The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Abbot Liao Wu fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No. You have only found your own path. How could that be wrong?"

"They say there are three thousand great paths. The Buddhist Law is profound and deep. How could mere mortals like us presume to define it?"

"Our way of cultivating Buddhism is perhaps only one among many. Who can be certain that your different path is not also a way of cultivating Buddhism?"

Xie Ningyuan was taken aback. As he carefully savored Abbot Liao Wu’s words, he felt a sense of clarity, as if the clouds were parting.

But when he tried to grasp that fleeting insight, it was as if he had caught hold of nothing at all.

After a long moment, he bowed his head gently to Abbot Liao Wu. "Thank you, Abbot, for your guidance."

At that moment, nothing could have made him happier than the Abbot’s assurance that he was not in the wrong.

Perhaps the Abbot didn’t truly approve of his path, but his willingness to encourage him to walk it was a blessing in itself.

Abbot Liao Wu gently placed a hand on his head. "Go and do what you want to do. There is no need for guilt or unease. And no need... to return to the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect."

"Jichen, the Buddha Son of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, is dead. Only Xie Ningyuan remains in this world."

"Go now. May you find your true path and live a good life."

It was the most sincere blessing an elder could give to a junior.

Xie Ningyuan felt his eyes grow hot as warm liquid streamed down his face.

He bowed his head deeply to the ground one last time. When he looked up again, Abbot Liao Wu was gone.

Xie Ningyuan stood there alone for a long time. The evening breeze dried his tears, as if they had never fallen at all.

He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, his gaze had grown even more resolute.

No matter how difficult the path ahead, as long as he never lost his original purpose and always held on to the hope of a new life, he would sooner or later forge a great path that was truly his own.

Meanwhile, Lu Sangjiu and Luo Linlang continued their pursuit of the carriage. After two full days of travel, the men finally gave the horses a chance to rest.

The Nascent Soul Cultivator on the carriage didn’t disembark, but the two Golden Core drivers finally had a chance to sit together and exchange a few words.

Lu Sangjiu had Luo Linlang stay put while she crept closer to overhear their conversation.

"This damned carriage is so slow. It’ll be another two days before we arrive. My whole body feels like it’s been rattled to pieces."

"Just think of all the Spirit Stones we’re gonna make on this trip and suck it up!"

"You’re right... Heh heh. I never thought I’d see the day I’d be hauling Demon Cultivators off to be sold like cattle. They were always just boogeymen our elders used to scare us with. Now that I’ve seen them for real, they’re nothing special."

"SHH!" Hearing him mention Demon Cultivators, the other man’s expression changed instantly. He hurriedly lowered his voice. "Are you tired of living? Weren’t we told not to say those two words out here?"

"A job this lucrative would’ve never come to us if the last guys hadn’t had an accident. Watch your mouth, or you’ll lose your meal ticket!"

The other man looked sheepish at being told off. "There’s no one else around. And even if there were, I’m talking so quietly, how could anyone hear?"

Just then, the Nascent Soul Cultivator suddenly flung open the carriage curtain.

The two Golden Core Cultivators jumped in fright. Overcome with guilt, they scrambled to their feet and bowed uneasily to the man. "Elder Yuan."

’Elder Yuan?’ Lu Sangjiu committed the name to memory. ’I don’t know if it’s an alias, but it might be useful for Xie Ningyuan.’

’After all, the person who went to the City Lord Mansion was at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, and so is this man. No matter how much backing they have, they surely wouldn’t dispatch two Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators. It must be the same person.’

’Unfortunately, this Nascent Soul Cultivator is also wearing a Magic Treasure that conceals his true appearance. I don’t dare try to probe it by force. If I knew what he looked like, things would be much easier.’

This "Elder Yuan" shot the two a cold glance and said flatly, "Don’t say what shouldn’t be said. Or sooner or later, you’ll be the ones to pay the price."

The warning instantly drained the color from both men’s faces.

Elder Yuan paid them no further mind, instead walking over to the carriage holding the Demon Cultivators and opening the door.

His gaze swept across the interior, finally settling on a well-built young man, whom he yanked out by the collar.

The well-built youth’s face went white with fright. "Wh-what are you doing?"

Elder Yuan looked down at him, sizing him up like a piece of cargo.

"Not bad... You’ll do."

With that, he actually took a flower from his storage space.

The flower was protected by heavy seals, preventing the slightest hint of its aura from leaking out. But Lu Sangjiu was all too familiar with this kind of flower and recognized it instantly!

This flower was called a Blood Bud. It required a single Demon Cultivator to water it with their own essence blood every day for three consecutive months before it could mature.

An immature Blood Bud was an ordinary Demon Flower, carrying Demonic Qi that was toxic to Immortal Cultivators.

But after maturing through irrigation with essence blood, it would completely lose its Demonic Qi, becoming a special flower that possessed neither Spiritual Energy nor Demonic Qi.

At that point, it could be used for refining Elixir Pills and Magic Treasures for both Demon Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators, and it would increase the success rate of the refinement by at least twenty percent.

Back when the Western Demon Realm was not yet ruled by Lu Sangjiu, many Demon Cultivators were fond of using other Demon Cultivators to grow this flower.

And the stronger the Demon Cultivator used to grow the flower, the more potent the resulting Blood Bud.

But by the time the Blood Bud matured, the essence blood of the Demon Cultivator used to grow it would be completely depleted, and even their soul would be devoured by the Blood Bud.

The Blood Bud could be called one of the most vicious flowers in the world.

Although the success rate of nurturing one to maturity wasn’t high, if even one in ten plants could be fully grown, using it in the refining of High-level Elixir Pills or Magic Treasures to increase the chance of success made it a worthwhile venture.

But later, after Lu Sangjiu burst onto the scene and unified the Western Demon Realm, she, out of her loathing for the vicious Demon Flower, ordered all Blood Buds in the realm to be eradicated.

From then on, the Blood Bud became a forbidden flower in the Western Demon Realm. Anyone discovered secretly growing one was committing a crime punishable by death.

Lu Sangjiu had never imagined that she would one day see a Blood Bud in the hands of an Immortal Cultivator.

And so, she finally understood why these people were secretly trafficking Demon Cultivators.

’Perhaps some were indeed being sold as laborers, but others were being sold to cultivate Blood Buds!’

Lu Sangjiu’s expression turned utterly grim. ’The person behind this truly deserves to die!’

At that moment, Elder Yuan was already preparing to feed the Blood Bud with the youth’s essence blood.

Lu Sangjiu clenched her fists, barely resisting the urge to charge out. Fortunately, she managed to calm herself in the end.

’Losing essence blood for just a few days won’t cause significant harm,’ she thought. ’It’s not worth rushing out to fight to the death right now.’

’Besides, they said they would reach their destination in two more days... I’ll just have to wait.’

Soon, Elder Yuan finished feeding the flower with the youth’s essence blood. The young man’s face was now visibly paler.

However, he likely didn’t recognize the Demon Flower, so he didn’t have much of a reaction.

Elder Yuan, on the other hand, watched the Blood Bud’s leaves unfurl with a hint of excitement, muttering, "This time, it has to be a success..."

Clearly, this was not his first time feeding a Blood Bud with a Demon Cultivator, but all his previous attempts had failed.

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