The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

With a wave of his hand, he set up a Barrier in the room. Xie Ningyuan then staggered back and sat down on his bed.

’Hiss... So much for an innate Buddha Heart. Now it seems more like my tribulation.’

He lowered his gaze slightly, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

’It’s fine that my Buddha Heart shattered; at least I’m still alive. It doesn’t matter that a Heart Demon is growing rampant; at least there’s still a chance to eliminate it.’

’But... when a Buddhist Practitioner falls in love, the very foundation of his being is flawed. How am I supposed to keep my promise and continue to live a good life?’

With a soft sigh, Xie Ningyuan sat cross-legged in meditation, closing his eyes to suppress the backlash from the Buddhist Law.

’This cultivation of mine... Am I destined to lose it all?’

Xie Ningyuan had set up a Barrier in his room, so even though Lu Sangjiu and Gu Jue were in the adjacent rooms, neither of them sensed anything unusual.

Besides, Lu Sangjiu already knew Xie Ningyuan was in poor health, so she didn’t find it strange that he preferred to stay indoors when nothing was going on.

So the next day, she happily went off with Yan Zui to tour the Joyful Union Sect.

Although the Joyful Union Sect was just one of the Four Small Sects, its culture was one of luxury and pleasure.

Its architecture was therefore even more magnificent and beautiful than the austere style of the Seven Emotions Sect.

The food was also exceptional. Yan Zui took Lu Sangjiu to the dining hall, and everything smelled so good that Lu Sangjiu could barely walk away.

"It’s such a shame Xie Ningyuan and Gu Jue didn’t come. I should pack some up to bring back for them!"

Yan Zui smiled, resting her chin in her hand. "I really envy you for having two such close male friends. And they’re both so handsome, too."

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

She replied awkwardly, "They’re not confidants, just friends!"

"Mm-hmm, whatever you say."

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

’The meat in my mouth suddenly lost its flavor.’

Fortunately, Yan Zui was tactful enough to see that Lu Sangjiu wanted to avoid the topic, so she changed the subject.

As the two ate and chatted, they suddenly heard a commotion. Many of the disciples were whispering and gasping in surprise.

Lu Sangjiu looked over curiously and saw an exceptionally beautiful woman walk into the dining hall.

The woman was dressed in snow-white robes. In the Joyful Union Sect, where most female disciples dressed in a seductive manner, she certainly stood out.

When Yan Zui saw this person, she let out a cold sneer. The disgust on her face was plain to see.

Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help her curiosity. "Who is that?"

"True Monarch Liu Feng’s newest disciple, Miao Miaomiao."

"...Miao Miaomiao?"

Lu Sangjiu repeated in disbelief, "That’s her name?"

Yan Zui snapped, "What else? Did you think I was meowing?"

"Uh... well, that’s certainly a unique name."

’True Monarch Liu Feng’s disciple? She was never mentioned in the original book.’

After thinking for a moment, Lu Sangjiu asked, "Ms. Yan Zui, do you two have bad blood?"

"I wouldn’t say ’bad blood,’ but..." A flash of annoyance crossed Yan Zui’s eyes. "That girl is aiming for the position of Holy Daughter. Ever since joining the Joyful Union Sect, she’s been secretly doing all sorts of things to win people over."

"I look down on her petty tricks, but they’re undeniably effective. Now, among the younger disciples, she has a huge following."

"Even though her background is inferior to mine, she can now compete with me on equal footing."

Lu Sangjiu understood.

’Simply put, they were two people competing for the same position. One had the advantage of status and background, so she couldn’t be bothered to curry favor and wanted to rise based on her own strength.’

’The other had an inferior background, so she focused on winning people over first to ensure her position would be stable once she secured it.’

’Both strategies were understandable, given their respective positions.’

’But from Yan Zui’s perspective, it was definitely annoying, so it was only natural that they didn’t get along.’

Just as Lu Sangjiu was pondering this, Miao Miaomiao seemed to sense her gaze and turned her head to look in their direction.

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Lu Sangjiu felt the woman’s gaze linger on her for a moment longer than it did on Yan Zui.

’But... this should be the first time I’ve ever met this Miao Miaomiao, right?’

Puzzled, she didn’t look away. Miao Miaomiao was staring at her, so she stared right back, unflinching.

But to her surprise, Miao Miaomiao didn’t just look. She suddenly changed direction and walked straight toward them.

"Senior Sister Yan, do you mind if I sit with you?"

Yan Zui didn’t mince her words. "I do mind."

Miao Miaomiao wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest. She simply smiled and said, "Alright, I’ll sit here then."

With that, she sat down at the adjacent table. However, she deliberately chose a seat close to Lu Sangjiu, with only an aisle separating them, making no effort to hide her interest in her.

Lu Sangjiu raised an eyebrow. ’This woman is certainly interesting.’

She glanced at Yan Zui, who was also frowning slightly, looking both confused and displeased.

"Miao Miaomiao, are you deaf? I said I mind. Didn’t you hear me?"

Miao Miaomiao smiled faintly. "That’s why I didn’t sit at your table, Senior Sister Yan. Surely you can’t forbid me from sitting here? This dining hall... doesn’t belong to you, does it?"

She was very skilled at provocation. In just a few sentences, she had the other disciples whispering among themselves. Lu Sangjiu could vaguely hear them talking about how domineering Yan Zui usually was.

Lu Sangjiu’s eyebrow twitched. ’Oho, this one could give Ye Zhiyao a run for her money.’

’But she doesn’t pretend to be weak or magnanimous. She just remains perfectly composed, which gives her a particularly powerful aura.’

Yan Zui was getting angry, but she had likely lost out in situations like this before, so she didn’t say anything more. Instead, she just stood up and said, "Let’s go."

’If I can’t win against her, I can at least walk away, right?’

However, just as Lu Sangjiu stood up, she heard Miao Miaomiao speak. "You must be Fellow Daoist Lu Sangjiu from the Seven Emotions Sect, correct? I’ve heard your name for some time now, and I’m quite interested in you."

"It seems inconvenient today, so I will pay you a personal visit another day, Fellow Daoist Lu."

This time, Yan Zui was truly furious. She stopped in her tracks and whipped around. "Miao Miaomiao, what is the meaning of this? Lu Sangjiu is my friend. Are you trying to poach her right in front of my face?"

Miao Miaomiao calmly replied, "Don’t be angry, Senior Sister Yan. I just want to exchange a few words with Fellow Daoist Lu. You said she’s your friend, not your servant. It makes no sense that I’d need your permission just to talk to her, does it?"

"You..."

Yan Zui was seething and about to say more, but Lu Sangjiu tugged her arm and spoke up. "It’s true you don’t need Ms. Yan Zui’s permission, but I believe... you do need mine, don’t you?"

Looking at Miao Miaomiao, she said slowly, "My apologies, but I have no interest in you, Fellow Daoist Miao. There’s no need for us to chat."

With that, she pulled Yan Zui away. "Ms. Yan Zui, let’s go."

Miao Miaomiao raised an eyebrow, a meaningful smile spreading across her face. "...That’s alright. You will be, sooner or later."

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