The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Xie Ningyuan’s words stunned Lu Sangjiu.

Right. If she didn’t like Gu Jue, why would she have married him?

The moment she considered this question, an answer seemed to generate itself in her mind.

She subconsciously spoke it aloud, "Because before my father died, he told me that Gu is a good man and hoped I would marry him to live a peaceful life."

After she said it, without needing Xie Ningyuan to say anything more, Lu Sangjiu’s eyes shot wide open. "...That’s not right!"

She denied it vehemently. "There’s no way I would marry Gu for that reason!"

Xie Ningyuan watched her with a smile, saying nothing.

And Lu Sangjiu’s once-muddled mind seemed to be gradually clearing.

’Something’s wrong... None of this is right!’

Lu Sangjiu might not understand others, but she definitely understood herself.

She was absolutely not the type to passively accept her fate. If she didn’t like someone, she didn’t like them. There was no way she would marry Gu Jue just because of her father’s dying wish, or out of fear of being left alone after her parents’ death.

Besides... She couldn’t help but glance at Xie Ningyuan. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have someone she liked. She was hardly in a position with no other choice.

Therefore, starting from the very premise of her marrying Gu Jue, everything was wrong!

Her mind grew clearer, and bit by bit, she recovered her truly lost memories.

That’s it! She wasn’t an ordinary mortal at all—she was a Cultivator!

Before this, the four of them—she, Gu Jue, Xie Ningyuan, and Ye Zhiyao—had been facing danger in a small world.

So this place... was an Illusion Realm!

The moment she realized this, Lu Sangjiu felt everything before her eyes rapidly dissolving. She instinctively turned to look back at Xie Ningyuan, only to find he was already gone.

Then her consciousness was pulled away. When Lu Sangjiu truly opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Ye Zhiyao and Xie Ningyuan tied together on a large tree across the path.

Both of them still had their eyes closed, seemingly lost in the Illusion Realm.

Looking down, she saw that she and Gu Jue were also tied to a large tree.

The dense fog and vines were gone, and even the floral scent had vanished at some point.

She instinctively looked up. Before she passed out, she remembered this tree seemed to be covered in blossoms, but now... the flowers were gone, leaving only an abundance of fruit.

Lu Sangjiu frowned, staring at the fruit for a moment before it finally dawned on her. "This tree... it’s a Mimosa Tree!"

The Mimosa Tree. It blooms with Hehuan Flowers year-round, and their fragrance has hallucinogenic and even aphrodisiac effects.

Whenever a person or animal passes by, the Mimosa Tree will sprout vines to forcibly bind them to its trunk, creating an amorous Illusion Realm for them.

The scent of the Hehuan Flower amplifies a person’s passions and desires, making them much harder to suppress than usual within the Illusion Realm.

And the Mimosa Tree feeds on these passions.

After consuming these passions, the Hehuan Flowers fall, and Hehuan Fruits grow.

Hehuan Fruits also have aphrodisiac properties and can be used in refining such Elixir Pills, but they have few other medicinal uses.

As she thought this over, Lu Sangjiu looked up again at the small, shriveled fruits on her tree...

’Uh, it’s said that if... *that certain something* happens in the Illusion Realm, the quality of the fruit improves.’

’So, judging by the look of these fruits above my head, Gu Jue and I probably weren’t very good nutrients?’

At the thought of Gu Jue, Lu Sangjiu’s breath hitched, and she couldn’t help but recall everything that happened in the Illusion Realm.

’Speaking of which... were we all pulled into the same Illusion Realm, or did we each have our own? This is very important!’

Her brow furrowed. Lu Sangjiu glanced at Xie Ningyuan across from her; he wasn’t awake yet.

She recalled what she’d seen in her Illusion Realm. When it collapsed, Xie Ningyuan had already vanished.

’If that Xie Ningyuan was the real person, his sudden disappearance could only mean he had left the Illusion Realm, right?’

’Then he should have woken up even earlier than me. But from the looks of it, he hasn’t... which means the three people in my Illusion Realm must have all been fake?’

At this thought, Lu Sangjiu instantly felt much more relieved.

’It’s for the best that they were fake. Otherwise, with that explosive plot in the Illusion Realm, how could we possibly face each other after waking up?’

’Especially Mr. Gu. For someone so transcendent and righteous to actually... that night... He’d probably fly into a rage out of shame and hack me to pieces, right?’

’Thank goodness it was all fake!’

Lu Sangjiu felt another wave of relief and continued to wait for the others to wake up.

Based on her knowledge of the Mimosa Tree’s habits, once all the prey tied to a single tree awakened, the vines binding them would automatically fall away.

Otherwise, if she tried to break free by force, it would affect Gu Jue, who was still lost in the Illusion Realm beside her.

After an agonizing wait, Lu Sangjiu finally saw Gu Jue’s eyelashes tremble slightly beside her before his eyes fluttered open.

"Mr. Gu, you’re awake!"

Lu Sangjiu was overjoyed. She then felt the vines binding her rapidly wither and fall away.

After landing, she glanced up at the fruit again. ’Yep, still shriveled. Looks like Gu Jue also preserved his chastity in the Illusion Realm.’

After a brief moment to reorient himself, Gu Jue had already figured everything out.

So when he heard Lu Sangjiu’s concerned voice asking how he was, he couldn’t help but stiffen.

Gu Jue had always prided himself on his strong and steady Dao heart, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but feel shaken.

Struggling to control his expression, he looked at Lu Sangjiu. "...I’m fine."

Seeing no major change in his expression, Lu Sangjiu breathed a small sigh of relief, but she was still a little worried.

’As for finding out if we were all in the same Illusion Realm... Ye Zhiyao definitely wouldn’t give me a straight answer.’

’And as for asking Xie Ningyuan...’ Lu Sangjiu’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately shook her head, rejecting the idea.

’So I guess I’ll have to test Gu Jue? Mr. Gu is an honest person; he probably wouldn’t lie.’

’Besides, even if it was the same Illusion Realm, Gu Jue was only influenced by his role and the aphrodisiac, so it shouldn’t be that awkward, right?’

After a thousand thoughts raced through her mind, Lu Sangjiu finally made up her mind.

She gave a light cough and asked tentatively, "Mr. Gu, inside the Illusion Realm... did you run into me?"

Gu Jue stiffened again for a moment, but he quickly composed himself and answered very seriously, "I met you... but it was a fake."

The first three words nearly sent Lu Sangjiu to her grave, but fortunately, the rest of the sentence let her breathe a sigh of relief.

"Is that so? Heh heh, I ran into you too, also a fake!"

After saying that, she still felt uneasy and asked another question, "So... Mr. Gu, how did you know it was a fake?"

Gu Jue replied calmly, "That fake... pretended to be my wife. After I saw through her disguise, she dissipated on the spot."

Hearing this answer, Lu Sangjiu could finally, completely relax.

Although both scenarios involved a husband-and-wife relationship, the plot Gu Jue described was different from what she had experienced!

The reason they both dreamed of each other was likely just because they were so close, influencing each other’s Illusion Realms.

’This is great! As long as I’m the only one who knows how absurd my Illusion Realm was, there’s no need to be embarrassed!’

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!