Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 18

Under the hood was the face of a young woman with almond eyes, a round, chubby face. She looked no older than fifteen.

Hu Li sized up Gu Sheng, noting her features. Just as I suspected, she thought, this Elder Qi is truly just a little girl.

What surprised Hu Li, however, was that such a young girl had become the proprietor of the Wanbaoju. It truly was a case of ‘a real master doesn’t show their face, and one who shows their face isn’t a real master.’

Of course, there was another possibility: this little girl was one of those ‘Heavenly Mountain Child Crone’ types.

Mulling this over, Hu Li couldn’t help but reach out a finger, intending to poke Gu Sheng’s cheek to see if she truly was the legendary figure.

However, just as her fingertip was about to make contact, Gu Sheng suddenly opened her eyes and met Hu Li’s gaze.

“What are you doing?” Gu Sheng asked in a cold voice, pulling her hood back up.

She had woken up when the Ink-Devouring Beast mentioned helping Hu Li. Now that Hu Li had seen her illusory appearance, there was no need to keep pretending to be unconscious.

“You saw my face,” Gu Sheng said, switching to a soft, childlike voice.

Hearing this, Hu Li shuffled her bottom, moving farther away from Gu Sheng. “You know my identity and my appearance, so what does it matter if I see yours?”

The red jade hairpin in her hand quietly transformed into a dagger, which she concealed behind her back.

Hu Li wasn’t sure of Elder Qi’s true power, but one thing she knew for certain was that the more you knew, the faster you died.

To prevent Elder Qi from killing her to silence her, she had to be cautious.

Gu Sheng also noticed Hu Li’s movement. Her hands, hidden beneath her sleeves, curled slightly, but she smiled on the surface. “Hu-jie*, there’s no need to be nervous. You saw a face, so you saw one. I won’t hold it against you. Let’s just call it a secret between the two of us.”

(*A friendly term for an older sister or respectful address for a slightly older woman.)

Given the disparity in their strength, and without the Soul Cage Array, it would be difficult to control the other party. Therefore, she could only employ a temporary retreat and then figure out a way to lock Hu Li up later.

Hu Li got up from the floor. “In that case, I’ll be leaving now.”

She figured that under the current circumstances, it was best to forget about the five hundred spirit stones and make a quick getaway.

Gu Sheng also leaned against the wall and stood up. She blocked Hu Li’s path. “Hu-jie, you haven’t taken your payment yet.”

Hu Li shook her head, pointing at the ink painting that had turned to dust on the floor. “The painting was destroyed by me. How can I possibly accept the five hundred spirit stones?”

Then, remembering the Ink Heart Inkstone, she quickly took it out and handed it to Gu Sheng. “Here’s what you wanted.”

Gu Sheng took it, her gaze falling on the small, coal-like ball absorbed in sucking ink from the grinder. Her mouth twitched. She then grabbed the thing, ready to crush this utterly useless creature.

The little coal ball cried out in pain.

Seeing this, Hu Li quickly snatched it back and gave an awkward laugh. “My spirit pet. A little disobedient.”

Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow. “A spirit pet?”

The little coal ball was trembling with fear, and Hu Li was trembling with a guilty conscience. “I picked it up while mining coal.”

Gu Sheng pursed her lips and was silent for a moment before asking, “Hu-jie, it’s so cute. May I take a look?”

The little coal ball shook desperately, seemingly telling Hu Li, She’s terrifying! Don’t let her look!

But Hu Li had no idea about the complicated history between the Ink-Devouring Beast and Gu Sheng, so she placed the little coal ball directly into Gu Sheng’s open palm.

“Hu-jie, you’re so kind,” Gu Sheng said to Hu Li. She then looked coldly at the Ink-Devouring Beast trying to escape her grasp and silently chanted a sealing spell, ensuring it would never be able to revert to its original form, forever stuck as a little coal ball.

“Here you go, Hu-jie,” Gu Sheng said, handing the little coal ball back to Hu Li after finishing the spell.

Hu Li lowered her eyes, looked at the listless little coal ball, felt a stir of suspicion, but didn’t show it. Instead, she put it straight into her storage pouch.

“Can I go now?” Hu Li asked.

Gu Sheng glanced at her, took out a storage pouch, and handed it to Hu Li. “Hu-jie, here are the five hundred spirit stones. You retrieved the Ink Heart Inkstone for me, so please take them.”

She then pulled a bracelet very similar to the Scent-Veiling ones from her sleeve and placed it in Hu Li’s hand. “Things aren’t easy for you at the Tianyan Sect, Hu-jie. This top-grade hidden incense bracelet will allow you to conceal your demonic aura while maintaining your human form. Consider it my reward for keeping my secret.”

Hu Li had never encountered such good fortune and immediately wanted to refuse, but Gu Sheng pressed the items into her hand and then called out, “Uncle Feng, see the guest out.”

Uncle Feng opened the door and gave a slight nod, gesturing a ‘please.’

Hu Li’s gaze flickered between the two of them. After a moment of hesitation, she took the items and left.

Hu Li was still dazed as she was escorted out of the Wanbaoju. The little coal ball bounced out of her storage pouch and hopped onto her head, looking utterly reborn.

Hu Li ignored it and asked the System, “How long until the Immortal Sect Grand Tournament?”

The System replied, “Half a month.”

Half a month until Gu Sheng is released by Yu Shibai. Hu Li weighed the storage pouch in her hand, then headed toward the Tingfeng Cliff, planning to lie down for half a month and recuperate.

Behind her, a window of the tightly shut Wanbaoju was pushed open three fingers wide. Two pairs of eyes watched her retreating back.

“Miss, what should we do now?” Uncle Feng frowned, inwardly thinking he should have dealt with this fox demon himself.

Gu Sheng calmly closed the window sash and replied, “It’s fine. As long as she stays within the Tianyan Sect, she can’t cause any trouble.”

“What about the Ink-Devouring Beast?”

“Just a fool of a thing. Not even worth as much attention as that fox demon.”

Uncle Feng understood, then looked at the wound on Gu Sheng’s shoulder. “Miss, your injury…”

Gu Sheng glanced sideways at it, then simply twisted off the arm, chuckling lightly. “It’s just a puppet. The pain only lasted for that moment.”

Uncle Feng bowed, taking the detached arm with both hands, his heart aching. “Miss, although it is a puppet, its five senses are connected to yours. You must still be careful.”

Gu Sheng gave a casual response. Then, as if sensing something, she urgently said, “Martial Uncle Yu is here again. I’m going back first. Keep a close watch on the fox demon.”

Uncle Feng called out an acknowledgment, and the black-robed figure in front of him suddenly went limp, collapsing into his hands.

The hand revealed beneath the black robe also turned into a wooden hand.

********

The sky above the Tingfeng Cliff was clear and bright. Hu Li hummed a tune as she walked into the courtyard.

The courtyard was notably empty. Hu Li suddenly remembered that the Rooster hadn’t been seen since she left the Floating Life Pagoda.

She had originally wanted to catch the Rooster to alleviate her boredom, but now it seemed she’d have to play with the little coal ball.

“Ink-Devouring Beast, Little Coal Ball, wake up,” Hu Li said, lying down under the bamboo house’s eaves and using a paw to pull the little coal ball off her head.

The little coal ball opened one eye, glanced at this poor master who couldn’t even afford a painting, then closed its eye, rolled over, and tumbled into Hu Li’s storage pouch.

Seeing this, Hu Li pouted in exasperation. “Fine, you sleep, I’ll sleep too.”

She closed her eyes, basking in the rare warmth of the winter sun. She yawned comfortably, slowly growing drowsy in the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.

But just as she was about to drift off, a startled cry made her jump straight up from the ground.

“Puppy! So you were here!”

It was Shang Miaoyun. Hu Li looked at Shang Miaoyun, who was a social recluse with people but a maniac with dogs. She wanted to escape, but it was too late.

Shang Miaoyun scooped Hu Li up into a hug, then noticed the wound on Hu Li’s shoulder.

“You’re hurt,” Shang Miaoyun said, tightening her embrace, her eyes filled with concern.

Hu Li’s neck was constricted. Feeling the sensation of asphyxiation, she felt a pang of heartache herself.

Woof— Someone, please save her! Hu Li wailed internally.

“Shang Miaoyun!” a voice rang out.

Hu Li struggled to open her eyes and looked at the newcomer. It was a woman in a moon-white dress with a feitian bun.

“Master?! Why are you here?” Shang Miaoyun was surprised. Her hands loosened, and Hu Li was about to drop to the ground.

Fortunately, a dark blue pibo (silk stole) swiftly flew out, wrapping around Hu Li and letting her fall into another person’s arms.

Hu Li, still shaken, looked up at the woman holding her. She quickly matched her to a figure in the original novel—Shen Yijun.

In the original story, Shen Yijun was Shang Miaoyun’s master and the one who raised Gu Sheng, making her essentially a half-mother to Gu Sheng.

She was aloof by nature. Coupled with the fact that she was originally a disciple of Miaoyin Sect, she rarely participated in internal sect affairs. Most of the time, she was either forcing Shang Miaoyun to cultivate or just drinking alone in her cave dwelling.

Right now, she was likely here to drag Shang Miaoyun away for cultivation.

“Back to the Qinglan Valley,” Shen Yijun said quietly, looking at Shang Miaoyun.

Shang Miaoyun met her gaze, swallowed, then quickly bowed her head, immediately looking like a frosted eggplant. She obediently walked behind Shen Yijun, following her back to the Qinglan Valley.

The Qinglan Valley was covered in blooming flowers. Despite it being January or February, there were various orchids typically seen in April, May, June, and July.

A warm breeze swept by, carrying a faint fragrance that enveloped the nose and made one’s heart feel utterly refreshed.

“Go back to the Quiet Cloud Pool and cultivate properly. I’ll come find you later,” Shen Yijun told Shang Miaoyun while holding Hu Li. She then used ‘shrinking the ground into an inch’ to enter a dense forest.

Deep inside the forest was an unmarked tombstone. A glazed vase, holding freshly picked orchids, sat in front of the stele.

Shen Yijun conjured a prayer mat, squatted down on it, and placed Hu Li at her feet. She then chanted a spell, instantly healing the wound on Hu Li’s shoulder.

“Go play now,” she said, gently rubbing Hu Li’s head.

Hu Li looked up at her, pondered for a moment, but didn’t leave. Instead, she sat down.

The forest was so large that, given her poor sense of direction, she likely wouldn’t be able to find her way back if she wandered off. Therefore, staying put was the best choice.

Shen Yijun smiled when she saw this and didn’t say anything more.

She pulled out a musical score from her sleeve, opened it to a page, and placed it in front of her. Then, she opened her hand, conjuring a jade flute, held it, closed her eyes, and began to play.

The flute melody was long and ethereal, like the tinkling of clear, running spring water, giving the illusion of being in an immortal realm.

Hu Li was utterly captivated. After the piece ended, she stared wide-eyed at Shen Yijun, her face clearly showing a desire to learn.

Shen Yijun glanced at her and couldn’t help but chuckle. She casually conjured a bamboo flute and placed it in front of Hu Li. “Your spirit beast must have gained sentience. If you wish to learn, practice following the score.”

Hu Li was delighted by the encouragement. She struggled to grasp the bamboo flute with her two paws and eagerly craned her head over the musical score, beginning her lesson.

Shen Yijun had never seen a spirit beast so eager to learn and appreciative of music. Joy filled her heart, and she raised her hand, ready to offer guidance.

However, after Hu Li blew a few notes on the bamboo flute, Shen Yijun’s brow immediately jumped, and the hairs on her body stood on end. She changed the direction of her guiding hand and cast a soundproofing array around Hu Li.

At the same time, the little coal ball stumbled out of Hu Li’s storage pouch and began desperately rolling away.

[Ink-Devouring Beast: Demon music in the ear—that’s all this is.]

[Ink-Devouring Beast: I joined this fox demon to survive, but I never expected her to be here to claim my life.]

[Ink-Devouring Beast: Death comes like the wind; it’s always with me.]

[Fox Demon: She feels good about herself and even wants to play another song.]

[Help. Can someone tell me how a dog presses the holes on a flute?]

[Banning animal performances—it’s a necessary law.]

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