The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Though Xie Ningyuan was grumbling to himself, he wouldn’t actually contradict Lu Sangjiu.

Ye Zhiyao’s face instantly darkened. She knew full well that Lu Sangjiu was telling the truth... Xie Ningyuan could keep her here with absolute ease.

She’d thought she could use this as an opportunity to negotiate some terms, but she was shut down before she could even start. There was simply no room to refuse.

Lu Sangjiu had little patience for Ye Zhiyao and didn’t give her much time to stew in her anger and resentment before impatiently pressing her.

"So, are you going to cooperate with us, or would you rather stay here and play with Xie Ningyuan? Answer quickly, or I’ll assume you prefer the latter."

’Who the hell would want to stay here and play with Xie Ningyuan!’ Ye Zhiyao seethed, gritting her teeth.

Even if he was strikingly handsome, after witnessing his murderous, demonic appearance last time, she couldn’t muster a single thought about Xie Ningyuan that wasn’t pure "fear."

Afraid that Lu Sangjiu might actually leave her with Xie Ningyuan, Ye Zhiyao cast all other considerations aside and hurriedly blurted out, "I’ll cooperate!"

Hearing this, Lu Sangjiu’s lips finally curled in satisfaction.

’Hmm... The truth is, even if Ye Zhiyao hadn’t agreed, I would never have left Xie Ningyuan or Gu Jue alone with her.’

’What would I do if she forced herself on them and sullied their innocence?’

’It’s up to me to protect my companions’ chastity!’

Fortunately, Ye Zhiyao knew what was good for her, so Lu Sangjiu didn’t plan to make things too difficult.

After all, in this delicate balance, cooperation was the only way to a win-win outcome. If Ye Zhiyao decided to sabotage them from the sidelines, it would be a huge headache.

"Alright. If we’re cooperating, there are three rules."

"First, no backstabbing your teammates."

"Second, if we encounter danger, we face it together."

"Third, you’ll follow my lead on everything. No arguing."

Having laid out her rules, Lu Sangjiu raised an eyebrow. "Got it?"

But Ye Zhiyao was not satisfied. "The first two are fine, but why should I have to listen to you on everything? What if you try to set me up?"

Lu Sangjiu said impatiently, "Since I’m the one who proposed this partnership, I’m not going to play petty tricks. I’m telling you to listen to me to prevent you from running off on your own and causing trouble for us."

Ye Zhiyao reluctantly accepted this explanation. ’Besides, it’s just a verbal agreement,’ she thought. ’If something happens that puts me at a disadvantage, I can just turn on them at any time.’

"What about dividing the spoils?"

On this point, Lu Sangjiu deliberately played a little word game with her.

"If we find things like Elixir Pills or Spirit Grass, we’ll split them evenly. If it’s Magic Treasures, we’ll also split them if there are many. If there’s only one, it goes to whoever it’s more compatible with."

’Hilarious,’ she thought. ’Aside from the sword scabbard for the Phoenix Cry Sword, there’s nothing else here at all.’

’And of course, the sword scabbard is more compatible with Gu Jue, so in the end, it can only belong to him.’

Ye Zhiyao, unaware of the details, thought the distribution method seemed reasonable enough on the surface.

So, after a moment’s thought, Ye Zhiyao nodded. "Deal."

With the agreement settled, the group wasted no more time.

"Let’s keep going."

At that moment, however, Ye Zhiyao suddenly offered a new idea. "There’s only this single path, and considering I just triggered an Array, I suspect there’s more danger ahead."

"So I think we should just cut straight through the forest. We might be able to avoid a lot of trouble that way."

Lu Sangjiu’s expression turned odd. "Hmm... If you think that’ll work, by all means, you try it."

Ye Zhiyao naturally caught the implication in her tone. "You don’t think it will work?"

Lu Sangjiu put on a look of utmost sincerity. "No, no, no. I just feel that since this brilliant idea came from you, we couldn’t possibly steal your credit for it!"

"Mhm. We’ll stick to the path, and you can cut through the forest. Who knows, you might even find something different, right?"

’In any case, it’s not like she’d agreed to cooperate because she actually wanted anything from Ye Zhiyao. It was just to keep her from screwing them over.’

’If she was willing to take a different path on her own, that would be for the best.’

Ye Zhiyao vaguely sensed a trap, but since the suggestion was her own and Lu Sangjiu wasn’t objecting, she felt she would lose face if she chickened out now.

After her expression shifted several times, she finally gritted her teeth. "Fine, I’ll go! I’m sure my judgment is correct!"

With that, she checked her bearings, turned, and walked into the woods on her right, intending to cut ahead.

Lu Sangjiu pursed her lips. ’What a genius.’

’As if she’s the only one who could think of something so simple. Does she think the person who set these traps is an idiot?’

Ignoring Ye Zhiyao, she turned. "Let’s go."

Lu Sangjiu knew perfectly well that the dangers in the forest were no less than those on the path, so she wasn’t worried in the slightest about Ye Zhiyao getting ahead of them.

However... she never expected that even after going off into the forest on her own, Ye Zhiyao could still cause trouble for them!

As the group walked on, they felt a mist begin to rise around them.

Lu Sangjiu’s sharp eyes noticed the mist was spreading from the woods... Yes, from the part of the woods Ye Zhiyao had entered.

She frowned and snapped, "Looks like she triggered some kind of mechanism. Why are we getting caught up in it over here?"

Xie Ningyuan took a moment to assess it. "The mist isn’t poisonous, but it clouds the senses and makes it impossible to tell which way is which."

In other words, it would be very easy to get lost in this thick fog.

As they spoke, the thick fog completely enveloped them, and visibility dropped to less than two meters.

This was even worse than the situation in Menghua Forest. There, they could at least use a little of their Divine Sense, but here, it was completely useless. They could only rely on their sight.

"Be careful," Gu Jue said, moving to the front to lead the way.

Lu Sangjiu didn’t stand on ceremony, carefully grabbing the hem of his robes. She then had Xie Ningyuan, who was behind her, grab onto her own clothes to prevent them from getting separated.

They had been extremely cautious on their way here, avoiding every potential danger. But now, with the fog so thick they couldn’t see a thing, all they could do was rely on luck.

As they walked on, Lu Sangjiu suddenly caught the scent of flowers.

The fragrance was faint, not at all cloying. In fact, it was so pleasant that it made one subconsciously want to take a deep breath.

"What... is that smell?" Lu Sangjiu asked, her mind growing a little hazy.

Even Gu Jue couldn’t help but add, "It smells wonderful."

Bringing up the rear, Xie Ningyuan’s expression changed instantly. "There’s something wrong with this fragrance! Hold your breath!"

Normally, neither Gu Jue nor Lu Sangjiu would have missed something so obvious.

But the fragrance was insidious, creeping in without a sound. By the time they even noticed it, they were already affected. Both of them were in a slight daze, which was why their reactions had become sluggish.

Since Xie Ningyuan was at the rear, he was less affected. It was only when he noticed the other two’s unusual state that he realized there was a problem.

At his shout, clarity instantly returned to their eyes.

Lu Sangjiu was about to retreat when she suddenly heard a rustling sound from both sides... RUSTLE, RUSTLE... It was getting closer!

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