After Redeeming The Beautiful and Tragic Heroine [Transmigration] - Chapter 25

“Alright, Big Sister, don’t worry, I was just trying to scare you.”

When Yu Yan saw the sudden pallor on Yu Yuan’s face after she spoke, she quickly sat up to offer comfort: “Relax, I’ll take your place in the Sect Competition, so you absolutely won’t be one of the last four.”

Yu Yuan, whose entire being was now tinted with the color of ‘despair,’ asked, “You’ll take my place?”

Yu Yan nodded: “We look exactly alike. No one will notice anything is wrong.”

Yu Qinzhong, who was loudly witnessing the sisters’ secret plot: …

Can you two please not conspire to cheat right in front of me?!

He desperately wanted to cover Yu Yan’s mouth, but his younger daughter was not only quick-witted but also had very strong teeth.

Therefore, Yu Qinzhong rubbed his hand, which was nearly PTSD-stricken from past bites, and chose to remain silent.

Yu Yan clung to Yu Yuan, chatting for a long time.

It wasn’t until dusk, when Yu Qinzhong’s disciple, Qin Beilu, arrived, that Yu Yan finally brought herself to leave.

With Yu Yan gone, Yu Qinzhong didn’t linger either.

He offered a few words of caution to Yu Yuan before riding away on his plump white crane.

In the room, Yu Yuan was finally alone.

Yu Yuan sat on the prayer cushion for a while longer before removing the white gauze covering her eyes.

Opening her eyes, the cloudiness had almost entirely disappeared.

Yu Yuan looked up, squinting at the world outside the window. After her eyes adjusted, she slipped the white gauze into her storage pouch.

She had lied to Yu Qinzhong and Yu Yan.

In truth, her eyes were almost completely healed.

She had noticed her vision gradually returning on the way back from the Sleepless City.

However, Yu Yuan lowered her gaze, looking at the “Sect Master Token” in her hand, knowing that her eyes would need to remain ‘blind’ for a bit longer.

After all, a truly blind person would find it very difficult to get into the back mountain, and even harder to enter the Demon Prison Pavilion.

*******

At the hour of Hai (9–11 p.m.), outside the Demon Prison Pavilion.

Towering trees obscured the bright moon, and bone-chilling cold winds swept across her face.

A girl wearing an Invisibility Cloak led a husky through the back mountain’s maze formation, finally stopping in front of an ancient, austere pavilion.

The pavilion soared high into the sky; its upper half was shrouded in clouds, and the lower ten stories were only a vague silhouette.

A layer of grime covered the pavilion’s door, completely obscuring the fine, intricate carvings.

Yu Yuan raised her hand and gently tapped the door. With a low “creak,” the door was pushed open from the inside.

Immediately afterward, a shriveled hand reached out through the gap and spread its palm open.

Yu Yuan took the Sect Master Token from her waist and placed it on the hand.

The withered hand grasped the token, retreated behind the door, and then, after a quarter of an hour, reappeared to return the token to Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan hung the token back on her waist.

The withered hand then fully opened the pavilion door.

Yu Yuan stepped inside the pavilion, and the shriveled hand was already gone.

She was the only person left on the ground floor of the entire pavilion.

The first floor was empty, with no demons kept there. The only sound was the “wooing” of the wind whistling through the window lattices.

A sudden chill ran down Yu Yuan’s spine, making the hairs on her body stand on end.

“System, check the danger level.”

Yu Yuan hurriedly glanced behind her, her heart lodged in her throat.

At her feet, the husky looked up and let out an “Awoo!” followed by a mechanical voice:

【System loading…】

【Beginning danger level detection for the host’s current location, Demon Prison Pavilion…】

【First Floor: One Withered Tree Demon, several Wind Spirits. Danger level: Low.】

【Second Floor: Several low-intelligence demonic beasts, high attack power. Danger level: Relatively low.】

…

As the System scanned floor by floor, Yu Yuan listened to the mechanical voice, calming herself. She then stepped onto the somewhat shaky wooden staircase.

The stairs seemed to be dilapidated from years of neglect; every step echoed with a creak, creak, creak.

The demons and beasts confined in the Demon Prison Pavilion heard the sound and pressed against the iron doors, roaring incessantly toward the outside, seemingly trying to intimidate the newcomer.

Yu Yuan couldn’t help but swallow, quickening her pace.

Tonight, she had to get an answer.

In the original novel, Xue Qingshu was imprisoned on the fifteenth floor of the Demon Prison Pavilion.

Yu Yuan took the stairs three steps at a time, running faster and faster up the wooden steps, not slowing down even slightly.

She didn’t stop until she reached the fifteenth floor.

Standing on a corridor that stretched out of sight, a terrifying silence enveloped her ears.

There was no wailing wind, no frantic shouts only her own heavy breathing and chaotic heartbeat.

Yu Yuan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and, leading the husky in her hand, began to walk down the long corridor.

Cells lined both sides of the corridor.

They were dark, small, and cramped, with no windows just three walls covered in scratches and an iron door stained with blood.

These cells were all empty.

The iron doors were wide open, and the broken copper locks lay on the ground, snapped in two.

Yu Yuan’s steps faltered, and her grip on the husky tightened.

An inexplicable fear rose in her heart, but having come this far, she had no reason to retreat.

The end of the corridor also held an iron door.

But this one was closed and secured with three locks.

Yu Yuan’s expression turned grim.

A thick smell of blood wafted out from behind the iron door, making her want to gag.

The husky clearly sensed the danger too. It no longer howled wildly like it had on the lower floors but stayed silently by Yu Yuan’s side.

“System, check the danger level.”

Yu Yuan looked down, her gaze falling on a pool of blood on the floor that had stained her cloth shoes a dark red.

【Host, the final cell on the fifteenth floor of the Demon Prison Pavilion contains only the Phantom Demon Xue Qingshu. Danger level: Relatively high. Please proceed with caution.】

Yu Yuan: …

Is the person inside really the female lead?

She stepped through the blood-soaked floor and walked closer to the iron door.

Inside the iron door were countless silver chains, crisscrossing and hanging throughout the cell, making it impossible to tell where exactly they connected to the walls.

But while their origin was unclear, their destination was obvious.

Every single chain was ultimately wrapped around one person.

That person’s head was bowed low. A beautiful head of silver hair was scattered in front of her, the tips soaking in the dark red pool of blood beneath her.

Her body was covered in wounds.

The originally grayish-brown hemp robe was now stained a reddish-brown by blood.

Logically, her wounds should have scabbed over, and the blood should have clotted.

However, Yu Yuan focused her sight on the hand hanging down and saw that the blood was still flowing, dripping from her fingertips and merging into the pool below.

Yu Yuan unconsciously held her breath, her hand under her sleeve clenched into a fist.

“Xue Qingshu.”

She quietly called out to the person inside the iron door.

But the person did not reply.

So, Yu Yuan called out again: “Master…”

The person seemed to stir, but still gave no answer.

Yu Yuan pursed her lips and rested her hand on the iron door.

“Immortal Lord Wen Ti.” She tried once more.

Yet, the person still had no reaction.

Yu Yuan gripped the iron door, her brows slightly furrowed, hesitating for a moment.

“System.”

After a long pause, Yu Yuan seemed to have made a decision. “Help me check her condition. Confirm whether she is unconscious.”

She decided she needed to go in and see for herself.

But the System seemed to disagree:

【Host, Xue Qingshu is a Phantom Demon. The danger level is extremely high. If you approach her, you are likely to be in mortal peril.】

Yu Yuan remained silent, staring at the person’s hand.

After another short while, she stated confidently: “System, help me check. If she is unconscious, I will be absolutely fine if I go in.”

System: 【…】

It remembered its Host being clearly afraid of death.

But now, it was starting to feel unsure.

Humans are truly difficult to understand.

The System muttered a complaint, then scanned the person behind the iron door, and a moment later, gave the result:

【Host, Xue Qingshu is currently in a state of unconsciousness.】

Upon getting the answer, Yu Yuan reached for a copper lock and muttered an incantation. The lock fell to the ground.

Then came the second one.

Yu Yuan placed her hand on it and recited the spell again.

Quickly, the second copper lock also dropped.

Only the last one remained.

Yu Yuan put her hand on it, preparing to recite the spell for the third time.

But before she could even begin, a hand suddenly reached out from behind her and grabbed hers.

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