Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 55

Ye Qingtang had angrily earned thirty-one Spirit Stones from Hu Li.

Upon learning the truth, Hu Li immediately turned to return to the courtyard, ready to fight Ye Qingtang for three days and three nights.

Fortunately, Gu Sheng stopped her in time, sparing Yu Shibai from further exile.

Fortune Inn stood at the southeastern corner of Baoning Town, surrounded by bustling merchants but few shops, mostly tea stalls.

Next door was another inn called Come Fortune Inn.

The two inns stood side by side, nearly identical in appearance, decor, and interior layout.

Yet while Fortune Inn remained deserted, Come Fortune Inn was packed with guests, all clamoring to get inside.

Hu Li, puzzled by this, grabbed a merchant being escorted out of Come Fortune Inn and asked, “Brother, why is everyone flocking to Come Fortune Inn instead of Fortune Inn?”

The merchant paused, smiled, and replied, “Well, a VIP checked into Fortune Inn a few days ago and booked the entire place. So, we’ve all been avoiding the trouble of trying to stay there.”

*******

With that, he led his packhorse away at a brisk pace.

Hu Li stood rooted to the spot, her gaze returning to Fortune Inn. Her eyebrows arched slightly as she muttered to herself, “No wonder! No wonder it costs a hundred Spirit Stones a day to stay here. So he’s booked the whole place?!”

Hu Li imagined Yu Shibai either occupying a single room for the day or splitting into ten clones—either way, the inn would be more than enough for him.

She stepped into Fortune Inn. The interior was eerily quiet and deserted, the dozen or so octagonal tables standing empty without a single soul in sight.

Behind the counter, the shopkeeper hunched over, listlessly tapping his abacus. He hardly looked like someone raking in a hundred Spirit Stones a day.

Upstairs, a waiter was wiping the handrail when he spotted two young women entering. His hand slipped, and the cleaning cloth landed squarely on the shopkeeper’s head, smearing his face.

Yet the shopkeeper showed no anger. Instead, after removing the cloth, he stared intently at Hu Li and Gu Sheng, freezing in place.

Hu Li and Gu Sheng exchanged a glance, both recognizing the unspoken message in each other’s eyes: Something’s wrong here.

*******

“Let’s go,” Gu Sheng whispered.

Hu Li nodded in response, and the two turned to leave.

But the moment they moved, the door behind them slammed shut. A voice, heavy with authority, echoed from above.

“Gu Sheng, you have conspired with the Demon Race and betrayed your elders. Do you acknowledge your guilt?”

The voice was unmistakably familiar. Hu Li instinctively held her breath and looked up to the second floor, meeting the gaze of the speaker.

The man was an ageless figure with snow-white hair and a youthful face, radiating an otherworldly aura that set him apart from ordinary mortals.

A white jade crown adorned his head, and he wore a pristine white Daoist robe embroidered with a golden crane standing on one leg atop a precipice.

Upon closer inspection, Hu Li noticed a striking resemblance between the man’s features and Gu Sheng’s.

“Gu Jinghe,” Gu Sheng said, her hand clenching into a fist beneath her sleeve as she glared at the figure on the second floor, recognizing him instantly.

Hu Li stood beside Gu Sheng, her eyes fixed on the man above.

Hearing his name, she reevaluated him, and the truth dawned on her.

[The female lead’s scumbag father has arrived.]

[Gu Jinghe, you dog! You’re such a dog!]

[That bastard! He framed Sheng-sheng and then killed her with the Immortal Slaying Nail.]

[I’m starting to doubt Sheng-sheng was even Gu Jinghe’s daughter. After all, even a tiger wouldn’t devour its own cub, but Gu Jinghe truly wanted Sheng-sheng dead.]

[Scumbag father! Ugh!]

In the original novel, Gu Jinghe was a minor antagonist in the later chapters. But he wasn’t exactly a villain; he saw himself as a righteous guardian, acting on behalf of heaven.

He was Gu Sheng’s biological father, the Sect Master of the Tianyan Sect who spent most of his time in secluded cultivation.

After emerging from seclusion, Gu Jinghe discovered that his daughter, Gu Sheng, had developed an Inner Demon and seemed to be involved with the Demon Race. Without hesitation, he imprisoned her. Then, in front of the entire Tianyan Sect, he executed Gu Sheng with the Immortal Slaying Nail.

Of course, the word “execute” should be taken with a grain of salt.

Because this scene marked the beginning of Xi Qingyang’s desperate pursuit to win back his wife, a classic “wife-chasing crematorium” arc.

The original novel described it this way:

Xi Qingyang watched Gu Sheng die right before his eyes.

He had always believed that Hu Li was the only woman he would ever love. But now, he knew he was wrong.

******

Xi Qingyang knelt before a stone monument on the Back Mountain of the Tianyan Sect, his fingertips tracing the characters “Gu Sheng” carved into the stone. Regret gnawed at him.

He secretly infiltrated the Netherworld, vowing to retrieve Gu Sheng’s soul, even if only a fragment remained.

Hu Li had always found the original novel’s “wife-chasing hell” arc absurd. After all, the first thing Xi Qingyang did upon entering the Netherworld wasn’t to search for Gu Sheng’s soul, but to expand his harem by taking the Ghost King’s youngest daughter.

Now that Xi Qingyang was dead, the “wife-chasing hell” arc should have ceased to exist.

Yet Gu Jinghe’s sudden appearance made Hu Li realize that this plot point might serve a purpose beyond mere romantic torment.

She raised her gaze to meet Gu Jinghe’s, her voice cold as she demanded, “What evidence do you have to prove I’m colluding with the Demon Race?”

The poison from the Demon Heart Powder had been purged, and the Inner Demon plot should have been nullified. She wanted to see what pretext Gu Jinghe would use to arrest her this time.

Gu Jinghe looked down at Hu Li from his superior height, his tone indifferent. “Evidence? These two are all the evidence I need.”

******

He glanced sideways, meeting the gazes of the shopkeeper and waiter.

The shopkeeper and waiter trembled violently, shaking like leaves in a storm. “Immortal Master,” they stammered, “the Demon Venerable imprisoned Yu Shibai right here in our shop. He ordered us to release him only when Gu Sheng, the Young Sect Master of Tianyan Sect, arrived.”

Hu Li’s heart tightened. She hadn’t anticipated this trap.

Gu Sheng, standing calmly to the side, looked up at Gu Jinghe. “The Demon Venerable imprisoned Yu Shibai and left these instructions. It’s clearly an attempt to sow discord. Sect Master Gu, haven’t you noticed anything suspicious?”

Gu Jinghe’s gaze shifted to Gu Sheng. As he took in her features, his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, a flicker of recognition crossing his face as he recalled Hu Zhizhi.

But the momentary flicker of unease vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by his usual composure.

The past was gone, the memories faded.

He had long since put everything about Hu Zhizhi behind him.

“Sow discord? Explain to me, then, what the Demon Venerable stands to gain from such a scheme?” Gu Jinghe countered.

Gu Sheng replied without hesitation, her voice steady. “Young Sect Master Gu is the heir apparent of Tianyan Sect, likely to become the next Sect Master—the future of Tianyan Sect. The Demon Venerable’s goal is to drive a wedge between Sect Master Gu and the Young Sect Master, thereby destroying Tianyan Sect’s future.”

Gu Jinghe scoffed. “If I were the Demon Venerable and wanted to destroy the Tianyan Sect’s future, I’d simply kill her. Why bother with such a complicated scheme?”

“Besides, if the Demon Venerable truly intended to use Gu Sheng to destroy the Tianyan Sect, wouldn’t the best approach be to collaborate with her from within? First, help Gu Sheng become Sect Master, then manipulate the sect through her?”

Gu Sheng pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

Hu Li grabbed her hand, glaring coldly at Gu Jinghe. “Don’t waste your breath on him,” she said to Gu Sheng. “He’s been plotting against us all along.”

As Hu Li spoke, the Red Jade Hairpin materialized in her palm, transforming into a longbow. A Spiritual Arrow nocked on the string, its tip aimed directly at Gu Jinghe’s face.

From the second floor, Gu Jinghe calmly raised his hand and waved. Several disciples hidden in the shadows immediately drew their bows, nocking arrows. At his signal, they released their strings, sending a volley of Spiritual Arrows hurtling toward the pair standing in the inn’s central hall.

Reacting swiftly, Hu Li transformed her longbow into a sword, slashing through the dense barrage of arrows hurtling toward them.

*****

Standing behind Hu Li, Gu Sheng wasn’t idle either. She chanted an Immobilization Spell, freezing all the Spiritual Arrows within ten steps.

The two women exchanged a glance, then pressed back-to-back and began moving swiftly toward the door.

Upstairs, Gu Jinghe continued to observe the battle with detached calm.

Sensing their escape attempt, he cleared his throat. Immediately, a dozen Sword Cultivators in black combat attire burst from the tightly closed rooms behind him. They leaped down the staircase, landing on the railings before flying to the ground floor, swords raised against Hu Li.

Hu Li’s agility was exceptional, honed by her combat experience in the Demon Abyss. Even without using much Spiritual Power, she could effortlessly handle these Golden Core-level Sword Cultivators.

Gu Jinghe hadn’t expected his usually frail daughter to be so formidable.

His sword-like brows furrowed slightly as he formed a hand seal. A silver light coalesced into an invisible Spiritual Blade and shot toward Hu Li.

Focused on the battle, Hu Li didn’t notice the approaching blade.

******

Standing at the center of the Immobilization Array, Gu Sheng sensed a sudden surge of Spiritual Power within the formation.

Instantly, she clasped her hands together, summoning a barrier capable of absorbing Spiritual Power. She positioned it beside Hu Li, gritting her teeth as she braced against the Spiritual Blade, which radiated immense Spiritual Pressure upon contact with the barrier.

The barrier gradually neutralized the Spiritual Blade, transforming it into a surge of Spiritual Energy that swirled above its surface.

Gu Sheng withdrew one hand, palm facing upward. The Spiritual Energy followed the movement of her hand, coiling around her wrist. Then, guided by her fingertips, it flowed into Hu Li’s body, replenishing her Spiritual Meridians.

Gu Jinghe watched this scene, a faint trace of displeasure flickering between his brows, yet he made no further move to intervene.

Below, the two women fought with perfect coordination.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, they remained locked in a stalemate with Gu Jinghe’s forces.

Hu Li knew that Gu Sheng’s constitution wasn’t suited for prolonged battles. After repelling the second wave of attackers, she exchanged a knowing glance with Gu Sheng. With a subtle shift of their feet, they switched positions.

Gu Sheng used the Immobilization Spell to freeze the remaining opponents in place.

******

Standing behind Gu Sheng, Hu Li transformed her longsword into a crimson longbow. A Spiritual Arrow, condensed with the power of her heart and soul, was nocked and ready to fire.

Whoosh—

Hu Li aimed at the inn’s main gate and released the bowstring without hesitation.

The Spiritual Arrow shot forth, leaving a fiery afterimage as it pierced through the Immobilization Array. With a deafening boom, flames erupted, incinerating the gate in the blink of an eye.

“Let’s go,” Hu Li said to Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng nodded, and they stepped out of the inn together.

Outside, the street was deserted, and the air shimmered with a dense web of Sanskrit runes.

Hu Li’s breath caught in her throat. Now she understood why the Teleportation Talisman had failed during the earlier fight.

The Spirit-Locking Array was specifically designed to counter Teleportation Talismans and Teleportation Arrays.

Hu Li cursed Gu Jinghe inwardly as “shameless.” She immediately tried to shatter the Spirit-Locking Array with her sword, but a dark shadow suddenly materialized beneath their feet, engulfing the entire area within moments.

In the next instant, the shadow transformed into a bottomless abyss, dragging both of them into its depths.

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