Chapter 75: Ghost Tomato (2)
“Shut up! We haven’t been here for half a year. People have to save themselves. If they don’t find other sects for help, are they waiting to die?”
Ruan Lingyu, being older and more mature, immediately reprimanded her junior sisters.
“I understand this too, but…”
Shen Yuan said unwillingly.
“No ‘buts.’ This can only be blamed on our HongHua Sect for not being good enough. People’s hearts are earned, not gained through the Immortal Alliance’s rules.”
Ruan Lingyu interrupted.
Qi Huang nodded secretly upon hearing this. Coming from a humble background, she also agreed with her eldest senior sister’s view.
“This immortal fairy speaks reasonably. Actually, we are not people who betray their sect. Everyone remembers that the disciples of the HongHua Sect risked their lives to exorcise ghosts and demons for the village. But this time, there was no other way, and it was the HeYi Sect who took the initiative to help.”
An elder in charge explained. After all, the HongHua Sect was a reputable immortal sect, and he did not want to fall out with them.
“No need to explain, I understand!”
Ruan Lingyu nodded understandingly.
“The HeYi Sect took the initiative to help?”
Yun Fei seized on the key point.
“Yes, the HeYi Sect is a hundred thousand miles away. We had no way to ask for help.”
The old man replied.
“Is this a coincidence?”
Yun Fei frowned. The other party coming by invitation was a completely different matter from coming on their own initiative.
“What?”
Ruan Lingyu asked subconsciously.
“Nothing.”
Yun Fei shook her head.
“Alright, let’s go to the next place.”
Ruan Lingyu did not press further and gave the order.
“Wait!”
Qi Huang immediately stopped them. She hadn’t finished her important business yet, so how could they leave just like that?
“What’s wrong?”
Ruan Lingyu asked confusedly.
“May I ask your surname, grandpa?”
Qi Huang asked the old man who had spoken earlier.
“My surname is Liu. May I ask what the fairy needs?”
Old Man Liu replied politely.
“I dare not accept the title of ‘command.’ The HongHua Sect has delayed your village’s matters for so long, and we feel very guilty. The ghost has been eliminated, but to be on the safe side, why don’t we give you another free check-up? Consider it an apology.”
Qi Huang said as kindly as possible.
“Free?”
Shen Yuan was stunned and was about to say something when she was interrupted by her eldest senior sister.
“Yes, yes, we can give you another free check-up!”
Ruan Lingyu reacted first, thinking how clever this junior sister was to find a way to make amends at such a moment.
“Free? Is it really free? We don’t have money to pay for your services! We already gave it to the HeYi Sect.”
Old Man Liu stated.
“Yes, it’s free, and we won’t charge you a single cent.”
Qi Huang reiterated.
“Then thank you, fairies.”
Old Man Liu was overjoyed and immediately shared this good news with the villagers. After all, no one could guarantee that the ghost was completely eliminated, or what if there were other ghosts in the village?
In the following time, the villagers’ attitudes towards the female disciples of the HongHua Sect changed noticeably.
“Junior sister is too smart. This way, not only did we not take risks, but we also salvaged most of the HongHua Sect’s reputation.”
Shen Yuan finally realized.
“Do you know why I interrupted you then? Don’t act impulsively.”
Ruan Lingyu took the opportunity to admonish her.
Not long after, Old Man Liu returned happily and expressed the villagers’ good intentions, wanting to invite the female disciples of the HongHua Sect for a simple meal.
Qi Huang refused without hesitation. She was born in a remote rural area and knew how difficult life was for farmers. If they were invited to eat with her and her senior sisters, they would probably have to empty their entire savings.
Old Man Liu was even more moved, and his prejudice against Qi Huang and the others completely disappeared.
Qi Huang also took the opportunity to inquire about the specific situation of the infant spirit. She had laid the groundwork for so long, wasn’t it all for the sake of the ghost tomato?
“Actually, the matter is very simple. A woman in our village died during childbirth. After everyone buried her, her unborn baby turned into a fierce ghost and continuously harmed the villagers. Later, an immortal elder from the HeYi Sect found this little brat at the woman’s grave and brought him to justice.”
Old Man Liu explained concisely.
“Grandpa Liu, can you take us to see the woman’s grave?”
Qi Huang requested, knowing that if there was a ghost tomato, it could only be here, as only places of extreme yin could nurture lonely ghosts.
Old Man Liu nodded repeatedly, as he had never seen such a gentle fairy in his life and could not refuse.
Not long after, Old Man Liu called a few young men from the village and then led Qi Huang and the others up the mountain.
They soon arrived at the woman’s grave. Qi Huang did not dare to be careless and immediately released her spiritual sense, carefully observing everything around her. Her sisters also drew their swords and cautiously guarded.
As for Old Man Liu and the others, they dared not approach from a hundred zhang away.
“How is it? Junior sister?”
Ruan Lingyu asked in a low voice, her breath fragrant.
“No lonely ghosts were found.”
Qi Huang replied after inspecting the area around the grave.
“That’s good.”
Ruan Lingyu breathed a sigh of relief subconsciously.
Old Man Liu and the local young men only dared to approach after hearing that there were no ghosts.
Qi Huang was also completely relieved and began to concentrate her spiritual sense to search for what she wanted. From the treetops to three feet below, she didn’t miss an inch.
After searching for a long time, Qi Huang finally found a purple shadow in the grass tens of zhang away from the grave. She tried to remain calm, but her heart couldn’t help but race, and her feet ran towards it uncontrollably.
“What’s wrong?”
Ruan Lingyu asked curiously, then followed closely. The others also followed behind.
Qi Huang reached the destination, pushed aside the grass, and saw a purple fruit lying on the ground, with withered vines next to it.
The fruit was about the size of a fist, round and plump, with a purple skin like an eggplant, densely covered with strange patterns. If it wasn’t a ghost tomato, what else could it be?
“Oh my! It’s really here!”
Qi Huang’s mouth curved into a smile, but because she was wearing a hood, no one could see it.
“What is this?”
Ruan Lingyu asked doubtfully, as ghost tomatoes were very rare. Unless one specifically sought to understand them, few cultivators would recognize them.
“This is a fruit that contains potent poison. I must take it away, otherwise, the villagers would be in mortal danger if they encountered it.”
Qi Huang said, half truthfully and half falsely. This fruit was indeed harmful to ordinary people, but the most important thing was that she wanted it.
“Then we’ll trouble the fairy!”
Old Man Liu thanked them profusely, not suspecting anything.
Qi Huang took out a handkerchief and carefully wrapped the ghost tomato, putting it into her bag. She scoffed at the book “A Compendium of Strange Flora and Fauna in the Cultivation World”: “Who wrote this book? Is their mental state normal? They call this rare? This? It’s not even as hard as finding a flea on your head.”
“Alright, since there are no problems, we should leave now.”
Ruan Lingyu, the eldest senior sister, ordered.
Afterward, amidst the villagers’ repeated thanks, Qi Huang left Wang Village with her senior sisters. Although she didn’t do much, she had significantly salvaged the HongHua Sect’s reputation.
Qi Huang was thinking all the way about how to use the ghost tomato in her bag. She had two options: first, use the ghost tomato directly. If lucky, her spiritual sense might directly reach the Huashen realm. Second, keep the ghost tomato and take it back to be used as “fertilizer” for planting vegetables as initially planned, taking a path of sustainable development.
Qi Huang thought for a long time and did not want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Therefore, she decided to preserve it for now. If she could obtain more ghost tomatoes in the future, she would consider using them directly then.
…
At noon that day, a group of people appeared at the foot of the HongHua Sect. They wore uniforms and carried standard swords, clearly belonging to the same sect.
As it turned out, this group was from the HeYi Sect in the neighboring county. The bald middle-aged man leading them was the sect leader of the HeYi Sect, surnamed Lin, whose full name was Lin Feng.
“Father, do you really need to come to the HongHua Sect in person? A fifteen-year-old genius in the Huashen realm, I’ve never even heard of it. I don’t believe it. Moreover, that woman only participated in the Evergreen Convention a few months ago and didn’t even qualify as a Prefecture-level Immortal Seed. At that time, she was at most at the fifth or sixth level of the Guiyi Realm. How could she break through so quickly?”
A tall, thin young man next to him complained.
“Chao’er, it’s better to be safe than sorry. We are neighbors with the HongHua Sect. Although we are both part of the Immortal Alliance, there is no shortage of competition between us. It’s better to investigate and be sure.”
Lin Feng patiently explained.
“Then how do you plan to investigate? Will you test her directly? What if the so-called genius girl is hiding?”
Lin Chao asked curiously.
“If she doesn’t make a move, then it should be fine to release a clone to see, right? If she hides even her clone, then it’s almost certain she’s fake.”
Lin Feng asserted.
Following this, father and son discussed as they headed towards the HongHua Sect. In any case, they were determined to clarify this matter this time.
