The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Is He a Living Bodhisattva?

Lu Sangjiu’s thinking was simple.

Li Qiancheng had just helped her immensely, giving her a sliver of hope. With a bit of effort, she might just escape.

’But Li Qiancheng... His destiny was to end here. Every extra moment he lingers is a mortal threat!’

A flicker of shock crossed Li Qiancheng’s face when he heard Lu Sangjiu’s shout.

But since Lu Sangjiu had told him about his fated death before they entered the Secret Realm, he understood her meaning in an instant.

But he didn’t leave; instead, his gaze grew even more resolute.

’So what if it’s my fated death?’

’Am I supposed to abandon my Little Junior Sister just because I’m afraid to die?’

’Besides, I saw the Hell Grass! It’s the only hope of saving Master!’

He also understood why Lu Sangjiu had turned back. She was willing to brave death to save their master. How could he, as her Eldest Senior Brother, do any less?

Seeing that Lu Sangjiu was momentarily safe, Li Qiancheng kept a firm grip on the rope. Then, just before the ground beneath him gave way completely, he used the tension to vault forward.

’I got it!’

Li Qiancheng yanked out the entire Hell Grass, roots and all, and instantly tucked it into his storage bag.

Then, just as he prepared to pull Lu Sangjiu up with him, that patch of ground suddenly gave way completely.

"Eldest Senior Brother, hold on!"

The rock Lu Sangjiu had been desperately clinging to was still stable, so now it was her turn to pull the rope taut and catch the falling Li Qiancheng. freёwebnovel.com

As soon as Li Qiancheng steadied himself, he found a foothold and quickly scrambled up to Lu Sangjiu’s side.

"Hold on to me!"

He said to Lu Sangjiu, then took the rope connecting them and hurled one end toward a large, distant tree.

The rope instantly coiled several times around the trunk, and Li Qiancheng began climbing, pulling Lu Sangjiu up with him.

But they were too close to the epicenter of the collapse. Even though he had deliberately chosen a more distant tree, it was still within the crumbling radius.

They were only halfway up when the ground beneath that tree suddenly gave way too!

Lu Sangjiu’s heart sank. She thought they were done for this time. But at the last second, a hand suddenly seized the rope.

"...Third Senior Brother!"

It was Shen Yuzhao who had caught them.

Shen Yuzhao yanked hard on the rope, turning and running with near-maniacal speed toward safety across the steadily collapsing ground.

He dragged them completely out of the chasm. The moment their feet touched solid ground, they too broke into a desperate sprint, running for their lives.

Lu Sangjiu felt as if every ounce of her strength had been drained away. Each step was leaden and heavy.

After what felt like an eternity of running, Shen Yuzhao, who was in the lead, finally collapsed onto the ground... Safe!

With not an ounce of strength left in her body, Lu Sangjiu crumpled to the ground as well.

She didn’t pass out, though. She just lay flat on her back, staring at the sky and gasping for breath.

For a long time, not one of the three said a word.

Lu Sangjiu could feel her heart pounding in her chest. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. Was it from the relief of surviving, or from the fact that she had successfully changed Li Qiancheng’s fate?

’No, it wasn’t me who changed his fate. It was our combined efforts that rewrote everyone’s destiny!’

’If I hadn’t gone for the Hell Grass, Duan Xingyun would have died. Li Qiancheng would have tried to save Ye Zhiyao, and he might have died as well.’

’If Li Qiancheng hadn’t chosen to save me, then both Duan Xingyun and I would have died.’

’If Shen Yuzhao hadn’t arrived in time to help, then me, Li Qiancheng, and Duan Xingyun—all three of us would have died.’

’It was the choices each of us made that led to this perfect outcome... No one died, and even Duan Xingyun can be saved now!’

It was a strange, wonderful feeling, as if, in the grand scheme of things, each of our choices had fit together perfectly to close the loop.

’So, Heavenly Dao... what does it matter if you’ve already arranged everyone’s destiny?’

’In the end, we forge our own destinies.’

A wave of pure exhilaration washed over her, and looking up at the sky, Lu Sangjiu suddenly burst out laughing.

Her laughter was unrestrained and utterly joyous, as if she were mocking the high and mighty Heavenly Dao itself.

Li Qiancheng and Shen Yuzhao had also caught their breath by now, and both were startled by Lu Sangjiu’s outburst.

Shen Yuzhao’s face was filled with alarm. "We’re doomed, Eldest Senior Brother. Has Little Junior Sister lost her mind?"

Li Qiancheng didn’t know all the details, but he understood one thing: he had survived his fated death.

Through their combined efforts, they had ultimately triumphed over destiny!

He figured this was why Lu Sangjiu was laughing, and a smile crept onto his own face.

He shook his head. "Our Little Junior Sister is just happy... And I’m happy too. Third Junior Brother, guess what? I got the Hell Grass!"

Though it takes time to describe, everything that had just happened unfolded in the span of a few breaths.

Shen Yuzhao had been a step behind Li Qiancheng because he hadn’t initially intended to save Ye Zhiyao and her group.

By the time he arrived, Li Qiancheng had already stored the Hell Grass, so he was completely unaware. Upon hearing the news, he was instantly overjoyed.

Laughter, it seemed, was contagious. One after another, all three of them burst into resounding laughter.

Soon, however, a less-than-harmonious voice cut them off.

"...Could someone... give me a hand?"

The voice was weak. It belonged to Qin Yu, who had painstakingly escaped on his own.

He was an absolute wreck, still clutching Ye Zhiyao in his arms. He looked far worse off than they did, and one could only wonder what he’d been through...

Hearing this, Shen Yuzhao pursed his lips and didn’t move. Li Qiancheng, however, was unaware of what had happened earlier. Moved by sect camaraderie, he got up to lend a hand.

He helped Qin Yu and the unconscious Ye Zhiyao sit down on their other side. With a complicated tone, Qin Yu offered his thanks and didn’t bother them any further.

Then Lu Sangjiu suddenly remembered, "Third Senior Brother, where is Xie Ningyuan?"

’Shen Yuzhao had carried Xie Ningyuan out on his back, but come to think of it, I haven’t seen him at all since we escaped, have I?’

Shen Yuzhao said hurriedly, "I put him in a safe place when I got out. I’ll go bring him back now!"

He wasn’t injured, just exhausted from the earlier exertion, and he had already recovered. So Lu Sangjiu didn’t stop him.

A moment later, however, Shen Yuzhao returned alone, a baffled look on his face.

Lu Sangjiu’s heart dropped. "Where is he?"

Shen Yuzhao nervously wrung the hem of his robes. "He’s... gone."

"Gone...?" Lu Sangjiu’s face fell. In disbelief, she asked, "He’s dead?"

"No, no!" Shen Yuzhao waved his hands frantically. "I mean he’s *gone*."

"But don’t worry. He must have left on his own."

As he spoke, Shen Yuzhao opened his palm to reveal a storage ring nestled within.

"When I went back, this was sitting under the tree where I left him. He also carved a message into the trunk. He said it’s to thank you for saving his life."

Lu Sangjiu recognized it at a glance. It was the very same Storage Ring that they had gotten from the Sword Immortal.

’So... Xie Ningyuan went through all that trouble, outsmarting the Sword Immortal, just to give the reward to me?’

’Counting the Ten Thousand Yang Pill, this is the second time... Is Xie Ningyuan some kind of living saint?’