The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Sword Bu Gui’s dignified expression immediately stiffened.

’...Didn’t we agree not to bring this up? Why did she have to ask Hua Jianzhi? Why?!’

He glanced at Lu Sangjiu, his face expressionless. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Gu Jue step in front of her and bow to him.

"Master, this matter is of great importance. Please help us pass on a message as soon as possible."

Sword Bu Gui paused, his expression suddenly growing much more serious.

After all, he knew Gu Jue. For him to be this earnest, it most likely meant he truly had something important to say.

But... seeing his disciple’s pathetic display, shielding Lu Sangjiu like that, made his blood boil.

"Look at you, you worthless brat!"

’There’s another man standing right there, yet you don’t seem to care one bit. You just keep protecting her like she’s some priceless treasure!’

His face was a mask of bitter disappointment, but since they had company, he couldn’t say much more.

Gu Jue, however, just looked at him with a "sweetly naive" expression. "Hm? Master, what did I do?"

Sword Bu Gui rolled his eyes and snapped, "Nothing. Just wait!"

A moment later, Sword Bu Gui returned with Hua Jianzhi.

It was unclear whether Hua Jianzhi felt she should give Sword Bu Gui some face in front of his disciple, or if Sword Bu Gui had said something to her beforehand.

In any case, the two of them were now keeping a normal distance from each other, with no excessive displays of affection.

Seeing this, Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

’I thought I’d get to watch some drama up close, but they’re not giving me the chance.’

Of course, the matter at hand was more important, so the thought quickly vanished. She and Gu Jue obediently bowed. "Greetings, Elder Hua!"

Only the two of them bowed. Standing to the side, Xie Ningyuan simply clasped his hands in a casual salute. "Fellow Daoist Hua, it’s been a while."

Hua Jianzhi already knew Xie Ningyuan was here, so she wasn’t surprised to see him. She gave a slight nod. "Should I call you Jichen, or Xie Ningyuan?"

Xie Ningyuan smiled. "Best not to call me Jichen. I’m afraid the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect wouldn’t be pleased. Xie Ningyuan is fine."

Hua Jianzhi grunted in acknowledgment and didn’t press the matter, simply asking, "You said you had something important to discuss with me. You can speak now."

Gu Jue wasn’t fully clear on the details, and the matter was deeply connected to Lu Sangjiu, so it was up to her to explain.

"I’ll be direct. There’s something wrong with that Miao Miaomiao. She’s an Evil Cultivator, and her cultivation is definitely not just at the Foundation Establishment Stage... I estimate she’s at least at Late-stage Divinity Transformation, and possibly even Integration."

Every one of Lu Sangjiu’s sentences was a bombshell, leaving Sword Bu Gui utterly dumbfounded.

When he came to his senses, he hurriedly turned to look at Hua Jianzhi. Her expression was relatively calm, but he could still see clear surprise in her eyes.

After a moment of silence, Hua Jianzhi asked, "What exactly is going on?"

Lu Sangjiu recounted what happened at the Sword Seizing Conference, how Miao Miaomiao had tried to send her away, how they had secretly returned, and their discovery that Miao Miaomiao’s Spiritual Power matched that of the attacker from that day.

After listening, Sword Bu Gui nodded at Hua Jianzhi and confirmed, "During the Sword Seizing Conference, Lu Sangjiu was indeed attacked by an Evil Cultivator’s puppet. We also felt at the time that the perpetrator had to be at least in the Divinity Transformation Stage, otherwise they couldn’t have silently slipped a puppet in among the contestants."

Hua Jianzhi was lost in thought. After a moment, she said, "If she wanted to send you away, why did you secretly return to watch the Holy Daughter selection?"

Lu Sangjiu explained patiently, "Because from the very beginning, she gave me a feeling that was both somewhat familiar and somewhat dangerous."

"Later, she approached me to cooperate. The reason she gave seemed fine at first glance, but she didn’t seem to consider at all that I might ask Yan Zui to inquire about her mission, and then ditch her to work with Yan Zui instead."

"Simply put, she acted like she valued this cooperation, but in reality, she wasn’t the least bit on guard. That was very strange."

"And then when Yan Zui went to ask around, the information he came back with was very comprehensive and specific. That was even stranger."

"So at that point, I felt that Miao Miaomiao probably didn’t care at all whether I cooperated with her or not. She just wanted me to leave the Joyful Union Sect."

"As for her reason, it was easy to guess based on the timing. The only possibility was that she didn’t want me to watch the Holy Daughter selection."

"Of course, I didn’t guess the specific details at first. I just felt that the more she didn’t want me to do something, the more I should do it. That’s why I pretended to leave and then secretly circled back on them."

After explaining everything, Lu Sangjiu said sincerely, "Elder Hua, I have no reason to lie to you. Besides, Gu Jue is Sword Master Bu Gui’s disciple. For the sake of that relationship, you should give us at least a little bit of your trust."

Sword Bu Gui: "..."

’She’s quite the freeloader!’

Hua Jianzhi lowered her gaze and said coolly, "I would like to trust you, but... if I believe that Miao Miaomiao is an Evil Cultivator, that would imply that her backer, True Monarch Liu Feng, is likely also compromised."

"And for the Joyful Union Sect... that is not good news."

Lu Sangjiu was silent for a moment before saying helplessly, "Actually, I was just about to say... I also think True Monarch Liu Feng is very likely compromised."

Hua Jianzhi’s head snapped up, her gaze as sharp as a blade. "You’re suspecting an elder of my sect. Do you have any idea what price you’ll pay for that statement if you’re wrong?"

Lu Sangjiu was perfectly composed. "First, I don’t believe I’m wrong. Second, even if I am, I can withstand the wrath of the Joyful Union Sect."

She paused, then took out the Bicolor Mirror that Yan Lingzhi had given her. "This is something my sect’s Supreme Elder, Master Jingxu, gave to me. He told me... he is my backing."

Upon hearing this, Hua Jianzhi’s expression did indeed change.

After a long moment, the sharpness in her eyes finally softened. "I’ve long heard that you learned Master Jingxu’s Starry Sky and that he regards you as his valued successor. It seems now... the rumors are true."

Lu Sangjiu smiled humbly. "I wouldn’t say ’valued,’ but Master Jingxu did say that as the sole successor of Starry Sky in this generation, he would naturally offer me some protection."

’And I have to say, Master Jingxu’s name really comes in handy at times like this.’

Knowing that anything she said now would carry a different weight with Hua Jianzhi, Lu Sangjiu went on to recount the parts of the Menghua Forest incident that she could share.

Of course, there was only one main message she wanted to convey: "There’s someone from the Qilin Sect within the Joyful Union Sect, and their status isn’t low... Putting it all together, True Monarch Liu Feng is very likely that person."

This time, she wasn’t just suggesting that True Monarch Liu Feng might be compromised; she was basically pointing a finger in his face and calling him a spy.

If Lu Sangjiu hadn’t just invoked Master Jingxu’s name, Hua Jianzhi would have certainly taken her anger out on her, regardless of Sword Bu Gui’s presence.

After all, regardless of whether it was true, the fact that such a huge matter was first discovered by an outsider was a slap in the face to the Joyful Union Sect.

Even so, Hua Jianzhi’s expression was grim. "...I am now aware of this matter. I will be sure to investigate it until the truth comes to light."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the three of them. "But before then, I don’t want a single word of this getting out... Understand?"