The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Lu Sangjiu thought Ye Zhiyao’s situation was truly pathetic. She’d been utterly screwed over by the Pseudo Heavenly Dao.

But... she had to admit, it felt so good!

’Serves you right for having a heroine’s halo. Looks like it’s backfiring on you this time, huh?’

A wave of smug satisfaction washed over her, but Lu Sangjiu managed to keep from laughing out loud. Otherwise, she’d look like a petty villain gloating over her victory.

Casting a sympathetic glance at Ye Zhiyao, Lu Sangjiu nodded. "That does sound pretty twisted."

As promised, she took out an Elixir Pill and placed it in Ye Zhiyao’s mouth. Ye Zhiyao swallowed it down impatiently.

Lu Sangjiu turned and took a few steps away, then looked back as if she had just remembered something. "Oh, by the way, while the healing Elixir Pill will mend your wounds, its abundant Spiritual Energy will also clash violently with the Demonic Qi inside you."

A perfectly innocent smile spread across her face. "To put it simply... it’s probably going to hurt a lot in a moment. Hang in there."

Ye Zhiyao froze, then, as if finally feeling the "lot of pain" Lu Sangjiu had described, her face contorted in an instant. She struggled and shrieked, "Lu Sangjiu, you did this on purpose! You venomous woman!"

"I’ll kill you! I’m going to kill you!"

Ye Zhiyao’s curses were loud, all traces of her earlier, subservient begging gone. She had completely forgotten that she was the one who had asked Lu Sangjiu for the Elixir Pill in the first place.

Lu Sangjiu, however, wasn’t the least bit surprised. Ye Zhiyao’s sudden change in attitude was nothing new.

’That’s just the kind of person she is. It would be foolish to expect anything else from her.’

She closed the door to Ye Zhiyao’s room again, cutting off the vile, ugly curses.

Lu Sangjiu rubbed her abused ears, and her gaze shifted, landing on a figure by the stone table in the courtyard.

It was none other than Cangming, who had supposedly just left. He was sitting there calmly, sipping his tea. His face was turned to the side, showing no intention of looking at her.

Lu Sangjiu raised an eyebrow, understanding immediately.

She walked toward him, speaking as she went. "No wonder you agreed so easily to let me take a walk. So, you were just using me to get information out of her?"

With that, she plopped down unceremoniously on the stone stool beside Cangming and poured herself a cup of tea.

Her tone was laced with a hint of schadenfreude. "Too bad. It seems the results weren’t quite what you were hoping for."

Indeed, they weren’t. Cangming had thought that by seeing a fellow sect member like Lu Sangjiu, Ye Zhiyao might let something slip during their conversation.

Unfortunately... either Ye Zhiyao truly knew nothing, or she was simply too guarded and tight-lipped.

Based on his observations of Ye Zhiyao over the past few days, Cangming suspected it was the former.

This didn’t ease his mind in the slightest. In fact, his suspicions only grew, so much so that he didn’t even bother to call out Lu Sangjiu on her obvious gloating.

After a moment of silence, Cangming seemed to have a sudden thought. He turned to Lu Sangjiu. "Can you draw?"

Lu Sangjiu was a bit baffled. "I... I guess so. Why?"

Cangming grunted in acknowledgment. With a wave of his hand, two tables materialized, complete with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. He gestured to the one closer to Lu Sangjiu. "Draw what Ye Zhiyao looks like."

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

’I get it,’ she thought. ’He’s wondering if he’s just being paranoid and wants to run another test.’

To be honest, Lu Sangjiu was also curious about the Pseudo Heavenly Dao’s methods, so she didn’t mind helping him out with this small favor.

But she wasn’t about to help for free. It was essential to seize this opportunity to gain some small benefit for herself.

She quickly formulated a request in her mind—one that would be useful to her but not so excessive that Cangming would refuse. "Master," she said, "I can certainly help you with this, but could you perhaps grant me one small request in return?"

Cangming’s eyebrow twitched. "Are you trying to bargain with me?"

He sneered. "Have you failed to grasp your situation? You are my prisoner. I hold all the power. You will accept whatever I give you."

"You can, of course, disobey me or cause trouble. But you’d better think carefully about the consequences."

As he spoke, Cangming leaned closer, his eyes narrowing with bloodthirsty killing intent. "If you cross me, things won’t be nearly as comfortable for you as they are now."

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

She gave an awkward laugh and shifted back a little. "Master, please don’t get so worked up. I just thought that a great figure such as yourself wouldn’t be too stingy to offer a little charity to a humble prisoner... Ahem, if you’re not willing, just forget I said anything."

Her words sounded humble, but they were clearly a ploy to needle him, a subtle jab at his stinginess.

Cangming naturally saw through her little scheme, but to be honest... he didn’t dislike this kind of petty cleverness.

The feeling of having everything under control, of coolly watching a little pet play its clever tricks right under his nose... It wasn’t bad. It was even a little amusing.

Cangming suppressed the corners of his mouth from turning up into a smile. "Oh?" he said. "Then I’ll give you a chance. What do you want?"

Lu Sangjiu knew this was likely her only chance. If her request was too audacious, she would certainly anger him, but if it was too trivial, she would waste the opportunity.

She licked her lips, looking a bit nervous. "Um... I’d like to ask you one question. You only have to answer if you feel you can, but if you do answer, it must be the truth. Is that acceptable?"

It was a very strategic request, one that gave him an easy out. Cangming was unlikely to refuse.

Sure enough, Cangming figured he could simply choose not to answer if he didn’t want to. He gave a crisp nod and then gestured with his chin. "Draw."

Lu Sangjiu didn’t waste any time. A happy expression on her face, she immediately got up and went to the table to draw.

Cangming then walked over to the other table, also picking up a brush and beginning to draw.

To be cautious, he decided to draw what he saw as well. That way, by comparing the two, he would know whether it was his eyes or his consciousness that was being deceived.

While they drew, they both worked in silence, neither disturbing the other.

About an hour passed, and they both put down their brushes at almost the same time.

The entire time, to avoid influencing each other, Cangming hadn’t even glanced in Lu Sangjiu’s direction.

Now, setting down his brush, he finally looked up at Lu Sangjiu. "Finished?"

Lu Sangjiu was brimming with confidence. "Finished!"

With that, she bent down to gently blow the ink dry on the paper, then picked up the painting and presented it to Cangming. "Here!"

When Cangming saw the painting, he froze for a moment.

It wasn’t because of the subject’s face, but... the brushwork, the style of the painting—it felt so incredibly familiar!

In truth, *she* had never been one for painting. After so many years, only two of her works remained: one a portrait, the other a landscape.

The portrait was painted on a whim after she had specifically gone to see the so-called "Most Beautiful Woman in the Cultivation World."

If he hadn’t studied that painting countless times over the years, he probably wouldn’t have noticed the resemblance.

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