The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Outplayed

After Lu Sangjiu and Zhang Jiu Yi came to an agreement, they both released their Spirit Beasts at the same time.

Lu Sangjiu smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang’s Flame Beast is very powerful. Why don’t we let the two of them spar for a bit first?"

Zhang Jiu Yi nodded. "An excellent idea."

And so, true to their word, neither of them made a move. They just stood there and watched the two Spirit Beasts fight.

The crowd: "..."

They had to hand it to them. Who would have ever thought they’d see such a peaceful match in the finals of the Sword Seizing Conference’s Foundation Establishment Group!

As the two Spirit Beasts traded blows while the two cultivators remained completely motionless, the spectators were starting to get restless.

"Are you two going to fight or not? We came to see you compete, not watch your Spirit Beasts have a go at it!"

"I object! Are they throwing the match?"

"I object too! Can you please stop wasting time!"

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

’I just wanted an easy match. Does the audience really need to get so worked up?’

But with so many people protesting, the referee was clearly starting to feel the pressure.

He then announced in a deep voice, "The two contestants are not to waste time. Please compete normally!"

With that, Lu Sangjiu and Zhang Jiu Yi could no longer afford to be so leisurely.

Zhang Jiu Yi: "Fellow Daoist Lu, so... shall we fight a little?"

Lu Sangjiu: "Ah... I guess we have to!"

Over on the side, Duoduo was fighting the Flame Beast and was clearly struggling to withstand its flames.

Hearing Lu Sangjiu still dawdling, it instantly flew into a rage and let out a series of loud chirps. CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!

It was as if it was saying, ’Stop wasting time and hurry up and help me!’

Lu Sangjiu immediately soothed Duoduo with a few words, then took out a leaf and began to play it by holding it to her lips.

Bolstered by her Sound Attack, the Flame Beast was clearly affected, and Duoduo seized the opportunity to increase the force of its own attacks.

At this moment, however, Zhang Jiu Yi also took out his Magic Treasure: a writing brush that appeared simple and unadorned.

But as he took the brush and used his Spiritual Energy to write the character for "defend" in the air before him, an invisible wall appeared in their path.

When Lu Sangjiu’s Sound Attack made contact, it was clearly blocked for a moment.

But she could sense that the defense wasn’t very strong. If she continued, she would be able to break through it.

Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but wonder to herself, ’His brush looks like a Mid-grade Treasure, a pretty nice item. Is that all the power he can muster with it?’

Although it was a bit strange, Lu Sangjiu was aiming to lose. So, after a brief stalemate, she suddenly looked as if she couldn’t hold on any longer and abruptly stopped playing.

The music stopped so suddenly that the backlash sent her stumbling back three steps. She stared at her opponent in shock and said, "...What powerful defense!"

Zhang Jiu Yi: "..."

He was clearly dumbfounded, his expression confused. "You..."

But Lu Sangjiu didn’t give him a chance to speak, shouting loudly, "Damn it! If only I weren’t limited to using Starry Sky once a day, your defense would never have stopped me!"

Zhang Jiu Yi: "..."

’Something’s not right here...’ he suddenly thought.

Lu Sangjiu turned her head to look at Duoduo with a resentful expression. "Can you still hold on?"

Duoduo: "CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP?"

A rough translation: What on earth are you doing?

A trace of regret and pain appeared on Lu Sangjiu’s face. "You can’t go on either? Does this mean... I have no choice but to admit defeat?"

Duoduo: "..."

Its master seemed to have a few screws loose. When had it ever said it was done for?

But then it saw Lu Sangjiu give it a subtle glare, and it didn’t dare disobey her. Its small body suddenly swayed, and with a THUD, it collapsed to the ground.

"Chirp... chirp chirp."

Lu Sangjiu: "Duoduo!"

She scooped Duoduo up in her arms, her face full of heartache. "You’ve worked so hard... but I know you did your best. It’s okay, go back and rest now!"

She was having a grand time with her one-woman show, leaving Zhang Jiu Yi on the other side completely stunned.

Zhang Jiu Yi could sense something was off, but the people in the audience had no idea.

Seeing Lu Sangjiu’s performance, they really thought it was because she had used Starry Sky in the previous match and couldn’t use it a second time today.

She had always relied on this move to win. Now that it was unavailable and her Spirit Beast was defeated, it really did seem like she was about to lose...

Many people felt it was a pity, thinking she was just unlucky. If her match order had been switched with Zhang Jiu Yi’s, and she was at her peak, she might not have lost.

Seeing Lu Sangjiu standing on the stage now, looking frail and her face full of resentment, people couldn’t help but start to sympathize with her.

"Lu Fairy, you’re already amazing!"

"That’s right, you’re already very powerful! Don’t be sad!"

A chorus of comforting words rose from the crowd. Lu Sangjiu looked touched. "Thank you all for your encouragement!"

She paused, thinking, ’The mood is just right. It would probably look bad if I surrendered without at least trying one more time, right?’

So she looked at Zhang Jiu Yi with a determined expression. "Fellow Daoist Zhang, although I’m at the end of my rope, I can’t let down those who have encouraged me. I... I must fight with everything I have one last time!"

Zhang Jiu Yi fell silent. He looked at Lu Sangjiu with a very strange expression.

But Lu Sangjiu was eager to get off the stage and couldn’t be bothered with his reaction. In any case, her lines were delivered. She took out a Flying Sword and charged straight at Zhang Jiu Yi!

’Yes, I’ve controlled the force perfectly. This attack will definitely not break his defense, and I’ll be sent flying by the recoil.’

’At that point, all I have to do is spit up a little blood, and this performance will have a perfect curtain call.’

Her plan was perfect, but... she never, ever expected that the moment her sword touched Zhang Jiu Yi’s defense, the once-solid barrier would suddenly shatter like tofu!

Lu Sangjiu was completely stunned. Because she had put some force into the attack, her longsword, having pierced Zhang Jiu Yi’s defense, continued forward as if it had met no resistance at all!

Although she tried to pull back her strength immediately, she couldn’t stop it in time.

And Zhang Jiu Yi just stood there, as if scared stiff, not even trying to dodge.

Lu Sangjiu finally managed to stop the sword just as its tip reached his throat, narrowly avoiding a tragedy.

She had just breathed a sigh of relief and hadn’t yet had a chance to speak when the man who had seemed frozen in fear moments ago suddenly reacted with surprising speed.

Zhang Jiu Yi let out a disappointed sigh. "...I have lost. My skills are inferior. I surrender!"

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

Her eyes widened in shock and confusion, and for a long moment, she couldn’t snap out of it.

Not until she heard the referee announce, "The winner of this Sword Seizing Conference’s Foundation Establishment Group is Lu Sangjiu of the Seven Emotions Sect."

Lu Sangjiu: "..."

She was truly numb, completely speechless.

Of course, by this point, it was impossible for her not to realize what had happened. She had clearly been played by Zhang Jiu Yi!