Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 25

The person outside the door was the female priest who had led everyone there. She did not open the door instead, she peered through the hollow carvings on the doorframe, carefully checking every person collapsed on the floor. Once she confirmed the count was correct, she looked away.

A conversation drifted in from outside.

“Have all eight of them collapsed?”

“Yes.”

“Then please stay here and keep watch, Priestess. I will go invite the City Lord over.”

Su Mi stood with her back to the door, listening to the footsteps gradually recede. She looked toward the long table behind Wanqi Yue on it sat a smooth, reflective jade plate that faintly mirrored the direction of the door. The priestess was standing with her back to them.

Furthermore, Su Mi had the help of her portable system. Once Coal Ball confirmed that the guard at the door hadn’t turned around, she reached out and lightly tapped Wanqi Yue, who was feigning sleep with her eyes closed.

Feeling the light touch on her shoulder, Wanqi Yue slowly opened her eyes, her clear gaze meeting Su Mi’s.

Su Mi was the first to sit up, then she extended a hand toward Wanqi Yue, pulling her up as well.

Fortunately, the floor inside was covered with a layer of carpet, which muffled the sound of their movements. From inside the room, they could see the silhouette of the priestess standing outside.

Su Mi scanned the surroundings. Perhaps by design, the walls of the room were lined with rows of hollowed-out windows only the solid cylindrical pillars supporting the house offered enough cover to hide a single person’s frame.

Moreover, the house was currently encased in a barrier. Touching it rashly would likely alert the enemy. Ultimately, she set her sights on the ceiling beams above.

Su Mi and Wanqi Yue exchanged a silent look, and the latter immediately understood her intent.

Together, the two quietly leaped onto the main beam, which was about two palms wide. However, due to a lack of cleaning, it was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Su Mi’s expression flickered with disdain again, but at this moment, she couldn’t afford to care and could only endure it.

Taking advantage of the fact that the others hadn’t arrived yet, Su Mi whispered a warning to Wanqi Yue: “Observe the situation first once they enter. Our primary target is the City Lord.”

Wanqi Yue had dropped her previous awkwardness and listened intently. “What about the people down there?”

Su Mi glanced at the people sprawled haphazardly on the floor and said indifferently, “They won’t die.”

These people were in no immediate life-threatening danger. Besides, once they subdued the City Lord, the others would naturally be rescued.

Wanqi Yue nodded. She knelt on one knee on the long beam, one hand gripping the upper flat support, focusing her attention entirely on the door. Though she had her little temperaments, she always set them aside before important matters.

Seeing her so serious, the frustration in Su Mi’s chest seemed to dissipate quite a bit. A slight smile touched her lips as she looked in the same direction.

However, in the next moment, her brow furrowed slightly. Her hand tightened its grip on the wooden beam for a second, a flicker of hesitation appeared on her face, but she made no move.

The spell to alter one’s appearance required spiritual power to maintain. The disguise on Su Mi’s face gradually faded, revealing her true features.

Wanqi Yue found it a bit strange when she saw this, but realizing there was indeed no need for a disguise anymore, she retracted her spell as well.

Before long, the sound of several people’s footsteps approached from outside, followed by their voices.

“City Lord, the people selected by the Priestess are all inside. We offered a significant bounty this time and attracted several who meet the requirements. If it’s still not enough, there are a few backups on the other side.”

“Good. Make sure there are no mistakes this time.” The City Lord’s voice sounded somewhat weary. He looked at the tightly shut door, feeling a trace of hesitation. “Open the door and let me have a look at the people inside.”

As an ordinary mortal, he naturally couldn’t tell the level of their spiritual cultivation, he simply wanted peace of mind.

The Priestess said, “City Lord, looking from the outside is the same. I have already placed barriers around this house. Moreover, they should have consumed a sufficient amount of Tengxiu Grass, they have no chance of escaping.”

This priestess was a cultivator the City Lord had invited to reside in the manor five years ago, and he usually placed full trust in her. However, the recent consecutive disappearances of two brides had left him overly anxious.

Therefore, he insisted on seeing the people inside with his own eyes.

A trace of hesitation appeared in the priestess’s eyes, but she was, after all, just a practitioner working for pay. She stepped forward and retracted a small portion of the mechanism array on the door lock. The indestructible barrier immediately opened a single gap.

The attentive Steward Xu stepped forward to help the City Lord push open the door. A broad swathe of sunlight fell onto the floor inside, casting shadows along with it.

From her position on the beam, Su Mi’s view was obstructed, and she couldn’t see everyone clearly. However, she signaled Wanqi Yue to be ready after all, the fact that two people were missing from the floor would certainly be discovered.

The City Lord did not enter the room. He stood at the threshold looking in. His gaze swept over the people on the floor without much emotion. Once he finished his count, his hanging heart finally settled. He was just about to wave his hand for the door to be closed again when he suddenly froze, a chill surging from his head to his toes.

The City Lord strode inside, with Steward Xu following close behind.

“Weren’t there eight people? Why are there only… six inside?!” There was a crumbling desperation in the City Lord’s voice. He scanned the unobstructed room, growing more alarmed the more he looked.

Hearing this, the Priestess also entered the room. After a quick sweep, a crack appeared in her usually emotionless face. “Impossible. I counted the people, there were clearly eight, not one less.”

Though momentarily panicked, Priestess Shen quickly regained her composure. She began to recall the scene she had seen earlier, trying to remember which two people were missing.

“If they had escaped, my barrier would have reacted. So, these two must still be in this room ” As Priestess Shen spoke, she began to carefully inspect the potential hiding spots.

Just as she was about to look up, Su Mi raised her hand and condensed a bead of ice, flicking it against a porcelain vase on a flower stand below. A crisp clatter rang out instantly, successfully drawing the attention of everyone below.

“What was that?!” Hearing the noise, the City Lord jumped like a startled bird, completely failing to notice someone dropping from above.

The distracted Priestess Shen realized it, but she was a step too late. She instinctively conjured a fly-whisk and swung it behind her.

Su Mi used the momentum from her toes to lean back slightly and dodge. The moment the whisk retracted, she grabbed it, and before the opponent could react, she wrapped the whisk around the priestess’s wrists. The tough animal hair had excellent durability and was not easily broken.

The priestess was unwilling to surrender. Just as she was about to sweep her leg forward, a sword sheath suddenly struck the back of her knee. Pain flared, and her kneecap hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud.

Su Mi looked behind the priestess. On the other side, Wanqi Yue had already knocked Steward Xu unconscious with a single blow of her sword, and the City Lord was pinned down by her, unable to move. Only then did she have the spare time to lend a hand.

Although it was only a brief exchange, the priestess already knew that the opponents had hidden part of their strength. If she fought them head-on, she wouldn’t gain much advantage, so she stopped struggling. Instead, she looked up at the two people in front of her. “Did you two previously ingest the poison of the Tengxiu Grass?”

Wanqi Yue was surprised, but fearing she would show too much emotion, she composed herself before asking, “Why do you say that?”

Normally, shouldn’t she suspect they hadn’t eaten the food?

The priestess looked straight ahead and spoke slowly: “Because I didn’t just add Tengxiu Grass to the food; I also burned it as incense.”

When turned into powder, it was colorless and odorless, making it impossible to detect. Therefore, regardless of whether these people ate or not, they would inevitably be poisoned, it was just that those who ate would have a higher dosage, making it more certain.

However, few people knew that the effects of Tengxiu Grass were subject to certain conditions. If a person had been poisoned by it before, and the next dose was not stronger than the previous one, it would have no effect on them.

In other words, the dosage must become progressively stronger to remain effective.

Upon hearing this, Wanqi Yue’s face turned pale. She knew she shouldn’t let her guard down or show weakness, but she couldn’t help but look toward her Eldest Senior Sister.

Su Mi was tightening the restraints on the priestess’s hands to prevent her from escaping. After finishing, she looked up at Wanqi Yue, seeing the undisguised worry in the latter’s eyes.

She calmly withdrew her gaze and looked at the priestess: “Where is the antidote?”

“There isn’t one,” the priestess said. “I am not a medical cultivator. I don’t know how to neutralize poison. When I used this stuff, I never planned on how to undo it.”

Her original goal was simply to drug these people into submission.

“Exalted Immortals, I… I can give you whatever you want.” The City Lord tried his best to steady his nerves. “Furthermore, you haven’t been harmed today. Why don’t we both take a step back? I won’t activate the manor’s defensive arrays, and you two can leave right now on your own.”

Wanqi Yue couldn’t resist stepping forward. With a sharp shing, half her blade was exposed and pressed against the City Lord’s neck. “You disregarded the lives of others to commit such acts, yet you expect us to let it slide? You are the ones in our hands now, what right do you have to negotiate terms!”

Perhaps because she was worried about Su Mi, Wanqi Yue appeared more anxious and impulsive than usual.

Su Mi stepped forward slowly and tapped Wanqi Yue’s shoulder from behind, signaling for her to stand up.

Only then did Wanqi Yue reluctantly sheathe her sword. As they crossed paths, they locked eyes, she wanted to ask something, but couldn’t say it in front of the others.

Su Mi gave her a reassuring look: “It’s fine. I’ll handle this side.”

The previously bristling puppy was instantly soothed. She walked obediently to the priestess’s side to keep watch, though her expression remained sour.

Ignoring a slight numbness in her palm, Su Mi stood over the City Lord, looking down at him with indifferent eyes. She said coolly, “From now on, answer exactly what I ask. Let’s not waste each other’s time, shall we?”

The voice was clean and clear, yet it made the City Lord feel a bone-chilling cold, a sensation he had only ever felt from that “Medical Immortal.”

He gave a bitter laugh. “Exalted Immortal, I was forced into this. What benefit would I gain from making enemies of cultivators?”

Su Mi didn’t bite. “Who made you do this, and what is the purpose?”

The City Lord fell silent for a moment. His aged face looked powerless at this moment. “An existence we cannot afford to provoke. She needs the power of cultivators… I truly had no choice…”

“Is it the Medical Immortal?”

Upon hearing this name, the City Lord’s expression froze for a second. “You know?”

“Tell me everything. The history between this city and her, the brides, the amulets tell it all, truthfully.”

The City Lord hadn’t expected her to know so much. He lowered his head, sinking into a brief silence.

Before Su Mi could urge him, Wanqi Yue spoke first: “Didn’t you keep saying you had no choice? Now that you’re given a chance, why are you staying silent?”