The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Seeing that Luo Linlang was optimistic, Lu Sangjiu didn’t say anything more to dampen her spirits.

”In any case, as long as you have a plan, Senior Sister, that’s what matters. I’ve asked Sword Master Bu Gui for protection, so we’ll be safe at least until the Sword Seizing Conference is over.”

”So, for the next few days, just focus on resting and recovering. Who knows what things will be like after the Sword Seizing Conference ends.”

Lu Sangjiu was genuinely worried. ’With Luo Linlang in this state, and a tough battle waiting for me after Entering Sword Tomb... I just hope everything goes smoothly for both of us, and we can turn this danger into safety!’

Luo Linlang was surprised that Sword Bu Gui had actually agreed to protect them. But when she remembered Lu Sangjiu’s good relationship with Gu Jue, she subconsciously assumed it was because of him and didn’t ask any more questions.

”Thank you, Little Junior Sister. This must have been hard on you.”

She knew that while she was unconscious, Lu Sangjiu must have gone through a lot and done so much for her.

She was deeply moved, but they were family, after all. There was no need for sappy words.

After thanking her, she grew curious about something else. ”So, Little Junior Sister, you don’t have anything else you want to ask me? I thought a ton of questions would be waiting for me the moment I opened my eyes.”

Lu Sangjiu just shook her head. ”You haven’t asked me how I learned Starry Sky, have you?”

At her words, Luo Linlang blinked, her face full of curiosity. ”So, how did you learn it?”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

It wasn’t really a huge secret; she just hadn’t mentioned it because Luo Linlang never asked.

But now that she’d taken the bait, Lu Sangjiu told her the story.

”One time, I went to the waterfall on the back mountain to cultivate and ran into Supreme Elder Master Jingxu. He’s the one who taught me.”

Luo Linlang: !!!

’Master Jingxu... he’s the only Supreme Elder in the Seven Emotions Sect who has mastered Starry Sky. Ah, no, wait. Now there are two of them.’

Luo Linlang had been in the Seven Emotions Sect for so long, yet she had never met Master Jingxu.

She had only heard that he once had a disciple who perished three hundred years ago. Since then, he had rarely left the Forbidden Land on the back mountain.

’I can’t believe Lu Sangjiu is so lucky. She just randomly wanders over to the waterfall and runs into Master Jingxu.’

She couldn’t help but ask, ”So why did he teach you? Did you ask him to?”

Lu Sangjiu recalled the scene, smiling softly as she shook her head. ”He was the one who insisted I was a cultivation prodigy and offered to teach me.”

”Come to think of it, after he taught me, he probably didn’t expect me to master it so quickly. He even told me he’d return to the waterfall sometime in the next three years to check on my progress.”

Luo Linlang: ”...”

She had to admit, she was jealous.

”I guess Master Jingxu isn’t quite like the rumors say...”

Lu Sangjiu nodded. ”Even though he’s ancient, he looks like a young man, and he has the temperament of one, too. He’s definitely not the venerable, dignified senior most people imagine.”

Her curiosity piqued, Luo Linlang couldn’t help but pester Lu Sangjiu with more questions about Master Jingxu until she was finally satisfied.

Then, after a moment’s thought, she didn’t wait for Lu Sangjiu to ask, taking the initiative. ”My mother wasn’t actually human. She was a Vermilion Bird who had taken human form.”

”Back then, she fell in love with my father, who was just a mortal. They became an ordinary married couple in the mortal world and had me.”

”I didn’t inherit her Vermilion Bird powers, but I awakened a talent from the Ancient Fire Phoenix Clan within our bloodline—the Word Spirit Technique.”

Lu Sangjiu hadn’t expected such a backstory. Astonished, she couldn’t help but ask, ”Then what about your mother?”

Luo Linlang paused, then shook her head. ”My parents both passed away when I was ten. That was also the year I met our master, and he brought me back to the Seven Emotions Sect.”

Lu Sangjiu remembered the book briefly mentioning that Luo Linlang had also been gifted the Jue Pearl by the Merfolk at the age of ten.

’There must be a complicated story behind all this,’ Lu Sangjiu thought, but she decided not to ask, lest she bring up her senior sister’s painful memories.

So she just asked curiously, ”In that case, Senior Sister, since you have half Vermilion Bird blood... can you turn into one?”

Luo Linlang was rendered speechless, then said in exasperation, ”Turn into a Vermilion Bird? Weren’t you listening? I didn’t inherit even a shred of my mother’s Vermilion Bird power. I even have a Water Spirit Root! Do you really think I could turn into a Vermilion Bird?”

”Er... I guess you have a point.”

Although Vermilion Birds couldn’t compare to the Ancient Phoenix Clan, they were still incredibly precious Spirit Beasts. Most of them could take human form as soon as they were born.

As a result, their offspring with humans tended to be one or the other—either fully human or fully Vermilion Bird.

Luo Linlang was clearly the former, yet she had awakened the bloodline power of the Ancient Phoenix Clan.

Thinking about it... Lu Sangjiu’s gaze toward Luo Linlang grew complicated.

’No matter how you look at it, my senior sister’s setup makes her seem more like the heroine than Ye Zhiyao!’

’So why on earth did the Heavenly Dao choose Ye Zhiyao? Is it blind or something?’

After sharing their secrets, the two of them grew even closer.

So, feeling less reserved, Lu Sangjiu directly asked Luo Linlang about the backlash from the Word Spirit Technique.

Luo Linlang sighed helplessly. ”The backlash is unavoidable. The stronger one’s Ancient Phoenix Clan bloodline power, the stronger the Word Spirit Technique becomes, and the weaker the backlash will be.”

”But my bloodline power is nowhere near strong enough. That’s why the backlash I suffered was so severe, even from just making Ye Zhiyao kneel.”

When she was eight, a tragedy befell her family. Overcome with emotion, she had unconsciously used the Word Spirit Technique.

If that merman hadn’t saved her with the Jue Pearl, she likely would have died right then and there.

She hadn’t dared to use it again since... until now.

She sighed. ”External forces can’t interfere with the backlash. I can only wait for it to recover on its own.”

”But don’t you worry. Just making her kneel isn’t life-threatening. I should be mostly recovered after about a month of rest.”

Lu Sangjiu grew pensive. ”So, you need to awaken a stronger bloodline power to make your Word Spirit Skill more powerful?”

Luo Linlang didn’t give it much thought and just nodded. ”Exactly. But where am I supposed to find a fortuitous encounter great enough to awaken the bloodline power of the Ancient Phoenix Clan? Ultimately, this Word Spirit Technique is just more trouble than it’s worth.”

’That... might not be the case.’

Lu Sangjiu was already forming a plan, but she didn’t say anything more to Luo Linlang. She just nodded. ”In that case, just focus on getting better.”

”It’s just... my match is tomorrow, so I’ll have to entrust your care to Gu Jue.”

Luo Linlang looked a little disappointed. ”It’s a shame I can’t go watch you in person. But my Little Junior Sister is a cultivation genius personally vouched for by Master Jingxu, a Body Integration Realm master! You’re definitely no worse than any of those so-called chosen ones. I know you’ll win!”