Volume 1, Chapter 19 – She’s a Genius, and I’ve Become One Too
Volume 1, Chapter 19 – She’s a Genius, and I’ve Become One Too
Li Fen had prepared herself to argue about her “daughter-in-law’s” unsightly hands, but the sight before her was like blinding sunlight piercing through overcast skies—the surprise was so sudden she was completely unprepared.
“This… this can’t be! Her hands were clearly just…”
Li Fen muttered to herself, but an uncontrollable grin spread across her face.
“How is this possible?! Just days ago, your hands were so rough—I saw it with my own eyes! How could they become so fair and delicate in just a few days?”
A village woman was the first to voice skepticism, her reaction quicker than the men’s.
“My fingers appeared swollen because of the cold weather—I got frostbite that day. It wasn’t about bone structure. After applying medicine these past few days, they’ve naturally recovered.”
Huang Qi effortlessly spun another flawless lie.
“Did you all hear that? My daughter-in-law’s hands were frostbitten! Frostbite causes swelling—haven’t you all experienced it before?”
Li Fen, now fully recovered, immediately backed him up, grinning from ear to ear. The explanation was just too reasonable.
“Ah, so that’s it!”
The villagers nodded in sudden understanding.
Huang Qi took the opportunity to slip his gloves back on. Having such delicate, jade-like hands as a grown man was mortifying—he wasn’t used to being scrutinized like this.
“What’s going on?!”
Sensing something amiss, Zhang Lao’er turned back and demanded.
“Zhang Lao’er, those hands are undoubtedly a woman’s… no, even more delicate than most women’s! What else do you have to say?”
“Yeah, hurry up and apologize! Offending a young lady from a wealthy family like this—do you think there’ll be any good fruit for you to eat later?”
“I warned you not to stir up trouble for no reason! Serves you right!”
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The villagers chimed in one after another, their tones varying, but most were clearly reveling in his misfortune—proof that Zhang Lao’er had never been well-liked.
“Impossible! I don’t believe it!”
Zhang Lao’er, stubborn to the end, glared at Huang Qi. “Show me! Otherwise, I won’t accept it!”
“If you don’t believe me, fine. But do you distrust all these fellow villagers too?”
Huang Qi swept his gaze across the crowd.
“They must’ve gotten some benefit from the Huang family! That’s why they’re colluding with you! No wonder you made me turn around earlier!”
Cornered and humiliated, Zhang Lao’er lashed out recklessly.
“Everyone, you’ve all seen it. Zhang Lao’er slandered me, and now he’s slandering all of you too! Isn’t this ruining everyone’s reputation?”
Huang Qi smiled inwardly. Two can play at this game.
“Zhang Lao’er, explain yourself! What do you mean by ‘colluding’?!”
“You keep saying we took bribes from the Huang family—where’s the proof? If you can’t produce any, don’t blame us for being harsh!”
“Exactly! You think we’re all as shameless as you? If you don’t clear this up today, don’t even think about leaving!”
The villagers, now furious, closed in on him.
Li Fen was stunned all over again. She hadn’t expected her daughter-in-law to be so clever—with just a few words, she’d turned that troublemaker into public enemy number one.
“Hah! Whether you took bribes or not, you know the truth in your hearts!”
Zhang Lao’er blustered, his voice fierce but his courage wavering. He simply couldn’t believe that a pair of rough hands could transform into delicate jade in just days. The only explanation was that the Huang family had bribed everyone.
“Daring to slander my honor repeatedly? Seems like you’re itching for a beating!”
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A hot-tempered villager finally snapped, throwing the first punch. Others quickly joined in, while the women cheered them on from the sidelines.
“Let’s go, Mother.”
Satisfied, Huang Qi turned to Li Fen.
“Mm!”
Li Fen responded sweetly, eagerly taking her “daughter-in-law’s” hand as they headed home.
“So soft… If these aren’t a girl’s hands, I’ll eat my hat!”
She discreetly rubbed Huang Qi’s fingers, her heart settling further.
Nearby, Old Man Huang Xinghu watched the scene unfold, a relieved smile spreading across his face.
Not long after, Huang Kairong returned from gathering firewood. Upon hearing what happened, he cursed angrily:
“That bastard Zhang Lao’er! We’ve never had any feud with him—why would he deliberately pick a fight?”
“Think about it—who in Huatian Village would least want our family to find a daughter-in-law?”
Li Fen hinted.
“Who?”
Huang Kairong fell into thought.
“Who else but your brother’s family?”
She spelled it out helplessly.
“No way… We’re blood brothers! Would he really go that far?”
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Huang Kairong refused to believe it.
“Hah! For his sons, what wouldn’t Huang Kaiyou do? Without our courtyard, how will his two boys live after marriage? And that Zhang Lao’er has always been one of his drinking buddies. No matter how you look at it, he’s the prime suspect.”
Huang Qi agreed with his mother’s reasoning. His uncle’s coveting of their family home was common knowledge.
Huang Kairong sighed heavily. Deep down, he’d suspected his brother too—he just didn’t want to face the truth.
Back in his room, Huang Qi finally had time to ponder the feminization of his left hand.
“Why does it sometimes happen when I sleep, and sometimes not?”
After much deliberation, a thought struck him:
“Wait—maybe it’s not sleeping that causes it, but dreaming!”
His reasoning was sound. Reviewing each instance of feminization, they’d all occurred after dreams. That afternoon nap yesterday, where he’d simply slept without dreaming, had produced no changes.
“It has to be this!”
The more he thought, the more convinced he became.
“But what can I do? Sleep is a biological necessity—I can’t just avoid it!”
He laughed bitterly. Only cultivators could minimize sleep—ordinary people had no such luxury.
“Wait… cultivation!”
A desperate idea surfaced. Though he’d once proven himself talentless, the mask’s effects had now spread above his chest. If left unchecked, he’d soon be forced to go out with noticeable breasts. At this point, he had nothing to lose.
Acting immediately, Huang Qi sat cross-legged on the bed and began circulating the Honghua Sect’s foundational technique—”Returning Sea Art”
Cultivation was divided into six major realms:
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- Spirit Gathering 1 聚灵, Jùlíng
- Body Tempering 2 炼体, Liàntǐ
- Unity 3 归一, Guīyī
- Incarnation 4 化身, Huàshēn
- Divine Powers 5 神通, Shéntōng
- Heavenly Tribulation 6 天罚, Tiānfá
Each realm had nine layers. The ability to reach the first layer of Spirit Gathering was the most basic proof of one’s talent.
What was Spirit Gathering?
Humans, nourished by the five grains, inherently carried the five elemental energies within them—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. A predominance of one element determined one’s spiritual affinity. Generally:
Men leaned toward Metal, Fire, or Earth.
Women tended toward Wood or Water.
Spirit Gathering involved channeling one’s dominant elemental energy into the dantian 7 气海, Qìhǎi to form true qi, then using it to pierce through the Guanyuan acupoint 8 关元穴, Guānyuán Xuè below the navel. Only then could one absorb external spiritual energy, advancing to Spirit Gathering Layer 1.
To break through the Guanyuan acupoint, one needed at least one-ninth of the dantian filled with true qi—requiring an abundance of one’s primary elemental energy.
Back when Huang Qi first joined the Honghua Sect, he’d been assessed as an Earth affinity. After years of cultivation, just as he’d nearly accumulated enough Earth qi to attempt the breakthrough—his body abruptly stopped producing any more. The attempt failed, leading to his expulsion. Worse, having exhausted his Earth qi and now being past the optimal age, his cultivation prospects had seemed permanently doomed.
Huang Qi knew this well. But with no other options, he could only test whether another elemental affinity might suffice.
Sitting in meditation, he activated the Returning Sea Art. Normally, this would summon his second-most abundant element.
“I wonder what my secondary element is, if not Earth…”
As the technique cycled, a faint coolness began emanating from his upper body—specifically, the already feminized areas.
“This must be… Water qi?!”
The realization hit him just as the cool sensations multiplied, converging into tiny streams that rushed eagerly toward his dantian.
“How is this possible?! A man like me—how could I have so much Water qi?!”
His eyes flew open in shock. The concentration of Water qi far exceeded expectations—it even surpassed his previous Earth qi reserves! In his understanding, such abundant Water qi only existed in women—and even then, only the exceptionally talented ones.