Chapter 75: Little girl, you didn’t expect this, my daughter is truly a genius (1)
“Junior Brother Wei, you misunderstood!”
Cheng Yuan’s smile turned ugly.
“That’s good!”
Immortal Elder Wei gave a fake smile, then turned his gaze to the mother and daughter beside him and asked, “Are these sister-in-law and niece?”
“Yes, I am Jiang Liniang, and this is my little daughter Cheng Hong Ling.”
Huang Qi’s mother introduced them with neither humility nor arrogance.
“What? Cheng Hong Ling? Hong Ling Fairy?”
Huang Qi was inexplicably shocked, thinking to himself, could the body he was in within the dream be that Hong Ling Fairy? But why was she so small?
“I’m really foolish, it’s just a dream, why take it seriously!”
Huang Qi then mocked himself.
Immortal Elder Wei didn’t reply, but continued to say to Cheng Yuan, “Senior Brother Cheng, if you are worried about your niece’s safety, for the sake of past affections, when she’s older, you can send her to be my son’s servant. That way, she can settle down in the HongHua Sect.”
“Servant? Hehe, Junior Brother Wei, I appreciate your kindness.”
The smile on Cheng Yuan’s face completely disappeared.
“Alright, I won’t force you, we shall part ways here.”
Immortal Elder Wei sneered repeatedly and urged his horse to leave.
“Husband, have you stayed in the HongHua Sect before?”
Jiang Liniang then asked her husband in a low voice.
“Just an outer disciple, and I was eventually kicked out due to poor talent.”
Cheng Yuan replied casually, his icy gaze fixed on Immortal Elder Wei’s receding back.
Upon hearing this, Huang Qi felt a sense of novelty. Cheng Yuan’s experience was exactly the same as his own. Although such people were common in the HongHua Sect, the fact that he could become the father of his dream body could be considered a form of destiny.
“Brother Cheng, why were you so foolish to refuse the Immortal Elder’s kind offer?”
“Yes, do you know how difficult it is to obtain a settlement quota for the HongHua Sect? If you don’t want it, you could have given it to me.”
“You go to the prefecture capital to purchase goods all year round, isn’t it to buy a settlement quota for your daughter in the HongHua Sect? Now that there’s a shortcut, why try to venture in yourself?”
…
At this moment, several male and female companions walked over, complaining about his lack of ambition.
“Kindness? You haven’t stayed in an Immortal Sect, so you don’t know how low the status of women is inside. Wives and concubines are merely tools for those Immortal Elders to make money, let alone servants. If I agreed, it would be pushing my daughter into a fiery pit.”
Cheng Yuan explained with patience.
“But a servant of an Immortal Elder is still better than an ordinary person, right? I remember not long ago, an Immortal Elder’s dog went missing, and it even alarmed the Governor. Ordinary people don’t have that much influence, do they? In the eyes of an Immortal Elder, a servant’s status should be higher than a dog’s.”
Someone retorted.
“If I say that in the HongHua Sect, the status of ordinary women is even lower than that of dogs, would you believe me?”
Cheng Yuan smiled ambiguously.
“You’re exaggerating!”
“Wanting to save face causes suffering! You’re truly a blockhead.”
“Let’s go, let’s go. Walking on a dark road at night is like encountering a ghost. He’ll regret it when something happens.”
…
Several people obviously didn’t believe him, so they left with sighs.
Huang Qi, however, firmly believed this. After all, he had also stayed in the HongHua Sect for over ten years. The logic was simple: as the saying goes, rarity is valuable. With all women flocking to the Immortal Sect, their status naturally declined due to sheer numbers, much like mortal men.
“Heh, servant? I wouldn’t even be a dog!”
Cheng Yuan snorted coldly, then reached out and stroked his daughter’s little head, saying, “My daughter is our little princess, she will not be anyone’s servant.”
Huang Qi was deeply admiration, thinking to himself that this was a true father, willing to risk his own safety for his daughter.
Next, the carriage continued on its journey, and the jolting sensation returned.
Huang Qi’s heart grew increasingly puzzled. He was clearly dreaming, so why could he experience the five senses of his body? Moreover, it was outrageous that he could calmly think through problems.
“This is too real, it’s like sleep paralysis with ghosts.”
Huang Qi thought carefully as he experienced it, but compared to sleep paralysis with ghosts, his body seemed to have its own “plans.”
After another hour, the jolting sensation of the carriage gradually lessened, and Huang Qi’s body was carried down by his cheap mother.
Through the body, Huang Qi clearly saw the surrounding situation. The group had already arrived at the square in front of the HongHua Sect’s entrance.
The HongHua Sect was located on Mount Yunpan, twenty to thirty li east of the prefecture capital. Although it only had a few hundred disciples, it was still the largest immortal cultivation sect in Huang Tian Prefecture, looked up to by the mortal world. Today, it was publicly recruiting disciples, so many people naturally came. The entrance was noisy, just like a marketplace.
Huang Qi was moved by the scene and couldn’t help but recall his own experience when he first entered the HongHua Sect. It all seemed to have happened yesterday.
Cheng Yuan and his wife registered, then carried their daughter and followed several other people who had also brought their children for testing into the HongHua Sect.
The family of three passed through the towering Huanggang rock gate walls. Inside, it was like another world. The road underfoot was paved with smooth stone slabs, even wider than the streets of the prefecture capital. There were pavilions and towers on both sides, and various shops were fully equipped. It was less a sect and more a small town.
Of course, the most striking sight was the groups of elegantly dressed women on the street! Compared to the outside world, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a women’s kingdom!
“Wow! There are indeed many women in the Immortal Sect, and each one is more beautiful than the last.”
“Yes, no wonder men outside are scrambling to get in. It’s simply paradise.”
“Sigh! If only I could settle down here. Even closing my eyes and picking one would be better than the tigress at home, she’s ugly and has a bad temper.”
“Isn’t that stating the obvious? In this world, any woman with some looks isn’t she running to the Immortal Sect?”
…
Several men nearby were dazzled.
Cheng Yuan remained indifferent, and instead showed a hint of disdain on his face, because many of these women were concubines or servants of the HongHua Sect disciples, and their current lives were obtained by selling their dignity.
After inquiring from passersby, the group quickly arrived at the testing location. It was a small field with tables set up in the east, west, south, and north. Behind each table sat a tester in the standard uniform of the HongHua Sect, some old, some young, some male, some female, but there was only one female tester.
Huang Qi surveyed the scene. He was not unfamiliar with this female tester, the only and youngest female elder of the HongHua Sect, named Xu Mei, who was usually responsible for teaching female disciples.
Xu Mei looked to be around thirty years old, with a head of black hair elegantly pinned up at the back, revealing a mature oval face with distinct features, majestic yet refined. Although she sat upright, her voluptuous figure was undeniable, causing her to lean slightly back to avoid her ample bosom from bumping into the table.
Because the on-site testing was divided by gender, Huang Qi’s body naturally had to queue up at Xu Mei’s station. However, fortunately, not many women came to register.
Huang Qi’s body was too small, so he could only be held by his father, while his mother rested under the shade of a nearby tree.
Huang Qi took the opportunity to survey his surroundings. He had been delisted for several years and still missed his former sect.
“Qian Yu, is it? Testing failed, please leave!”
“Kong Wenlin? Why does that name sound so familiar? Wait, weren’t you here last year? Why are you here again? Scram!”
“Feng Zigao, although you’ve barely met the requirements for an outer disciple, you’re already over thirty years old and have no possibility of cultivating further. Please leave!”
…
While the family waited, people were constantly being tested, but all failed and left the scene in dejection.
Huang Qi was not surprised. If anyone could cultivate immortality, the largest immortal sect in Huang Tian Prefecture would not have only a hundred or so people.
Although Cheng Yuan knew this truth well, witnessing this cruel screening process once again made his expression inevitably serious. He repeatedly cast worried glances at his daughter in his arms.
“Yan Ming, congratulations on passing the test, you are now an outer disciple of the HongHua Sect!”
After an unknown amount of time, someone finally passed the test.
“Really? Haha! That’s great, that’s great! You’re truly my good son! My Yan family has waited for generations, and finally, there is someone who can cultivate immortality again.”
Yan Ming’s father jumped up and down excitedly beside him, crying and laughing. Unfortunately, after only a few jumps, his legs went weak, and he fainted. His family quickly carried him away in fright.
The surrounding people averted their gaze, their faces filled with envy and jealousy.
Huang Qi, however, was indifferent, thinking to himself that this guy was celebrating too early. He was just an outer disciple. Not to mention an Immortal Elder’s waist token, he didn’t even have the standard uniform. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t considered part of the HongHua Sect yet, and there was still a long way to go to become a formal disciple. He had spent almost twenty years without completing this step.
To put it this way, considering the situation in Huang Tian Prefecture, only one in ten thousand people truly met the standard for immortal cultivation.
“Oh my, isn’t this Senior Brother Cheng? Didn’t you say you were here to visit? Why are you here?”
At this moment, a familiar voice sounded.
Huang Qi followed the sound and saw the Immortal Elder Wei from before walking over, accompanied by several companions of similar age. Judging by their attire, they were all formal disciples of the HongHua Sect. And in front of them was an old man with white hair and beard.
Huang Qi recognized this old man; he was Elder Wu, one of the five great elders of the HongHua Sect.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Yuan’s expression completely changed. He never dreamed that he would encounter someone surnamed Wei at such a critical juncture, and moreover, that they would bring a group of people to spectate. Now, he had no way to quibble.
“Cheng Yuan, do you still remember me?”
Elder Wu stepped forward and inquired.
“Master!”
Cheng Yuan grinned and called out.
“Good! You still remember me! It wasn’t in vain that I made a special trip for you.”
Elder Wu said sarcastically, then waved his hand and said, “Go back! Stop messing around!”
“Why?”
Cheng Yuan asked excitedly.
“Cultivating immortality requires bloodline inheritance. I know your conditions best. Even if your daughter barely meets the requirements for an outer disciple, she will not be able to become a formal disciple. Instead of wasting your youth like you did back then, it would be better to honestly find a man to marry and enjoy domestic bliss. Otherwise, when you get older, it might be difficult to even find a husband. You know the situation in the HongHua Sect.”
Elder Wu explained “kindly.”
Huang Qi never expected a master to say such words. Even as an outsider, he found it unbearable, let alone for the person involved.
Cheng Yuan’s breathing became rapid. He looked at his wife beside him, then at his daughter in his arms, and spat out the words through gritted teeth: “Master, don’t forget, daughters are not just my daughters, but also my wife’s daughters. I believe in them.”
“I will not let you push your daughter into a fiery pit. If her talent is too poor, she absolutely cannot enter the HongHua Sect!”
Elder Wu shook his head in disappointment, then led the group to Xu Mei and began to whisper.
“A disgrace to a teacher!”
Cheng Yuan muttered under his breath.
Jiang Liniang wanted to say something but stopped, but in the end, she thoughtfully didn’t ask.
Huang Qi was also puzzled as to why a master would speak so harshly to a former disciple.
After waiting a moment longer, it was finally Huang Qi’s body’s turn for testing.
Cheng Yuan put his daughter down. The little girl sat obediently on the stool and meekly extended her chubby little hand.
“What an obedient little girl.”
Xu Mei praised her, which was rare, then extended her slender fair fingers and gently pressed them on Huang Qi’s body’s wrist.
At this moment, Huang Qi suddenly realized that Cheng Yuan’s breathing beside him had stopped. This was clearly a sign of extreme nervousness. His cheap mother beside him also instinctively stepped forward, after all, so many “acquaintances” were watching, and it would be too embarrassing if she didn’t meet the requirements.
“Hmm?”
After a moment, Xu Mei looked up at Huang Qi’s body, her face showing disbelief.
Cheng Yuan exchanged a glance with his wife, their faces revealing utter bewilderment.
Xu Mei didn’t speak immediately, but stood up solemnly, and in a slightly trembling voice, announced loudly, “Fellow senior and junior brothers, who says our Huang Tian Prefecture is a rat’s nest? It seems heaven truly favors our HongHua Sect!”
