A Consequence of Opposing the Heroine’s Halo (GL) - Chapter 10

Because she was utterly exhausted, Liu Sanye fell asleep the moment she hit the bed. When she woke up the next day, she was back to her lively, energetic self.

Finding a wooden comb among the stone furniture, she combed her hair left and right, then checked the mirror with a touch of narcissism. The person in the mirror was tanned and dark, but her features were delicate and quite pretty.

Liu Sanye nodded with a satisfied smile, put down the comb, and dashed out the door while holding the back of her hair. She didn’t have a hair tie, so she plucked a blade of grass by the door, casually tied her shoulder-length hair, and skipped off to find Chu Danxue.

In the original novel, Liu Sanye didn’t accompany the group during this specific sub-plot, so she had to find Chu Danxue to convince her to let her tag along.

This was a decision Liu Sanye reached after much deliberation. Although the Huajie Sect sub-plot didn’t offer any “cheat codes” or treasures to loot, a minor villain boss would appear there. This villain was Jin Lingdang, the young daughter of the Demon Lord of the Northern Snowy Plains—the final boss of the book. Jin Lingdang was the one who had gouged out the heroine’s Ice Soul Celestial Pupils and played a vital role in the later plot.

Liu Sanye, planning to “bide her time and build strength,” intended to shamelessly follow them to grind some experience points and see what kind of ruthless person actually dared to slaughter the protagonist’s entire family. After all, even as the number-one wicked supporting character in the original book, she herself hadn’t been that cruel—she only wanted to kill the heroine, and she hadn’t even succeeded.

Outside the rooms was a relatively open space. Turning left from there led to a narrow path, only an arm’s width wide, embedded into a thousand-foot cliff—it was terrifyingly precarious.

Liu Sanye was afraid of heights, but she was adaptable. After the thrilling “training” from two days ago, she wasn’t as terrified of the high altitude as she had been the first time she boarded the celestial crane. She navigated the treacherous path with extreme caution, and upon turning the corner, she saw the Great Hall where the teleportation array was located.

The Great Hall was black and gold. Half of it jutted out over the empty sky, while the other half was embedded deep into the mountain. It was magnificent and stood tall and majestic.

Liu Sanye’s hurried pace slowed. She looked up at the hall, realizing that the legendary Great Hall of the Teleportation Array was completely different from what she had imagined while reading. Her imagination hadn’t made it this grand; in her own world, a temple this vast and suspended in the sky simply couldn’t be built.

Marveling at the sight, she stepped into the hall. The interior was equally spectacular. Even after housing a teleportation altar the size of a soccer field, it still felt spacious. Standing inside, Liu Sanye felt as small as an ant.

On the central altar, hundreds of Huajie Sect disciples in yellow robes were surrounding the array, channeling power to set up the formation. Countless runes continuously surged into the yellow light screen of the teleportation array—it was a miraculous sight.

Among the crowd, Liu Sanye spotted Chu Danxue. Her white robes were as pure as snow, and the red cinnabar mole between her brows was striking. Next to her stood the tall and elegant Jun Yining and the white-haired, sage-like Elder Yuan.

To Liu Sanye’s surprise, Bai Tong was also there. Hadn’t she just repaired her spiritual veins? Why was she running around here instead of resting in bed? This shock only lasted a moment before Liu Sanye regained her composure and ran toward Chu Danxue with a smile.

“Senior Sister, what are you all discussing?”

Chu Danxue replied, “I was just about to tell you. Junior Brother Yining and I plan to go to the Huajie Sect tomorrow to investigate the demonic cultivator incident. We’ll be gone for a while.” She added, “Junior Sister Bai Tong will be coming with us.”

Liu Sanye feigned a hurt expression and pointed a finger at herself. “So, you mean everyone is leaving and I’m the only one being left behind?”

Chu Danxue patted Liu Sanye’s head comfortingly and explained, “This journey is dangerous. It’s much safer for you to stay here.”

“Then why are you taking Bai Tong?”

Chu Danxue glanced at Bai Tong, her eyes inadvertently revealing a hint of sorrow. She answered, “Bai Tong wants to go home and see.”

Liu Sanye was startled; she had almost forgotten the reason Bai Tong was allowed to go. Bai Tong was a key figure in this event. By now, Chu Danxue and the others likely knew her identity—she was the legitimate daughter of the massacred cultivation clan. They also knew Jin Lingdang was lurking around the Dragon-Transformation Mountains specifically to find Bai Tong.

The Ice Soul Celestial Pupils were a celestial treasure with incredibly powerful spiritual energy. As long as the master lived, Jin Lingdang couldn’t refine them even with her father’s help. Jin Lingdang had initially thought she killed Bai Tong and returned to the North, only to discover while trying to refine the treasure that its master was still alive. She had traveled all the way back from the snowy plains and had been lingering near the ruins of Bai Tong’s home ever since.

In the original story, the Huajie Sect planned to set an inescapable trap near that area, using Bai Tong as bait to lure Jin Lingdang. Thus, Bai Tong had to go.

Liu Sanye knew she couldn’t compare to Bai Tong, so she immediately changed her tune: “But staying here is also dangerous! A demonic cultivator came here just two days ago! I think it’s much safer by Senior Sister’s side. Senior Sister, please take me with you~”

Relying on her young age, Liu Sanye took Chu Danxue’s hand and began to act spoiled with a pitiful look. If anyone’s skin was as thick as a city wall, it was Liu Sanye.

“This…” Chu Danxue hesitated. She was always soft-hearted toward such requests. Seeing Liu Sanye’s watery eyes, she thought for a moment and actually agreed. “Alright. Consider it a chance to broaden your horizons.”

In her view, the plan was meticulous and shouldn’t go wrong. Leaving Liu Sanye here alone indeed made her feel uneasy.

While Chu Danxue agreed, Jun Yining was quite opposed. “Senior Sister, how can you bring this burden along? What if something goes wrong?”

His words were harsh, but they were the truth. Liu Sanye was currently just a mortal without spiritual power. Any minor lackey could kill her. If she insisted on going, she might end up repeating the “hostage” drama. Furthermore, Jin Lingdang was no minor character. Although this ambush would wound her, the Huajie Sect would also suffer heavy losses. If she went, she might accidentally get Chu Danxue killed.

The realization hit her like a bucket of cold water. Liu Sanye almost made a huge mistake, so she quickly corrected herself: “I’ll just go to the Huajie Sect with you! I’ll stay inside the sect and won’t go anywhere, and I won’t follow you out on missions. I promise I won’t be a burden!”

Anyway, there are no ‘cheat codes’ to get by going out, and even if I don’t see the villain boss, I can still gain the experience points I need, she thought, settling for the second-best option.

Jun Yining found this reasonable and stopped objecting. He waved his hand. “Fine. If you stay inside the Huajie Sect and go nowhere else, we can bring you along.”

Liu Sanye bowed to Jun Yining for pointing out the danger. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Jun Yining, being bowed to out of nowhere, was confused. “…” What’s his deal?

While Liu Sanye was chatting happily with the others, she had completely forgotten about Bai Tong. Bai Tong stood with lowered eyes, her pale pupils unreadable, but her calm face was written with unhappiness. Then, she also silently took Chu Danxue’s hand.

Chu Danxue was stunned. Her left hand was held by Bai Tong, her right by Liu Sanye. She felt a bit bewildered—why were both kids so clingy today? She didn’t feel happy about it; instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of awkwardness.

Liu Sanye, having successfully secured her “ticket” to the Huajie Sect, didn’t plan to linger. She chatted with Chu Danxue for a bit, said her goodbyes, and turned to leave.

Feeling Liu Sanye let go, Bai Tong also released Chu Danxue’s hand. Listening to the sound of Liu Sanye’s footsteps ahead, she followed her out.

Chu Danxue, seeing both kids let go at the same time: “…”

Bai Tong’s footsteps were very light. Walking ahead, Liu Sanye didn’t realize she was being followed until they reached the narrow cliff path. Sensing something, she suddenly turned around and locked eyes with Bai Tong’s grey pupils.

Liu Sanye was startled and nearly fell off the cliff. She said to Bai Tong, “Why are you following me?!” As she spoke, she instinctively looked down at the thousand-foot drop. A mountain breeze blew past, making her sway. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. “I say, if you can’t see the path, don’t just wander around! What if you fall?”

Bai Tong said nothing, only supporting herself against the cliff wall. She appeared too calm; it was impossible to tell if she felt even a shred of fear.

On the contrary, Liu Sanye was terrified. She was afraid a gust of wind would blow this frail girl away. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for a blind person to walk a cliff. Instinctively, she reached out to take her hand, but stopped halfway.

She thought of her home in the other world. She didn’t want to develop too much friendship with Bai Tong, and she certainly didn’t want that friendship to hinder her return home. Besides, Bai Tong was the protagonist! Even if a protagonist falls off a cliff, they won’t die—they’ll just find a secret manual!

Thinking she was overthinking, Liu Sanye was about to withdraw her hand when Bai Tong suddenly answered her earlier question: “Because you won’t let me fall.”

This was a direct echo of what Bai Tong had said to comfort Liu Sanye when she was terrified of heights on the crane: “I won’t let you fall.”

Liu Sanye remembered the kindness from that day and sighed in resignation, grabbing Bai Tong’s hand. “Fine, I’ll lead you across.”

She swore to the heavens: This is absolutely the last time I help her. Just a token gesture.

However, in the next second: “Be careful, don’t step into empty space.”

In an instant, Liu Sanye transformed into a nagging old woman, giving worried instructions and constantly looking back. Her entire attention was on Bai Tong, completely disregarding her own safety.

Facing this sudden care, Bai Tong—who had been somber since last night—finally managed a faint smile. She said, “Thank you.”

Her voice was very small, so small that Liu Sanye didn’t hear it at all.