The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

After dealing with Ye Zhiyao for so long, Lu Sangjiu had made many new discoveries.

For instance, it seemed the only things the Heavenly Dao cared about were Ye Zhiyao’s life and the smoothness of her cultivation path.

Much like the arrangements in that book, if anything went awry with the cultivation techniques, Magic Treasure, and Elixir Pills that Ye Zhiyao was fated to obtain, a strange twist of fate would always compensate her somehow.

Beyond that, however, the Heavenly Dao didn’t seem to care at all whether Ye Zhiyao got hurt, suffered, or was bullied and oppressed.

For example, back at Luoya Mountain, the Heavenly Dao had gone so far as to let Demonic Qi invade her body just so she could obtain a certain item. And that was an incredibly painful and torturous experience.

Take this time, or any of the other minor squabbles in the past. As long as they weren’t fighting over resources, no matter what petty tricks Lu Sangjiu pulled to annoy Ye Zhiyao or make her suffer losses behind the scenes, the Heavenly Dao showed no intention of taking sides.

’So... does the Heavenly Dao just want Ye Zhiyao to have a smooth cultivation journey all the way to her Ascension, and nothing more?’

Lu Sangjiu had a faint feeling that there was a secret hidden in all of this. She felt like she’d grasped a crucial point, yet couldn’t see it clearly.

But no matter what, the key was Ye Zhiyao. That much was certain.

So, no matter what secrets lay hidden, she was confident she would one day uncover the truth.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Lu Sangjiu realized Luo Linlang was no longer beside her. When she turned, she saw that her sister had already knocked out a miserable-looking Yi Ze and was in the middle of tying him up with the Immortal Binding Rope.

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

Watching Luo Linlang act like a bandit, she was genuinely confused and couldn’t help but ask, ”Second Senior Sister, what are you doing...?”

Luo Linlang paused her work to look back, saying gleefully, ”I’m tying him up to trade him for money, of course!”

”He might look a little rough for selling right now, but he’s a Late-stage Golden Core Cultivator. If we send him to the Spirit Stone Mine, we can get at least one top-grade spirit stone for him!”

Lu Sangjiu: ...?

She stared at Luo Linlang in disbelief, a question mark practically forming above her head. ”Second Senior Sister... where did you learn to do this?”

When she first arrived, Luo Linlang had been so innocent and naive, scammed several times by the cultivators from the Gold and Silver Gate.

’How has it only been a little over ten days? How could she suddenly come up with such a wicked scheme like selling someone to a mine for cash???’

Seeing Lu Sangjiu’s surprise, Luo Linlang puffed up with pride. ”Little Junior Sister, I’m not the person I used to be! I’ve been working with Xiang Qian to make some money lately, and I’ve learned a lot of profitable tricks from him.”

”The Spirit Stone Mine I mentioned is under the Immortal Alliance’s jurisdiction. They’ll take anyone you send them. Plus, they have a Nascent Soul Cultivator overseeing things, so this Yi Ze won’t be able to cause any trouble.”

”After I sell him, I’ll go tip off the rest of the Beast Taming Sect. I can make another profit from that!”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

She fell silent, speechless as she stared at Luo Linlang, who looked just like an unscrupulous profiteer.

’Xiang Qian is something else. He’s only been with Luo Linlang for a little over ten days, and he’s already taught her to come up with dirty tricks like this?’

Still, Lu Sangjiu was a bit worried. ”If you do this, won’t you end up offending both sides when the Beast Taming Sect comes asking for him?”

Luo Linlang waved her hand dismissively. ”Nope. Why do you think that mine dares to accept just anyone? They’re in on the business too.”

”I sell him to them for one price. When the Beast Taming Sect comes to get him back, the ’compensation’ they have to pay is a completely different price. The Immortal Alliance makes a guaranteed profit.”

”Besides, even though the Immortal Alliance can’t compare to the Four Great Sects in terms of power, it holds a special status. The major sects won’t easily make an enemy of it. They all just turn a blind eye to this sort of thing, so no one will make a big fuss.”

Lu Sangjiu fell silent again. ’The Cultivation World... what a bizarre bunch of people.’

’The Immortal Alliance... The name sounds so grand, and they shout their righteous slogans louder than anyone. But when it comes to making money, aren’t their methods just straight-up gangsterism?’

’It was astounding, but on second thought... handling Yi Ze this way was actually a great idea. You get money and satisfaction... It’s perfect!’

So she nodded. ”Alright. Be careful, Second Senior Sister. Contact me if you need anything.”

”Don’t worry!” Luo Linlang declared. ”After I sell him, I’ll come back and treat you to a meat dinner!”

It was a good thing Yi Ze was unconscious. If he’d heard Luo Linlang talking about selling him for cash like a piece of livestock, he probably would have gone berserk with rage.

After seeing Luo Linlang off, Lu Sangjiu was about to head back inside when she suddenly remembered something. She tilted her head up slightly, looking toward the rooftop across from the Moon Viewing Tower.

”See? I told you not to worry. The problem’s been perfectly resolved. Now be good and go back to nursing your injuries!”

As her words faded, Xie Ningyuan’s figure materialized on the opposite rooftop, which had appeared empty just a moment before.

As he put away his Thousand Luo Umbrella, he looked at Lu Sangjiu with some surprise. ”How did you know I was here?”

Lu Sangjiu tilted her head. ”Your Thousand Luo Umbrella seems to have taken a liking to me. I just felt its aura fluctuate.”

Of course, the Thousand Luo Umbrella hadn’t formed an Artifact Spirit yet, so Lu Sangjiu was talking pure nonsense.

The truth was that Xie Ningyuan had been on the verge of intervening earlier, creating a slight fluctuation of Spiritual Power that her Divine Sense had sharply detected.

Xie Ningyuan knew she was bluffing, but he played along with a smile. ”It doesn’t matter how much it likes you. A treasure cannot serve two masters. Don’t get any ideas about it.”

With that, he stood up. ”Go on. I’m really leaving this time.”

Watching Xie Ningyuan’s figure disappear into the night, Lu Sangjiu let out a small smile before turning and heading back into the Moon Viewing Tower.

Perhaps it was because of the fight, but everyone was in even higher spirits. The group drank for half the night until they were all passed out on the tables.

The Moon Viewing Tower didn’t allow guests to stay overnight. When closing time came, the attendants were in a bind. Just as they were debating whether to wake the group up or simply toss them out, the Nascent Soul predecessor from upstairs appeared.

Huo Xu eyed the three drunkards with disgust, then waved his hand. ”Forget it. I find that little lass tolerable enough. Let them stay here for the night.”

The ”little lass” he was referring to was, of course, Lu Sangjiu.

A few days ago, she’d caused some trouble in the tower, which had given them an opportunity to swindle a fair bit of money out of her.

Though he hadn’t been able to profit from her today, she had provided some excellent entertainment for him while he was bored guarding this old tower.

Her methods were delightfully wicked—far more interesting than a straightforward fight.

Hearing Huo Xu’s words, the attendants naturally agreed.

Huo Xu finished giving his instructions and turned to leave, but then he suddenly remembered something and added, ”Oh, right. Don’t forget to collect payment in the morning. Since we’re making an exception and letting them stay the night, charging an extra ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones isn’t excessive, is it?”

Attendant: ”...”

’Are we sure he finds her ’tolerable,’ and isn’t just saying that as an excuse to deliberately rip her off?’

’Still, they’re dead drunk. Staying overnight in the Moon Viewing Tower is much safer than being outside. They can just consider it paying for protection. Not a bad deal, all things considered!’