The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Truth and Lies

Lu Sangjiu was an old hand at playing the victim.

Just a few words from her were enough to make many people cast complicated looks at Ye Zhiyao.

Even if they didn’t say it aloud, they couldn’t help but think, ’They’re all disciples from the same sect. How could Ye Zhiyao be so cruel?’

Regardless of whether she was telling the truth, her every word showed a complete lack of regard for their bond as fellow disciples. It was as if she were trying to hound Lu Sangjiu to her death.

Ye Zhiyao had been so shocked from watching the Muxian Sword break in her own hands that she had completely forgotten to keep up her pretense. She was consumed by the desire to make Lu Sangjiu pay and vent her fury.

Now, provoked by Lu Sangjiu and sensing the others’ gazes on her, she snapped out of it as if waking from a dream.

’No... with so many people here today, I can’t ruin my image!’

Her expression shifted, and Ye Zhiyao finally forced herself to calm down.

She took a deep breath, looked at Lu Sangjiu, and explained, "Junior Sister Lu, you’ve misunderstood me."

"It’s not that I disregard our bond as fellow disciples, but... this is about a Demon Artifact. When facing something so fundamentally important, our personal ties must come second."

"Unless you can give a clear explanation today, I have every reason to suspect you’re a spy from the Western Demon Realm!"

Her accusations were growing more and more severe, but some people were swayed by her words, and they began to look at Lu Sangjiu with suspicion.

If she truly was a spy from the Western Demon Realm, then this matter couldn’t be so easily dismissed.

Elder Lin, still reeling from the shock of the Muxian Sword’s destruction and having listened to their back-and-forth for some time, finally regained some of his composure.

He looked at Lu Sangjiu and said gravely, "She has a point. This is a grave matter, and you must explain yourself clearly."

Lu Sangjiu coughed a couple more times, catching her breath before nodding. "I understand. I’ll explain everything."

So, Lu Sangjiu began to recount the events in the Sword Tomb, mixing truth with lies.

"Because that disciple from the Golden Elephant Sect punched the ground a few times, I saw a powerful Sword Qi strike him. I followed the trail of energy and found what appeared to be an ordinary Spirit Sword."

"Out of curiosity, I reached out to pull it, but I never expected that Spirit Sword to have such a temper. It wouldn’t let me touch it and even launched an attack on me."

"I panicked and fought back instinctively... which thoroughly enraged it. Only then did I realize it was the Muxian Sword."

"But by then it was too late to regret it. The Muxian Sword came after me as if it bore some deep-seated grudge, relentlessly attacking me."

"Later, Mr. Xie arrived to help. As we fought, our attacks somehow struck that empty patch of ground. The ground then caved in, forming a deep pit... and that was when the blade was revealed."

Lu Sangjiu explained with a look of utmost sincerity, "I was truly just occupied with the duel against the Muxian Sword and accidentally broke the ground over there. I absolutely had no intention of breaking any seal."

Elder Lin said flatly, "Words are no proof. How can you prove it?"

Lu Sangjiu’s face immediately filled with anxiety. "How am I supposed to prove that? You can’t be this unreasonable, can you?"

But Xie Ningyuan, who was standing beside her, suddenly spoke up. "The Muxian Sword was right there. We are Cultivators. Who among us would ignore an Immortal Sword to go dig a pit?"

"Besides, before the pit appeared, how would we have known there was anything below? Your seal completely contained the Demon Artifact’s aura."

Xie Ningyuan’s words swayed Elder Lin. He lowered his gaze and considered it for a moment, concluding it was indeed unlikely that anyone else would have known about the Demon Blade.

He was also very confident in his seal; unless one was a Demon Cultivator, it would be nearly impossible to sense the Domination Map’s presence.

And... even if someone had instructed Lu Sangjiu to retrieve the Domination Map...

...Xie Ningyuan was right. Regardless of who might be pulling the strings, both Lu Sangjiu and he were Cultivators. And as Cultivators, it made no sense for them to see an Immortal Artifact and remain unmoved.

Besides, when he had demanded proof just now, Lu Sangjiu’s bewildered, helpless, on-the-verge-of-tears expression didn’t seem like the act of someone who had prepared in advance.

Thus, after considering all the factors, he was finally inclined to believe Lu Sangjiu’s account.

With that thought, Elder Lin glanced at Lu Sangjiu. "Continue."

Lu Sangjiu breathed a sigh of relief and shot Xie Ningyuan a grateful look. "Thank you so much, Mr. Xie, for speaking up for me."

Xie Ningyuan shook his head. "You should be thanking Elder Lin for being so reasonable."

The two of them cooperated seamlessly, and with their mix of truth and lies, they managed to deceive everyone present.

Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but rejoice inwardly. ’I really found the right person to coordinate with. Xie Ningyuan is quick-witted enough!’

She then continued her story.

"I had accidentally smashed a pit in the ground, but the Muxian Sword was still relentlessly pursuing me."

"By this time, the others had arrived one by one. Having failed to gain an advantage over me, the Muxian Sword seemed to grow even angrier."

"Then, from the group of new arrivals, it chose Senior Sister Ye, controlling her body to continue its attack."

"I was momentarily overwhelmed, and my arm was slashed. That was the moment the Domination Map suddenly broke through its seal and appeared."

"So..." Lu Sangjiu said, feigning difficulty, "at that moment, the Domination Map suddenly flew into my hand. My hand happened to be covered in blood, and that’s how I accidentally formed a contract with it."

"After that, my own power was no match for the Domination Map, so I fell under its control as well."

"Both the Domination Map and the Muxian Sword were burning with battle lust. Senior Sister Ye and I were just their puppets, completely powerless to influence anything."

"So, we could only watch as they fought. And then... the Muxian Sword broke."

Lu Sangjiu looked aggrieved. "Just like Senior Sister Ye, I was being controlled. You really can’t blame me for this!"

Her story was largely consistent with the facts; she had only altered a few subjective intentions and minor details.

Neither Zhang Jiu Yi nor Yang Cheng heard anything amiss and just nodded along. "What I saw was exactly as Mr. Lu described."

But Ye Zhiyao wasn’t having it. How could she let Lu Sangjiu absolve herself of all blame so easily?

She immediately challenged her, "You claim everything was just an accident? How can there be so many coincidences in the world?"

"Besides, since you formed a contract with the Domination Map, how could it control you? Unless... you let it happen on purpose?"

Lu Sangjiu looked at Ye Zhiyao in confusion. "Senior Sister Ye, how can you say that? I thought you, of all people, would understand."

"After all, you were also controlled by the Muxian Sword, weren’t you? Or... were you actually not controlled at all, and just cooperated with the Muxian Sword to take the opportunity to kill me?"

Her question hit a nerve. Ye Zhiyao’s face stiffened, and a flicker of panic crossed her features. "Don’t talk nonsense! I have no grievance with you, why would I want to kill you?"

Lu Sangjiu nodded. "Of course I believe you, Senior Sister Ye. But what you just said applies to me as well."

"I have no grievance with the Muxian Sword. Why would I destroy it for no reason? If I had that kind of power, wouldn’t it be better to try and claim it for myself?"