The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Not only were Gu Jue and his group in Jinglin Town, but the Joyful Union Sect was also sending people over. The place was a veritable hornet’s nest.

Lu Sangjiu suspected the Qilin Sect wasn’t behind this, but even if they were, she couldn’t afford to get involved in the commotion right now.

It was with this in mind that she had offered to go with Zhao Fengnian and check out the Menghua Forest.

Compared to causing a big, public stir, this business of hiding in dark corners and waiting for the right moment seemed much more like something those creeps would do.

Now that she had decided to go to the Menghua Forest with Zhao Fengnian, Lu Sangjiu didn’t plan on gathering any more information the next day.

After a good night’s sleep, she got up the next day and browsed the shops in the city.

After restocking on some common Elixir Pills and talismans, she spotted a Magic Treasure set of Flying Knives. Although it was only a Low Grade Magical Treasure, it could be surprisingly powerful for long-range harassment or for launching sneak attacks.

She now possessed the domination map, but she couldn’t use it unless it was a last resort.

Most of the time, she could only rely on her Six-sided Exquisite Dice, but that item was a game of chance. Lu Sangjiu knew she had terrible luck, so she needed to get something else to back her up.

She inquired about the price. Since it was only a Low Grade Magical Treasure, it wasn’t too expensive, and she ended up buying it for just eight hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

The next day, her preparations complete, Lu Sangjiu went to the mission dispatch office again to meet up with Zhao Fengnian and the others.

Zhao Fengnian was already waiting there when she arrived.

There were five people in the party, including him, all at the Late-stage of Foundation Establishment.

Zhao Fengnian briefly introduced her to the team, explaining everyone’s specialty. It wasn’t a large group, but each member’s abilities were very useful.

There was a physician skilled in both healing and poisons, as well as an Array Master who specialized in Arrays.

Another was an expert in stealth, proficient in both scouting and assassination.

The last member had some skill in Beast Taming and owned a Beast Pet of considerable strength.

Zhao Fengnian himself was a Magic Cultivator with impressive combat power, responsible for coordinating the team.

After listening to the introductions, Lu Sangjiu nodded. ”I don’t have any special skills. Like Zhao, my combat abilities are decent.”

Zhao Fengnian smiled and nodded. ”That’s more than enough.”

”Lu, I’m the captain for this mission. I’ll need you to follow my commands and not act on your own.”

”Of course.”

Lu Sangjiu nodded. ”Don’t worry, I’m not one to disobey orders.”

Only then did Zhao Fengnian seem completely at ease. ”Alright, let’s head out!”

The Menghua Forest was a considerable distance from Luo City.

After a full day of Sword Flight, the group arrived at the entrance to the Menghua Forest around dusk.

Just as Zhao Fengnian had said, the entire area was shrouded in a thick fog. It was impossible to see inside, even from the sky.

”It’s too late to go in today; it could be dangerous. We’ll rest here for the night and set out tomorrow morning!”

Lu Sangjiu found a nearby tree, leaped up onto a branch, and leaned against the trunk, closing her eyes for a light nap.

The other Female Cultivator in the group was a physician named Lan Yu. She was quite warm and had tried to chat with Lu Sangjiu several times on their way over.

Having finished roasting some meat below, she stood up and called out to Lu Sangjiu, ”Come on down and have something to eat!”

Lu Sangjiu opened her eyes and glanced down. ”No thanks. You all go ahead.”

Seeing her aloofness, Lan Yu didn’t take offense and just smiled. ”Miss Lu, you’re being a little too cautious. I promise the meat isn’t poisoned.”

As she spoke, she took a bite in front of Lu Sangjiu, her eyes wide with sincerity. ”See? Really, no poison.”

Zhao Fengnian, who was nearby, chuckled. ”Miss Lu, please don’t take it the wrong way. Lan Yu is fond of using poisons, so she often runs into people who are prejudiced against her when she teams up.”

”Once she got to know us, we started taking missions together regularly. None of us would ever suspect her of having ill intentions. Your behavior probably just reminded her of some unpleasant experiences.”

”She was just being nice and wanted you to have something to eat. Please don’t overthink it.”

Lu Sangjiu raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled. ”Of course I won’t.”

After a brief pause, she hopped down from the tree and accepted the roasted meat from Lan Yu. ”Thanks, then.”

Lan Yu finally beamed. ”It’s so boring staying by yourself all the time! You should join us and liven things up.”

Lu Sangjiu smiled but said nothing, though she didn’t insist on returning to the tree either.

The group ate for a while around the campfire, after which Lan Yu handed each of them a small vial of Elixir Pills.

”I just took a look. That dense fog is a poisonous miasma. Everyone should take one of these pills before we enter tomorrow. A single pill is effective for eight hours. There are three pills for each of you in here, which should be enough to last a full day and night. If we’re not out by then, I’ll give you more.”

The others all thanked her, and Lu Sangjiu put the vial away as well.

The night passed peacefully. The next morning at sunrise, the group officially entered the Menghua Forest.

The fog in the forest was so thick that visibility was less than five meters. It also seemed to interfere with one’s Divine Sense, preventing it from spreading too far.

The others all said their Divine Sense could only extend about ten meters out. Lu Sangjiu’s was more powerful, capable of reaching a hundred meters.

Of course, she wasn’t about to tell anyone this. She just pretended that hers could only reach about five meters.

”This won’t work. It’s too easy for us to get separated in this.”

Zhao Fengnian stopped and pulled out several lengths of rope. ”Everyone, line up. We’ll tie ourselves together with these so we don’t get separated.”

Lu Sangjiu glanced at the proffered rope. It looked like it was made from Demon Beast Tendon—plenty sturdy.

Zhao Fengnian took the lead, and Lu Sangjiu took the rear, putting the two strongest fighters at the front and back to protect everyone.

Thus, she was only tied to Lan Yu, who was in front of her.

The party moved deeper into the woods for some time before suddenly hearing Zhao Fengnian’s voice from the front. ”There are signs of human activity here!”

Everyone immediately gathered around to look, and they soon detected the lingering aura of Zhao Fengnian’s friends.

”This must be the place they found! If we follow the trail from here, we might find them soon!”

They discussed this excitedly amongst themselves. Only Lu Sangjiu remained silent, looking as if it had nothing to do with her.

Lan Yu couldn’t help but ask, ”We’ve found a clue. Aren’t you happy?”

Lu Sangjiu put on an innocent expression. ”You’re the ones trying to save people, not me. I just tagged along to see what’s what.”

”What, am I supposed to put on a performance to match your mood?”

Lan Yu was struck speechless and couldn’t help but frown. ”Miss Lu, how can you be so...”

Zhao Fengnian cleared his throat. ”Alright, Lan Yu. It’s nothing. Just drop it.”

Then he turned to Lu Sangjiu with a smile. ”Miss Lu, don’t mind her. In any case, we have a lead now. Continuing our search might be dangerous, so please stay alert.”

Lu Sangjiu gave a broad, cheerful smile. ”Sure thing, no problem.”

Lan Yu: ”...”

’There’s something seriously wrong with this woman,’ she thought. ’So passive-aggressive!’