I Really Didn’t Treat the Male Lead as a Substitute

Jiang Xuanyu transmigrated into the world of a certain web platform's cultivation power fantasy and spent over a hundred years diligently cultivating and upholding the righteous path. Along the way, he even fell in love, only for his beloved to die. By the time he'd nearly worn himself out, the story finally began. According to the original plot, the male lead's family is wiped out and his sword bones shattered. He arrives at Tianyuan Sect to seek a master, only to end up with a villain who seems kind and amiable but secretly plots to kill him and steal his treasures. After countless battles and level-ups, the male lead successfully kills his villainous master, continues fighting and leveling up, and eventually becomes the foremost cultivator of the righteous path and ascends to immortality. Wait, something seems to have gone wrong at the very first step. That villainous master of his... should have been killed by me years ago for illegally making pills. Jiang Xuanyu stared for a long time at the male lead's face, so much like someone he once knew. At last, he rolled up his sleeves... Fine, I'll take him on as my disciple. His master's supposed to die early in the original story anyway. Someone like me, who's about to leave the stage, should be a suitable replacement. I'm very good to my disciples. As long as the future power fantasy protagonist doesn't mind that I'm a cripple who can no longer wield a sword, it'll be fine. * Luo Wangchuan reached the pinnacle of the Great Way, repaid every debt and settled every grudge. Almost nothing in his life was left incomplete. The only thing he could never have, he gave to his master. He had always known that, a hundred years ago, his master had lost the person he loved to a demonic disaster. That person had been a brilliant young hero, and had died just as their love was at its deepest. He became a scar on his master's heart. In the most hot-blooded days of his youth, Luo Wangchuan had tried to treat that person as part of the past and confess his feelings to his master, only to be rejected without mercy. After that, he no longer dared to confess. He could only envy and resent that person in secret, hoping that with enough time together, he might one day take their place in his master's heart. He had been born too late. The person he loved had already burned through his life in the years before Luo Wangchuan was there, living through countless unforgettable stories. Luo Wangchuan could only see, with painful clarity, that he had never had, and would never have, any chance to be part of those stories. Later, he watched his master take up his sword once more for the sake of all living beings. Frail and sickly, his blue robes stained with blood, he looked like a handful of frost about to melt in the spring sun. Luo Wangchuan no longer cared about anything else. Even if his master would never love him, even if he treated him as a substitute for someone else, even if he no longer saw him at all... all Luo Wangchuan wanted was for him to live. Sunny, stoic disciple gong x gentle, refined master shou "You must first know the hardships of the world, discover your own path, and grow into a complete person before you can speak of love." Reading guide: 1. One-on-one. Check the tags. Smart readers have probably already guessed. 2. No corruption arc. 3. I love you all. ------Advance notice divider------ See the author's collection for I'm So Apprehensive! Chu Wenfeng accidentally transmigrated into the shou protagonist of a historical romance about a ruler and his minister. The shou protagonist came from a family of military officials and had grown up with the emperor. But the whole family was killed by the emperor's suspicions, leaving him the sole survivor. Protected by a trusted aide, he made his way alone back to the army his father and brothers had raised. According to the plot, he would soon be unable to let go of the person he loved, voluntarily return to the capital, hand over his military command, and drink poison. He would become the most tragic white moonlight in the emperor's heart. Chu Wenfeng sat in the military tent, lost in thought. The bad news: The emperor still hadn't let him off the hook, and the army didn't obey this lovesick young master. His life was in danger at any moment. The good news: His most reliable friend had transmigrated here with him. To survive in this dangerous, exciting time of turmoil, the two hit it off and decided to first earn the army's trust, then reclaim wasteland and grow crops, open up trade routes... They turned a remote border town into the foremost economic center in the region. * Just as they finally settled in, the plot reached its appointed moment. Chu Wenfeng still hadn't voluntarily surrendered his command, so the emperor, heartbroken, could only send an old eunuch a thousand miles to deal with him. The old eunuch stood before Chu Wenfeng, holding a cup of poisoned wine and a noose, his nose in the air. "You understand the principle that when the ruler wants a minister dead, the minister must die, don't you? General, choose." Chu Wenfeng dropped to his knees, trembling with fear. "This humble official is truly apprehensive. I must first consult my deputy general." He asked his good friend, "How many troops do we have?" His friend replied, "A hundred thousand, well-equipped and strong." Chu Wenfeng stood up. He asked again, "How are our supplies?" His friend replied, "We can just about provide for ourselves." Chu Wenfeng sat back down in the seat of honor. He suddenly understood and looked at the eunuch bearing the edict. "Eunuch, did you just say that I am His Majesty's subject?" The old eunuch glared at him in fury. "How dare you!" Chu Wenfeng considered for a moment and sighed. "The late emperor... was still a muddlehead." "What are you standing there for? Seize him for me!" Theme: Never give up hope, even when you find yourself in adversity.