{"id":7351,"date":"2025-08-04T08:16:33","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T06:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/?p=7351"},"modified":"2025-08-04T08:16:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T06:16:33","slug":"the-second-male-lead-fled-on-the-spot-chapter-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/2025\/08\/04\/the-second-male-lead-fled-on-the-spot-chapter-13\/","title":{"rendered":"The Second Male Lead\u00a0Fled On The Spot &#8211; Chapter 13"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After Xie Tinglan left, neither of them spoke first.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">In the silence, Chu Xinghui suddenly thought inappropriately of the day when Xie Liufeng brought him back and stuffed a bag of candied hawthorn into his hand.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Actually, later on, whenever Xie Liufeng returned from outside, he often brought him little trinkets, including all sorts of strange or normal foods.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But strangely, he still thought the tastiest thing was that bag of candied hawthorn Xie Liufeng gave him when he first brought him back.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But now\u2026 it might all be coming to an end.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">In the end, it was still Xie Liufeng who broke the silence first and reached out his hand to him: \u201cGive me your hand.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui shook his head: \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng replied with a soft \u201cMm,\u201d and directly pulled out the hand he didn\u2019t know when Chu Xinghui had clenched inside his sleeve. He used gentle strength to coax him into slowly unclenching his fingers: \u201cDon\u2019t clench it anymore. Doesn\u2019t it hurt?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The moment he touched Chu Xinghui\u2019s hand, Xie Liufeng realized that the boy who appeared calm on the surface was actually trembling involuntarily.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng released his hand and sighed softly in his heart.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Still just a child.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">To face matters of life and death at this age was still too early.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">These heavy burdens were better left to old things like them who had lived many years to handle.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui suddenly grabbed the corner of his sleeve and asked him: \u201cWill you abandon me?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He looked up at Xie Liufeng and explained word by word: \u201cI no longer have any value to cultivate, and there\u2019s a high chance I won\u2019t grow strong enough to repay you. You can give up on me.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He would not give up the chance to stay alive, not until death truly came upon him. But that was his own responsibility, not Xie Liufeng\u2019s.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">No one was obliged to carry another\u2019s karma.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng had originally been thinking about how to comfort his little disciple, but after hearing this sentence, he fell silent for a moment.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui stubbornly looked at him, waiting for his answer.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He didn\u2019t know what answer he wanted, nor what answer he would get.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After a long time, Xie Liufeng reached out to ruffle his hair, and then Chu Xinghui heard his voice, as light and smiling as usual: \u201cThis is the third time.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui was stunned: \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng tapped his forehead: \u201cThis is the third time you\u2019ve tried to persuade me to abandon you.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui lowered his eyes and said nothing.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">That was a fact\u2014just as he had said from the start, investing too much in him would only lead to loss.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng continued: \u201cThis time I\u2019ll say \u2018I won\u2019t\u2019. And if there\u2019s a next time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui\u2019s heart tightened. He quietly lowered his head and didn\u2019t look at Xie Liufeng.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">It was as if he were waiting for some ordinary, inevitable, lonely fate.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng deliberately dragged out his words: \u201cI can only tell you again\u2014I still won\u2019t. No matter how many times you ask me this question, no matter what happens afterward, the answer will be the same. I\u2019m not short of money, and I can afford another pair of chopsticks for you\u2026 Of course, if you still like eating two portions, I can prepare two pairs.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He chuckled: \u201cAlthough you might not quite believe it, I actually have decent character. I don\u2019t have the habit of abandoning wives and children\u2014unless, of course, I unfortunately die first. Besides, I\u2019ve told you many times, when things are beyond your ability, just leave them to your elders. At least while I\u2019m still alive, there will always be a way to make you better.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He reflected on his choice of words and felt it wasn\u2019t very refined, but the meaning was probably there, so he let it go.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui was stunned.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He slowly lifted his head and hesitantly looked at the person in front of him.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Dusk had fallen. The sun was about to set, and only a thin layer of light filtered through the window, not enough to brighten the whole room.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng\u2019s face was hidden at the intersection of light and shadow, making it hard to see clearly, and inexplicably adding a sense of distance.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Without reason\u2014though he was still smiling\u2014Chu Xinghui saw something from him that should not have belonged to his personality: a calmness as silent as death.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Like a mountain where snow fell all year round.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui suddenly felt that maybe this topic about his own life and death, which he had found hard to accept earlier, ought to be dropped now.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He really didn\u2019t like the way Xie Liufeng looked when he mentioned the word \u201cdeath\u201d.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">So he finally spoke, cutting Xie Liufeng off: \u201cI\u2019m fine now. You don\u2019t have to comfort me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng carefully observed his expression and confirmed that his mood had indeed improved a little. Still, he didn\u2019t forget to joke around: \u201cHmm? That\u2019s it? I had prepared a lot of life lessons and sentimental words. Don\u2019t you want to hear more?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui sternly refused: \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng looked quite regretful, but still chose to respect his disciple\u2019s wishes: \u201cAlright, alright. Then rest a bit. I\u2019ll go find Senior Xie to discuss the follow-up treatment.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He turned and left. When he reached the door, he suddenly heard Chu Xinghui call out his name from behind: \u201cXie Liufeng.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng turned around and answered: \u201cHmm?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui looked up and said to him: \u201cHug me.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">That was what he wanted most right now, so he said it directly.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng was stunned.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Then Chu Xinghui rushed into his arms.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng snapped out of his daze, his expression softening like a spring breeze, and he reached out to catch the boy who ran into him.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui tightly grabbed his clothes, listened to the strong and steady sound of his heartbeat for a while, then pushed him away: \u201cAlright. You can go now.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng was not very satisfied: \u201cWhat, use me and toss me aside?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui didn\u2019t speak. He pushed him out the door and then shut it.<\/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\">Xie Liufeng stood at the door for a while and laughed helplessly.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He walked into the courtyard and went to find Xie Tinglan as originally planned.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan had already been waiting for a while. Seeing him come out, she asked: &#8220;Did you comfort him?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng shook his head: \u201cActually, I didn\u2019t do much. He\u2019s a very resilient person. Even without anyone to comfort him, he wouldn\u2019t let himself wallow in bad news.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan sighed with emotion: \u201cThis disciple of yours\u2026 His temperament is very much like yours when you were young.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng said shamelessly: \u201cOf course. Anyone I take a liking to must be as good as I am.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan ignored him and took out a prescription from her storage pouch: \u201cI just found this. Back then, my master used this formula to suppress Qin Xueyi\u2019s cold poison.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng took the prescription and carefully examined the ingredients listed.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He also had some knowledge of pharmacology, and after reading it for a while, he noticed something: \u201cThis prescription\u2026 seems quite similar to the one used for treating cold poison from the Human-Faced Snow Spider.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan nodded: \u201cExactly. It was modified from that one. According to Qin Xueyi\u2019s account, the beast that attacked her back then had some spider-like traits. So my master tried a few prescriptions aimed at ice-type spider beasts and finally settled on this one.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After hearing her explanation, Xie Liufeng became even more puzzled.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">If they had already found the right path, they should\u2019ve been very close to a cure. Why then\u2026<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan noticed his confusion and continued: \u201cActually, my master had come up with several effective formulas, but in the end, none of them could fully eradicate the toxin. The core problem was that the essential fire-attribute spiritual herbs used in the formulas were of too low a grade. No matter how you swapped them, what auxiliaries you added, or how you changed the refining method, they were still insufficient.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">From her words, Xie Liufeng caught on to something and frowned.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">At this point, Xie Tinglan glanced at him and vaguely hinted: \u201c&#8230;So my master had always suspected that the so-called ancient secret realm Mu Chengjin and Qin Xueyi went to was actually related to that incident from five hundred years ago.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Five hundred years ago, something from the Upper Realm had come to the cultivation world.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">If the toxin originated from the Upper Realm, it made sense that native spiritual herbs couldn\u2019t cure it.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng pondered for a moment and asked her: \u201cAre there any clues about that secret realm?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan immediately saw what he intended: \u201cYou want to go?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng nodded: \u201cEverything has a counter. Since that beast was in the secret realm, the thing that can suppress it might also be in there.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan frowned and said seriously: \u201cDon\u2019t say I didn\u2019t warn you. The Sect Master and his wife of Lingxiang Sect went in and nearly died after only exploring the outskirts. That place is almost certain death.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But Xie Liufeng was unfazed: \u201cWhat place in this world would I not dare to go? And if I don\u2019t go, should we send our Xinghui instead?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan sighed: \u201c\u2026Fine, there really isn\u2019t another way. That secret realm hasn\u2019t appeared since it surfaced twenty years ago. You\u2019d better ask Shang Ling to keep an eye out\u2014he\u2019s well informed.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">With business done, she took her leave: \u201cThen I\u2019ll go refine the pills. Once they\u2019re ready, I\u2019ll have someone send them over.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng handed her the agreed payment: \u201cThank you. I owe you a favor.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan put away the payment and sneered: \u201cPlease, I should be thanking you for not holding my disciple hostage.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Speaking of Cheng Yu, Xie Liufeng finally remembered this little friend of Chu Xinghui: \u201cNot taking him back?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan shook her head: \u201cTake him back for what? At their age, they should be out training. Can\u2019t keep him locked in a pill room all day gathering dust. His senior brother and sister were running around for years at that age too. I only came to find him to know where he was in case something happened so I could pull him back in time. Now that I know where he is, he can do whatever he wants.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng didn\u2019t know the full story of this kid running away from home, so he didn\u2019t say much and respected their choice.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Before she left, Xie Tinglan suddenly slapped her forehead, remembering something minor: \u201cOh right, do you know that junior from Lingxiang Sect named Qin Yuwen?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng thought for a moment and finally dug the name out from some dusty corner of his memory: \u201cYou mean the first disciple of this generation from Lingxiang Sect?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Tinglan nodded: \u201cYes, that\u2019s him. He went out for training not long ago and claimed to have found the secret realm left behind by the Sword Sovereign and inherited his legacy.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Because of Chu Xinghui\u2019s situation, Xie Liufeng held some resentment toward that Sect master, but he had no impression of this junior, so he politely complimented: \u201cOh, sounds impressive.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Then he suddenly reacted: \u201cWait, who did you say\u2026 left behind?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">\u00a0<\/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>\r\n<div id=\"gtx-trans\" style=\"position: absolute; left: -196px; top: -16px;\">\r\n<div class=\"gtx-trans-icon\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After Xie Tinglan left, neither of them spoke first. In the silence, Chu Xinghui suddenly thought inappropriately of the day when Xie Liufeng brought him back and stuffed a bag of candied hawthorn into his hand. Actually, later on, whenever Xie Liufeng returned from outside, he often brought him little trinkets, including all sorts of [&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-7351","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\/7351","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=7351"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7352,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7351\/revisions\/7352"}],"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=7351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}