In a Fantasy World as Cannon Fodder, I Got Entangled with the Heroine - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Kept Man?

Translation by: Weebsread👹

“Duan Yuqing, let me spar with you.”

Bai Piaoxue strode forward, her bearing graceful yet sharp, facing Duan Yuqing with an unflinching, frosty gaze.

Duan Yuqing glanced at her, then sneered toward Jiang Qian. “What’s this? Jiang Qian, are you really going to cower behind a woman?”

Jiang Qian lounged in his seat, utterly at ease, throwing a grape into his mouth and propping up his feet. He grinned, the picture of lazy contentment. “Why shouldn’t I? If I’ve got the skills to live a carefree life, can you say the same, Duan Yuqing?”

Laughter and envious whispers rippled through the crowd.

“Damn, I can’t even argue with that!”

“I’m so jealous—wait, no, it’s envy—no, maybe it’s both...”

“When will I ever get the chance to live off someone as incredible as Bai Piaoxue? Just once, I want to know what that bliss feels like...”

All around, the men who overheard Jiang Qian’s shameless words ground their teeth in envy. If only they could trade places with him, even for a single day.

Duan Yuqing’s eyes flashed cold. “A coward is always a coward—hiding behind a woman’s skirts.”

Jiang Qian just smiled, serene and unfazed. “You keep referring to her as ‘just a woman’—what, Holy Son, do you look down on women?”

His words were like a stone cast into a lake—the crowd instantly stirred.

“Yeah, what’s that supposed to mean? Why should women be looked down on? Are we really weaker than you men?”

“Wasn’t your mother a woman? Holy Son, do you look down on her too?”

“That’s right! Some men couldn’t match us if they tried!”

In a flash, the mood turned as the women in the crowd unleashed a torrent of criticism on Duan Yuqing.

“I’m nothing like Holy Son,” Jiang Qian added righteously, fanning the flames. “I have nothing but respect for women. In my eyes, women hold up half the sky!”

With just a few words, Duan Yuqing became the center of the storm.

Chen Shimin eyed Jiang Qian with growing admiration. To think Senior Brother could turn a crowd with just a handful of sentences—truly impressive.

I knew I chose the right person to follow. Senior Brother is always a cut above the rest!

Seeing the situation spiraling, Chen Jianzhi quickly tried to restore order. “Everyone, please, Holy Son didn’t mean it that way. Let’s all calm down for a moment, all right?”

Out of deference to Chen Jianzhi, the women reluctantly softened their backlash. But the good will they held for Chen Jianzhi and Duan Yuqing had plummeted to a new low.

Meanwhile, their feelings toward Jiang Qian soared—especially after that “women hold up half the sky” line. It struck a chord, sending his popularity surging.

If Jiang Qian hadn’t already been involved with Bai Piaoxue, more than a few of them might have lined up to propose right then and there.

Duan Yuqing composed himself, deciding to ignore Jiang Qian’s provocations and focus on his true opponent: Bai Piaoxue.

He knew only too well he couldn’t best Jiang Qian in a battle of wit.

Suddenly—

Spiritual Essence surged around Duan Yuqing, condensing into a blade of Spiritual Essence as he drew the sword at his waist.

At the same time, snowflakes began swirling around Bai Piaoxue. The air grew bitingly cold as she gripped a slender sword in her hand.

The two squared off, auras colliding, neither willing to yield an inch.

The pressure from their clash was so immense that many of the weaker cultivators nearby found it hard to breathe.

“Thousand Seals, Ten Thousand Miles Art!” Bai Piaoxue struck first. Frost swept over the ship’s deck, rapidly stretching toward Duan Yuqing in a tide of dazzling cold.

Duan Yuqing reacted in a flash, launching himself into the air.

But the instant his feet left the ground, a razor-edged icicle shot upward at him.

“Falling Star Execution!” Duan Yuqing slashed down with his sword, shattering the icicle. The force of his strike barreled straight for Bai Piaoxue.

Walls of ice materialized one after another, summoned by Bai Piaoxue. Duan Yuqing’s sword broke through the first layers, but when it crashed into the final barrier, it could only leave a shallow furrow.

Blow after blow, their clash grew fiercer, until even the ship beneath their feet began to rock violently, as if it might capsize under the pressure.

Still, neither showed any sign of giving ground.

If this continued, the entire boat risked sinking to the depths below.

At the last possible moment, Chen Jianzhi and Chen Shimin shouted, almost at the same time, for the duel to stop.

Duan Yuqing, heeding Chen Jianzhi’s command, began to withdraw his power—while Bai Piaoxue seemed intent on pressing the attack.

“Senior Sister Bai, that’s enough! Any further and there’ll be nothing left of this ship!” Jiang Qian called out, urgency in his voice.

Only then did Bai Piaoxue relent, sheathing her blade and letting the biting cold fade away.

Chen Shimin covered his face with a wry smile. “Looks like I was being far too optimistic...”

With the duel ended, the crowd exhaled in collective relief.

The gathering continued for another quarter of an hour before people began to drift off, each returning their own way.

Later, Jiang Qian and his two companions sat together in their carriage.

Chen Shimin burst out laughing, unable to hold himself back. “Hahaha! The look on Chen Jianzhi’s face—he was so frustrated, I can’t help but laugh!”

“Oh, by the way, Senior Brother, I won’t be around the Azure Mountain Sect for a while. My father—the Emperor—has commanded me to go train with the army.”

“So, I was wondering... would you be interested in coming along?”

“Me? I’ll pass. The army isn’t my style,” Jiang Qian declined without hesitation.

Chen Shimin wasn’t surprised. He knew all too well that given the choice, Jiang Qian would pick an easier road every time.

He shrugged it off. “I figured as much.”

The words had barely left his mouth when a Fifth Rank demonic beast burst suddenly from the shadows, slamming into their carriage and sending it rolling.

All three reacted at once, leaping free from the wreckage.

Peering into the darkness, they saw the beast’s emerald eyes burning like lanterns. Chen Shimin’s brow furrowed. “How could a demonic beast appear in a place like this?”

Jiang Qian’s gaze sharpened. He caught sight of a figure lurking in the distance, hidden in the gloom.

So, it really was Hu Murui’s doing.

“Senior Sister Bai, I’ll leave things to you for now. I’ll be right back!” Jiang Qian called out, summoning his Northwind Ice Wolf and vaulting onto its back. In a single breath, he rode off into the darkness.

Far ahead, Hu Murui, concealed and watching, spotted Jiang Qian coming straight for her. She whipped around and bolted.

She ran and ran until she finally stumbled to a halt in a secluded clearing, glancing back repeatedly to make sure she wasn’t being pursued. She slumped onto a rock, sighing in relief. “Whew... Looks like he didn’t catch up. That scared me half to death.”

“Who says I haven’t caught up?” Jiang Qian’s teasing voice rang out beside her.

“Ah—!” Hu Murui squeaked, leaping to her feet. The moment she spotted Jiang Qian, she turned and dashed away without a second thought.

But—

She’d only taken a few steps when the Northwind Ice Wolf appeared before her, letting out a furious roar: “Roaaar—!”

The beast’s bellow sent Hu Murui stumbling backward in fright, forcing her to spin around and flee the other way.

But as she turned, Jiang Qian seized her by the arm.

Hu Murui struggled desperately, but quickly discovered she was no match for his strength—there was no escaping his grip.

“Talk,” Jiang Qian said coolly. “The Fifth Rank demonic beast now, and the Fourth Rank one before—were both of those your doing?”

TL Note:

- “Soft rice”—a slang term meaning to live off a woman’s support, i.e., to be a ‘kept man’ or ‘live off a woman.’ Here, Jiang Qian uses it shamelessly and humorously.