Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 40

“She’s beyond saving.”

Before Gu Sheng could react to Ye Qingtang’s words, Hu Li had already sprung to her feet.

She grabbed Ye Qingtang’s arm, demanding urgently, “What’s wrong with her? Stop speaking in riddles!”

As she spoke, her grip tightened involuntarily, and she took another step closer to Ye Qingtang.

Ye Qingtang winced at the painful grip, her gaze settling on Hu Li. She realized she had truly pushed the woman too far.

Hurriedly, she pried Hu Li’s fingers loose, saying, “I was just joking! There’s still hope, there’s still hope.”

She looked at Hu Li with earnest eyes. Hu Li stared back for a long moment, confirming that Ye Qingtang wasn’t lying, before gradually calming down and slowly releasing her grip.

Finally free of Hu Li’s grasp, Ye Qingtang rubbed the red mark on her arm, silently scooting away from her. “But if you want me to save her,” she said, “you need to tell me what happened.”

Gu Sheng, who had been quietly sipping tea, set down her cup and turned her gaze to Hu Li.

Hu Li, oblivious to Gu Sheng’s attention, remained focused on Ye Qingtang.

“Alright, I’ll tell you,” she said, “but you have to keep your word.”

Ye Qingtang nodded. “If you tell me, I’ll definitely be able to heal her.”

Hu Li, trusting her implicitly, immediately recounted the entire story of how she had entered the City Lord’s Manor.

After listening, Ye Qingtang poured herself a cup of cold tea, took a sip, and pondered for a moment before saying, “I want to escape the Demon Abyss too.”

Although she could hide in the Underground City for now after fleeing her arranged marriage, she knew the Ye Family wouldn’t let her off easily once they recovered from the shock.

Gu Sheng glanced at her, remaining silent.

Hu Li sat back down on the round stool, thought for a moment, and guessed Ye Qingtang’s motive for wanting to leave the Demon Abyss.

Instead of refusing, she said directly, “If you heal her, I’ll take you with me.”

Ye Qingtang crossed her legs, propped her chin on her hand, and looked at Hu Li. “Are you serious?”

Hu Li replied without hesitation, “Absolutely.”

A faint smile curved Ye Qingtang’s lips. “Good. I’ll purge her Demonic Qi tomorrow.”

*******

[Ye Qingtang isn’t afraid Hu Li might be lying? She agreed so readily.]

[Well, Hu Li told Ye Qingtang everything, so Ye Qingtang must trust her completely.]

[But we have the omniscient perspective! Ye Qingtang has no way of knowing if Hu Li is telling the truth…]

[From another perspective, Hu Li didn’t hesitate to tell Ye Qingtang everything either.]

[Don’t argue, everyone. These two are just a pair of complete idiots who stumbled upon each other—a true match made in heaven.]

[No wonder Sheng Sheng didn’t stop Li Li at first. She probably guessed Ye Qingtang wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed either.]

[Li Li and Tang Tang combined couldn’t even muster half the cunning of Sheng Sheng.]

[I thought the Fox Spirit was the epitome of cluelessness, but I was wrong. Another one just showed up!]

[Ye Qingtang used up all her brainpower in this lifetime escaping marriage.]

*******

Hu Li crossed her arms and stared at the comments, speechless.

What do they mean, “Li Li and Tang Tang combined couldn’t muster half the cunning of Sheng Sheng”?

She silently rolled her eyes, thinking, These are all just mean comments. I’m not listening.

After discussing Gu Sheng’s situation, Ye Qingtang had ushered both Hu Li and Gu Sheng into another room.

The two women, who hadn’t had a moment to themselves in ages, stood in the empty room, glancing at each other briefly before averting their gazes. An awkward silence descended, thick with unspoken tension.

Finally, Hu Li broke the silence. “Let’s just sleep,” she said.

Gu Sheng’s fingers curled slightly beneath her sleeve as she nodded in agreement. She followed Hu Li around the screen to the bedside.

******

Two quilts lay on the bed.

Gu Sheng lowered her gaze, wanting to ask Hu Li, “Do you want to sleep on the inside or the outside?” But she opened her mouth several times, unable to utter a word.

Seeing this, Hu Li assumed Gu Sheng didn’t want to share the bed. She proactively picked up one of the quilts and laid it on the nearby recliner.

“I’ll sleep here,” she said, settling onto the recliner, fully clothed.

Gu Sheng glanced at her, then, feeling it would be awkward to insist, removed her shoes and socks and climbed into bed.

The candle on the round table flickered, casting dancing shadows across the room. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept in through the window, extinguishing the flame and plunging the room into complete darkness.

The recliner faced the window. Hu Li reached out, letting the wind slip through her fingers.

After a long pause, she lowered her hand and asked Gu Sheng again, “So, why did you want to swap souls with me?”

Gu Sheng lay with her eyes wide open, staring at the bed curtains. As if she had anticipated this question, she calmly countered, “And why haven’t you told Min Xiuhe and Junior Sister Miaoyun about our soul swap?”

Hu Li fell silent for a moment before replying, “You must have your reasons. I need to understand them before deciding whether to reveal this.”

Gu Sheng stroked the dangling pearl hairpin in her hand. “What if I don’t want to tell you?”

Hu Li closed her eyes. “I’ll wait for you.”

Gu Sheng remained silent, offering no response.

Hu Li didn’t press further. “I’m going to sleep now. You should rest early too.”

*******

The next morning, Hu Li woke to the sound of hurried footsteps.

Clutching her aching back, she sat up from the recliner, threw off the blanket, and slowly left the room.

Downstairs, the scene resembled the aftermath of a fierce battle. Square tables were piled high with enormous, round bowls, each nearly half a person tall, crowding the entire surface.

The shop assistants were frantically carrying the bowls into the kitchen, their feet barely touching the ground.

Hu Li descended the stairs and approached the shopkeeper, who was buried in his accounts. “What food do you have here?” she asked.

The shopkeeper looked up, his eyes meeting her familiar face. A hint of embarrassment flickered across his features. “Fairy, you’ve slept late. We’ve sold out of most of our dishes.”

Hu Li frowned. “Sold out?”

The shopkeeper nodded. “However, we still have some noodles left. How about I have the kitchen prepare a bowl for you and send it to your room?”

Hu Li pursed her lips, thinking that something to fill her stomach would do. She nodded in agreement. As she turned to leave, she remembered Gu Sheng, still asleep upstairs. She quickly grabbed the shopkeeper’s arm as he headed toward the kitchen. “Make that two bowls.”

********

After ordering the noodles, Hu Li didn’t linger downstairs. She headed straight for the stairs, intending to return to her room.

But just as she stepped onto the first stair, she bumped into Ye Qingtang, who was returning from outside.

“Where have you been?” Hu Li asked, glancing at her.

“Buying medicine,” Ye Qingtang replied briefly, holding up three herbal packets. She pointed to the top two and explained, “These two are to purge the Demonic Qi from the Fox Demon’s body.”

Then she lowered her hand, pointing to the bottom packet. “And this one is for the Fairy who was severely injured by the Shadow Demon, to help her recover.”

With that, she held up two fingers. “These three packets cost twenty Spirit Stones in total. Remember to pay me back.”

Hu Li pressed her lips together, nodding helplessly. “Alright, I’ll get it to you as soon as I go upstairs.”

Ye Qingtang nodded with a cheerful smile and hurried over to the waiter, who was clearing the tables.

Hu Li watched her for a moment before turning and climbing the stairs.

But just as she opened her room door, before she could close it, Ye Qingtang’s hand pressed against the doorframe.

“Why didn’t you wait for me?” Ye Qingtang said, panting.

Hu Li, assuming Ye Qingtang had come to ask for money, lowered her hand from the door, stepped aside to let her in, and then walked behind the screen to ask Gu Sheng, who had just woken up, for twenty Spirit Stones. She handed them to Ye Qingtang.

After accepting the Spirit Stones, Ye Qingtang remained seated in the room, sipping tea.

“Aren’t you leaving?” Hu Li asked.

Ye Qingtang shook her head. “The items haven’t been delivered yet.”

Hu Li frowned. “What items?”

“Something essential for Purging Demonic Qi,” Ye Qingtang replied bluntly.

Hu Li let out a confused “Huh?” but still didn’t understand. Just then, two shopkeepers entered carrying a large wooden bathtub, and she finally realized—Ye Qingtang was preparing a medicinal bath.

The bathtub was placed beside the bed. Gu Sheng sat on the edge, glaring resentfully at the commotion Ye Qingtang was causing and the steaming tub, her anger simmering. She hadn’t slept well for days, and after finally managing to fall asleep yesterday, Ye Qingtang had now woken her up.

“What do you want?” Gu Sheng asked coldly.

Ye Qingtang met Gu Sheng’s gaze and felt a sudden chill run down her spine.

“Um, remember yesterday when I said I’d purge your Demonic Qi? Well, I went out early this morning to buy the herbs for your medicinal bath,” Ye Qingtang explained, hurrying to sprinkle the herbs into the tub.

Gu Sheng remained silent, her returning memories confirming that this had indeed been discussed.

After scattering the herbs, Ye Qingtang retreated behind the screen, leaving Hu Li standing awkwardly in place, staring at Gu Sheng.

“Aren’t you leaving?” Gu Sheng asked Hu Li.

Hu Li waved her hand, about to explain.

But Ye Qingtang cut her off, saying, “I asked her to stay.”

As she spoke, Ye Qingtang retrieved a small booklet from her Storage Bag, flipped to a page in the middle, and asked Gu Sheng, “First, I need to confirm something: is the Demonic Qi in your body from the Faceless Demon?”

Gu Sheng’s hazy eyes instantly cleared.

Hu Li hadn’t mentioned this to Ye Qingtang yesterday, and Gu Sheng had assumed Ye Qingtang was unaware.

Turns out this half-baked practitioner actually knows her stuff, Gu Sheng thought.

“Yes,” Gu Sheng admitted, abandoning any pretense.

Ye Qingtang nodded, made a note in the booklet, and continued, “The Faceless Demon’s Demonic Qi is extremely aggressive. Once it enters a person’s body, it rapidly invades their Spiritual Meridians, surges toward the Sea of Consciousness, and ultimately brands itself upon the Soul.”

“But you sealed your Spiritual Meridians the moment the Demonic Qi entered your body, preventing most of it from reaching your Sea of Consciousness. That’s why I said yesterday there was still hope for you.”

“However, when I say ‘hope,’ I don’t mean a method to save you. The core of this method is to transfer the Faceless Demon’s Demonic Qi into another person’s body.”

Gu Sheng cast a subtle glance at Hu Li before asking Ye Qingtang, “Are you planning to transfer the Demonic Qi from my body to her?”

Ye Qingtang, standing outside the screen, replied, “This Fairy has Demon Heart Powder in her system. When the Faceless Demon’s Demonic Qi encounters this powder, it won’t invade her Sea of Consciousness. Moreover, the powder will stabilize the Demonic Qi for a short time, preventing it from running rampant.”

She paused, then leaned her head around the screen to look at Hu Li. “Yesterday, I saw how deeply you cared for this Fox Demon, so I forgot to ask: are you willing to bear her Demonic Qi?”

[Bear the Demonic Qi… Hu Li’s System, which had been frozen in her Sea of Consciousness, suddenly sprang back to life, warning her: “In the original story, it was the fusion of this Demonic Qi with the Demon Heart Powder that triggered Gu Sheng’s Inner Demon.”]

[Hu Li’s expression tightened slightly. “So, the mission you’ve given me this time is to accept the Demonic Qi?”]

The System flickered, responding, “Host, the decision rests with you this time. Furthermore, Demonic Qi is far from beneficial, so I strongly advise against accepting this tainted substance.”

Hu Li fell silent, then muted the System.

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