The Substitute Female Supporting Character Sees the Bullet Screen

Chapter 44

"I'm not angry, you can focus on your seclusion in peace."

Gu Jiang did not appear, only these words drifted over before silence returned. Nie Yinzhi followed the sound but found nothing. This small secret realm was tiny, just a small space encircled by fir trees, not requiring much spiritual energy to sustain. That was why it had survived in the wild until now.

Nie Yinzhi felt that Gu Jiang had left the secret realm, leaving her alone here.

His absence made it impossible for her to calm down and focus on her seclusion. Nie Yinzhi gritted her teeth and, even though she knew he couldn't hear her, asked into the empty space, "I'm going to use Empathy."

This derivative technique under the Symbiosis Curse was meant to monitor the emotions of the person bound by it. Even if she used it, Gu Jiang wouldn't notice, but Nie Yinzhi had grown accustomed to informing him every time before she did.

The moment Empathy took effect, a burning sensation surged from the golden bud's leaf, causing Nie Yinzhi to cry out in pain. It felt as if she had been thrown into a raging fire. Instinctively, she hugged her arms, momentarily convinced that her skin had been scorched and torn.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

She almost reflexively stepped into the water.

No, this wasn't her imagination—this was what Gu Jiang was feeling right now.

Nie Yinzhi clutched her chest and knelt by the water's edge, her forehead drenched in sweat, her hair clinging to her temples. Sensing his emotions, she couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "Gu Jiang, if it's this unbearable, can't you think of something else..."

It took her a while to break free from the burning sensation. She severed the Empathy connection and sat blankly in the water as the lingering emotions slowly faded. Nie Yinzhi wiped her face, stood up, and walked back to the small wooden cabin.

She meditated for nearly an hour before finally calming down. She then retrieved the Symbiosis Curse scroll from her storage pouch.

Outside the secret realm, in the desolate forest, spiritual mist seeped into the cracked ground like sweet dew after a long drought. Withered shrubs, stunted trees, and hidden creatures all drank deeply from the mist.

In just a day, new greenery sprouted in the forest. Gu Jiang noticed a red fox that had been drawn to the area, its tail tucked as it cautiously observed him, taking a few steps before pausing to watch. The fox's eyes lacked wariness, instead filled with a naive innocence—it was a young fox.

Gu Jiang beckoned to it.

The fox tilted its head, its amber eyes fixed on him. After hesitating for a while, it tentatively took a few steps closer.

Gu Jiang leaned against a tree, one leg bent, his hand resting on his knee. The tree behind him, revitalized by the spiritual mist, had regained its vitality, its canopy now providing shade.

His fingers brushed against something wet—the fox had licked them.

He turned his head slightly, lazily opening his eyes. The fox cautiously nudged his fingers with its nose, and when he didn't react, it circled around and lay down beside him.

Once the fox grew accustomed to his presence, Gu Jiang reached out and stroked its fur. The fox let out a soft whimper.

"You must be bored staying with me," Gu Jiang murmured. He concealed a strand of his divine sense within the fox's fur and waved his hand, creating a small portal. Through the portal, lush greenery and the sound of flowing water could be seen.

The fox looked around curiously before finally stepping through the portal, which then closed behind it.

Nie Yinzhi, exhausted from depleting her divine sense, was lying on the ground resting. Sensing a disturbance in the secret realm, she suddenly sat up and ran outside. Instead of seeing Gu Jiang, she found a small red fox rolling in the grass.

"Nie Yinzhi..." Gu Jiang's primordial spirit couldn't withstand her serpent-like entanglement. Feeling his body beginning to change, he tried to push her away slightly, but she only clung tighter. "Is it okay? Brother, do you want to be with me? Let's never part, okay? Answer me."

"Okay," Gu Jiang agreed softly, humoring her. The moment he responded, Nie Yinzhi opened her spiritual consciousness, pulling his primordial spirit into it, her divine sense wrapping around him.

Gu Jiang shuddered, taking several deep breaths to steady himself amidst the intoxicating allure. He slowly disentangled himself from her physical and spiritual grasp. Nie Yinzhi was clearly not in her right mind, and he couldn't accept her invitation under these circumstances.

Nie Yinzhi tilted her head, her eyes filled with infatuation. "You're rejecting me?"

"Nie Yinzhi, I'll agree to anything you want, but only when you're fully conscious," Gu Jiang said gently but firmly as he pulled away.

"I want to become one with you," Nie Yinzhi insisted, clinging to him relentlessly.

Gu Jiang, unable to shake her off, retreated into the fox's fur, which was peeking in from the doorway. Seeing Nie Yinzhi slump to the ground in confusion, he instinctively moved closer.

The red fox felt an itch on its neck, squatted on the ground, raised its hind leg, and began scratching frantically.

Gu Jiang flicked away the fox's black paw with a snap of his fingers.

Nie Yinzhi closed her eyes, and the figure that had stirred her heart disappeared. The intoxicating sensation within her faded, and she finally regained some clarity. She returned to her room, meditated for a long while, and managed to calm herself down before attempting again.

Gu Jiang, hiding within the fox, watched her for a moment before exiting the secret realm.

The Red Leaf Blade was plunged into the ground of the desolate forest, where he set up a barrier, locking the dense spiritual energy within. Gu Jiang forcibly suppressed the impulses in his body, closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness into himself. The cracks on the Blood Moon Shadow Lake, which he had forcefully smoothed over, had split open again.

This time, it was worse than before. The cracks spread outward like vines, their snow-white lines starkly visible against the predominantly black and red hues of the space. Even the mist rising from the lake couldn’t obscure them.

The first wisp of demonic energy seeped out from the cracks, and a black-red shadow floated out from the Blood Moon Shadow Lake. It repelled the surrounding spiritual energy, oozing out from the fissures. Gu Jiang opened his eyes, reached out, and caught the escaping wisp of demonic energy. However, the Blood Moon Shadow slipped through his fingers without hesitation.

This wisp of demonic energy was no longer under his control.

The righteous cultivators waiting to ambush at the Ten Thousand Demons Cave had yet to detect any movement. Luo Sheng’s Hidden Wing Butterflies flew out from the Ten Thousand Demons Cave in all directions, searching for any trace.

The transparent butterflies concealed themselves within the golden autumn sunlight, following the subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy to this location. Through the Hidden Wing Butterflies, Luo Sheng saw a particularly lush oasis where spiritual energy sank into the ground, revitalizing the surrounding desert.

A few wisps of demonic energy escaped through the barrier of the blade’s light, dissipating into the void. One of them was devoured by an insect hidden within the rocky soil.

Gu Jiang was beginning to lose control of his demonic energy.

Even without their interference, Gu Jiang was weakening.

The person in the oasis raised their eyes, looking directly at him.

Luo Sheng’s heart skipped a beat, and the Hidden Wing Butterflies vanished into thin air.

*The Seven Emotions are defined as follows: What are human emotions? Joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, and desire—these seven are innate and do not require learning.—"The Book of Rites: The Conveyance of Rites"