The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Sword Bu Gui’s brow furrowed sharply. His expression soured as he said, ”Why not? You’re unwilling to bring Gu Jue along. Were you just deceiving me this whole time?”

Lu Sangjiu hurriedly shook her head, her expression one of utmost sincerity. ”How would this junior dare to deceive you, Senior?”

”It’s just...” she scrambled to come up with an excuse. ”Mr. Gu could reach Nascent Soul Formation at any moment, while I’m still some time away from even attempting Core Formation. I can’t ask him to halt his cultivation just to wait for me, can I?”

”Besides, this was the condition I proposed in our exchange. If I let Mr. Gu do it in my stead, I truly wouldn’t be able to rest easy.”

”If you don’t trust me, Senior, I can swear a Heart Demon Oath.”

Sword Bu Gui stared at her for a moment, then finally waved his hand dismissively. ”Forget it. I doubt you’d dare deceive me anyway. The Heart Demon Oath won’t be necessary.”

As a Divinity Transformation Cultivator, he had his pride. There was no reason for him to fear a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator breaking her word, much less make her swear a Heart Demon Oath.

If she did deceive him, he could make her pay a terrible price with a simple wave of his hand.

Hearing Sword Bu Gui say this, Lu Sangjiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

’In the book, that small world practically existed for the sole purpose of letting the male and female leads fall in love.’

’If she and Gu Jue went in instead, that would be a disaster!’

Lu Sangjiu was a person with very clear goals. Compared to romance, she was far more focused on how to break the script and change her destiny.

So, no matter how she looked at it, getting too close to Gu Jue right now would not benefit her.

’Even if I were to truly have a cultivation partner, it should only be after everything has settled. Then, free of all worries and ties, maybe... Gu Jue could actually be a very suitable cultivation partner for me. Who knows?’

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Lu Sangjiu cautiously confirmed with Sword Bu Gui, ”So, Senior, you agree to protect my Senior Sister and me this time?”

Sword Bu Gui said flatly, ”I can only promise you that this time, in Muxian Town, you and Luo Linlang won’t be coveted or plotted against because of what happened today.”

”But I’m only agreeing to protect you in this one matter. If anything else happens, don’t even think that I’ll take care of everything for you.”

Even so, Lu Sangjiu was very grateful.

She bowed solemnly to Sword Bu Gui. ”Thank you, Senior. Your word is enough.”

Sword Bu Gui snorted lightly. ”Bring her to my courtyard in a little while. It’ll be easier for me to keep an eye on things nearby. Better than your inn, with its mix of people and prying eyes.”

This time, Lu Sangjiu nodded without hesitation. ”Yes, Senior!”

With their business concluded, they could only stand to the side and wait, as Luo Linlang’s treatment was still ongoing.

After a moment of silence, Sword Bu Gui suddenly said, ”I haven’t told Gu Jue about your situation.”

Lu Sangjiu froze, not quite processing it. ”Huh? My... what situation?”

Sword Bu Gui’s eyes widened in a glare. ”The fact that you were injured by an Evil Cultivator, of course!”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...Oh. So?”

She was a little confused, not understanding what Sword Bu Gui was trying to say.

Seeing the genuinely confused look on her face, Sword Bu Gui was infuriated.

He said through gritted teeth, ”So, for the past few days, he hasn’t visited you or even sent a transmission talisman to check in. Hasn’t it occurred to you to wonder why?!”

It suddenly dawned on Lu Sangjiu.

’I’ve had so much on my mind these past few days, I really didn’t notice.’

From her expression, Sword Bu Gui guessed the answer, and it only made him angrier.

’How should I put this... Even though I feel she isn’t good enough for Gu Jue, seeing her completely unfazed by his absence seems to make me even angrier?’

At this moment, although Lu Sangjiu didn’t quite understand why Sword Bu Gui was so angry, she knew she had to placate him.

So, she nodded in a particularly understanding manner and said, ”You did the right thing, Senior. Mr. Gu’s injuries haven’t healed yet, so of course, I shouldn’t bother him with my trivial matters.”

Sword Bu Gui: ”...”

He fell silent, momentarily rendered speechless by Lu Sangjiu’s incredibly reasonable reply.

’Should I blame her? She’s being perfectly reasonable. But if I don’t blame her, something still feels... off.’

And so, Sword Bu Gui could only stew in his own frustration.

Fortunately, the Medical Cultivator’s treatment finished just then.

Lu Sangjiu had no time to talk to Sword Bu Gui, rushing forward to ask about Luo Linlang’s condition.

”Fairy Luo’s body seems to have suffered from some kind of backlash. It’s beyond conventional medical treatment. We’ll have to wait for Fairy Luo to wake up and ask her in detail before we can prescribe the right remedy.”

”However, we’ve treated all her external injuries and given her the necessary Elixir Pills. These minor wounds should heal completely after three to five days of rest.”

Lu Sangjiu naturally hadn’t expected them to be able to treat the backlash from Luo Linlang’s Word Spirit Skill. ”Okay, thank you for your hard work. When do you think my Senior Sister will wake up?”

”She should wake up sometime tomorrow.”

Lu Sangjiu relaxed slightly and immediately said gratefully, ”Thank you.”

The Medical Cultivator smiled faintly. ”You’re welcome. The total cost for the treatment is eight hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones.”

Lu Sangjiu: ”...”

She had been feeling grateful just a moment ago, but the price shocked her so much that her expression twisted for a second.

’But on second thought, their prompt treatment is what saved Luo Linlang.’

’It’s expensive, but so be it!’

Lu Sangjiu paid the Spirit Stones without fuss and carefully helped Luo Linlang up. ”Senior, let’s go!”

By bringing them back to his courtyard so openly, Sword Bu Gui was also warning anyone lurking in the shadows: Luo Linlang was under his protection.

Now, anyone who wanted to cause trouble for her would have to consider whether they could afford to offend Sword Bu Gui.

This act alone was enough to silently deter most people.

As for the few persistent ones who couldn’t resist making a move, Sword Bu Gui would have to step in and protect them.

’The moment I stepped into Sword Bu Gui’s courtyard, I made up my mind. From now on, unless it’s for the competition, I absolutely cannot leave this place for any reason!’

’Right now, only this courtyard gives me even the slightest sense of security.’

Gu Jue had been recuperating in the courtyard the whole time. He only came over to ask a few questions about the competition whenever Sword Bu Gui returned.

So he didn’t yet know what had happened in the competition today. He was quite surprised to suddenly see Sword Bu Gui bring Lu Sangjiu back, with Lu Sangjiu carrying her Senior Sister no less.

”Miss Lu, you... What happened?”

Lu Sangjiu took Luo Linlang to a guest room and settled her in before briefly explaining the general course of events to Gu Jue.

Of course, she didn’t mention the part about the Word Spirit Skill.

’It’s not that I don’t trust Gu Jue, but this concerns my Senior Sister’s secret, and I can’t just spread it around casually.’

She just said that Luo Linlang had gravely offended Bai Heng today and, worried about retaliation, she had asked Sword Bu Gui to protect them for a while.

To this, Gu Jue immediately asked in confusion, ”This kind of troublesome matter... how did you convince my master to agree?”