The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

What Xie Ningyuan wanted to tell Lu Sangjiu was about his master.

The two of them hadn’t had much of a chance to talk earlier, but now that everyone else was present, it was a good time to discuss it together.

The others knew he was wanted by the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and branded a master-slayer, but they weren’t close enough to him. Plus, with Lu Sangjiu’s incident happening right after, none of them felt it was appropriate to ask for details.

So, until now, only Xie Ningyuan knew the inside story.

When Lu Sangjiu first heard that Xie Ningyuan’s master was dead, she was stunned for a moment. She couldn’t help but recall the one time she had seen Master of Hearing at the Gold and Silver Gate.

She didn’t know what kind of person Master of Hearing was, but... she knew he must have loved his disciple, Xie Ningyuan, very much.

Back then, Xie Ningyuan had rushed back in a panic the moment he heard Master of Hearing was in trouble. The bond between master and disciple was self-evident.

After finally obtaining the life-saving medicinal herb and rushing back, all Xie Ningyuan found was his master’s corpse.

And the one who killed his master was a Supreme Elder he had always trusted, after which he was framed and branded a master-slayer.

’How much pain must he have endured through all those near-death experiences?’

A sudden wave of compassion washed over her. She couldn’t help but look at Xie Ningyuan, wanting to say something, but feeling that any words would be too hollow at this moment.

After a long silence, she finally managed to say, "...Don’t be sad. I’ll be with you, and we’ll avenge Master of Hearing together."

Xie Ningyuan gave a soft "mm," and said, "My master will not have died in vain. I will definitely get justice for him."

"...But the main reason I’m telling you all this now is that I suspect Ting Chan is connected to the matter with the Fang Family of Lu City."

Everyone was stunned by his words, and even Lu Sangjiu’s eyes widened.

She knew that Ting Chan had always looked down on Xie Ningyuan and that there was some conflict between them. Because of this, she had assumed Ting Chan’s radical decision to plot against Xie Ningyuan’s life was born from some extreme personal grudge.

’But... it wasn’t just because of that?’

Her expression immediately turned grave. "How so?"

"This whole time, I’ve been watching over you, which has given me a lot of time to think."

"Ting Chan and I did have our conflicts, but they were mostly due to our differing statuses and philosophies."

"But not long ago, I met with the Abbot. I had already made it clear that I would be leaving the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect and would no longer be its Buddha Son."

"The Abbot may not have had time to announce this to the entire sect, but given Ting Chan’s status and position, it’s impossible he didn’t know."

"Once I left the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, our previous conflicts would no longer be relevant. Ting Chan tolerated me before, so it makes no sense for him to act against me now."

"Therefore, I don’t believe his plot against me was motivated by a personal grudge."

"Furthermore, regarding my master’s incident, I did some brief investigation while searching for the herb. The whole thing seemed suspicious, but finding the herb was my priority, so I didn’t have time to look into it deeply."

"But given what happened afterward, it’s not hard to guess... My master was most likely set up. His severe injuries were just bait in a trap designed to lure me in."

"The timing of the incident was right after we investigated the trade of Demon Cultivators. Also, when Ting Chan made his move against me, he said that he hadn’t killed me before because he didn’t want to reveal too many flaws in his plan, but now he had to kill me because I was meddling too much."

"Connecting all these points, it’s not difficult to see the link."

Xie Ningyuan’s reasoning was sound and well-supported, but everyone still found it incredible.

After all, in the eyes of everyone in the Cultivation World, the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect had always been an admirable and righteous force.

Unlike other sects that were always vying for fame and fortune, the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect cared for none of that. After the Immortal Demon War, they had even voluntarily stationed themselves on the border of the Western Demon Realm, taking on the most thankless and unprofitable task.

But now... could one of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect’s Supreme Elders really be the mastermind?

You have to understand, those people weren’t just trafficking Demon Cultivators and treating human lives as worthless. They were likely far more ambitious, intentionally fanning the flames of the Immortal Demon War and waiting to watch the world burn!

Lu Sangjiu was also shocked, but Xie Ningyuan was right. It all added up!

She quickly calmed down. "The true mastermind behind this faction must be stronger than the Body Integration Realm..."

She looked at Xie Ningyuan. Though she felt her words might be cruel, she said them anyway.

"Ting Chan may have a high cultivation and a respected status in the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, but... there are still ancestors at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage. He can’t yet blot out the sky with one hand."

"For him to dare to act against you within the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, and for the subsequent arrest warrant to go unquestioned... I suspect..."

Xie Ningyuan lowered his gaze and gave a soft "mm," finishing her sentence for her. "You suspect that an ancestor of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect is also involved... or is perhaps even the true mastermind."

At these words, everyone was shocked once again!

After all, the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect having one bad apple was a completely different concept from its ancestors all being villains!

An ancestor at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage was someone who could truly lead the entire sect. If he was compromised, it would mean the entire Ten Thousand Buddha Sect would become an asset to their enemy!

Of course, Xie Ningyuan had also considered everything Lu Sangjiu said. It was just that... the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect was, after all, the place where he had grown up. He simply couldn’t bring himself to state all of this so rationally and completely in front of so many outsiders.

Now that Lu Sangjiu had said it for him, he felt a sense of relief.

He took a deep breath and said, "However, even if the ancestor is involved, I believe the Abbot is definitely unaware. The majority of the people in the sect must have also been deceived and used."

"So, I want to say... not all disciples of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect are our enemies."

"If our suspicions are true, I believe that once we dismantle their conspiracy, most of the people in the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect will still be able to distinguish right from wrong."

No one present was slow on the uptake, so they all nodded repeatedly in understanding.

"...So, what exactly are we supposed to do now?"

After a moment of silence, Luo Linlang couldn’t help but ask.

She was completely lost right now. She felt the current situation was terrible, and it seemed there were so many things they needed to do.

But the problem was... in their current group, aside from Feng Lin who was still ’clean,’ everyone else had been thoroughly slandered. While they might not be hunted by everyone on sight, revealing themselves would definitely cause significant trouble.

Then there was the issue of their cultivation. The strongest among them was Xie Ningyuan, who had just recovered to the Body Integration Realm. But what good was just one of him? Their enemy was at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage!

In short, Luo Linlang felt that there was indeed much to be done, but they... didn’t seem to have the strength to do it. How could she not feel lost?

Lu Sangjiu had woken up to a completely changed world, and her head was throbbing. How could she possibly make any decisions right away?

With this in mind, she first asked Duan Xingyun, "Master, what are your plans?"

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