The male supporting character was actually myself.

The little white cat, who immediately jumped onto the boat awning to avoid being a third wheel, yawned lazily, "These games between lovers are so childish, I don't understand, meow~"

Blue Water Fort was quickly left behind. Huo Changyun listened quietly to the boatman's many rumors, remaining silent and lost in thought.

"Host, be careful! That unlucky protagonist's halo is probably going to cause trouble again!" Just as they were about to reach the shore, the fluffy little dumpling suddenly twitched its ears and perked up to warn them.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen gave Ling Xiao a wink.

The other party tacitly stepped forward to stand guard beside Huo Changyun.

After settling the bill with the boatman, Jiang Chen found a horse-drawn carriage to load the two boxes of luggage onto. Before he had gone far, he heard a commotion at the dock.

"Young ladies, quickly hide inside the carriage!" The coachman hurriedly warned, "The bandits are coming down the mountain again, you'd better hide!"

Ling Xiao pressed Huo Changyun's head down and pushed her into the carriage, saying, "Miss, you'd better hide. I'll guard the door for you."

Knowing it was the protagonist's halo causing trouble again, Jiang Chen was on high alert, wrapping the soul weapon around his wrist, ready to strike at any moment.

Anyway, according to the plot, what I need to prevent is for Huo Changyun to be discovered by martial arts figures, chased and killed, and eventually beaten to a pulp, mentally shaken, degenerated and turned to the dark side. As long as Huo Changyun doesn't make a move and expose his identity, it won't cause a chain reaction.

They're just a bunch of bandits from the mountains; we absolutely cannot let them cause any trouble!

In an instant, the chaos on the dock grew closer. Jiang Chen squinted and saw a group of burly men on tall horses charging menacingly with knives in their hands.

"Sigh...when will this ever end?" The coachman sighed, taking money out of his pocket as he muttered, "Ever since the Battle of Bluewater Fortress, there has never been a moment of peace around here."

Previously, with the Three Heroes of Red Courage in charge, how could any villain dare to commit a crime? What a pity..."

As they spoke, the horse caravan came galloping noisily toward them, and the vendors, grooms, and even porters along the way hurriedly handed over their share of the money.

"Sir, business has been bad these past two days and I really can't come up with the money. Please give me two more days!" An old man in patched clothes, clearly unable to produce enough money to satisfy the bandits, knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.

Upon seeing this, the bandit on horseback was about to lash out with his whip when Jiang Chen frowned slightly, flicked his soul weapon, and struck the bandit in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"A master!" The other man coughed up blood as he landed, shouting in panic, "A master of hidden weapons!"

The old man, kneeling and begging for mercy, had never seen anything like this before. He trembled with fear and shrank to the side. The other bandits immediately became alert, tightening their reins and raising their broadswords, their eyes scanning the crowd haphazardly for anyone suspicious.

"Who are you passing by? Why don't you state your name?" the bandit leader shouted, but no one responded.

The sudden turn of events brought a chill to the docks, broken only by the groans of wounded bandits who had fallen from their horses. Just then, a weak cry for help came from behind the caravan: "Help! Someone help me! Help!"

Jiang Chen looked in the direction of the sound and saw someone struggling inside the bulging sack tied to the horse's back. He could vaguely hear a muffled, weak voice crying and calling for help from a young girl.

"Is there really someone who dares to abduct a woman in broad daylight?"

Ling Xiao, with his superb martial arts skills and excellent hearing, heard cries for help from inside the carriage. He opened the carriage door a crack and angrily said, "You guys go first, I'll turn around and annihilate them! These martial arts practitioners are an insult to martial arts!"

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Feeling of Falling in Love!

"Take it easy." Jiang Chen was just thinking about how to take this opportunity to practice the precise operation of the Soul Weapon when another sudden change occurred at the dock.

About fourteen or fifteen martial arts figures dressed in blue robes with white trim and moon patterns disembarked from the large ship that had just docked. The leader was a middle-aged man of about forty years old with his hair neatly combed up with a jade hairpin. As soon as he stepped ashore, he shouted loudly: "You audacious bandits! In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you dare to forcibly abduct women, extort and blackmail, and harm your neighbors. Such behavior is despicable!"

Hearing someone criticize her, the girl in the sack cried out for help even louder.

Huo Changyun's expression changed upon hearing the voice, and he quickly gestured for his sister-in-law to be quiet, indicating that she should not make any rash moves.

"Jade Star Sect's Flying Heaven Divine Palm: The Wind and Cloud Guest!"

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. In this mission world, there are many martial arts sects in the Central Plains. According to their strength and reputation, the Jade Star Sect can squeeze into the top three. However, they have never participated in the conflicts of the martial arts world and have always been in a quiet corner to study martial arts. Why did they have to take action this time?

The others were alright; Feng Yunke, a senior disciple of the Jade Star Sect, had met the original owner a few times!

Unfortunately, the art of disguise is too uncomfortable and troublesome, so I haven't tried it on my face for the past few days.

Shangguan Jiangchen's whereabouts were exposed, and Huo Changyun, who was tied to her, was naturally implicated as well. Moreover, she directly clashed with the powerful Jade Star Sect; truly, she had the unlucky protagonist's halo to run into such a difficult situation…

"We'll see how things go later. If we can leave, we'll get out of here as soon as possible." He stuffed some money into the driver's hand, and took advantage of the chaos to slip into the carriage and close the door.

The already small carriage was cramped with luggage containing swords and three people squeezed in.

"What's wrong? Is he a tough guy?" Ling Xiao took the opportunity to snuggle into his arms and whispered.

Jiang Chen nodded and whispered briefly, "Senior Fengyunke of the Jade Star Sect knows me."

Huo Changyun, feeling slightly guilty, said in a very low voice, "I've dealt with the Jade Star Sect before, they probably all know me..."

"I'll step in if there are any problems later!" Ling Xiao peeked out through the crack in the door.

As soon as the Jade Star Sect members landed, they immediately pointed their finger at the bandits. Even though the bandits made various excuses and claimed that they belonged to the rising star of the Golden Tiger Sect, which was famous in the martial arts world, Feng Yunke did not hesitate to step forward and take action to clean up the scourge and rescue the kidnapped girls for the common people.

Chaos erupted at the dock.

Although the bandits were mediocre in martial arts, they relied on their numbers and the bustling surroundings to disregard the lives of ordinary people; while the Jade Star Sect members were highly skilled in martial arts but were constrained and unable to unleash their true strength. After the two sides clashed, it was difficult to determine who was superior for a time.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Jiang Chen manipulated the Soul Weapon to launch a sneak attack; while the fluffy dumpling tried its best to protect the protagonist's aura so as not to let him affect the battle.

"Stab!"

In the chaos, the sack tied to the horse's back tore apart, and a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old rolled out and fell to the ground. She was frightened by the flashing swords and was somewhat at a loss.

Just as a tall horse was about to trample her, Jiang Chen commanded her soul weapon to fly over and block it for her.

In a flash, the little girl reacted and hurriedly got up to find a safe place to hide. As luck would have it, after running a few steps while lifting her skirt, she twisted her ankle and fell onto a carriage that was trying to escape the chaos from the other side. The coachman, startled, hurriedly pulled on the reins, exclaiming in panic, "Oh dear, what are we going to do...?"

On one side are the righteous sects fighting the bandits; on the other side is a young girl who escaped from the bandits. The coachman is just an ordinary person trying to earn a living by driving a rickshaw. How could he dare to get involved in such a troublesome matter?

If not handled properly, someone could die!

"Uncle, please save me!" The frightened little girl clung to the straw and refused to let go, leaving the coachman at a loss for what to do.

Seeing this, Ling Xiao opened the carriage door, pulled her into the carriage, and instructed the driver, "Just keep driving forward. We'll take responsibility for anything that happens and won't implicate you."

Since the employer had said so, the driver gritted his teeth, cracked his whip, and directed the carriage to rush out of the chaos.

"Thank you so much for saving my life, young lady! I...I..." The girl, who had just escaped death, was somewhat incoherent. She squeezed into the carriage and found it to be packed full.

Besides the pretty young lady who pulled her into the car, there was also a handsome scholar in white and an extremely beautiful older sister.

Ling Xiao stood guard at the door, ready to make a move at any moment, so he could only let the little girl squeeze in.

She realized she couldn't very well go to the scholar, so she timidly thanked him and squeezed next to Huo Changyun, curling up silently.

Huo Changyun, dressed in women's clothing, was extremely nervous. The Jade Star Sect members outside were most likely chasing after him; inside, there was a girl almost face to face with him, who probably really thought he was a woman. The girl's slightly trembling petite body was pressed against him, and Huo Changyun, who had never had close contact with the opposite sex before, blushed for a moment.

"I can't hide it anymore! Host, I can't hide the protagonist's halo anymore! This is bad!"

Amidst the shriek of the fluffy dumpling, a sharp sword aura from the fighting outside hurtled towards the carriage. Before Jiang Chen could even control his soul weapon to block it, a loud "bang" rang out, and the carriage roof was blown off, with all four sides of the carriage blasted open!

The powerful sword energy swept across, forcing Jiang Chen and the others to dodge and leap.

In the midst of the chaos, Ling Xiao gracefully landed beside the carriage with her arm around his waist; Huo Changyun, meanwhile, elegantly carried the little girl he had picked up to the other side and then quickly put her down.

The horse, startled, let out a loud neigh, drawing an angry shout from Feng Yunke: "Zhang Qing, there are civilians everywhere, how dare you use such ruthless moves? Wouldn't it be a crime to harm innocent people?!"

Zhang Qing was clearly a little scared. He had been in a hurry to kill the bandits and impulsively used the Lingbo Sword Technique. Fortunately, he only destroyed a carriage and did not hurt anyone.

He quickly bowed and apologized, "Uncle-Master is right, I was wrong. I will never dare to do it again..."

As Zhang Qing spoke, his gaze swept over the people beside the carriage, and when he saw Huo Changyun, he couldn't help but freeze, "Th-that..."

Feng Yunke struck down the bandit leader who had used a child to shield him from a sword with a single blow, then returned the crying child to its mother before looking up. His eyes met those of Shangguan Jiangchen, who had just regained his footing, and his pupils involuntarily contracted.

"Miss Ling, prepare for a tough battle," Jiang Chen said softly, stroking the soul weapon with his fingers.

Ling Xiao glanced at the suitcase containing his greatsword on the carriage, pinched it to indicate that he was ready!

"Go and apologize to the innocent people who were implicated." Feng Yunke gave Shangguan Jiangchen a deep look, then turned to Zhang Qing, who was staring intently at him, and coldly rebuked him, "What are you staring at that young lady for? How rude!"

After being reprimanded, Zhang Qing blushed and quickly stepped forward to apologize, saying, "I'm so sorry for damaging the carriage. I will compensate you..."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of silver from his pocket and handed it to the coachman. His eyes, however, did not leave Huo Changyun. He lowered his voice and said as gently as possible, "I am deeply sorry for startling you, young lady. I hope you will not take offense."

Huo Changyun was extremely flustered, especially since he had previously sparred with Zhang Qing in his travels. He was afraid of being discovered, so he slightly turned to avoid the other party's gaze, but in his nervousness, the white silk handkerchief in his hand fluttered to the ground.

Zhang Qing was stunned, with only one thought in her mind—she's so beautiful!

So beautiful it's breathtaking! Oh no! Is this what they call love at first sight?

Chapter Twenty-Six: So You Like This Type

A silk handkerchief carrying a faint fragrance drifted by and landed on her. Zhang Qing grabbed it and stepped forward, hoping to take the opportunity to start a conversation. "Miss, your handkerchief."

Huo Changyun couldn't hide in time, how could he dare to let him see his face? He quickly retreated behind his elder brother and sister-in-law, trembling with fear.

The leader of the Jade Star Sect is none other than the Flying Palm Master, Feng Yunke!

He's the youngest and most powerful martial arts master in the world, frequently seen roaming the martial arts world. If you can't beat him, you can't even escape if you confront him. He's someone you can't afford to mess with...

Hopefully, my brother won't be recognized, otherwise he's doomed this time!

Ling Xiao also noticed something. The senior with profound inner strength and fierce palm strikes clearly recognized Shangguan Jiangchen but remained calm. It seemed that he wanted to let him go. If he didn't leave now, when would he?

She stopped Zhang Qing, who was staring at her infatuated face, and turned to instruct the coachman, "It's chaotic here. Let's take you to the town ahead and then we can get the carriage repaired."

The coachman, who had just received a silver ingot before he could even feel the pain and fear of the explosion, was stunned for a moment before remembering that he had been paid. He thought that at least he should leave the dock first, so he quickly nodded and agreed to drive the horse.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen protected Huo Changyun and the little girl they had picked up, and they sat down on the flatbed cart with their backs to the crowd. Zhang Qing, holding a silk handkerchief in her hand, looked at the carriage with reluctance and asked in a daze, "Miss, may I ask your young lady's name?"

"Huo Yun'er!" Ling Xiao glanced at Feng Yunke, suppressed the urge to pick up the giant sword and spar with him, and gracefully landed on the carriage like a butterfly to sit next to Jiang Chen.

Zhang Qing muttered the name "Yun'er" repeatedly, but he didn't even hear his fellow disciples calling him after the battle.

"Our sect leader has come down from the mountain because he received a request for help from the leader of the Tianxiang Gang. He sent me to lead you all to guard Tianxiang Mountain to prevent the sect-destroying maniac from indiscriminately killing innocent people. It is the duty of a Jianghu person to help those in need, but other conflicts of interest are none of our business. You must keep your true intentions and not let worldly fame and fortune blind you and taint your good intentions."

Feng Yunke glanced at Shangguan Jiangchen and the others who had already walked away, and pointed at the bandits lying on the ground, admonishing them: "Back then, the Three Heroes of Blue Water Fortress guarded this place, and the sea was calm and the people lived in peace and prosperity. However, Blue Water Fortress was burned down overnight and no other gangs intervened. This place is adjacent to several counties and has become a chaotic and unmanaged area, which has given rise to these bandits who have learned martial arts but do not use them for good!"

If a martial arts practitioner harbors evil intentions, he will surely become a menace to the region.

"Disciples of the Jade Star Sect have always taught that cultivating the mind comes before cultivating martial arts. When we encounter such evildoers in the future, we will never let them off lightly..."

Seeing that his disciples were all standing respectfully with their hands at their sides, listening attentively to the instructions, and that no one had noticed that he had just met Shangguan Jiangchen and the others, Feng Yunke deliberately delayed for some time, allowing his disciples to clean up the battlefield, appease the people, and help the vendors organize their goods, before continuing his journey toward Tianxiang Mountain.

"Phew! That scared me to death!" The fluffy ball trembled and wiped non-existent cold sweat from its forehead, exclaiming, "The one leading the group must have recognized the host, right? He didn't even say a word, which doesn't match the protagonist's unlucky aura."

Logically, this situation should have resulted in a fierce battle, but we were lucky enough to escape unscathed.

Jiang Chen lowered his voice and reminded them, "We'll be in a very bad situation if Senior Feng makes a move just now."

"Meow~ I understand. It's because the level is too high, so they're showing their face to create a sense of pressure. The script team just wants the protagonist to fall into darkness and become stronger, not to kill him with a slap, so the big boss didn't make a move." The little white cat said it could understand. After all, the script had crashed, so if the script team wanted to intervene, it would have to be natural and not abrupt.

Ling Xiao nodded and admitted, "He is very strong."

Huo Changyun was afraid his voice would give him away, so he didn't dare to say a word. On the contrary, the girl he picked up along the way realized that Jiang Chen was in charge among the three of them. She knelt down on the flatbed cart with the only remaining chassis and cried, "Great hero, please have mercy and take me in."