Chapter 75: They Caught Up After All (2)
The five Immortals arrived at the County Office without stopping, disregarding all rules. They revealed their identities and told the yamen runners at the entrance to summon Chief Clerk Yuan. After all, cultivators were supreme in this world.
“Oh my, where have you ladies been? About an hour or two ago, that imposter registered with a Tooth Token, and I couldn’t find you for the life of me,” Chief Clerk Yuan complained at the top of his lungs as soon as he saw the Immortals, trying to prove how diligent he had been.
“As expected, Ni Er San Ling I Yuan Jian Si!” Yun Fei said through gritted teeth.
“Alas! I was tricked again, almost becoming a gift-delivering child!” Ruan Lingyu sighed, her expression as if she had been played with and broken.
Miao Xiang, however, burst into tears, angered to the point of crying.
“I knew our Master would never send us to our deaths! I’ll flay this damned imposter and parade her naked through the streets if I catch her,” Shen Yuan said, drawing her long sword and slashing it ferociously a few times.
“Remember to skin her!” Su Qing reminded coldly.
Chief Clerk Yuan looked at the Immortals with confusion but dared not ask.
“Did she go inside to register the Tooth Token?” Ruan Lingyu confirmed after a long while, having recovered her senses.
“Yes,” Chief Clerk Yuan replied respectfully.
“What was the name used?” Ruan Lingyu pressed, as she was unaware that Qi Huang had forged a Tooth Token.
“Qi Huang! Is there a problem?” Chief Clerk Yuan asked cautiously.
“Then there’s no problem.” Ruan Lingyu breathed a sigh of relief. She had been very worried that the crazy woman would report her Junior Sister’s name, as her disguise skill was so good that forging a Tooth Token with the name “Cheng Hong Ling” should not have been difficult.
If Qi Huang knew Ruan Lingyu’s thoughts, she would have been overwhelmed with emotion. Her current appearance was not a disguise but the work of the Feminization Mask.
“Even though that bad woman is incredibly wicked, she’s quite devoted. Under our very noses, she took the risk of being exposed just to register,” Miao Xiang marveled, her small mouth slightly agape.
“Isn’t devotion a good thing? No matter where she is now, we can just go to the Huang family and wait for her!” Ruan Lingyu made a decision.
“What if she stubbornly refuses to admit it then? After all, we can now distinguish her from Junior Sister,” Shen Yuan said, concerned that her sword might not be useful.
“It won’t be the case. This time, I won’t give her any chance to quibble. We’ll directly escort her back to the HongHua Sect to confront Junior Sister,” Ruan Lingyu had already made her plans.
The Immortals thought this was a good plan, so they rushed to Huatian Village without delay, disregarding any danger.
…
On the other side, Qi Huang, completely unaware that she had been exposed, was still rushing home with her father, her Spiritual Sense extended to constantly monitor any movements around them.
“Let’s hurry. We’ve reached Maying Gully. I heard someone heard wolf howls in this area!” Huang Kairong suddenly reminded her.
“Awooo…”
Before he could finish speaking, a ghostly wail suddenly sounded, echoing far into the deep mountains and old forests.
“Oh no, it’s really wolves! Run quickly!” Huang Kairong exclaimed in shock and urged his “daughter-in-law.”
“Wolf?” Qi Huang was also startled. By reflex, she quickened her pace. However, after a few steps, she suddenly realized, “That’s not right. I’m a cultivator now, why should I be afraid of wolves?”
Huang Kairong thought his “daughter-in-law” couldn’t run anymore, so he slowed down to cover her and casually picked up a wooden stick from the roadside.
A moment later, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed, and two emaciated, starving wolves chased after them, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Through her Spiritual Sense, Qi Huang noticed that the two wolves were so thin that their faces resembled dogs or foxes. However, the wildness emanating from them was still incomparable to dogs. Their beastly eyes were cold, their mouths bared in fierce snarls, revealing sharp fangs, and their fur stood on end like steel needles, making one suspect their father might have accidentally been penetrated by a porcupine.
Huang Kairong immediately stopped, fearlessly picking up the wooden stick and blocking behind them, while instructing his “daughter-in-law,” “You run quickly, I’ll stop them.”
“Stop them? Can you stop them?” Qi Huang expressed doubt.
“I… I can’t stop them, but they’ll take some time to eat me, which will be enough for you to run for a while. If… if you can’t outrun them, find a tree to climb. Wolves can’t climb trees,” Huang Kairong trembled all over but still spared a moment to remind his “daughter-in-law,” after all, she was the future of the Huang family.
Qi Huang was very touched, thinking that the ability she had finally obtained could finally be put to use.
As the two wolves approached, likely due to hunger, they soon lost their patience and pounced. Huang Kairong was terrified to the extreme but still didn’t take a step back. Seeing the two gaping mouths rush towards him, he closed his eyes in fear and swung the wooden stick in his hands aimlessly, his nerves taut, ready to be bitten.
Qi Huang, however, was exceptionally calm. With a thought, two almost invisible long strands of hair suddenly shot out like steel wires, silently piercing the foreheads of both wolves and emerging from the back of their heads. Then, as stealthily as they had appeared, they retracted.
“Bang!”
The two wolves, running forward, suddenly lost control, falling straight in front of Huang Kairong. Their limbs began to twitch uncontrollably, as if they were feigning injury.
Huang Kairong opened his eyes in confusion, looking at the two wolves with disbelief. He turned and asked, “What’s wrong with them?”
“I don’t know, they’re too thin. Maybe they fainted from hunger!” Qi Huang pretended to be foolish.
“Really?” Huang Kairong was skeptical. He poked them with the wooden stick. When he confirmed that the two wolves were half-dead, he grinned excitedly, ” I thought you were here to eat me, but you actually wanted to be eaten by me! What kind, kind wolves!”
Muttering so, Huang Kairong quickly found two vines nearby, bound the two wolves, and slung them over his shoulder. “Heh, even though they’re a bit thin, together they’re still forty to fifty pounds. That’ll be enough for our family to eat for several months,” Huang Kairong weighed them, a satisfied smile on his face.
Looking at her father’s appearance, Qi Huang was filled with regret. If she weren’t being hunted by the HongHua Sect, with her current abilities, she could surely lead her family and even the villagers to a better life.
Thus, father and son… or rather, father and daughter wolves continued on their way, returning to Huatian Village in the afternoon.
Before Qi Huang even reached the entrance, the noisy sounds from inside came to her. “What’s going on?” Qi Huang felt an inexplicable sense of oppression. After exchanging a look with her father, she quickened her pace.
“Huang Qi’s eyesight is too poor, finding such a lover! He’s really brought disaster upon the Huang family.”
“Yes, she disappeared for no reason. Now not only is Huang Kairong gone, but Old Master Huang is also about to die.”
“Huang Qi is something else. I mean, if your lover is gone, she’s gone, but you should at least come back to take responsibility. How can you let your own father go to battle for you?”
…
Before Qi Huang entered the courtyard, she heard the villagers discussing her.
“Sister-in-law, tell me honestly, did you hire that girl to act?” Huang Kaiyou’s voice rang out at this moment.
“I’ve told you countless times, no!” Li Fen replied impatiently, clearly in a bad mood.
“No? Then why did she disappear for no reason? Huang Qi is my nephew. If he doesn’t have a lover, just say so. I’ll have my two daughters-in-law introduce one to him. Even if he’s raising someone else’s child, at least it wouldn’t end up like this!” Huang Kaiyou said hypocritically.
“Who says I disappeared!” Qi Huang walked in and questioned loudly. She looked around and noticed that the courtyard was lit by firelight, with about twenty people sitting around, and she didn’t know what they were doing there.
The courtyard suddenly became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Huang Kaiyou and his wife stared, their faces turning pale and then red.
“Yes, my daughter-in-law went back home to get the Tooth Token, so it took that long,” Huang Kairong panted, following behind her. The two wolf carcasses on his back were so conspicuous.
“What is that? Is it a wolf? Or a dog?”
“It’s a wolf! My heavens! Where did he get it?”
“He probably bought it. His daughter-in-law is so rich, buying two wolf carcasses shouldn’t be a problem.”
…
The villagers erupted, flocking to watch.
“You’re back! I thought…” Li Fen ran over, weeping uncontrollably.
“Mother! It’s okay! Don’t cry! I’ve already registered with the Tooth Token,” Qi Huang quickly comforted her.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry! Husband, quickly go and check on your father. He fell ill after learning that your daughter-in-law was missing and you were arrested. He hasn’t eaten for two days and can’t even speak clearly now,” Li Fen quickly wiped her tears and said.
“What?” Qi Huang was shocked and ran into the side room first. Now she finally understood why those relatives and friends were in the courtyard.
“Grandpa, I’m back! I’m back!” Qi Huang called out as she entered the side room. Because of the quilt, she couldn’t see her grandfather’s face, and couldn’t even hear his breathing.
“Back? My granddaughter-in-law is back?” Old Master Huang, who had been silent, miraculously spoke and trembled as he reached out to lift the quilt.
“Yes! Father! Your granddaughter-in-law didn’t disappear; she went back to get the Tooth Token for registration. See, I’m back unharmed!” Huang Kairong quickly explained.
“Good! Good! Is there any food? I’m hungry for meat!” The old man pursed his lips and said.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Li Fen broke into tears of joy and went to get food. Qi Huang also breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he had an appetite for food, he would slowly recover.
“Father, eat something first to line your stomach. We’ll slaughter those two wolves for you to replenish your health,” Huang Kairong rolled up his sleeves and went out. Qi Huang didn’t want to disturb her grandfather’s rest and followed her father out.
“Everyone, lend a hand! Tonight we’re having wolf meat!” Huang Kairong said generously.
“Huang Kairong, did your daughter-in-law buy these wolves?” someone asked.
“Hungry…” Huang Kairong reflexively wanted to say they starved to death.
“I didn’t buy them. My father… my father-in-law killed them on the road,” Qi Huang interrupted her father.
“Heavens, Huang Kairong is too fierce, killing two wolves by himself? Could they be the wolves from Maying Gully? I heard someone heard wolf howls there!”
“If that’s really the case, he’s simply eliminating harm for the villagers!”
“Huang Kairong, this old fellow, doesn’t look like much, but I didn’t expect him to be so capable. Look, he killed two wolves and doesn’t have a scratch on him.”
…
The villagers’ faces were filled with admiration. Huang Kairong was so pleased with his daughter-in-law’s “sensibleness” that his mouth almost split into a grin.
Qi Huang knew it was still early and planned to find an excuse to slip away, but thinking of her grandfather, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“Forget it. Anyway, it will take at least two to three days for those Immortals to travel to and from Fengming County. I’ll stay and see for a while, and leave when Grandpa’s condition improves a bit!” Qi Huang calculated, completely unaware that her plan would be exposed.
As dusk fell, laughing and joking voices came from outside the door. Qi Huang frowned and saw her two cousins arrive, but this time they were not alone, bringing not only those two so-called sisters-in-law but also three women who were equally hideous. The seven of them walked into the courtyard, showing no restraint despite Old Master Huang’s illness, continuing to play around. The other bachelor men around them were like cats smelling fish, instantly unable to move, except for He Chao and Liu Keqian, who were still diligently cleaning the wolf carcasses.
“Nephew’s wife, I heard you were going to introduce girls to He Chao and Liu Keqian. Didn’t you bring two little sisters home this time?” Huang Kaiyou seized the opportunity to stir up trouble.
Upon hearing this, the surrounding villagers all turned their gaze to Qi Huang. Qi Huang was flustered. Where would she find little sisters? She had a lot in her dreams.
“You don’t even have two little sisters, do you? Are your connections that poor?” Qu Zhen taunted. Huang Kairong and his wife looked at their daughter-in-law with concern, not knowing how to help for a moment.
“Who said I don’t have any! Aren’t we here?” A voice came from the doorway at this moment. Huang Qi trembled, almost losing his soul, because it was Ruan Lingyu’s voice.
