Chapter 26: How Dare You Poison Me (1)
The owner of these beautiful eyes was Miao Xiang. She had a round little face and cute buck teeth, with exceptionally bright big eyes. She was petite but had an unusually perfect figure. She was an absolute cutie, making everyone who saw her want to kiss her cheeks.
“Ugh… her height is about the same as Junior Sister… and her figure is also similar to Junior Sister…”
Miao Xiang hid her small body in the corner and bit her fingers as she thought, “Eldest Senior Sister and the others said that there’s no other woman with this kind of figure in Ping’an County, so…”
“Then you are the suspect!”
Miao Xiang’s big eyes shone even brighter. She turned and walked away, muttering proudly, “I have to go back and tell the Senior Sisters. Heh heh… I found the suspect first this time. Let’s see who dares to say I’m useless!”
“Ah!”
Because she was too carried away with her excitement, Miao Xiang forgot to watch where she was going and tripped over a brick on the street. She immediately bent over in pain.
“Uuu… it hurts so much!”
Miao Xiang clutched her little foot and began to sob. Her large eyes quickly became misty. Many men nearby who saw this scene felt their hearts break.
“No, if I leave like this, what if that suspect runs away later?”
Miao Xiang’s head cleared up a bit due to the pain. She quickly realized something was wrong, so she limped back and quietly peered towards the Yamen.
…
Huang Qi followed his parents into the Yamen, and then an yamen runner led them to the court to sit down.
“Please wait a moment, the three of you. Our County Magistrate has gone out to inspect the local conditions. He should be back soon.”
The yamen runner greeted them politely and then left them alone.
Huang Qi and his parents had no choice but to wait patiently in the court.
“Alas! I hope the County Magistrate can return sooner, otherwise, it will be dangerous on the road if we go back late,” Huang Kairong said worriedly.
“If it’s late, then don’t go back. Let the villagers stay here for a night and set off tomorrow morning,” Huang Qi suggested, as traveling at night in this era was no different from committing suicide.
“But the problem is that staying here overnight will cost money, and how could they bear to spend it?” Huang Kairong showed a troubled expression.
“Even if they were willing, they don’t have the money. Many of our villagers came empty-handed; they are purely helping us,” Li Fen added from the side.
Huang Qi also realized that this was indeed difficult to solve, as he didn’t have any spare money to splurge. So now, he could only pray for the County Magistrate to return quickly.
After about fifteen minutes, several yamen runners came in from outside. The leader was the middle-aged civil official who had posted the announcement in Huatian Village yesterday.
Seeing the family of three, the middle-aged civil official’s face immediately showed a friendly smile, and he walked up to greet them, “The three of you are here to register, right?”
“Yes, officer! But the County Magistrate is out, so we are waiting for him here.” The Huang Kairong family of three quickly stood up. Although the imperial power had been greatly weakened in this era, these officials were still existences that civilians could not afford to offend.
“Then please wait patiently for a moment. The County Magistrate should be back soon.” The middle-aged yamen runner appeased them very kindly, his gaze sweeping across Huang Qi’s alluring body without lingering, just like a gentleman.
“This person is quite nice!” Huang Qi was a little surprised. In his impression, all constables were people who would wield their authority over others.
“Letting them just sit there, not even offering a cup of tea? Hurry up,” the middle-aged yamen runner suddenly erupted and berated the subordinate behind him.
“Yes, Constable Wang.” A subordinate quickly took the order and walked in from the side door of the court.
“So it’s Constable Wang! My apologies!” Huang Kairong said in surprise and bowed again, cupping his fists.
“You’re too kind. I have official business to attend to, so I’ll take my leave,” Constable Wang said politely. As he left, he glanced at Huang Qi again, but only briefly.
“Constable Wang doesn’t have any airs at all; he’s quite a good official,” Huang Kairong said with emotion after sitting down.
“As the saying goes, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked, and vice versa. Our County Magistrate is a clean and honest official who enforces the law strictly, so those who work under him naturally won’t be bad,” Li Fen also showed a look of admiration on her face.
Huang Qi nodded thoughtfully. Although he hadn’t met the County Magistrate of Ping’an County, he had heard so much about his “great achievements” that his ears had become calloused. He was indeed a good official recognized by the public.
Not long after, the yamen runner brought the tea.
“Thank you!” Huang Kairong said, and then took a sip of the tea.
Huang Qi and his mother did the same. After all, they had walked such a long mountain road, and they were indeed a bit thirsty now.
After a few sips of tea, Huang Qi gradually felt a sense of drowsiness, and his parents beside him were already yawning continuously.
“Husband, I’m probably tired from walking today and feel so sleepy. Let me rest for a while. You can call me when the County Magistrate arrives,” Li Fen couldn’t hold on any longer and said to her husband beside her.
Huang Kairong responded weakly and soon leaned back in his chair and fell asleep.
Huang Qi’s spirits also became increasingly weak, and an endless drowsiness washed over him like a tide, slowly eroding his consciousness.
“Something’s wrong! I’ve clearly reached the Juling Realm, so why do I still feel sleepy?” Huang Qi suddenly realized something was amiss. He remembered clearly that the Immortal Elders of the HongHua Sect had said that as long as one reached the Juling Realm, they could go without sleep for seven days. But he had only endured for less than two days, so why was he so quick to succumb?
“Are they lying?” Huang Qi couldn’t figure it out, but he knew he absolutely couldn’t sleep, as that would mean feminization. He frantically circulated the Guihai Technique, using the clear sensation to fight against the fatigue, but the effect was still lacking. Therefore, he could only lean on the chair and endure bitterly, his eyelids uncontrollably drooping. Fortunately, his consciousness was still clear, so he wouldn’t have any dreams.
Huang Qi tried hard to open his eyes but couldn’t do it at all. He also tried to control his limbs but found that he couldn’t even move a finger. This time, it was truly like being suppressed by a ghost.
As Huang Qi struggled, he suddenly heard the sound of messy footsteps gradually approaching.
“Well done, Shun!” Constable Wang’s voice then sounded.
“Thank you for the praise, boss.” The yamen runner who had served tea to the Huang Qi family of three replied.
“Well done with what?” Huang Qi was confused.
“Boss, you said you met a stunner in Huatian Village yesterday, and I didn’t believe you. Now I’m wide open to possibilities. Although this little lady is wearing a veil, her figure alone makes me restless. She’s just too hot,” the voice of another yamen runner sounded.
“Yeah, I’ve never seen a ‘woman’ this tall with such large breasts in Ping’an County. She must be from out of town.”
“If I could sleep with ‘her’, I could brag about it for a lifetime.”
“If I could have ‘her’ have a child for us, that would truly bring honor to our ancestors.”
…
The other three yamen runners also chimed in.
“Wanzhou, don’t you think I’ve seen countless women and my judgment is impeccable?” Constable Wang boasted. In fact, in this era, let alone him being just a constable, even the County Magistrate couldn’t have seen countless women.
Hearing these guys discussing his figure, Huang Qi felt his stomach churn, almost making him vomit. Fortunately, he couldn’t control his body now.
“Yes, yes, boss. So what should we do now?” Wanzhou quickly asked.
“What to do? Of course, we must hurry and carry this little lady inside to enjoy her. Who knows how long the effects of this aphrodisiac will last, and the County Magistrate will be back soon, so we must hurry,” Constable Wang ordered.
“Aphrodisiac?” Hearing this, Huang Qi suddenly understood. So he had been drugged, no wonder he felt inexplicably sleepy.
“These scoundrels, wearing official uniforms and eating public grain, are actually doing such beastly things in the court.” Huang Qi was filled with rage. He hated their lack of principles and hated his own lack of vigilance even more.
“Then what about these two old people?” Wanzhou hesitated and asked again.
“Why bother with them? Are you more interested in them?” Constable Wang retorted.
“No, no, no!” Wanzhou repeatedly denied.
“Then hurry up and move. Carry this little lady inside. Don’t bother with the two old ones,” Constable Wang ordered impatiently.
Several yamen runners took the order and came forward to help.
Immediately after, Huang Qi felt his body being lifted and carried inside.
“Damn it, these beasts clearly want to defile me!” Huang Qi’s heart jumped into his throat. Although as a grown man he wouldn’t be defiled, his current body was neither male nor female. If someone saw it, it would be more humiliating than being defiled. Moreover, his plan to impersonate Huang’s daughter-in-law would be completely ruined.
