Chapter 348: Dream On, I Don’t Want to Be Your Concubine
“Ah San, is she… is she Cheng Hong Ling’s clone?”
Prince Kang also turned to pressure Ah San.
“Your… Your Highness… she… she is indeed Cheng Hong Ling!”
Ah San stammered, a visible look of fear on his face, clearly showing he was very wary of Cheng Hong Ling.
“Wow! She really is Cheng Hong Ling! No wonder she is so stunningly beautiful, so much better than the imposter from before.”
“With such peerless fairy-like beauty, she truly deserves the title of ‘Most Beautiful Among the Moon and Flowers’. It seems the rumors of her scoring full marks in six categories for the Phoenix Selection Token were not baseless!”
“It’s incredible that a phoenix can truly emerge from Huang Tian Prefecture, a place everyone knows to be a den of rats! Her name is truly fitting!”
…
Everyone around widened their eyes in disbelief.
Ouyang Tong snapped out of her daze, then lowered her head in shame. She hated herself for not having any self-awareness, agreeing to impersonate such a peerless fairy, only to tarnish her reputation in the end.
“It’s over!”
Empress Zheng in the pavilion stumbled and sat down. She knew her end had come. If this woman entered the palace, she would surely become a major threat.
Consort Jin’s face was also extremely grim. She was not a woman who liked to compete for favor, but she had to consider her daughter. Now that the selected Imperial Concubine had successfully entered the palace, it meant that in the near future, the royal family would have countless Cheng Hong Lings. How could her daughter compete?
The same applied to the other two consorts. Although the Emperor’s harem had three thousand beauties, most of them were of the lowest rank. The number of concubines at each higher rank was fixed, meaning that for every step Qi Huang climbed, a concubine would be replaced.
Qi Huang noticed the actions of these consorts and felt much better. One of her goals had been achieved.
“This… How is this possible? Look closer!”
Lin Kang questioned Ah San unwillingly.
“Your Highness, this humble one dares not lie. She is indeed Fairy Hong Ling!”
Ah San reiterated without hesitation. In his eyes, Cheng Hong Ling was clearly much more terrifying than Prince Kang, so he naturally dared not lie.
“Impossible! How could this be?”
Lin Kang’s face instantly turned frantic.
“Get down! Stop showing your face here!”
Lin Tu scolded impatiently.
Lin Kang shivered and quickly left like a stray dog.
“Everyone has seen it. This is what happened. For the safety of the Imperial Concubine selection, I had a palace maid impersonate her. I didn’t expect my second brother to see through it. Since that’s the case, there’s no need to pretend anymore.”
Lin Tu cleverly used the situation to his advantage and then ordered Ouyang Tong, “This palace maid, you can go down now!”
‘This… It’s over just like that?’
Ouyang Tong’s face showed disbelief. She never dreamed that she could survive even after messing up the act. An uncontrollable joy rose from her heart, and she said excitedly, “Your… Your servant obeys!”
‘Very good! Saved another person.’
Qi Huang watched Ouyang Tong leave unharmed, feeling very satisfied. After all, she had been dragged into this because of her.
“Qi Huang, since you’ve been exposed, there’s no need to hide anymore. Test the Phoenix Selection Token while you’re at it.”
Lin Tu instructed from the side, his smile undiminished and his tone surprisingly gentle.
Hearing this, everyone held their breath, wanting to see if Cheng Hong Ling was truly perfect in all six categories as rumored, as one could get a general idea from a clone.
“I’m sorry, I have no intention of testing any Phoenix Selection Token!”
Qi Huang calmly shook her head. Everything she had done so far was to return to the HongHua Sect as soon as possible, not to become a palace concubine.
Everyone in the Imperial Garden exchanged glances, thinking that this Imperial Concubine was too bold to dare disobey.
“This might not be acceptable. Even as an Imperial Concubine, you must follow the rules. If you enter the harem without passing the Phoenix Selection Token test, it might be difficult to convince everyone in the future.”
Lin Tu persuaded her kindly.
“The Emperor pampers her too much. She hasn’t even become a concubine, and she’s already like this. What will happen if she truly enters the harem?”
Someone whispered. After all, everyone knew Lin Tu’s character; when had he ever been so patient with anyone?
Empress Zheng and several consorts in the pavilion heard these discussions and gritted their teeth, wishing they could devour Qi Huang alive.
“Your Majesty is thinking too much! I have no intention of being your concubine.”
Qi Huang said with a pitying look. This statement was like throwing a large stone into a calm lake.
“What?”
Everyone around looked at Qi Huang in shock, not understanding why she was courting death.
Lin Tu was also caught off guard. He thought this girl had spoken up for him earlier precisely because she had come to her senses and was willing to become his concubine. He never expected the result to be like this!
Lin Tu seemed to have fallen from heaven to hell in an instant. The strong contrast made him extremely uncomfortable, causing his facial features to twitch involuntarily.
Conversely, Empress Zheng and several consorts seemed to have gone from hell to heaven, their faces unconsciously showing expressions of surprise and joy.
“Are you trying to defy the imperial edict? This is a crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan!”
Lin Tu threatened, almost gritting his teeth.
“That’s exactly my intention! However, I regret to inform you that I have cultivated True Qi again, so you likely cannot punish me in the slightest.”
Qi Huang replied with ease.
“You cultivated True Qi again?”
Lin Tu’s expression changed, and he looked at Elder Zuo, who had remained silent, with a questioning gaze.
“You really cultivated True Qi?”
Elder Zuo could no longer stay out of it and slowly walked forward.
“Of course. My main body should have informed you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have entered the palace at this time.”
Qi Huang’s lips curled into a confident smile.
“This is impossible, your Qi Sea…”
Elder Zuo intended to question, but then cautiously closed his mouth halfway. After all, having a disciple destroy someone’s Qi Sea was not a glorious deed.
“You mean my Qi Sea has been destroyed, right?”
Qi Huang took over the conversation and sighed, “Alas, cultivation itself is an act against heaven. As long as it’s defiant enough, nothing is impossible!”
After saying this, Qi Huang’s Cicada Wing Sword appeared in her hand. She then infused it with True Qi, and a thin layer of Mystic Ice immediately spread across the entire blade.
Indeed, cultivators in the Juling Realm were weak, and their True Qi could not be released externally. However, Qi Huang was different. Her Spiritual Sense was extremely powerful, making it easy to reconnect the meridians for releasing True Qi. Furthermore, the Mystic Ice True Qi from “Shui Linglong” was inherently stronger than ordinary True Qi, and when amplified by the Cicada Wing Sword crafted from Blue Scale Stone, it was naturally visible.
“This… How is this possible?”
Elder Zuo was dumbfounded. He never expected this clone of Cheng Hong Ling to be so defiant, being able to cultivate True Qi again after her Qi Sea was destroyed. This also meant that the incident with the Xieqisan was likely not a fabrication.
“Elder Zuo, as a Mighty Expert in the Shentong Realm, you should be able to discern whether this True Qi is real or not, right?”
Qi Huang sneered.
“Elder Zuo, I need a reasonable explanation!”
Lin Tu questioned with a cold tone.
“There is no explanation needed. Since Qi Huang has cultivated her True Qi again, if she is unwilling to enter the palace, you cannot force her.”
Elder Zuo stated his position.
“I will say it again, I need a reasonable explanation.”
Lin Tu remained unmoved, his expression as cold as a dead person, devoid of any emotion.
Elder Zuo knew he was at fault and didn’t know what to say for a moment.
“Elder Zuo, don’t be a coward! If you back down under his oppressive authority, and if the higher-ups of the Immortal Alliance investigate, your position as an elder might be over. Conversely, if you act like a man and help me get out of the Imperial Palace, you can continue to be an Immortal Alliance elder.”
Qi Huang reminded him from the side. If it were not absolutely necessary, she really didn’t want to rely on her own strength to escape the palace, as it would expose her strength. Of course, she also didn’t want to summon her main body every time she encountered trouble, as it would make her clone seem useless.
Therefore, the most ideal plan now was to use Elder Zuo as a tool.
