Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 22

[Double agent, absolutely brilliant.]
[A spy within a spy within a spy.]
[The Fox Spirit has completely mastered Sun Tzu’s Art of War.]
[Fang Lanshi is genuinely fighting for the Miaoyin Sect, but the Fox Spirit’s motives are far more ambiguous.]
[The Tianyan Sect would have been scattered without the Fox Spirit’s intervention.]
[Junior Sister Fang, still unconscious in the bushes: The Fox Spirit has already snatched all the bamboo shoots on the mountain.]
[Su Weiyun was quite cautious and prudent in the original novel. She wouldn’t have been so easily deceived by Yu Yan.]
[At most, the Fox Spirit could act as an undercover agent. There’s no way she could alter the other sects’ determination to target the Tianyan Sect.]
[In the original story, it took a combined effort from Shampoo and (censored) to barely defeat Su Weiyun. Now that the Fox Spirit can’t unleash her full power, her death is inevitable.]

Hu Li glanced at the sole [censored] in the comments and realized another censored word: He Shiqing.

She hadn’t expected that all the main characters’ names, except for specific references, would be censored.

A seed of doubt sprouted in Hu Li’s mind, but before she could dwell on it, she arrived at the encampments of the Piaomiao Sect and Hehuan Sect.

Su Weiyun was currently discussing the plan to encircle and annihilate the Tianyan Sect with two other disciples from the Piaomiao Sect and one from the Hehuan Sect.

But as soon as she saw Hu Li, she immediately waved her over and asked, “What was the Miaoyin Sect’s response?”

Hu Li met Su Weiyun’s gaze and hurried over, retrieving the Beads of No Delusion she had seized from the Buddhist disciple from her storage bag. She lowered her head and presented them to Su Weiyun. “The Young Sect Master of the Miaoyin Sect has agreed to cooperate. This is the token she entrusted to Fairy Su.”

“A token?” Su Weiyun raised an eyebrow, accepting the Beads of No Delusion and examining them closely, but she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

She had never seen anything like this before.

“Why would the Miaoyin Sect send this?” Su Weiyun casually hung the Beads of No Delusion at her waist.

Hu Li glanced at her and replied calmly, “The Miaoyin Sect said that exchanging tokens is the only way to truly establish cooperation.”

“Tch, the Miaoyin Sect sure has a lot of quirks,” another Piaomiao Sect disciple scoffed.

Su Weiyun frowned imperceptibly, then seemed to remember something. She instructed her junior brother, “Junior Brother Liu, go bring the person we captured earlier today.”

Junior Brother Liu acknowledged her command and disappeared into a nearby thicket.

“Have a seat.” Su Weiyun looked up at Hu Li.

Hu Li nodded and obediently squatted down beside Su Weiyun.

Su Weiyun glanced at her before turning back to the other Piaomiao Sect disciple. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll go negotiate the cooperation with the Miaoyin Sect. You take the others and continue searching for Gu Sheng’s whereabouts. And remember, when you find Gu Sheng, don’t rush to crush her token.”

“Huh? Why not crush it?” the disciple asked, puzzled.

“It’s called ‘holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles.’ By capturing Gu Sheng and using her to threaten the other two from the Tianyan Sect, we can minimize our losses,” the person beside her interjected.

Holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles? Su Weiyun didn’t understand the idiom, but the latter half of the sentence struck her heart like an arrow.

She glanced at the girl beside her, who was poking the campfire with a branch. Suddenly, she realized that the girl’s eyes, reflecting the flickering flames, bore an uncanny resemblance to someone she knew.

“What was your name again?” Su Weiyun asked involuntarily.

Hu Li paused her fire-poking and looked at Su Weiyun. “Fang Yunzhi.”

Su Weiyun fell silent for a moment, then murmured, “Also surnamed Fang… What a coincidence.”

Her fondness for Hu Li deepened. “Junior Sister Fang, the Piaomiao Sect and Hehuan Sect are as close as family. From now on, you can just call me Senior Sister Su.”

The Piaomiao Sect disciple standing nearby stiffened slightly. He remembered how Senior Sister Su loathed the Hehuan Sect’s attempts to ingratiate themselves with their sect.

The Hehuan Sect disciple participating in the meeting was equally stunned. He had been trying his best to flatter Su Weiyun, only to be met with countless eye-rolls. Yet this junior sister had captured Su Weiyun’s heart with a single sentence. Truly, she was a credit to the Hehuan Sect’s elite disciples.

Hu Li was even more surprised. She had merely been absorbed in playing with the fire and offered a casual explanation. Now, Su Weiyun was treating her with special regard. How unexpected!

Unexpected suffocation…

Hu Li met Su Weiyun’s fervent gaze, feeling utterly drained.

Then, she saw Su Weiyun present her with a transverse flute, a token, and a Disguise Talisman, and the scene felt so familiar it brought tears to her eyes.

Originally, Hu Li had only planned to deliver the Beads of No Delusion, trick Su Weiyun, and then disappear. She never imagined she’d be the one falling into a massive, sky-sent trap.

“Junior Sister Fang,” Su Weiyun whispered, gripping Hu Li’s hand, “I trust you completely.”

I trust your bullshit, Hu Li forced a deathly smile.

Before the Water Moon Mirror, the image froze on Su Weiyun’s whispered words to Hu Li. The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

Shen Heyin and Lingqing Zhenren exchanged a glance, both maintaining a tense silence.

But Yu Shibai, reveling in their misfortune, couldn’t contain himself any longer.

He slammed his palm on the nearby table, then leaned back, erupting into unrestrained laughter. “Heh heh heh heh heh…” He cackled like a villain, pointing a finger at Lingqing Zhenren’s nose, abandoning all pretense of decorum as he sneered, “Oh, who was it just now who said, ‘Our Su Weiyun will see through any deception at a glance’? She certainly seems deeply devoted to my Sheng’er.”

Lingqing Zhenren’s breath hitched, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Yu Shibai. “Yu Shibai, what does it matter how clever that little brat Gu Sheng is? She can’t possibly take on all the major sects alone!”

Que Xiang of the Hehuan Sect chimed in, “Exactly! That little girl has been nothing but a coward hiding among the sects, stirring up trouble. Even if she somehow survives to the end, she’ll never win.”

Lingqing Zhenren added, “The alliance between the Piaomiao Sect and the Miaoyin Sect is already set in stone. Do you really think a few words from that girl could break it?”

With such high stakes, Lingqing Zhenren simply couldn’t believe Su Weiyun and Yu Yan would be foolish enough to be manipulated by Hu Li.

Shen Heyin rolled her eyes at the trio, ignoring them as she turned her gaze toward Hu Li, who was returning to the Miaoyin Sect.

At the Miaoyin Sect, Yu Yan sat alone by the campfire, poking at the flames with a stick. Sparks danced around her feet as she sighed repeatedly.

Suddenly, a dark shadow fell from above. Startled, Yu Yan looked up to see who had arrived.

“Qin Beilu, you’re back!” Yu Yan exclaimed, leaping up from the ground and throwing her arms around Hu Li.

She had been searching for her all day, fearing something terrible had happened.

Hu Li lowered her gaze, meeting Yu Yan’s eyes, which sparkled with excitement. She realized then that Yu Yan was in love with Qin Beilu.

If only she knew I’m not the real Qin Beilu, Hu Li thought with a silent sigh. She switched to Fang Lanshi’s voice and called out, “Senior Sister Yu.”

The smile froze on Yu Yan’s face. She pushed Hu Li away and took a step back.

“Junior Sister Fang, is that you?” Yu Yan asked, her brow furrowed in suspicion.

Hu Li hummed in acknowledgment, offering no further explanation, but the answer was clear.

“What did Su Weiyun do to Senior Sister Qin?” Yu Yan’s hands clenched into fists, her shoulders trembling slightly with anger.

Ignoring her reaction, Hu Li stated plainly, “Senior Sister Qin was ambushed by Su Weiyun and is now unconscious from severe injuries.”

Su Weiyun had encountered Qin Beilu upon entering the Water Moon Secret Realm.

As described in the original novel, Su Weiyun feared the Miaoyin Sect might betray their alliance with the Piaomiao Sect. To prevent this, she first severely injured Qin Beilu, stole her token, and then planted her own spies within the Miaoyin Sect.

In the original story, Yu Yan remained unaware of Qin Beilu’s misfortune. Though she looked down on the Piaomiao Sect, she cooperated smoothly with Su Weiyun. As a result, they maintained a facade of harmony, mutually exploiting each other until they exited the Secret Realm.

But now, Hu Li wondered how long this superficial peace could last.

“That Su Weiyun dared to harm my people! She’ll pay dearly for this!” Yu Yan stomped her foot in fury, then kicked scattered branches from the campfire into the nearby lake with a splash.

Hu Li watched Yu Yan, who had already fallen out with her supposed ally before any real cooperation had begun, and thought to herself, This is perfect.

Outwardly, however, she offered soothing words: “Senior Sister Yu, a gentleman’s revenge is never too late. Don’t let a petty person throw you off balance.”

She’s right. I mustn’t lose my composure. Yu Yan took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and tried to calm herself.

She glanced at Hu Li, thinking, Thank goodness I had the foresight to send Junior Sister Fang to infiltrate the Piaomiao Sect. Otherwise, I might have been completely deceived by those brutes.

A moment’s reflection revealed that Su Weiyun had already fallen into Junior Sister Fang’s trap. With the Tianyan Sect eliminated, Yu Yan could manipulate events to ensure Miaoyin Sect’s victory in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition!

Miaoyin Sect’s victory! Yu Yan’s eyes began to gleam, her gaze toward Hu Li now brimming with expectation.

“Junior Sister Fang, accompany me to tomorrow’s meeting with the Piaomiao Sect. I’ll find a way to reinstate you within their ranks. Once the Tianyan Sect is eliminated, we’ll strike from within and without, taking down Su Weiyun as well. With her gone, Miaoyin Sect will finally claim its rightful place as the foremost sect!”

Hu Li smiled at Yu Yan’s sudden surge of passion, her earlier despondency completely vanished. “Senior Sister Yu, rest assured, Lanshi will not fail Miaoyin Sect!”

Before the Water Moon Mirror, Shen Heyin watched the two women bolstering each other’s spirits, unable to muster even a flicker of amusement.

First, she glared at Lingqing Zhenren, silently cursing him for raising such a treacherous disciple—one who would betray even her own allies.

Then, she seethed inwardly, Yu Yan has always been a few screws loose, but I never imagined she’d lose even more with age!

This is infuriating!

Miaoyin Sect had managed to secure third place in previous years, but this year, their chances looked bleak.

Beside him, Lingqing Zhenren’s face had turned a liverish purple with rage. He finally saw through Miaoyin Sect’s facade—they had never intended to genuinely cooperate with Piaomiao Sect.

First, they planted spies within Piaomiao Sect, then they plotted to eliminate them through treacherous means.

Shameless!

Fortunately, though Miaoyin Sect’s Young Sect Master was a fool, at least she understood the priority: eliminate Tianyan Sect first, then deal with Piaomiao Sect.

Once Miaoyin Sect tracked down Gu Sheng’s identity token, they could eliminate that black-hearted little girl. Even if Miaoyin Sect later turned against Piaomiao Sect, they would stand little chance of victory.

With this, Piaomiao Sect would once again claim the champion’s title this year.

[Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!]

Lingqing Zhenren stroked his beard, smugly raised his teacup, took a sip, and continued watching the events unfold within the Secret Realm.

Inside the Secret Realm, time flowed swiftly. By the time Hu Li and Yu Yan finished their discussion, dawn had already broken.

The group packed their belongings, hoisted their Artifacts—some carried, others slung over their backs—and marched toward Liuyu Pool with imposing momentum, ready to keep their appointment.

[Piaomiao Sect will fall!]
[The champion’s title at this year’s Immortal Sect Grand Competition will belong to Miaoyin Sect!]

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