The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Luo Linlang was dumbfounded. But looking at Shen Yuzhao, who was staring at her so obediently and eagerly, she simply couldn’t bring herself to hurt his feelings by refusing to team up with him.

In the end, she could only hold her tongue and shoot Lu Sangjiu a resentful glare, tacitly accepting the arrangement.

Lu Sangjiu felt a pang of guilt but pretended not to notice.

There was nothing for it. Only when she was with Xie Ningyuan could she fight without holding back. With anyone else, her combat effectiveness would be cut in half.

Besides... to be honest, she didn’t fully trust Xie Ningyuan with others. What if he got impulsive and unleashed his full power? She’d only have peace of mind if she kept a close eye on him.

The others had no objections to the teams, either. All of them were highly capable, so no group would be a liability. They wouldn’t have to worry about each other while operating separately.

After settling the teams, Lu Sangjiu looked to Xie Ningyuan on her right. ”Your turn to report.”

Xie Ningyuan said calmly, ”I just scanned the entire City Lord Mansion with my Divine Sense. One of the courtyards is protected by a powerful Barrier. My current condition isn’t great, so I didn’t dare force my way through it, or I might have alerted the City Lord.”

”I compared it with the other areas and believe it must be the residence of the City Lord’s Wife. The fact that it has an extra Barrier suggests there might be something fishy going on. When Mr. Yan visits tomorrow, you should pay close attention.”

Yan Zui, who was sitting to Xie Ningyuan’s right, saw that he had nothing more to add and nodded, picking up the conversation.

”While I’m not truly related to the City Lord’s Wife, my Little Junior Sister is. I made sure to get some details from her before we came, so bluffing my way through tomorrow’s meeting shouldn’t be an issue.”

”Furthermore, my Little Junior Sister told me that the City Lord is renowned for his devotion to his wife. If the City Lord is involved in something, she ought to know about it.”

”I’ll play it by ear and try to get as much information out of her as I can.”

These large families dedicated to Cultivating Immortality were like massive trees with countless branches. Members of the same clan didn’t necessarily know one another—some might never have even heard of each other. Therefore, Yan Zui should have no trouble bluffing her way through with the stories her Little Junior Sister had told her.

Next was Gu Jue. He spoke up, ”Our carriage ride through the city was quite conspicuous. I suspect the City Lord arranged it to give certain people an opportunity to identify us. There could be danger ahead, so everyone, be careful.”

Lu Sangjiu had noticed this as well. At the time, she had even faintly sensed some unusual gazes on them from within the crowd.

But with so many people on the streets, it was too difficult to pinpoint their source.

So she nodded in agreement. ”Gu Jue is right. If this is truly related to Demon Cultivators, then the City Lord is an accomplice at best. The real culprit is still lying in wait, hidden in the shadows. We all need to be especially vigilant.”

She paused, then looked toward Luo Linlang and Shen Yuzhao, her expression tinged with worry. ”Second Senior Sister, Third Senior Brother is far too trusting. You, especially, need to be on your guard.”

Although Luo Linlang usually seemed boisterous and a bit unreliable, in reality, she was mostly just talk. When it came time to act, she wasn’t reckless or foolish.

Luo Linlang nodded confidently. ”Don’t worry, Little Junior Sister! I’ve taken our Third Junior Brother out on missions plenty of times. I’m very experienced!”

Shen Yuzhao blinked and then offered his own observation. ”I’ve discovered something, too. It’s just... I feel like ever since we entered the City Lord Mansion, my Abnormal Fire has been especially restless.”

Lu Sangjiu paused, her mind racing for a moment before it clicked. ”Abnormal Fires can sense one another. Don’t tell me... there’s another Abnormal Fire in the City Lord Mansion?”

Shen Yuzhao shook his head. ”I don’t know. But even if there is, it’s definitely not on the City Lord. I didn’t feel anything in particular when I met him.”

Lu Sangjiu turned to Yan Zui. ”Have you ever heard about anyone in the City Lord Mansion possessing an Abnormal Fire?”

In the minds of most, an Abnormal Fire was something that couldn’t be stripped away from a Cultivator, so those who possessed one rarely tried to hide it.

If someone there had one, it should have been common knowledge.

But Yan Zui shook her head. ”Before we came, I specifically asked around about Yuelin City, including the personnel at the City Lord Mansion. I never heard any mention of someone with an Abnormal Fire.”

This might not have seemed important, but the fact that it was unknown made it very strange indeed.

Lu Sangjiu thought for a moment before turning to Shen Yuzhao. ”Third Senior Brother, find an opportunity to wander around the City Lord Mansion later. See if you can narrow down the area where the Abnormal Fire might be located.”

Shen Yuzhao nodded obediently. ”Okay.”

Finally, it was Luo Linlang’s turn. Her expression was uncharacteristically serious. ”I think... the way that City Lord was looking at me earlier felt wrong.”

”I suspect that if he decides to make a move on us, I’ll be his first target. You all need to make sure you protect me!”

She paused after speaking, then added, ”I’m not joking, you know!”

If she hadn’t added that last part, it would have been fine. But with it, the whole thing felt strange, and for a moment, no one knew whether to take her seriously or not.

After a brief silence, Lu Sangjiu was the one to break it with a soft cough. ”Alright. In that case, Senior Sister, you must be careful. If anything feels wrong, use a Communication Talisman to contact us immediately.”

Luo Linlang’s eyes instantly welled with tears as she looked at Lu Sangjiu. ”I knew you were the best to me, Little Junior Sister! I love you to death!”

With that, she pulled Lu Sangjiu into a big hug.

Yan Zui and Luo Linlang were always bickering, and this time was no different. Yan Zui couldn’t help but let out a cold sneer. ”A senior sister who needs her junior sister to protect her. You’ve got some nerve.”

Luo Linlang lifted her chin, completely unabashed. ”If you’re so great, go get your own junior sister to protect you. This is just a classic case of sour grapes!”

Yan Zui: ”...”

’How infuriating!’

Seeing the two were about to start bickering again, Lu Sangjiu quickly changed the subject, a headache forming. ”Ms. Yan Zui, didn’t you get the detailed case files from the City Lord? Let’s take a look at them now.”

At the mention of official business, Yan Zui immediately dropped her argument with Luo Linlang. She took out the scroll detailing the case and spread it across the table.

As they were all Cultivators, a single sweep of their Divine Sense was enough. A moment later, they had all committed the contents to memory.

Now that Lu Sangjiu had a general grasp of the situation, she could begin assigning tasks.

”Tomorrow, Xie Ningyuan and I will check the forest where the bodies were dumped. Yan Zui and Gu Jue, you two will go to the location where the victim with the eyewitness was abducted. While you’re there, question the witness again.”

”Finally, Second Senior Sister and Third Senior Brother, I’ll have to trouble you two to revisit the relatives of the other victims and the inns where they were staying. See if there’s anything we missed.”

Aside from the one case with an eyewitness, the exact locations where the others had gone missing were unknown. Most of the available information was already in the case files; checking again was just a precaution against any oversights.

That’s why Lu Sangjiu had grouped all those leads together and assigned them to Luo Linlang and Shen Yuzhao.

The task of investigating the forest required leaving the city and was clearly more dangerous, which was why Lu Sangjiu had saved it for herself and Xie Ningyuan.