Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 43

“Has the livestream of the battle with the City Lord been released?” Hu Li asked Gu Sheng, scrolling through her constantly looping wrist device.

Gu Sheng nodded. “It’s been released.”

While they were in the Underground City, Hu Li had discovered the hundred wrist devices the Lecher had sold Gu Sheng earlier in her Storage Bag. She also noticed that Min Yaxing had upgraded all the devices with livestreaming capabilities.

Seizing the opportunity, Hu Li set up a stall outside the inn during their breaks from medicinal baths and sold ninety-nine of the wrist devices, earning a small profit.

Later, during the battle with the City Lord, they earned another small sum from livestreaming donations.

[The City Lord finally got what he deserved. It’s just a shame so many daughters from good families couldn’t be saved.]

[If you ask me, those who sold their daughters aren’t good families at all. They deserve punishment just like the City Lord!]

[But getting half the revenge is better than none at all.]

[True.]

Hu Li and Gu Sheng simultaneously looked away from the Comments section, exchanged a glance, and then turned to see Min Yaxing hurrying toward them.

“Everyone, how have you been these past few days?” Min Yaxing surveyed the group of five, her gaze finally settling on Ye Qingtang. “Oh, you’ve brought a newcomer?”

******

As she spoke, Min Yaxing approached Ye Qingtang, circling her once before cutting straight to the chase. “Fairy, what is your name? Would you grace This Venerable with it?”

“This Venerable?” Ye Qingtang raised an eyebrow, meeting Min Yaxing’s gaze. “Are you the current Demon Venerable of the Demon Race?”

Min Yaxing draped an arm around Ye Qingtang’s shoulder, her head held high with pride. “Indeed.”

Ye Qingtang glanced sideways at the restless hand on her shoulder, her tone measured.

 “Then you must be Fairy Min’s mother.”

During her time in the Underground City with Hu Li and the others, Ye Qingtang had learned quite a bit about their histories. She had a rough understanding of Min Yaxing’s background.

Min Yaxing hadn’t expected Ye Qingtang to know so much. The hand on Ye Qingtang’s shoulder suddenly faltered.

Then, the moment Ye Qingtang called her “Auntie,” Min Yaxing swiftly withdrew her arm.

The others’ gazes converged on Min Yaxing.

Among them, Min Xiuhe had been trying to persuade Shang Miaoyun to live with her in the Demon Race. But seeing her mother relapse into her old habits especially targeting her friend, Min Xiuhe immediately felt too embarrassed to continue the conversation.

Instead, she pulled Min Yaxing forward, shielding Ye Qingtang with her body, and asked, “Mother, what do you need us for?”

“It’s nothing urgent,” Min Yaxing said, avoiding her “cheap daughter’s” murderous glare. She cleared her throat awkwardly and continued, “I’ve prepared a welcome feast for you children—a table laden with fine wine and delicious dishes. This Venerable herself has come to escort you.”

Children… Min Yaxing thought to herself. Before I transmigrated into this novel, I was in my late twenties, in the prime of my life. I’m not old enough to be a mother, let alone the mother of these kids who are barely five or six years younger than me.

But despite her thoughts, she couldn’t explain her transmigrated status to the four of them, except for Hu Li. So, under Min Xiuhe’s unwavering gaze, she reluctantly led the way to the dining hall.

The banquet Min Yaxing had prepared for Hu Li and the others was still being held within her Demon Fairy Fortress.

Rows of tables were neatly arranged beneath the Throne, each laden with dishes. One table, however, held five large bowls of rice.

“My dear sister,” Min Yaxing said, pulling Hu Li forward and pointing to the rice bowls, “this table is specially for you.” She tried to ingratiate herself with Hu Li, whom she had previously wronged.

*******

Hu Li glanced at Min Yaxing, recalling how the latter had pushed her into the Demon Abyss. She was forced by her mission to betray me, she thought, but that doesn’t mean I forgive her.

“Auntie,” Hu Li said deliberately, trying to irritate Min Yaxing, “how could a junior like me possibly deserve such attention from you?”

She smiled sweetly as she forcefully slapped away Min Yaxing’s hand.

Min Yaxing recoiled in pain, her grip loosening instantly. Anger flared in her heart.

“Good sister,” Min Yaxing said darkly, releasing a wave of oppressive spiritual energy to intimidate Hu Li.

But when she met Hu Li’s cold, mocking smile, her confidence faltered. She hastily withdrew her spiritual pressure, forcing a sheepish laugh. “We’re sworn sisters, after all. Why lower your own status?”

With that, she grabbed Min Xiuhe, pressed down on her neck, and forced her to bow deeply to Hu Li. “Xiuhe,” she announced, “from now on, you and your Junior Sister will address each other by your proper titles. She’ll call you Senior Sister, and you’ll call her Auntie.”

*******

[What the hell does “proper titles” even mean? This is hilarious!]

[Min Xiuhe: I’m seriously gonna thank you for this.]

[The Lord Demon Venerable knows how to demote herself. If she and Hu Li are in the same generation, she might even have a chance to become sworn sisters with Tangtang later, making them all sisters of the same generation!]

[As the days passed, my sisters all became my mother’s sisters—my dear aunts.]

[What I fear most isn’t gaining more aunts, but my wife becoming my aunt too.]

[Does Lord Demon Venerable want more sisters? No, she wants a larger harem.]

[Tangtang, listen to your mother. Stay away from the Harem Queen. Let’s remain uniquely beautiful.]

Hu Li couldn’t contain herself when she saw the “Harem Queen” mark light up above Min Yaxing’s head.

“Sister, what happened to those two beautiful sisters of yours?” Hu Li glanced at Ye Qingtang, who had just sat down, and asked Min Yaxing about the whereabouts of her two former beauties in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

Min Yaxing’s expression flickered. Recalling the night she and Hu Li had their heart-to-heart talk—the night those Demon Cultivator sisters had cuckolded her and run off. She stubbornly replied, “They have urgent matters to attend to and don’t plan to return to the Demon Race.”

“Oh?” Hu Li gave Min Yaxing a meaningful look. “Is that so?”

Min Yaxing’s heart skipped a beat. She gave a curt “Yes” and quickly pushed Hu Li behind the table, stuffing her mouth with food to silence her.

Nearby, Ye Qingtang subtly glanced at Min Yaxing, thinking of her own philandering father. She murmured under her breath, “Always chasing after the new and abandoning the old… just like that old bastard.”

******

After the minor disturbance subsided, Min Yaxing sat on her throne, her gaze fixed on Shang Miaoyun, who sat below, holding jade chopsticks and looking somewhat troubled. “Fairy Shang,” she said, “I have already informed your Master about the matter concerning you and my son.”

Shang Miaoyun looked up, startled. “You told my Master?!”

Min Yaxing hummed in affirmation. “Indeed. She has already given me her response. Furthermore, I have a Communication Talisman here that she left for you.”

With a snap of her fingers, a Communication Talisman landed beside Shang Miaoyun’s hand.

Shang Miaoyun lowered her gaze to the talisman, which bore an imprint of an orchid. Her breath caught in her throat as she thought, This is indeed my Master’s Communication Talisman.

She hesitated, staring at the talisman, reluctant to hear the message Shen Yijun had left for her.

Min Xiuhe sat beside Shang Miaoyun, suppressing the urge to reach out beneath the table and quietly waiting for Shang Miaoyun to act.

Across from them, Hu Li, Gu Sheng, and Ye Qingtang simultaneously set down their jade chopsticks, slowed their breathing, and waited to hear what Shen Yijun would say to Shang Miaoyun.

All eyes converged on the same spot. After a long moment, Shang Miaoyun took a deep breath, finally reaching for the Communication Talisman and reciting the Incantation.

“Miaoyun,” Shen Yijun’s image flickered to life from the Communication Talisman.

Hu Li’s sharp eyes immediately recognized the Wordless Stele looming behind Shen Yijun.

“Miaoyun,” Shen Yijun continued, “I’ve heard about you and Xiuhe from the Demon Venerable. Master’s wish is that if your hearts are truly connected, you should disregard everyone and everything else and walk this path together. As for the Tianyan Sect, Master will handle everything. You don’t need to worry.”

The image flickered again and vanished.

Shang Miaoyun sat frozen on her cushion, head bowed as she stared at the Communication Talisman. After a long moment, a tear splashed into the wine cup before her.

Min Xiuhe, sitting nearby, noticed Shang Miaoyun’s distress and quickly offered her a silk handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

At the head of the table, Min Yaxing watched the scene, resting her chin in her hand. Shen Yijun, Shen Yijun, she thought, only you know whether those words were meant for your precious disciple or for yourself.

Her thoughts settled, Min Yaxing turned her gaze to Min Xiuhe, suddenly recalling another matter.

“Xiuhe,” she called out, drawing Min Xiuhe’s attention. “Do you realize the trouble you’ve caused by venturing into the Demon Abyss?”

*******

Min Yaxing narrowed her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips. An aura of danger instantly swirled above Min Xiuhe’s head.

As a child, Min Xiuhe had always feared her black-hearted mother, who treated her poorly. But over the past three years, as Min Yaxing’s treatment of her gradually improved, Min Xiuhe had grown closer to her.

Yet whenever Min Yaxing spoke to her seriously, a lingering sense of dread inevitably resurfaced.

“Mother, what trouble has Xiuhe caused this time?” Min Xiuhe’s mind raced through her recent exploits in the Demon Abyss: from kicking out the Mirror Demon and transforming into a mirror to spy on her wife, to recklessly playing Shadow Demon match-three games just to make Shang Miaoyun smile. Still, she couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause of her mother’s displeasure.

Min Yaxing chuckled and tossed Min Xiuhe a booklet documenting the events in the Demon Abyss.

Min Xiuhe flipped it open and saw a few lines of crooked handwriting—clearly Min Yaxing’s:

Demon Abyss Personnel Losses:

Mirror Demon: 1

Fudi Demon: 1

Low-Tier Faceless Demons: 20

Shadow Demons: 3,782…

System Summary: Significant population loss in the Demon Abyss is disrupting ecological balance.

Min Xiuhe stared at the booklet, utterly bewildered.

******

“Mother, what do you mean by this?” she asked.

Min Yaxing retrieved the ledger, closed it, and said, “What else could it mean? I’m telling you to leave the Demon Race immediately, travel the Cultivation World, capture some depraved demons, and throw them into the Demon Abyss to fill the quota.”

“Fill the quota?” Min Xiuhe’s brow twitched. She didn’t remember her mother ever enjoying such… charitable acts.

But—

“Mother, why is it me who has to do this?” Min Xiuhe grumbled, secretly lamenting the further reduction of her time with Shang Miaoyun.

Min Yaxing tossed Min Xiuhe the secret key to open the Demon Abyss, sneering, “You’re the one who played with the Mirror Demon and nearly three thousand five hundred Shadow Demons until they were all gone. Who else would capture demons? Me?”

Min Xiuhe had no retort.

Hu Li, now full and satisfied, watched Min Xiuhe’s newly smoothed path to winning back her wife suddenly obstructed by a new obstacle. She covered her mouth, stifling a gleeful laugh.

But her amusement lasted only a few seconds. Min Yaxing turned to her, saying;

 “Oh, right, you too. That old man from Tianyan Sect, Yu Shibai. I sealed his Spiritual Meridians and dumped him in Baoning Town, at the border between the Demon Race and the Immortal Sects. Remember to go retrieve him.”

Support Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration]