{"id":7181,"date":"2025-07-26T09:26:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T07:26:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/?p=7181"},"modified":"2025-07-26T09:26:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T07:26:54","slug":"the-second-male-lead-fled-on-the-spot-chapter-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/2025\/07\/26\/the-second-male-lead-fled-on-the-spot-chapter-3\/","title":{"rendered":"The Second Male Lead\u00a0Fled On The Spot &#8211; Chapter 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Driven by anger, Chu Xinghui chased the black bird for two full hours before suddenly skidding to a stop.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">There was no road ahead\u2014only a bottomless, mist-covered cliff.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui immediately calmed down.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He looked up at the black bird.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">That foolish bird had already flown above the cliff and was happily circling with outstretched wings.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Seeing that he wasn\u2019t moving, the bird even deliberately swooped a little closer to his face.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Pure provocation.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui thought for a moment.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage had enough spiritual power to fly with a sword. Qi Refining cultivators could fly too, but only with specially crafted flying spiritual tools.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Clearly, he had neither.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui was still somewhat bitter as he stared at the black bird circling above.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Well, flying was impressive, after all.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He knew how to bend and adapt, so he put away his sword decisively and chose to temporarily let the bird go, turning to leave.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Seeing him leave, the bird panicked and dove from mid-air, ramming straight into his chest.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui hadn\u2019t expected the bird to be so strong. Caught off guard, he was knocked right off the cliff.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The last thing he saw was a drifting black feather floating in the air<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">As he plummeted rapidly, Chu Xinghui closed his eyes.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He decided he would hate all black birds from this day on.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\"><br \/><br \/><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">*<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\"><br \/><br \/><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He didn\u2019t know whether it was good or bad luck, but halfway down the cliff, a branch suddenly snagged his clothes.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">With that brief moment of resistance, he seized the opportunity to grab the branch and hung there in mid-air.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Unnoticed by him, a frost-blue feather silently floated out from the bird\u2019s nest on the branch and gently attached itself to the back of his neck. It glimmered faintly for a moment, then vanished without a trace.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui didn\u2019t notice anything unusual. Hanging on the branch, he swayed a bit and felt a chill on the back of his neck.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Maybe it was the wind blowing from the cliff.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But he didn\u2019t have time to worry about the cold. First, he assessed his surroundings.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He was hanging from a pine tree growing out of the cliffside. At the tip of the branch hung a messy bird\u2019s nest. Perhaps due to its awkward growing position and long-term malnutrition, the tree wasn\u2019t very sturdy. The branch he held was thin and fragile.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He focused on the bird\u2019s nest.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After his experience with the black bird, he was now extremely wary of anything bird-related.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But it seemed to be just an empty nest.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui still felt something was off, but after staring a bit longer, it was still just an empty nest.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He had to give up on the nest and quickly checked his own condition.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The injuries from fighting the Biling Snake hadn\u2019t healed. Worst of all, his chest\u2014where the bird hit\u2014was aching, possibly with broken bones.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Finally, Chu Xinghui looked down.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The good news: the cliff bottom wasn\u2019t far now.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">If he fell, he\u2019d probably suffer broken bones and would be bedridden for a while, but he likely wouldn\u2019t die.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The bad news: it wasn\u2019t solid ground below\u2014it was a bottomless deep pool.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He wasn\u2019t sure whether there were aquatic beasts inside. Worse, he couldn\u2019t swim. He might not die from the fall, but without training in the Water Avoidance Technique, he might drown.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">What a wonderfully surprising day.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">At that moment, he heard a crisp crack above his head.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He looked up.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The fragile branch could no longer hold a grown man swaying back and forth. It was about to break.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui took a deep breath and glanced down at the deep pool.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">This too, was probably part of his destined suffering.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Just before the branch snapped, he spared his poor &#8220;life-saving&#8221; tree and resolutely let himself fall.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">At the moment he was about to plunge into the water, Chu Xinghui\u2019s sharp eyes spotted a faint purple glow on a rock face near the water\u2019s edge.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">It was the Zixu Grass he had been searching for.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">In that instant, Chu Xinghui erupted with a tremendous burst of life force. He kicked off a protruding rock ledge, used the last bit of his spiritual power to pluck the herb, then tumbled against the cliff wall a couple of times before finally crashing into the pool.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">From the impact, Chu Xinghui couldn\u2019t help but cough up blood.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But with all the tasks finally completed, there was nothing left in this world that could make him suffer anymore.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui closed his eyes, letting a splash rise from the water\u2019s surface, filled with the strange peace of someone finally ready to rest in peace.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\"><br \/><br \/><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">***<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\"><br \/><br \/><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">At the same time, Xie Liufeng was fishing.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">That day, he had already tried three different spots in the Myriad Spirit Valley and still hadn\u2019t caught a single fish.<\/p>\r\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">But he didn\u2019t think it was his fault\u2014he firmly believed that the problem lay in the <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">feng shui<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> of the fishing spots. So, he packed up and headed to a fourth location.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">This was Stillwater Pool, the central part of the valley. Several high-level beasts resided there, so it was rarely visited by people, and the fish were fat and plentiful.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">To enjoy a peaceful fishing experience, Xie Liufeng had driven out all the Nascent Soul-stage beasts living there.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He had divined it earlier\u2014this was the perfect moment to cast his line.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After carefully preparing his fishing spot, he pulled out a brand-new hook and was just about to cast it when a shadow suddenly plummeted from the sky and landed in the pool with a huge splash.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He looked in the direction of the splash and, on impulse, flicked his fishing line toward it.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui struggled a bit in the water and sensed that the depth wasn\u2019t too bad. He was about to find the bank and climb out when something strange wrapped around his waist.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He didn\u2019t realize what it was and instinctively tugged at it.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Feeling an unusual tug on his fishing rod, Xie Liufeng was genuinely surprised and instinctively gave it a pull.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui felt the force pull him, followed the line, and saw a refined and handsome young man.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The young man stood on the shore, holding a fishing rod, exuding an air of casual elegance that somehow felt entirely unreliable.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The two of them stared at each other.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng studied the half-drowned, miserable figure he\u2019d \u201ccaught\u201d with sudden interest. His eyes lit up, seemingly struck by an idea.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui had no idea what this strange man was thinking and calmly looked away.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\"><br \/><br \/><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">\u2014<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\"><br \/><br \/><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Although the man was very attractive\u2014possibly the most attractive person Chu Xinghui had ever seen\u2014he felt they were strangers and chose to ignore him, continuing to swim to shore.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But Xie Liufeng held the line tight and wouldn\u2019t let go.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui looked at him again, signaling him to ease up.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Still, Xie Liufeng didn\u2019t budge.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui was getting irritated.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He was out of strength. If he didn\u2019t reach solid ground soon, he\u2019d sink.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng finally acted.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui felt the line around his waist wrap tighter, and the next moment, he was hauled ashore by the fishing rod.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng circled around him, delighted, muttering to himself: &#8220;Look what a treasure I caught.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui watched him cautiously, silent.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He suspected the man might be mentally unstable.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng, seeing him quiet, suddenly looked enlightened: &#8220;Ah, you must want to come home with me.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui thought he should at least object to such nonsense. He began to say \u201cI don\u2019t\u2026\u201d\u2014and realized he\u2019d lost his voice.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui: \u2026<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng beamed: &#8220;Mm-hmm, not speaking means you agree.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui could only glare coldly, trying to express disapproval.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng ignored the look, pulled out another fishing line, wrapped him up from head to toe, and slung him over his shoulder: &#8220;Alright, alright. A kind soul like me will gladly grant your wish. Let\u2019s go\u2014home.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui: \u2026<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Exhausted by everything, he simply shifted to a slightly more comfortable position and let it happen.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\"><br \/><br \/><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">\u2014<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\"><br \/><br \/><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng carried him all the way to a small courtyard at the edge of the valley.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The courtyard was hidden in greenery, small and sparsely furnished\u2014just a simple temporary dwelling.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">There seemed to be a spirit-gathering array inside. Upon entering, the spiritual energy felt much richer than outside.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng opened the door, took a look around, unwrapped Chu Xinghui, dropped him on the bed, and went out to fetch things.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui sat on the edge of the bed, warily watching the man bustle around, hand on his spiritual sword just in case.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng returned with a few healing herbs, made a bowl of dark paste, and brought it in.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The strange smell made Chu Xinghui sneeze, and he cautiously edged back.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng gestured at him: &#8220;Arm.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui stared at him for a moment. Realizing resistance was futile, he reluctantly held out his arm.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng cast a cleansing spell, then carefully applied the ointment to his wounds: &#8220;So many injuries, and you said nothing. You\u2019ve got some endurance.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui: \u2026<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">What could he say? He literally couldn\u2019t speak.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Whatever was in the paste, it dissolved on contact. His torn flesh healed rapidly, leaving no scars.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After tending most of the visible wounds, Xie Liufeng told him: &#8220;Open your mouth.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Reluctantly, Chu Xinghui obeyed.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng popped a pill into his mouth.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He smiled: &#8220;How\u2019s the taste?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui chewed and honestly said: &#8220;A bit bitter.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Then paused.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He could speak again.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Squinting, he stared suspiciously at the man.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng acted like he noticed nothing, rummaging in his storage pouch and pulling out a prettier pill bottle: &#8220;Wanna try this one?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He remembered this one had sweet fruit in it and was popular with the young disciples back at Beiyue Sword Sect.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui hesitated, but went ahead and swallowed it.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">It tasted pretty good\u2014just a little drowsy.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng teased: &#8220;Nine-turn Gut-Wrenching Poison. Tasty, huh?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui didn\u2019t quite believe it but sobered up quickly, watching him closely.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng laughed, flicked his forehead, and said: &#8220;Kidding. Just regular healing medicine. Lie down. If I really meant harm, could you stop me?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui lay down, thought for a while, and muttered: &#8220;&#8230;My sword isn\u2019t dull either.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">It might not matter, but resistance for resistance\u2019s sake was still resistance.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng chuckled, pulled the sword from his grip, and set it aside. Then he grabbed a blanket and tossed it over his head.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui poked his head out, still watching the strange man.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The medicine was already warming his meridians and organs, even dispelling the persistent chill in his body.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He felt like a long-lost stray animal that had suddenly been taken in and placed in a warm shelter\u2014on edge, yet soothed to the point of drowsiness.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He watched for a while longer, resisting sleep, and finally asked: &#8220;Who are you?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Though the man was odd, he had saved him. He felt it was only right to ask his name.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">\u201cXie Liufeng,\u201d the man replied casually.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui continued: &#8220;&#8230;What kind of person are you?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">\u201cMe?\u201d Xie Liufeng thought for a bit, then clapped his hands: &#8220;Just a regular guy with no spiritual power, weak and unable to care for himself.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui fell silent: &#8220;\u2026You used a cleansing spell on me earlier.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng\u2019s face remained perfectly innocent: &#8220;Nope. You must\u2019ve imagined it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui added: &#8220;\u2026This is the Myriad Spirit Valley. It has a protective barrier. A powerless mortal shouldn\u2019t be able to enter.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng immediately put on a \u201cmiracle survivor\u201d face: &#8220;Is that so? Wow, I must be really lucky\u2014made it here alive and even picked up a real cultivator.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui: \u2026<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Fine. A mortal it is. Not his problem.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He turned to face the wall, ending the conversation.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Support translation:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/bePatron?u=25191841\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"217\" height=\"51\" class=\"wp-image-338 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ontimestory.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/become_a_patron_button.png?resize=217%2C51\" alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 217px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 217\/51;\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ko-fi.com\/lajnaa\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ontimestory.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/kofi3-3.png?resize=185%2C47\" alt=\"This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is kofi3-3.png\" width=\"185\" height=\"47\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 185px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 185\/47;\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p><!--EndFragment--><\/p>\r\n<p><!--EndFragment--><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Driven by anger, Chu Xinghui chased the black bird for two full hours before suddenly skidding to a stop. There was no road ahead\u2014only a bottomless, mist-covered cliff. Chu Xinghui immediately calmed down. He looked up at the black bird. That foolish bird had already flown above the cliff and was happily circling with outstretched [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-second-male-lead-fled-on-the-spot","entry","has-media"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ontimestory.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/TheSecondMale.png?fit=300%2C419&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7181"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7182,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181\/revisions\/7182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}