The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Gu Jue fell silent once more at her words.

In truth, Lu Sangjiu’s statement revealed a great deal.

’For instance, in her heart, only she and Xie Ningyuan were true companions. That was why she could declare that neither of them would help without even asking for his opinion.’

’It also confirmed what he had suspected... Lu Sangjiu treated him with courtesy and respect, but this politeness only proved she had never truly considered him one of her own.’

’Without Xie Ningyuan as a point of comparison, he wouldn’t have thought much of it. He might even have admired Lu Sangjiu for her poise and discretion, thinking it a fine quality.’

’But with Xie Ningyuan in the picture, he couldn’t help but feel crestfallen...’

’Before, he had been plagued by uncertainty, occasionally wondering if she might actually like him too.’

’But now... he wasn’t sure if she liked Xie Ningyuan, but he was certain she didn’t like him.’

No matter how easy-going Gu Jue was, his mood was inevitably affected. ’Though this really isn’t the time to be thinking about such things.’

While they were talking, Ye Zhiyao was still locked in a bitter struggle.

After observing for a moment, Lu Sangjiu realized that the moving trees were part of some kind of Array.

Ye Zhiyao must have unknowingly triggered the Array, which was why she was under attack.

It was also clear that she had noticed this small world was unstable, so she was holding back. Otherwise, with her power, she wouldn’t be struggling so miserably.

The sound of their conversation must have alerted Ye Zhiyao, as she soon noticed the arrival of Lu Sangjiu’s group of three.

She was smart enough to pick her target. Knowing that neither Lu Sangjiu nor Xie Ningyuan would help her, she called directly to Gu Jue.

"Senior Brother Gu, hurry and help me!"

While still fighting, she spared some attention to persuade Gu Jue, her tone urgent.

"We’re all disciples of the Four Great Sects! We should be helping each other. Senior Brother Gu, are you just going to stand by and watch me die?"

Gu Jue’s brows furrowed slightly, and Lu Sangjiu could easily see his hesitation.

’But I’ve already said my piece. That alone was generous of me. Why would I possibly try to convince Gu Jue to help Ye Zhiyao now?’

’Not that I think Ye Zhiyao would die from a petty trick like this. Whether he helps or not, the outcome will be roughly the same.’

’And to be honest... while I wouldn’t mind either way, I’m quite curious to see what Gu Jue chooses.’

Fortunately, Gu Jue only hesitated for a moment before his gaze grew resolute.

He didn’t go to help Ye Zhiyao. Instead, he glanced at Lu Sangjiu. "I trust Mr. Lu’s judgment."

’A moment ago, Lu Sangjiu hadn’t said a single bad thing about Ye Zhiyao to stop him from saving her. That alone spoke volumes about her character.’

’A person like her would never leave someone to die over a trivial matter.’

’Therefore, Ye Zhiyao must have done something unforgivable. As Lu Sangjiu’s friend, it was only natural for him to take her side.’

Hearing Gu Jue’s reply, Ye Zhiyao knew he wasn’t going to help.

A flash of resentment appeared in her eyes. "So much for righteous principles! It’s all a lie!"

"Lu Sangjiu, when I get out of here, I’ll be sure to report to the Sect Leader how you stood by and did nothing!"

Lu Sangjiu, however, was in high spirits. She smiled as she replied, "There are three of us, you know. You still dare to provoke me at a time like this? Do you have a death wish?"

"Don’t try to scare me." For once, Ye Zhiyao was surprisingly calm and clever. "This little world is too unstable. Unless you want to die with me, you can’t possibly make a move on me here!"

Lu Sangjiu kept smiling. "True, we won’t do anything here. But once we get out..."

She let her words trail off, the implication hanging in the air.

Ye Zhiyao’s expression changed, and a belated fear began to creep in.

’But then again,’ she thought, ’that’s only if we actually manage to get out. Why worry about it now?’

After several changes in expression, she suddenly had an idea and shouted at Lu Sangjiu, "If you don’t help me, I’ll use my full strength! When this world collapses, we’ll all die together!"

Xie Ningyuan and Gu Jue’s expressions flickered, but Lu Sangjiu remained completely unfazed by the threat.

"Oh, really? Go on, try it." Lu Sangjiu chuckled. "I don’t believe you have the guts!"

’Having dealt with Ye Zhiyao for so long, I know her type. She’s a coward who clings to life. As if she’d have the courage to take us all down with her.’

Sure enough, Ye Zhiyao began cursing furiously, but she never dared to unleash her true power and take them all down with her.

Of course, she only acted this way because she wasn’t truly at the end of her rope yet.

It was time-consuming and exhausting, but in the end, she managed to deal with the strange trees all by herself.

Finally, panting for breath, Ye Zhiyao shot Lu Sangjiu a glare, but she wasn’t foolish enough to march up and provoke her further.

Lu Sangjiu paid it no mind. Once she was sure the area was completely safe, she leisurely strolled over for a look.

The strange trees hadn’t become demons; once Ye Zhiyao chopped them down to the roots, their life force was extinguished. The Array had no other purpose either. Clearly, this was just a warm-up, nothing too difficult.

Lu Sangjiu glanced ahead, knowing many more challenges awaited them. She tilted her head toward Ye Zhiyao. "Aren’t you going to keep moving forward, Senior Sister Ye?"

Ye Zhiyao was seething with hatred. The address ’Senior Sister Ye’ sounded pleasant enough, but it was clear Lu Sangjiu meant no good by it.

She sneered. "Do you think I’m an idiot? You want me to keep clearing the path for you?"

Ye Zhiyao wasn’t a complete fool. She had realized by now that the garden mostly contained ordinary plants, not the spiritual plants and immortal herbs she was looking for. The real treasures were likely beyond it.

So there was no point in rushing ahead. She would just be used as a pawn, allowing those behind her to reap all the rewards.

Lu Sangjiu feigned disappointment. "Tsk, since when did you get so smart?"

She said this purely to annoy Ye Zhiyao; in truth, she hadn’t expected her to be foolish enough to keep charging ahead anyway.

Getting one free pass was enough. From here on, they would have to get their own hands dirty.

But she had no intention of letting Ye Zhiyao be the one to profit from their work. So, instead of rushing ahead, she spoke again. "Let’s call a temporary truce and cooperate. What do you say?"

But Ye Zhiyao was the type to take a mile if you gave her an inch. Her eyes darted, and she immediately grew cocky. "Cooperate just because you say so? Why should I?"

Lu Sangjiu raised an eyebrow. "Did you think I was asking?"

She smiled. "If you don’t agree to cooperate, I’ll have Xie Ningyuan stay here and ’play’ with you."

"You know him. It wouldn’t be proper for him to kill you, but he’d have no problem trapping you here for a while. And that would give Gu Jue and me more than enough time to get our hands on all the good stuff."

Xie Ningyuan: "..."

’Did you even ask for my opinion? Gee, thanks a lot!’

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