"Although Senior Sister slandered me, I believe she didn't mean it. Besides, she's True Lord Shangyang's daughter. If anything happened to her, True Lord Shangyang would blame us."
Jiang Miaomiao's tears fell in fat drops, like pearls from a broken strand.
What a heroine! Let your hearts ache, male leads! Lu Qingchen must be dying to crush Jiang Miaomiao against his chest, right?
Miaomiao, don't cry. Your tears are more precious than pearls. Seeing you like this breaks my heart.
Ning Xiang mimicked Lu Qingchen's tone.
Fuck! So gross!
Master and disciples were all thrown into confusion. What on earth was happening?
Lu Qingchen's face darkened. How could he possibly say something like that?
Ning Xiang was puzzled. According to the original plot, shouldn't her hot-tempered, impulsive second senior brother leap out and accuse her of being vicious and cruel, of framing their junior sister? Shouldn't her younger junior brother point at her nose and curse her for having the most poisonous of women's hearts, saying she didn't deserve to remain in the Profound Heaven Sect?
Could it be that her performance wasn't convincing enough? That had to be it!
At that thought, Ning Xiang sprang to her feet and drew her sword with a shing, pointing its tip at Jiang Miaomiao.
"Stop playing pitiful here! Jiang Miaomiao, you have no idea how much I hate you! I'm going to kill you! Only when you're dead will Master spare me another glance!"
The girl in scarlet was tall and slender, her features sharp and stunning, her bearing brazen and imperious.
She pointed her sword at Jiang Miaomiao, whose beautiful eyes widened, filled with wounded vulnerability and unease. Like a pitiful, innocent young animal, she looked increasingly ready to collapse.
Hurry up and save her! If you don't speak up and stop me, I really will stab her! Don't blame me if I ruin your precious little Miaomiao's pretty face!
Master and disciples stood rooted to the spot like idiots.
What's going on? Don't any of you care about the heroine? Su Lang, no wonder you're the last to get together with Jiang Miaomiao! All that passion hidden under a poker face-how will Jiang Miaomiao know how you feel if you never make a move? Charge! You number-one simp!
Su Lang thought, Passion hidden under a poker face... what does that mean? And what the hell is a simp?
And Yu Tingchao, the sweet little younger puppy, with such soft, tender skin. He must taste delicious! Though who knows how good he is in bed. Sigh, such a little drama king at his age, and the most scheming of the lot. He may rank last in Jiang Miaomiao's harem, but that little flirt keeps her thinking about him. She flips his name tablet several times every month.
Yu Tingchao's exquisite face flushed red with anger. How was he the youngest? No, wait-he was the young heir of the Yu, foremost of the cultivation world's four great Lineages. How had he ended up in some woman's harem?
Ning Xiang's sympathetic gaze drifted, seemingly casually, toward her second senior brother, Xie Feihong.
Poor muscle man. What a fine body, but sadly, he's a total hotheaded greenhorn. No wonder the heroine didn't recruit him.
For some reason, Xie Feihong felt that the looks his master and fellow disciples were giving him had turned rather strange. They all seemed to be landing on... He hurriedly clamped his legs together.
But judging by Ning Xiang's tone, his master and fellow disciples had all joined Jiang Miaomiao's harem, while he was the leftover nobody wanted? Xie Feihong refused to accept that!
Ah, that damned competitive streak!
The same thought rose in all their minds: Ning Xiang is terrifying!
"Master~~~" Jiang Miaomiao looked toward Lu Qingchen with tear-filled eyes, her voice soft and sweet, lilting through several turns.
For some reason, Lu Qingchen felt as though his body were no longer under his control. He summoned the Canglang Sword. Though still sheathed, it pointed straight at Ning Xiang.
The Canglang Sword seemed to have caught the scent of the villainous supporting character. It hummed inside its sheath, impatient to charge at her.
What was going on? How could he point a sword at his own disciple?
But wouldn't putting the Canglang Sword away now look a little too deliberate?
"Master, are you really going to be this ruthless for her sake?"
"Fine, then. Kill me if you wish, Master. In the end, I'm nothing but the tiniest blade of grass in your heart. How could I ever weigh as much as Junior Sister?"
Grief filled Ning Xiang's face. She retreated several steps, a crystalline tear slipping down her cheek, then swiftly wiped it away with a finger, as though she had never cried.
That tiny gesture alone was enough to convey Ning Xiang's anguish and vulnerability-provided one ignored-
Yes! Stab me with that sword! Just like before! Run it through my heart! No, first seal my meridians with the Soul-Locking Nails, destroy my dantian, and dig out my golden core for Junior Sister to cultivate with!
Lu Qingchen was inwardly horrified. When had he ever treated Ning Xiang like that?
All three fellow disciples thought at once, Master was actually that cruel to Junior Sister-or Senior Sister? No wonder she hates our youngest junior sister so much!
Lu Qingchen thought, What utterly unforgivable crime had I committed?
Suddenly, Ning Xiang realized something was wrong. If she wrapped up her role now, wouldn't she be departing from the original novel? No! She had to hang on a little longer!
Though she was only a villainous supporting character, she played a crucial role in advancing the plot.
For instance, she drugged Lu Qingchen with an aphrodisiac, hoping to cook the raw rice into a done deal, only for Jiang Miaomiao to beat her to it and consummate her relationship with him instead.
Or when she explored a secret realm with Jiang Miaomiao, she kicked Jiang Miaomiao into the Ten Thousand Demons Cave. The Demon Venerable rescued the beauty and got down and dirty with her at the bottom of the cave.
Then there was the time she offered Jiang Miaomiao to the Demon King as a sacrifice. Seeing him suffer an attack of gu poison, Jiang Miaomiao willingly offered her body to cure him, successfully winning herself a Demon King.
Yep. A plot device through and through.
Ning Xiang thought, I feel like I've acquired a new name: "Matchmaker"!
"Forget it. As Junior Sister said, if I die, my father won't let you off easily. I'll volunteer to go to the Dao-Seeking Slope and reflect on my faults in seclusion instead."
Ning Xiang spoke haughtily, as though she were above stooping to their level.
That counts as completing the original plot, right? Excellent. A world where only the villainous supporting character gets hurt has been achieved!
Highly satisfied with her performance, Ning Xiang secretly awarded herself an "SSS."
With that, Ning Xiang stylishly sheathed her sword and summoned her flying mount-the outrageously cool Chongming Bird with huge, glamorous eyes!
It was a gift from her father when she formed her core. Apparently, there was only one in the entire cultivation world. A limited edition-now that was prestige!
The Chongming Bird let out a clear cry and carried Ning Xiang into the sky.
Ning Xiang saw Jiang Miaomiao's legs give way down below, leaving her on the verge of falling.
Tsk, tsk. The heroine certainly has luck with men. Let's see which male lead gets there first and catches her!
Ning Xiang shook her head as she looked down, ready to enjoy the show.
Then-
Jiang Miaomiao landed on the ground with a plop, hitting butt-first and tumbling onto her back with all four limbs in the air. She looked utterly undignified. The scene was painfully awkward.
"Master..." Jiang Miaomiao looked at Lu Qingchen, her eyes rimmed red.
Looking at his youngest disciple's reddened eyes, Lu Qingchen felt tenderness well up in his heart.
Ning Xiang clutched the Chongming Bird's feathers, inwardly ecstatic-
Look! Their eyes met! Lu, that unattainable flower on a lofty peak, is about to reach out and pull the heroine up. Then she'll step on a pebble, trip, and accidentally fall into Lu Qingchen's arms, and their lips will collide!
Ah! Are we getting a kissing scene already? Where's my Recording Pearl? I have to record this historic moment!
Recording Pearl, Recording Pearl, Recording Pearl, where's my Recording Pearl???
Lu Qingchen thought, ...Enough!
A dull ache throbbed inside his head.
He wanted to withdraw his hand, but Jiang Miaomiao held it tightly.
"Ah-" Jiang Miaomiao gave a brief cry. She seemed to have stepped on something, lost her balance, and then pitched straight toward Lu Qingchen.
Before you continue