Stepping in for the Heroine to Crush the Protagonist Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 56

Escaping the shadows, they found themselves in a prison cell.

Hu Li opened her eyes, propping herself up on a pile of straw on the ground, and slowly sat up.

Gu Sheng, who had been lying with her head in Hu Li’s lap, also stirred awake, her gaze sweeping over their surroundings.

After a moment, she rose from Hu Li’s lap, ran her hand along the damp mud wall, and calmly analyzed, “It seems that old bastard used Spatial Distortion Art to drag us directly into this Black Jail.”

Gu Jinghe was now a Dacheng Stage cultivator. Beyond his specialized swordsmanship, his greatest mastery lay in Spatial Distortion Art.

Spatial Distortion Art resembled a Teleportation Array but differed in a crucial way.

Instead of directly transporting someone from one place to another, it trapped them within the caster’s Sea of Consciousness. Then, guided by the caster’s will, the trapped individuals could be relocated to another location.

“So,” Hu Li asked, “can we still escape?”

She slashed at the cell’s Restriction with her longsword, but the barrier remained unyielding, its defenses impenetrable.

Gu Sheng glanced at Hu Li and nodded. “We can get out.”

With that, she raised her hand, her index and middle fingers pressed together, a Summoning Talisman held between them.

*******

The Summoning Talisman depicted a Fire Phoenix. Gu Sheng closed her eyes, silently recited the Incantation, and the Talismans between her fingers gradually emitted a faint, luminous glow. With a sharp “Appear!” a phoenix’s cry suddenly echoed through the prison cell, shattering the layers of Restrictions on the cell door.

Gu Sheng released her grip, and the Talismans fluttered to the ground. A figure in a bright yellow robe materialized before them.

Hu Li stared in surprise. “Shopkeeper Feng? What are you doing here!”

Uncle Feng glanced at Hu Li, startled, then turned back to Gu Sheng after her simple explanation: “I’ve swapped souls with her.” He bowed deeply. “Young Miss, what do you require of me?”

Gu Sheng reached out and took Uncle Feng’s hand. “That old bastard locked Li Li and me in this cell. I need you to get us out.”

Li Li? Uncle Feng seized on the familiar name, glancing back at Hu Li, who stood frozen behind him. Though he didn’t know what had transpired in the past two months, he could guess at the shift in Gu Sheng’s attitude toward Hu Li.

Whether this change was for better or worse, Uncle Feng dared not judge. Nor would he interfere with Gu Sheng’s decisions. As always, he would simply follow her instructions without question.

*******

The disciples guarding the Black Jail arrived shortly after Uncle Feng appeared.

Uncle Feng glanced at the group, his gaze shifting as a formation flashed beneath his feet. Flames flickered within the array, and the moment the disciples stepped into it, fiery tendrils coiled around their legs, immobilizing them.

“Young Miss, let’s go,” Uncle Feng said, stepping aside to make way for Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng nodded, pulling Hu Li, who was still stunned, out of the cell.

Familiar with the Black Jail’s layout, Gu Sheng led them through a series of twists and turns. Along the way, Uncle Feng swiftly dealt with the remaining guards, allowing them to escape the Black Jail in no time.

Outside the Black Jail, Gu Sheng used her Heart Bewitchment Art to subdue several disciples attempting to slip away and raise the alarm. She then exchanged a glance with Uncle Feng.

Understanding her signal, Uncle Feng stepped forward. He closed his eyes, a flicker of firelight rippling across his body. When he opened them again, he had transformed into a colossal Fire Phoenix, its wingspan seemingly capable of blotting out the sky.

“Young Miss, please climb aboard,” the Fire Phoenix said, lowering its massive head in a respectful bow.

Gu Sheng hummed in acknowledgment, looped an arm around Hu Li’s waist, and flew onto the Fire Phoenix’s back.

*******

Uncle Feng led Gu Sheng and Hu Li into the Black Market.

Inside Myriad Treasures Residence, Gu Sheng and Hu Li sat facing each other, silent for a long moment.

Uncle Feng sat on a nearby cushion, quietly brewing tea without disturbing them.

After a long pause, Hu Li placed her hand on the table before her, took a soft breath, and was about to ask Gu Sheng if she was Elder Qi.

Suddenly, a painting hanging on the staircase fell to the floor. Immediately afterward, a Little Fire Phoenix, its crimson feathers scorched black, burst from the canvas.

“Father, I know I was wrong…” Feng Xianyue whimpered, then looked up at the three figures sitting in the shadows, their faces indistinct.

Among them, the one dressed in gaudy, nouveau riche style was undoubtedly her father. The woman in the elegant black dress was clearly her Young Miss. That left the one in the red dress…

Feng Xianyue frowned, remembering the red-haired dog. That’s her.

Her phoenix claws tightened as she scrambled to her feet. With a sharp “cluck,” she lunged toward Hu Li’s face.

Ten steps, eight steps, five steps…

********

Feng Xianyue closed in on Hu Li, her phoenix eyes narrowing. She opened her beak to bite, but just one step away, sunlight streamed across Hu Li’s face, revealing her features clearly.

“Young Miss?!” Feng Xianyue gasped, slamming on the brakes. In her haste, she spectacularly overturned the tea table, shattering Uncle Feng’s precious tea set across the floor.

Uncle Feng: …

His fingers tightened around the tea spoon, which snapped with a crisp crack.

“Young Miss, please move upstairs. I’ll handle things here,” Uncle Feng said, rising from his meditation cushion. Though his voice remained calm, the oppressive aura radiating from him betrayed his barely suppressed fury.

The shattered tea set had been a gift from Qi Shiyi. Uncle Feng had always treasured it, rarely using it. Yet today, the rare occasion he brought it out, Feng Xianyue had destroyed it.

Gu Sheng, understanding the tea set’s significance to Uncle Feng, nodded in agreement. She rose from her cushion and glanced at Hu Li, who was still locked in a staring contest with Feng Xianyue. Her brow furrowed slightly. “Li Li, let’s go upstairs.”

She stepped between Hu Li and Feng Xianyue, then reached down to pull Hu Li up from the cushion, guiding her toward the stairs.

*******

But just as she stepped onto the first stair, she turned back, reminding Uncle Feng, “Xianyue is drawing too much attention. We should continue sealing her in the form of a rooster.”

With those words, she pulled Hu Li upstairs to the second floor.

In the quiet room upstairs, white smoke curled from the incense burner, carrying a faint herbal fragrance that filled the air.

“So, you’re Elder Qi?” Hu Li asked, gazing at the familiar arrangement of the room.

Gu Sheng poured herself a cup of cold tea that had been sitting on the table for some time, took a sip, and confirmed, “Yes, I am Elder Qi.”

Hu Li’s mouth parted slightly, and she wanted to ask more, but she realized there was nothing specific she really wanted to know.

Whether Gu Sheng was Elder Qi or not didn’t truly matter to her.

Or rather, she could accept anything about Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng understood this perfectly. After Hu Li’s silence, she naturally shifted the conversation to a more pressing matter.

“I think it’s time we swapped our bodies back,” Gu Sheng said.

Originally, she had planned to perform the Soul Swap with Hu Li because through countless rebirths, she had learned that Hu Li had been possessed by “Hu Li.”

To make Hu Li pay for her crimes and escape her own impending doom, Gu Sheng devised the Soul Swap—a plan that would kill two birds with one stone.

Now that Hu Li had returned, however, this scheme could no longer continue.

With this in mind, Gu Sheng set down her teacup and said earnestly, “Therefore, I plan to enter seclusion for a few days to search for spells that can restore our bodies.”

*******

[Hu Li: Great, my wife doesn’t want me again.]

[The daily forced separation of these lovebirds.]

[I wanted to see the body-swapped play! It’s over already?]

[The counterattack… sob… the counterattack I was waiting for is gone…]

[Body-swapped play +1! I wanted to see Gu Sheng play with Hu Li’s tail while Hu Li was in her body!]

[Help! They finally got together, and they’re separating again? At least give us a few days of passionate romance first! This is too abstemious!]

[I hope the soul-swapping method this time involves spiritual cultivation for several days—preferably seven days and seven nights!]

[P.S. No more blindfolds or fox tail play! Let’s try something new, like navel oranges or red strings!]

[Ahhh! The person who suggested the “play” idea—we’ve got visuals now!]

Hu Li: Stop it! She’s got visuals too!

********

Gu Sheng saw the Comments as well. She pressed her lips into a thin line, touched her nose, and lowered her head. “Li Li, while I’m in seclusion these next few days, Uncle Feng will take good care of you. If you need anything or want anything, just tell Uncle Feng, and he’ll arrange it for you.”

Hu Li’s face flushed crimson as she avoided Gu Sheng’s gaze. “Mm, I’ll stay obediently at the Myriad Treasures Residence.”

Hearing this, Gu Sheng waved her hand and conjured a black cloak, pushing it toward Hu Li. “There’s no need to stay cooped up at the Myriad Treasures Residence all day. This Black Market is my territory. You can go anywhere you want to have fun.”

Gu Sheng knew Hu Li’s lively nature well and didn’t want to restrict her too much.

Hu Li looked up at the familiar black cloak, a flicker of excitement in her eyes. “Really? I can go anywhere I want?”

Gu Sheng smiled. “Anywhere at all.”

As she spoke, she calculated the days and remembered the Black Market’s upcoming cockfighting event. She added, “The Cockfighting Arena south of the Black Market is hosting events these next few days. If you’re interested, you can go watch.”

“Cockfighting?” Hu Li tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her thoughts first drifting to Feng Xianyue, then to that rooster who had always tricked her back at Tingfeng Cliff. A sudden realization struck her: Could Feng Xianyue actually be that rooster?

Coupled with Gu Sheng’s earlier conversation with Uncle Feng and Feng Xianyue’s inexplicable hostility toward her, Hu Li grew increasingly certain that the charred, roasted chicken-scented Little Fire Phoenix was indeed the same rooster who had bullied her all those years ago.

Feng Xianyue… the rooster…

A faint smile curved Hu Li’s lips as a plan formed in her mind—a way to get even that would be far more satisfying than turning Feng Xianyue into pickled chicken feet.

However, she hesitated. She feared that carrying out this plan might displease Gu Sheng. Propping her head in her hands, cheeks puffed slightly, she wrestled with the dilemma: Could she really go through with it?

Across the table, Gu Sheng had already finished a cup of tea. She watched Hu Li’s shifting expressions, sensing that Hu Li had made up her mind.

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Sheng casually remarked, “Uncle Feng happens to raise chickens. If you’re serious about cockfighting, why not borrow one from him?”

In the comments section, many readers had long speculated that Hu Li and Feng Xianyue would make a perfect couple. Gu Sheng thought, If that’s the case, I’ll give them a chance to completely shatter any possibility between them, and crush the readers’ fantasies once and for all.

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