Volume 1, Chapter 12 – Bet You Didn’t Expect This, My Daughter Really Is a Genius (Part 1)

“Junior Brother Wei, you’ve misunderstood!”

Cheng Yuan’s smile turned strained.

“Well, that’s a relief!”

Disciple Wei smirked insincerely before shifting his gaze to the mother and daughter.

“And this must be your wife and daughter?”

“Yes. This humble one is Jiang Linian, and this is my daughter, Cheng Hongling.”

The mother—Huang Qi’s current dream-body’s parent—introduced them with quiet dignity.

‘What? Cheng Hongling? Fairy Hongling?’

Huang Qi was stunned. Was the body he inhabited in this dream actually the renowned Fairy Hongling? But why was she so young?

‘I’m an idiot. It’s just a dream—why overthink it?’

He immediately mocked himself.

Disciple Wei ignored the exchange and continued addressing Cheng Yuan:

“Senior Brother Cheng, if you’re worried about your daughter’s safety, out of past camaraderie, I’d be willing to take her in as my son’s maidservant when she’s older. That way, she could settle in the Honghua Sect.”

“A maidservant? Hah! I appreciate your generosity, Junior Brother Wei.”

Cheng Yuan’s smile vanished entirely.

“Suit yourself. Farewell, then.”

With a cold laugh, Disciple Wei spurred his horse and rode off.

“Husband… you were part of the Honghua Sect?”

Jiang Linian finally whispered the question.

“Just an outer disciple. Kicked out for lack of talent.”

Cheng Yuan’s tone was casual, but his icy stare remained fixed on Wei’s retreating figure.

Huang Qi found this oddly fascinating. Cheng Yuan’s experience mirrored his own—though such cases were common in the Honghua Sect, it was still a strange coincidence that this man was his dream-body’s father.

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“Brother Cheng, why refuse the cultivator’s offer? Do you know how hard it is to get a settlement permit for the Honghua Sect?”

“Exactly! If you didn’t want it, you could’ve passed it to me!”

“All those trips to the prefecture—weren’t they just to buy your daughter a spot in the sect? Now you reject a shortcut and choose danger instead?”

Several fellow travelers approached, lamenting Cheng Yuan’s “wasted opportunity”.

“Generosity? You’ve never lived in an immortal sect. Women there are treated worse than livestock. Wives and concubines are just money-making tools for those so-called cultivators—let alone maidservants. Accepting would’ve thrown my daughter into hell.”

Cheng Yuan explained patiently.

“But she’d still be a cultivator’s maidservant! Surely that’s better than being a commoner. Not long ago, a cultivator’s dog went missing, and even the prefect got involved. Do commoners have that kind of influence? Surely a maidservant ranks higher than a dog in their eyes!”

Someone retorted.

“If I told you women in the Honghua Sect are treated worse than dogs, would you believe me?”

Cheng Yuan chuckled darkly.

“You’re exaggerating!”

“Pride goes before a fall! What a fool.”

“Let’s go. Walk long enough in the dark, and you’ll meet ghosts. He’ll regret this.”

The group left, shaking their heads.

Huang Qi, however, fully believed Cheng Yuan. Having spent over a decade in the Honghua Sect, he knew the truth—when women flooded the immortal sects, their value plummeted, just like men in the mortal world.

“Hah! A maidservant? I’d rather be a dog!”

Cheng Yuan snorted, then gently patted his daughter’s head.

“My daughter is our little princess. She’ll never be anyone’s servant.”

Huang Qi admired him deeply. This was what a real father looked like—willing to face danger for his child’s sake.

The journey resumed, the carriage jolting along the mountain path.

Huang Qi grew increasingly puzzled. This was just a dream, so why could he feel every sensation? And why was his mind so lucid?

‘This feels too real—like sleep paralysis. Except instead of being trapped, my body’s autonomous.’

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After another hour, the rocking subsided as they arrived at their destination. Huang Qi’s small body was lifted out by his dream-mother.

The scene before him clarified—they had reached the Honghua Sect’s entrance.

Nestled in Yunpan Mountain, about twenty to thirty li east of the prefecture, the Honghua Sect was Huangtian Prefecture’s largest cultivation sect. Though it had only a few hundred disciples, its influence was immense. Today was its public recruitment day, and the crowd at the gates buzzed like a marketplace.

The sight stirred nostalgia in Huang Qi. His own entry into the sect years ago felt like yesterday.

After registering, Cheng Yuan and his wife carried their daughter inside, joining other hopeful parents.

Passing through the towering granite gates felt like stepping into another world. The flagstone paths were smoother and wider than the prefecture’s streets. Pavilions, towers, and shops lined the avenues, making the sect resemble a small town.

But the most striking sight was the women—flocks of them, dressed in finery. Compared to the outside world, this was practically a kingdom of women.

“Damn! The sect really is packed with beauties!”

“No wonder men claw their way in. It’s paradise!”

“Ugh, if only I could live here. Even a blind pick would beat my wife—ugly and ill-tempered.”

“Obviously! Any halfway decent-looking woman rushes to the sects these days.”

Nearby men gawked openly.

Cheng Yuan, however, remained unmoved, his expression faintly disdainful. Many of these women were concubines or maidservants of Honghua Sect disciples—their comfort bought with dignity.

Following directions, they soon reached the testing area—a small square with four tables, each manned by a Honghua Sect examiner. Among them was the only female examiner, a woman Huang Qi recognized: Xu Mei, the sect’s youngest and sole female elder, responsible for instructing female disciples.

Xu Mei appeared to be in her thirties, her black hair simply coiled at her nape, framing a mature oval face with striking, refined features. Despite her poised posture, her curvaceous figure was unmistakable—she even had to lean back slightly to avoid her ample bosom pressing against the table.

Since testing was gender-segregated, Huang Qi’s body joined the line for Xu Mei. Fortunately, few girls had come for testing.

Too small to stand alone, the girl was carried by her father while her mother rested under a nearby tree.

Huang Qi took the chance to observe his surroundings. Though expelled years ago, he still felt a twinge of nostalgia for his former sect.

“Qian Yu? Failed. Next!”

“Kong Wenlin? Why does that sound familiar? Wait—weren’t you here last year? Get out!”

“Feng Zigao, you barely meet the outer disciple standard, but at thirty, you’re too old to cultivate. Dismissed!”

One after another, applicants were rejected, trudging away dejected.

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Huang Qi wasn’t surprised. If anyone could cultivate, the Honghua Sect wouldn’t have just a few hundred members.

Though Cheng Yuan knew this too, witnessing the brutal culling firsthand tightened his expression. His anxious gaze kept returning to his daughter.

“Yan Ming—congratulations! You’ve passed. Welcome as an outer disciple of the Honghua Sect!”

Finally, after who knew how long, a success.

“Really? Hah! Yes! My boy! Our Yan family waited generations for another cultivator!”

Yan Ming’s father jumped for joy, laughing and crying—until his legs gave out, and he fainted. His family hastily carried him off.

The crowd watched enviously.

Huang Qi, however, was unimpressed. Outer disciple? That’s nothing. No sect insignia, no uniform—barely even counted as a member. Becoming a full disciple would take years. He’d spent nearly two decades stuck at that stage.

In Huangtian Prefecture, maybe one in ten thousand met the true cultivation standard.

“Well, well—Senior Brother Cheng! I thought you were just visiting? What brings you here?”

A familiar voice rang out.

Huang Qi turned to see Disciple Wei approaching with several fellow disciples—and an elderly man at their forefront.

Elder Wu. One of the Honghua Sect’s five elders.

Cheng Yuan paled. Of all times to run into Wei again—and with an audience! Now, even excuses were impossible.

“Cheng Yuan… remember me?”

Elder Wu stepped forward.

“Master!”

Cheng Yuan forced a grin.

“Good! You do remember. Then my trip wasn’t wasted.”

Elder Wu’s tone dripped sarcasm before he waved dismissively. “Go home. Stop embarrassing yourself.”

“Why?”

Cheng Yuan’s voice trembled.

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“Cultivation requires bloodline talent. I know your limits. Even if your daughter barely qualifies as an outer disciple, she’ll never advance further. Why waste her youth, like you did? Better to marry her off young—let her enjoy life. Wait too long, and she might not even find a husband. You know how things are here.”

The “advice” was venomous.

Huang Qi was appalled. How could a master speak this way? If he felt offended, how must Cheng Yuan feel?

Cheng Yuan’s breathing grew ragged. He glanced at his wife, then his daughter, before gritting out:

“Master, you forget—my daughter isn’t just mine. She’s her mother’s too. I trust them.”

“I won’t let you ruin her. If her talent is lacking, she won’t enter the Honghua Sect!”

Elder Wu shook his head in disappointment before leading his group to Xu Mei for a hushed discussion.

“Disgrace of a master!”

Cheng Yuan muttered.

Jiang Linian bit back her words, choosing silent support instead.

Huang Qi, too, was baffled. Why would a master be so cruel to his former disciple?

Finally, it was Huang Qi’s dream-body’s turn.

Cheng Yuan set his daughter on the stool, and the little girl obediently extended her chubby hand.

“What a well-behaved child.”

Xu Mei rarely gave praise, but she did now before pressing slender fingers to the girl’s wrist.

At that moment, Huang Qi noticed Cheng Yuan’s breathing had stopped—sheer tension. The mother, too, stepped closer. With so many “acquaintances” watching, failure would be humiliating.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, Xu Mei looked up, her expression one of shock.

Cheng Yuan and his wife exchanged bewildered glances.

Xu Mei rose solemnly, her voice trembling slightly as she announced:

“Brothers and sisters of the Honghua Sect—who claimed Huangtian Prefecture was a rat’s nest? It seems Heaven has finally blessed us!”