Chapter 75: Always Dreaming of Becoming a Little Girl
“My heavens, if I let this continue, will it cover my entire body?”
Huang Qi suddenly had a ridiculous thought. He looked again uncertainly. Not only his skin, but his originally dry and yellow hair had also become soft and shiny, truly worthy of being called beautiful hair.
“And these changes are nothing. Now that my face has recovered, I still have to worry about being recognized by people from the HongHua Sect.”
Thinking of this, Huang Qi felt his heart crawl. He paced back and forth in the room like an ant on a hot pan. However, after a long time, he simply spread his hands, ready to give up. Yesterday was impossible, let alone now. He couldn’t possibly cut off his entire face with a knife, could he?
“Forget it, I’ll go back and attend my grandfather’s birthday first. I hope Ruan Lingyu doesn’t encounter Hong Ling too quickly. If time passes, perhaps she will forget about this. Then I can live my life cautiously.”
Huang Qi sighed deeply, and could only wash up with a trace of luck.
After washing up, Huang Qi put on women’s clothes and looked in the bronze mirror again. The delicate and pretty face inside was fair and delicate, with exquisite and charming features. Even his dull eyes had become moist and lively, truly a picture of bright eyes and white teeth. Even without makeup, she was so beautiful that he felt ashamed.
“This is good. I don’t even need makeup now. But to be safe, it’s better not to show this face. Otherwise, even if I’m not recognized, it will cause a sensation, and I’ll still get into trouble.”
Huang Qi gave a self-deprecating laugh, then picked up the tattered cloth he used to cover his face yesterday and put it on, but it looked ugly no matter how he looked at it.
“No, since I’m going to impersonate my fiancée, even if I can’t show my face, I absolutely cannot be disgraced in my attire.”
Huang Qi gritted his teeth and chose Ruan Lingyu’s handkerchief as a veil. Although it was feminine, at least it was beautiful, wasn’t it?
As for his voice, he might as well use what he learned and pretend to have a toothache and a swollen face. This way, he wouldn’t have to speak and could legitimately cover his face, which was a double benefit.
Huang Qi slung the prepared women’s travel bag and went out. Then he started thinking about what birthday gift to buy. Looking around, he suddenly realized a serious problem. Although this attire did give him face, it meant that the gift he gave also had to be appropriate for the occasion. Otherwise, people would say that this “grandson’s wife” was stingy.
“But I only have thirty-odd copper coins!”
Huang Qi looked at the money in his hand and fell into an awkward situation, because this little money couldn’t buy any decent gifts.
“Oh right, didn’t Ruan Lingyu give me twenty taels of silver?”
Huang Qi suddenly realized, but that was ill-gotten gains. How could he spend it?
“Forget it, I’ll just consider it borrowed from Lingyu Fairy. In the future… if there’s a future, I will definitely return it to her with interest.”
Huang Qi was truly helpless and could only comfort himself this way.
With twenty taels of silver in assets, Huang Qi felt much more confident. So he spent two taels of silver to buy a set of bright red silk robes, because he knew his family definitely didn’t have money to prepare it. So he, as the “grandson’s wife,” would do it. On a birthday, one must naturally wear new clothes.
Huang Qi hesitated for a moment, and then spent another tael of silver to buy a low-level protective charm from the HongHua Sect. He was not afraid now that there was a lot of Yang energy in the county town, but he had to walk a long mountain road to go home. What if he encountered stray ghosts and spirits then?
Huang Qi dared not be careless, so he took the protective charm out of its special bag and wore it close to his body. A warmth immediately permeated his whole body. This meant he was wearing it.
Huang Qi had been to an Immortal Sect, so he naturally knew that what he bought was only the lowest-level protective charm and wouldn’t have much effect. Therefore, he sped on his horse. But he didn’t expect that the faster he walked, the more tired he would become. Halfway there, he couldn’t hold on any longer, so he sat down to rest.
Huang Qi had planned to rest for a while and then continue on his way, but who would have thought that he would fall asleep in a daze and then have another dream?
This time, Huang Qi transformed into that little girl from last time in his dream. However, the location was in a pavilion, surrounded by a not-too-large courtyard. Perhaps because it was in a dream, the specific details were unclear. And at this moment, his body was still being held by that cheap mother.
“Madam… Madam…”
Not long after, he saw the father of that body stumble and rush over.
“Husband, what happened?”
The young woman quickly put Huang Qi’s body on a chair and asked.
“Alas! We were too unlucky this time. Not long after we left the Prefecture Capital, we encountered a zombie. Not only were all the goods lost, but the bodyguards also suffered heavy casualties. If they hadn’t protected me with their lives, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have made it back.”
The middle-aged man said with lingering fear. The clothes on his body were stained with dirt, and he looked dispirited.
“Ah? Then are you alright, husband?”
The young woman was anxious and rushed to check her husband’s body.
“Don’t worry, madam, I’m fine.”
The middle-aged man showed a hint of a relaxed smile.
“That’s good! That’s good! You must never go to the Prefecture Capital again in the future.”
The young woman breathed a long sigh of relief after checking thoroughly.
“No, without money, you mother and daughter won’t be able to go to the HongHua Sect. I can’t rest assured.”
The middle-aged man insisted stubbornly.
“Husband, it really doesn’t matter if I go to the HongHua Sect or not. I’m content as long as you are safe.”
The young woman pleaded.
“But then your safety cannot be guaranteed. Women go missing in this Prefecture Capital every day. I must ensure that you live your lives safely.”
The middle-aged man was determined, as if he had swallowed lead, and was completely unmoved.
“Alas! If only our children had the talent for cultivation, then they could directly reside in the HongHua Sect and wouldn’t have to spend money to buy a spot.”
The young woman couldn’t help but sigh.
“You can’t blame her for that. Cultivation talent is hereditary. Our bloodline is not good, so how can we force it?”
The middle-aged man was quite understanding.
“That’s not necessarily true. I heard that many Immortal Elders’ parents are ordinary people. Why don’t we still find an opportunity to have her tested?”
The young woman suggested.
“Alright, I’ll listen to you, madam.”
The middle-aged man replied perfunctorily, clearly not holding much hope.
… … …
Huang Qi woke up from the dream, his mind hazy for a moment, unsure of where reality was.
After a long while, his eyes regained their spirit, and he was instantly drenched in cold sweat. Sleeping in this desolate wilderness, if he were discovered by some monsters and ghosts, wouldn’t he become food on the plate? Thinking of this, he quickly quickened his pace towards his hometown, Huatian Village.
Because he was disguised as a woman, Huang Qi was somewhat timid when he reached his doorstep. So he quietly hid in the woods outside the courtyard to observe secretly. He heard noisy voices from inside, with as many as thirty or forty people. It seemed that every family in the village had come.
“I didn’t expect so many people to come. When did our family become so popular?”
Huang Qi found it strange. Seeing so many guests and strong Yang energy, he didn’t want to waste the protective charm, so he put it back into the bag and stored it. This way, as long as the Yang energy didn’t dissipate, he could still use it when he took it out in the future.
After observing for a while longer, Huang Qi felt a little embarrassed. Because faced with such a situation, he, the eldest grandson, should have been at the forefront. Now, just watching made him seem rather incompetent.
Thinking this way, Huang Qi prepared to enter the house. However, a middle-aged couple happened to come out of the courtyard, startling him and making him shrink back.
… … …
“Are you stupid! You’ve been honestly working there the whole time. Didn’t you see that everyone else is just going through the motions?”
“Madam, isn’t this bad? We didn’t give any gift money.”
“What’s so bad about it? Everyone is here just to eat a meal with meat. Otherwise, who would celebrate Old Man Huang’s birthday? He’s dirt poor but still pretends to be a rich family celebrating a birthday, isn’t he ashamed?”
“That’s true. Looking at the pig they slaughtered today, about a hundred catties, it probably won’t be enough to eat.”
“So you need to find an opportunity to secretly take some now and bring it back to supplement our son’s health, so that others don’t get any advantage.”
… … …
After the couple conspired, they walked back into the courtyard.
As fellow villagers, Huang Qi naturally recognized the two. The man’s name was Wang Bao, and the woman was his wife. The couple liked to take small advantages and were known for it in the village.
“A rolling stone gathers no moss.”
Huang Qi cursed inwardly, but then he understood. Since the explosion of terror, these villagers could barely eat enough. Being able to eat a meal with meat was indeed comparable to celebrating the New Year. It was not surprising that such people would appear.
Huang Qi took a deep breath, and then gathered his courage again, walking towards the door of his home.
Huang Qi always thought he was very brave before, but after entering the door, he realized it was because the pressure wasn’t great enough. When the surrounding villagers cast surprised glances at him, he couldn’t hold on anymore. He quickly shrunk into a ball and tiptoed into the main hall, hoping to attract as little attention as possible.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. When Huang Qi reached the entrance of the main hall, the courtyard behind him was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. After all, his attire was too conspicuous, and he was so tall. Even with a veil, he couldn’t be discreet.
Huang Qi’s mind went blank, and his feet moved uncontrollably. With great effort, he managed to move into the main hall, and the courtyard outside instantly erupted in an uproar.
