“Is that old scoundrel the one who did this?”
Qi Huang, being intelligent, immediately understood: “I get it. He couldn’t persuade you, so he resorted to underhanded tactics to remove your True Qi. No wonder your attitude suddenly changed.”
“Yes! Without True Qi, if I refuse again, it would be considered rebellion.”
Qi Huang gave a self-deprecating laugh.
“Does such a despicable person deserve to be an Immortal Alliance steward? I’ll go kill him right now!”
Cheng Hong Ling’s delicate body trembled. She then walked out with determined steps, cold energy surging around her. With every step, she left a frost-covered footprint on the ground.
“Don’t be impulsive!”
Qi Huang endured the pain and decisively released her spiritual sense, suppressing her out-of-control main body on the spot.
“What are you doing?”
Cheng Hong Ling’s pupils trembled, but she couldn’t take a single step. It was only now that she truly realized the gap between them.
“Have you forgotten the main matter? If you clash with him now, don’t even think about the Golden Life Flower seed, and it will also implicate the HongHua Sect.”
Qi Huang reminded her calmly. She might act unconventionally, but she wasn’t truly insane.
“But he destroyed your Qi Sea! The Qi Sea is where cultivators store True Qi. Without a Qi Sea, a person is useless.”
Cheng Hong Ling’s red lips trembled, and her beautiful eyes were slightly reddened.
“Don’t you remember? I’m a great master of the Shentong Realm! It’s not that easy to be crippled!”
A confident smile appeared on Qi Huang’s pale cheeks.
“Not good, this guy is going to persecute me again!”
At the same time, Huang Tian, who was inside Qi Huang’s Sea of Consciousness, instinctively felt something was wrong. However, before she could react, she was summoned out.
“All done!”
Qi Huang slowly stood up, and her entire being seemed to have been resurrected.
“All done? Are you faking it?”
Cheng Hong Ling said disbelievingly.
“Don’t you remember? Shentong Realm experts can use existing clones to transfer injuries, unlike those in the Huashen Realm who have such troublesome methods.”
Qi Huang reminded her. That’s right, just now, she had used Huang Tian to instantly transfer her injured Qi Sea, and in return, she had taken over the other party’s intact Qi Sea.
“Clones have human rights too, you know! Don’t you feel guilty doing this?”
Huang Tian protested mentally.
“A guilty conscience is better than a body in pain!”
Qi Huang casually perfunctorily replied. Since Huang Tian lacked intelligence, she wouldn’t feel pain, so Qi Huang didn’t have much psychological pressure doing this.
Qi Huang then put Huang Tian back into her Sea of Consciousness. Afterward, she casually dusted off her hands. Although this clone could no longer cultivate True Qi, it was not important to her at all.
After Qi Huang had sorted everything out, she withdrew her spiritual sense that had been suppressing her main body.
Cheng Hong Ling quickly ran over to check again. The result was something she could hardly believe. Qi Huang’s Qi Sea was indeed perfectly fine. If there was any change, it was the absence of True Qi.
“Is this the Shentong Realm? It’s simply incredible, such a severe injury healed in an instant.”
Cheng Hong Ling exclaimed.
“What is this? Even mortal wounds can be instantly transferred, so I am practically immortal!”
Qi Huang said proudly.
“You’re bragging! Do you think I’m stupid? Even Shentong Realm cultivators can only cultivate up to four clones at most. This means that mortal wounds on the main body can only be transferred four times. How is that immortality?”
Cheng Hong Ling immediately exclaimed with a charming eye-roll.
“But in this Xihui Dynasty, who can kill a Shentong Realm expert four times? What’s the difference between that and being immortal?”
Qi Huang retorted.
“Can we be more far-sighted? In some super-powers in Zhongzhou, there are as many Shentong Realm experts as there are Huashen Realm cultivators in our country. Many sects have Heavenly Punishment Realm experts guarding them.”
Cheng Hong Ling stated the facts, aiming to prevent her clone from being too high-profile.
“What’s there to fear! Time is on our side. You’re a sixteen-year-old Huashen Realm genius, if you can’t win, can’t you outlast them?”
Qi Huang said indifferently.
“I’m not afraid, of course. The problem is, if you don’t cultivate True Qi and only focus on spiritual sense, your body’s aging speed won’t be much slower than ordinary people. You might really not be able to outlast them!”
Cheng Hong Ling said with a hint of teasing.
“Hmm? I haven’t considered this issue.”
Qi Huang fell into deep thought. Her current cultivation path seemed smooth, but the issue of aging and death had not been fundamentally resolved. This was probably what the saying “gains and losses” referred to.
“Forget it, I’ll consider this problem later. I need to pack my bags now.”
Qi Huang said as she prepared to return to her room to pack.
“What? Isn’t your Qi Sea recovered? Why do you still need to enter the palace?”
Cheng Hong Ling followed her with light steps.
“Although my Qi Sea has recovered, the True Qi I had before has dissipated. So, for now, I still need to play along with them. After I cultivate for a few more days, I can legitimately return home.”
Qi Huang explained casually.
“Then I’ll go with you. The Imperial Palace isn’t a marketplace. What if that dog emperor insists on keeping you?”
Cheng Hong Ling said instinctively.
“Why would he keep me? I’ve recovered my identity as a cultivator. From then on, I won’t be his subject. In broad daylight, would that dog emperor dare to offend the Immortal Alliance?”
Qi Huang retorted.
“Not necessarily. Don’t forget, Steward Cai did such a thing just now to send you to the palace. This indicates that the Immortal Alliance must hand over some of their weaknesses to that dog emperor.”
Cheng Hong Ling conjectured very astutely.
“Even if he’s that audacious, with this Young Master’s strength, who can stop me? Moreover, even if I escape, he can’t punish me. Besides, if you stay here, and something unexpected happens, you can always be my backup. It’s not appropriate for us to go together.”
Qi Huang gave her reasons while packing: “Of course, there’s the most important point: the HongHua Sect cannot be without you.”
Cheng Hong Ling had no reason to object now and could only accept the plan.
Not long after, all the close associates of the HongHua Sect arrived. They didn’t ask many questions but instead helped pack.
This showed how much prestige Qi Huang now held in the HongHua Sect.
Qi Huang entered her bedroom to change clothes. After a moment’s hesitation, she took out a Thousand Li Sound Transmission Device and contacted that cat girl.
“What? That dog emperor wants you to enter the palace?”
Yaoyao immediately became anxious and said, “This won’t do. No one can snatch you away without my permission. Wait a moment, I’ll be there immediately. I guarantee that entering the Imperial Palace will be like visiting a market for you – you can go whenever you want and leave whenever you want.”
Upon hearing this, the heavy weight in Qi Huang’s heart was lifted. With Yaoyao’s help, let alone the Imperial Palace, she would even dare to venture into the gates of hell.
Qi Huang began to wash up. She wanted those concubines to know that her threat wasn’t just her bloodline, but also her appearance.
Qi Huang changed into a new set of clothes and put on light makeup. Only then did the cat girl transform into an ordinary little white cat and crawl in through the window.
“Aren’t you black? How can you turn into a white cat?”
Qi Huang asked in surprise through telepathy.
“Hmph, as expected of a countryside cultivator! My body is entirely condensed from Yin Energy, not an actual physical body, so I can naturally change my color at will.”
Yaoyao disdainfully rolled her vertical pupils and answered contemptuously, “As for you, dressing up so seductively, anyone would think you actually want to enter the palace to compete for favor!”
“Compete for what? I want those lowly servants in the harem to know that when men are beautiful, there’s no room for women.”
Qi Huang confidently looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Her delicate small face, adorned with light makeup, had beautiful eyes filled with emotion, and her red lips were like fire, exuding a mature charm. The small dimples that occasionally appeared on her cheeks added a touch of innocence, creating a strong contrast. Combined with her curvaceous figure beneath the green, waist-length ruqun, she was simply a little celestial maiden.
“What men? What are you talking about? Speak human language!”
Yaoyao said somewhat impatiently.
“You, a cat, are telling me to speak human language?”
Qi Huang almost burst out laughing. Seeing that the cat girl was about to get angry, she quickly replied, “It’s fine if you don’t understand. Anyway, it’s just to let those lowly harem servants know that this Young Master… this Miss can completely crush them in both bloodline and appearance. They sent so many assassins to cause trouble, I have to scare them a little, right?”
“You are indeed beautiful, it’s a pity you have a mouth.”
Yaoyao commented with great seriousness.
Qi Huang was immediately annoyed but didn’t dare to retort.
“Alright, my clan members are all in this storage ring. Wear it on your hand.”
Yaoyao handed the storage ring containing the Nine Nether Demonic Cats to Qi Huang, then said, “Later, I’ll transform into a skirt. Pack me in your bundle. When you want to run, just put me on. Even celestial beings wouldn’t be able to find me.”
“Okay.”
Qi Huang nodded repeatedly, but inwardly felt a little dismissive. Did she need to sneak around to escape?
After preparing everything, Qi Huang bid farewell to her family and friends and set off with the imperial entourage. Several senior sisters insisted on following her, and it took her a great deal of effort to send them back. What a joke! If she brought these burdens along, she might not even be able to get out after entering.
“It smells so good, what is that scent?”
“It seems to be emanating from Imperial Concubine Qi Huang.”
“Brother, are you tired! How about I carry the sedan chair, and you carry the banner?”
“No, no, this sedan chair is not light! And the journey from here to the Imperial Capital is one or two thousand Li, taking more than twenty days.”
“It’s just too hard, that’s why we should take turns! Look at you, you’ve only been out for a few days and you’re already so tanned. What if your son doesn’t recognize you when you get back?”
“To be honest, I deliberately got tanned. My son is also tanned. If I don’t get tanned, people will say we don’t look like father and son.”
“Ah?”
…
As Qi Huang entered the sedan chair, she faintly heard soldiers discussing.
