The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Gu Jue hadn’t expected that when Lu Sangjiu told him to wait a moment, she was actually going to find him help.

He stared, a little stunned, at the sincere smile on her face, and a corner of his heart gradually softened...

’Suddenly, he felt that whether she liked him or not wasn’t really that important anymore.’

’Even as just a friend, he could still feel the warmth and strength she brought him.’

After a moment, he let out a soft laugh. He didn’t say anything more, just a simple, ”Alright... thank you.”

Before long, Feng Lin and Chi Yan arrived, ready to go.

Lu Sangjiu exchanged a few more words with them. Gu Jue was anxious to go save his people, so they didn’t delay any further, and the three of them departed together.

Luo Linlang, who had watched the entire exchange, let out a soft sigh after they left. ”He’s such a good man. Little Junior Sister, why are you being so stubborn? Why reject Gu Jue just to get tangled up with that Buddhist Practitioner?”

Luo Linlang had almost forgotten about Xie Ningyuan, but when she learned that Lu Sangjiu had actually given him the spot for Entering Sword Tomb, she was beside herself, exclaiming that her Little Junior Sister had lost her mind.

Lu Sangjiu had grown numb to her senior sister’s attempts at matchmaking and didn’t even bother to explain herself. No matter what Luo Linlang said, her replies were along the lines of, ”Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” or ”Whatever makes you happy.”

Her non-committal answers left Luo Linlang feeling rather deflated, which was why she’d only managed that one lamenting remark just now.

Lu Sangjiu couldn’t be bothered to reply. She just yawned and went back to her room to sleep.

Luo Linlang’s eyes widened in frustration. ”She’s dense as a block of wood!”

「The next day.」

Lu Sangjiu’s support group had dwindled. Some had left, some were injured, and even Xiang Qian sent word that something had come up and he couldn’t make it.

As she headed to the finals, she cut a rather solitary figure.

But just as she found her spot, she heard Xie Ningyuan’s voice from behind her. ”All by yourself? You look rather pitiful.”

Lu Sangjiu hadn’t felt particularly sad about coming alone, but hearing Xie Ningyuan’s voice now, she felt an inexplicable surge of happiness.

She whirled around to see Xie Ningyuan, dressed in red robes, strolling toward her from a short distance away.

A hint of a smile played on his lips, making him as handsome as a figure in a painting.

”When did you get back?”

Lu Sangjiu happily took a few steps forward to ask.

”I just rushed back. Luckily, I made it in time.”

He lifted his chin, indicating to her, ”Hold out your hand.”

”...Hm?” Lu Sangjiu was instantly wary. ”What for?”

”Do you really need to be so on guard around me?” Xie Ningyuan said, exasperated. ”It’s not like I’m going to eat you.”

”Who knows?” Lu Sangjiu retorted, perfectly justified. ”You might do something weird again, like trying to bind me to you in front of this huge crowd.”

Xie Ningyuan said, ”...So are you going to hold it out or not?”

Lu Sangjiu gave him a hesitant glance but ultimately extended her palm slowly.

”Fine. I’ll trust you one more time.”

Only then did a faint smile grace Xie Ningyuan’s lips. He placed something he was holding into her palm.

Lu Sangjiu blinked, looking at the storage bag in her palm. ”This is...”

”A gift for you. You can look at it when you get back.”

Although Lu Sangjiu was curious, she did as he said and put the storage bag away.

Xie Ningyuan turned slightly, his gaze shifting to the tournament stage. ”What place are you planning on taking this time?”

Lu Sangjiu was speechless. ”...What do you mean, ’what place am I planning on taking’? You make it sound like I can get whatever rank I want just by deciding to.”

Xie Ningyuan gave her a knowing look. ”And you can’t?”

Lu Sangjiu didn’t deny it. ”...Don’t let the other two hear you say that, or they’ll fight me like their lives depend on it.”

As the two of them bantered, the officiant formally announced the rules for today’s finals.

In short, with three contestants, each person would fight twice, making for a total of three matches.

The contestant who won both matches would be first place, one win would secure second place, and no wins would result in third.

If all three ended up with one win and one loss, they would all rechallenge the opponent they lost to until a final winner was determined.

As for the match order, it would be determined by a random draw conducted by the officiant.

However, before the competition began, the representatives from the Gold and Silver Gate announced that they would first hold the drawing for the ”lucky” spot for Entering Sword Tomb.

The moment she heard the word ”lucky,” Lu Sangjiu had a bad feeling.

She couldn’t help but scan the crowd and, sure enough, spotted Ye Zhiyao’s figure.

Her injuries probably hadn’t healed yet; she looked much frailer.

Her face was pale, and standing in the crowd, she looked surprisingly inconspicuous.

Lu Sangjiu paused for a moment. ’Could it be... that her protagonist’s halo has weakened a little more?’

’It seems her defeat at Luo Linlang’s hands dealt a significant blow to her destiny as a protagonist.’

Lu Sangjiu suddenly found it all very interesting.

’Even though I’m the only one who knows the secret that Ye Zhiyao is the heroine and is actively trying to change that fate...’

’...other people are also inadvertently doing things to shatter that destiny.’

’They’re like wildflowers growing in the cracks of a rock. Maybe they don’t understand grand principles or have lofty ideals.’

’They just act on instinct, on the simple desire to live.’

’Perhaps even without me, Ye Zhiyao’s so-called protagonist’s fate was destined to be a rocky one.’

’This is the counterattack against destiny, mounted by the countless weak, insignificant beings in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao.’

A firefly’s glow is faint, but when countless glows converge, they create a Light that cannot be ignored.

Ye Zhiyao seemed to sense Lu Sangjiu’s gaze and suddenly looked up, her eyes finding hers.

Across the crowd, Lu Sangjiu clearly saw the hatred that flashed in her eyes for that one instant.

Lu Sangjiu arched an eyebrow slightly, then offered her a silent smile.

’Hate me all you want. No matter how much you hate me, your name is destined to be absent from these highly anticipated Sword Seizing Conference finals.’

Just then, the name drawn personally by the Sect Leader of the Gold and Silver Gate from among all the tournament’s participants was announced.

”This time’s lucky winner is... from the Seven Emotions Sect, Ye Zhiyao.”

Lu Sangjiu wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear this result.

Ye Zhiyao, however, was stunned for a moment, a reaction that was immediately followed by sheer ecstasy!

’She knew it! She was truly favored by the heavens.’

’So what if she lost? In the end, she still obtained the right to enter the Sword Tomb!’

At that moment, she clenched her fists and couldn’t resist shooting a provocative glare in Lu Sangjiu’s direction.

’She had a premonition: the Muxian Sword would be hers. It had to be!’

Unfortunately for her, Lu Sangjiu wasn’t even looking her way. She was busy talking to Xie Ningyuan.

Xie Ningyuan said, ”Your sect sister there... her luck is a little ridiculous, isn’t it?”

”You’ve noticed it too?” Lu Sangjiu replied.

Xie Ningyuan rubbed his chin. ”We’ve interacted a few times now. I’ve sensed it to some degree.”

”But...” He looked at Lu Sangjiu. ”You seem to be her foil. Whenever she runs into you, things don’t seem to go so smoothly for her anymore.”

This sentence instantly pleased Lu Sangjiu. ”Really?”

Xie Ningyuan found her reaction amusing. ”...Why does that make you so happy? Do you hate her that much?”

Lu Sangjiu nodded without the slightest hesitation. ”Yes. I hate her. I hate her guts.”

She paused, then, as if a thought suddenly struck her, her eyes lit up. She stared at him intently. ”How about... you help me kill her?”