Volume 2, Chapter 117 – “I Feel Like You Don’t Act Like a Girl”

“Mom! She’s bullying me again!”

Qi Huang, pushed to her limits, caught sight of her mother nearby and—despite the disgust she felt at her own actions—forced herself to whine like a spoiled child.

“Little Ling, stop teasing her. She has such a large wound on her leg, and the bleeding hasn’t even stopped yet.”

Jiang Linian couldn’t bear to watch any longer and stepped between her two daughters.

“Oh ho! So now you’re calling for reinforcements? Let’s see how long Mom can protect you.”

Cheng Hongling sneered, then turned away with a cold laugh, taking the medicine bottles and bandages back to her room.

Qi Huang took a deep breath and only then realized her clothes were completely drenched in sweat. A chilling sensation crept over her.

“If she bullies you again in the future, just tell me.”

Jiang Linian stepped forward and gently stroked Qi Huang’s head.

“Mhm! Mhm! Mhm!”

Qi Huang nodded like a chick pecking at rice, her heart swelling with emotion.

Not long after, Jiang Linian brought out the meal, and the family of three gathered around the table to eat.

“Now that you’re back, I should update you on what’s been happening in the Honghua Sect during your absence.”

Cheng Hongling took a couple of symbolic bites before setting down her chopsticks. Given her high cultivation level, she hardly needed food for sustenance anymore.

“First, regarding the Ghost Tomatoes—the sect has exhausted all efforts to gather them. So far, we’ve only managed to obtain one. If my predictions are correct, it’ll be nearly impossible to find more in the future. The Heyi Sect has been moving much faster than us. At this point, we’re just picking up scraps.”

Cheng Hongling began with the situation concerning the Ghost Tomatoes.

Qi Huang remained silent. With only five in total, she wasn’t sure how far apart they’d need to be placed to lure out the Blue-Scaled King Snake.

“What Ghost Tomatoes?”

Jiang Linian asked in confusion. Due to deliberate concealment by those around her, she still had no idea her daughters were planning to lure the serpent.

“It’s nothing.”

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Cheng Hongling brushed off the question before her mother could press further.

“Then there’s the matter of Bajiao Village. Sect Leader Qin’s negotiations with the Heyi Sect didn’t go well. They’re relying on their superior strength to shamelessly deny responsibility.”

“What?! Those damn bastards!”

Qi Huang, thinking of her wronged distant relatives, couldn’t hold back her curses.

“Then we should just take it to the Immortal Alliance! We have all the evidence anyway.”

After a moment of thought, Qi Huang made the suggestion indignantly.

“Sect Leader Qin had the same idea. Not long ago, he sent Elder Ruan to the prefecture capital. But he didn’t even get to meet with the higher-ups of the Immortal Alliance—it seems they have no intention of intervening.”

Cheng Hongling replied with an impassive expression.

“Why?! Aren’t they the Immortal Alliance? Don’t they keep preaching about upholding justice and order in the cultivation world?”

Qi Huang pressed, her agitation rising.

“Who the hell knows?”

Cheng Hongling snorted coldly.

Qi Huang’s anger refused to settle. Gritting her teeth, she declared:

“No. The villagers of Bajiao suffered so terribly—we must get justice for them. If the Immortal Alliance won’t act, then I will!”

“Good, that’s the spirit! I feel the same way, which is why I’m discussing this with you. Your divine sense has now reached the Incarnation Realm, making you a key combatant for the Honghua Sect. If you want to seek justice for them, you can’t afford to act recklessly anymore. From now on, you must follow my orders.”

A trace of approval flickered across Cheng Hongling’s face.

“Don’t worry. As long as it’s for the sake of Bajiao Village’s villagers, I’ll obey your arrangements.”

Qi Huang quickly pledged.

“Oh? Good! Come to my room after the meal. There’s more I need to tell you.”

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With that, Cheng Hongling stood and returned to her room.

Jiang Linian looked utterly lost, but she was understanding enough not to pry.

Not long after, Ruan Lingyu and a few other close senior sisters arrived for a visit, carrying bags of gifts.

“Qi Huang, how’s the injury on your foot?”

Ruan Lingyu immediately asked with concern as she approached.

“Y-You… how did you know I’m the doppelgänger?”

Qi Huang was shocked. She had already changed clothes and was sitting down—there was no way the wound on her foot was visible.

“Oh, that’s easy! After spending so much time together, we’ve long since memorized all the differences between you and the main body. We can tell at a glance.”

Ruan Lingyu replied smugly.

“Yeah, you can’t fool us anymore.”

Yun Fei chimed in from the side.

“Am I really that different from her?”

Qi Huang found it hard to believe. She had always thought she and the main body were practically identical.

“Of course!”

Ruan Lingyu couldn’t help but laugh.

“Let me give you an example. Although Junior Sister Hongling is naturally beautiful, she also knows how to dress herself up. But you? Not a single piece of jewelry on you.”

“And your eyelashes—you’ve never curled them, have you?”

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“No ear piercings either!”

“And you don’t even wear makeup! Tsk tsk… what kind of girl goes around like that?”

The other senior sisters joined in, pointing out flaws with teasing smiles.

Qi Huang suddenly understood. Of course—she had lived over twenty years as a man. How could she have developed such habits? These subtle differences might escape notice at first glance, but over time, they became obvious.

The realization that she had been impersonating the main body all this time sent another cold sweat down her back.

“Where’s Junior Sister Hongling?”

Ruan Lingyu suddenly leaned in closer, her lips parting slightly as a faint, orchid-like fragrance drifted from her.

“Sh-She’s… in her room.”

Qi Huang’s head spun dizzily from the scent.

“Elder Sister, have you forgotten what I said? Don’t come within three steps of her. Unless you want me to throw you out.”

Cheng Hongling’s icy voice cut through the air from inside the room.

Ruan Lingyu stiffened as if struck by lightning, hastily retreating several steps with an awkward smile.

With Cheng Hongling keeping watch, the senior sisters left disappointed, their schemes foiled.

“Come in. We have important matters to discuss.”

Cheng Hongling called out.

Qi Huang stared at the main body’s room, her heart pounding.

‘Is she luring me in to kill me?’

She hesitated, but then the faces of the wronged villagers and her dead relatives from Bajiao Village flashed through her mind. Summoning her courage, she limped forward and pushed the door open.

The familiar, delicate fragrance greeted her as she entered. Cheng Hongling sat calmly by the table, sipping tea with a serene expression—nothing about her hinted at treachery.

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“Sit.”

Cheng Hongling gestured to the chair beside her.

Qi Huang exhaled in relief and awkwardly made her way over, plopping down. She placed her hands on her knees and leaned forward slightly, like a well-behaved child.

Cheng Hongling swept a critical gaze over her doppelgänger and sighed.

“Although we look identical, people who are close to us can tell us apart at a glance—like those senior sisters just now. Do you know why?”

“Physical traits?”

Qi Huang ventured.

“Not just that. It’s your behavior, your mannerisms, your habits. Before, it didn’t matter if we were different. But now that we’ve switched identities, we can’t afford to be exposed. If people realize the truth, the fact that I’m only at the Unity Realm will be confirmed. Even though that Zhou guy lied before and most people no longer believe him, your divine sense has now reached the Incarnation Realm. Proving my cultivation level would be effortless, and no amount of his lies could cover it up.”

Cheng Hongling laid out the stakes clearly.

“I understand!”

Qi Huang straightened her back, trying her best to mimic Cheng Hongling’s aloof demeanor.

“Your acting is terrible. Do you know what your problem is?”

Cheng Hongling scoffed.

“Sometimes, I genuinely don’t understand. As my doppelgänger, why do you seem so… unconfident? Is being my copy some kind of disgrace? If you lack even basic self-assurance, no amount of acting will make you resemble me.”

Qi Huang was speechless. She had been nothing but an expelled outer disciple of the Honghua Sect, born into poverty—where would she find confidence?

“Lack of confidence—that’s the first issue. Second… for some reason, I feel like you don’t seem like a girl.”

Cheng Hongling’s eyes gleamed sharply as she spoke.

“W-What?!”

Qi Huang shuddered violently, nearly falling off her chair.