Chapter 75: Second Hundred and Seventy-Second Chapter: Master, would you like to try the Ghost Tomato?
“Sounds impressive! However, I’d like to know how you plan to protect yourself?” Cheng Hongling inquired leisurely.
“Have you forgotten? I mainly fight using my spiritual sense, which has nothing to do with bloodline,” Qi Huang stated her opinion.
“Hmm! That makes some sense!” Cheng Hongling mused, then changed the subject. “We’ll discuss this later. I have a question now. You speak incoherently, mentioning my father one moment and your father the next. Do you really know who you are?”
“Of course, I am Qi Huang! I was just assimilated by your clone, so I occasionally get confused,” Qi Huang said confidently.
“Occasionally confused? I think you’re confused quite often! I’m really worried that you won’t know who you are after a long time.” Cheng Hongling couldn’t help but retort, her expression then turning serious. “Since you can’t tell the difference, then there’s no need to. Today’s events will be as if they never happened, and you’ll continue to be my clone.”
“But… I used to be a man. Don’t you mind?” Qi Huang asked incredulously. To be honest, she felt lucky to have been allowed to stay and never expected her main body to treat her the same way she used to treat her clone.
“You said yourself it was in the past. You are now a replica of my clone, a woman from your body to your life soul. If I don’t mind, why should you?” Cheng Hongling countered.
“I… I am willing to be your clone.” Qi Huang was overjoyed and quickly agreed. Since she didn’t mind, why should she overthink it?
Cheng Hongling smiled with satisfaction. In fact, even she didn’t know why she was so open-minded.
“Don’t worry, I won’t restrict your personal freedom anymore. However, I have one condition: you cannot hide anything from me anymore, and you need to discuss everything with me.” Cheng Hongling added, as if afraid Qi Huang would go back on her word.
“Okay, I’ll be completely honest with you now. Let me think, where should I start?” Qi Huang was also afraid of losing this perfect main body, so she quickly showed her sincerity and revealed all her secrets, from stealing the Tongming Comb to prevent feminization, to discovering that Ghost Tomatoes could strengthen spiritual sense, she didn’t hold back anything. She knew that they were now in the same boat, and only by helping each other could they quickly increase their strength. Acting independently would only lead to self-destruction.
“I never expected the Tongming Comb combined with the Ghost Tomato to have such an effect. It’s a shame I’ve used it for so many years without discovering this,” Cheng Hongling chuckled self-deprecatingly. In her Sea of Consciousness, her nine sisters also gasped in astonishment and began to discuss animatedly.
Cheng Ling, who was bound, smiled disdainfully and muttered to herself, “How stupidly laughable. Do you really think that Tongming Comb can remove the toxicity of the Ghost Tomato? Not everyone can walk this path.”
Meanwhile, in the outside world, Cheng Hongling suddenly recalled a past event. She narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly and questioned Qi Huang, “Then why didn’t you tell me the truth last time and let me get poisoned?”
“Oh! I’m sorry!” Qi Huang was a bit embarrassed and quickly explained, “As an impostor, I was filled with anxiety and couldn’t be sure of your attitude once you discovered my true identity, so I couldn’t reveal my cards.”
“You get anxious? I thought you were fearless,” Cheng Hongling mocked.
“It’s not that I fear nothing; I’m still afraid of dying!” Qi Huang sheepishly fiddled with her hair.
“There’s also something I’ve always been curious about: where did you get those Cat’s Eye Tears?” Cheng Hongling continued to ask.
Qi Huang didn’t answer immediately. After all, this matter involved Yaoyao. Good and evil had always been irreconcilable, and that guy was constantly causing trouble. She didn’t know what her main body thought of that ghostly cat girl.
“What if she asks me to sever ties with Yaoyao? If I lose the Cat’s Eye Tears, how will I get stronger? What about those senior sisters from the HongHua Sect?” Qi Huang worried inwardly.
“What’s wrong? Is it difficult? If it’s inconvenient to say, then forget it. I don’t necessarily have to know,” Cheng Hongling said understandingly.
Qi Huang’s eyes darted around quickly. If she said nothing, it would definitely increase the gap between them. If she spoke, it would cause unnecessary trouble. After much thought, she decided to lie, considering it a white lie.
“It’s like this: once when I went to the Prefecture Capital, I accidentally saved the shopkeeper of the Juyin Auction House, so she promised me that if anyone brought Cat’s Eye Tears for auction, she would give me priority,” Qi Huang fabricated. This way, she not only appeased her main body but also found a legitimate reason to visit the Juyin Auction House in the future.
“Juyin Auction House? You mean the largest auction house in the Xihui Dynasty?” Cheng Hongling confirmed in surprise.
“Yes! Besides them, who else would be so capable?” Qi Huang hurriedly confirmed.
“I see.” Cheng Hongling didn’t suspect anything, but then her expression suddenly changed, and she questioned Qi Huang as if holding her accountable, “When did you go to the Prefecture Capital? How come I didn’t know?”
“I went when I had free time! Anyway, it’s all in the past, so don’t dwell on it.” Qi Huang was sweating profusely.
“Hmph!” Cheng Hongling snorted coldly and grudgingly let the matter drop.
Then, Qi Huang released her clone, Huang Tian, to continue impersonating her while she returned with her main body.
“Remember what I said. After we go back, you will continue to be my clone. Pretend that nothing happened with Cheng Ling, and absolutely do not tell any outsiders. Do you understand? Once people know you were originally a man, endless trouble will come knocking immediately.” Cheng Hongling reminded her again.
“Okay!” Qi Huang nodded subconsciously, then confirmed, “Even parents are to be kept in the dark?”
“Are parents outsiders?” Cheng Hongling retorted.
“I understand.” A hint of disappointment appeared on Qi Huang’s face, as she didn’t know if her adoptive parents would still recognize her as their daughter after knowing this.
Qi Huang indulged in a moment of wishful thinking, then cautiously said, “I want to ask you for a favor.”
“What is it?” Cheng Hongling asked without looking back.
“Now that you know my true identity, you should understand why I care so much about the people from Huatian Village, right? I have two sworn brothers who are closer than blood brothers. They are twenty-seven this year. If they don’t find partners soon, they’ll have to go to war. Plus, Yuan Jie and Tang Ping also asked me to help them find partners, so I want to play matchmaker for them,” Qi Huang carefully explained.
“Have those two brothers seen your true appearance?” Cheng Hongling stopped in mid-air.
” No!” Qi Huang shook her head quickly.
“Then what are you asking me for? Do you want to use connections?” Cheng Hongling continued to ask calmly.
“No, no, no! I’ve already bought the identity waist tokens for them from the HongHua Sect. I just want to get your consent!” Qi Huang vehemently denied.
“Then do as you please! However, I have one requirement: the fact that you are the Huang family’s future daughter-in-law must never be known by anyone in the HongHua Sect, and… this is a warning, otherwise, don’t blame me for not cherishing our friendship.” Cheng Hongling warned, then continued on her way. She valued her dignity more than her life, and what she had done was already more than enough.
Qi Huang let out a deep sigh of relief. As long as her main body agreed, she wouldn’t have any psychological burdens.
In fact, with Qi Huang’s current strength, she no longer needed to curry favor with her main body. But for some reason, she was always afraid of displeasing her main body, so she still habitually sought her opinion on everything.
“I’ll keep the Tongming Comb with me, and I have a Ghost Tomato in my storage ring. Would you like to try it now?” Qi Huang suddenly said as if offering a treasure.
“Why are you suddenly asking me to try it?” Cheng Hongling turned and asked.
“Since you, Master, are so generous, I can’t be stingy either, right? This is called sharing blessings!” Qi Huang declared her stance and then enthusiastically took out the Tongming Comb and the Ghost Tomato.
Cheng Hongling hesitated for a moment before accepting the two items. In fact, she was quite curious about them.
In her Sea of Consciousness, Cheng Ling had been observing the situation. She slightly raised the corners of her mouth, her eyes filled with pity as she looked at them as if they were two fools.
Cheng Hongling landed by the roadside, then used a small knife to cut open the Ghost Tomato, and then used the Tongming Comb to dye it.
“Yes, yes! Just like that, comb it through your hair!” Qi Huang instructed from the side, appearing very experienced.
Cheng Hongling, not suspecting anything, took the Tongming Comb stained with the Ghost Tomato and began to comb her hair. After just two or three strokes, her expression froze.
“How is it? Doesn’t it feel like your soul has been sublimated?” Qi Huang asked eagerly.
