The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

3 days later, He Dongchen and Bai Ling arrived at Baiyang City. Along the way, they had captured a few small demons. He Dongchen stood aside with his hands folded, letting Bai Ling practice her skills while occasionally offering a few pointers.

Bai Ling’s talent was remarkable. She quickly mastered any spell she learned, and teaching her was incredibly gratifying.

The Fox Demon watched with apprehension. One powerful demon slayer was already troublesome enough; if another one were trained, it would be very detrimental to the Demon Realm.

The Fox Demon walked softly on the ground, its demon lock on its neck gleaming. Tilting its head, it flashed a hint of deep purple in its eyes and seductively said, “Isn’t there a saying among mortals about teaching a disciple until the master starves? Aren’t you afraid that one day she might step on your head; given how generously you are imparting your knowledge?”

He Dongchen, with his arms crossed, observed Bai Ling fighting a Wolf Demon. Hearing that, he glanced at the Fox Demon and scoffed, “If your unknowledgeable, don’t speak. These are just superficial spells. Imparting all my knowledge?”

The dismissive tone made the Fox Demon grind its teeth in anger. I’m the most intelligent of demons! How dare he call me unknowledgeable!

Seeing the Fox Demon fuming, He Dongchen smiled slightly, waved his hand, and sent the Fox Demon flying several meters away. He spoke coldly, “Don’t let me see those purple eyes of yours again, or I’ll gouge them out.”

The Fox Demon was skilled in illusions and enchantments, and when casting spells, its eyes would turn a deep purple, like a swirling vortex that enticed others to sink into it.

The Fox Demon landed on the ground, its beautiful fur now muddied and looking quite disheveled.

Nearby, the Flying Pig Demon and the Rat Demon snickered to themselves. The sly fox had tried to play tricks on their master and had hit a wall.

At this moment, Bai Ling finally subdued the Wolf Demon from a distance. She ran to He Dongchen, her face beaming with a desire for praise.

He Dongchen, with his hands behind his back, simply said “Not bad.”

Bai Ling’s face lit up with joy, and she quickly complimented him, “It’s all thanks to your excellent teaching!”

“However,” He Dongchen tilted his head and focused on the nearly dying Wolf Demon that was still trying to escape. He said earnestly, “You need to correct your carelessness.”

Upon hearing that, Bai Ling immediately turned around. Seeing the Wolf Demon trying to flee, she urgently took out her magical artifact. Removing the jade flute from her waist, she spun it a few times between her fingers before bringing it to her lips, gathering spiritual energy.

He Dongchen raised his eyebrows. Bai Ling had never used a magical artifact before, so he was curious about its effect.

Just then, a piercing sound from the flute filled the air. Waves of sound radiated from Bai Ling, spreading outwards like a storm. The discordant flute tune was sometimes sharp and sometimes hoarse, making listeners feel their blood boil and become extremely irritated.

The Flying Pig Demon and the Rat Demon covered their ears and laid on the ground in pain, while the Fox Demon roared at Bai Ling, revealing its true form. The attacked Wolf Demon fared even worse, rolling around incessantly, bleeding from all seven orifices, and wailing in agony.

He Dongchen silently cast a Heart Cleansing Spell on himself and stepped back a few paces.

Who could withstand such a demonic sound attack?

After a moment, the music ended. Bai Ling put away her flute and looked around. The ground was covered with fallen demons, and He Dongchen stood 10 meters away, his face expressionless.

Bai Ling awkwardly touched her nose, putting away the flute. Although the ancestor’s flute was excellent, she was tone-deaf and naturally unskilled.

After tidying up the scene, the group continued on their way.

***

During this time, the Fox Demon, unwilling to accept defeat, followed Bai Ling silently when she went to the riverbank alone to wash her hands. It used its enchantment skills, saying, “Aren’t you especially grateful for his teaching?”

With a somewhat vacant expression, Bai Ling blankly nodded.

A trace of triumph and disdain flashed in the Fox Demon’s eyes as it continued to entice, “What he taught you was merely superficial. It’s not worth your gratitude. If you want to learn real magic, listen to my arrangements. I can help you…”

The Fox Demon, with nimble steps, circled around Bai Ling, gently seducing her with a voice that was neither clearly male nor female, captivating her heart.

Later, Bai Ling returned, and the Fox Demon followed a few steps behind, gradually catching up.

Humans are indeed foolish, the Fox Demon thought triumphantly.

However, just as it came a few steps closer, it heard the foolish human excitedly exclaim, “Sir! Just now, the Fox Demon tried to enchant me, but I used the Heart Cleansing Spell you taught me to successfully protect my mind. The fox didn’t even notice and kept trying to stir trouble, trying to brainwash me. Hahaha, it’s so dumb.”

The Fox Demon stumbled and felt its scalp tingle.

Sure enough, the next moment, He Dongchen, sitting on a large rock, turned his head to look at it with a half-smile, “It seems you’ve forgotten what I said.”

The Fox Demon felt a chill and involuntarily took a step back.

Just as it feared the worst, He Dongchen casually withdrew his gaze and told Bai Ling, “The Fox Demon is treacherous and might have other abilities. In the future, avoid taking unnecessary risks.”

Bai Ling nodded obediently, “I was just thinking that you were nearby, so nothing would go wrong.”

Wait a minute, why do I trust someone so much! We had only known each other for 2 days! Bai Ling frowned, sinking into self-doubt.

In the distance, the Fox Demon, believing it had escaped disaster, let out a sigh of relief. As it took a step forward, a flash of white light appeared before its eyes, followed by excruciating pain. The Fox Demon was thrown far away, crashing to the ground and wailing in agony, with blood streaming from its right eye.

He Dongchen withdrew his hand and said leisurely, “Now you have only one eye left. If you don’t want it, I can help.”

Bai Ling and the two demons were stunned, reacting differently.

The night passed in silence, with only the Fox Demon’s pained whimpering, making those who heard it feel a chill.

***

The next day, the two continued their journey. Since the Fox Demon was injured, He Dongchen decided to seal it away, just as he had done with the Peach Blossom Demon before.

Perhaps because the Peacock Demon holding the key was in Baiyang City, there were more and more demons along the way. The two had to stop repeatedly to deal with them to prevent harm to the people.

With increasing combat experience, Bai Ling’s magic had become increasingly refined. Now, if she faced a Peach Blossom Demon, she was confident she could subdue it.

A few miles outside Baiyang City, in a small valley, they encountered two demon slayers who were struggling and trapped by a few small demons.

Bai Ling recognized them more and more; weren’t they my fellow disciples?

Bai Ling rushed into the valley, quickly dealt with the small demons, and broke the restrictions on the two.

“Lin Yan, Du Hua, what happened to you?”

The two were in a sorry state, covered in bird droppings and dust, looking nothing like the confident individuals she had seen before.

Unable to stand it, Bai Ling cast a cleansing spell on them.

Looking refreshed, the two exchanged glances. One of them said, “Bai Ling, we haven’t seen each other for a few days. You’ve undergone a complete transformation!”

Bai Ling smiled modestly, “Just had the guidance of an expert.”

She then introduced He Dongchen to them. After exchanging greetings, Bai Ling recounted the situation with the key. Lin Yan and Du Hua’s expressions turned grave. “That Peacock Demon has cultivated for 1000 years and is highly skilled. We can’t handle it. However, the Peacock Demon seems to have a peaceful nature and has not done any harm so far.”

“However…” The two exchanged a glance and sighed, “The Peacock Demon seems to have read too many romance stories. It keeps talking about repayment and insists on marrying its benefactor. No matter how we persuade it, it refuses to listen. A few days ago, the Peacock Demon got married and, fearing we might cause trouble, ordered its subordinates to trap us here.”

Upon hearing that, Bai Ling shrugged, “I encountered a Peach Blossom Demon before, but it only sought to absorb human essence.”

Lin Yan spoke with a wry smile, “If only that Peacock Demon were harmful to humans. We would have risked everything to capture it. But it seeks nothing and occasionally does good deeds, only wanting to marry a man and fulfill its role as a wife and mother.”

Both Lin Yan and Du Hua were moved by the Peacock Demon’s infatuation.

He Dongchen, seeing their expressions, understood. The original owner had also been touched by the Peacock Demon in the same way.

After their conversation, the group headed towards Baiyang City together.

On the way, Bai Ling asked He Dongchen for permission and, upon receiving a nod, taught Lin Yan and Du Hua the spells. They were deeply grateful and repeatedly bowed to He Dongchen.

He Dongchen didn’t mind. These spells were quite basic, equivalent to common knowledge in the cultivation world.

However, He Dongchen was pleased with their gratitude. He didn’t want to end up teaching a group of ingrates.

By noon, the group arrived at Baiyang City.

***

The drowsy green bird at the city gate recognized Lin Yan and Du Hua and immediately perked up. It flew to a secluded courtyard within the city to deliver the news.

As He Dongchen was in line to enter the city, he looked up and saw a green feather falling from the city wall.

Bai Ling caught it and said, “There’s demon energy on this feather. It’s from a demon. A green feather; could it be from the Green Oriole Demon?”

Du Hua, who was ahead in the line, turned around upon hearing this. Seeing the green feather, he gritted his teeth and said, “It is the Green Oriole Demon. This bird is the Peacock Demon’s messenger. With 500 years of cultivation, it’s the one that tricked us and trapped us in the valley.”

He Dongchen raised his hand and formed a seal. The next moment, a green thread extended from the feather, weaving its way crookedly toward a certain direction within the city.

Its purpose was clear.

Lin Yan and Du Hua exchanged glances, admiring He Dongchen. This friend of ours is indeed impressive!

Meanwhile, the green bird, unaware it was being tracked, hurriedly flew into a courtyard where the Peacock Demon was mending clothes. “Sister, sister! Bad news! Those useless demon slayers somehow escaped and have returned to the city!”

Bing Lan, calmly continuing her needlework, replied nonchalantly, “Those two are no match for me. What is there to fear?”

“But there’s also a man and a woman with them, and they look like demon slayers too!”

Bing Lan frowned slightly upon hearing that. After a moment, she set down her needle and smiled, “As long as we don’t commit any evil, those demon slayers won’t be able to do anything to us.”

Returning to the Human Realm after a millennium, Bing Lan’s greatest observation was that demon slayers had become ineffectual. A thousand years ago, demon slayers were so formidable that with just three thousand of them, they drove the demons into retreat, scattering their courage. They set up powerful formations that separated the realms for a thousand years.

But today’s demon slayers not only lacked skill but also showed leniency, even reasoning with demons. As a beautiful Peacock Demon who had survived countless battles in the Demon Realm, leaving a trail of bones beneath her claws, Bing Lan was naturally not a benevolent creature.

Encountering such naive demon slayers, Bing Lan found herself amused. If all the demon slayers in the Human Realm were like this, perhaps I could…

Bing Lan touched the gourd-shaped earring on her earlobe, lost in thought.

The green bird chattered on, “But I still feel uneasy. Those unfamiliar demon slayers, especially the one carrying a sword, seem very formidable.”

Bing Lan came back to her senses and replied softly, “If I’m not afraid, why should you be?”