The male supporting character was actually myself.

Mu Jiuxiu carried his things out with the nagging old lady. Only then did the old hunter sigh and advise, "Niu Da, you should also settle down. Can't you see that the Cowherd is no longer the Cowherd he used to be?"

Perhaps he was bewitched by a female demon;

Perhaps it's because I had nowhere to vent my anger after being bullied by you in previous years, that I became arrogant after turning the tables.

You're a stubborn child, always refusing to listen to advice. When Erlang was little, everyone advised you to be kinder to your own brother, but you wouldn't listen. Now that he's climbed the social ladder, you're acting like the eldest brother, trying to get some benefits. Be careful not to overreach and end up getting into trouble instead of gaining anything.”

"I know, it's getting late, everyone should get some rest. I'll head back now." Niu Da replied sullenly, seemingly oblivious to what was being said, and got up to leave.

The remaining village elders discussed the matter for a while before dispersing.

After washing up, Mu Jiuxiu took out roast chicken and meat buns from his bundle and ate and drank to his heart's content in the side room of the old hunter's house. He then lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) that the old lady had prepared for him and carefully reviewed the situation the old hunter had told him.

After considering many possibilities, he felt that his logic was indeed flawless.

The old ox is smarter than a human, so he's probably waiting for me to find her too. We should be able to meet up tomorrow. I've already told the villagers not to disturb each other and to prevent anyone from trespassing into the mountains and ruining my plans.

This time, we need to hide even deeper. Ideally, we could get the old ox to conjure up a small house or something beforehand, so that the Weaver Girl can weave day and night without stopping. First, weave the silk threads into fine silk and sell it at a high price. Then, with the capital, we can buy more silk threads to weave more cloth... If we think about it carefully, with the Weaver Girl, this celestial being, things will be much easier to manage than the endless cycle of chicken and egg.

Start your business by working hard for a few days, and once you've saved enough money, you can buy a suitable yard in town and officially begin your brand building and business expansion plans!

Filled with hopeful anticipation for the future, he quickly drifted off to sleep.

However, Niu Da and his wife couldn't fall asleep. The couple sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) in silence for a long time.

"Is that female demon really that powerful? Erlang is so lucky. He even managed to find a beautiful female demon while herding cattle in the mountains, and he even managed to sleep with her! Did you see what kind of goods Erlang brought back?" Niu Da's wife's desire for wealth and glory was no less than Niu Da's.

Every time she went to town to sell things, she would stare at the rich ladies for a long time, fantasizing that she could also have a bunch of servants to serve her, eat persimmon cakes whenever she wanted, and lie on the kang (a heated brick bed) as long as she wanted.

Not only was there no work waiting for her to do after getting up, but there was also a little maid to massage her shoulders and back.

As evening fell, her husband came up the mountain with her. Amidst the commotion, she inquired around and finally learned some random things from the gossipy old woman.

There is a rumor that at night, you can hear singing and dancing in the mountains, with golden light shining everywhere. That means the Cowherd has encountered good fortune and has gone into the fairy's cave to become a groom.

Some say that the mountain demons, in order to cultivate, need to absorb vital energy, which is why they chose the unmarried cowherd. They say that the gold and silver jewels they are giving him now are just a way to fool him, and that he will be drained of his life force in a while.

Rumors abound, and it's unclear whether they're true or false, but the story of the Cowherd encountering a female demon is absolutely true. Moreover, the female demon is said to be incredibly beautiful, with gold and silver hairpins on her head that are so dazzling they're almost blinding, making her even more presentable than the young ladies from wealthy families in the city.

The old woman didn't care whether the cowherd would be drained dry. She was just hoping her husband would come back soon. But after he came back and told her what had happened, she was even more tempted to try and get something out of him.

"Don't even mention it! Erlang guards that pile of stuff like a dog protecting its food, he won't let anyone see it!" Niu Da felt so frustrated that his heart was choked up. The good thing was right in front of him, but why was he just missing the last step and not getting the benefits?

He paused for a moment, lowered his voice, and whispered to his wife, "Brother Li did touch them. He thought they were the thank-you gifts that Erlang had promised to deliver in his carriage, but then he took them back and only gave him two copper coins."

I heard from Brother Li that although the forest was dark and the firelight was dim, he could vaguely feel something like silk in the bundle—soft and smooth; he also felt quite a few hard, bulging things. He figured they were probably things used by a female demon, nothing more than gold, silver, and valuables, which must have been worth a lot of money. Otherwise, why would Erlang be in such a hurry?

Upon hearing the words "gold, silver, and valuables," Old Lady Niu's face trembled slightly with excitement.

The problem is that all those items are now in the hands of the male prostitute. If he could just get one or two of them, he would become rich!

"Damn it, judging from his tone, he's definitely not going to let us get away with this." Niu Da was also itching to get his hands on him, muttering to himself, "Tell me, isn't he an ingrate? He lost his parents when he was little, and all the family property he had was worth, how much could it be? Did I raise him all these years without spending any money? Just the food he's had these past few years as a teenager should have been all gone by now!"

"Why don't you say this to Niulang in front of the old men?" The other party said angrily with a long face: "Don't say that he has already spent all the rice and grain he deserved since he was a child. As his sister-in-law, I have not let him run around naked every day. Spinning thread, weaving cloth and making clothes are money, aren't they? If you do the math, we are actually losing money!"

No, I can't swallow this insult. We have to settle this score again.

Tomorrow I'll call all the villagers to come and judge this. His parents gave birth to him, not us. Raising him was a favor, not an obligation. Let them see if they could grow up healthy and well-fed when he was just a snotty-nosed little kid who took the house and land!

He's already spent all his share on food, drink, and daily necessities, and he's taken advantage of us for so many years. I'm not his mother; if it weren't for my kindness in making him clothes, he wouldn't even have a cotton-padded coat in winter and would have frozen to death! Now that he's climbed the social ladder, he wants to enjoy his retirement, so he condemns his brother and sister-in-law as villains. Has the Cowherd's conscience been eaten by dogs?

Listening to his wife's complaints, Niu Da thought about it and felt that he was right. Then he remembered the key point and whispered a reminder: "The village chief has taken a horse-drawn cart to Nanlang Mountain to find a Taoist priest to come and catch the demon. He said he will be back tomorrow."

What if, just what if the Taoist priests of Nanlang Mountain captured the female demon? Maybe we can still touch her while the Cowherd is staying in the village tonight, and he's carrying so much gold and silver..."

He didn't say the rest, but the ruthlessness that flashed in Niu Da's eyes made him look rather sinister and terrifying.

“He lives at Grandpa Wang’s house. Don’t let his age fool you, that old man is still very healthy. He could take on two lazybones like you!” The woman clearly knew what her husband was planning. After thinking for a moment, she advised, “Let’s wait and see tomorrow. Even if the Taoist priest takes the female demon away, he won’t take away the Cowherd. He still has all the treasures he has.”

So, tomorrow…

The two of them sat on the edge of the dark kang (a heated brick bed) without any lights on in their room, whispering to each other for a long time before finally resting.

The early morning in the deep mountains is refreshing and invigorating.

The air, carrying a faint woody fragrance, rising from the trees, grass, and streams, along with the chirping of birds flitting among the trees, imbues the tranquil cabin in the woods with a profound sense of peace and tranquility.

Jiang Chen got up early. The locust tree spirit doesn't actually need to sleep; it can restore its vigorous energy by meditating and cultivating. However, in order to create a persona for Taurus Star Lord that he wanted to be closer to humans, he slept a little less and then began to meditate and cultivate breathing techniques.

"Moo~" Taurus Star Lord sensed the faint demonic energy circulating and knew that the young man was cultivating while Weaver Girl was resting. Immersed in the peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, it gradually relaxed its vigilance and suddenly remembered the days when it had not yet achieved enlightenment. It was really not easy for little demons in the mortal world to cultivate.

To awaken spiritual intelligence and become a spirit requires an extremely rare opportunity.

Perhaps they did a thousand good deeds in their past lives, or perhaps they had a karmic connection with a highly enlightened person in their destiny. But in the end, they are just a very small number of lucky people.

Slowly swaying its tail and squinting its eyes, the old ox leaned against the haystack, reminiscing about the past before drifting off to sleep.

"Jiang Chen?" The Weaver Girl finally got a good night's sleep. No longer having to be constantly on guard against being violated by the Cowherd, she slept soundly until dawn. After washing and dressing, she came out of the thatched hut and smiled faintly, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

“I’ve finished all the work in the fields, so there’s really nothing for you to help with.” Jiang Chen, who was tending the vegetable garden, stood in the field with his trousers rolled up. His hands, which were covered in mud from watering, were covered in mud. Hearing the voice, he looked up at the Weaver Girl, smiled brightly, brushed his hair with the back of his hand, pointed in a direction, and said, “If you’re bored, Miss Weaver Girl, you can go over there and pick some wildflowers to put in a vase.”

The Weaver Girl pretended to look out and glanced at the old ox, who was staring intently at her. She then had a sudden idea and agreed. She turned around, went back into the house, grabbed a wooden basin, scooped some water from the stream, and brought it to the edge of the field. "Wash your hands first, look how muddy they are."

Without any hesitation, he put down his farm tools and washed his hands and face while the Weaver Girl was scooping water from a wooden basin. "Today I have to go into the deep mountains to find something valuable for the Cowherd to settle our karmic debts."

The weather has been hot lately, so I have to use the gourd I made to fetch water from the mountain spring to water a few saplings and help them get through the hot season. Those saplings will basically survive.

So I'll be a little busy today and won't have time to help you get to know the area around here.

Tomorrow I'll take you for a walk in the mountains. As long as you don't go to any dangerous places, you'll find that the mountains are much better than the outside world; at least they can calm your mind.

Only after hearing what the young man said did Taurus Star Lord realize the truth.

No wonder he met the Cowherd at the mountain spring despite the stream near his dwelling and was given a large gourd for storing water. It turns out the little tree spirit was taking care of the young saplings in the mountains and forests. He was indeed a kind-hearted child.

Hearing him say this, the Weaver Girl's eyes softened even more. "You are so thoughtful and considerate. You even went out of your way to water the young saplings because you were worried they wouldn't have enough water. You are such a good person!"

"It's just a small favor. I live in this mountain forest and get everything I need from it. It's only right that I help out occasionally to repay the favor."

Seeing the two chatting and laughing and quickly becoming familiar with each other, and with the Weaver Girl clearly having no resistance to the young man, the Taurus Star Lord was quite pleased and was just waiting for the young man to leave so he could summon the Magpie Spirit and give it a good talk on how to make the act more convincing.

Leaving the Soul Weapon behind to guard the house, Jiang Chen went into the deep mountains alone;

The Weaver Girl was noticeably more relaxed. Following the little tree spirit's instructions, she pretended to be immersed in the peacefulness of life to lull Taurus Star Lord into a false sense of security.

First, they admired the beautiful rural scenery by the stream; then they picked some wildflowers and put them in a vase, arranging them for a while before placing them on the windowsill as decoration; then they teased the birds hopping in the trees, and then studied the various vegetables and fruits that Jiang Chen had planted, observing them very carefully.

"Flutter!"

The magpie spirit met at the agreed location based on the signal released by Taurus Star Lord. Perched on a treetop, it seemed slightly nervous. "How did you two get here? I saw that the cave was burned down by fire. What happened? You summoned me from so close to her, aren't you worried about being…?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down." The old ox interrupted its babbling, lowering its voice, "The Weaver Girl's protective magic is getting weaker and weaker. Now she can't even sense your demonic aura, let alone a little demon with weak magic. She just thinks the other person is human. Listen to me, the Cowherd is really hopeless. I've changed my strategy..."

It recounted in detail what had happened and what its plans were, including the sudden turn of events at the cave, and concluded by instructing, "Go tell the Third Holy Mother to wait for our good news!"

"So fast?" The magpie spirit paused for a while before whispering back, "I also agree with your plan to replace people, but I didn't expect it to be so quick. The Third Holy Mother doesn't know anything yet. Will we mess things up by acting on our own?"

Moreover, the original plan was to amend the Heavenly Laws so that the Jade Emperor would be unable to punish the forced Weaver Girl. Now, if the Weaver Girl and the young man fall in love and have a child together, will that achieve our goal?

What if—I mean, what if the little fairy cultivates and becomes an immortal? Then the Weaver Girl wouldn't be considered to have violated the heavenly rules!

The old ox rolled its big eyes at it, "Are you stupid? Do you think it's so easy for a little demon to cultivate into an immortal? How many years have you cultivated to your current level? How far are you from becoming an immortal?"

If a few hundred years of cultivation is enough to approach the ranks of immortals, why would you want to get involved and try to seize the heavenly court's immortal energy to enlighten yourself?

How long has it been since she gave birth? If everything goes smoothly, the Weaver Girl will have given birth by this time next year. There's no way that the little demon can cultivate into an immortal. Even if she gets in through connections and eats Taibai Jinxing's elixir like beans, it's still impossible. Without going through the Heavenly Tribulation and being recognized and enlightened by the Jade Emperor, no matter how much she cultivates, she can never become an immortal.

Even if the Queen Mother of the West is held back for a few days at most, it's only been a few years in the mortal realm. It's impossible for her to have an extraordinary opportunity.

Besides, I've already told you, it's more beneficial for us if the Weaver Girl falls in love. She's still a victim; her celestial robes were stolen and hidden by the wicked Cowherd, forcing her to fall to the mortal realm, where she was rescued by a hero. Unable to return to Heaven, she couldn't resist developing mortal feelings—what's wrong with that?

The magpie spirit tilted its head and thought for a moment, "That's right, you're right. This way we can shift the blame to the cowherd. Not only will we not be exposed, but our clan will also stand up for a true love, which is even more reasonable! I'll go back and report to the Third Holy Mother. You stay here and keep an eye on them."

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Demonic Aura!

The magpie spirit flapped its wings and flew away. The Weaver Girl, who was no different from a mortal, did not notice anything amiss. The Soul Artifact that stayed behind, on the other hand, heard the conversation between the ox and the magpie clearly.

"You've really gone to great lengths. What important figure are you plotting with?" Jiang Chen frowned slightly as he searched deep in the remote mountains, completely puzzled.

Since the little white cat arrived in the Heavenly Realm, due to the significant time difference, no news has been sent back.

That's understandable. After all, a day in heaven is a year on earth. What takes one or two days here might only be a blink of an eye there. Even after the message is sent, it will still take some time before reinforcements arrive.

He was very curious about the mastermind behind the mirror world, and who the big boss hiding behind the Third Princess was. Why was he so determined to force the Jade Emperor to change the Heavenly Laws?

If Mu Jiuxiu's plan falls through and he only rescues the Weaver Girl, what will happen to the world in the mirror?

Everything vanished as if it had never existed?

Just like in the past when I dedicated myself to resisting script groups with distorted values ​​and eventually entered a mission world with free development, without the interference of the protagonist and halo, all living beings continued to live in an orderly manner.

If that's the case, the overall operation of the mirror world is very similar to that of the main system.

Mu Jiuxiu is the script team responsible for inputting the story; the mirror automatically generates a small world waiting for the chosen one to descend, and all the plot serves him. Without him appearing to cause trouble, the male protagonist has a smooth life and gets whatever he wants.

Moreover, compared to the script team, Mu Jiuxiu had a much better time.

The scriptwriting team is responsible for creating stories to make the chosen one happy; while Mu Jiuxiu creates stories to make himself happy.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen took out the crystal paperweight he had unexpectedly obtained from his space. Surprisingly, he saw "himself" standing in the center of the crystal paperweight, seemingly looking down at something!

It was a miniature version of himself shrunk many times over; the scene looked truly bizarre.

Jiang Chen tried moving his body and found that the two were not synchronized. There were no abnormalities such as images or light in other parts of the crystal paperweight, which made him even more puzzled about what was going on.

"Forget it, let's deal with Mu Jiuxiu first." He put away the paperweight and used magic to pluck a Ganoderma lucidum with his right hand.

In ancient times, without cultivation techniques, wild Ganoderma lucidum was very expensive.

Mu Jiuxiu is currently obsessed with money. Giving him some financial compensation will at least keep him quiet for a few days, so he won't run around causing trouble for others under the protagonist's halo.

Just as they obtained the wild Ganoderma lucidum, Mu Jiuxiu, who had been staying at the old hunter's house in Taoyuan Village, also finished packing.

He was eager to meet the old ox so that the Weaver Girl could finish the preliminary work for the road to wealth and avoid any unforeseen complications. In particular, he had heard that the village chief had gone to find a Taoist priest to capture the demon. Mu Jiuxiu felt that there must be many extraordinary people in the world where gods and immortals exist. For safety's sake, he reminded the old ox to prevent the matter of imprisoning the celestial being from being exposed.

"Damn it, not a single day has gone smoothly!" After eating a cold sesame seed cake and drinking a bowl of cold water in the morning, he shouldered his pack and prepared to head into the mountains.

"Once you've gone, you'll never come back to the village," Mu Jiuxiu thought to himself as he bid farewell to the old couple and quickly left.

"Look at that, such a big, heavy package!" Niu Da had already pulled his wife to hide at the alley entrance, his eyes glued to the package on Niu Lang's back.

Last night, the firelight was dim, and even though he stared intently, he couldn't see very clearly.

When Niu Da saw the Cowherd carrying such a large bag early in the morning, his eyes lit up and he was already imagining that it was full of priceless gold and silver treasures.

"What's the rush? Wait a bit before you catch up!" Old Mrs. Niu suddenly tugged at him, lowering her voice, "At least wait until he's gone a bit further. After all that commotion, only Erlang is left who dares to go into the mountains. Are we afraid of losing him?"