The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: I Guess We’re Even

When Luo Linlang saw Lu Sangjiu’s subtle glance, she fell silent, even though she didn’t quite understand what it meant.

At that moment, others also noticed the commotion and began to hurry over.

Seeing the growing crowd, Lu Sangjiu quickly spoke to the referee before too many people gathered. "Senior, I’m really fine. Coughing up blood is just an old ailment. It’s only a minor injury."

After a pause, she added, "And you can rest assured, Senior. Even if something does happen later, I absolutely will not involve you."

"I still have one match left in this stage of the tournament, but I assume it won’t be continuing? If there’s nothing else, I’d like to go back and rest."

An Evil Cultivator infiltrating the Sword Seizing Conference was a failure on the Gold and Silver Gate’s part. Furthermore, Miao Rui was likely the avatar of a high-level cultivator, making the fight extremely unfair for Lu Sangjiu.

Lu Sangjiu had won under such circumstances, only to be ambushed afterward. If she were still required to fight the final match to advance, it would be utterly unreasonable.

Since Lu Sangjiu was insistent and had promised not to involve him, the referee didn’t press the matter.

He simply nodded. "Your participation in the tournament is suspended for now. We will contact you later with a decision on how to proceed."

"I have many things to handle here, so go back and rest with your friend. If you feel anything is wrong, contact a Medical Cultivator immediately. Don’t push yourself."

Lu Sangjiu agreed and promptly left with Luo Linlang and the others.

What sort of uproar this incident would cause, or how it would affect the Gold and Silver Gate, was no longer Lu Sangjiu’s concern.

Once they were far from the chaotic scene, the others couldn’t help but ask, "Fellow Daoist Lu, are you really all right?"

Lu Sangjiu shook her head. "I’m really fine. You don’t need to worry about me."

"I’ll be fine after a little rest," she said. "You don’t need to stay with me. My Senior Sister will take care of me."

"I’ll let you all know the moment I hear about the organizers’ decision."

Everyone could tell that Lu Sangjiu seemed to be hiding something, but since she wasn’t volunteering the information, they couldn’t press her for it.

So they could only nod. "Well, if you need any help, contact us anytime."

"Of course."

After reassuring the group and watching them leave, Lu Sangjiu couldn’t stop herself from coughing violently again, spitting up several more mouthfuls of blood.

Luo Linlang’s heart leaped into her throat. "You’re in this state and you still say you’re fine? What on earth are you thinking?"

Lu Sangjiu looked up and forced a smile. "Senior Sister, you know about this old ailment of mine. I cough up blood even when nothing’s wrong. It’s perfectly normal."

"I promise, that Miao Rui really didn’t hurt me. Stop worrying, okay?"

Seeing her like this, Luo Linlang’s heart ached, and tears began to stream down her face.

"Hmph. You’ve always been stubborn. It’s not like you’d listen to me anyway."

Wiping away her tears, she said, "Just make sure you know what you’re doing. Don’t make me, Master, and our Senior Brothers worry."

"Okay. Let’s go back."

Because Lu Sangjiu cultivated Demonic Qi, it worked together with the Spiritual Energy in her body to suppress the Heavenly Punishment Power. As a result, her ailment of coughing up blood had improved significantly after she left the Secret Realm.

This time, however, the Curse Power had triggered the Heavenly Punishment Power, throwing the energies in her body into chaos and causing her qi and blood to roil, making her feel awful.

Her desire to go back and rest was partly to get away from the chaotic venue, but also because she truly needed it.

Luo Linlang helped her back to the inn, where Lu Sangjiu immediately consumed some Elixir Pills and began to meditate to regulate her internal energy.

Worried sick, Luo Linlang was naturally unwilling to leave and kept watch over her in the room.

Lu Sangjiu meditated until the following afternoon, when the roiling energy within her finally subsided.

But when she opened her eyes, she didn’t see Luo Linlang. She saw Xie Ningyuan.

A flash of surprise crossed Lu Sangjiu’s eyes. "What are you doing here? Where’s my Senior Sister?"

"The tournament moved on to the next round today. Your Senior Sister went to compete."

Lu Sangjiu frowned. "So, how did you convince her to let you stay here and watch me?"

’Considering what happened last time, my Senior Sister would probably want Xie Ningyuan to stay as far away from me as possible.’

Xie Ningyuan shrugged. "I didn’t convince her. I snuck in after she left."

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

’Is the security at this inn really this lax? And they have the gall to charge me ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones a day for this? Hmph!’

Seeing her silence, Xie Ningyuan thought she was angry again and quickly clarified, "I didn’t mean to break our agreement. It’s just that I heard as soon as I obeyed you and stayed away, you fell right into the Qilin Sect’s trap."

"Given that we’re currently cooperating to deal with the Qilin Sect, I figured you might have something you’d want to discuss with me. That’s why I’m here."

’Ahem. In the heat of the moment, I told him not to show his face until the Sword Seizing Conference was over. I didn’t expect him to take me so literally.’

’I also didn’t expect to be the one to suffer the consequences right afterward.’

’Of course, even if Xie Ningyuan had been present, he probably wouldn’t have been able to stop Miao Rui with his current level of strength.’

’And he probably wouldn’t have been able to find any clues from that puppet that self-destructed.’

With that thought, Lu Sangjiu instantly felt much more at ease.

"You came at the right time. I do have something to discuss with you."

Lu Sangjiu recounted the entire incident to Xie Ningyuan, whose expression darkened. "You were hit by her curse technique?"

Lu Sangjiu started to shake her head but then paused. After a brief internal struggle, she decided against telling him that the curse technique hadn’t actually worked on her.

’After all, it would be hard to explain why my body contains a power that can so easily devour a curse.’

’Someone as clever as Xie Ningyuan would easily become suspicious if I told him.’

So, she went along with it and nodded. "Yes. That’s why I have to find her within a month."

As she spoke, Lu Sangjiu felt a little guilty. She knew she was intentionally deceiving and using Xie Ningyuan.

She didn’t tell him the curse was gone, not only because she feared his suspicion, but also because she knew very well that Xie Ningyuan didn’t want her to die.

This way, he would surely be more motivated to help her find the mastermind in the Qilin Sect.

Although she felt a pang of guilt, she wasn’t overcome with remorse. Her relationship with Xie Ningyuan had always been one of mutual exploitation; they could never be considered true partners who were sincere with one another.

That was why Xie Ningyuan had interfered in her business with Gu Jue, acting without her consent, just to ensure she remained focused.

And she, in turn, would knowingly hide the truth from him just to make him try even harder to help her.

’Well... neither of us is exactly a saint. I guess that makes us even!’

Xie Ningyuan, for his part, didn’t doubt her words. Besides, something like a curse couldn’t be detected by outside forces until it fully activated. Only the person who was cursed could vaguely sense the abnormality in their own body.

So he asked no further questions, only nodding with a grave expression. "I understand. After the Sword Seizing Conference ends, I’ll go with you to Qingyun State."

As he lowered his gaze, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes. "And when that time comes, they will pay a painful price for what they’ve done today."