The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

When Lu Sangjiu awoke again, she opened her eyes to find the sky had already turned dark.

She was still in a forest, but... ’This doesn’t seem to be the Menghua Forest anymore, does it?’

She suspected as much because the annoying, dense fog was gone.

Sensing the flicker of flames nearby, she struggled to turn and look, but was stopped by a familiar voice. ”Don’t move. Don’t you feel the pain?”

Lu Sangjiu froze. A sudden burst of strength seemed to fill her. Where her previous struggles had been slow and labored, this time she whipped around in a single, sharp movement.

”HISS...” A wave of pain shot through her wounds, but she only managed a sharp intake of breath, her eyes paying no mind to her own condition as they focused urgently on the figure by the campfire.

But in response to her reckless movement, the figure blurred and appeared at her side in an instant, firmly steadying her with both hands.

”You really don’t feel the pain, do you?”

Lu Sangjiu gripped his supporting wrist tightly and tilted her head up to look at him, as if desperate for confirmation.

The moment she saw his face clearly, her lips parted, but her words came out hesitantly. ”Xie Ningyuan... you’re all right?”

Xie Ningyuan saw the genuine concern in her eyes. His brow relaxed, and his tone unconsciously softened.

”I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

As he spoke, he gently helped her sit up. ”You’re the one you should be worried about right now.”

”It’s only been a few days. How did you get into such a state?”

Lu Sangjiu didn’t let go. Her fingers traced a path down his wrist until they brushed against the warm skin on the back of his hand. Only then did the moment feel real.

Xie Ningyuan felt the touch on the back of his hand and froze for a fraction of a second.

But before his gaze could drift downward, she had already released her grip.

When he looked back into her eyes, he saw she had composed herself, reverting to her usual, carefully distant demeanor with him.

She forced a smile, her tone light. ”...What brings you here?”

After a moment’s pause, Xie Ningyuan suddenly clicked his tongue. ”That smile is ugly.”

As he spoke, he unceremoniously shoved an Elixir Pill into her mouth. ”We can chat later. Heal first.”

She had been unconscious before, unable to circulate her own power to absorb the medicinal efficacy.

Furthermore, an outsider’s Spiritual Energy couldn’t penetrate her body in its current state, so he was unable to help.

Giving her an Elixir Pill that was too potent would have done more harm than good, so he had only been able to feed her some low-level Elixir Pills to slowly mend her body.

Now that she was awake, he naturally had to give her something better to speed up her recovery.

Having been fed a fifth-grade Elixir, Lu Sangjiu truly couldn’t spare a moment to speak. She had no choice but to immediately close her eyes and focus on circulating her energy to absorb its power.

The next time she awoke, it was daylight. Xie Ningyuan was leaning against a nearby tree, resting with his eyes closed.

Sensing the shift in her aura, he opened his eyes, his gaze meeting hers just as she looked over.

For some reason, he didn’t speak right away. Instead, he watched her in silence for a full three breaths before asking, ”...Feeling better?”

Lu Sangjiu didn’t know why, but that simple shared glance and ordinary question made her feel inexplicably awkward.

Averting her gaze slightly, she murmured, ”Mm,” and added, ”It doesn’t hurt as much... Thank you.”

With a wave of his hand, Xie Ningyuan conjured a table in front of Lu Sangjiu, laden with steaming hot food. ”Eat something.”

Lu Sangjiu picked up her chopsticks and asked reflexively, ”Did you make this?”

”Who else? We’re in the middle of nowhere. Where was I supposed to find a chef for you?”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

’Would it kill him to be nice?’

’Sure enough, his gentle side only lasts for a moment. Being snarky is his true nature.’

She lowered her head, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat slowly. After a few bites of the hot food, she gradually relaxed, and that strange hint of awkwardness from before silently faded away.

Then, as she ate, she asked Xie Ningyuan what had happened while she was unconscious.

The short version was this: after Xie Ningyuan awoke, he remembered his agreement to come to Qingyun State with Lu Sangjiu. Worried that she might run into trouble on her own, he had immediately rushed over.

As soon as he arrived, he sensed the location of the Bodhi Pearl. He followed the sensation and found Lu Sangjiu, who had nearly been killed by her own Immortal Demon Attraction.

He sensed many other people in the forest, so to avoid trouble, he simply grabbed her and used an Earth Escape Talisman to leave the Menghua Forest.

Hearing this, Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but ask, ”The dense fog in the Menghua Forest should have weakened the effect of an Earth Escape Talisman. How were you able to get us out of there directly?”

”Hmm... Perhaps because I used a Seventh Grade Earth Escape Talisman?”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

’My mistake. The world of the rich is beyond my comprehension!’

The corner of her mouth twitched. She wisely changed the subject. ”So, where are we now?”

”I don’t know. The Earth Escape Talisman brought us here. I saw the area was deserted, so I didn’t bother moving.”

’Fair enough... As long as it’s safe, our location doesn’t really matter.’

Lu Sangjiu then remembered something more important. ”When you found me, was that black-robed man from the Divinity Transformation Stage dead?”

Xie Ningyuan thought back for a moment, then shook his head. ”I didn’t see anyone in a black robe.”

Lu Sangjiu’s heart clenched. ’Did he get away? But if he was able to escape, why didn’t he kill me or take me with him?’

Just as she was frowning in thought, she heard Xie Ningyuan add languidly, ”I did, however, see some... remains. Smashed to bits, really. Who knows if the clothes were black.”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

’Does he have to pause for dramatic effect?!’

She shot Xie Ningyuan an irritated glare, completely certain. ”You did that on purpose!”

Pleased with himself, Xie Ningyuan stopped teasing her. With a smile, he said, ”Your attack was powerful enough to blast a deep crater two li in radius. How could a mere Divinity Transformation Stage cultivator have survived that?”

”Relax. He’s deader than dead. I even picked up his Storage Magical Treasure for you.”

With that, he placed a Jade Pendant in her palm.

”Even his bones were smashed to dust, but this thing was completely unscathed. It’s a good item.”

”I’d recommend you wait until you’re healed before you study it. Put it away for now.”

Lu Sangjiu was suddenly ecstatic. Not only was the enemy dead, but she even got some loot!

Overjoyed, she didn’t hold back her praise. ”Mr. Xie, you’re such a good person! Having you around is truly my good fortune!”

Xie Ningyuan was speechless. ”...You sure change your tune fast. Weren’t you just glaring at me a moment ago?”

Lu Sangjiu beamed as she put the item away. ”Of course not! I was just playing along. If I hadn’t pretended to be angry, you wouldn’t have felt any satisfaction from tricking me, right?”

Xie Ningyuan: ”...”

’Fine. The fact that she can even say something like that... she’s really something else!’

Having gotten answers to her most important questions and knowing that Xie Ningyuan likely wasn’t aware of anything else, Lu Sangjiu didn’t waste her breath asking more.

After a moment’s hesitation, she finally couldn’t resist asking, ”Your Heart Demon...”