{"id":7614,"date":"2025-10-27T08:32:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T07:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/?p=7614"},"modified":"2025-10-27T08:32:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T07:32:47","slug":"the-second-male-lead-fled-on-the-spot-chapter-77","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/2025\/10\/27\/the-second-male-lead-fled-on-the-spot-chapter-77\/","title":{"rendered":"The Second Male Lead\u00a0Fled On The Spot &#8211; Chapter 77"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Perhaps because Chu Xinghui\u2019s speechless expression was too obvious, Fang Yan provided some additional information: \u201cRegardless of whether Yue Yao\u2019s behavior is genuine or fake, or whether she has anything to do with this matter, the reason she can so easily clear herself is actually because Mu Lingxuan\u2019s father and brothers are not in the sect. Among those responsible for this matter in Lingxiang Sect, no one really cared about Mu Lingxuan\u2019s life or death. They either followed regulations to investigate or wanted to take advantage of the matter to gain something.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Although judging by recent circumstances, Mu Lingxuan\u2019s father and brothers inside the sect wouldn\u2019t care about her life or death either.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Hearing this, Chu Xinghui suddenly sensed a subtle oddity: \u201cDidn\u2019t Qin Xueyi show up in this matter?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Mu Chengjin and Mu Zeqing were not in Lingxiang Sect, but what about Qin Xueyi?<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Previously, they always thought Qin Xueyi\u2019s serious illness was just an excuse for Mu Chengjin and the others to temporarily leaving the sect. Now that their biological daughter\u2019s life and death were involved, was Qin Xueyi still going to be \u201cseriously ill\u201d?<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Fang Yan shook his head: \u201cShe appeared once but fainted as soon as she saw her daughter\u2019s corpse, then never showed up again. Mu Cheng\u2019s trusted aides also used the excuse that Mu Chengjin was too overwhelmed taking care of his wife to pay attention to the daughter, fooling others that Mu Chengjin did not show up.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui thought this matter sounded strange and full of loopholes, but since the Lingxiang Sect people had no objections, he had none either.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After all, with Yue Yao stirring up trouble, Lingxiang Sect would definitely be in chaos.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The next day, Xie Liufeng continued to provoke Mu Cheng.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui kept following him to listen to the drama.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Yesterday, Mu Chengjin had a different attitude about the items he obtained from the trade, so Xie Liufeng decided to try to trick him again today.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng first warmed up the scene with several false messages related to Mu Lingxuan and Lingxiang Sect.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The outside world was constantly changing, all information had a time limit.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">The longer Mu Chengjin was held, the less confident he became about the information he had.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng circled around and finally came to today\u2019s main topic: \u201cSect leader, you should know we have already contacted Cultivator Xie and Cultivator Qin. Did you think we didn\u2019t know what you actually obtained?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Mu Cheng\u2019s psychological defenses were stirred up by Xie Liufeng\u2019s words, and he looked irritated: \u201cWhat did Xie Huai tell you?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng found this strange.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He had just mentioned Xie Huai and Qin Suyun, but Mu Chengjin only mentioned Xie Huai.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">As early as when Mu Chengjin tried to take Xie Liufeng as a master, Xie Huai had already colluded with the black-robed man. So Xie Huai\u2019s appearance in this matter made Xie Liufeng think he was the liaison between Mu Chengjin and the black-robed man, and the eyes the black-robed man arranged around these people.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But Mu Cheng\u2019s meaning just now\u2026 seemed to be more than that.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng pondered Xie Huai\u2019s situation and made a guess based on his current core needs, continuing to probe: \u201cMay I ask if the cultivation method you obtained\u2026 works well?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Mu Cheng\u2019s pupils suddenly constricted.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng watched his expression and narrowed his eyes slightly.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">It really was a cultivation method.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Mu Chengjin sneered coldly: \u201cIt seems you all already know quite a lot. Since you know about this cultivation method\u2019s existence, why not trade for it directly instead of fishing for information from me?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng smiled: \u201cSect leader, you say that\u2026 but trading directly, how is that as comfortable as sharing with someone?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Mu Chengjin was silent for a moment.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He finally told the truth: \u201cSince it\u2019s come to this, you should also know something about the trade\u2019s content. I won\u2019t hide it from you: this thing isn\u2019t yet time for trading, so I can\u2019t get it. And now it seems\u2026 even when the trading time comes, I won\u2019t be able to get it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng confirmed this was not a lie and couldn\u2019t help but look at him with new respect.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Selling your own biological children before even getting the thing in hand \u2014 that really made him the sucker among scumbags.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng probed: \u201cBecause your daughter returned to the sect alive?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He deliberately emphasized \u201calive.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Mu Chengjin said nothing, tacitly agreeing.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">\u2026 Presumably, the black-robed man had told him that to obtain the cultivation method, one must first sacrifice blood relatives. Now that he thought Mu Lingxuan had escaped the sacrifice, naturally he thought he had failed.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Maybe fearing others would think he was too brutal, Mu Chengjin tried to justify himself: \u201cTo cultivate the Sword Sovereign\u2019s method, one naturally must pay some price. Besides, the price is not death but to wash away impurities and return to the world. Given time and opportunity, a body may be reformed, surely a peerless genius. Lingxuan is immature, I was thinking long-term for her.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">As he spoke, he seemed to really think himself a kind father and took the moral high ground: \u201cI advise your master behind you not to take crooked paths trying to get this thing directly from me. Anyone who wants to cultivate this method must first go through this step. Wasting time with me is useless, better to go find Xie Huai directly.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Hearing this, Xie Liufeng was truly stunned.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Even the usually invisible Chu Xinghui couldn\u2019t help but raise his head.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng confirmed: \u201cThe Sword Sovereign\u2019s cultivation method?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Since it had come this far, Mu Chengjin didn\u2019t mind telling them a secret he had just learned: \u201cYou two should know about the Sword Sovereign\u2019s killing of a god. On the surface, it was glorious, but behind the scenes it was extremely shady. A high god descended to the mortal realm, intending to teach and grant the merit of having a divine name. Xie Qinghe was his first disciple. He taught Xie Qinghe a cultivation method that enabled rapid progress and instructed him to spread it. But Xie Qinghe, blinded by greed, secretly altered the method, fled with the correct version, and after mastering it, even killed that high god.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">\u201cSince then, the Xie family has been tormented by the flawed cultivation method, and young Xie Huai has been striving to find the correct one. Now, someone has again witnessed the divine miracle of the former High God, which led to the rediscovery of this correct cultivation method.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He sneered: &#8220;Do you think Xie Qinghe back then, a foundationless brat, really shone so brilliantly? Genius? Hmph, that\u2019s just fooling the ignorant masses. There\u2019s no way such a genius really existed.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui: &#8220;&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng: &#8220;&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He was deeply shocked and then suddenly enlightened: \u201cSo that\u2019s how it is.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Such a secret, truly astonishing.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Even he himself did not fully understand it, indicating the weight of these words.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng couldn\u2019t help but feel deep worry about Lingxiang Sect\u2019s future.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">No, how did someone as dense as Mu Chengjin become the sect leader?<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He nervously glanced at Chu Xinghui standing silently nearby.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Luckily, their Chu Xinghui didn\u2019t inherit such outrageous stupidity.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui quietly observed himself, also grateful to have escaped this calamity.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After the questioning, the two quickly left the room where Mu Chengjin was detained.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui asked Xie Liufeng: &#8220;Xie Liufeng, do you think what Mu Chengjin said is true?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">\u201cAs for the part about me, it\u2019s definitely false,\u201d Xie Liufeng clarified to protect his reputation first, then said: &#8220;The rest remains questionable.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">At least regarding the trade, he felt Mu Chengjin had concealed quite a lot.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">A legitimate cultivation method wouldn\u2019t require sacrificing blood relatives \u2014 even a three-year-old child would understand that.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Mu Cheng\u2019s so-called \u201csecrets\u201d likely contained contradictions that Xie Liufeng suspected, probably blown up by greater interests to sound more grandiose.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Those interests\u2026 were likely more than just a cultivation method that could help one advance rapidly.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But the hidden parts probably wouldn\u2019t be uncovered anytime soon.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">As the two walked out, Fang Yan who had been waiting nearby approached them calmly and whispered: \u201cSenior uncle, Junior brother Chu, our men have found someone nearby.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng asked: &#8220;Who?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Fang Yan answered: &#8220;Xie Huai.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui guessed: &#8220;Here to rescue?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng raised an eyebrow: \u201cCould also be here to kill.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He thought for a moment and started discussing what to do with Mu Cheng: \u201cSince they\u2019ve come, how about we give them a chance and release Mu Cheng? What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">They had squeezed as much information as possible for now, and keeping Mu Chengjin locked up long-term wasn\u2019t a solution. Better to use him as bait to draw the snake out.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">If Mu Chengjin were alone, he\u2019d probably try to return to Lingxiang Sect to handle Mu Lingxuan\u2019s case.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Despite being useless, he was still sect leader. Though lacking freedom and initiative now, once out, he\u2019d try to regain control.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">For example, he might blame Mu Lingxuan for colluding with evil cultivators, discredit his daughter\u2019s words, and scrap the \u201cMu Lingxuan\u201d card, perhaps even painting himself as a filial son who sacrificed for the greater good.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">But with Xie Huai involved, things changed.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">They already used each other, and Mu Chengjin now suspected Xie Huai\u2019s betrayal. Their information was unequal, so unpredictable things could happen.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Maybe they could even track down the black-robed man who had never appeared in this transaction.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui and Fang Yan had no objection to this plan.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">After all, with Xie Liufeng around, if anything went wrong, he could handle it, and worst case, they\u2019d capture both again.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">However, Chu Xinghui couldn\u2019t help but add a personal grudge to the plan, wanting to add a detail: \u201cBefore releasing Mu Cheng, can we make sure he gets injured a bit?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng smiled at Fang Yan: \u201cMaster, your opinion?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Fang Yan nodded seriously, coming up with a plausible excuse: \u201cGetting injured while fleeing from a chase is reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">With the plan settled, the Beiyue Sword Sect pretended not to notice Xie Huai\u2019s movements and let him look for a chance to rescue.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng and the others found a place to wait for developments.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Bored during the wait, Chu Xinghui took a spirit fruit from his storage bag.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He grabbed a short knife and started peeling it.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Though it was edible with the skin, he thought the taste was better peeled.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He carefully peeled the fruit and pondered how to cut it into pieces.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng glanced over and teasingly said: &#8220;Give me a bite.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui gestured a few times with the knife, cut the sweetest part, and offered it to Xie Liufeng\u2019s lips.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng was used to teasing him but was momentarily stunned seeing the fruit at his lips.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui\u2019s hand got a little sore but persistently nudged it closer.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Xie Liufeng couldn\u2019t help but laugh and ate the fruit off his hand.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Fang Yan watched nearby enviously: \u201cJunior brother Chu, got more?\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">He also wanted to enjoy the feeling of free fruit peeling.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui thought a moment, picked a new fruit, wiped it clean, and handed it to Fang Yan.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Fang Yan: &#8220;&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Chu Xinghui even remembered to wipe it for him \u2014 he must really respect him.<\/p>\r\n<p lang=\"en-US\">Fang Yan quietly finished a whole spirit fruit with the skin on.<\/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>Perhaps because Chu Xinghui\u2019s speechless expression was too obvious, Fang Yan provided some additional information: \u201cRegardless of whether Yue Yao\u2019s behavior is genuine or fake, or whether she has anything to do with this matter, the reason she can so easily clear herself is actually because Mu Lingxuan\u2019s father and brothers are not in the [&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-7614","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\/7614","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=7614"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7617,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7614\/revisions\/7617"}],"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=7614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ontimestory.eu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}