The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Lu Sangjiu completely understood Gu Jue’s feelings, so she waited until Liu Xi’s figure had vanished from sight before speaking.

"Gu... Gu Jue." She suddenly remembered her promise to call him by his name, stopping herself just as "Mr. Gu" was about to slip out.

Hearing her say his name, Gu Jue paused. When he turned to face her, his expression had softened into a gentle smile.

"What is it?"

Lu Sangjiu looked at him, her face full of curiosity. "Sword Master Bu Gui... is at the Joyful Union Sect?"

Without a second thought, Gu Jue nodded. "He is."

Lu Sangjiu’s eyes suddenly lit up. "Then... is he there to see Elder Hua Jianzhi?"

He was taken aback. "How did you know?"

Chi Yan had already been curious about this. Hearing Lu Sangjiu’s question, he immediately sensed some juicy gossip and hurried to her side. "Lu Fairy, do you know some inside dirt?"

’Ahem, as for inside dirt... I actually do know some, but I can’t be the one to tell it.’

So she cleared her throat and said, "I just have a vague recollection of hearing something about Sword Master Bu Gui’s history with that elder, but I don’t know the details."

After a pause, she looked at Gu Jue expectantly. "As Sword Master Bu Gui’s disciple, you must know more, right?"

’I know the story, but not being able to join in on the gossip is just torture.’

’That’s why her gaze was filled with anticipation. She hoped he would spill the beans so they could all discuss it together.’

Chi Yan had been hoping Lu Sangjiu would spill something, but when he heard her pinning her hopes on Gu Jue, his enthusiasm immediately deflated.

"Lu Fairy, don’t even bother. There’s no way Gu Jue would..."

Before he could finish, he heard Gu Jue say calmly, "I do know a thing or two."

Chi Yan nearly bit his tongue. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Mr. Gu, that’s not what you told me before!"

Beside them, Feng Lin shot him a look of pity and sympathy.

’How tragic. But Mr. Chi, why can’t you see it? In Gu Jue’s eyes, do you think you and Lu Sangjiu hold the same position?’

In response to Chi Yan’s accusation, Gu Jue stated calmly, "Hm. I’d forgotten. It just came back to me."

Chi Yan: "..."

He clutched his wounded heart. "Mr. Gu, you’ve changed!"

Gu Jue ignored his theatrics and, looking only at Lu Sangjiu, said, "All I know is that my Master and Elder Hua from the Joyful Union Sect once had a romance."

"But later, something happened, and they had a falling out. Master vowed to never set foot in Qingyun State again."

Lu Sangjiu waited, but when he didn’t continue, she couldn’t help but ask, "...That’s it?"

Gu Jue nodded honestly. "That’s it."

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

’I have to admit, Gu Jue is absolutely terrible at telling gossip.’

’The way he tells a story is just so... dry.’

It was one thing for Lu Sangjiu, who knew more of the inside story, but Chi Yan, who knew nothing, felt like he’d only heard the empty shell of a story. The most important parts had just been cut off.

’...This is even more agonizing than knowing nothing at all, isn’t it?’

He cried out in despair, "Mr. Gu, that’s just cruel! At least tell us why they had a falling out!"

Gu Jue looked blank. "But... I really don’t know that."

Chi Yan: "..."

’I believe Gu Jue really doesn’t know,’ Lu Sangjiu thought. ’Considering his age, he could have only heard bits and pieces from someone else.’

’And he probably heard it from Sword Bu Gui himself. It would be bizarre if his Master had recounted his entire romantic history in detail to him.’

As she was thinking, her eyes landed on Xie Ningyuan, who was calmly sipping tea off to the side, and they immediately lit up.

’Others might not know, but Xie Ningyuan lived through that era! He must have heard about Sword Bu Gui’s romantic escapades, right?’

With that thought, she immediately sidled over to refill Xie Ningyuan’s tea. "Ahem. You must know about Sword Master Bu Gui’s story, right? Why don’t you tell us?"

Xie Ningyuan paused, casting a sidelong glance at her. "So now you remember I exist?"

His words were dripping with resentment.

Lu Sangjiu mentally roasted him for being so petty, but her face was all radiant smiles.

"What do you mean, ’now’? I never forgot about you for a second!"

"Mr. Xie, you’re so dazzling and debonair! Just by sitting here in silence, you’re impossible to ignore. Who could possibly forget you, right?"

’For the sake of gossip, I’ll say anything!’

Of course, there was someone even more shameless: Chi Yan. The moment he heard Xie Ningyuan might know the inside story, he immediately scurried over and started massaging his shoulders.

"Mr. Xie, if you know, you’ve got to tell us! I’m dying of curiosity!"

’The untold story of the Lingjian Sect’s Sword Master and the Joyful Union Sect’s Supreme Elder... just hearing their titles makes it sound so scandalous! I’m so curious!’

Xie Ningyuan, thoroughly enjoying the flattery, finally gave a soft snort. "Fine. Seeing as you’re all so sincere, I’ll tell you the story."

At this, his demeanor switched in an instant, and he began to gossip with great enthusiasm.

"The Joyful Union Sect’s Supreme Elder, Hua Jianzhi, was a great beauty renowned throughout the Cultivation World a few hundred years ago!"

"Back then, she was only at the Divinity Transformation Stage and an elder of the Joyful Union Sect, but she volunteered to go to the Immortal Demon Battlefield and fight on the front lines."

"A few years later, her battle achievements were so illustrious that many Demon Cultivators trembled at the mere mention of her name... Unfortunately, this also earned her the hatred of Cangming, the Hall Master of the Moon Palace at the time, who plotted an ambush to kill her."

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

’You were dying to tell this story all along, weren’t you? And just now you were acting so reluctant. Hah!’

Compared to Gu Jue, Xie Ningyuan was a much more vivid storyteller, effortlessly drawing his audience into the tale.

So much so that when he heard Cangming had plotted to kill Hua Jianzhi, Feng Lin couldn’t help but grow tense, even though he knew she must have survived. "And then?"

"And then..." Xie Ningyuan chuckled. "Then, of course, Hua Jianzhi didn’t die. But she was gravely injured and fled in a panic."

"Along the way, she ran into Sword Bu Gui, who at the time was just a Golden Core Stage Cultivator."

Chi Yan’s eyes lit up. "A hero saving the damsel in distress?"

"Something like that." Xie Ningyuan took a sip of tea. "Hua Jianzhi was grievously wounded at the time, with pursuers hot on her heels, so he had no choice but to take her and run."

"But their luck was truly awful. Just when they finally managed to shake off their pursuers, they didn’t expect to... run right into the emergence of the Immortal Sword Fengming."

Hearing this, everyone instinctively glanced at the Phoenix Cry Sword in Gu Jue’s hand, their curiosity about the rest of the story instantly piqued.

Even Gu Jue couldn’t help but watch Xie Ningyuan, waiting for him to continue.

But... Xie Ningyuan just leaned back lazily in his chair. "If you want to know what happens next... ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones per person, and I’ll keep talking!"

Everyone: ???

’We juniors love hearing these old stories the most, especially when they’re about legendary elders like Sword Bu Gui and Hua Jianzhi.’

’Just as we were all completely captivated, we never expected Xie Ningyuan to pull such a shameless move... using this as a chance to demand Spirit Stones? Have you no shame?!’