The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Lu Sangjiu was in a bit of a bind, but she soon felt relieved.

’Actually, according to the original novel, Gu Jue and Ye Zhiyao parted ways not long after they left Qishan. His fated opportunity wasn’t in the land of her inheritance.’

’So she couldn’t just force him off his path and make him miss his own fated opportunity, all so he could help her, could she?’

So, Lu Sangjiu nodded readily. ”In that case, I won’t insist.”

”But I have important things to do and can’t waste any time here. So... Mr. Gu, Liu Dao You, we’ll part ways here. Take care!”

Liu Xi was a little surprised. ”Ah... you’re not going to wait for us?”

’She really liked being with her senior brother, of course, but being *only* with her senior brother... had to be said, was pretty boring.’

She found Lu Sangjiu rather agreeable, and since Lu Sangjiu had driven away the detestable Ye Zhiyao right after returning, Liu Xi’s opinion of her had improved even more.

So now that she heard Lu Sangjiu was leaving ahead of them, she was naturally quite sad to see her go.

Lu Sangjiu shook her head regretfully. ”I really do have urgent business. I can’t delay.”

Gu Jue also spoke up. ”Junior Sister, don’t impose.”

After he spoke, he looked at Lu Sangjiu. It took him a long moment before he managed to squeeze out two words: ”...Be careful.”

Lu Sangjiu smiled. ”I will. You take care as well, Mr. Gu.”

Chi Yan was naturally going to accompany Lu Sangjiu. Feng Lin had no specific goals either; the five chunks of Thousand-year-old Cold Iron Ore she had were enough for her needs, so she decided to go with Lu Sangjiu as well.

When the three of them were halfway down the mountain, Lu Sangjiu, to her great surprise, ran into her Third Senior Brother, Shen Yuzhao.

He was with a team of five when they found him.

They seemed to have just finished a battle. The others were all meditating and resting, while only Shen Yuzhao was dutifully cleaning up the battlefield.

To make matters worse, one of the male cultivators was bossily ordering Shen Yuzhao to start a fire. He even demanded the storage bags Shen Yuzhao had collected from the battlefield, claiming he would handle the ”fair distribution.”

Shen Yuzhao, ever good-natured, didn’t resist and just obediently did as he was told.

’He looked so easy to push around. Who knows how much they’ve been bullying him this whole time.’

Lu Sangjiu and her companions had suppressed their auras the moment they sensed others nearby, intending to avoid trouble.

But seeing Shen Yuzhao being treated like this, Lu Sangjiu wasn’t about to stand for it.

And so, she completely forgot her earlier resolution to avoid any senior brothers or sisters she might encounter, and simply revealed herself.

”Third Senior Brother!”

Since she had revealed herself, Feng Lin and Chi Yan naturally followed suit.

Hearing the commotion, the members of Shen Yuzhao’s team were instantly on alert.

But then they saw Shen Yuzhao, a member of their own team, catch sight of the newcomers and light up like a lost child who’d just found his mother. He was absolutely ecstatic!

”Little Junior Sister!”

Shen Yuzhao’s eyes lit up as he ran excitedly toward Lu Sangjiu. ”This is wonderful, Little Junior Sister! I’ve finally found my family! *Sob*...”

’Honestly, seeing her Third Senior Brother in this endearingly helpless state, Lu Sangjiu really did feel a surge of maternal affection... If she had a son, he’d probably be just as adorable as her Third Senior Brother, wouldn’t he?’

Shen Yuzhao jogged up to Lu Sangjiu, and it looked like he was about to give her a big, excited hug.

But when he got close and noticed two strangers beside Lu Sangjiu, he promptly put on the brakes.

His face flushed red as he gave them a slightly embarrassed smile before turning back to Lu Sangjiu. ”...Little Junior Sister, what are you doing here?”

With a warm, motherly smile, Lu Sangjiu reached out and straightened Shen Yuzhao’s messy hair. ”We were just coming down the mountain. I didn’t expect to run into you here, Third Senior Brother.”

She paused, her gaze drifting over the male cultivator who had just been ordering Shen Yuzhao around.

She then said pointedly, ”Have you been doing alright these past few days, Third Senior Brother? If anyone’s been bullying you, you have to tell me, okay? I’ll get them back for you.”

Hearing this, the male cultivator couldn’t help but show a flicker of guilt.

But to her surprise, Shen Yuzhao simply gave her a blissfully naive smile. ”No one’s bullying me!”

”I’ve been really lucky. I met these kind cultivators not long after I arrived, and they’ve been guiding me ever since.”

”I barely have to lift a finger during fights. I just help clean up the battlefield and do some odd jobs afterward. It’s a piece of cake!”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

Feng Lin: ”...”

Chi Yan: ”...”

All three of them fell silent. Feng Lin and Chi Yan, who were meeting Shen Yuzhao for the first time, couldn’t help but stare at him as if he were a complete idiot.

’Aren’t they just treating him like a gofer?’

’And if he’s not fighting, he’s probably not getting any share of the loot, either. And he still thinks these people are kind?!’

Meanwhile, the ”very kind” people Shen Yuzhao had just described were also stunned.

They began to question their very existence. ’So... we’re actually good people? Who knew!’

Lu Sangjiu looked as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she held her tongue.

’Fine... If her own Third Senior Brother didn’t feel like he was being bullied, what could she possibly say?’

But there was no way she was going to let Shen Yuzhao continue acting as a gofer for this group.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lu Sangjiu made up her mind.

”Let’s go, Third Senior Brother. You’re coming down the mountain with me.”

Shen Yuzhao faltered. Instead of agreeing immediately, he looked conflicted. ”But... I still want to get some Thousand-year-old Cold Iron Ore.”

Lu Sangjiu replied without hesitation, ”I have extra. I’ll give you however much you need.”

Shen Yuzhao immediately looked vexed with himself. ”Ah, how stupid of me. Little Junior Sister, you came from the summit, of course you wouldn’t be short on it.”

Then he added, ”Actually, I wanted to get the Thousand-year-old Cold Iron Ore for you. After all, you’ve already reached Foundation Establishment, but you don’t have your own personal Magic Treasure yet. Thousand-year-old Cold Iron Ore happens to be an excellent material for Artifact Refining.”

”But... since you have plenty now, there’s no point in me going anymore. Let’s go!”

’Lu Sangjiu had been wondering why the ever-timid Shen Yuzhao would willingly come to a perilous place like Qishan. It turned out he had come for her...’

She was suddenly touched, filled with the gratifying feeling that her child hadn’t been raised in vain.

Just as she was about to say something, the other cultivators suddenly headed their way.

”Shen Yuzhao, are you really leaving the team?”

The leader of the group, a big, burly brute, spoke with a hostile expression.

Lu Sangjiu and her companions all sensed their hostile intentions and frowned.

But Shen Yuzhao remained completely oblivious, even smiling foolishly at the man. ”That’s right, Du Dao You! I’ve found my Little Junior Sister, so I won’t be traveling with you all anymore.”

”Thank you for taking care of me all this time. Perhaps our paths will cross again!”

The cultivator named Du sneered. ”Just with words?”

Shen Yuzhao still didn’t get it. ”...What do you mean?”

Just then, the male cultivator who had been bullying Shen Yuzhao earlier spoke up, his eyes narrowing. ”You’ve only made it this far safe and sound because of our protection. If you’re really so grateful, shouldn’t you show a little sincerity?”

”Since your junior sister says she has extra Thousand-year-old Cold Iron Ore, just hand it over as a thank-you gift to us!”