Volume 3, Chapter 204 – Life or Death, They Bear the Responsibility Themselves

Crack! Crack!

As the chest wrap tightened, Qi Huang’s bones let out agonized creaks. Her organs burned from the crushing pressure, the pain searing through her.

Just as she was on the verge of suffocation, the ties of the wrap suddenly loosened. Her distorted bones and muscles slowly shifted back into place, and her lungs greedily gulped down air as she gasped desperately.

“Who’s the little lady next door? Making such enticing sounds in the middle of the night—lonely, are we? Need this big brother to help you out?”

“What lone lady? In these times? More likely it’s a married couple having a good time.”

“As if this inn belongs to them! So what if he has a wife? Must the whole inn know about it?”

“Sorry to break it to you, but in these times, having a wife is something to brag about.”

“……”

The soundproofing in small-town inns was practically nonexistent. Qi Huang’s “enraptured” panting had been heard by every guest above, below, and beside her room, sparking a wave of rowdy comments.

Qi Huang’s cheeks burned with humiliation. “This is all your fault! Look what you’ve done!” she snapped in frustration.

“Hmph! Consider this a small lesson. Flaunt in front of me again, and next time, I won’t even let you breathe.”

Yaoyao showed no remorse, only cold warning.

“Then get off me! I don’t want this dress anymore!” Qi Huang added bitterly. She had seen through the nature of these skin suits—none of them were benevolent.

“Didn’t I already say? Once you put it on, you’re not taking it off.” Yaoyao sneered.

“Big sister! What do you actually want from me?” Qi Huang was on the verge of tears. If she had known it would come to this, she would never have been tempted by this cursed “gift”.

“What do I want? I want you to behave. Otherwise, what just happened will be just the beginning.”

“Sigh…”

Qi Huang exhaled in resignation, regret weighing heavily on her. This was the so-called “easier to invite a deity than to send one away”.

Her heart ached for her hometown elders, and since she had no way to overpower Yaoyao, she had no choice but to relent. Pushing open the window, she slipped out silently into the night—after making such embarrassing noises, she couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer.

“Oh, right. When we get to my hometown, don’t just speak up randomly. My folks are all ordinary people. I don’t want to scare them.”

Qi Huang suddenly remembered this and quickly reminded Yaoyao.

“That depends on you. If you don’t behave, I’ll scare them to death.”

Yaoyao’s tone was dripping with rebellious defiance.

Qi Huang felt like crying but had no tears left. It seemed her days ahead would be far from easy. As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free meal.

“By the way, what do you plan to do with these ordinary cats?” Yaoyao suddenly asked.

“Since I’m returning to my hometown, I’ll have the villagers adopt them. They can at least catch mice.”

Qi Huang thought for a moment before answering.

“Don’t force yourself. I’m not pressuring you. If it’s too much trouble, just dump them. Ordinary cats and us Nine Nether Demon Cats aren’t even the same species.”

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Yaoyao was clearly testing her.

“Do I look like I’m forcing myself? If I were, I wouldn’t have saved them back at the Yuxiao Sect!”

Qi Huang suppressed her irritation and explained patiently.

“As expected, you were born to be a poop-scooper.”

Yaoyao praised her again, though the words carried a mocking edge.

Qi Huang gritted her teeth, weighing the consequences of retorting—but in the end, she held back and silently tied on a veil.

With three large sacks of money now in her possession, Qi Huang walked with newfound confidence. After all, wealth was the best backbone.

“Wow! Daughter-in-law! That dress is gorgeous! It suits your aura perfectly!”

Li Fen gasped in admiration the moment she opened the door and saw her “daughter-in-law”.

“Really?”

Qi Huang smiled noncommittally, though inwardly she was screaming in frustration.

“Tch!”

Yaoyao couldn’t resist a scornful noise.

“Who—who was that? Who spoke?”

Li Fen jumped in fright. Given the recent ghostly disturbances in the village, she was as jumpy as a startled bird.

Qi Huang was equally startled—she hadn’t expected this damn catgirl to be so unrestrained. After a flustered pause, she clumsily acted ignorant:

“Someone spoke? I didn’t hear anything.”

“That ‘tch’ just now—you didn’t hear it?”

“Nope. You must’ve misheard.”

Qi Huang lied through her teeth.

“Really…?”

Li Fen was skeptical, but her absolute trust in her daughter-in-law kept her from pressing further.

Once inside the courtyard, the rest of the family came out to greet her.

“Daughter-in-law, how did the discussion with your family go?”

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Father Huang Kairong suddenly asked.

“What discussion?”

Qi Huang reflexively replied, confused.

Huang Kairong froze, exchanging a worried glance with his wife.

Just as Qi Huang was about to ask further, a mental transmission from her doppelgänger echoed in her mind:

“I told Father and Mother that you left Huatian Village to discuss buying houses for the villagers with your parents.”

Huang Tian explained.

“Not a bad excuse.”

Qi Huang smiled in approval.

“About the housing matter—Huang Kaiyou’s family is moving to the county town tomorrow. The villagers are all waiting eagerly to see if you’ll keep your word.”

Huang Kairong added.

“Of course it’s true! When have I ever gone back on my word?”

Qi Huang declared without hesitation, her confidence unshaken.

“Daughter-in-law, are you really buying houses for them? That’s no small expense. Cultivation requires vast resources—don’t sacrifice your own progress just for pride.”

Li Fen advised kindly. Having a son who was a cultivator, she understood the financial burdens involved.

“Mother, you’re mistaken. This isn’t about pride—I genuinely want to help. Huatian Village is too remote. If they don’t leave soon, the wandering ghosts will claim every last one of them.”

Qi Huang’s tone was solemn.

Huang Kairong and his wife exchanged another glance, their faces softening with relief. With such a kind-hearted daughter-in-law, what more could they ask for?

“Huang Qi! Go inform the villagers—tell them to pack up. We leave tomorrow. I already said: the day Second Uncle’s family moves is the day we move.”

Qi Huang ordered her doppelgänger.

“Understood!”

Huang Qi acknowledged and immediately set off to carry out the task.

The Huang family sprang into action as well. Perhaps because they had been poor for too long, they couldn’t bear to part with anything, packing every usable item in the house until the courtyard resembled a small mountain of belongings.

“Father, Mother, throw away what you can. We’ll buy whatever we need in the county town!”

Qi Huang couldn’t help but feel exasperated. The village was far from the town, and without livestock to transport goods, hauling so much would be a nightmare.

Huang Kairong and his wife nodded superficially—but their hands never stopped packing.

Qi Huang didn’t push further. After all, no matter how humble these possessions were, they represented her parents’ lifelong toil.

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As Qi Huang returned to her room to pack, she grumbled at Yaoyao:

“Can you not suddenly speak up in the future? Do you know how terrifying that is?”

“Sorry, I tried to hold back! But it was just too unbearable!”

Yaoyao at least had the decency to sound somewhat apologetic.

“What’s so unbearable? Don’t I look good in this dress?”

Qi Huang frowned, displeased.

“You do look good—but that’s only because you have a pretty face. As for temperament? This dress doesn’t suit you at all. Look—the colors I chose are cool-toned, but you? Always giggling, those dimples popping out every second. You look like a bratty through and through, completely mismatched with the dress’s aura.”

Yaoyao couldn’t hold back her critique.

“Are you saying I’m not aloof enough? Where exactly am I lacking?”

Qi Huang pouted, deliberately stiffening her expression.

“Temperament isn’t something you can fake! The only way you’ll ever be aloof is if life beats it into you!”

Yaoyao teased.

“Life beating me? Impossible. If anything, I’m the one who beats life into submission.”

Qi Huang smirked triumphantly.

“There you go again! That smug look makes me want to punch you.”

Yaoyao gnashed her teeth.

Qi Huang felt as if cold water had been dumped over her, quickly toning down her expression—her chest still ached faintly from earlier.

Just then, raised voices erupted outside. Qi Huang focused her hearing and recognized her parents among them. She hurried out into the courtyard.

Outside, she saw her parents blocking Huang Kaiyou’s family’s path.

The latter was laden with bags—clearly planning to leave for the county town a day early.

‘Didn’t they say they were leaving tomorrow?’

Qi Huang was puzzled.

“Everyone is leaving tomorrow. For safety’s sake, can’t you wait one more night? Why the rush?”

Huang Kairong reasoned. Despite their strained relationship, as the elder brother, he still felt obligated to advise them.

“Move aside! Stop pretending to care! ‘For our safety’—what a joke! You’re just afraid we’ll make your daughter-in-law lose face!”

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Zhou Fang snapped impatiently.

“That’s right! She said she’d move with us on the same day? Well, we’re not letting her have her way!”

Qu Zhen added coldly.

“If she’s so rich, why make the villagers pack? Can’t she just buy everything new in town?”

Xie Mei chimed in mockingly.

Qi Huang finally understood—this family was doing this on purpose, leaving early just to spite her.

“You’d risk your lives over spite?”

Li Fen asked, stunned.

“Don’t worry, we’ve bought protective talismans. No ghost or demon can touch us.”

Qu Zhen boasted.

“Second Uncle, I’ll give you one last warning. Those low-grade talismans won’t do much. Stay until tomorrow and leave with us.”

Qi Huang took a deep breath. For her grandfather’s sake, she offered them one final chance.

“Who needs your pity? Get out of our way!”

Qu Zhen barked.

Huang Kaiyou glanced at Qi Huang, then at his own daughter-in-law, before resolutely declaring:

“Step aside. We leave today. Life or death—we’ll bear the responsibility ourselves.”

Qi Huang fell silent for a moment, then turned to her grandfather, who was watching from the doorway:

“Grandfather, what do you say?”

“Let them go. You’ve done all you can.”

The old man sighed and walked back inside.

“Father, Mother, let them pass. They’ve chosen their path. Life or death, they bear the responsibility themselves.”

With that, Qi Huang turned and left.

Huang Kairong and his wife exchanged another glance. Not wanting to undermine their daughter-in-law’s authority, they reluctantly stepped aside.

“Miss Qi, how’s that face-slapping feeling? Weren’t you going to take the villagers with us? Well? Why aren’t you leaving?”

“Yeah, making them pack—what, can’t even afford to buy them basic necessities?”

“All bark, no bite. Buying houses? More like renting!”

Huang Kaiyou’s family hurled taunts as they marched down the village’s dirt road, their figures gradually swallowed by the thick, eerie fog at the path’s end—a fog so dense it resembled the entrance to the underworld itself.