The Male Lead I Wronged Has Blackened

CHAPTER 37: It’s Not That I Don’t Want To, But I Can’t

　　Jiang Shuo’s voice was soft and clear, gentler than the spring breeze in March, like a fresh wind brushing against the soul. His words seemed light, but each one carried immense resolve, the kind that had burned through all his courage.

　　He looked at Si Yao, heart pounding with anticipation for her answer, so nervous he almost forgot to breathe. Beneath his wide sleeves, his fists clenched tightly, the tips of his fingers whitening from the pressure.

　　He knew Si Yao had agreed to the engagement because of the position of the Sect Leader’s wife, but he did not care. All he wanted was for her to stay by his side.

　　Hearing his words, Si Yao felt a surge of indescribable joy ripple through her heart. Whatever had happened in the past, whatever excuses she might have had, she had truly hurt Jiang Shuo, yet he seemed completely unfazed.

　　Looking into his reddened eyes, her heart stirred.

　　When she first met him, he had been weak, but those eyes had been resolute, stubborn, like a lone wolf with a taste for blood. Later, as he grew stronger, those eyes became cold and proud, never soft or vulnerable. But now, they carried a delicate, cautious hope she had never seen before.

　　He had never looked so fragile.

　　Si Yao wanted to reach out, to brush her hand over his furrowed brows, to press a soft kiss to his eyes filled with hope, to whisper into his ear, “Yes, actually, I like you too.”

　　But she could not. How could a villainess supporting female character ever have a happy ending with the male lead?

　　It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, she simply could not.

　　She did not belong to this world. Whether her mission succeeded or failed, she would eventually vanish from this place, leaving no trace that she had ever existed.

　　Like the wind, gone without a mark.

　　Si Yao lowered her gaze, hiding the sorrow in her eyes. A sharp ache prickled the back of her throat, and she sniffled as a wave of grief made it hard to breathe.

　　She never imagined that she would face the same painful choice she had ten years ago, a second time in her life.

　　“Thank you, Jiang Shuo.”

　　“I am happy.”

　　Her voice trembled, but she did not answer his question.

　　Jiang Shuo had already become the Sect Leader. The story had reached its later chapters. As long as he led the Xuanming Sect to defend against the invasions of the Beast and Demon realms and brought peace to the world, she could step back in accomplishment and leave this world behind.

　　If the plan went wrong, if things didn’t unfold as expected, if the mission failed, then Si Yao’s soul would be erased by the main system, gone from existence forever.

　　No matter what, there was no turning back.

　　Jiang Shuo was stubborn and relentless. Once he decided on something, he would charge forward no matter how many walls he hit, no matter how bloody and bruised he became.

　　If she agreed to stay by his side, then when she disappeared from this world, no one could say what Jiang Shuo might do.

　　She should have rejected him outright, just like ten years ago, leaving no room for hesitation.

　　But this time, Si Yao’s heart couldn’t be cruel anymore. She could no longer lie to herself.

　　Hearing her words, Jiang Shuo felt a twinge of loss, but it was drowned out by a greater joy. He did not dare expect her to accept him fully right now. As long as she did not reject him, that was enough.

　　He would not force her. He could wait, even until the end of time, until she returned to him. As long as he lived, he could wait.

　　Clearing his mind, setting aside all his worries, he spoke in a steady, sincere voice: “Not only are the flowers beautiful, the peaches these trees bear are large and sweet. I chose this variety myself, just for you, Senior Sister—”

　　Jiang Shuo stopped mid-sentence, realizing he had instinctively called her Senior Sister. He frowned slightly. He did not like that title anymore. He preferred to call her by her name, but the old Si Yao had always insisted, in her bossy way, that he call her Senior Sister.

　　He paused, then continued: “As long as you like it, that’s enough. Whatever you like, I’ll get it for you.”

　　Jiang Shuo seemed to have never expressed his love so openly before. His words were hesitant and awkward, like a naive young man, a slight blush rising on his handsome face.

　　Si Yao had once said she liked peach blossoms, so he planted a whole grove of them. She had once mentioned liking beautiful birds, and since she was a single Fire-attribute cultivator, he had gifted her a little Vermilion Bird.

　　He remembered every single thing she liked and disliked.

　　Si Yao blinked back the tears shimmering in her eyes and curved her lips into a smile.

　　Her smile was delicate and charming, revealing a row of small white teeth, her eyes crescent-shaped as she looked at Jiang Shuo. Only then did he realize she was teasing him. He did not get annoyed. His lips lifted in a gentle smile, and the two of them shared a quiet, knowing glance.

　　—

　　Si Yao had expected that revealing her identity would bring her all kinds of trouble. Even with Jiang Shuo protecting her, she thought people who disliked her would still find ways to make her life miserable, whether through rude remarks or gossip.

　　But reality turned out nothing like she imagined. Jiang Shuo had smoothly taken over as Sect Leader, and the system hadn’t issued any new missions. Worried about troublemakers, Si Yao had kept herself tucked away in her little room, expecting at least a few people to stir up drama. Instead, no one came for her, not even to whisper behind her back, which lifted her spirits considerably.

　　She thought back to that day in the peach grove with Jiang Shuo. She couldn’t bring herself to refuse him again, but she also couldn’t agree to be with him, and the thought made her head ache. She had no idea how to face him next.

　　When they parted in the peach grove, the system’s notification only added to her confusion.

　　【Target favorability +520, current favorability 520, reward points 250, advancement of one major cultivation realm.】

　　How had Jiang Shuo’s previously negative favorability suddenly maxed out? The system’s explanation was absurd:【The male lead’s favorability increased in a very strange way. This is the first time encountering such a situation, causing a miscalculation in favorability statistics.】

　　Si Yao rolled her eyes at the system again, but she couldn’t deny the benefits. Rising favorability meant a drop in Jiang Shuo’s “darkening value,” and the 250 reward points plus an advancement in cultivation realm were more than welcome.

　　With that, her cultivation jumped from mid Golden Core to mid Nascent Soul.

　　Si Yao had to admit, this divine system was borderline insane. Normally, a breakthrough required seclusion, but she had leveled up instantly thanks to the system, without even needing a moment of meditation.

　　She wandered around her little courtyard a few times and had just returned inside when she heard hurried footsteps outside.

　　If it had been before, she would have assumed someone had come with an urgent matter. But these days, she was calmer. Since returning from the peach grove, Jiang Shuo had been stopping by whenever he could, sometimes four or five times a day, always in a rush.

　　Si Yao knew he just wanted to spend a little more time with her. But each time he came, he looked a little tired. She guessed some trouble with the ongoing conflict was weighing on him.

　　Jiang Shuo pushed open the door. Despite the fatigue in his expression, a small smile tugged at his lips.

　　Looking up, Si Yao noticed a basket of bright red wild fruits in his hands.

　　Jiang Shuo set the basket of wild fruits on the table and immediately saw Si Yao’s eyes light up. He knew her favorite treats were the wild fruits from the back mountain.

　　Seeing her like a little greedy cat, he chuckled softly. “The wild fruits in the back mountain have ripened quite a bit. I remember this is your favorite.”

　　These past few days, with Si Yao keeping to her room, Jiang Shuo worried she might be bored. So whenever he had a bit of time, he’d find little things she liked—snacks, toys, anything to help her pass the time.

　　Si Yao didn’t bother being polite. She washed the fruits quickly and started eating. The sweetness made her eyes narrow with contentment, and Jiang Shuo couldn’t help the small curve that tugged at his lips.

　　He only stayed a short while before leaving in a hurry. They barely exchanged more than a single sentence. Taking over as Sect Leader in such a critical time meant most of his energy had to go toward dealing with the ever-watchful threats of the Beast and Demon realms.

　　Still, Si Yao lingered in his thoughts. Even a little time each day was enough to make him want to see her.

　　After the succession ceremony, Jiang Shuo officially assumed the position of Sect Leader. The elders were shocked by the situation with Si Yao, but to them, these were minor matters. There were far more pressing concerns to occupy their minds.

　　Since Jiang Shuo’s succession, they had spent countless days and nights planning strategies to counter the Beast and Demon realms. Recently, disciples stationed outside reported that the Demon realm had become impatient and launched small-scale attacks on the Xuanming Sect's cultivators stationed outside, causing considerable casualties.

　　Both realms hungered for power, their ambitions to dominate the Canglan Continent never ceasing. It had been over ten thousand years since the last major assault. Back then, the Beast and Demon realms were at their peak, but humanity was far from weak. Talented cultivators emerged one after another, repelling the attack and eliminating their strongest warriors.

　　Although humanity won, their forces were severely weakened.

　　The Beast and Demon realms lay dormant for ten thousand years, and now the top-tier cultivators of the present era were not as numerous as back then. If the cultivation world ten thousand years ago was a flourishing gathering of prodigies, today it was Jiang Shuo alone commanding the stage.

　　At the border between humans and demons, the demon clans frequently launched incursions, clashing with human cultivators on duty. Meanwhile, within the Xuanming Sect, a major event had occurred: the previous Sect Leader had passed away.

　　This Sect Leader had lived a long life, nearly ten thousand years. But now his lifespan had run out, he had truly reached the end. The entire Xuanming Sect mourned deeply, the halls heavy with sorrow, and a shadow seemed to hang over the whole sect.

　　Si Yao knew that time was growing ever tighter.

　　On the seventh evening since she had begun keeping to her room, Jiang Shuo knocked on her door again.

　　In Si Yao’s memory, he had never looked so exhausted. His handsome face was marked by unhidden fatigue, his sharp brows knitted tightly, and a troubled weight seemed to press upon his mind.

　　Si Yao welcomed him in, guiding him to sit and rest. At the same time, she poured a cup of hot tea.

　　Holding the cup in front of him, she said with concern, “Have some tea. Rest a little.”

　　But Jiang Shuo did not take the cup. Instead, he reached out and firmly held the hand she had used to offer it. Si Yao looked up at him, only to see the tension in his brow and the gravity in his expression.

　　“Three days from now, I will send you away,” he said, voice low but steady. “If I fall in this battle, you must escape far, far away, and never return to the Canglan Continent.”   

    

    

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