Volume 3, Chapter 164 – The Ghost Tomatoes Have Ripened

“Is there a problem? A fifteen-year-old genius at the Incarnation Realm—my future is boundless. If you scare me into some mishap, it’ll be a loss for the entire cultivation world.”

Qi Huang spoke shamelessly, her face utterly devoid of shame.

Beside her, Cheng Hongling hesitated to speak, her expression twisting slightly as if she couldn’t bear to watch.

“Then I can only apologize to the entire cultivation world. The demands you’ve made—not even our Yuxiao Sect, let alone the Huxiao Sect, could possibly fulfill them.”

Liu Lei adopted the look of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, completely resigned.

“You don’t have them?”

Qi Huang frowned slightly and sent a telepathic message to confirm: “Is he telling the truth?”

“I beg you! If you’re going to extort someone, at least do your homework! A basin of Snow Boar blood? Are you a chef planning to make spicy blood stew? The entire Western Radiance Dynasty’s cultivation world might not gather a basin of Snow Boar blood in a year! And the Blue-Crested Sparrow—its nests are constantly raided by cultivators, pushing it to the brink of extinction. Yet you demand ten eggshells? Are you trying to wipe them out completely? The Blue-Crested Sparrows will surely thank you! Of the things you listed, the only thing the Yuxiao Sect might have is fifty bottles of cat tears—because they keep a Nine Nether Demon Cat in captivity.”

Cheng Hongling couldn’t hold back her complaints, clearly having bottled this up for too long.

“Ah… is that so?”

Qi Huang was somewhat embarrassed. She coughed dryly before asking, “Then… the Soul-Stabilizing Elixir you need—does it really require Snow Boar blood and eggshells?”

“Wait… you were asking for these things… for me?”

Cheng Hongling suddenly realized.

“Of course! I’m only at the fifth layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm—what would I need those things for?”

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Qi Huang replied with a resentful tone.

A complicated expression flashed across Cheng Hongling’s delicate face, and her voice softened slightly. “I only need a small vial of Snow Boar blood and one Blue-Crested Sparrow egg. Don’t push them too hard—you might force them into a corner.”

“Got it. But asking for more isn’t necessarily bad—it leaves room for bargaining.”

Having clarified the situation, Qi Huang turned back to Liu Lei and declared, “I’m not an unreasonable person. Since we’re all under the Immortal Alliance’s banner, I won’t make things difficult for you. One vial of Snow Boar blood, one Blue-Crested Sparrow egg, and fifty bottles of cat tears—that’s my final offer. Otherwise, you can wait for the Immortal Alliance to come knocking.”

Liu Lei’s face twisted in conflict. After a brief discussion with the other elders, he wisely conceded. “Fine. But fifty bottles of cat tears aren’t easy to gather—I’ll need time.”

“Great! But don’t take too long. I’m not a patient person—who knows, I might get angrier and start slaughtering people.”

Qi Huang spoke brazenly, though inwardly, she was sweating bullets. Staying in this den of trouble even a moment longer was a huge risk.

Liu Lei naturally didn’t dare delay. He immediately ordered the elders to gather Qi Huang’s “compensation for emotional distress”.

Meanwhile, Cheng Hongling instructed the Yuxiao Sect to prepare some light food for her father. It wasn’t that she was thin-skinned—it was just that someone who had been starved shouldn’t eat rich food right away.

After half an hour of tense waiting, the Yuxiao Sect finally assembled Qi Huang’s “compensation”. Without ceremony, she stuffed everything into a sack.

Liu Lei and the elders watched with pained expressions, wishing they could exhume Zheng Wei’s corpse and flog it.

Having obtained what she wanted, Qi Huang also demanded a horse from the Yuxiao Sect to carry her father before leaving, thoroughly satisfied.

“What happened today must not leave this room. Understood?”

Liu Lei finally relaxed slightly before turning to warn the elders.

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“Sect Leader… are we just going to swallow this loss?”

One elder couldn’t stomach the injustice.

“What else do you propose? A fifteen-year-old genius at the late-stage Incarnation Realm—we can’t handle her now, let alone in the future. If anyone mentions revenge again, don’t blame me for being harsh.”

Liu Lei’s tone was severe.

The elders exchanged glances. Though their faces were etched with resentment, they had to admit Liu Lei’s decision was correct.

“That bastard Zheng Wei kidnapped Cheng Hongling’s father without authorization, costing our sect dearly. The Snow Boar blood and Blue-Crested Sparrow eggshell are valuable, but they won’t cripple us. The real problem is the fifty bottles of cat tears—that’s nearly our entire stock! What will our disciples use to subdue demons and ghosts in the future?”

Liu Lei glared at the elders.

“Indeed. Though our sect keeps a Nine Nether Demon Cat, there’s only one. We can’t possibly meet the demand in the short term.”

Elder Fang sighed.

“Forget it. From today onward, everyone must search for suppliers of cat tears. We’ll decide our next steps once we’ve secured some.”

Liu Lei ordered.

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Qi Huang and her main body brought her father home before rushing back to the Honghua Sect. After all, they had been gone for half a month. Though no one knew of their absence, anything could have happened in that time.

The two hurried back, only relaxing once they confirmed the sect was peaceful.

Upon returning home, Qi Huang and her main body were inevitably scolded by their mother and master.

Cheng Hongling, ever filial, hid the truth of her father’s kidnapping to spare her mother worry, only saying she had urgent business.

Qi Huang found the whole ordeal exhausting and wanted no part in it. She immediately distributed thirty bottles of the cat tears to her master, Xu Mei, and a few close senior sisters.

This act of charity naturally earned her effusive praise. But when her senior sisters started crowding her for more favors, she quickly fled.

Back in her quarters, Qi Huang immediately resumed her vegetable-growing project. This trip had inexplicably granted her mastery of Water Exquisite Art, which was like “adding wings to a tiger” for her.

Determined to grow stronger despite her exhaustion, she took a knife and drew her own blood, diluting it with water to nourish the Ghost Tomato seedlings.

Dizziness washed over her again, but she stubbornly remained in the greenhouse, tending to the plants day and night—even conducting her main body’s cultivation sessions there.

As it turned out, the “Valley Granny” hadn’t lied. Her blood was indeed different now. The Ghost Tomatoes sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, growing a full third taller by the next day.

Overcome with excitement, Qi Huang nearly drew more blood despite her lightheadedness. But the thought of passing out and risking another “feminization” by the Spiritual Wisdom Soul forced her to restrain herself.

“No good… My body’s too weak. I can’t afford to lose much blood. Guess I’ll need to eat more nourishing food.”

With that decision made, she sold some cat tears and used the proceeds to buy tonics, stuffing herself silly.

While Qi Huang was busy with her “unorthodox” pursuits, Cheng Hongling remained focused. She commissioned someone to refine the Soul-Stabilizing Elixir and entered seclusion. Once the frosty Profound Ice Core fully saturated her Qi Sea, she would break through—no longer needing to painstakingly pretend to be an Incarnation Realm expert.

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A few days later, Qi Huang received a year-delayed message from her doppelgänger, “Huang Tian”, informing her that her two cousins were getting married.

Eager to bring honor to her family, she secretly returned for the wedding banquet and gifted her grandfather a life-extending pill.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Cheng Hongling’s diligence bore fruit—she reached the peak of the ninth layer of the Unity Realm and prepared to break through using the Soul-Stabilizing Elixir.

“Once I reach the Incarnation Realm, I won’t have to watch you act anymore!”

Cheng Hongling boasted confidently in front of her doppelgänger.

“I’ve said it before—as long as there’s life, there’s acting.”

Qi Huang smiled without another word. Then, with a sly look, she harvested sixteen ripe Ghost Tomatoes from her greenhouse—the fruits of her labor over these past months.

She placed twelve on the table and took out the Tongming Comb, ready to charge straight into the Divine Realm.

‘That way, this tsundere main body will have to watch me act for the rest of her life.’

The very thought filled her with excitement.