The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

”Mother.”

Zhu Anshun hurried back as quickly as he could, and as soon as he entered the door, he was informed that Mrs. Zhu was ill.

Upon entering the room, he saw Mrs. Zhu lying sick in bed, obviously emaciated, just skin and bones, which filled his heart with both pain and hatred.

He felt pained at the suffering Mrs. Zhu was enduring, furious at the unfeeling Family Head Zhu, and even more resentful toward Mrs. Feng and Anning for their relentless pressure.

Mrs. Zhu reached out her hand to Zhu Anshun.

Zhu Anshun fell to his knees with a thud, holding Mrs. Zhu’s hand with both of his: ”Mother, your son has returned too late.”

Mrs. Zhu’s tears fell instantly.

Zhu Anshun’s eyes were red too, and after a long time, he stood up: ”Mother, your son will bring you justice.”

”No, don’t.”

Mrs. Zhu clung to Zhu Anshun, not letting go: ”Don’t go, don’t go.”

Zhu Anshun couldn’t refuse Mrs. Zhu, so he sat beside her, gently comforting her.

”Anning has passed the Nascent Soul Tribulation.”

Mrs. Zhu urgently spoke to Zhu Anshun about the situation at home: ”She’s a Nascent Soul Ancestor. If her birth mother were still a concubine, it wouldn’t look good. It’s only right for Mrs. Feng to be made an equal wife, it’s the right thing to do.”

This single statement dissipated all of Zhu Anshun’s anger and resentment at once.

It’s not that he didn’t feel for his birth mother.

He was raised as the intended head of the Zhu family, and in his view, the family is what’s most important, and anything that benefits the Zhu family is justified.

And what Anning, the Nascent Soul Ancestor, means for the Zhu family, Zhu Anshun is clearer about it than anyone else.

Not only Zhu Anshun, but Mrs. Zhu also understands. If not, she wouldn’t have made such a concession.

She no longer manages the household, giving the authority of the inner quarters to Mrs. Feng, which is a gesture of goodwill towards Anning, showing that she is willing to make concessions for the sake of the Zhu family.

Yet, her pride is high; no matter how much she understands, having been reduced to this state leaves her feeling stifled, which led to her falling seriously ill.

”If Mother cannot let go in her heart, I shall ask Father to build a separate residence, so Mother can live comfortably there.”

Zhu Anshun thought of this solution after much contemplation.

Mrs. Zhu shook her head: ”I won’t go. This is my home; even in death, I want to die here.”

Zhu Anshun sighed: ”It is my incompetence that has caused Mother such grievances.”

At this moment, he thought, if only he had succeeded in the Nascent Soul Tribulation, then his mother and sister wouldn’t have to endure such humiliation.

Thinking of his sister, he quickly asked Mrs. Zhu: ”What about An Yue? She hasn’t returned yet?”

Mrs. Zhu shook her head: ”I don’t know what’s happened. As soon as she reached the mortal world, she... do you think Anning harmed her?”

Zhu Anshun waved it off: ”It’s not Anning. It should be An Yue herself who ran into trouble. Anning isn’t that petty and wouldn’t harm her own sister.”

This Zhu Anshun was certain of.

After all, they grew up together as siblings, and he understands Anning’s character.

Mrs. Zhu actually knows it’s not Anning, but with no news from Zhu An Yue, she can’t help but let her imagination run wild.

”Mother, rest assured, when the Immortal Channel opens next, I will go to the mortal world to search for An Yue.”

Zhu An Yue made this promise, hoping it would ease Mrs. Zhu’s mind a bit.

As for Zhu An Yue, whom they were discussing, what was she doing?

She was on the run.

While in Prefecture City, Zhu An Yue, due to her lack of vigilance, was drugged unconscious at an inn, and her Identity Jade was taken, after which she was sold into a brothel.

Yet being a cultivator, even in the mortal world with suppressed cultivation, she was still somewhat stronger than ordinary people. In the brothel, Zhu An Yue discreetly drugged the guards and escaped while no one was on guard.

As for any talk of a contract of sale.

She didn’t care, as she wasn’t a person of this world, lacking an identity here. The contract of sale was meaningless to her.

After her escape, Zhu An Yue thought it wasn’t viable to fight alone, so she hid within a wealthy family, planning to observe how these mortals conducted themselves.

It happened that the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty was selecting concubines, and the daughter of that household was on the list. The girl was unwilling, lamenting her fate as though she wished for death.

Zhu An Yue saw this as an opportune moment.

She discreetly approached the girl and arranged to enter the palace in her place.

After some arrangements by the family, Zhu An Yue took on the girl’s identity and went to the Capital.

Once inside the palace, Zhu An Yue kept a low profile.

As a cultivator, she had no regard for mortal emperors and certainly wouldn’t serve as a concubine. She stayed in the palace to understand how the mortals thought and secretly regain some cultivation before moving on.

However, Zhu An Yue hadn’t expected that not long after she settled in the palace, the Great Zhou Dynasty would fall.

The Great Zhou Emperor was overthrown by a new Emperor of humble origins, who ascended the throne and naturally purged the harem. Few of the palace maid and eunuch and concubines from the previous dynasty met good ends.

Seeing this, Zhu An Yue realized she couldn’t stay in the palace any longer and had to escape.

So, she made another escape.

After leaving the palace, Zhu An Yue had no identity proof and didn’t know where to go, so she continued her escape while searching for her Identity Jade.

One day, Zhu An Yue arrived at a town.

By then, she’d found a way to secure her registration, and upon reaching the town, she planned to stay a while, gather information about the Immortal Channel, and if all else failed, wait until the next opening to return.

Zhu An Yue had just purchased a house, cleaned it, and bought furniture, intending to greet her neighbors when a major event occurred in the town.

Several wealthy households in the town pooled funds to build a Fairy Temple.

At that time, Zhu An Yue had just instructed her servant to deliver some food to her right neighbor and was speaking with the lady of the house, when she heard talk about the Fairy Temple. She asked the lady, Mrs. Zuo: ”What is this Fairy Temple about?”

Mrs. Zuo laughed: ”You may not know. I only heard from my husband. They say the current Emperor received skills from a fairy, which allowed him to unify the kingdom and establish such a remarkable feat. After ascending the throne, remembering the fairy’s teachings, he had several Fairy Temples built across the land. They say these temples are very effective, so we thought of building one here too.”

”A fairy?”

Zhu An Yue was startled, sensing a foreboding feeling.

When the Fairy Temple was completed, Mrs. Zuo invited Zhu An Yue to go offer incense. Upon seeing the statue enshrined in the temple, Zhu An Yue was so enraged that she dropped her offerings.

”Anning, Anning, wonderful, just wonderful.”

In her heart, Zhu An Yue cursed Anning for being so unscrupulous, knowing she had coached the Emperor and many civil and military ministers, showing how powerful she was. Such a formidable Anning could easily find her if she wished, but instead, she left her stranded in the mortal world to waste her cultivation and time.

Returning home, Zhu An Yue smashed many things in a fit of rage: ”Zhu Anning, I won’t rest until one of us is dead.”