Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 37

Tap, tap, tap. The mirror sounded again, its eerie echo reverberating through the empty room.

Hu Li’s heart froze. She silently crouched down, tugged at Gu Sheng’s skirt, and whispered telepathically, “We should get out of here, quickly.”

Without waiting for Gu Sheng’s response, she turned and began shuffling sideways, pulling Gu Sheng’s skirt with her.

Just as she was about to take her second step, the bronze mirror on the vanity suddenly rolled off and shattered at her feet with a loud crash.

Immediately afterward, a figure with disheveled hair and a white dress crawled out from the shattered mirror.

“S-Sadako’s on vacation?!” Hu Li’s eyes rolled back as she clung to Gu Sheng’s leg, desperately trying to hide under her skirt.

Gu Sheng, with her sharp vision, had already recognized the person.

She bent down, placed a hand on Hu Li’s shoulder, and tried to tell her that the woman crawling out—Min Xiuhe—wasn’t a ghost.

But before she could speak, Shang Miaoyun, terrified of strangers, activated a Teleportation Array, instantly transporting Min Xiuhe into the midst of the Shadow Demons.

Gu Sheng’s breath caught. “…That’s Min Xiuhe.”

Shang Miaoyun’s hand, still poised after casting the spell, froze. She met Gu Sheng’s gaze. “Ahe?”

Hu Li, peeking out from under Gu Sheng’s skirt, tilted her head. “So that’s Min Xiuhe?”

Gu Sheng closed her eyes, avoiding their gazes and suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. “Mm.”

Shang Miaoyun and Hu Li exchanged glances before simultaneously moving to the black cloth-sealed window. They poked two small holes in it and peered outside.

“Junior Sister Miaoyun, aren’t you going to teleport Senior Sister back?” Hu Li asked, gripping the window frame as she watched Min Xiuhe standing amidst the Shadow Demons, Jade Sword in hand.

Shang Miaoyun shook her head. “No.”

Hu Li pressed, “Are you still angry that Senior Sister hid her Demon Race heritage from you?”

Shang Miaoyun shook her head again, her voice tinged with helplessness. “I’ve run out of Spiritual Power.”

“Ah, I see.” Hu Li nodded in understanding. Shang Miaoyun had used the Teleportation Array twice already, nearly exhausting her Spiritual Power.

Outside the window, the courtyard was swept by a biting wind that scattered fallen leaves across the ground.

Min Xiuhe glanced in Shang Miaoyun’s direction, straightened her robes, then turned to face the Shadow Demons, letting out a soft scoff. With a swift flip of her Jade Sword, she first pierced the Shadow Demon attempting to ambush her from behind. Then, she tossed the sword into the air, silently chanted an Incantation, and the Jade Sword transformed into thousands of shimmering sword shadows.

“Vanquish!” she declared with resounding force.

In the next instant, the sword shadows scattered like rain, each piercing a Shadow Demon’s skull with deadly precision. Within mere breaths, she had eliminated the majority of the demons in the courtyard.

The remaining Shadow Demons, realizing Min Xiuhe’s overwhelming superiority, paused for a moment before leaping into the shadows on the ground, vanishing one by one.

Hu Li rested her head in her hand, watching the scene unfold. She murmured, “These Shadow Demons really are bullies. They only pick on the weak and run from the strong.”

Gu Sheng, standing behind her, overheard and replied, “Shadow Demons aren’t that simple.”

As she spoke, a Giant Shadow Demon, towering over six meters tall, crawled out of the shadows beyond the window.

This demon’s features were more distinct than those of the earlier ones, its eyes completely black, devoid of any whites, making it utterly terrifying.

Hu Li swallowed hard, relieved she hadn’t had to face this behemoth earlier.

*******

Behind them, Hu Li and Shang Miaoyun were on edge, but Min Xiuhe remained remarkably calm.

She raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Shadow Demon, its shadow looming over her. In the next instant, she gripped the Jade Sword and flashed before the creature’s eyes.

She remembered the bedtime stories from her childhood, tales that detailed the Shadow Demon’s weaknesses. Even after centuries, she wouldn’t forget them.

But just as she was about to strike, Min Xiuhe recalled Min Yaxing’s words as they entered the Demon Abyss: “If you want to win your wife back, you have to make her worry about you first.”

At the last moment, she swiftly twisted her wrist, changing her aim. Instead of targeting a vital point, she plunged the Jade Sword into the Shadow Demon’s forehead.

The strike wasn’t fatal, but it would severely wound the creature.

The Shadow Demon roared in agony, its massive hand swatting at Min Xiuhe like a fly.

She crashed to the ground, a coppery taste rising in her throat. She spat out a mouthful of blood.

As the Shadow Demon raised its foot to crush her, Min Xiuhe mustered her remaining strength and hurled the Jade Sword. It pierced the creature’s eye, severing its life force.

With its life force severed, the Shadow Demon rapidly crumbled into dust, vanishing completely with a gust of wind.

******

The Shadow Demon vanished, and the white lanterns hanging in the courtyard flickered out, plunging the entire courtyard into darkness.

Min Xiuhe lay on the ground, unable to see anything, but the sound of hurried footsteps approaching told her she had done the right thing.

“Ahe, you can’t be hurt!” Shang Miaoyun burst through the door, holding a tinderbox aloft, and rushed to Min Xiuhe’s side, cradling her in her arms.

Min Xiuhe closed her eyes, the flickering light of the tinderbox dancing before her.

She felt a cold drop of liquid land on her face, sliding down her cheek and into her neck.

Miaomiao is crying, Min Xiuhe realized, her eyes snapping open. She gripped Shang Miaoyun’s wrist, which was resting on her abdomen, wanting to tell her not to worry.

But the moment she opened her mouth, the blood she hadn’t fully coughed up earlier trickled from the corner of her lips.

Shang Miaoyun’s sobs intensified at the sight.

Behind her, Hu Li and Gu Sheng stood side by side, their lips pressed into thin lines.

Gu Sheng, well aware of Min Xiuhe’s cultivation level, knew that dealing with a Shadow Demon would be trivial for her. She had easily guessed the truth behind Min Xiuhe’s act.

********

Hu Li also knew Min Xiuhe had deliberately injured herself, but she hadn’t guessed it. She had seen it with her own eyes.

During Min Xiuhe’s battle with the Giant Shadow Demon, Hu Li had instinctively mimicked Min Xiuhe’s techniques, her eyes following the sword’s every move. That’s how she caught the moment Min Xiuhe deliberately deflected the blade.

Min Xiuhe really knows how to deceive young girls, they both thought simultaneously.

After Shang Miaoyun had cried her fill, the four of them reentered the house.

With the Shadow Demon gone, they cautiously lit a tinderbox and placed it in the center of the room.

Gu Sheng spoke first, asking Shang Miaoyun, “How did you get here?”

She glanced at Min Xiuhe, who was smugly nestled in Shang Miaoyun’s arms, and her voice instantly turned three degrees colder. “And you, why did you crawl out of the mirror?”

Shang Miaoyun looked at Gu Sheng, who had Hu Li’s face but inexplicably seemed more like their Senior Sister. She swallowed nervously and said cautiously, “I fell in… I’ve been here ever since.”

Min Xiuhe added, “I fell in too… I was trapped in the mirror.”

The atmosphere grew tense.

Hu Li sat cross-legged, pondering Min Xiuhe’s words. A realization dawned on her. “So… you’ve been watching Junior Sister Miaoyun through the mirror all this time?”

Shang Miaoyun: ?

Gu Sheng: …

Min Xiuhe: !

Min Xiuhe gave an awkward laugh. “There was a seal on the mirror. I only managed to break free just now.”

As she finished speaking, she shifted their attention. “Miaomiao and I arrived here a day earlier than you. According to the Demon Race’s historical records, this place should be the ‘eye’ of the Demon Abyss—Evernight City.”

“Evernight City measures time by the color of its lanterns. Red lanterns signify life, while white lanterns signify death. The alternating colors mark a full day and night cycle.”

“Though my physical body was trapped within the mirror, my spirit managed to escape several times. Through these excursions, I discovered that the Shadow Demons are the cause of Evernight City’s deadly predicament.”

“Shadow Demons are phantom entities formed from condensed Demonic Qi. They manifest from the shadows cast by all things under the light, lacking consciousness and driven only by the instinct to devour humans into darkness, using them as sustenance for their growth.”

“During one of my spiritual wanderings, I witnessed a reckless, fearless fool being dragged into the shadows by a Shadow Demon’s hand. He was devoured bit by bit, his screams fading into the darkness.”

As she spoke, she suddenly noticed Hu Li, sitting opposite her, biting her finger and trembling in sync with the flickering light of the tinderbox.

“Junior Sister, what’s wrong?” Min Xiuhe asked, still using the familiar title despite Hu Li’s Gu Sheng’s appearance.

Hu Li snapped out of her daze, realizing Min Xiuhe was addressing her. She gave a sheepish smile and said, “Senior Sister, your story sounded too much like a ghost tale. I got a little worked up.”

*******

In the cramped room, four people huddled around a single candle, Hu Li couldn’t help but be reminded of the ghost stories they used to tell in their dormitory.

Min Xiuhe’s expression went blank for a moment before a slight twitch pulled at the corner of her lips. “Junior Sister, when did you start being afraid of ghosts?”

She remembered how, as a child, Gu Sheng had been abducted to the Netherworld by a ghost cultivator. Yet within three days, she had outwitted all the ghost cultivators there and returned on her own.

Afterward, Min Xiuhe even heard that the Netherworld had posted a notice: “The Young Sect Master of the Tianyan Sect, Gu Sheng, is strictly forbidden from setting foot in the Netherworld.”

Hu Li glanced at Gu Sheng and gave Min Xiuhe a sheepish smile, making up an excuse. “It’s just dark here, and the atmosphere is spooky. It’s hard not to be a little scared.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Gu Sheng pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling a pang of frustration. She turned to Min Xiuhe. “Gu Sheng and I found a clue about how to escape the Demon Abyss. You two stay here while we go check it out.”

With that, she grabbed Hu Li’s hand and led her outside.

Outside, pitch darkness enveloped them. A few Demon Crows flew overhead, their hoarse cries echoing through the night.

Hu Li clutched Gu Sheng’s sleeve. Whether it was her imagination or not, she felt like a pair of eyes were watching her.

“Do you sense anything off?” Hu Li asked.

Gu Sheng allowed Hu Li to hold her hand as she carefully descended the stone steps. “What would be strange is if anything felt right about this place.”

********

Feeling the stone path beneath her feet, Gu Sheng slowly made her way toward the courtyard gate.

Beyond the gate lay the courtyard where the study was located.

The white lanterns still glowed brightly, and the sluggish Shadow Demons continued to wander within.

“How’s your Spiritual Power recovery?” Gu Sheng asked Hu Li.

Hu Li opened her eyes, shrinking behind Gu Sheng as she glanced at the Shadow Demons. “Do we really have to force our way through now?”

“The study is unguarded,” Gu Sheng replied. “This is the perfect opportunity to strike.”

Hu Li hesitated for a moment, realizing Gu Sheng was right. She reluctantly conceded, “Then let’s go.”

As she spoke, the Red Jade Hairpin in her hand transformed into a longsword. She raised her foot to enter the study.

But Gu Sheng stopped her. “There’s no need for a direct confrontation.”

Hu Li paused.

“Earlier, Min Xiuhe said the Shadow Demons were born from light and shadow,” Gu Sheng explained. “If you shoot down those two white lanterns, the demons might vanish.”

“I see,” Hu Li replied.

The longsword in her hand morphed into a longbow. She focused her mind, conjuring a bowstring, and drew back the string. With a whoosh, two spiritual arrows shot toward the white lanterns.

The lanterns extinguished, and the pair ducked behind a wall, listening intently for any sounds from the study.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the Shadow Demons’ heavy footsteps faded away completely.

“Let’s go,” Gu Sheng murmured, leading Hu Li toward the study, following her memory of its location. They crept step by step until they reached a door.

Gu Sheng pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold.

Hu Li, standing beside her, was about to ask, “Can we light a tinderbox?”

Suddenly, a malevolent gust of wind slammed the door shut. Immediately afterward, the white lanterns that had been shot down outside flickered back to life.

A sickly green light spilled into the room, dimly illuminating the furnishings.

Their eyes swept over the room, and both women gasped.

This wasn’t a study—it was a bridal chamber.

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