The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

In truth, Sword Bu Gui had no desire to fight Bai Heng. It wasn’t that he was afraid of him, but considering their statuses in their respective sects, any clash would escalate into a conflict between their sects.

The Seven Emotions Sect and the Lingjian Sect had always been on good terms. There was no need to ruin that harmony over a hypocrite like him.

Lu Sangjiu’s words now gave him a perfect way out. He couldn’t help but silently praise her. ’She’s sensible enough.’

He then said lightly, ”Fine. For your sake, I won’t lower myself to this fellow’s level... Can you still walk on your own?”

Lu Sangjiu nodded. ”I can. Thank you for your concern, Senior.”

With a flick of his sleeves, Sword Bu Gui turned and led the way.

Lu Sangjiu followed closely behind Sword Bu Gui, not sparing Bai Heng a single glance.

Bai Heng’s expression was as dark as a thundercloud. ”Lu Sangjiu, we’ll just see how long someone from the Lingjian Sect can protect you.”

Lu Sangjiu still didn’t turn back or say a word, ignoring him completely.

Furious, Bai Heng waved his hand, shattering a large boulder by the lakeside. ”Lu Sangjiu, I gave you a chance! There will come a day when you regret this!”

’I don’t know if I’ll regret it in the future,’ Lu Sangjiu thought, ’but right now, my biggest regret is not finding a way to drag Bai Heng into the Qingyu Secret Realm with me back then.’

’If Bai Heng had entered back then, I definitely would have found a chance to kill him, and I wouldn’t have to deal with all this crap now.’

’Of course, it’s too late for that now. If I want to kill Bai Heng, I’ll need to at least reach the Nascent Soul realm to even have a chance.’

Once they were a safe distance away, Lu Sangjiu turned to Sword Bu Gui and thanked him formally. ”Thank you for coming, Senior.”

Sword Bu Gui snorted. ”You already sent someone for me. Was I supposed to just stand by and watch you die?”

Lu Sangjiu gave an embarrassed laugh. ”That was still kind of you, Senior.”

But Sword Bu Gui was blunt. ”Kindness? Isn’t it just that you knew I’d never let you die because of the Fengming Sword Scabbard?”

Lu Sangjiu was speechless. ”...”

’Senior, did you really have to spell it out so clearly?’

’Fine, she had to admit it. When she told Sword Bu Gui about the Fengming Sword Scabbard, she did have the ulterior motive of getting him to protect her...’

’Though she’d originally planned to rely on that protection after Entering the Sword Tomb. She hadn’t expected to cash in that favor so soon.’

On her way over, she’d noticed how remote the lakeside was and felt something was off, so she had asked a passing cultivator to take a message to Sword Bu Gui.

It was just a precaution, but she never expected Bai Heng to actually be this unhinged.

It was a good thing she’d been cautious. Otherwise, there would have been no way out of that situation.

Seeing Lu Sangjiu’s embarrassed expression, Sword Bu Gui stopped teasing her and said simply, ”Let’s go. I will see you back.”

Lu Sangjiu’s face immediately lit up. ”You’re a truly good person, Senior! Don’t you worry, I’ll advance to the Golden Core realm as fast as I can and find the Fengming Sword Scabbard for you!”

”You’d better.”

After returning, Lu Sangjiu didn’t tell Luo Linlang what had happened with Bai Heng.

Instead, she discussed the extra slot for Entering the Sword Tomb with her.

Luo Linlang replied, ”A sword isn’t of much use to me, and my talent for swordsmanship is quite limited. It would be a waste to give the spot to me.”

”Why don’t you give it to Gu Jue instead? He’s a Sword Cultivator. He might be able to find an even better sword.”

But Lu Sangjiu knew, ’Gu Jue already has the Phoenix Cry Sword, an Immortal Artifact. He couldn’t possibly find a better weapon, so giving the slot to him would be the real waste.’

So, she used a Communication Talisman to ask Feng Lin and Chi Yan, but neither of them was interested in the Sword Tomb either.

After asking around, Lu Sangjiu was exasperated to find that the extra slot was stuck with her. She couldn’t even give it away.

Feeling frustrated, Lu Sangjiu suddenly thought of Xie Ningyuan.

’He’s a Buddhist Practitioner, so he probably has no interest in swords either.’

’But he knows my goal is the domination map. Several other people will be Entering the Sword Tomb with me. Wouldn’t it be even better to have Xie Ningyuan there to help provide cover?’

So she immediately contacted Xie Ningyuan and told him about it.

Xie Ningyuan agreed without hesitation. ”Alright. I’ll be back tomorrow, just in time to see your final match.”

Lu Sangjiu replied, ”...Actually, there probably won’t be much to see. I’m not planning to take first place.”

Xie Ningyuan understood she was worried about attracting too much attention and said with a smile, ”It doesn’t matter. Any place is fine. I just feel I should be there to witness you making a name for yourself at the Sword Seizing Conference.”

After several days of rest, Luo Linlang’s condition had improved, and she even expressed a desire to watch Lu Sangjiu’s final match.

But... Lu Sangjiu refused her outright.

”No way. You need to stay here and rest. It’ll be crowded and chaotic there. What if Sword Master Bu Gui gets distracted for a moment and can’t look after you?”

Sword Bu Gui had placed a Barrier around the villa. Even if he wasn’t present, he would know instantly if anyone tried to force their way in. It was much safer than being outside.

Unable to convince Lu Sangjiu, Luo Linlang could only sigh and continue to rest at the villa.

Gu Jue’s injuries were also mostly healed, and he had been planning to watch the finals.

But unexpectedly, on the night before the finals, he rushed to find Lu Sangjiu. ”I just received some news,” he said. ”Someone saw Liu Xi in Qingyun State, and it seems she’s run into some trouble.”

”My master is unable to go for personal reasons, so I must be the one to bring her back. So... Ms. Lu, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to watch your match tomorrow.”

Gu Jue looked deeply apologetic, but Lu Sangjiu didn’t mind at all. ’His junior sister’s safety is obviously more important than my match.’

She was very understanding. ”It’s fine. Liu Xi’s safety is what’s important. You should go.”

”Besides, what a coincidence. My next business is also in Qingyun State. Maybe we’ll run into each other there.”

Seeing that Lu Sangjiu wasn’t angry, Gu Jue breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. ”Alright... I’ll set out tonight then.”

”Are you going alone?”

Gu Jue nodded. ”I don’t interact much with the others in the sect...”

Lu Sangjiu understood. After a moment’s thought, she said, ”Wait here for a minute. I’ll be right back!”

With that, she turned and returned to her room, using a Communication Talisman to contact Feng Lin and Chi Yan.

’They had offered to help Gu Jue find his junior sister before, but that was mainly because I was going, so they were just going along with it.’

’Now that I have other things to do and can’t go, Gu Jue didn’t bring it up.’

’But my own business is dangerous, and I would be worried about them tagging along. Xie Ningyuan and I will be enough.’

So, she told Feng Lin and Chi Yan about Gu Jue’s situation and asked if they were willing to help.

Although Feng Lin and Chi Yan didn’t know Gu Jue well, they thought he was a decent guy.

Since Lu Sangjiu was asking and they had nothing else planned—they’d just be cultivating or going out to train on their own—they figured they might as well go help Gu Jue.

So, both of them agreed.

Lu Sangjiu then went back to find Gu Jue. ”I’ve asked Feng Dao You and Mr. Chi. They’re both willing to help.”

”Just wait a moment. They’ll be ready soon and can come over to set out with you!”