The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Duan Xingyun fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the disciples staring at him with anticipation. He then spoke softly, "I was actually planning to discuss this matter with you all properly after you woke up."

"But..." He paused, looking at Lu Sangjiu with a serious expression. "Little Jiu, you still have unresolved matters, and you haven’t thought everything through yet. So, let’s wait until you’ve truly made up your mind. We can talk then."

Lu Sangjiu was taken aback. While she didn’t quite understand his meaning just yet, the gravity in his tone was enough to show how serious he was.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Sangjiu nodded. "Alright. I’ll come find you then, Master."

Duan Xingyun nodded and turned to Li Qiancheng and the others. "Let’s go for now."

The master and his disciples left first. Then Feng Lin spoke up. "Fellow Daoist Lu, now that you’re awake, I can consider my mission complete and finally rest easy."

"Tonight... I’m preparing to return to my sect."

With the Immortal Demon War now underway, Lu Sangjiu naturally understood her anxiety for her sect.

But... she couldn’t help but ask, "Once you return, what are your plans, Fellow Daoist Feng?"

Feng Lin knew what she was asking. She smiled and said, "Don’t worry. I’ve stayed at the Divine Tomb Sect for so long, after all. There’s no way I’d turn on my benefactors."

"I won’t set foot on the battlefield. And rest assured, I will do everything in my power to persuade my sect to stop this war."

"Though my words may carry little weight, after hearing everything you’ve all said, I don’t think our Sect Leader and the others are fools."

"Even if they don’t believe me completely right away, they’re bound to give it some thought. It’s better than me doing nothing at all."

Lu Sangjiu nodded. "I won’t just sit by and watch, either. Even if we’re just minor figures, that doesn’t mean we can’t change anything."

Feng Lin smiled gently. "I’m actually quite grateful for this experience. It’s made me truly understand that Demon Cultivators are no different from us, and that we can, in fact, coexist peacefully."

"Looking back on my previous, innate hatred for Demon Cultivators, it all just seems ridiculous now."

After exchanging a few more words, Feng Lin bid Lu Sangjiu farewell, saying she was going out to say goodbye to the others before she left.

People came and went, and soon, only Xie Ningyuan remained in the room.

But before the two could even exchange a single word, someone else arrived.

The visitor was none other than Fa Shan.

He was a man who understood discretion. He knew Lu Sangjiu was awake, and though he desperately wanted to visit her immediately... ’To her, he was an outsider now, wasn’t he?’

’She was an Immortal Cultivator now. Her companions would surely have told her everything that had happened outside.’

’He meant her and her companions no harm, but with the Immortal Demon War having broken out, he knew he should keep his distance to avoid suspicion.’

So he waited until he saw everyone else leave before coming to see her.

Fa Shan entered the room, his gaze softening as he looked at Lu Sangjiu. "...You’re finally awake."

Xie Ningyuan glanced at Lu Sangjiu, then rose to his feet. "You two talk. I’ll go get you something to eat."

Once Xie Ningyuan was gone, the room fell quiet.

Lu Sangjiu stared at Fa Shan for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh. "...When did you recognize me?"

Seeing that Lu Sangjiu had no intention of hiding it any longer, Fa Shan’s face lit up with joy. As if letting out a breath he’d been holding, he strode forward and performed a deep, formal bow.

"This subordinate, Fa Shan... respectfully welcomes the Palace Master’s return."

By the time he finished speaking, his eyes were already welling with tears.

’He had once thought he would never see her return.’

’Even knowing Lu Sangjiu was Gu Huang, he’d assumed from her secrecy that she wanted nothing more to do with her past.’

’So he had even prepared himself: if she never spoke of it, he would never ask.’

But now, with a single sentence, Lu Sangjiu had shattered all his mental preparations.

He was a Body Integration Realm Cultivator, a Sect Master, yet in this moment, standing before her, he felt as if he were still the same young boy she had saved all those years ago—the boy who had sworn to serve her to the death!

Fa Shan’s words of welcome stirred a whirlwind of emotions in Lu Sangjiu, and her own eyes began to moisten.

Taking a deep breath, she gently helped Fa Shan to his feet. "There’s no need for that. The Moon Palace is gone now... Come, sit down."

Fa Shan couldn’t help but wipe at his stinging eyes, his head bowed in guilt. "I’m the one who failed to protect the Moon Palace... This subordinate was useless!"

Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but laugh. "Oh, stop it. You’re the Sect Master of the Divine Tomb Sect now, a Body Integration Realm expert. I’m just at the Golden Core Stage. You being so formal with me is making me feel rather intimidated."

Her lighthearted tone helped Fa Shan finally relax a little.

He chuckled softly, his gaze gentle as he looked at her. "You’ve changed so much, yet it feels like you haven’t changed at all."

"Don’t get all poetic on me. Isn’t it a bit cheesy?"

She asked again, "So, when did you recognize me?"

"From the very beginning."

Lu Sangjiu was a bit surprised, but she quickly put it together. "Just because of my name?"

"Yes and no."

Fa Shan explained, "You might not believe this, but... it was honestly just a feeling."

"There was just such a sense of familiarity about you. Even when it seemed impossible, I still wanted to believe it was you."

Lu Sangjiu nodded, remarking with a self-deprecating smile, "It’s a good thing Cangming doesn’t have intuition as strong as yours."

’Otherwise, if he’d recognized me back then, he probably wouldn’t have killed me a second time. After all, I’m so weak now, I pose no threat to him whatsoever.’

’But he most likely would have forced me to stay by his side, wouldn’t he? Maybe out of his so-called "love," or maybe just to savor the pleasure of being able to completely dominate me now.’

Fa Shan caught the meaning behind her words. "...You know?"

"Are you referring to the fact that he’s the one who killed me? Yes, I know. He told me himself."

After a pause, Lu Sangjiu laughed self-deprecatingly again. "Before he admitted it with his own mouth, I’d still been holding on to a sliver of hope."

Fa Shan lowered his head, a sorrowful look on his face. "Actually..."

’He wanted to say something in Cangming’s defense. After all, over the years, he had seen the man’s regret.’

’But the words died on his lips. How could he possibly say them? After all... Gu Huang had paid with her life just to wring a single moment of regret out of him.’

’Any attempt to explain on Cangming’s behalf in front of Lu Sangjiu now would feel like a deep betrayal.’

After a moment of silence, he finally just said, "I’m sorry... I didn’t choose to avenge you."

Lu Sangjiu shook her head calmly. "I understand."

’Considering Fa Shan’s position back then... it was the right decision not to start an internal conflict with Cangming.’

Fa Shan looked at her and gave a bitter smile. "But if he had killed me, you would have killed him for it. Wouldn’t you?"

Lu Sangjiu faltered, giving no answer.

’Fa Shan really did know her well... If it had been her, even if she couldn’t have killed him right then, she would have eventually found a way to create an opportunity to do so.’

’But that was her way, and she couldn’t force it on others.’

Seeing her silence, a flicker of disappointment crossed Fa Shan’s face.

’The fact that she could say "I understand" so calmly already said it all.’

’She didn’t blame him, but only because he was no longer the subordinate she had once trusted above all others. That was the only reason she could accept it so calmly, even offer a word of understanding.’

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