The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Ugh!" Huang Shenglang struggled a few times, only to find that he was bound and could not break free at all.

Along the way, he could clearly feel that the commander was taking special care of him. Whenever he felt that he was about to give up, the commander would stop to rest and even secretly give him some food and water when it was late at night.

Although they could barely fill their stomachs, they were forced to run wildly with the horses every day and were sometimes dragged along a distance, causing blisters on their feet that almost rubbed their heels raw; their legs were numb and swollen; and their whole body was covered in bruises, but thankfully they survived.

As the saying goes, "Where there's life, there's hope." Huang Shenglang was very glad that he could get involved with Commander Xiao. Didn't he see that all the others without a backer were executed?

After finally arriving in Yongning City, the commander-in-chief neither ordered him to be thrown into prison nor left to fend for himself. Instead, he blindfolded him and led him to a secluded place.

His mouth was stuffed full, so he couldn't make a sound, and his hands and feet were chafed raw by the hemp rope, so he dared not move.

But you can feel that there is no dust in the room, and you can faintly smell a sandalwood fragrance, which means it is a place with exquisite decoration.

"What exactly does the commander want to do?" Huang Shenglang was completely confused and became more and more bewildered as he thought about it.

Logically speaking, even former subordinates who have committed crimes are usually spared the death penalty but cannot escape punishment.

But General Xiao's actions are rather puzzling...

The black cloth bag over his head obstructed his vision. Huang Shenglang wondered what use he would be to Commander Xiao if he left himself behind.

Are we going to form some kind of secret organization like a suicide squad?

If they spare my life, and I am so grateful that I will follow them to the death, what secret mission will they give me after I pass the test?

The more Huang Shenglang thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and his originally worried heart gradually became excited.

He vaguely saw a bright path unfolding and extending out from the darkness; surviving such a calamity surely brings good fortune! Although he wouldn't become absolutely loyal to Commander Xiao just because he was spared, he had at least been spared his life. Huang Shenglang decided to decide based on the difficulty of the mission; if the effort and reward were disproportionate, he would definitely take the opportunity to escape.

If Xiao Jiangchen thinks that sparing someone's life gives him the right to do whatever he wants with them, then he is being too naive.

At least this approach is useless against him. Huang Shenglang knows very well that he is past the age of being easily bribed and recklessly risking his life. He is still young and has not had a good life since the end of the war.

At first, they were exploited by that scoundrel Liang Laoxi. They finally managed to collect grain locally, but before they could enjoy it for long, Xiao Jiangchen ruined their plans. From a purely economic perspective, Xiao Jiangchen was the real culprit.

If he hadn't come to Yunshao City to get involved, he would have been living a carefree life far from the emperor's reach...

"squeak~"

Just as he was thinking, Huang Shenglang's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door being pushed open.

The bright sunlight cast a long, thin shadow over the short, frail figure. Zhang Xiyue, with her pigtails, bangs, and youthful face, looked at the bound person in the corner with her overly dark eyes, licking her lips and revealing a greedy smile.

Chapter Nine: The First Clash Between the Male and Female Protagonists

"How is it?" Jiang Chen, pulling his cloak tighter, looked at Zhang Xiyue with a doting smile and eager eyes, awaiting her response. "I picked it out especially for you. Do you like it?"

Whether from hunger or excitement, Zhang Xiyue's small body was trembling slightly.

She looked up at his slightly mischievous smile, nodded obediently, and said, "Thank you, Commander, I really like you! You are the best person in the world to me!"

Two minutes ago, Zhang Xiyue couldn't even believe that what Xiao Jiangchen said was true.

Based on her deduction, the other party would definitely try to control their energy intake so that she would not have the opportunity to become stronger.

I would do the same. For people who are beyond your control, keeping them firmly under control is the safest way to manage them.

So she was really bored during this time, which is why she lay in bed thinking of all sorts of sweet words to quickly gain Xiao Jiangchen's trust, then prepared sleeping pills, demanded maids, and secretly ate one of them to satisfy her cravings and recover some strength.

Who would have thought that he would return today, excitedly unlocking the door to tell me that he had specially chosen a gift and that I would definitely like it.

It turned out to be a real person!

Moreover, he is a young man with extremely vigorous vitality!

With vigorous blood and energy, young people are in their prime and full of vitality, making them ideal for nourishing their bodies!

"General, is he really mine now?" Zhang Xiyue was even more unsure of the other party's motives, and timidly asked again, "Can I..."

She licked her lips and asked in a low voice, "Can we eat him?"

With her acting skills on point, Jiang Chen nodded with a smile, "Of course, I specially picked this to nourish your body."

Darling, now you should believe that my love for you is true, right? I'll do everything I can to find you anything you like! But…”

He bent down and said in a soft but meaningful tone, "My dear Xiaoxiyue, don't be greedy. It's good to nourish your body occasionally, but you know what I'm worried about..."

A pair of hands suddenly grabbed her shoulders, almost crushing them and kneading them into his body. Jiang Chen whispered in the other's ear, "I can give you, and I can take away."

I will tolerate your capriciousness within certain limits. As long as you don't test my patience and quietly wait for my gift, you will be the happiest monster in the world.

Zhang Xiyue: o(╥﹏╥)o

My shoulder hurts so much!

The bones are about to be crushed!

Waaaaah... Why is there such a terrifying human being as Xiao Jiangchen in this world?

What exactly is he trying to do?

What triggered this? Why is he acting so crazy?

"Great General, I will not leave you." Her whole body trembled slightly for some reason, and her voice trembled as well.

Jiang Chen released his hand and gently pushed it, reminding him, "Do you sense any familiar scent on the prey?"

Upon hearing his reminder, Zhang Xiyue, who was terrified and bewildered, finally realized what was happening. She turned her head and looked at the prey bound in the corner of the empty room, and indeed, there was a familiar scent about it.

For some reason, a strange feeling suddenly flashed through her mind.

This strange feeling had no source, but Zhang Xiyue had one thought in mind—no, she couldn't eat him!

"Meow, the show is about to begin!" The fluffy ball perched on its host's shoulder, craning its neck with anticipation, even its whiskers sticking up high. It muttered, "Host, you really should see this scene. The two of them are shining with their protagonist auras like crazy, they're about to start fighting!"

However, it seems Huang Shenglang has made a miscalculation; his aura is clearly no match for Zhang Xiyue's.

Jiang Chen couldn't see the halo it spoke of, but he could see the struggle on the female lead's small face at a glance;

With a black cloth bag over his head, Huang Shenglang could only whimper and tremble. Clearly, he was dominated by fear and had already lost the battle in terms of momentum.

prey?

monster?

Eat it?

When Huang Shenglang first heard the door open, he thought it was Xiao Jiangchen coming over to negotiate with him.

Unexpectedly, a child's voice suddenly appeared, and during the back-and-forth conversation with Xiao Jiangchen, she said that she wanted to eat him to replenish her body.

"Ugh! Ugh!" He then realized that he had not received any special rescue, but had been captured by that damned Xiao Jiangchen and fed to his little monster bitch!

Huang Shenglang was terrified.

He doesn't want to die!

If death is the only option, it's better to be killed by a bullet in Yunshao City; at least that would be a quick and painless end.

They were given hope to live, and gritted their teeth and followed the horse, stumbling and crawling all the way. They barely managed to save half their lives, only to be fed to the monster and eaten piece by piece.

How could I accept this!

Huang Shenglang struggled desperately, trying to cry for help.

Realizing he was in grave danger, his dazzling protagonist aura began to radiate outwards, as he tried to turn the tide and find a glimmer of hope in this desperate situation.

This aura, which belonged exclusively to the second male lead, naturally also affected Zhang Xiyue.

The feeling of rejection in her heart grew stronger and stronger, and she even began to make excuses for herself: a strange intuition from the monster told her that she felt a sense of familiarity with him, no, I can't eat him!

This is important: we must not devour this unknown creature in front of us.

"Do you know why it feels so familiar?" Jiang Chen offered his help, "Because he was one of the bandit leaders who burned, killed, and looted Forty Mile Slope. You narrowly escaped from his knife."

My poor little Xiyue almost died by his blade.

I went to Yunshao City to handle this matter, and I specially brought him back as a gift for you. Aren't you touched? Do you like it?

Zhang Xiyue: (=ω=；)

So that's why it felt familiar!

She suddenly realized that she had only escaped death by using a minor spell in the emergency, so it was normal for her to remember the executioner's scent.

That being the case...

A smile gradually spread across Zhang Xiyue's face as her small feet, clad in red embroidered shoes, stepped into the room.

"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!" Huang Shenglang was terrified, and all he could do was struggle frantically.

The initially explosive aura of power was gradually suppressed by the female lead's aura, causing it to recede. As the situation reached a stalemate, and Zhang Xiyue drew closer, the ropes binding Huang Shenglang suddenly snapped!

"Huh? What's going on?" The fluffy little thing was staring intently at the battle halo when it suddenly realized something was wrong and warned, "Host, the second male lead is trying to escape!"

Seeing this, Jiang Chen took a step back and said loudly, "Xiao Xiyue, don't waste this chance. This kid already knows your background, so we can't afford any mistakes. Otherwise, if Daoist Lingquan hears the news and comes over in advance, we'll all be in trouble."

After saying that, he slammed the door shut.

In the room that instantly became somewhat gloomy after losing the bright daylight, there was a female protagonist who was obsessed with eating human flesh to become stronger; and a second male protagonist who wanted to survive and escape.

Even in those few seconds, things are bound to change unexpectedly.

"I'll fight you to the death!" Under the influence of the halo, Huang Shenglang actually broke free of the ropes binding him, ripped off the black cloth bag from his head, and spat out the tattered cloth stuffed in his mouth. With red eyes, he was about to charge forward when he discovered that the other party was just a two or three-year-old child!

Those tiny arms and legs weren't even enough to take a punch from him. Although he could tell from their conversation that she was a monster, Huang Shenglang still didn't think she posed any threat.

"General!" Zhang Xiyue was also stunned. She hurriedly took a few steps back for help. "General, please help me! He... he's broken free of the ropes!"

Jiang Chen: ...

Is your protagonist aura just about ordering around the best supporting actor?

If you can't even handle prey that's practically delivered to your mouth, you're really too weak.

Anyway, I've already completed my delivery task. You two can do whatever you want. It would be best if you fought until you were both badly injured.

"You still dare to shout?" Huang Shenglang wiped the blood from his lips with his sleeve, and with a death-or-death mentality, he stepped forward and grabbed Zhang Xiyue by the neck, lifting her frail body off the ground. "Killing one is enough, killing two is a bonus! You want to eat me? Come on! Let's see who can eat whom!"

Threatened by the fear of death, the second male protagonist has lost his ability to think due to brain congestion in order to survive.

All he wanted was to live!

Driven by extreme terror, Huang Shenglang had a strange thought: if he ate the man-eating monster, would he gain the monster's abilities?

"Uh... um..."