Achieving A Happy Ending With The Tragic Female Lead [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 9

The tracking spirit butterflies would automatically dissipate once they were in close proximity to the target, leaving behind only a faint trail of glowing stardust to indicate the direction.

Following the residual traces of the spirit butterfly, it appeared that the shopkeeper had not headed directly toward the main temple of the Physician Immortal but had instead ducked into a small side path.

Su Mi and her companions did not have to walk long before they spotted the silhouettes of the two men ahead.

The last remnants of moonlight in the night sky had been completely consumed by dark clouds, plunging the surroundings into a murky gloom where nothing could be seen clearly.

The shopkeeper walked with a vigorous, swift pace, while the shop assistant behind him appeared timid and cowering. Despite being a head taller than the shopkeeper, his fearful posture made him look half a head shorter.

“Sh-shopkeeper, please slow down, one can’t even see the road clearly.”

“Bah! You chicken hearted coward, what are you afraid of? Instead of fearing things you can’t even fathom, you’d better think about what you actually have to fear next!” The shopkeeper’s tone was vicious, his thin lips pressed tightly together after speaking.

Naturally, he wasn’t without fear himself. That woman who appeared out of nowhere, combined with that mysterious laughter during the day, had left him trembling with dread. However, he could not afford to show any weakness now.

Having been scolded again, the assistant shrunk his neck and dared not speak further. His eyes remained darting and full of terror; the slightest rustle in the wind was enough to make his eyes bulge in alarm.

They passed through a path flanked by thickets and headed straight for a room where bright lamps were lit.

Two guards stood watch in front of the house. Upon seeing them, the shopkeeper bowed respectfully and exchanged a few words. The guards then pushed open the tightly closed doors, inviting only the shopkeeper inside while the assistant was left waiting outside.

The terrain in front of this house was open, making it difficult to find cover. Su Mi possessed talismans that could help them hide their presence, but this area was laid with an array specifically designed to render invisibility spells useless.

Su Mi pondered for a moment. Using her spiritual power, she lifted a pebble from the ground and suddenly cast her gaze toward the assistant.

The copper coin sized stone sliced through the silent night air, hitting the assistant’s knee at a speed invisible to the naked eye. Upon impact, the stone instantly turned to dust and dissipated into the air, leaving no trace behind.

The assistant felt a sharp pain in his knee as if he had been struck. The agony forced his leg to buckle, and immediately after, the other side felt a similar sting. He fell heavily onto the hard stone slabs. His face showed a moment of dazed confusion before he began frantically looking around in terror. Finding nothing that could have hit him, a look of pure horror took over his features.

He suddenly let out a wide eyed scream and began to crawl away on all fours. The two remaining guards were caught off guard by this sudden outburst, but one quickly reacted and gave chase.

“I didn’t do it on purpose! I didn’t mean to!”

“I just wanted to make a little extra money, I didn’t want to kill you all!”

“Please let me go! Please! If you want someone, go find the people who actually killed you!”

The assistant screamed and wailed like a madman, eventually kneeling on the ground and kowtowing frantically. The “thud-thud” sound of his head hitting the pavement was audible, and within a few hits, blood began to stain his forehead.

The guards tried to pull him up, but they were no match for the strength of a man lost in a hysterical fit.

The commotion naturally drew the attention of those inside the house. The closed wooden door creaked open, and a middle-aged man in a magnificent gold embroidered robe stepped out, followed by the shopkeeper.

“What is all this noise about?”

“Reporting to the City Lord, this man has suddenly gone mad, we can’t seem to restrain him,” the remaining guard replied.

The City Lord waved his hand in displeasure. “Then why aren’t you helping? Drag this man away and lock him up. Make sure to gag him.”

Regarding this unexpected accident, the shopkeeper bore a look of apology. He offered several polite explanations before the City Lord’s anger subsided.

The guards worked together to lift the struggling assistant and carry him away. The City Lord and the shopkeeper then returned to the room.

Taking advantage of the distraction caused by the scene, Su Mi’s group had already changed their position. They quietly leaped onto the rooftop.

Yue Qianzhou was the last one up. He certainly had ways to get up quickly, but since he had previously claimed to be from a secular family with only a slight knowledge of cultivation, he couldn’t reveal too much ability lest he arouse their suspicion.

Moreover, showing a moderate amount of weakness was a way to make the opponent lower their guard.

He turned his gaze toward Wanqi Yue. “Miss Wanqi, I wonder if you could. “Before the word ” lend a hand” could leave his mouth, Su Mi had already swept Wanqi Yue away from the spot.

Yue Qianzhou took a deep breath and shifted his gaze to Fang Yun, repeating his request.

Fang Yun hesitated slightly, then flipped her palm to summon her spiritual sword. The sharp, cold gleam of the blade was presented right in front of Yue Qianzhou.

Yue Qianzhou looked at the blade in silence.

Only then did Fang Yun realize her mistake. As she retracted the sword, she manifested the scabbard and offered it again. “My apologies.”

Yue Qianzhou, feeling rather frustrated, grabbed the scabbard and successfully climbed onto the roof.

Once up, Yue Qianzhou didn’t give up. He spoke in an envious tone, “It seems the Immortal’s Eldest Senior Sister is very protective of this Junior Sister, requiring her to stay by her side at all times.”

Yet, she treated Fang Yun, another junior sister, quite differently.

Fang Yun’s hand hesitated as she withdrew the scabbard. She simply said, “Young Master Yue, please remember what you said before do not become a burden to us.”

After speaking, Fang Yun turned and followed Su Mi and the other.

Yue Qianzhou gave a cold sneer, it seemed this girl wasn’t entirely indifferent to the blatant preferential treatment the Eldest Senior Sister showed others over her.

Su Mi and Wanqi Yue were unaware of the interaction behind them. They had already reached the roof above the room. Carefully, they crouched down and pried a roof tile loose. Bright candlelight immediately spilled through the gap, clearly revealing the two figures inside.

“What exactly happened with that man outside?” The City Lord sat in a pearwood chair, his expression grim.

“Reporting to the City Lord, he was scared out of his wits. The person we sent last night* he came back this morning, perfectly fine. It frightened the lad into this state.” The shopkeeper spoke rapidly, wiping sweat from his forehead. “I feared my word alone wouldn’t be enough to convince you, so I intended to bring him along to explain, but then his ‘sickness’ flared up again.”

“Before coming here, I used the remaining dharma tool to trace the location of the yellow talisman. It is still within our inn. That… that person really has returned.”

“The last one was lost, and this one ran back!” The City Lord’s voice grew heavy with anger. He slammed his teacup onto the table, splashing tea everywhere.

Seeing the City Lord’s fury, the shopkeeper’s brow broke into a continuous sweat. “City Lord, please appease your anger.”

“Appease my anger? How can I be calm?! The deadline is drawing closer. When the Mountain Lord and the others grow angry, it won’t just be me, you all will suffer as well!” The City Lord gasped with rage.

The shopkeeper immediately knelt, prostrating himself on the ground, not daring to utter a word.

“That yellow talisman chooses only one person each time, and it must be that specific person. The Xu family’s daughter escaped, and we finally struck luck finding this scapegoat whom the Wedding Boat would accept, and now” The City Lord’s voice grew despondent, the white hair at his temples making him look significantly older.

“I really don’t have much time left…”

The City Lord suddenly touched his wrinkled face, muttering blankly, “If I didn’t say it, who could tell I am only thirty years old? Yet I have aged like this. If I cannot satisfy that being’s demands, my remaining life will only wither faster. Why must I be the one to endure this…”

He murmured to himself, then his gaze suddenly sharpened. “If I perish, you are also the descendants of those people. They won’t let you off either.”

“Perhaps… we should go and ask for instructions?” the shopkeeper suggested in a low voice.

The City Lord remained silent for a long time after hearing this. Finally, he let out a long sigh. “It seems we have no other choice. Otherwise, neither of us can afford the price.”

On the roof, Su Mi and the others withdrew their gazes. They watched as the two men exited the room and headed toward the main temple.

Naturally, they followed. Fortunately, the two guards had not yet returned, and there were no others on duty in the temple. Their path was largely unobstructed.

The doors to the main temple were not closed. A vast expanse of light spilled onto the open ground in front, stretching the shadows of the City Lord and the shopkeeper.

Su Mi’s group split up to hide, avoiding being too large a target. She distributed concealment talismans to her two junior sisters but did not give one to Yue Qianzhou, not even deigning to offer an explanation.

Yue Qianzhou, of course, wasn’t going to beg for one, he could only find his own hiding spot.

Su Mi led Wanqi Yue to a spot ideal for observation, though it was somewhat narrow. Fortunately, since they were both women, it didn’t feel overly crowded.

Wanqi Yue pressed close to her Eldest Senior Sister, her eyes still holding a trace of timidity.

Su Mi had also realized by now that her previous attitude might have been improper, but she wasn’t quite sure how to break the ice.

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Regulate your breathing. Let the talisman adapt to the rhythm of your breath, it will help your concealment.”

Su Mi’s voice was very soft, almost a breathy whisper. Because they were so close, her breath brushed against Wanqi Yue’s ear.

Wanqi Yue was not a dense person. She could vaguely sense the softening in her sister’s tone. The small spark of unhappiness from earlier dissipated completely at the sound of Su Mi’s pleasant voice.

“I understand, Eldest Senior Sister,” Wanqi Yue said. “Also, it was my fault just now. I shouldn’t have let my guard down.”

The words Su Mi found difficult to say were voiced by the younger girl first. Su Mi turned her face away slightly in embarrassment. “…I shouldn’t have been so harsh with you, either.”

A smile returned to Wanqi Yue’s eyes.

Only then did Su Mi remember to check the female lead’s Joy Value. The number sat at 64. She hadn’t even noticed it while she was angry earlier.

I must pay more attention next time, she thought.

Meanwhile, the City Lord and the shopkeeper had reached the entrance.

The two men seemed to summon a great deal of courage as they stepped over the threshold, one after the other.

From Su Mi and Wanqi Yue’s vantage point, they could clearly see the exquisitely carved white jade statue atop the lotus pedestal.

Inside the room, the candlelight suddenly flickered without any wind. The flames flattened until they were level with the wax of the red candles, yet they did not go out.

Though the City Lord and the shopkeeper tried to remain steady, their bodies knelt on the prayer mats and began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Immortal… Immortal Physician… I have something to report to you…”

After the City Lord’s voice fell, the air remained silent for a moment. Then, a clear, translucent laugh like spring water flowing through a mountain glen rang out.

Immediately following the sound, the snow white jade statue slowly lifted its half-closed eyelids.