Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 5

The Floating Life Pagoda was located on the back mountain of the Tianyan Sect. It was a place for confining demons and wicked cultivators, usually guarded in rotation by several Elders. Disciples were neither allowed to approach nor enter. However, when the Floating Life Pagoda Trial opened once every five years, disciples could enter the Pagoda to hunt monsters, level up, and improve their combat skills. Furthermore, the few disciples who performed outstandingly in the trial would be sent to participate in the Grand Immortal Sect Competition, bringing honor to the sect.

“Tsk, isn’t this just like a school picking a few promising students to participate in a competition?” Hu Li couldn’t help but interrupt the system’s endless explanation. 

“But, System, why are you telling me all this? The Floating Life Pagoda Trial has nothing to do with me.” In the original novel, the Trial was a pivotal, heart-fluttering plot point for the male and female leads, completely irrelevant to her, the wicked second female lead.

The system explained,

[“Host, you are the wicked second female lead. Your primary job is to break up the male and female leads. Therefore, you must seize this opportunity, enter the Floating Life Pagoda, and nip their relationship in the bud.”]

“No,” Hu Li said directly, enjoying Gu Sheng’s grooming service. 

“This Floating Life Pagoda Trial is very dangerous. What if I go and lose my life there?” She wasn’t the male or female lead, who had more lives than a cat. Besides, if she wanted to prevent Gu Sheng and Xie Qingyang from interacting, she could simply control Xie Qingyang remotely. Why bother taking the risk herself? It’s not worth it. Hu Li flipped over under Gu Sheng’s hand, leaning into the woman’s arms to prepare for a nap.

Watching her in the Sea of Consciousness, the system recalled what a senior system had once said:

 “Some Hosts love to slack off and be useless; after transmigrating into a book, they aim to be ‘salted fish.’ Therefore, as systems, we must shoulder the duty of supervising the Hosts, making them understand the principle that ‘Completing Missions is the Most Glorious!.”

Completing Missions is the Most Glorious. As these forceful words echoed in its mind, the system took a deep breath, deciding it was time to act. It pulled up the mission panel, scrolled down to an empty slot, and typed in

 Mission Four: Enter the Floating Life Pagoda and break up the male and female leads. Then, it clicked “Publish Mission.”

Mission Four exploded in Hu Li’s mind like a thunderbolt. Hu Li’s eyes snapped open. She leaped out from under Gu Sheng’s hand, howling non-stop. The system listened to the string of censored, asterisked words, left behind the message;

 “Host, completing missions is the most glorious!” and muted Hu Li. Watching the static of black and white snowflakes in her Sea of Consciousness, Hu Li instantly suffered heart blockage and turned to stone.

********

Meanwhile, Gu Sheng, who had been observing Hu Li, slowly rose and opened the door. “Junior Sister Miaoyun.” She looked at Shang Miaoyun, who had been standing outside the door for a while without knocking, and smiled faintly with narrowed eyes. Shang Miaoyun kept her head down, avoiding Gu Sheng’s gaze. She handed over a jade token, saying concisely, “Senior Sister, the jade token.”

Gu Sheng took it, seeing the character “Float” engraved on the token. She understood instantly: it was the token distributed for entry to the Floating Life Pagoda Trial.

“Senior Sister, I’ll be going now.” Seeing that Gu Sheng had accepted the token and her mission was complete, Shang Miaoyun lifted her foot to leave. 

Gu Sheng didn’t detain her, only saying, “Thank you, Junior Sister.” 

Shang Miaoyun nodded and turned to leave, but after only a few steps, she turned back and added, “You can bring a spirit pet to the trial.” With that, she darted out of Gu Sheng’s courtyard in a flash, disappearing without a trace shortly after. She really hasn’t changed a bit. Gu Sheng stood there, shaking her head helplessly before closing the door.

Sitting back down on the cushion, she looked at Hu Li again. To her surprise, Hu Li was looking back at her. No, more accurately, she was looking at the jade token placed on the table. “Do you want to come to the Floating Life Pagoda with me?” Gu Sheng picked up Hu Li, placed her on her lap, and slowly stroked her back.

Hu Li met her gaze and was about to nod, when the rooster she’d fought with earlier suddenly flew in through the window, landing on the table next to Gu Sheng, clucking loudly. “You want to go too?” Gu Sheng paused her hand and looked at the rooster. The rooster nodded furiously, its eye fixed on Hu Li with blatant provocation.

Hu Li: …Yep, I’ve confirmed the look in its eyes. It’s Colonel Sanders’ family bucket. She sighed, then with lightning speed, darted out of Gu Sheng’s arms, raised a paw, and charged at the rooster.

Unexpectedly, the rooster suddenly dodged the strike by sidestepping, then flapped its wings, knocking Hu Li, who had stumbled onto the table, out cold. Tsk, tsk. Trying to fight me? You’re too green. The rooster raised its head proudly and looked at Gu Sheng. Gu Sheng’s brows were furrowed, and a look of helplessness was in her eyes. “Do you have to fight her?” The rooster put its wings on its “hips”. “Mistress, this little girl is not a good dog!” Gu Sheng remained silent.

*******

Hu Li woke up in the middle of the night. Inside the room, Gu Sheng was already asleep, and the rooster she had fought was nowhere to be seen. She jumped down from the small bed, knowing in her heart that she had lost to that chicken spirit this time, and Gu Sheng definitely wouldn’t take her into the Floating Life Pagoda. Therefore, she would have to figure out a way to sneak into the Pagoda herself.

However, the Floating Life Pagoda wasn’t a place one could enter just by wishing it. So, after some thought, she decided to try her luck at the Black Market. The Black Market had countless goods, and the Black Market Underground City had things you couldn’t even imagine—nothing was impossible to buy. After escaping the Tianyan Sect, Hu Li removed the bracelet that restricted most of her demonic power, used the spatial technique of Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, and arrived at the Black Market.

Dressed once again in her black robe, she became ‘Mr. Li.’ Weaving through the crowd, she quickly arrived in front of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion (Wanbao Residence). Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion—it has every treasure. I hope it doesn’t disappoint me this time.

“Shopkeeper Feng,” Hu Li stood before Uncle Feng, who was operating an abacus. “I want to buy an item. I wonder if you have it?”

Her words were vague, and Uncle Feng’s hand paused on the abacus. He then said nonchalantly, “Fellow Daoist, if you are seeking a treasure, just say so clearly. Don’t speak of these vague things.” 

Hearing this, Hu Li stopped beating around the bush and said directly, “Uncle Feng, do you sell the jade token for entering the Floating Life Pagoda?” Uncle Feng put away his abacus, pulled a bronze mirror out from under the counter, and shone it on Hu Li. “Fellow Daoist, you don’t have a single spirit stone left on you. How can we talk about buying or not buying?”

Having her financial situation exposed, Hu Li embarrassedly pulled down her hood and said sheepishly, “Shopkeeper Feng, I inquired on the way here. The items at the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion can be bought not only with spirit stones but also traded for valuable treasures you possess.”

“Valuable treasures? Do you have any?”

“Of course, I do.” Hu Li pulled a red jade hairpin from her storage pouch and placed it on the counter. The hairpin was the original host’s magical artifact, capable of transforming into various weapons based on one’s will. Hu Li figured it should be worth a few spirit stones.

Uncle Feng picked up the red jade hairpin, flicked it with his finger, closed his eyes to listen to the sound for a moment, and then returned the item to Hu Li.

 “An artifact that recognizes an owner is worthless.” Worthless? Hu Li held the red jade hairpin. She didn’t have a second valuable treasure in her possession to sell. Forget it. I’ll just have to think of another way to get into the Floating Life Pagoda. Hu Li put the red jade hairpin back into her storage pouch and turned to leave.

But just as she was about to step out of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion’s doorway, a person called out to her: “Little girl, do you remember me?” 

That person had an herbal pouch hanging from his waist. The familiar scent rushed into her nostrils, and Hu Li immediately recognized him.

“It’s you.” That scammer. Hu Li stopped walking and looked at the black-robed man leaning against the stair railing.

“Elder Qi, why have you come out?” Uncle Feng emerged from behind the counter, bowing respectfully. 

Elder Qi glanced at him and chuckled, “Uncle Feng, give the little girl the item she wants.” Uncle Feng looked up, hesitated for a moment, then turned to a shelf, took down a jade token, and placed it in Hu Li’s hand.

Hu Li lowered her gaze, looking at the flower-shaped jade token in her hand, confused. “Why are you helping me for no reason?” Also, that scammer is actually Elder Qi? I truly didn’t expect that.

Elder Qi said, “I scammed you once last time, and my conscience has been troubled in the dead of night. Now that I see you again, I must compensate you somehow.” Hu Li didn’t believe this nonsense and was about to retort.

However, Elder Qi tossed a small booklet to her, saying, “I’m giving you one more good thing.” Hu Li subconsciously caught it and looked down at the words on the cover: Floating Life Pagoda Records. How does this guy have this? Hu Li was suspicious and wanted to ask a few more questions, but when she looked up, Elder Qi had vanished without a trace. At the same time, Uncle Feng urged her;

 “Fellow Daoist, since you’ve accepted my master’s gift, please don’t ask too many questions.”

Master? That scammer—no, Elder Qi is the master of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion?! Hu Li stood outside the Pavilion, looking at the huge plaque, stunned. A person this wealthy actually set up a small herbal stall in a corner last time and swindled money out of her?! Rich people truly have the weirdest hobbies.

Hu Li muttered darkly to herself and walked out of the Underground City. But just as she was about to return to the Tianyan Sect, she suddenly realized a problem: How did Elder Qi recognize her? Dressed in this black robe and blended into the Underground City, even her own mother shouldn’t have been able to recognize her. Hu Li put on the bracelet that concealed her demonic aura and pondered the matter privately as she walked toward Gu Sheng’s courtyard.

Could Elder Qi’s eyes be X-ray vision? Or has this guy been secretly following her? Or did he use some method to make her recognizable? Hu Li kept analyzing, but her thoughts were abruptly cut short just as she was about to step into Gu Sheng’s courtyard.

“Family Bucket!” Hu Li looked at the rooster bathed in the moonlight, grinding her teeth.

Tonight, she had to avenge her previous defeat. Hu Li’s hind legs pawed the ground. She let out a howl, opened her mouth wide, and charged at the rooster. The rooster, meeting Hu Li’s gaze, was equally unwilling to back down and wrestled with her. The dog and the chicken went back and forth, neither giving an inch.

[Why is the fox spirit fighting the chicken again? And why does she always lose?]

[This is quite shameful for the entire fox spirit community.]

[One-click check of the author’s mental state.]

[I suspect the author fell in love with a fox spirit, constantly adding scenes for the second female lead.]

[I’ve reread the original three times. I think the book could be renamed The Legend of Hu Li.]

[Wrong. It’s Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.]

[Upstairs, stop comparing yourself to classics.]

[Honestly, I bet on the Battle Chicken.]

[I bet on the fox spirit.]

…

Hu Li raised her head amidst the mess on the ground. Seeing a stream of [I bet on the Battle Chicken] in the void, she let out a cold laugh, then collapsed and passed out. The rooster walked over to her, glanced at a booklet that had fallen to the ground, tilted its head in thought, flipped it open, and left its chicken footprints on a few pages.

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