**Master, You’re So Tiny**
“Shaoguang, what exactly brings you here to find me this time? You even had Mr. [someone] pass on the message for you. You gave me quite a fright—I thought something serious had happened.”
After a few polite pleasantries, Shu Fu and Ji Shaoguang took their seats in the teahouse. Stroking the fluffy white head of the Samoyed beside her, Shu Fu asked him the question.
As long as he wasn’t about to confess his feelings to her, anything was fine.
But the moment she spoke, Ji Shaoguang, who had been perfectly composed just moments before, suddenly changed color. He hesitated, inexplicably displaying some of the “affected shyness” Zhao Yun had mentioned.
“Actually, I invited you here because… there’s something important I’d like to entrust to you during the Flower Festival.”
He gave a light cough to ease the awkwardness. With a hesitant look on his face, he carefully weighed his words.
“I know I’m being presumptuous, but I still hope you’ll agree to this unreasonable request of mine.”
Shu Fu: “…???”
What was going on here?
Brother, don’t tell me you’re actually going to confess your feelings?
Please don’t! Look at these thick brows and big eyes of mine—I obviously look like a tough-as-nails macho man. What part of me resembles your gentle-as-water Sister Jiang?
Ling Xiyue had already gone crazy. You can’t go crazy too!
Of course, Ji Shaoguang had no idea that she was having an inner meltdown. The smile in his eyes grew ever gentler, and a faint blush spread across his fair, jade-like face.
He had always been restrained with his emotions. Even when he was embarrassed, he managed to be reserved about it; the blush on his face was as pale as peach blossoms frozen beneath a layer of ice.
“Shu Fu, actually, I…”
“W-what?”
Shu Fu instinctively took half a step back. Her usually flawless control over her expression was beginning to crack.
“What is it you want to ask of me?”
“To be perfectly honest, I was hoping…”
The flush on Ji Shaoguang’s face deepened. His long lashes trembled, and even his usually warm, soothing voice came out slightly strained with nervousness.
“Shu Fu, I’d like to ask you to… with me…”
“What? With you what? What on earth are you trying to say? Hurry up!”
Please, just let me die quickly!
So what if he’s another male supporting character? So what if I’ve been made the object of yet another unrequited love? I’m the female lead. I can handle it!
“…”
Ji Shaoguang took several deep breaths in succession. His knuckles clenched until they turned white. At last, he steeled himself, shut his eyes, and blurted everything out in one breath:
“I—would like you to work with me and help me win the two-person arena at the Flower Festival, so that we can claim the Bonding Flower from Lord of Wei City.”
“I heard from your senior sister… Zhao Yun that she’s very interested in the Bonding Flower. She’s always wanted to win one and give it to your royal father and mother, so your mother won’t keep suspecting that her husband has fallen for someone else and turning the whole household upside down.”
“So I want to win one for her this time, in order to fulfill her wish.”
“Then perhaps she’ll be able to… notice my feelings, at least a little?”
“…”
The moment she heard this, Shu Fu’s arm, which had been braced in preparation for the worst, went limp. Her jaw slipped loose, and her chin slammed onto the table with a resounding *clang*.
“…What did you say????”
“That’s right. Exactly what you think.”
Looking somewhat flustered, Ji Shaoguang turned his face away and opened his folding fan to conceal half of it. His voice was barely audible.
“I’m in love with Zhao Yun. I hope you can lend me a hand.”
—No, that’s not what I meant at all?!?
“Um, wait. Hold on.”
Faced with this sudden one-eighty, Shu Fu felt dizzy enough to nearly yank off the Samoyed’s ear with one careless tug. “You mean you… like Senior Sister? Not me—Zhao Yun? Are you sure? This is important, so I’m going to ask you one more time: are you absolutely sure?”
“Huh?”
Ji Shaoguang answered blankly, then suddenly realized what she meant. He hurriedly waved his hands. “No, it’s not that I have no feelings for you…” He was just about to say it outright, but abruptly realized that “I have no feelings for you” sounded far too hurtful. He slammed on the brakes with his tongue and hurriedly changed course. “Shu Fu, I felt an instant kinship with you from the first time we met. We’ve always gotten along wonderfully, and I’m endlessly grateful for all the times you’ve helped me. Whenever you’re around, I feel especially at ease.”
He poured a cup of tea and solemnly handed it to Shu Fu, his expression sincere and earnest. “In my eyes, you’re like a real brother or sister to me. If you don’t mind, I’ve always wanted to call you ‘Brother Jiang.’”
Shu Fu: “…………”
Is that so? Why, that’s wonderful.
Once upon a time, Jiang Ruoshui called him Brother Ji. Now Ji Shaoguang was calling me Brother Jiang. It was a cycle of cause and effect—a case of one good turn deserving another.
“I… Ahem, I know you think of me as your older brother. A lot of people do.”
Shu Fu instinctively let out a long breath of relief, yet still felt that something was unreal. “But there’s one thing I still don’t understand. Shaoguang, why are you interested in Senior Sister Zhao Yun?”
Though Zhao Yun was a mischievous, bold, and fiery beauty with a distinctive charm all her own, she was still worlds apart from Jiang Ruoshui’s character in the original novel.
Whether it was Ling Xiyue or Ji Shaoguang, why had all these male supporting characters suddenly developed such different tastes?
Their preferences were way too diverse, weren’t they?
“This is a long story. I’ll tell you about it slowly.”
Ji Shaoguang’s nervous excitement gradually settled. He once again returned to his usual gentle composure and raised a hand to pour himself a cup of tea as well. “Three years ago, I went alone into the mountains of Dongzhou in search of an extremely rare and precious spirit herb. Unfortunately, I crossed paths with a group of demonic cultivators, and a clash broke out…”
Shu Fu: “Ah.”
As it happened, she remembered this particular incident quite well.
If she recalled correctly, in the original novel, the female protagonist had also searched for a spirit herb for Qi Yuxuan in order to refine a marvelous pill that could cleanse and strengthen one’s meridians. During her search, she encountered the second male lead, Ji Shaoguang. The two of them shared hardships, supported each other, and overcame one obstacle after another together, forging a deep comrades-in-arms friendship—in the heroine’s eyes, at least. Ji Shaoguang, however, was so deeply moved by her innocence, kindness, and determination that he fell hopelessly in love with the girl.
So how would things unfold in this world?
Ji Shaoguang continued, his voice filled with feeling: “As you know, Shu Fu, I’ve achieved a little in the art of crafting magical weapons, but I’m not good at fighting people. That day, I thought I was going to die in Dongzhou…”
“And then, I saw her.”
“She appeared suddenly in the depths of a lush, shadowy forest, her robes whiter than snow, her black hair like ink, and her eyes crimson as blood. An icy aura swirled around her. Behind her surged a vast horde of Jade-Branch Moon Rabbits, like a blizzard sweeping across the land, while she herself was like a flower blooming amidst the snow.”
This was such a painfully familiar setup that Shu Fu had to suppress the urge to yawn. Keeping a straight face, she asked, “And then? You fell in love with my senior sister at first sight?”
Ji Shaoguang said, “Yes... but not entirely. What moved me about Zhao Yun was something she said at the time.”
Shu Fu asked, “What did she say?”
Ji Shaoguang cleared his throat. Somewhat embarrassed, he turned his face aside and murmured, “She said, ‘You dare make trouble on the Jade Demon King’s territory? What, are you homeless out there? Can’t afford so much as a scrap of land, so you came here to pick out a burial plot for yourselves? Unfortunately for you, anyone who dies here won’t even have a speck of ashes left. I guarantee there’ll be no corpse for you to bury.’”
“I had never met a woman so dashing and uninhibited, so frank and genuine, so fearless in love and hate. From that moment on, I was smitten with her at first sight and could never forget her.”
“She drifted away that day without leaving her name behind. After making inquiries far and wide, I finally learned that she was Zhao Yun, the second disciple of Master Tanhua of the Nine Splendors Sect—and your senior sister.”
Shu Fu: “………………”
You male supporting characters really are all messed up!!!
Back then, you were all into the saintly little white flower. Why had you suddenly changed course and become completely obsessed with this internet-trash-talking queen instead?!!
Sure, they said, “If you can’t forget someone, there must be an echo.” But the echoes we internet warriors stirred up were enough to blow the tops off all your heads!!!
...No, saying they were “messed up” wasn’t quite right either.
After all, in the original novel, what the male supporting characters couldn’t forget was the heroine Jiang Ruoshui’s strength, kindness, and innocence.
As for strength, neither Shu Fu nor Zhao Yun would lose to anyone. As for kindness, they really were good to their own people—one might call it “Schrödinger’s kindness.” And as for innocence... they were indeed innocent. They always said exactly what they meant, scorned schemes and manipulation, and would only straightforwardly curse out the enemy’s entire family on the battlefield, verbally slaughtering them on the spot.
So it turned out that there was only a sheet of paper between a saintly little white flower and a domineering internet-trash-talking blossom.
...My ass there was!
Even as Shu Fu frantically roasted this utterly baffling turn of events in her head, she still felt immensely relieved that Ji Shaoguang had someone he cared for—and that the object of his affection was her senior sister, someone she knew inside out. She even wanted to leap to her feet and shout, “I approve of this match!” Assuming her senior sister was willing, of course.
So what if his reasons were a little confusing?
It was fine. No problem!
After all, human romance itself was a grand showcase of baffling behavior.
“Shaoguang, since you call me Big Brother, we’re family. No need for formalities between us. I’ll definitely help you with this.”
Shu Fu agreed readily. Then, after frowning in thought for a moment, she added with sincere earnestness, “Still, when all is said and done, it depends on what my senior sister wants. She’s the sort of person who speaks her mind without beating around the bush. If you’re serious about her, I think it would be best to tell her directly.”
They really ought to stop beating around the bush and making such convoluted detours, lest Zhao Yun misunderstand and think he was interested in Shu Fu. Even Jiang Xuesheng, who had merely been passing on the message, had been startled.
“As for the Weicheng arena tournament, this will be my first time participating this year, and I haven’t arranged to team up with anyone, so naturally I can—”
“No—you can’t.”
Just as Shu Fu was about to agree, another voice suddenly came from outside the window. It was not particularly loud, but it carried with startling force, cutting cleanly over her answer.
The two of them turned toward the sound in confusion. The window, which had been closed moments ago, had somehow been opened, and a familiar fish—no, a human—head had abruptly appeared beside the frame.
It was Si Fei, the Third Senior Brother of Yaoguang Peak, a merfolk.
He seemed to have taken special care with his appearance today. His curly hair had been neatly combed into a high ponytail, revealing a fresh, handsome young face that looked especially spirited and dashing.
For some reason, two little snakes—one green and one white—were coiled around his slender shoulders. Their bodies were long, thin, and supple, their scales smooth as jade, reflecting a riot of iridescent colors in the sunlight.
The voice just now had not come from Si Fei’s mouth, but from the white snake.
It was a distinctive, utterly unique voice—one Shu Fu could never have forgotten.
“…Sir?”
She stared at the white snake’s beady black eyes and asked blankly, “Could this be your true form? I’ve been asking you for three years, and you’ve finally decided to tell me?”
“No…”
The white snake had barely gotten the word out when Shu Fu thoughtfully continued, “But didn’t you compare sizes with Senior Brother Liu before? Looking at this thin, short, soft little thing of yours, it can’t possibly be very big.”
“…………………………This is not my true form.”
After a brief silence, the white snake—Jiang Xuesheng—decided to ignore this unprecedented, colossal insult and drag Liu Ruyi down with him:
“Do you remember how Ruyi once projected his consciousness into a pheasant? I have other business to attend to and couldn’t come to Weicheng in person, so I sent this little creature to keep watch. His size has nothing to do with mine.”
“I remember. Back in that secret realm, I almost chopped him to pieces.”
Shu Fu slapped her fist into her palm in sudden realization. “Oh, that makes sense. Then could the little green one beside you be… Senior Wu Yao from the Purple Jade Flask? To think this one Flower Festival would actually trouble both of you to make the trip. I’m almost embarrassed.”
The green snake angrily flicked its tongue. “Don’t call me little! A yellow-haired brat like you should at least be calling me your ancestor. Honestly, you have no respect!”
When Jiang Xuesheng, Liu Ruyi, and Shu Fu discussed size, the opposite of “small” in all their minds was “big.” Only in Wu Yao’s mind was the opposite of “small” actually “old.” Clearly, he was still as innocent as ever.
He had weathered half a lifetime of storms, yet returned still a boy at heart.
Shu Fu immediately went along with him and changed her form of address. “All right, Old Qing. I understand, Old Qing.”
“…Old Qing doesn’t work either!!!”
