Chapter 36: Oh No, She’s Hong Ling Fairy (1)
The reason Huang Qi risked asking was, firstly, he couldn’t wait to know if such a thing existed, and secondly, he wanted to reduce the risk. Asking here was better than going to the HongHua Sect to inquire, as that was not a place to linger.
“Tongming Comb? Wasn’t that thing always with you?” Ruan Lingyu asked back, somewhat confused.
“There really is a Tongming Comb?” Huang Qi was so excited he almost choked. He said with a trembling voice, “No… nothing… it must have fallen into some forgotten corner. I didn’t see it when I went out this morning.”
“Then you’d better look carefully, or your Master might get angry,” Ruan Lingyu teased.
Huang Qi gave a perfunctory smile and dared not linger any longer, quickening his pace to leave.
In the blink of an eye, he was about to leave the city. Huang Qi pondered for a moment, then bought two more talismans. After all, it was three to four hundred li to the Prefecture Capital, and who knew if he would encounter any demons or monsters along the way? With his current Juling Realm second layer cultivation, he couldn’t even deal with the lowest level of minor spirits.
Huang Qi took out the talismans and tucked them inside his clothes, then headed north. Without any more concerns, he rushed with all his might, as time was running out.
Huang Qi moved like the wind, and the benefits of his cultivation were evident. If it were his former self, it would have taken him five to six days to cover these four hundred li, as he could only travel during the day. But now it was different; he had abundant stamina and could reach the HongHua Sect by the day after tomorrow at the latest.
Of course, Huang Qi also knew that going to the HongHua Sect was no different from throwing himself into a net, but he had no choice. If he didn’t go, his more than twenty years of male life would end, and his family would also get into trouble because of the conscription.
Huang Qi’s steps didn’t stop. When he was bored, he would recall the events of the past period. What he found most difficult to understand was that dream.
“As the saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. I had met Lingyu Fairy, Sect Leader Qin, Elder Xu, and others before, so it’s not surprising they appeared in my dreams. But what about Miao Xiang Fairy? And the Tongming Comb? I didn’t know them before, but now it’s confirmed they all exist. This means that everything in this dream probably happened in reality.” Huang Qi analyzed.
“But why did I dream of Hong Ling Fairy’s childhood experiences?” Huang Qi was baffled.
“Right, it’s the Feminization Mask!” After a long time, a flash of inspiration struck Huang Qi. This was because he feminized every time he dreamed, and feminization was the effect brought about by that mask.
“This is truly strange. How did this Feminization Mask know about Hong Ling Fairy’s childhood experiences? And why is it constantly instilling them in me?” Huang Qi tried to get to the bottom of it, but unfortunately, he couldn’t find any clues.
In one day, Huang Qi walked more than a hundred li, something he wouldn’t have dared to imagine before.
As night fell, Huang Qi reached a small county town midway. For safety, he decided to stay there for the night.
Huang Qi found an inn and walked in. Since it was dinner time, the place was bustling. His tall and alluring figure immediately drew the attention of many people, and the middle-aged shopkeeper behind the counter was stunned.
Huang Qi didn’t want to linger too long, so he instructed the shopkeeper, “Shopkeeper, give me a room.”
“Certainly! Please wait a moment, guest!” The shopkeeper, with his goatee, snapped out of his daze, handed over a key to Huang Qi, and said kindly, “The room at the far end on the right side of the second floor. Is there anything else you need, young lady?”
“Young lady?” Hearing this address, Huang Qi felt a little awkward. Fortunately, he had already adapted to his female identity for some time, so he calmly said, “Also, send a basin of water and prepare two small dishes.”
“Certainly!” The goatee shopkeeper wrote it down, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, “Are you alone, young lady?”
“Is there a problem?” Huang Qi retorted with slight displeasure.
“I just want to remind you to be careful and try not to go out at night! You know how chaotic the world is, especially for young girls. Ghosts and spirits are one thing; a protective talisman can save your life. What’s truly hard to guard against are people,” the goatee shopkeeper advised earnestly.
“Thank you!” Huang Qi realized he had misunderstood a good person and thanked him sincerely.
Then Huang Qi went upstairs and entered the room he had booked. With nothing to do, Huang Qi sat cross-legged on the bed and began to cultivate. As the Guihai Technique circulated, the water spiritual energy inside and outside his body rushed into his Qi Sea, and his cultivation level also increased rapidly.
Huang Qi felt it carefully. At this rate, he would likely reach the Juling Realm third layer in less than ten days to half a month.
“My cultivation speed is too exaggerated. I’m afraid even Hong Ling Fairy in my dreams is far inferior.” Huang Qi was ecstatic. He also understood the reason very well; it was all due to the effects of the Feminization Mask. When he ran the Guihai Technique just now, 99.9% of the water spiritual energy was drawn from his feminized upper body, with less than 1% coming from the outside.
“If this Feminization Mask had enough water spiritual energy, I could also become a peerless genius,” Huang Qi thought with secret pride. Thinking this way, the psychological shadow caused by being feminized lessened considerably.
“Although I have this pair of large breasts now, at least I haven’t completely become a woman, right? If I can become a peerless expert, this sacrifice is worth it.” Huang Qi comforted himself.
A short while later, the waiter delivered the water and dishes. The young man looked about seventeen or eighteen and stood there fidgeting.
“Is there anything else?” Huang Qi asked.
“Miss… Miss… Our shopkeeper asked me to remind you… please don’t go out at night. I’ll be guarding the door.” The waiter stammered, his face flushed red.
“No need.” Huang Qi immediately declined, not wanting to trouble others.
“It… it’s okay. Call me if you need anything,” the waiter said before rushing away. It couldn’t be blamed on him; in this mundane world, ordinary boys rarely encountered young girls. Huang Qi shook his head helplessly. Since the other party meant well, he couldn’t refuse politely.
After dinner, Huang Qi washed up and returned to bed to cultivate. The waiter also kept his promise and soon came to guard the door. As time passed, the waiter started yawning, and soon quiet snores could be heard.
“If I place my hope in you, I’ll probably be confined before I even reach the HongHua Sect,” Huang Qi said helplessly. If he were as weak as a chicken, he absolutely wouldn’t have been able to stay here. The reason was simple: Huang Qi wouldn’t let his guard down just because he was temporarily a man. If he were caught by traffickers, it would be hard to say. At most, he would be completely feminized within a few days, and then he would be like any ordinary woman, unable to escape his fate. Of course, Huang Qi wouldn’t mock the waiter for this, as he wasn’t a cultivator like himself.
Not long after, the shopkeeper’s scolding voice came from outside. “I told you to guard here, and you’re sleeping?”
“I’m sorry, Shopkeeper! I’m really too tired!”
“Then why don’t you go home and sleep?”
“Are you firing me?”
“What can we do? If any accident happens to this young lady in our inn, who will dare to come? Not only will you go home to sleep, but I will too. Don’t you understand?”
“I’m sorry! Shopkeeper! I’ll definitely stay alert!”
… Huang Qi’s senses had become much sharper, so he could clearly hear their argument.
“As expected.” Huang Qi sneered. The shopkeeper’s concern for his safety was, in all honesty, just about the inn’s reputation, not that he was truly kind-hearted.
With no more burden on his mind, Huang Qi focused on cultivation. After an unknown amount of time, heavy and messy footsteps could be heard from outside, mixed with the sounds of clashing weapons. Huang Qi opened his eyes again, as this didn’t sound like the usual commotion from an inn.
In less than a moment, the footsteps reached the door.
“Who… who are you? What do you want?” The waiter’s voice, trying to sound fierce, came through.
“Get lost if you don’t want to die.” A rough voice responded.
“Ah!” The waiter immediately let out a scream, and then there was silence.
“Bang!” At the same time, Huang Qi’s door was violently kicked open, with a deafening crash.
