The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Lu Sangjiu and Chi Yan were utterly confused. They had only been separated for a few days. While a reunion was a happy occasion, there was no need to be *this* excited, was there?

Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but ask quizzically, ”Liu Dao You, are you that happy to see us? From the way you’re talking... it sounds like you thought we were supposed to be dead.”

Just as Liu Xi was about to speak, Ye Zhiyao suddenly ran over from behind, conveniently bumping her aside.

Then, looking extremely emotional, Ye Zhiyao lunged toward Lu Sangjiu, her voice choked with sobs. ”This is wonderful, Junior Sister Lu! It’s just so wonderful that you’re alright!”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...?”

’Am I dreaming, or has Ye Zhiyao lost her mind?’

Despite her confusion, her reflexes were sharp. As Ye Zhiyao lunged at her, she decisively sidestepped.

Ye Zhiyao’s lunge met nothing but air. She stumbled, lost her footing, and fell uncontrollably toward Chi Yan.

Startled, Chi Yan instinctively dodged backward. And so... Ye Zhiyao ended up embracing no one, instead having an intimate encounter with the ground.

She landed right at Feng Lin’s feet, making it look as though she were kowtowing to her.

Feng Lin, who was usually stern and unsmiling, chose this moment to reveal a surprising sense of humor.

She glanced at Lu Sangjiu with a baffled expression. ”Is this a friend of yours? Why is she performing such a grand greeting right after showing up?”

Everyone: ”...”

Lu Sangjiu nearly gave herself an internal injury trying to stifle her laughter, but she still had to feign a worried expression.

”Senior Sister Ye, are you okay? I’m so sorry, I couldn’t see clearly for a moment and thought someone was trying to launch a sneak attack on me... You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

”Here, let me help you up.”

She offered to help her up, but Qin Yu had already rushed over, so her assistance wasn’t needed.

Seeing Ye Zhiyao’s miserable state, Liu Xi gloated from behind without any attempt to hide it. ”Serves her right!”

She was truly delighted. After being tormented by Ye Zhiyao for days, how could she not be thrilled to finally see her get her comeuppance?

But she had barely gotten the words out before Gu Jue shot her a glare. She could only shut her mouth resentfully and say no more.

Meanwhile, as Qin Yu helped her up, Ye Zhiyao’s face was beet red from the recent humiliation. She didn’t dare look at Gu Jue, terrified she would see him mocking her.

She could only turn to Lu Sangjiu with a wronged expression. ”Junior Sister Lu... are you still angry with me?”

”I called for you to leave back then, but you were so focused on rushing ahead. We were too far away, and I couldn’t have saved you even if I wanted to... But it’s a good thing you’re alright. I’m so relieved.”

Lu Sangjiu raised an eyebrow. She glanced from Ye Zhiyao to Liu Xi and Gu Jue, and a rough understanding of the situation formed in her mind.

”So because you were so worried about me, Senior Sister Ye, you went around spreading rumors that I was dead?”

Ye Zhiyao choked on her words, but Qin Yu interjected on her behalf. ”We couldn’t sense any auras inside at the time, so of course we thought you were dead. We just happened to see Gu Jue and his group looking for you, so we let them know.”

”Can’t you stop being so cynical? Why must you always assume the worst of people?”

In truth, Qin Yu had been slightly relieved to see that Lu Sangjiu was alive, but the moment he opened his mouth, his tone was still as nasty as ever.

Lu Sangjiu was used to it, though, so she didn’t get angry. With a good-natured ”Oh,” she said, ”Don’t get so worked up, Senior Brother Qin. I was just asking.”

Feng Lin, standing nearby, was unaware of the undercurrents between them. She just thought for a moment and said, ”It must have been my Golden Bell. It can block all auras, so it’s normal that they couldn’t sense we were still alive.”

Ye Zhiyao instantly breathed a sigh of relief. That explanation had come at the perfect time; otherwise, Senior Brother Gu might have misunderstood her.

Then, an idea struck her, and she suddenly spoke up again. ”In any case, what matters is that you’re all right... But Junior Sister Lu, you can’t be so impulsive in the future.”

”They’re just a few Cold Ice Crystal Stones. Are they really worth risking your life for? What would we have done if something had really happened to you!”

Everyone had forgotten about the Cold Ice Crystal Stones, but now that Ye Zhiyao brought them up, the other two male cultivators on her temporary team frowned.

One of the male cultivators, a man named Li Yijiang, walked right up to Lu Sangjiu. ”Since you’re not dead, hand over the items!”

He spoke with such brazen entitlement that for a moment, Lu Sangjiu didn’t even register his words. She could only ask in surprise, ”Hand over what?”

Li Yijiang said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, ”The Cold Ice Crystal Stones, of course! We were out here fighting for our lives while you swooped in and picked up the spoils. You should be grateful we’re not making a bigger deal out of it. There’s no reason you should get to keep everything for yourselves, is there?”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

’This guy has to be a complete idiot.’

Chi Yan burst out laughing and cursed bluntly, ”Are you out of your mind?”

”Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures go to those who are capable enough to take them.”

”We nearly died to get our hands on these, and you think you can just flap your gums and make us hand them over? You’ve got some nerve.”

Enraged by the insults, Li Yijiang reached for his sword. ”You!”

But the other male cultivator, Liu Shi, stopped him. He then smiled and cupped his hands in a salute to Lu Sangjiu’s group.

”What this Daoist friend says has merit. If we were all strangers, it would be one thing. But since you and Immortal Ye are from the same sect, isn’t it a bit much for you to resort to such opportunistic tricks?”

”Now, we’re not asking you to hand over everything. I heard from Immortal Ye that there are seven Cold Ice Crystal Stones in total. You three can each take one. That leaves four, which is perfect for the four of us to split evenly.”

”We can just consider it a joint effort. How does that sound?”

This time, even Feng Lin couldn’t take it anymore. She looked at Lu Sangjiu with a dead serious expression. ”Can I just attack them now?”

Liu Shi’s smile froze on his face. He couldn’t contain his anger any longer. ”My offer is more than fair! And since the items are in your possession, you’ve surely kept the best ones for yourselves. How can you still be so greedy?”

Feng Lin replied, her face devoid of expression, ”But if we kill you now, not only will all the Cold Ice Crystal Stones be ours, but your storage bags will be, too.”

Everyone: ”...”

Lu Sangjiu broke out in a cold sweat. ’How did I never realize before that Feng Lin’s methods were so... ruthless?’

Provoked to this extent, Liu Shi and Li Yijiang were both on the verge of drawing their swords, but Ye Zhiyao once again stepped in to stop them.

”Everyone, please, don’t be like this. We’re all on the same side here. Why must we hurt our friendly relations?”

She looked at Lu Sangjiu with a troubled expression. ”Junior Sister Lu, out of respect for you, my Senior Brother and I can forgo the Cold Ice Crystal Stones.”

”However, these two Daoist friends expended a great deal of energy fighting those Snow Cloud Beasts. We can’t just let them leave empty-handed... How about we each take a step back? You could give two of the Cold Ice Crystal Stones to these two Daoist friends. Would that be acceptable?”

Her words were directed at Lu Sangjiu, so the other two men said nothing more. They, along with everyone else, turned their gazes to Lu Sangjiu, waiting for her answer.