally, she was no match for the protagonist's halo and met a tragic end.
If he was the cannon fodder 'gong' who lusted after the protagonist, then Qi Miaohan was the wicked cannon fodder female supporting character. At this moment, Nie Shiyun actually felt a slight sense of shared plight with her.
...Though, Xu Yehua’s taste in who he liked was fundamentally problematic anyway.
Looking at the high-spirited Qi Miaohan, Nie Shiyun sighed. He decided that if he had the chance, he would try to give her a hand and see if he could steer her away from her predetermined path. If she remained obstinate, then he wouldn't stick his nose where it didn't belong.
After chatting for a long while, Qi Miaohan finally got to the point. She had recently advanced to the Golden Core stage and felt her current weapon was no longer suitable. With her sect's permission, she had come to visit her sister and to commission Yunqing Pavilion to forge a new weapon for her.
As expected of the Pinyin Pavilion leader’s final disciple, Qi Miaohan was very pampered. This time, Nie Li himself would be the one forging the weapon for her. If she ever reached the Nascent Soul stage and wanted another upgrade, she would likely only be satisfied if the Sect Master, Nie Mingde, did it personally.
During this period, she stayed at Yunqing Pavilion with Qi Xuan’er. While waiting for the treasure to be forged, she could play with her sister for a few months, which made her very happy. Within a few days, Qi Miaohan heard that Nie Shiyun had gone to the Misty Secret Realm two years ago and came looking for him. At that time, she had been kept in seclusion by her Sect Master for cultivation. By the time she emerged, she was already a Golden Core cultivator, exceeding the realm limit for the secret realm. When she later heard that Xu Yehua had gone, she was filled with regret.
“Did you see him? Did you get to speak with him?” Qi Miaohan pulled Nie Shiyun aside, questioning him relentlessly.
“I saw him. Actually, we even traveled together for a short while...”
“Really? Truly?” Qi Miaohan was ecstatic, her voice so loud that Nie Shiyun’s ear felt like it was ringing.
“But you’re just a cultivator from a small sect, and Xu Yehua is a young talent known to everyone at Chiyan Cliff! How could you possibly travel together?” Qi Miaohan thought for a moment and felt something was off. “You aren't just making up stories to fool me, are you?”
“Why would I bother lying to you?” Nie Shiyun felt that a woman’s heart was truly as deep as the ocean.
“Then tell me the whole story, every detail. Also, what is he like in his daily life?” Although Qi Miaohan was stubborn, her appetite had clearly been whetted, and she couldn't help but ask impatiently.
Nie Shiyun let out a long, mysterious “Hmm,” his expression appearing somewhat troubled.
“I knew it, you can’t say!”
“No. It’s just... there are some things that might be better if you didn't know,” Nie Shiyun shook his head.
The more he acted this way, the more it provoked the impatient Qi Miaohan. She kept urging him to say whatever he had to say, not leaving out a single word.
Nie Shiyun naturally wouldn't tear down the stage he had set. He described, with no small amount of exaggeration, how Xu Yehua had heroically saved a beauty and then fallen for Duan Mingyu at first sight, and how the two had immediately hit it off like dry wood and a raging fire.
“You’re saying he’s a cut sleeve? I’ve never heard of this!” Qi Miaohan grew anxious, slamming the table as she stood up. “And I know that Duan Mingyu you mentioned; he clearly has a lover. It’s that Zhai Bairong from their sect, isn't it?”
Two years had passed since they parted at the entrance of the secret realm. Hearing Zhai Bairong’s name suddenly mentioned after so long, Nie Shiyun saw a blurred image of the man’s figure flash through his mind.
Nie Shiyun told Qi Miaohan not to get worked up and then gave her a detailed account of how Duan Mingyu maintained relationships with several men at once. To make it more believable, he even threw in the original host’s own dark history to demonstrate the sheer scale of the other party's "combat power."
“Wait... wait, you’re a cut sleeve too?”
“That’s right,” Nie Shiyun admitted frankly.
Qi Miaohan was so shocked her mouth wouldn't close. Since Pinyin Pavilion only housed women, she knew less about matters of the heart than others her age. Clearly, her young and ignorant heart had received a massive shock.
The young girl’s romantic dreams were shattered into pieces. Qi Miaohan felt wronged but couldn't voice it. Nie Shiyun’s words were logical and didn't seem like lies. However, she still held onto a final shred of hope, refusing to give in. “I won’t just take your word for it! You wait; I have ways to find out. If I find out you’re tricking me, I’ll never let you hear the end of it!”
No matter how much she tried to sound threatening, it lost all its bite when paired with her heartbroken expression. Nie Shiyun watched her fly out the door in a daze, reflecting slightly on whether he had been too detailed or gone too far.
“Eh? Why did Sister Miaohan run out? Did you two get into an argument?”
Qi Xuan’er, who happened to walk in just then, only saw Qi Miaohan’s retreating back. Her sister was kind-hearted by nature, but her personality was indeed a bit willful. Meanwhile, Senior Brother Shiyun was clearly a good person, yet he simply didn't know how to be tender toward the fairer sex. The two of them seemed ready to bicker every few days.
“Maybe she just got bored staying in Yunqing Pavilion for too long and went out to clear her head,” Nie Shiyun lied casually.
Qi Xuan’er was very skeptical. “Really...?”
Nie Li knew nothing of this; he was still focused on forging the weapon for Qi Miaohan and hadn't left his room for days. Without anyone knowing, the young lady of Pinyin Pavilion had rushed off.
A few more days passed. Nie Shiyun was still wondering where Qi Miaohan had gone to dig up information, as she had disappeared entirely. While he was down the mountain at a tavern to treat himself to a good meal, he unexpectedly overheard some earth-shattering gossip from the guests at the next table.
“Did you hear? Qi Miaohan from Pinyin Pavilion actually ran to Chiyan Cliff to find someone. She wanted to confront Xu Yehua face-to-face and ask whether he liked her or Duan Mingyu from the Yingyue Sect.”
“A face-to-face marriage proposal?”
“Hahaha, and get this—talk about a coincidence. It seems Duan Mingyu has been involved with Xu Yehua for a long time and often visits Chiyan Cliff. She made a huge scene shouting at the gates, and in the end, Duan Mingyu and Xu Yehua actually came out together to see her. The poor girl almost burst into tears on the spot, cursed them out, and ran off.”
Nie Shiyun felt like he was about to faint. Was Qi Miaohan truly a fool? She said she would investigate, but she actually went straight to the source to ask Xu Yehua directly! Nie Shiyun only hoped in his heart that Qi Miaohan hadn't accidentally let slip that he was the one who told her.
“Did she go back to Pinyin Pavilion? This time she’s really lost face for them. I bet her Sect Master will lock her up and not let her see anyone for a long time.”
Nie Shiyun had a massive headache. At the same time, he hadn't expected Duan Mingyu to be at Chiyan Cliff right now. It was said the other party stayed at Chiyan Cliff for a while every so often under the guise of "sect exchange." He didn't know if it was for his cold constitution issue or simply to... distribute his favors equally. When Nie Shiyun thought of that phrase, he couldn't help but shudder.
***
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 14 | Shattering a Young Girl's Dream | Novela.app | Novela.app
