Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 21

The Buddhist disciple snatched the rogue cultivator’s token from his waist, crushed it, closed his eyes, and bowed his head, murmuring, “Amitabha.”

The Immortal Sect Grand Competition was a brutal affair. Though he had no desire to compete, he had to fight to avoid dishonoring his sect.

Even with this justification, the Buddhist disciple still felt guilty. He decided to chant a few Buddhist scriptures for the rogue cultivator he had just expelled from the Water Moon Secret Realm.

But just as he was about to sit cross-legged, a figure flashed past him, and his kasaya came loose.

Loose.
Fell.

The Buddhist disciple: !!!

His pupils dilated as he frantically grabbed at his kasaya, his hands fumbling in panic.

“Madman! Where did this madman come from?!” he roared, glancing down to adjust his robes. Then he realized….

The madman had stolen his precious Beads of No Delusion! How dare she! How utterly outrageous!

The Buddhist disciple wanted to chase after the thief, but she had already vanished without a trace.

Who was it? Who was it? He strained to recall her features, and a hazy image surfaced in his mind.

Su Weiyun! It was her! It was her! It was definitely her! The Buddhist disciple seethed inwardly, thinking, Our sect made the right decision not to cooperate with such a vile character!

*******

Meanwhile, Hu Li, having fled eight hundred meters with the Beads of No Delusion, was in a complete state of disarray.

She leaned against a tree, and when she realized the Buddhist disciple wasn’t pursuing her, she collapsed to the ground, feeling as if her soul had left her body. It took a long while for her to regain her composure.

Hu Li placed the Beads of No Delusion into her Storage Bag, reverted to Fang Lanshi’s appearance, straightened her robes, and set off toward the Miaoyin Sect’s location, following the System’s coordinates.

The Miaoyin Sect members had already gathered. As Hu Li approached, all eyes turned to her.

Yu Yan, still standing at the head of the group, glanced at the token at Hu Li’s waist and asked, “What is your name? Which peak do you belong to?”

Yu Yan rarely left her own peak within the Miaoyin Sect and was unfamiliar with most of the disciples who had accompanied her this year. Moreover, she suffered from mild face blindness, making it even harder to recognize Fang Lanshi’s face.

This suited Hu Li perfectly.

She smiled and, drawing on the information she had gathered aboard the Miaoyin Sect’s Immortal Skiff, calmly replied, “Fang Lanshi, disciple of Mengjiang Peak.”

Yu Yan fell silent, deep in thought. Something still felt off. She raised her jade flute and played a section of the Miaoyin Sect’s unique recognition melody.

Hu Li’s eyebrows twitched. Without hesitation, she lifted her own flute and played the second half of the melody.

The music score Shen Yijun had given her for practice contained all the Miaoyin Sect’s melodies, both long and short. The section Yu Yan had played was only at the beginner level, and Hu Li had practiced it so many times she knew it by heart.

However, after she finished playing, she noticed the strange expressions on Yu Yan’s face and the disciples around her. Suddenly feeling guilty, she asked, “Senior Sister Yu, is something wrong?”

Yu Yan’s expression was complex. “Tell me honestly,” she asked, “did you teach Little Tangyuan to play the flute?”

Little Tangyuan was Yu Yan’s red-furred dog. Hu Li’s lips twitched slightly as she recalled her antics on the Miaoyin Sect’s Immortal Skiff. She gave an awkward smile. “That’s right.”

Yu Yan and the other disciples simultaneously pressed their hands to their foreheads, thinking, Only a dog could appreciate such a bizarre talent.

But upon further reflection, they realized they hadn’t paid enough attention to Hu Li, which had allowed her to develop such a peculiar style of flute playing. A wave of guilt and self-reproach washed over them.

“Junior Sister Fang, why don’t you study the flute with me from now on?” Yu Yan said, her voice filled with sympathy for Hu Li.

Hu Li looked at her, tilting her head in confusion, wondering what Yu Yan was suddenly talking about. Just then, their jade tokens began to chime:

Miaoyin Sect’s Lu Tao eliminated. Tianyan Sect’s Min Xiuhe’s token count increased by one, ranking tenth.

Miaoyin Sect’s Bai Yi eliminated. Tianyan Sect’s Min Xiuhe’s token count increased by one, ranking eighth.

Miaoyin Sect’s Xu Dang eliminated. Tianyan Sect’s Min Xiuhe’s token count increased by one, ranking sixth.

Min Xiuhe had achieved a triple kill?! Hu Li was stunned. “System, what’s happening with Min Xiuhe?” she asked.

The System chuckled dryly. 

“The Miaoyin Sect disciples tracked down Shang Miaoyun. When they learned she was Shen Yijun’s disciple, they demanded her contact information.”

Hu Li: “…I get it. The jealousy jar has overflowed.”

Hu Li understood exactly what had transpired with Min Xiuhe, but Yu Yan remained oblivious.

Her expression darkened instantly. The hand holding her flute clenched into a fist, knuckles turning white as she suppressed her fury. “The Tianyan Sect disciples truly cannot be underestimated,” she said, forcing herself to remain calm.

Hearing this, one of the disciples suggested, “Senior Sister, why don’t we go to the Piaomiao Sect first? We can listen to their plan, take down Tianyan Sect, and then settle things with them later.”

Yu Yan waved her hand dismissively.

“No. We need to find Senior Sister Qin and the other disciples first. Once we’re all together, we’ll discuss this as a group.”

With that, she began chanting the incantation for the Tracking Technique, leading the group to search for the remaining few disciples who hadn’t yet regrouped.

Hu Li followed her for nearly six hours, until nightfall blanketed the land. After failing to locate Senior Sister Qin, the group finally stopped to build a campfire and rest.

The flickering flames dispelled the chilling night air.

Yu Yan pulled out a secretly copied list from her robes and pointed to a name. 

“Remember this one: Gu Sheng. Though she’s the Young Sect Master of Tianyan Sect, she’s also their weakest member. When we cooperate with the Piaomiao Sect, we’ll target her, leaving the other two to them.”

Fox Spirit: ???
Hu Li: “Who authorized you to talk about my wife like that? Huh?”
Hu Li: “Who authorized you to talk about my husband like that? Huh?”

If Yu Yan knew the person she was targeting was sitting right next to her, I wonder how she would feel.

[Where did Kou Kou (censored) go? Why is the Fox Spirit taking her place?]
[I’m so curious how the Fox Spirit manages to survive until the end.]
[The Fox Spirit might just unleash her ultimate move and wipe out everyone.]
[There’s no way the Fox Spirit can use her ultimate move. With powerhouses from the Cultivation World like the Water Moon Mirror watching her every move, she wouldn’t dare use her demonic energy.]
[Without her ultimate move, the Fox Spirit definitely won’t survive until the end. At best, she’ll cling to the Miaoyin Sect for a while.]
[True. After all, she’s so clueless. How could she possibly handle so many opponents?]

Hu Li frowned slightly as she read the comments, her gaze lingering on the two instances of “[Kou Kou (censored)].” She filled in the blank with a word, likely “protagonist” or “Gu Sheng,” but either way, it referred to the same person.

“System, why is the golden finger you gave me blocking Gu Sheng?” Hu Li asked.

The System watched the chaotic stream of comments filling the screen, recalling that the Main System still hadn’t replied to its inquiries. It had no answer.

“Forget it, I’ll tell you about this later,” Hu Li said, giving up on the silent System for now. She turned her attention back to her discussion with Yu Yan.

“Senior Sister Yu, I’ve heard of Gu Sheng too. Compared to Min Xiuhe, whose strength is impossible to gauge, and Fairy Miaoyun, who should be our sect sister, she’s definitely the easiest to deal with.”

Hu Li smiled faintly. “Besides, having the Piaomiao Sect deal with them serves two purposes: it weakens the Piaomiao Sect while preserving our own strength. A true win-win strategy.”

Yu Yan hadn’t expected anyone to grasp her intentions so quickly. Seeing that it was Hu Li, the endearingly tone-deaf Junior Sister, who understood her, she felt even more pleased.

“Junior Sister Fang is right. That’s exactly what I had in mind,” Yu Yan said, leaning closer to Hu Li, her eyes filled with admiration.

Hu Li chuckled, about to continue praising Yu Yan, when a Hehuan Sect disciple suddenly burst in, interrupting her.

“Young Sect Master Yu, Fairy Su invites you to Liuyu Pool tomorrow for a detailed discussion about our collaboration.”

*******

The Hehuan Sect was a subordinate of the Piaomiao Sect. Yu Yan glanced at the messenger, secretly calculating the combined numbers of both sects. Her heart tightened.

Compared to the Piaomiao Sect, the Miaoyin Sect’s strength was still significantly inferior.

Yu Yan took a deep breath, rose, and approached the messenger. Catching the messenger off guard, she delivered a swift chop to the neck, knocking the messenger unconscious. Then, she snatched the token from the messenger’s waist.

Hu Li watched Yu Yan’s seamless series of actions, a familiar sight.

“Senior Sister Yu, are you planning to send someone to infiltrate the Piaomiao Sect?” Hu Li asked tentatively.

Yu Yan summoned two disciples to drag away the unconscious Hehuan Sect disciple. Returning to Hu Li’s side, she explained, “This disciple arrived at an unknown time. I feared she might have overheard our conversation and report it to Su Weiyun, so I simply knocked her out to eliminate any risk.”

Hu Li remained silent.

Yu Yan continued, “However, what you said is also a factor. After all, you can’t see into people’s hearts. Who knows if Su Weiyun harbors ill intentions toward the Miaoyin Sect?”

Hu Li countered, “But why didn’t the Piaomiao Sect use a Sound Transmission Talisman to deliver this message? Sending a messenger in person seems suspicious.”

Yu Yan poked at the campfire with a branch, scoffing softly. “The Piaomiao Sect and Hehuan Sect are both dirt poor. They wouldn’t waste a Sound Transmission Talisman on something as trivial as sending a messenger.”

Hu Li suppressed a laugh, her gaze drifting to a shimmering spot in the air.

Before the Water Moon Mirror, Lingqing Zhenren and Que Xiang met Hu Li’s mocking gaze, instantly sensing her ridicule.

Unfortunately, the one calling them poor was the Young Sect Master of the Miaoyin Sect, their current ally. They could only glare resentfully at Shen Heyin before lowering their heads, refusing to look at Yu Shibai, whose lips were practically curling into a triumphant grin.

Shen Heyin hadn’t expected Yu Yan to be so blunt. She sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead as she watched her cousin being sold out and then forced to thank the seller. “Twin sisters,” she murmured, “their brains are probably all in the other’s head. It’s only natural.”

Outside the Secret Realm, an eerie silence reigned. Within, however, a storm was brewing.

Hu Li glanced at the token Yu Yan held, engraved with the name “Fang Yunzhi.” “Senior Sister Yu,” she asked, “have you decided which of our sisters to send to infiltrate the Piaomiao Sect?”

Yu Yan lowered her gaze, her jade-like fingers tracing the character “Fang” on the token. Her answer was clear.

*******

Hu Li’s lips curved slightly as she took the token from Yu Yan’s hand. “Senior Sister Yu, this person shares my surname. It must be fate. Now is the time for me to serve the Miaoyin Sect.”

Yu Yan looked up at Hu Li, a warmth spreading through her heart. “Junior Sister Fang, this mission is dangerous. Are you truly prepared?”

Hu Li replied firmly, “For the Miaoyin Sect, no danger is too great.”

Yu Yan was deeply moved by these words, as were the other disciples around her.

“Junior Sister Fang, what noble sacrifice!” one of them exclaimed.

Immediately, the others echoed, “Junior Sister Fang, what noble sacrifice!”

Amidst this fervent atmosphere, Hu Li removed Fang Lanshi’s token from her waist and placed it in Yu Yan’s hand. She then hung Fang Yunzhi’s token on her own waist.

Yu Yan accepted the still-warm Fang Lanshi token and handed Hu Li a Disguise Talisman. “Junior Sister Fang, we don’t know when we’ll see each other again. Please take care of yourself.”

Hu Li accepted the Disguise Talisman and transformed into Fang Yunzhi’s appearance. Her expression turned solemn. 

“Fang Lanshi will never betray the Miaoyin Sect!”

With these words, she turned gracefully and vanished into the darkness.

“Junior Sister Fang, what a noble sacrifice!” someone exclaimed again, overcome with emotion.

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