The Supporting Male Characters Who Died Alone All Those Years Later

“What!?” The Thousand-Legged Demon was bewildered. Before it could ask for clarification, it saw the demon slayer with the sword right in front of it. A flash of white light streaked through the air with immense force. The Thousand-Legged Demon’s enormous eyes widened in alarm as it hurriedly raised a claw to block.

With a whoosh, the white light flashed past. A giant claw fell from the sky, and blood rained down, turning the ground red.

Bai Ling and the others quickly dodged, their blood boiling with excitement. Truly impressive, Sir He!

He Dongchen’s strike had not yet landed, and he frowned slightly. He deftly leaped to another claw, changing his angle to continue attacking with his sword.

Despite its name, the Thousand-Legged Demon only had eight claws, which could only block so many attacks.

With a swish, another claw fell.

The Thousand-Legged Demon howled in pain and began to feel retreat was necessary. Its claws were incredibly hard and invincible, yet this demon slayer could sever them with a single sword strike. This demon slayer was even more formidable than those from a thousand years ago!

This won’t do! The Thousand-Legged Demon fell from the air, rolling violently to shake off the people on it and raising a cloud of dust.

***

At this moment, the gate was half-closed. The Thousand-Legged Demon, seeing this, was so enraged that it spat blood and cursed at Bing Lan, “So, Bing Lan! You deceived me!!! You lured me here to be hacked by demon slayers! What a malicious mind you have!”

Bing Lan’s wings flapped. “I didn’t!”

But it seemed like there was some truth to it. Bing Lan had fallen in love with a mortal. To please the demon slayers and stay in the Human Realm, she had betrayed the Demon Realm and brought demons to attack.

He Dongchen twitched his lips. This Thousand-Legged Demon had quite the imagination.

He continued to swing his sword, targeting the Thousand-Legged Demon’s head, and with another swipe, another giant claw fell.

The Thousand-Legged Demon had lost three claws in quick succession and was both frightened and enraged. Seeing that He Dongchen was handling the situation effortlessly, without even catching his breath, it shouted, “Bing Lan! Bing Lan, hurry and send me back!”

Dragging its body, it hurriedly flew toward the half-open gate, leaving as disgracefully as it had arrived with such arrogance.

Bing Lan ignored it and quickened her actions. If she let the Thousand-Legged Demon go, her actions would be exposed.

“Ahhhhh!” The Thousand-Legged Demon slammed into the closing gate, paused for a moment, and then, due to inertia, continued flying forward. It turned back, glaring fiercely at Bing Lan, “You wretched woman, if you won’t let me live, then you can die too!”

With that, the Thousand-Legged Demon lunged at Bing Lan recklessly, intent on dying together.

Bing Lan retreated while protecting Gao Lang and called out to He Dongchen, “I’m willing to give up the key. Please help us!”

He Dongchen wiped his sword and raised an eyebrow, “First, give me the key.”

With no other options, Bing Lan tossed the key without hesitation.

He Dongchen took it, stored it in his bag, and then approached the frenzied Thousand-Legged Demon.

With precise, swift strikes, he severed each of the remaining claws, leaving the Thousand-Legged Demon as nothing more than a mere torso. With one final strike, he decapitated it. The demon’s head rolled, eyes glaring at Bing Lan with a look of betrayal, as if accusing her of deceiving it.

Bing Lan turned her face away and landed, still protecting Gao Lang.

After Gao Lang landed, he vomited uncontrollably, then scrambled on all fours to his mother. He Dongchen deactivated the protective shield, and the mother and son reunited.

Mother Gao happened to wake up at this moment. Unable to see, she was held in her son’s arms and could only smile repeatedly, saying, “Silly son, did you have another nightmare?”

“Mother!” Gao Lang cried, feeling that everything that had happened today was indeed a nightmare.

Seeing this, Bing Lan, who was in a daze, spat out a mouthful of blood. To protect Gao Lang, she had been struck several times by the Thousand-Legged Demon.

Hearing the sound, Gao Lang turned abruptly, hesitating to speak.

***

“So, what do we do now?” Bai Ling broke the silence.

He Dongchen used a spell to crush the Thousand-Legged Demon’s corpse and tossed the key in the air. “Naturally, we send the demon back.”

Since the location of the gate opened differently each time, there was no worry about being ambushed on the other side.

Bing Lan shuddered at these words. After returning, she would never see Gao Lang again. Her heart ached unbearably. Gao Lang was also at a loss.

He Dongchen glanced at the sky and the surrounding ruins. “We’re tired today. We’ll open the gate again in half a month and bring along other demons to send back all at once.”

The earlier commotion of opening the gate had been quite substantial.

Bai Ling looked at him with surprise. In half a month, Bing Lan would have time to say a proper farewell to Gao Lang.

To be honest, Bing Lan’s obsession with Gao Lang was moving. She was willing to go mad for him and also to restrain herself for him, staying by his side through danger. Her devotion was touching.

As the sun set, Baiyang City returned to calm. Gradually, the people returned, seeing the devastation and ruined houses. They cried out in distress, and the city became noisy again. Fortunately, no lives were lost, and the residents continued their lives amid complaints.

Over the next half month, He Dongchen, along with Bai Ling and other increasingly gathered demon slayers, used Baiyang City as the center to push outward, capturing all the minor demons one by one. Those that had committed crimes were dealt with on the spot, while the ones who had done no harm were captured and sent back to the Demon Realm.

With Bing Lan providing information, not a single demon escaped capture.

Half a month later, in a picturesque valley.

The gate opened, and hundreds of beaten minor demons rushed toward it, wailing, “The Human Realm is too terrifying.”

Bing Lan was the last to enter. After stepping through the gate, she couldn’t help but look back, her white dress and flowing hair making her appear ethereal. She glanced down at Gao Lang with a tender smile, her eyes unwittingly becoming red.

Gao Lang stood on the ground, clutching a blue feather, trying to look up at her. As the gate slowly closed, Gao Lang waved, bouncing up and down on the ground.

A gust of wind blew by, and a small, exquisite gourd fell from the air, landing in He Dongchen’s hand.

The dark clouds dispersed, and the bright sun shone, as if nothing had ever happened.

He Dongchen turned with the gourd in hand and addressed the demon slayers loudly, “This key was a backdoor intentionally left open when the array was set up years ago. Its appearance in the present day has brought disaster. Therefore, it’s best to destroy it to prevent future troubles.”

Hearing that, everyone nodded in agreement. Keeping the key would only bring more trouble; it was better to destroy it and be done with it.

He Dongchen continued, “To prevent any future issues, I’ll throw the key into the air. Everyone, please attack it together.”

“Understood,” Bai Ling replied, beginning to form a spell with her hands. The others also prepared their skills, ready to act.

He Dongchen raised his hand and threw the key into the air. In the next moment, a flurry of colorful spells surged toward it, completely destroying the key, leaving no trace or even dust behind.

Thus, everything was settled.

***

A few days later, the demon slayers departed one by one, preparing to return to their lives of anonymity. Although demon slayers weren’t involved in worldly affairs, they could still enjoy a more comfortable life. They didn’t have to worry about money and could spend time gathering precious herbs in the mountains if needed.

“Sir He, where are you planning to go?” Bai Ling looked at the man beside her, his sharp brows and bright eyes making him increasingly difficult to part with. Having lived in the mountains since childhood, she had never seen such a handsome and powerful man, and it was only natural for her to develop feelings.

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

Feeling melancholic, Bai Ling had already delayed the inevitable, and now only she and He Dongchen remained. The time for parting had come.

He Dongchen looked down at her and smiled slightly. “I’m going to a very interesting place.”

“Where? If it’s convenient, could you take me with you?” Bai Ling blinked her sparkling eyes, full of anticipation.

He Dongchen flipped his hand, revealing a small gourd in his palm.

“You—you—you have it?!” Bai Ling exclaimed in panic, covering the gourd with her hand and nervously glancing around, setting up a soundproof barrier.

“Why didn’t you destroy the key? If someone finds out, it will cause a major problem!” Bai Ling was alarmed and moved, astonished that He Dongchen had told her such an important secret.

Seeing her sweating in fear, He Dongchen smiled lightly and said, “Now only Heaven, Earth, you, and I know about this.”

“I promise I won’t tell anyone!” Bai Ling swore, but quickly hesitated, anxiously asking, “Are you planning to go to the Demon Realm with the key?”

“Exactly. The Human Realm is too boring. I want to see the Demon Realm and give them a bit of a lesson, so they don’t all keep yearning for the Human Realm. Don’t worry; I won’t lose the key,” He Dongchen said frankly.

“Then take me with you.” Bai Ling’s excitement was palpable. The idea of forging a path through the Demon Realm thrilled her.

“Sure, but…” He Dongchen’s voice trailed off.

“But what?”

“First, get your skills up to par,” He Dongchen said earnestly. They had been the ones kicking up trouble in the past, and Bai Ling’s abilities weren’t yet at that level.

Bai Ling understood the implication behind He Dongchen’s words and felt a bit disheartened. However, she quickly thought of something, and with a hopeful look, asked, “Will you teach me, Sir He?”

He Dongchen put away the gourd and walked away, a voice drifting back saying, “Sure.”

Bai Ling excitedly spun around on the spot and hurried after him.

“Sir He, you’re so skilled. Is there any way to make my flute play normally?”

“No, give up on that idea.”

“…Oh.”

The blazing sun rose, marking the beginning of a new chapter.

***

Ten years later.

Baiyang City.

In a school.

Gao Lang, dressed in a long robe, bade farewell to his students, hugged his books, and left the courtyard. He walked through several streets, encountering a few matchmakers along the way who urged him to remarry. Gao Lang shook his head slightly and continued on his way.

The matchmaker sighed and said to the person next to her, “This Scholar Gao, it’s such a pity. Remember that big incident 10 years ago? Scholar Gao’s wife had just entered the household, and she died. Since then, he has seemed like he lost his soul, stopped taking the imperial exams, and has been holding onto that sorrow. Last year, his mother passed away, leaving him all alone, so devoted.”

The devoted Gao Lang returned to the quiet courtyard, closed the gate, shaved off his beard, tidied his appearance, changed into the latest clothes, and then tightly clutched a feather. He took out a jade token, took a deep breath, and smashed the jade token on the ground.

Moments later, the quiet courtyard was empty.

Thousands of miles away, He Dongchen seemed to sense something and chuckled softly. “Ah, the devoted.”

Seeing that, Bai Ling, who was instructing her daughter in her cultivation, asked curiously, “What’s happened?”

“Years ago, I left Gao Lang a pass token to the Demon Realm.”

Bai Ling understood immediately, “The token has been activated? It looks like Gao Lang has sent off his mother and is going to the Demon Realm to find the Peacock Demon.”

A decade had passed. Gao Lang had reached middle age, while the Peacock Demon remained eternally youthful. Would they be able to continue their story on the other side?

But just for Gao Lang, a mere mortal willing to risk everything to go to the Demon Realm, it was worth admiration.

One should know that the token was a one-way ticket.

“Mother, I learned a new tune. Let me play it for you.” A small boy, with a chubby face, entered the courtyard, holding a green flute.

“I’ll go check the kitchen.” He Dongchen got up and quickly left the courtyard. At the same time, the little girl practicing spells in the courtyard also found an excuse and hurriedly left to follow her father, her small figure seeming as though a wolf was chasing her.

The boy, used to it, began playing his tune, a discordant melody filling the courtyard. Bai Ling smiled through her tears, her heart aching.

The demon slayers had only one direct descendant, but since both He Dongchen and Bai Ling were demon slayers, they had a boy and a girl. When the children turned a month old, they placed the magical tools on the table for each to choose their respective items.

It was assumed that the boy would choose the sword and the girl the flute.

Unexpectedly, the boy inherited Bai Ling’s bloodline, and worse still, his mother’s lack of musical talent. The tunes he played were so discordant that even He Dongchen, his father, couldn’t stand it and would always keep his distance.

As time went on, as the children grew older, He Dongchen periodically took them to the Demon Realm for training, causing great distress among the demons there. They couldn’t just stand by; they had to retaliate, but if they fought back too harshly, they’d face punishment!

They could only watch, knowing that mortals had short lifespans, and eventually, the children would outgrow this phase!

The lifespan of a demon slayer was the same as that of a mortal, a heavenly decree no one could break. Unless one gave up the demon slayer bloodline and practiced other methods. He Dongchen’s task was to continue the bloodline, so he would never give up.

A hundred years later, after sending his wife off, He Dongchen reinforced the array before leaving, completely destroying the key to the Demon Realm to prevent future troubles.

As for whether the array would weaken in the future or what might happen between the two realms, who could keep track of that for so long?