The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Ye Zhiyao’s words were clearly dripping with sarcasm.

’She probably thinks I bribed Zhang Jiu Yi to throw the match, and that’s how I got first place.’

Lu Sangjiu didn’t pay it much mind. Her gaze went past Ye Zhiyao to Bai Heng, who stood a short distance behind her. A corner of her mouth twitched as she said, ”Senior Sister Ye and Master Bai seem so close. You two are inseparable wherever you go.”

She had just meant to be sarcastic in return, to unnerve them a little.

But unexpectedly, her words seemed to have struck a nerve with Ye Zhiyao. Her face stiffened, and then an irrepressible anger appeared in her expression.

”Lu Sangjiu, stop your nonsensical slander!”

’Ye Zhiyao had always been a relatively composed person. Lu Sangjiu had rarely seen her lose her temper and become flustered. To think that a simple sentence from her today would be enough to break her composure?’

She instantly understood something. She cast a meaningful glance at Bai Heng, then looked back at Ye Zhiyao and said with a grin, ”What are you talking about, Senior Sister Ye?”

”I just think you and Master Bai have a great master-disciple relationship. What are you so worked up about?”

”Or is it that, besides a great master-disciple relationship, there’s some... other kind of relationship that’s also great?”

She left it at that, giving Ye Zhiyao a look that said, ’you know what I mean’.

Ye Zhiyao’s expression turned utterly foul. ”Lu Sangjiu... I’ve never done anything to offend you. Why do you insist on targeting me again and again?”

Lu Sangjiu just smiled. ”Perhaps... your definition of ’offend’ and my definition of ’offend’ aren’t quite the same.”

With that, she pulled Xie Ningyuan away. ”It’s a bit noisy here. Let’s go somewhere quieter.”

Ye Zhiyao bit her lip, unable to stop herself from glancing back in Bai Heng’s direction.

Bai Heng seemed to notice and looked over as well, but Ye Zhiyao immediately whipped her head back as if she’d been burned!

Watching Ye Zhiyao’s back, Bai Heng narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of displeasure in his gaze.

Although Ye Zhiyao’s back was to Bai Heng, it felt as if she could see his gaze, so intense it was almost tangible. Her fingers couldn’t help but tighten into a fist.

’She had never imagined that her respected master would have... those kinds of thoughts about her!’

’That day, after being injured by Luo Linlang and passing out, she had awoken to find herself naked in a medicinal bath.’

’And her master had been waiting right there beside her, without any reservation. When she was panicking with shame, he even told her that he was the one who had undressed her, that he had seen every inch of her skin, so what was there to be embarrassed about?’

’It was then she finally understood the suppressed desire in her master’s eyes—he had long harbored those kinds of feelings for her!’

’Her master had always been very good to her, but she had always treated him as a respected elder. How could he... do this to her?’

’She felt sickened, but she didn’t dare show it and could only try her best to avoid him.’

’But he was her master. What could she possibly do to truly escape this devastating situation?’

She bit her lip hard, unable to resist another glance at Lu Sangjiu in the distance.

The man beside her was exceptionally handsome, and when he spoke to her, there was always a hint of a smile on his lips. He seemed so gentle.

Besides him, there were Gu Jue and Li Qiancheng, and even Shen Yuzhao and Luo Linlang liked to flock around her.

’Lu Sangjiu is loved by so many people, so why is it that when it comes to me, all I get is this twisted kind of love?’

’Even her senior brother, who used to dote on her, was now... distant from her because of Lu Sangjiu.’

At the thought of Qin Yu, Ye Zhiyao’s eyes grew even redder.

’She couldn’t accept it. She even felt that everything Lu Sangjiu had now should have been hers.’

’For the first time, she felt such intense hatred and jealousy for someone. She wanted... to kill Lu Sangjiu.’

The malice growing in her heart gave Ye Zhiyao a sudden impulse—to go over right now and run Lu Sangjiu through with her sword!

But fortunately, an elder from the Gold and Silver Gate spoke up just then, pulling her back to her senses.

”The eight people who may enter the Sword Tomb have all gathered. Follow me.”

Bai Heng had come up beside Ye Zhiyao at some point. ”Be careful.”

Ye Zhiyao kept her head down, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. When she looked up, her expression was normal, and she even offered Bai Heng a faint, sweet smile.

”I know, Master.”

Seeing her smile, Bai Heng’s gaze grew hazy for a moment. He couldn’t help but raise his hand to brush a stray strand of hair from her forehead.

His fingertips brushed lightly against her skin, raising a trail of goosebumps.

A wave of nausea washed over Ye Zhiyao, but the smile on her face only grew sweeter.

”Master, the process of taming a good sword is always difficult. If the sword were to run wild during that time and hurt someone... that would be quite normal, wouldn’t it?”

Bai Heng faltered for a second, realizing what she meant, but then his smile grew even more indulgent.

”Of course. I’m your master. If anything happens... I’ll naturally be here to handle it for you. Don’t be afraid.”

Ye Zhiyao’s smile grew even sweeter. ”Thank you, Master. I knew you’ve always doted on me the most.”

”I’ll head in now, then. Please wait for me to come out, Master.”

With that, she turned around, and the sweet smile on her face instantly turned cold and sinister.

She glanced at Lu Sangjiu’s back, who was walking ahead, and murderous intent filled her eyes.

Soon, Lu Sangjiu and the others followed the Gold and Silver Gate elder to the entrance of the Sword Tomb.

The Gold and Silver Gate elder stopped and turned to remind them, ”You each have only one hour. When the time is up, you will be automatically ejected from the Sword Tomb. Once inside, remember to keep track of your time.”

”Furthermore, within the Sword Tomb, there is Sword Qi coalesced from ten thousand swords. It moves unseen, so you must be careful not to be injured by it.”

Everyone acknowledged the warning and then entered the Sword Tomb one by one.

Lu Sangjiu and Xie Ningyuan went in one after the other.

The inside of the Sword Tomb couldn’t be seen from the outside. Only after entering did Lu Sangjiu discover that it was worthy of its name—there were indeed thousands upon thousands of Spirit Swords.

Some were intact, others were broken.

Some were half-buried in the earth, some floated in the air gleaming brightly, and others were hidden in some unknown corner, waiting for their fated master to pass by.

Everywhere she looked, there were swords. Within the Sword Tomb, these swords had coalesced into a unique, murderous aura.

Lu Sangjiu probed with her Divine Sense and, sure enough, discovered wisps of Sword Qi drifting about.

They were inconspicuous, and their paths were erratic.

If one wasn’t careful, it would be very easy to get hurt.

Xie Ningyuan said in a low voice, ”You walk in front. I will protect you.”

Lu Sangjiu trusted him completely when it came to serious matters, so she didn’t say anything more, just nodded. ”Then I’ll be in your care... Let’s go that way.”

She saw that the others had already chosen their own paths, so she and Xie Ningyuan also picked a direction and set off.

Of course, she was also keeping an eye on Ye Zhiyao with her Divine Sense.

’After all, she is the female lead. She should have the good fortune to find the Muxian Sword first.’

’But time was limited, and the Domination Map Blade was more important. So, Lu Sangjiu chose not to follow Ye Zhiyao, instead focusing her efforts on sensing the location of the domination map.’