The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Chi Yan, though enthusiastic, wasn’t so tactless as to be inappropriate. He wasn’t actually trying to hug Lu Sangjiu, just run to her side.

However, he was forced to a screeching halt, yanked back by the scruff of his neck.

Chi Yan looked back, aggrieved. "Mr. Xie, why’d you grab me?"

Xie Ningyuan said with disdain, "She’s already injured. I was afraid a klutz like you would knock her over and finish the job."

Chi Yan was speechless.

He was hurt, but hearing that Lu Sangjiu was injured, his concern for her overshadowed his own feelings.

"Lu Fairy, where are you hurt? Is it serious? I have some top-grade healing elixirs here, hurry and take a few!"

The concern on Chi Yan’s face warmed Lu Sangjiu’s heart.

But she shook her head, declining his kind offer. "I’ve already taken some Elixir Pills. I just need to rest and recover. Don’t worry."

As she spoke, the others walked over. Gu Jue couldn’t hide the worry in his eyes. "Did you get hurt while retrieving my things? Is it serious?"

Lu Sangjiu handed him the Phoenix Cry Sword and his storage bag, telling a small lie. "Of course not. I snuck in to get them, and everything went smoothly."

"But afterward, some powerful expert showed up and started fighting the Sect Leader of the Qilin Sect, who’s at the Divinity Transformation Stage."

"It’s my fault, really. I didn’t hide well enough during the chaos and got caught in the crossfire of their battle. That’s how I got hurt."

’She definitely couldn’t reveal that she was the one who killed the Qilin Sect’s Sect Leader, so she’d already prepared this story.’

Knowing Gu Jue’s personality, she didn’t want to place too heavy a burden on him, so she made the process of retrieving the Phoenix Cry Sword sound incredibly easy.

But Xie Ningyuan, who was standing to the side, suddenly interjected sarcastically, "Oh yes, Fellow Daoist Lu is just so incredible. A mere Golden Core Early Stage cultivator, waltzing in and out of their headquarters as she pleases. And while she’s at it, casually stealing an Immortal Artifact for you. A real walk in the park, wasn’t it, Fellow Daoist Lu?"

Lu Sangjiu was speechless.

’What the hell is with that passive-aggressive tone!?’

Gu Jue pressed his lips together. "...Mr. Xie, there’s no need to mock me. I know Fellow Daoist Lu must have faced untold dangers to retrieve the Phoenix Cry Sword for me."

Lu Sangjiu felt a bit awkward and could only shoot a harsh glare at Xie Ningyuan. ’You and your snide remarks!’

However, seeing Gu Jue’s guilty and self-reproachful expression, Xie Ningyuan felt his anger subside. He simply pretended not to notice Lu Sangjiu’s glare.

Then, Gu Jue suddenly turned to Lu Sangjiu and bowed solemnly with his fist cupped in his hand. "Fellow Daoist Lu, you have saved both my junior sister and me, and you’ve retrieved my belongings. I can never repay such a great debt. The only way is..."

"Stop!" Xie Ningyuan, alarmed, quickly cut him off.

He glared at Gu Jue and snapped, "She saved your life, so why are you trying to repay her kindness with malice?"

Gu Jue froze, his expression baffled. "Huh? What do you mean, ’malice’?"

Chi Yan, standing nearby, couldn’t help but chime in. "Oh, come on, Mr. Xie, don’t overreact! I think Mr. Gu and Fellow Daoist Lu make a great pair. Offering himself in marriage is hardly ’repaying kindness with malice’!"

Lu Sangjiu was speechless.

’What is all this nonsense?!’

Gu Jue finally understood, and his face instantly flushed beet red. He stammered, waving his hands frantically, "You—you’ve all misunderstood!"

"I was going to say, I have no other way to repay you, but I do have some Spirit Stones. I hope Fellow Daoist Lu won’t find them lacking!"

As he spoke, he took almost all the Spirit Stones from his own storage bag, placed them into another, and offered it to Lu Sangjiu.

Lu Sangjiu was instantly ecstatic but still felt a little too embarrassed to accept. "This... Isn’t this too much?"

Gu Jue’s gaze was earnest. "Please, Fellow Daoist Lu, you must accept them!"

And so, Lu Sangjiu hit another small jackpot.

As she happily accepted the Spirit Stones, she saw Liu Xi walk up to her.

Lu Sangjiu jumped, subconsciously thinking, ’Is she here to cause trouble for me?’

She took a defensive step back. Just as she was about to speak, Liu Xi spoke first.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, you don’t need to be so guarded. I was willful before and said many offensive things. I’m here to apologize."

Lu Sangjiu was taken aback. She hesitated before speaking. "You’ve... had a change of heart?"

Liu Xi smiled. "After facing life, death, and suffering, I’ve indeed come to understand many things."

After a pause, she turned to Gu Jue. "I also need to apologize to you, Senior Brother. I was willful and reckless before, and I made you worry... but you can rest assured, it will never happen again."

This ordeal had shown her just how narrow her perspective had been.

She hadn’t seen the vastness of the world or the myriad facets of life, and yet she’d been fixated on romantic love. It was laughable, really.

Besides, her senior brother didn’t even like her back. Instead of tormenting herself and others, it was far better to let go with grace and experience a much wider world.

Though she didn’t voice these thoughts, they could sense the change in her just from her tranquil gaze.

Gu Jue was deeply relieved. "Junior Sister, you’ve grown up."

Lu Sangjiu, standing nearby, was also a little moved. ’Even though I don’t know why the ’destiny’ written by that Upper Realm Cultivator who calls himself the Heavenly Dao affects them, it’s clear there’s a subtle influence at play.’

’And now, both Gu Jue and Liu Xi have managed to break free from their original fates. It might look simple, but it actually requires an incredibly resilient and powerful will.’

’This is great. From now on, Liu Xi won’t have to be some disposable supporting character. The world is her oyster now.’

Lu Sangjiu gave her a genuine smile. "It’s no problem. The fact that you could figure this out on your own, Liu Dao You, is the best possible outcome."

Liu Xi looked at her and cupped her hands. "Furthermore, I must also thank you, Fellow Daoist Lu, for saving my life at the Qilin Sect’s camp."

With that, she also produced a bag of Spirit Stones. "Spirit Stones might seem a bit crude, but they are incredibly useful for a Cultivator. I don’t have many, so I hope you won’t mind, Fellow Daoist Lu."

Of course Lu Sangjiu didn’t mind. ’When it comes to Spirit Stones, the more the merrier!’

Having said her piece, Liu Xi looked at the group. "I came here specifically to apologize and thank Fellow Daoist Lu in person. Now that I’ve said what I needed to, I’m preparing to head to the Joyful Union Sect to find my master. I won’t be able to travel with you all any longer."

As she spoke, she also gave a slight bow to Chi Yan and Feng Lin. "The two of you have also gone to great lengths for my sake. Thank you for your hard work."

"I’ve prepared a small gift for you as well. Please, don’t refuse."

Normally, Feng Lin wouldn’t have accepted it. However, since Lu Sangjiu had just taken hers, refusing would have made Lu Sangjiu look awkward.

So, neither she nor Chi Yan refused, and they accepted the gifts.

Gu Jue, worried that something might happen to Liu Xi traveling alone, offered to escort her back, but she refused.

"It’s not far to the Joyful Union Sect from here. I can make it on my own. You don’t need to trouble yourself, Senior Brother."

Staring blankly as Liu Xi walked into the distance, Gu Jue finally let out a soft sigh after a long moment. "She’s really changed."

’Before, she would have pestered me to escort her even if I hadn’t offered. Now... she truly has no feelings for me anymore.’

He offered a silent blessing in his heart: ’May my junior sister’s path forward be smooth and free of worry, with no more hardships to come.’