“I… how am I not like a girl… a girl?” Qi Huang stuttered and argued, feeling like an onion being peeled layer by layer, with no sense of security.
“You’re not like one at all. From your behavior to your hábitos, I’ve never met a girl as carefree and unkempt as you,” Cheng Hong Ling said with a hint of disdain in her beautiful eyes.
Qi Huang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that her main body only found her messy and wasn’t truly suspicious.
“Of course, those are all external. The most important point is that I discovered you’re actually interested in girls, and sometimes you act like a pervert,” Cheng Hong Ling delivered a soul-piercing blow.
Qi Huang felt a chill run through her body, and she instinctively retorted, “Nonsense, who… who is interested in girls?”
“Still trying to deny it? Not to mention the ‘lewd’ expressions you sometimes have when facing my senior sisters, and who was it that had a soul bond established after seeing my body?” Cheng Hong Ling asked with a slight smile.
“Uh…” Qi Huang was immediately speechless and felt extremely guilty.
“If I couldn’t see your soul, I would have really suspected that this clone of yours was possessed by some foot-picking old man,” Cheng Hong Ling added coldly.
“Foot… foot-picking old man?” Qi Huang felt like a bolt from the blue. Her mind went blank due to the rise in blood pressure. She thought she had hidden her true nature well, but she never expected her main body to see through her.
“In conclusion, there’s really a big difference between you and me now. I don’t expect you to be exactly like me, but for the sake of the people of Huang Tian Prefecture, you should try to imitate me. If not nine or ten parts alike, at least seven or eight parts, so that outsiders can’t tell the difference.”
Cheng Hong Ling summarized and then made a request: “As the saying goes, learn to walk before you run. The first step is for you to learn to be a woman. If you don’t even resemble a woman, how can you impersonate me? So, I need to take some time to teach you how to be a woman.”
“Ah? No need! Qi Huang’s face immediately turned bitter. She was forced to become a woman in the first place, not that she genuinely wanted to be one.
“What do you mean ‘ah’? This is all for the people!” Cheng Hong Ling reminded her.
“Alright!” Qi Huang reluctantly agreed. For the sake of the people, what else could she say?
“Okay, let’s talk about business,” Cheng Hong Ling’s expression turned serious. “Our goal in searching for Ghost Tomato is to obtain Blue Scale Stone, you haven’t forgotten that, right?”
“Mm!” Qi Huang nodded repeatedly, thinking to herself that she had only “lost her memory,” not developed amnesia.
“Not long ago, Sect Leader Qin sent someone named Wu to Panshan Village to check the situation. Unexpectedly, only half of them returned. The reason is that the village has been occupied by the HeYi Sect, and they won’t allow us to come within half a step, or they will kill us without mercy.”
“Isn’t Panshan Village within the HongHua Sect’s territory?” Qi Huang asked in shock.
“That’s right! But there are always rats everywhere in the world, and the cultivation world is no exception. Some shameless bandits, who normally pretend to be righteous sects, will tear off their hypocritical masks when it comes to benefits and talk with their fists. The HeYi Sect is like that.” Cheng Hong Ling’s pretty face showed disgust.
“What is the strength of this HeYi Sect?” Qi Huang asked curiously.
“Their Sect Leader, Lin Feng, has already reached the eighth level of the Guiyi Realm. Besides him, there are five Protectors and Elders in the sect who have also reached the Guiyi Realm,” Cheng Hong Ling introduced.
“Ah? That strong!” Qi Huang was very shocked. They were also prefecture-level sects, so why were they so much stronger than the HongHua Sect?
“Strong? With such strength, they can only be considered average among the prefecture-level sects in the entire Yongning Prefecture,” Cheng Hong Ling said with a hint of disdain.
“But we’re even weaker! Have you thought about how to deal with them? Our HongHua Sect originally had three Guiyi Realm masters. Now that the one named Wu is courting death, only you and the Sect Leader are left.” Qi Huang asked curiously.
“And what about you? You’re a great master of the Huashen Realm! Are you still afraid of a few Guiyi Realm cultivators?” Cheng Hong Ling teased.
“You know as well as I do, I’m just innately talented,” Qi Huang said a little embarrassed.
“Don’t be so modest! With your cooperation, I’m confident I can defeat any cultivator of the same realm. The HeYi Sect is nothing to us. I’ll make them pay ten times the price.” Cheng Hong Ling’s pupils sparkled, gradually forming a sea of flames.
“Am I really that powerful?” Qi Huang was flattered.
“Naturally. Don’t you remember how Elder Wu was defeated before? Others might not know, but I saw it very clearly. It was you who suddenly used your spiritual pressure to reduce his speed by more than half, which is why I was able to easily kill him.” Cheng Hong Ling explained.
“You mean for me to use my spiritual pressure to cooperate with you in battle?” Qi Huang gradually understood.
“Yes, my Wave Butterfly body technique is already one of the fastest in the cultivation world. Coupled with you applying negative status effects to the opponent, no one in the same realm can keep up with me, unless the HeYi Sect sends all their masters to attack us together. Otherwise, we’ll kill them one by one as we encounter them.” Cheng Hong Ling said confidently.
“That sounds great! When do we start killing?” Qi Huang eagerly asked.
“It shouldn’t be long now. We can’t find any more Ghost Tomatoes. Once we deal with Elder Wu’s matter, we should head to Panshan Village. That’s when we’ll make the HeYi Sect pay the price.” Cheng Hong Ling predicted.
Qi Huang’s blood surged. Those two distant relatives died with their eyes open, and she had been festering about it. Now she finally had a chance to avenge them…
…
In the back mountains of the HongHua Sect, there were some caves used for disciples to cultivate in seclusion, and also where those who made mistakes were imprisoned.
Elder Wu was currently confined in one of the caves. Outside the cave, besides a few ordinary disciples on guard duty, Qin Quan, who was personally responsible for escorting him, was also present.
“Sect Leader Qin, please let me out! You should understand that this kind of infighting will only make the already weak HongHua Sect worse off,” Wu He said calmly from behind the stone door. Perhaps because he felt secure, he didn’t even plead.
“It’s better for you to stay inside until the matter is clarified,” Qin Quan replied casually.
“I, Wu He, have risked my life for the HongHua Sect for so many years. Don’t you trust a young girl more than me?” Wu He began to play the emotional card.
“No, I do! I also believe you are innocent! You’ll be out in a day or two. It’s just a formality, don’t make it difficult for me as Sect Leader.” Qin Quan said with a fake smile.
“Why can’t you let me out now? Is the outcome really that important?” Elder Wu asked agitatedly.
“Of course, it’s about Elder Wu’s innocence. You don’t want to be pointed at and gossiped about when you go out, do you?” Qin Quan replied with mock seriousness.
“You…” Wu He was speechless, seeing that Qin Quan was immovable.
…
A few days later, Deacon Hu was brought back to the HongHua Sect, and the investigators also returned. The result was as Qi Huang had said, all of this was Elder Wu’s doing.
Qin Quan did not announce this immediately, but called the higher-ups to the main hall for discussion. Elder Wu was naturally brought to the scene.
“Sect Leader Qin, this matter was indeed done by me, but so what?” Wu He admitted directly, seeing that he could no longer deny it.
“Oh, no way, Elder Wu! You’re at least seventy or eighty years old, how can you lose your composure so quickly? You just confessed without being interrogated!” Qin Quan asked in surprise.
“Because I want to have an honest talk with you.” Wu He said with a sense of security.
“Oh? I’m all ears.” Qin Quan pretended to listen intently.
“If I were you, I would minimize this matter and let it blow over. Looking back, you should know how important a Guiyi Realm cultivator like me is to the development of the HongHua Sect. You wouldn’t be so foolish as to cut off your own arm for the sake of so-called justice, would you? Even if you punish me, what will change? What’s past is past.” Wu He shamelessly brainwashed them.
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Deacon Hu immediately cursed, then added, “Without rules, there can be no order. If someone like you can get away with it, won’t everyone in the HongHua Sect be in a state of panic? And who would dare to join our sect?”
“Deacon Hu, pardon my bluntness, but although we have recruited countless disciples over the years, how many of them have truly broken through to the Guiyi Realm? Probably one in ten thousand. Take your disciple for example, even if he truly became a formal disciple, his potential is limited. Since that’s the case, why do you put your hope in such a waste? I saw through this, which is why I did this.” Elder Wu argued unreasonably.
Qi Huang trembled with anger upon hearing this, and cursed, “What a shameless old man! You’re seventy or eighty years old, with one foot already in the grave. You only broke through to the Guiyi Realm three years ago, and that was after secretly obtaining illicit funds to purchase resources and pile them up. How dare you call others wastes?”
“So what? I’ve reached the Guiyi Realm after all. No matter what you do to me, it won’t change anything, it will only cause the HongHua Sect to lose a Guiyi Realm master for nothing. More importantly, we are currently at odds with the HeYi Sect. Without me, can you deal with them?” Elder Wu asked forcefully.
Those around gritted their teeth secretly but could not refute. Even Qin Quan fell into thought, clearly weighing the pros and cons.
Wu He revealed a hint of smugness. As he expected, such a sect could not do without him.
Qi Huang became anxious, but suddenly Cheng Hong Ling’s voice echoed in her mind: “Use your spiritual sense to subdue him!”
“Why?” Qi Huang asked doubtfully.
“Just do as I say, stop talking nonsense!” Cheng Hong Ling said impatiently.
Qi Huang gritted her teeth and sent her spiritual sense towards Elder Wu without warning. At the same time, she noticed that the main body beside her had disappeared.
Wu He was secretly feeling smug when he suddenly felt a massive pressure upon him. Caught off guard, he immediately fell to his knees.
At this moment, Elder Wu felt a flash of cold light in front of him, followed by a chill in his throat. Warm blood then flowed down his skin, feeling tingly and itchy.
“You…” Wu He clutched his neck, his eyes looking at the slender graceful figure holding the Blue Scale Sword not far away, and fell down with a look of unwillingness.
“Why talk nonsense, just kill him.” Cheng Hong Ling retracted her sword and walked gracefully towards the outside of the hall.
Everyone around was dumbfounded, but no one dared to raise any objections.
