The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Now that she had made peace with Xie Ningyuan again, Lu Sangjiu seemed much more relaxed.

She reclined comfortably on the rooftop, gazing at the bright moon as she took small sips of her wine.

For once, her body and mind were both completely at ease.

Xie Ningyuan glanced at her, an amused look in his eyes. ”Lu Sangjiu, you’ve known who I really am for some time now, haven’t you?”

Lu Sangjiu turned to him and played dumb. ”And who might you be?”

Xie Ningyuan raised an eyebrow. It was hard to tell if he bought her act. ”From the Secret Realm until now, you’ve always asked why I’m looking for *her*, but you’ve never once asked who I am.”

Lu Sangjiu continued her innocent act. ”Aren’t you a Buddhist Practitioner? And just a worthless Golden Core Stage scrub at that. What kind of incredible identity could you possibly have?”

Xie Ningyuan: ”...Fine, forget I said anything.”

After a pause, he added, ”Since we’re going to cooperate, does this mean I can follow you openly now?”

Lu Sangjiu instantly grew wary. ”Why would you follow me?”

Xie Ningyuan shot her an exasperated look. ”You’re the one they’re after. If you don’t draw them out, how am I supposed to strike?”

”You could just investigate the Qilin Sect.”

Xie Ningyuan replied, ”Isn’t the Immortal Alliance already investigating the Qilin Sect? With them taking action, do you really think a worthless Golden Core Stage scrub like me could do better?”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

’Fine. If he was going to put it like that, she really couldn’t argue.’

But the idea of having Xie Ningyuan follow her, even if it meant gaining a powerful bodyguard, just felt... off.

As she hesitated, a gust of wind carried the faint scent of blood to her.

She couldn’t help but prop herself up, looking at Xie Ningyuan in surprise. ”You’re... injured?” she asked, uncertain.

”Hm?” Xie Ningyuan acted as if he’d only just noticed. He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a long, bloody gash on his forearm. ”Hiss... how is this not healed yet?”

Lu Sangjiu could tell at a glance that something was wrong with the wound. She reached out a hand. ”Let me see.”

Xie Ningyuan obediently held his arm out to her.

She grasped his wrist with one hand, pulling his arm closer, and bent her head to examine the wound.

’The wound showed no signs of clotting. It’s been half a day, hasn’t it? Yet it still looks like a fresh cut.’

Upon closer inspection, she sensed a powerful, destructive energy clinging to the wound—that was what was preventing it from healing.

Her expression instantly darkened. ”The weapon that wounded you... it was enchanted with the Blood Evil Curse.”

A weapon enchanted with the Blood Evil Curse prevents its victim’s wounds from healing, causing them to bleed endlessly.

Hearing Lu Sangjiu, a flash of surprise crossed Xie Ningyuan’s eyes. ”The Blood Evil Curse... You mean the one used by Cangming, the Sect Leader of the Cold Crow Sect in the Western Demon Realm?”

At the mention of Cangming’s name, the look in Lu Sangjiu’s eyes darkened.

Back then, Cangming and Fa Shan had been her most trusted lieutenants in the Moon Palace. But after her death, infighting broke out between them, ultimately splitting the Moon Palace in two.

The faction led by Cangming was the very same Cold Crow Sect that Xie Ningyuan had just mentioned.

Naturally, the records of the Cultivation World couldn’t possibly detail that infighting, making it impossible to tell who was right and who was wrong.

’But now, Cangming’s Blood Evil Curse had appeared in the hands of the Qilin Sect, a sect that seemed to have some vague, inexplicable connection to her death... Was it a coincidence?’

Lu Sangjiu had died during her Ascension Tribulation, but the tribulation itself had been triggered unexpectedly...

Undergoing the Ascension Tribulation was an incredibly serious affair; a single misstep could lead to utter annihilation.

’When she first reached the Transcendance Tribulation Stage, she had been young, with plenty of time to prepare for her Ascension Tribulation. Why would she have recklessly attempted it just a hundred-odd years after reaching the Late-stage Tribulation?’

’That day in the Moon Palace, she had been startled when she suddenly sensed the Heavenly Tribulation upon her.’

’To avoid harming anyone in the Moon Palace, she had only managed a few hasty words to Fa Shan and Cangming before leaving alone.’

’Afterward, she found a deserted, open space to face her tribulation. Upon her failure, she was saved by the Bodhi Pearl, falling into a hundred-year slumber within it.’

’The Bodhi Pearl, in turn, seemed to enter a mystical state, becoming imperceptible to the world.’

’Even its original owner, Xie Ningyuan, had clearly only been able to sense its location again after she was revived and began wearing the Bodhi Pearl.’

This was why the death of the Demon Cultivator Gu Huang had always remained a rumor. No one had ever seen her body, nor had anyone witnessed her die.

The only ones who could have known she was dead were likely Fa Shan and Cangming.

’Her Longevity Lamp was in the Moon Palace. When she met her end, it must have gone out.’

’She hadn’t wanted to dwell on the past or dig too deeply into it. But now, with all these clues laid out before her, all pointing directly at Cangming, she could no longer turn a blind eye.’

The sting of betrayal by someone you trusted was a bitter one. Lu Sangjiu lowered her gaze, hiding the turbulent emotions swirling in her eyes.

’She knew very well that whatever the truth was, she was in no position to pursue it right now.’

’No matter how much grief and resentment she felt, she could only bury it deep within her heart.’

After composing herself, Lu Sangjiu spoke as if nothing were amiss. ”This Blood Evil Curse... it’s not easy to break.”

Xie Ningyuan said, ”I know. But... are you that worried about me? You’re squeezing my wrist so hard it’s about to bruise.”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

’Only then did she realize that, lost in thought, she had accidentally tightened her grip.’

She hastily let go of his hand and cleared her throat. ”Sorry.”

Xie Ningyuan didn’t seem to mind. He just rubbed his wrist and said, ”You said it’s not easy to break, but you didn’t say it’s *impossible*. So there’s a way?”

Cangming’s Blood Evil Curse was quite notorious.

Xie Ningyuan hadn’t participated in the war between Immortals and Demons years ago, but he had heard of several renowned Immortal Cultivators who had been slowly drained of their life by the Blood Evil Curse.

Of course, it wasn’t completely without a cure. Someone had once used an Eighth-grade Body Purification Pill to break the Blood Evil Curse.

It was just that Eighth Grade Elixirs were far too precious for just anyone to obtain. At the very least, the current Xie Ningyuan couldn’t produce one.

However, Cangming himself surely had other ways to break his own Blood Evil Curse.

’Since Lu Sangjiu’s relationship with Gu Huang was so profound, it was obvious that if she could break the curse, she must be using one of Cangming’s own methods.’

Lu Sangjiu had lowered much of her guard around Xie Ningyuan by now, often tacitly accepting his assumptions without argument.

So she nodded readily. ”There is a way.”

”When the Blood Evil Curse is placed on a weapon, its effects gradually weaken over time.”

”You’re lucky. A full year has passed since the curse was cast on the weapon that wounded you, so its effects have weakened considerably.”

”So, even though my cultivation is low, if I make a few attempts, it should be possible to remove it completely.”

At this, Lu Sangjiu paused. She simply looked at Xie Ningyuan without another word.

Xie Ningyuan was quick on the uptake. ”Your conditions?”