Who Would Choose The Serious Heroine? Aren't The Supporting Characters Good Enough? - Chapter 84:

Chapter 84: Women Can Also Have This Kind of Relationship!?:

In this vast desert, there was no kingdom or empire. However, two powerful cities existed, each ruling over its own territory like independent domains.

One of these cities was the one Ling Ye and his group had just left—Desert East City. The other, located on the opposite side, was Desert West City.

The relationship between these two cities had always been tense, plagued by constant conflicts and power struggles. However, both sides eventually realized that endless infighting was not sustainable. After much discussion, they reached an agreement—peace through marriage.

The daughter of the East City’s lord was well-known for her beauty. She was lively, charming, and admired by many. However, the young master of West City, the eldest son of the city lord, was born with a severe disability. He was both mute and crippled, bound to a wheelchair for life.

Naturally, East City was reluctant to agree to such a marriage. However, under immense political pressure, they had no choice but to accept. If they refused, war between the two cities would be inevitable, and East City was uncertain whether they could emerge victorious.

Now, with the wedding fast approaching, the city lord’s daughter refused to accept her fate. She would rather die than marry someone she did not love.

Determined to escape this forced marriage, she came up with a desperate plan—she ordered her subordinates to capture a foreign woman to take her place.

Since no one in West City had ever seen her before, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Of course, this scheme was doomed to fail. Something like this could never be hidden forever. Sooner or later, the truth would be exposed.

But she didn’t care. She was willing to do anything to avoid marrying that crippled young master.

In her eyes, it wasn’t just about his disabilities—even if he were perfectly healthy, she still wouldn’t marry him. She refused to sacrifice her happiness just to maintain peace between two cities.

Thus, she had already escaped.

Before leaving, she made sure her orders were carried out—her subordinates, some of the strongest warriors in East City, would capture a suitable replacement. Each of them was an expert at the Heavenly Realm.

For them, capturing a single foreign girl was an easy task.

Under their overwhelming power, Mu Zihua was quickly outmatched.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of fierce explosions echoed across the desert as shockwaves rippled through the air. Mu Zihua was completely overpowered.

While he struggled against his captors, one of the men grabbed Gu Shengyan and forcefully carried her away.

“Master! Master, save me! Help me!” Gu Shengyan screamed, struggling with all her might. But against a Heavenly Realm expert, her resistance was futile.

“Shengyan!!!”

Mu Zihua roared in frustration, desperately trying to break free.

But no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t overcome the three powerful cultivators surrounding him. He could only watch as Gu Shengyan was taken away, her figure disappearing into the distance.

His face twisted in anguish, his eyes bloodshot with fury.

He had just sworn to protect her—yet in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

At this moment, Mu Zihua felt utterly powerless. He despised his own weakness.

But at the same time, he also blamed Gu Shengyan.

He had warned her not to follow Ling Ye. He had told her that nothing good would come of it.

And now, look at the trouble she had gotten herself into!

What now?!

“Stop wasting your strength, sir,” the leading man taunted as he effortlessly parried Mu Zihua’s attacks. “If you want to see her again, just head to West City tomorrow. She’ll be at the wedding banquet!”

He smirked. “Honestly, marrying the young city lord is a good opportunity for her.”

“You bastards!!!”

Mu Zihua roared, unleashing a wild barrage of attacks.

But no matter how fiercely he fought, he couldn’t break through. The enemy forces were simply too strong.

And just like that, Gu Shengyan was gone.

With their mission complete, the captors stopped fighting.

“Enough,” the leader said coldly. “Stand down. If you keep resisting, don’t blame us for killing you.”

Though they were reluctant to waste energy, they knew that if they attacked together, they could easily finish Mu Zihua off.

Mu Zihua clenched his fists tightly, his gaze locked on the direction Gu Shengyan had been taken.

His heart burned with helplessness and guilt.

After one last glance at him, the group turned and disappeared into the distance.

Mu Zihua remained floating in midair, his expression dark and grave.

He was completely outmatched.

Even if he chased after them now, there would be even stronger enemies waiting for him in West City. He wouldn’t stand a chance.

If he rushed in recklessly, he would only get himself killed.

But what could he do?

Gu Shengyan had been taken—forced into marriage with a cripple.

He couldn’t accept this!

To him, Gu Shengyan was not just his disciple… she was the girl he had vowed to protect for the rest of his life.

Gritting his teeth, Mu Zihua turned his gaze toward the horizon—the direction where Ling Ye and Su Xinyue had gone.

Ling Ye!

If Ling Ye were willing to help, Gu Shengyan would be saved without a doubt.

A small city like West City would mean nothing to Ling Ye.

He had to ask for help.

No matter what, he had to beg Ling Ye for assistance.

With that thought, Mu Zihua steeled his resolve and took off at full speed in pursuit of Ling Ye.

…

Meanwhile, up ahead, Ling Ye and Su Xinyue had already noticed the battle that had broken out behind them.

Su Xinyue, curious about the commotion, turned to look. But Ling Ye didn’t spare it a single glance.

To him, whatever happened to Gu Shengyan and Mu Zihua was irrelevant.

It had nothing to do with him.

And he knew that, with Gu Shengyan’s luck, she wouldn’t actually be in any real danger.

If anything, this situation would probably end up benefiting her in some unexpected way.

Without a second thought, he continued flying forward with Su Xinyue.

Before long, they arrived at their destination—the very heart of the desert.

At the center of this endless expanse of sand lay a mysterious well.

The people of East and West City called it “Qingkai.”

But in reality, it wasn’t a well—it was a sinkhole.

A massive, bottomless pit.

The crater spanned over a kilometer in diameter, appearing like a gaping black hole in the middle of the desert.

The two cities sat on opposite sides of this pit, flanking it from the east and west.

And this was the exact location marked on Ling Ye’s map.

The center of the desert. The abyss.

Suspended in the air above the sinkhole, Ling Ye and Su Xinyue gazed downward.

Compared to the enormous pit beneath them, their figures were as small as specks of dust.

Ling Ye stared at the abyss below. Then, without hesitation, he dove down, taking Su Xinyue with him.

He was here to explore the most special place in the desert.

This sinkhole… was merely an entrance.

Like the neck of a bottle, it led to an even wider space below.

At the very bottom, a strange, blue void twisted and pulsed.

It looked like a portal—a massive, circular gateway.

And on the edge of this distorted void, there was a stone platform.

Bound to this platform by four pitch-black chains… was a woman.

She knelt there, her limbs shackled, her face pale with despair.

She was no ordinary woman.

She was a saint—a sacrifice prepared for an unknown ritual.

…

In this vast desert, the two cities—East City and West City—held a terrifying tradition. Every year, they were required to select a young and beautiful woman to serve as a sacrifice.

This chosen girl, named the Saint, was offered to a divine beast that resided beneath the distorted void. The beast was revered as the god of the desert, worshipped jointly by both cities.

The reason the two cities had oases in this arid land was because of the divine beast’s favor. However, this blessing came at a terrible cost—each year, a beautiful young woman had to be sacrificed.

If they failed to offer a Saint, the divine beast’s wrath would dry up the oases, leaving both cities to wither and die.

The sacrifice chosen this year was the girl kneeling on the stone platform—Yun Xi.

She didn’t know exactly what would happen to her next.

But she knew one thing.

Every Saint before her had disappeared without a trace—not even their bones remained. None had ever returned alive.

Of course, Yun Xi didn’t want to be the Saint.

But it wasn’t her choice.

She had been sent here, imprisoned, and was now waiting—waiting for the divine beast to emerge from the void and claim her life.

Her heart was filled with despair.

She would never see the outside world again.

She would never see her beloved again.

“Yun Xi!”

Just as she was resigning herself to death, a voice suddenly rang out.

It was the voice she longed to hear the most.

But it was also the last voice she wanted to hear here.

Because if that person had come… it meant danger.

She wanted to see her… but she didn’t want her to risk her life for her.

Yun Xi turned her head sharply.

The person she most wanted to see, and the person she least wanted to see, had arrived.

It was a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in a flowing apricot-yellow gown.

The daughter of the East City Lord.

Chu Qingran.

Her best friend.

Her closest sister.

But also… something more than that.

Their bond had deepened over the years, turning into something that went beyond friendship.

Because of this connection, neither of them ever cared for men.

To them, the only person who mattered was each other.

“Ran’er?”

Seeing Chu Qingran, Yun Xi’s emotions surged—excitement, relief, and helplessness all at once.

The moment Chu Qingran landed, she rushed forward and embraced Yun Xi tightly.

The cold, heavy chains rattled loudly as the two clung to each other like long-lost lovers.

Because, in a way… that’s exactly what they were.

Tears welled up in their eyes.

For a moment, nothing else existed.

But after a while, Yun Xi suddenly snapped back to reality.

“You… why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be marrying the Young City Lord of West City?” she asked anxiously.

Chu Qingran loosened her grip and declared firmly, “I won’t marry that cripple. In fact, I will never marry anyone in my life! I—I escaped!”

Yun Xi’s expression changed drastically.

“Are you insane?! You need to go back! If the City Lord finds out, he’ll—”

“I don’t care what they think!” Chu Qingran grabbed Yun Xi’s hands tightly and pleaded, “I came here to save you! Let’s leave this place. Let’s run away together!”

Her voice trembled with determination.

“They’re forcing me to marry for their own benefit!”

“They’re sacrificing you to that beast just to protect their stupid city!”

“None of them are human! They’re all selfish bastards!”

“They talk about the greater good, but if they really cared, why don’t they sacrifice themselves instead of others?!”

“I already sent someone to take my place in that cursed marriage.”

“And now, I’m taking you away from here! We are never coming back!”

As she spoke, she let go of Yun Xi, pulled out a sword, and swung it down at the chains with all her might.

Clang!

A loud metallic crash echoed through the air.

But the chains didn’t even budge.

Chu Qingran’s sword hadn’t even left a scratch.

“W-what…?” Chu Qingran frowned in shock.

She gritted her teeth and swung again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out, again and again.

But no matter how hard she tried… it was useless.

The chains remained unbroken.

“It’s no use,” Yun Xi said bitterly, her eyes brimming with tears.

“These chains were forged specifically for this ritual. Only someone at the God Realm or above could possibly break them.”

She was only at the Seventh Stage of Mysterious Heaven, while Chu Qingran was even weaker—only at the Sixth Stage.

No matter how hard they tried, they would never be able to break these chains.

“Damn it! Damn it!!!”

Chu Qingran kept slashing, her strikes becoming more desperate.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound echoed in the empty underground chamber.

But… it was pointless.

“Ran’er… just live your life well from now on,” Yun Xi whispered.

“If you don’t like living in the desert city, then leave.”

“Just take this as… my final wish.”

“NO!”

Chu Qingran suddenly dropped her sword, threw her arms around Yun Xi, and burst into tears.

“If we can’t leave together… then I won’t leave either!”

“Even if we die, we’ll die together!”

“We’ll stay together forever!”

Hearing this, Yun Xi’s tears finally spilled over.

But… how could she let Chu Qingran die with her?

“If you really want to stay,” Yun Xi whispered, “then cut off my limbs first.”

“I refuse to let you see me like that.”

“So… please, go.”

“NO! I’M NOT GOING! I’M NOT GOING!”

Chu Qingran clung to her, shaking her head violently as she sobbed.

At that moment, two figures suddenly descended from above.

Ling Ye and Su Xinyue.

Ling Ye watched the emotional scene before him, his lips curving into a smirk.

“This is… interesting.”

A love story between two women?

He had never encountered such a thing before.

Beside him, Su Xinyue’s eyes widened in shock.

A big question mark seemed to hover over her head.

What were they doing?

She had never heard of such a thing before!

Women could… love each other like this?

This was completely outside her understanding!

For the first time, Su Xinyue’s young heart trembled with a strange, unfamiliar feeling.

Ling Ye cleared his throat and casually floated down in front of them.

Yun Xi and Chu Qingran, who had been crying in each other’s arms, instantly froze.

A moment later, they quickly let go of each other.

They had kept their relationship a secret since childhood.

Now someone had seen everything?!

It was over.

Their deepest secret had been exposed.

“You… who are you?” Chu Qingran asked, her voice filled with panic.

Before Ling Ye could answer, a loud voice rang out from above.

“Your Majesty!”

Mu Zihua descended, kneeling before Ling Ye.

“Your Majesty! Sheng Yan has been taken away! Please… I beg you… help me!”