I Became a Supporting Character in a Martial Arts Novel (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
“It’s fine.”
“Uh…”
“I did speak a bit rudely myself.”
Even though they’d started it, that was how things stood for now.
“You’re right—I should’ve acted more like a senior martial brother first. No need to apologize.”
Heaving another sigh, my senior martial brother finally seemed to relax, his shoulders slumping. Then he fumbled something out from his robes and handed it to me.
“What’s this?”
I took it absentmindedly and asked, to which he avoided my gaze and mumbled a reply.
“It’s some candied fruit… I heard from Senior Martial Brother Haseong that you liked this kind.”
“Oh.”
Senior Martial Brother Haseong was the type who, every time he saw me, would hand me candied fruit as casually as plucking grass for a passing rabbit. Unlike other martial uncles or masters who’d strike up conversation, he’d simply pop it into my mouth, watch for a moment, then quietly slip away.
‘And yet, he really did remember.’
It was true—I did like it.
Smiling faintly, I accepted the bundle of candied fruit he offered and immediately unwrapped it.
“Have some yourself, senior brother.”
“Thanks.”
For a while, we sat silently on the training ground floor, chewing candied fruit.
The heavy atmosphere had lifted, replaced by an odd mix of peace and awkwardness. A warm breeze occasionally brushed past my hair. I wouldn’t have minded staying quiet like this, but my senior brother seemed unable to bear the silence.
After hesitating a moment, he spoke again.
“To be honest, I’ve always admired Martial Uncle Yuwon.”
“…Huh? Master?”
I slowly lifted my head, reacting a beat too late.
Though we’d just exchanged apologies, making it a good time for lighter conversation, I hadn’t expected such a weighty confession of his inner feelings.
I listened, feeling rather bewildered.
“Who among Mount Hua’s disciples wouldn’t? Back when I’d only just joined, before he was even called Sword King… I once happened to witness him performing the Seven Plum Blossom Sword. I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Truth be told, there was a time I even wished I could call him Master instead of just Martial Uncle.”
It suddenly dawned on me—my senior brother’s issue wasn’t that I’d received the Dao Seal, but that I’d become Master’s disciple.
If I’d become the disciple of some other first-generation disciple instead, he might not have cared much at all.
“I see.”
“Yeah, so… that’s why I acted that way toward you.”
Still looking dazed as he continued, he glanced at me once, then gave a bitter smile.
“You really don’t seem your age.”
…That came out of nowhere.
“Out of nowhere?”
“Just looking at your expression made me think that. You’re definitely not an ordinary person. Still, thanks to that, I feel a bit calmer now.”
If my being “not ordinary” made him feel calmer, did that mean he now thought I was worthy of being Master’s disciple?
I asked indifferently, “Do you think I’m worthy?”
“Worthy?”
My senior brother tilted his head, as if my words surprised him.
“No, it’s not really about worthiness…”
He fell into thought for a moment before continuing.
“It just means that because you’re so composed, I felt I could confide everything to you. Sure, when I was jealous, I did think you weren’t worthy—but then again, what worthiness is needed for disciple-fate? Mount Hua is a Dao Sect, after all. The Daoist simply followed fate to find his disciple. My earlier thoughts were just delusions born from my own immaturity…”
Watching him grow wistful at the end of his speech, I felt a bit flustered myself.
“Senior brother… did you suddenly attain enlightenment?”
“Isn’t that a Buddhist term? If anything, I’d say I’ve grasped a bit of the Dao.”
With that, he popped the last of his candied fruit into his mouth and stood up.
When he reached out his hand, I instinctively took it, and he pulled me up from the floor before brushing the dust off his clothes.
“Anyway, I should go now. I feel bad taking more of your practice time. Wouldn’t want to give you more reason to apologize. Thanks for accepting my apology.”
“…Ah, yes. Thank you too.”
With that exchange, my senior brother gave a light nod and quickly left the training ground. Watching his retreating back, I couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.
‘He’s become a true Daoist now…’
Amazing, the Dao Sect.
[This is the timeline separator]A few shichen after my talk with Senior Martial Brother Ryu, just as the sun was setting, another visitor came to see me. This time, it was Eldest Senior Martial Brother.
“Our youngest junior martial sister, are you in?”
“Oh, yes!”
In this wuxia world without rubber bands, practicing hair-tying with utterly non-elastic cloth, I quickly set aside my bronze mirror and combed my hair with a hand comb as I approached the door. When I opened it, Eldest Senior Martial Brother stood there, smiling gently down at me.
“Can I talk to you for a bit…? Oh dear, what’s happened to your hair?”
“I’m practicing tying it up…”
“Shall I help? Or—may I come in first?”
Though the title “Eldest” wasn’t just about age, he truly was the oldest among the second-generation disciples.
Moreover, rather than standing out through exceptional skill, he was known for his gentle character that harmonized all disciples—so he’d always been especially kind to me, given our considerable age gap.
“Yes, Eldest Senior Brother. Please come in.”
Though the timing was unfortunate, I had a rough idea why he’d come, so I readily agreed to his request.
I used the room alone anyway. Normally, second-generation disciples shared rooms in pairs, but since my arrival had made the number of female disciples odd, I’d ended up with a room to myself.
Back when I first arrived, my mental state had been unstable, so they’d let me have the room alone to avoid unnecessary provocation—and that arrangement had simply stuck.
In any case, having the room to myself was convenient in many ways—not least that I could let anyone in whenever I wished, just like now.
True to his earlier words, once inside, my senior brother first set about fixing my hair.
“When you’re a bit older, using hairpins will keep it from coming undone so easily.”
“I’d rather just cut it short.”
Like most wuxia worlds, this land was a Confucian society. Thus, everyone—regardless of gender—grew their hair long as a matter of course. Yet Mount Hua, being a Daoist sect, did have a few senior brothers who occasionally cut their hair short.
“…Well, that might be… difficult.”
Of course, only the brothers. All the junior sisters kept long hair.
Hearing Eldest Senior Brother hesitate as he tried to dissuade me, I sighed inwardly.
‘Unfair…’
In an era where short-haired women—unless nuns—drew strange looks, there was little I could do.
Only then did we sit facing each other across the low table. Glancing at its empty surface, I suddenly grew thoughtful.
‘Should I bring out the leftover candied fruit Senior Martial Brother Ryu gave me?’
It just now occurred to me—I’d never bothered to keep tea sets or similar items since I never used them, so now I had nothing proper to offer guests.
“Shall I get you some water?”
“No, it’s fine. Actually, I brought some candied fruit—would you like some?”
From his robes, Eldest Senior Brother pulled out something wrapped in paper. Recognizing it, I couldn’t help but smile again.
Sure enough, it was exactly the same kind of candied fruit Senior Martial Brother Ryu had given me earlier that day.
“Junior Martial Sister Haseong mentioned you liked this.”
I see. So he never spoke to me directly, but went around telling everyone else…
“Thank you. Have some yourself, senior brother.”
I’d said the exact same line earlier that day.
In any case, Eldest Senior Brother nodded happily, pleased that I’d thought of him too. And just as we finished eating our pieces, he broached the main topic.
“Actually, I only heard today about the trouble between you and Disciple Ryu. As Eldest Senior Martial Brother, I should’ve noticed earlier and stepped in—but I only learned of it after everything was resolved. I’m sorry I failed to fulfill my role in time.”
I swallowed what I was chewing and shook my head.
“I feel like I’ve been hearing too many apologies today. You have nothing to apologize for, Eldest Senior Brother. I’ve already made up with Senior Martial Brother Ryu.”
“…Huh.”
I didn’t know what was so funny about that, but Eldest Senior Brother suddenly burst into laughter, ducking his head and shaking his shoulders.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Lifting his head with trembling lips as he tried to stifle his laughter, he spoke in a voice still tinged with amusement.
“Right, I did hear you’d reconciled. Do you think you’ll get along well now?”
“Yes, well… Senior Martial Brother Ryu seemed to have suddenly grasped the Dao.”
“That’s good to hear.”
With that, he burst out laughing again. I narrowed my eyes slightly, but since everyone finds different things funny, I simply let him laugh as much as he wanted.
After laughing for a while, once he’d finally calmed down, Eldest Senior Brother asked a few more small questions—whether my training was going well, if I missed Master, things like that.
After about half a shichen of such casual chat, he checked the moon’s position outside the window and stood up.
“It’s time for you to sleep now. Going to bed early helps you grow taller and train hard tomorrow. Right?”
“Yes, senior brother. Sleep well.”
“Alright.”
He smiled, gently brushed my cheek, and left my room completely.
In the sudden quiet of the room, though I knew the late-autumn air outside was cold, I inexplicably opened the window once.
The cool air instantly filled the room, but it didn’t feel unpleasant.
After all, the problem had been resolved nicely.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
I feel complicated about her future fellow disciple. She could have had it easy but he is going to make it more difficult for her. I am sure of it
This part was interesting, especially the way everything was explained and master and haheun part is so cute. I wonder what will happen next.
This part was interesting, especially the way everything was explained and master and haheun part is so cute. I wonder what will happen next.