The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Lu Sangjiu had to fully commit to playing the part of a sweet, naive girl, so she kept her head down and focused on eating, looking as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

As for asking questions or probing for information, Yan Zui took the lead, with Xie Ningyuan providing support.

After they finished chatting about the City Lord’s Wife, Yan Zui stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point.

”We came in a hurry this time, and the disciples who came before us didn’t have a chance to fill us in on the details. We’ll need you, City Lord, to explain the situation from the beginning so we know where to start our investigation.”

The City Lord was taken aback, a flicker of suspicion on his face. ”Well... even though the mission wasn’t successful, shouldn’t they have reported back to the sect after undertaking it? Didn’t you all receive the case file from the sect?”

Yan Zui said, looking a little embarrassed, ”To be honest, the disciple who led the last group and I don’t get along very well. We have a bit of a rivalry.”

”Especially for this mission, there’s a big difference between her succeeding on her own and me getting it done, so...”

She trailed off, giving the City Lord a look that said, ’You know how it is.’

Although her explanation was ambiguous, wherever there are people, there are power struggles.

As the lord of a city, he understood some of these intricacies. A look of understanding appeared on his face, as if he believed Yan Zui’s story.

”I see... However, when that Immortal was investigating here, she didn’t reveal any specific details to me, so there might not be much I can tell you.”

The City Lord looked ashamed as he spoke, but Lu Sangjiu didn’t miss the flash of delight in his eyes.

Yan Zui acted as if she hadn’t noticed anything amiss and simply smiled sincerely. ”It’s alright. Just tell us what you know, City Lord. Anything could be helpful.”

The City Lord then recounted the whole affair from the beginning.

The first Female Cultivator to disappear in the city was a Loose Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage. It happened one month ago.

At the time, she was staying at an inn in the city. When the Shopkeeper noticed she was gone, he just assumed she had taken off and didn’t think much of it.

But other Loose Cultivators, who had arranged to hunt demon beasts with her in the forest outside the city, came looking for her. That’s when they realized the Female Cultivator might have gone missing.

She was just a Loose Cultivator, so even though they suspected she was missing, no one wanted to cause trouble for themselves, and they didn’t report it to the City Lord Mansion.

The second to disappear was also a Loose Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and the circumstances were similar to the first.

It wasn’t until the third Female Cultivator went missing that the City Lord Mansion was alerted. She was the young lady of a major family who had snuck out to have some fun. Her family tracked her here, only to find that she had disappeared.

The major family announced a reward for any clues, which is when the cases of the two previously missing Female Cultivators finally came to light.

But the City Lord Mansion investigated and found no leads. Then, six days later, another Female Cultivator disappeared.

This case was slightly better than the previous ones, as her disappearance was noticed immediately, and there was even an eyewitness.

Following the trail, they eventually discovered four female bodies in the woods outside the city. They were identified as the four missing Female Cultivators.

Furthermore, their deaths were gruesome. They looked as if something had drained them of their flesh and blood, a truly horrifying sight.

It was only then that the City Lord realized the gravity of the situation and hastily reported it to the Joyful Union Sect.

Hearing this, Xie Ningyuan suddenly spoke up. ”This incident sounds serious. Why is it that after you reported it, the sect didn’t give it a high-priority rating and only sent Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators last time?”

The City Lord looked helpless. ”I’m not sure about that either! I wrote everything down quite clearly. Perhaps it’s because all the victims were only at the Early-stage of Foundation Establishment?”

”Honestly, I also found it strange when I saw a few Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators arrive last time. But then I figured that Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators from the sect might be even more powerful than the Golden Core Stage cultivators I have here, so I didn’t say anything more.”

Yan Zui nodded and picked up the questioning. ”And after that?”

”Not long after I reported it to the sect, another Female Cultivator went missing. Then, the people from the sect arrived.”

”While they were investigating, another Female Cultivator happened to disappear. It seemed they found some sort of clue at that time, but they didn’t share it with me. Then, before they could find any conclusive results, they said they had to return to the sect for urgent matters and told me to wait.”

The City Lord spread his hands helplessly. ”So, I had no choice but to wait. And while I was waiting, another person died.”

After a pause, he added, ”Counting the days, it’s been five days since the last death. I reckon someone else might die in the next few days.”

Luo Linlang couldn’t hold back any longer. ”They left, and you, the City Lord, just stopped investigating? They were only at the Foundation Establishment Stage and still managed to find something. It makes no sense that you, a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, couldn’t do anything!”

The City Lord put on a wronged expression. ”Immortal, you’re mistaken to say such a thing.”

”I have to manage all the affairs of this city, big and small. Where would I find the time to stake out some murderous fiend all day?”

”I do have a few Golden Core Stage cultivators under my command, but they all have their own duties to attend to and can’t be spared.”

”As for the remaining Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, they’re no match for those from a sect. How could they possibly have the ability for this?”

”Besides, if we could handle it ourselves, we wouldn’t have needed to ask the sect for help in the first place, would we?”

Luo Linlang was furious at his specious arguments but didn’t know how to refute them. She could only puff out her cheeks and blurt, ”...They’re all just excuses!”

She always wore a golden mask that covered the upper half of her face, concealing her aura and making her less conspicuous.

The City Lord hadn’t paid her much attention before, dismissing her as an unimportant character.

Now, hearing her words, his expression turned ugly.

”Immortal, we are all working for the Joyful Union Sect. I have always respected you all, but that doesn’t mean you can humiliate me as you please.”

Luo Linlang frowned. ”I’m just stating the facts. What’s this about humiliation? I tell the truth and you get defensive. Do you have something to hide?”

”That’s enough!” Yan Zui cut in, turning to glare at Luo Linlang. ”Don’t speak out of turn.”

Luo Linlang still looked defiant, but then she saw Lu Sangjiu signaling with her eyes, telling her not to be impulsive.

Only then did she sit down, looking wronged. And then... and then tears started to stream down her face.

The City Lord: ”...”

’Wait, she’s the one who yelled at me, so why is she the one crying???’

Yan Zui cleared her throat. ”My apologies. My friend is impetuous and didn’t mean to offend you.”

The City Lord’s expression remained dark, but he seemed particularly wary of Yan Zui. So, once she spoke, he didn’t say anything more, despite his displeasure.

Afterward, Yan Zui asked the City Lord for the detailed case file on the matter, and the meal ended on that awkward note.

On the way back, Luo Linlang aggrievedly linked arms with Lu Sangjiu and complained to her via voice transmission.

”That old geezer is obviously not a good person. I think we should just take down the entire City Lord Mansion, then capture him and torture him for information. The case might be solved just like that!”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”