{"id":7475,"date":"2025-09-12T08:34:52","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T06:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/?p=7475"},"modified":"2025-09-12T08:34:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T06:34:52","slug":"the-second-male-lead-fled-on-the-spot-chapter-43","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/2025\/09\/12\/the-second-male-lead-fled-on-the-spot-chapter-43\/","title":{"rendered":"The Second Male Lead\u00a0Fled On The Spot &#8211; Chapter 43"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng spent five days forcing the black bird to learn how to read the map using some rather&#8230; forceful methods.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The black bird, after marking the location on the map, no longer wanted anything to do with Xie Liufeng. The moment it saw him approach, it would immediately fly far away, terrified of being caught for further \u201ceducation.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">With the exact location now confirmed, the black bird had lost its usefulness. Xie Liufeng stopped paying it any attention and immediately went to find Chu Xinghui.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">When Chu Xinghui took the map from Xie Liufeng\u2019s hands, he saw the marks left by the bird\u2019s claws.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Although a bit unexpected, it made sense\u2014those claw marks were right on the area near Changyang Mountain, where he had visited just a few days ago.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui glanced out the window at the black bird, which was sneakily watching them from afar. He frowned: &#8220;Did this bird cause the anomaly at Changyang Mountain?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">If he calculated the tiMing, the black bird\u2019s reappearance seemed to coincide with the strange happenings at Changyang Mountain.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng, who had heard Chu Xinghui mention the situation at Changyang Mountain before, pondered for a moment and nodded: &#8220;It\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Though the bird seemed utterly useless now, apart from being annoying, it had once nurtured a sword spirit with great intelligence&#8230; Its true form must still have some power and tricks up its sleeve.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng poured a cup of tea and handed it to Chu Xinghui: &#8220;Well then, your task is to go to Changyang Mountain and find the true form of this bird.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui took the cup and nodded.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly called out to Xie Liufeng: &#8220;Xie Liufeng.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng looked at him: &#8220;Hmm?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui gripped the cup in his hand, asking casually: &#8220;Are you coMing with me?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng thought for a moment and then assumed a solemn posture: &#8220;I\u2019ve reflected on it, and I can\u2019t always keep you by my side. So this time, I won\u2019t go with you.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui lowered his eyes and gently swirled the tea in his cup, feeling a little disappointed: &#8220;Oh.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng continued: &#8220;And there are still two seals left unfinished from the last time. I\u2019ll use this time to take care of those.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng had rushed back initially for Chu Xinghui\u2019s sake, but now that Chu Xinghui\u2019s condition had greatly improved, he could finally free himself up to handle the last two seals.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui understood that this was the important task, even though he still felt a little disappointed.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Suddenly, Xie Liufeng changed the subject: &#8220;However, there\u2019s a bit of luck in this\u2014 the next seal I\u2019m going to handle is located in the direction of Changyang Mountain, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui seemed to have realized something: &#8220;So?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng looked at him with a smile in his eyes: &#8220;So, while I won\u2019t be accompanying you, we can still travel together along the way.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">That way, Chu Xinghui could train on his own, and they wouldn\u2019t have to part ways. It was truly a win-win.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After hearing his reasoning, Chu Xinghui didn\u2019t know how to respond: &#8220;&#8230;You\u2019re just deceiving yourself.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng lazily leaned back in his chair and replied, with some meaning in his tone: &#8220;Well, what can I do? Someone wants to see me.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He teased again: &#8220;How about this? If you don\u2019t want me to go with you, we can split up right now.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui didn\u2019t feel like responding, turning his face away: &#8220;&#8230;You already know.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng pressed on: &#8220;I know, but I want to hear you say it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui\u2019s ears were a little hot, but he still raised his head and looked at Xie Liufeng, speaking straightforwardly: &#8220;I want to travel with you.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">&#8230;He simply couldn\u2019t say that he didn\u2019t want to be with Xie Liufeng.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Hearing what he wanted to hear, Xie Liufeng finally felt satisfied. He smiled to himself for a moment, then turned serious: &#8220;Alright, no more teasing. This bird\u2019s situation is a little special. If nothing goes wrong, the place where its true form is located is something you won\u2019t be able to handle with your current strength. Even if you want to train, you should choose a place suited to your age and cultivation level. Throwing you into danger like this&#8230; that\u2019s not training you, that\u2019s training me.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He was getting old and couldn\u2019t handle too many surprises.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">*<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">Three days later,<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> the two of them, along with the black bird, officially set off.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Though the black bird still harbored some trauma from Xie Liufeng, it no longer dared to stay close. Instead, it flew a safe distance around them, watching from afar.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The small courtyard\u2019s door, which Xie Liufeng had casually made years ago, had become crooked and wobbly from years of use.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Before they left, Xie Liufeng, with great ceremony, locked the door and propped it up, which was only a decorative piece at this point. He muttered: &#8220;The gate\u2019s a bit old. Remember to remind me to find some suitable wood when we get back. It needs fixing.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui looked at him and suddenly remembered something. He asked: &#8220;Where were you planning to go originally?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng had always been clear about his own plans: &#8220;Me? I\u2019m such a leisurely person. If I\u2019m not home, where else would I go?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui looked through the wooden door into the yard.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The kitchen still had some leftover firewood that hadn\u2019t been burned. A broom, recently replaced, stood in the yard. A trinket hung on the door of his room\u2014something Xie Liufeng had apparently placed there casually. There was also a cage hanging from a tree, used for imprisoning birds&#8230; Everywhere, there were signs of a long-term life.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Before they even realized it, the yard had accumulated all these little things.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But he still remembered how it looked when they first arrived: &#8220;This place was probably just a temporary stop, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng rummaged through his memories and finally found his original plan: &#8220;Oh, I had planned to finish fishing and then continue heading north, to the area near the Floating Snow River. After all, once summer came, I needed to find a cooler place to escape the heat, then after summer passed, I\u2019d continue traveling depending on my mood.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">For the past decades, even centuries, this had been how he lived.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">If Chu Xinghui hadn\u2019t brought it up, he might not have thought about his past, when he had wandered alone with no direction.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He looked down at Chu Xinghui and laughed softly: &#8220;&#8230;I had no other choice. I didn\u2019t catch any fish, but I caught you, so I ended up settling here.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">When he had been unburdened, any place was fine, but now he had a family.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui asked: &#8220;If I can stand on my own in the future, will you leave?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng thought for a moment, then said regretfully: &#8220;I\u2019m afraid not. I\u2019ve gotten used to being with you. Unless you\u2019re willing to come with me.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui didn\u2019t speak, but he reached out and took hold of his sleeve.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He was willing.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">No matter where Xie Liufeng wanted to take him, he was willing.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">*<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">Changyang Mountain wasn\u2019t far from Beiyue.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> Th<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">e two of them and the bird didn\u2019t take long to reach their destination.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">As soon as they entered the vicinity of Changyang Mountain, the black bird became visibly anxious and excited. It ignored its fear of Xie Liufeng and flew over, landing on Chu Xinghui\u2019s shoulder, chirping wildly.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui, unable to tolerate the noise, struggled to pry the bird off his shoulder and locked it in the cage he had prepared earlier.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He looked over at Xie Liufeng.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Without missing a beat, Xie Liufeng took his hand and led him into the mountain.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Changyang Mountain wasn\u2019t rich in resources, and normally, cultivators rarely ventured there to train. However, the recent anomalies in the mountain had spread, and now more cultivators had come hoping to try their luck.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">They encountered several groups of people along the way. Judging by their expressions, it seemed they hadn\u2019t had much success.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">As they continued deeper into the mountain, Chu Xinghui observed the situation.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Compared to the last time he came, the number of roaMing demonic beasts in Changyang Mountain had increased significantly, and their average strength had risen. Even on the outskirts, there were many Foundation Establishment-level beasts, and in some areas, traces of Golden Core beasts could even be found.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The further they went in, the clearer the sounds of beasts&#8217; roars became.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">There were high-level demonic beasts inside, and not just one.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Moreover&#8230; there seemed to be an even more powerful force, vaguely present but unmistakable.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui gently touched his chest, his brow furrowing slightly.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He could feel that the powerful force ahead seemed to be somehow connected to him.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Most of the cultivators here in Changyang Mountain were low-level, wandering around the outskirts. The deeper they went, the fewer traces of human activity there were.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After walking for half a day, when they were nearing the innermost part of the mountain, Xie Liufeng suddenly stopped: &#8220;Let\u2019s rest here for a while.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui asked: &#8220;What\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng released his divine sense and sensed something deep within the mountain: &#8220;Although this bird is here, and we should be able to find the way into the core area easily, the formation there only allows Golden Core cultivators and above to enter.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He looked at Chu Xinghui: &#8220;Your cultivation level is at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui, who had always been diligent in his training, had made great progress recently, reaching the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Since the requirement was a hard one, Chu Xinghui pondered for a moment: &#8220;Should we go back for now?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The black bird immediately began flapping its wings and pecking at the cage, unhappy at the prospect of turning back.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng thought for a moment and suggested: &#8220;I happen to have a cave nearby. How about this, I\u2019ll give you a few months to try and break through to the Golden Core stage?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui couldn\u2019t help but ask: &#8220;You\u2019ve been to Changyang Mountain before?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng nodded and pointed in a direction: &#8220;Yes, a long time ago. There was a lake here\u2014over there. The crabs in that lake were huge and delicious. I dug a cave nearby just for them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">At that time, the lake had plenty of large crabs, and the taste was exceptional. Unfortunately, due to the environmental changes, the lake had dried up.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Truly, time changed everything, even the crabs.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui: &#8220;\u2026&#8221;<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He couldn\u2019t quite understand Xie Liufeng\u2019s way of life, always wandering around the world.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui shifted his attention back to the present, still hesitant: &#8220;A few months&#8230; isn\u2019t that a little too short?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng thought for a moment, recalling his own experience, and then gave his opinion: \u201cIt should be fine. It took me three months to break through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Previously, the cold poison in Chu Xinghui\u2019s body had greatly hindered his cultivation speed, but now that the poison had been cleared, it was the right time for him to make a breakthrough.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">In fact, based on his experience, it was quite normal for a cultivator to reach Golden Core before the age of twenty and to reach next stage before thirty.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui thought for a moment, and trusting Xie Liufeng completely, he nodded.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The black bird stopped banging against the cage and instead sat quietly inside, staring at them both, as if it had seen a ghost.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Although it wasn\u2019t human, based on its shallow understanding of human behavior, it felt that breaking through to Golden Core couldn\u2019t be as simple as planting cabbages.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">\u00a0<\/p>\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>Xie Liufeng spent five days forcing the black bird to learn how to read the map using some rather&#8230; forceful methods. The black bird, after marking the location on the map, no longer wanted anything to do with Xie Liufeng. The moment it saw him approach, it would immediately fly far away, terrified of being [&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-7475","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\/7475","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=7475"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7477,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7475\/revisions\/7477"}],"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=7475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}