The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

At that moment, a slightly elderly voice came from the outer room, “Bing Lan, why is there constant bird chatter in your room? It’s so noisy, it’s driving me mad! Get rid of it!”

Before the voice had faded, a blind old woman shuffled into the room, looking displeased. She grumbled, “These birds are so annoying. They deserve to be caught and roasted!”

Bing Lan’s eyes flashed with displeasure as she shook her head, signaling the green bird to leave.

The green bird rolled its eyes. It was a prominent figure in the Demon Realm, and this old woman’s constant talk of roasting and eating it was audacious. The green bird deliberately flew close to the old woman’s ear and squawked loudly, startling her and almost causing her to fall. This satisfied the bird, and it flew off in a huff.

Bing Lan watched this unfold but didn’t intervene. She simply put down her sewing and went over to help the old woman, guiding her out of the room.

The old woman was Gao Lang’s mother. After her husband had died years ago, she had never remarried and had worked hard to support Gao Lang’s education, damaging her eyes in the process. Gao Lang was particularly filial to his mother. Although Bing Lan disliked the old woman, she had no choice but to take good care of her and follow her wishes.

Bing Lan soothed the old woman with a few words and then returned her to the room.

The old woman sat on the edge of the bed, grumbling, “Now that you’re married to our Gao family, I won’t hold it against you for seducing my son back then. You need to give us a grandson soon to make up for your past mistakes. Otherwise, I’ll make sure my son divorces you!”

The old woman resented the distant relatives who had come seeking refuge, especially since her son insisted on marrying Bing Lan. She was convinced Bing Lan was of questionable character and had intentionally seduced her son. After all, her son was young and had passed the scholar examination; he could have married the daughter of an official, but now he had taken an orphan, receiving nothing but a bit of silver.

“Give me a grandson soon! Do you hear me?”

Bing Lan’s expression was already cold. With a wave of her hand, she put the old woman into a deep sleep. Turning, she left the room, her expression complicated as she touched her stomach.

The natural order disallowed the child of a human and a demon; such a child would be doomed from birth. How was she supposed to give Gao Lang a descendant?

Bing Lan, deeply worried, walked through the corridor.

***

Suddenly, Bing Lan turned around and stared at the door. Narrowing her eyes, she said, “Guests have come from afar. Why not come in and sit for a while, have a cup of hot tea?”

As soon as she spoke, the tightly closed door opened. Several people entered, led by a man in white who was carrying a dying green bird.

“Let go of my sister!” Bing Lan’s face darkened as she prepared for a fight. These visitors weren’t as benign as the previous nuisances.

He Dongchen raised his hand and tossed the small demon toward her.

After entering the city, they had followed the trail and encountered the green bird not far from the courtyard. The green bird had continued to spread its twisted logic to Lin Yan and Du Hua, and then He Dongchen had knocked it down with a stone, leaving it half-dead.

Bing Lan caught the green bird and, after examining its injuries, became furious. “You’re not being fair! Although we demons, my sister and I, have never harmed anyone, you’ve severely injured my sister without cause. This is outrageous.”

As Bing Lan spoke, a gust of green wind swirled around her, and the pressure of 1000-year-old demon bore down on the surroundings, shredding the flowers and plants in the courtyard.

He Dongchen raised his hand, and an invisible wall of force pushed back, directly reflecting the pressure.

Bing Lan’s pupils constricted as she quickly retreated, raising her hand to block the pressure. A trace of blood appeared at the corner of her mouth as she looked at He Dongchen in disbelief. How could this be?

In the trial of strength, He Dongchen had won decisively.

Lin Yan and Du Hua were completely stunned and knelt down, sobbing, “Why is there such a huge gap between us, even though we are all young demon slayers?”

Bai Ling looked at He Dongchen with admiration, her eyes fixed on his profile.

He Dongchen stepped into the disarrayed courtyard with deliberate strides, his thin lips slightly parted. “I didn’t come here to reason with you. A demon is a demon; its nature only affects how gently or harshly I handle it.”

Bing Lan wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and placed the green bird, which had reverted to its original form, aside with a look of anger. “Aren’t humans known for distinguishing between good and evil? I’m just a small demon who accidentally entered the Human Realm. I have never harmed anyone and only wished to be with my beloved. Why are you forcing me so cruelly? Each of you is pressing me! What fault is there in loving someone?”

“It seems you’re quite dissatisfied. Then I’ll take a little time to explain,” He Dongchen said as he stopped and walked around the courtyard. Suddenly, he raised his hand and opened a window of a nearby room. An elderly woman sleeping inside came into view.

“That must be Gao Lang’s mother, right? You’re so impatient with her that you’ve repeatedly used magic to put her to sleep. The old woman is in poor health; how can she withstand your demonic power? You claim to love Gao Lang, yet this is how you treat his mother?”

Bing Lan was left speechless, her eyes shifting away.

He Dongchen smiled and glanced at the space next to Bai Ling. After a pause, he said meaningfully, “Gao Lang’s mother sacrificed her eyesight to support him. With your thousand-year cultivation, healing a pair of mortal eyes should be a simple task. Yet you haven’t done so because you’re afraid that if you did, she’d become even more troublesome and disturb your life with Gao Lang.”

Bing Lan turned her face away, her voice cold. “I only love Gao Lang and have no concern for anyone else.”

“So, demons don’t understand feelings and don’t know what it means to love someone and everything associated with them. That is your first mistake,” He Dongchen nodded. “The second mistake I’ve heard is that you were saved by Gao Lang’s previous incarnation a thousand years ago, so you returned after a thousand years to repay that kindness?”

“Exactly.” Bing Lan took a deep breath, regaining her composure. Her voice became melodious as she continued, “I waited for a full thousand years, enduring countless lonely moments. Do you dare to say you could wait for a thousand years?”

Bai Ling and the others fell into contemplation. A thousand years; what a long time for mortals who live only a hundred years. Back then, when the human and Demon Realms were separated, no one knew if there would ever be a reunion. Bing Lan’s dedication and patience over such a long period was truly admirable.

He Dongchen, seeing that these three novice demon slayers had been swayed, sighed lightly. “There’s no need to be so grandiose. A thousand years of waiting is merely a pastime for you. If you had returned and found Gao Lang as an old man with white hair or with a house full of wives and concubines, you might have just turned and left.”

The group fell silent, realizing that He Dongchen’s words were right on target, and their feelings of sympathy dissipated immediately.

Bing Lan couldn’t help but imagine the scenario. If she had returned with high hopes and found not the elegant, youthful Gao Lang, but a white-haired, toothless old man…

No, no, no. Gao Lang and I are fated to be together, fated by the heavens!

Seeing her reaction, He Dongchen continued, “Your second mistake is that, despite your talk of repayment, you are actually ruining Gao Lang’s life. You have cultivated for a thousand years and should be able to see a person’s fate clearly. Gao Lang was destined to marry a noblewoman, rise rapidly after passing the exams, become a wise and virtuous official, and spend his old age surrounded by children and grandchildren.”

“And you inserted yourself, ruining Gao Lang’s smooth path in life for your own selfish desires. Humans and demons are on different paths, and the fate of a child born of a demon and a human is unacceptably flawed. You can’t bear children for Gao Lang and drag him into this mire. You’re not repaying kindness; you’re either infatuated with his appearance or just whimsically seeking a fleeting romance.”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Bing Lan interrupted, her demonic nature starting to show. “My feelings for Gao Lang are deep and sincere! I will definitely bear him a child!”

“So how do you plan to deceive everyone and have a demon child? Are you planning to set up a formation in Baiyang City and drag the whole city into this mess?”

“How do you know!?” Bing Lan exclaimed in shock. “Did you capture the Fox Demon!?”

The formation was supposed to be known only to her and the Fox Demon. No, no, no; the formation no longer mattered. If the Fox Demon had been captured, the matter of the key was probably exposed.

Bing Lan, distressed, picked up the unconscious green bird from beside her, holding it in her hands and feeling a surge of retreating intent.

Seeing her panic, He Dongchen waved his hand, releasing the Fox Demon from its seal. Without waiting for Bing Lan to act, he continued, “When we were looking for it, we encountered someone else on the way and brought them along.”

Bing Lan’s steps faltered, a bad premonition rising in her.

Sure enough, the next moment, He Dongchen told Bai Ling, “Remove the spell from Gao Lang.”

Bai Ling nodded, deftly making a gesture with her fingers. A figure slowly appeared in the previously empty space; dressed in a white robe, pale-faced, and swaying precariously.

“Gao Lang!” Bing Lan felt like she was falling into an abyss, urgently explaining, “Listen to me, what I said earlier was a deception! I’m your wife, our bond is real. Does it matter if we are human or demon?”

Gao Lang’s smile was bitter. “It doesn’t matter if we’re human or demon, Bing Lan. I’m not a fool. You might pretend to be one for me, but how could you treat my mother like this? She is my mother! The Master was right; demons don’t understand emotions at all! They don’t deserve to speak of love!”

If Bing Lan had only been indifferent and ignored his mother’s illness, Gao Lang might not have been so heartbroken. But Bing Lan had repeatedly used magic on his mother! What if one day his mother suddenly died, and he was left in the dark, comforted by Bing Lan’s false sympathy?

It’s terrifying—demons were truly terrifying!

Bing Lan wanted to step forward and explain things to Gao Lang, but fearing He Dongchen and his group, she could only plead desperately from across the courtyard, “Gao Lang, I was wrong. I’ll treat your mother’s eyes right away!”

“Don’t touch my mother!” Gao Lang shouted, quickly running into the house to carry his mother out, hiding behind He Dongchen. He turned his face away and said, “Leave now. Go back to where you came from. We’ll never meet again in this lifetime.”

Bing Lan felt her heart being torn apart, tears streaming down her face.

Just this morning, when Gao Lang left, their feelings were deep and affectionate. Now, before the sun had set, they had become estranged; Thanks to these meddlesome demon slayers! Rage flashed in Bing Lan’s eyes.

“It’s you who pushed me to this!”

Bing Lan, in a fit of fury, yanked off her earring and threw it into the air, shouting, “All demons, come forth!”

If she couldn’t defeat these demon slayers, she would call upon the demons for assistance! As long as she could be with Gao Lang, what did it matter if she destroyed the Human Realm?

***

The gourd-shaped earring transformed into numerous tiny golden specks in the air, gradually forming an archway that grew larger and larger. Meanwhile, the weather changed dramatically; thunder and lightning erupted, and dark clouds gathered from all directions, pressing down on Baiyang City with a catastrophic force.

The people of Baiyang City were bewildered and discussed anxiously; the sky had become ominously strange.

“This is bad! She’s trying to open a portal and bring demons into the city!” Bai Ling’s expression turned grave, her hair being whipped by the chaotic wind, too preoccupied to fix it.

Lin Yan and Du Hua braced themselves, ready for a fight.

In the tense atmosphere, He Dongchen sighed and touched his nose, remarking, “Indeed, too much talking is unnecessary.”