Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 39

Hu Li’s heart clenched as she watched the Shadow Demons encircle them. She considered extinguishing the lantern, but the memory of what had happened in the bridal chamber stopped her.

Clutching her longsword tightly, she stepped forward to shield the three defenseless figures behind her.

The air crackled with tension. A Shadow Demon lunged first.

Hu Li swung her sword, piercing the demon’s eye. The creature instantly dissolved into ash.

But behind that single demon surged countless more, swarming from all directions, relentlessly closing in on Hu Li.

Alone, she couldn’t possibly hold them back. She could only parry one at a time, dodge another, desperately trying to keep up with the relentless onslaught.

After about half an hour, Hu Li’s clothes were soaked with sweat. She wiped a bead of perspiration from her temple, noticing several claw marks on her arms.

Yet she dared not falter, continuing to strike back at the demons again and again.

Finally, a Shadow Demon struck her sword-wielding hand with overwhelming force, sending the weapon clattering to the ground.

Hu Li bent to retrieve it, but another demon suddenly attacked from the side, knocking her flat.

Immediately, a third demon seized her ankle, dragging her inch by inch into the shadows.

Shang Miaoyun wanted to help Hu Li, but she was protecting Min Xiuhe and couldn’t spare a hand.

******

Gu Sheng, whose Spiritual Meridians were sealed, had deliberately allowed a Shadow Demon to capture her, refusing to help Hu Li. She wanted Hu Li to be tainted by Demonic Qi.

In this desperate situation, Hu Li watched herself being dragged closer to the shadows, thinking, It’s over. I’m going to die.

But just as her toes were about to touch the darkness, the ground beneath her suddenly collapsed, and everyone tumbled into a hidden tunnel.

The tunnel’s walls were made of earth. Shadow Demons relied on stone and brick for movement, so the moment they touched the earthen walls, they dissolved into dust.

Hu Li leaned against a wall, still shaken.

Shang Miaoyun was busy tending to Min Xiuhe’s injuries and didn’t notice what had happened.

Only Gu Sheng, amidst the swirling dust, immediately spotted the blue-robed woman holding a shovel, staring at them in stunned silence.

“Ye Family girl,” Gu Sheng said.

Ye Qingtang snapped out of her daze and looked at the people she had inexplicably unearthed, surprised. “You know me?”

Gu Sheng pushed herself up from the ground, brushing off the dust. “We were the ones who entered the City Lord’s Manor in your place the day you fled your arranged marriage.”

Ye Qingtang remembered the two women and the hairy-legged monster, and realization dawned. “So it was you.”

She scanned the group of four, then grew suspicious. “You’ve added someone? And where’s that hairy-legged monster?”

*******

“The Leg-Hair Monster is dead,” Gu Sheng said, pulling a porcelain bottle from Hu Li’s storage bag. She uncorked it and held it under Hu Li’s nose while explaining to Ye Qingtang. “These two are our Senior Sisters.”

Ye Qingtang seemed to understand, but her attention was immediately drawn to Hu Li, who suddenly lurched forward.

“What’s wrong with her?” Ye Qingtang asked.

Gu Sheng capped the bottle. “Just trying to wake her up.”

“Huh?” Ye Qingtang exclaimed. Then she saw Hu Li clutch her nose and shout, “Gu—”

Hu Li paused, then continued, “What did you make me smell? It stinks!”

Gu Sheng remained calm. “Demonic Qi vomited up by an Ink-Swallowing Beast.”

Hu Li: ……

She leaned against the earthen wall, gagging.

Gu Sheng stood beside her, watching silently, not saying another word to Ye Qingtang.

After a long while, Hu Li finally recovered. Her gaze slid past Gu Sheng to Ye Qingtang. “What are you doing here?”

Ye Qingtang finished filling the hole in the dungeon ceiling, leaned on her shovel, and replied, “After escaping my arranged marriage, I wanted to move into the Underground City, but the rent was too high. So I decided to dig my own Cave Residence. Who knew I’d dig right into you guys?”

Hu Li: “Underground City? Where’s that?”

*******

Ye Qingtang tilted her head. “You didn’t know?”

Hu Li hummed in response, prompting Ye Qingtang to explain. “Evernight City is known for devouring people, so the wealthy Demon Cultivators built underground shelters. Whenever the lanterns were about to go out, they’d retreat into these shelters for safety.”

“Over time, as more people sought refuge underground, more shelters were built, gradually forming the Underground City.”

“So, after the lanterns change, Evernight City becomes a ghost town?” Hu Li asked.

“You could say that,” Ye Qingtang replied, hoisting her shovel. “I’m heading back to the Underground City now. Take care, everyone.”

With that, she turned to leave.

Hu Li glanced back at Gu Sheng, then called out to Ye Qingtang, “Does the Underground City have lodging? I mean, are there inns?”

The four of them were in dire straits. Some unconscious, others injured and needed a place to rest and recover.

Ye Qingtang paused, considering for a moment before turning back to Hu Li. “There are inns in the Underground City, but if you want me to take you there, you’ll have to rent a room for me too.”

Hu Li hesitated briefly before agreeing.

A faint smile curved Ye Qingtang’s lips as she waved her hand. “Come along, Fairies. Follow me.”

With that, she took the lead, guiding them forward.

Hu Li hadn’t expected the Underground City to be so bustling. After checking three inns with Ye Qingtang, they finally found one with vacant rooms.

“Shopkeeper, five rooms, please,” Hu Li said as she approached the counter.

The shopkeeper’s abacus beads stopped clicking as he glanced at the dusty, travel-worn group. Lowering his head, he dismissed them with a curt, “We don’t serve beggars.”

Hu Li slid five gold leaves across the counter.

The shopkeeper stared at the gold leaves in silence for a moment, then his attitude instantly flipped 180 degrees. He swept up the gold leaves with a flourish and beamed, “Welcome, esteemed guests! We’re honored by your presence.”

Hu Li scoffed, “Just get us five rooms already.”

The shopkeeper chuckled obsequiously and called to a waiter descending the stairs, “Hurry, show these five distinguished guests to their rooms—five rooms!”

The waiter’s face fell. “Shopkeeper, have you forgotten? We only have three rooms left.”

The shopkeeper’s hand froze mid-reach for the gold leaves. He turned to Hu Li, a gold tooth glinting as he forced a sheepish smile. “Esteemed guests, how about three rooms instead? Our beds are quite large, and you’re so slender, you could easily share with this Fairy here. The beds would still be spacious.”

As he spoke, he gestured vaguely toward Gu Sheng, who stood behind Hu Li.

*******

Hu Li glanced in the direction the shopkeeper pointed, then quickly looked away, pinching her burning earlobe. She said sternly, “I paid for five rooms. Are you trying to cheat me?!”

The shopkeeper waved his hands frantically. “Fairy, you misunderstand! I meant that the price you paid covers a full month’s stay at our inn, and all your meals during that time are on the house.”

Hu Li remained silent for a long moment, unwilling to argue further. She finally agreed.

A junior staff member led them upstairs. After showing them to their rooms, he handed Hu Li three keys, pointed to the three interconnected doors, and hurried off to attend to other duties.

Hu Li exchanged a glance with Gu Sheng before pushing open the nearest door.

The room was neither too large nor too small. A screen stood directly opposite the window, which was framed by two wooden bars, dividing the space into two areas: one with a round table and the other with a bed.

Shang Miaoyun helped Min Xiuhe into the room and settled her on the bed.

Hu Li leaned around the screen, peering inside. “Are there any Medical Cultivators in this Underground City?” she asked Ye Qingtang. She hadn’t realized Min Xiuhe’s injuries were so severe that she still hadn’t regained consciousness.

Ye Qingtang had already noticed the group’s injuries. Hearing Hu Li’s question, she smiled. “I am a Medical Cultivator.”

******

As she spoke, Ye Qingtang retrieved a roll of silver needles from a pouch-like storage bag at her waist and spread them out before the two women. “My mother was a medical cultivator in Evernight City,” she explained. “I learned quite a bit from her growing up.”

Hu Li’s gaze fell upon the meticulously polished silver needles. “You clearly cherish these needles,” she remarked sincerely.

Ye Qingtang nodded with a faint smile. “They’re the only thing my mother left me. Of course I cherish them.”

With that, she selected a few needles and stepped behind the screen.

Shang Miaoyun, who had overheard Ye Qingtang’s conversation with Hu Li, made way for her and stood aside.

“How was she injured?” Ye Qingtang asked Shang Miaoyun, taking Min Xiuhe’s pulse before inserting the needles.

Shang Miaoyun, always shy around strangers, clutched the hem of her skirt and stammered, “Sh-Shadow Demon.”

“Just as I suspected,” Ye Qingtang murmured, channeling a wisp of spiritual power into the silver needles before inserting them into Min Xiuhe’s acupoints. “I knew those rumors about Evernight City being a place that devours people were false.”

Outside the screen, Hu Li, who had been silently facing Gu Sheng, perked up at Ye Qingtang’s words. “How did you know that?” she asked curiously.

******

Ye Qingtang pinched her fingers together, forming a Spirit Stabilization Seal and pressing it against Min Xiuhe’s forehead. Turning to Hu Li, she said, “There was once a madman who wandered the streets even after the lanterns went out. Everyone thought he would die, but he survived until the next day.”

“Though he lived, he was gravely wounded. If my mother hadn’t encountered him while returning from treating patients, he likely wouldn’t have lasted three days.”

“Unfortunately, he still didn’t survive a month. And shortly after treating him, my mother fell ill and died.”

“At first, I believed my father’s restless concubines had poisoned her. But later, when I probed her Sea of Consciousness, I detected traces of a Shadow Demon’s aura.”

Hu Li lowered her gaze to the black miasma rising from her wound, her breath catching in her throat. “Fairy Ye,” she asked urgently, “does being wounded by a Shadow Demon mean certain death?”

“Not necessarily,” Ye Qingtang replied, shaking her head. “And close your mouth.”

With that, she inserted another silver needle into Min Xiuhe’s body.

Outside the screen, Hu Li obediently closed her mouth, not daring to disturb Ye Qingtang further.

By the time Ye Qingtang finished administering the needles to Min Xiuhe, half an hour had passed.

******

Ye Qingtang rose and checked Shang Miaoyun’s injuries again, confirming she was stable before stepping outside the screen to put away the silver needles.

Hu Li, having finally woken up properly, rubbed her eyes and looked at Ye Qingtang, her mind still foggy and forgetting what she wanted to ask.

Ye Qingtang met Hu Li’s gaze and, seeing her staring blankly without a word, simply took Hu Li’s wrist to check her pulse.

After a moment, she said, “The Shadow Demon’s Demonic Qi hasn’t yet invaded your Spiritual Meridians. Just take this medicine.”

She retrieved a porcelain bottle from her Storage Bag, poured out a pill, and directly popped it into Hu Li’s mouth.

Hu Li swallowed the pill and glanced at Gu Sheng, who was watching her intently. “What about her?” she asked Ye Qingtang.

Ye Qingtang shot a sidelong glance at Gu Sheng, whose expression remained coldly aloof. She pursed her lips, wondering how she’d become the personal Medical Cultivator for these four.

Despite her thoughts, she still took Gu Sheng’s wrist and carefully examined her pulse.

What she discovered was deeply unsettling.

“Come, let’s talk in the next room,” Ye Qingtang said, her brow furrowing. She released Gu Sheng’s wrist after a long moment, her expression grave.

Hu Li glanced at Ye Qingtang, a sudden, inexplicable memory of past visits to traditional Chinese medicine practitioners flooding her mind, bringing with it a foreboding sense of unease.

She pulled Gu Sheng up and followed Ye Qingtang into the adjacent room.

Inside, the three of them sat around a circular table. Hu Li anxiously asked Ye Qingtang, “What’s going on?”

Ye Qingtang met her gaze, sighed deeply, and said bluntly, “She’s beyond saving.”

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