Volume 3, Chapter 208 – Qi Huang, I’ll Kill You

Qi Huang’s actions weren’t born from sheer recklessness—there were two reasons behind her decision. First, it helped smooth over the awkwardness of her main body’s failed mission. Second, it secured a sales channel for the cat tears. Having obtained so many Nine Nether Demon Cats, she wasn’t about to let such a lucrative opportunity slip away. The Honghua Sect would be her first and most important customer.

What Qi Huang didn’t realize was that her actions had effectively thrown Cheng Hongling—who had failed the mission—straight into the fire. Not that it mattered. Qi Huang never acted without careful consideration. Even if her main body was roasted to a crisp, she had ways to salvage the situation.

After purchasing nine jade vials, Qi Huang’s next step was to learn the production method for cat tears. She wasn’t foolish enough to sell pure, unprocessed tears.

“Yaoyao, do you know how to make cat tears?”

Qi Huang went straight to the source—this was just efficient resource utilization, after all. Free information was free information.

“I do. But why should I tell you? Give me a reason.”

Yaoyao sneered. The Nine Nether Demon Cat clan had fallen to its current state precisely because of cat tears, so she had no desire to revisit the subject.

“Simple. I need cultivation resources. The stronger I get, the better a cat caretaker I can become. Doesn’t that make sense?”

Qi Huang appealed to logic and emotion.

“Hmph. That’s the first time you’ve given me a reason that doesn’t sound completely insane.”

For once, Yaoyao actually praised her.

“Thank you for your approval. So, can you tell me the production method now?”

Qi Huang pressed eagerly.

True to her word, Yaoyao quickly relayed the formula for cat tears. Qi Huang’s heart settled—the process was surprisingly simple, and the other ingredients were all common herbs, unlike the precious Nine Nether Demon Cat tears themselves.

Thinking it over, Qi Huang understood. The formula was meant to be diluted. If the additional ingredients were too valuable, the whole endeavor would be pointless.

Without delay, Qi Huang gathered the necessary herbs and prepared a set of tools. Now, all she had to do was wait for the full moon.

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Two days passed in a flash. Qi Huang had been slightly worried that her main body might return mid-operation, complicating things. But Cheng Hongling was dragging her feet, nowhere to be seen. Unintentionally, this provided Qi Huang with the perfect timing and opportunity.

When the night of the full moon arrived, Qi Huang slipped out of the Honghua Sect in secret. Since the Nine Nether Demon Cats only shed tears under moonlight, she couldn’t collect them inside a spatial ring. She needed a remote, undisturbed location.

Given the heavy yin energy in the world, moonlight was only visible near the Honghua Sect, so she couldn’t venture too far. She had to be cautious.

After some searching, Qi Huang found a suitably secluded spot. She released the nine Nine Nether Demon Cats and placed the jade vials on the ground.

Thanks to Yaoyao’s mediation, the cats obediently crouched before their respective vials.

As Qi Huang waited anxiously, the moon above finally reached its fullest brilliance.

The cats gazed upward, their emerald-green eyes shimmering like liquid jewels. Then, like pearls, tears began rolling down their furry cheeks.

“Perfect!”

Qi Huang nearly danced in excitement. Every single drop was pure gold.

“Remember your promise. If you fail to uphold it, I’ll feed your soul to these cats.”

Yaoyao couldn’t stand Qi Huang’s greedy, triumphant expression and issued a warning.

“Uh…”

The threat sobered Qi Huang instantly, and she quickly composed herself.

As time passed, the cats eventually stopped crying. Qi Huang checked the vials—each had collected about half a bottle.

“Incredibly high yield!”

These little creatures truly defied normal expectations.

A quick calculation: nine half-bottles equaled four and a half bottles of pure tears. From her prior research, Qi Huang knew that refined cat tears for cultivators had a 1:10 dilution ratio. That meant her haul could produce forty to fifty bottles.

At a conservative price of a thousand taels per bottle, that was forty to fifty thousand taels—a literal gold mine.

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“With this money, I won’t need to hunt for ghost tomatoes myself. I can just post bounties and have everyone else do the work for me!”

Qi Huang grinned inwardly. Of course, growing her own was still necessary—she couldn’t waste the seeds. Double the effort, double the speed toward invincibility.

Once the tears were collected, Qi Huang carefully stored the little ancestors back in her spatial ring. Her meticulous handling was starting to resemble that of a true poop-scooper.

“These things are like a bunch of emperors. Fine, poop-scooper it is.”

Deep down, she knew that if she didn’t do it, someone else would.

With the vials secured, Qi Huang excitedly headed back. The next step was production.

Locked in her room, under Yaoyao’s guidance, Qi Huang spent two to three days diluting the four and a half bottles of pure tears into fifty bottles of cat tears.

Her eyes gleamed as she stared at the densely packed vials covering her table.

“Forty or fifty bottles is great, but if I diluted them further…”

She couldn’t help but fantasize.

“You’re a disgraceful swindler! This is already the minimum standard. Any more, and it’ll be counterfeit. When the entire cultivation world hunts you down, I’m running. You’re on your own.”

Yaoyao scolded furiously.

“Don’t be mad! I was joking! I’m selling these to Honghua Sect disciples—I wouldn’t scam my own people!”

Qi Huang hastily defended herself. She was just traumatized by poverty, always worrying about shortages. Actually producing fake goods would weigh too heavily on her conscience.

“Who knows with you? You’re more of a demon than I am.”

Yaoyao couldn’t resist the jab.

Qi Huang chuckled and swiftly stored the cat tears in her spatial ring, as if afraid someone might steal them.

“Mission accomplished. Time to rest. But… why hasn’t my main body returned yet? What’s she up to?”

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Qi Huang muttered in confusion.

Outside the Honghua Sect, Cheng Hongling had been hiding in a secluded spot for an entire hour. Pacing back and forth, she couldn’t muster the courage to step through the gates.

The reason? She had failed her mission. She hadn’t captured the Nine Nether Demon Cat.

Cheng Hongling knew the Honghua Sect had no reserves of cat tears. This mission had been critical for the sect’s survival. Yet here she was, returning empty-handed. How could she face everyone?

The more she thought, the more her courage waned. At sixteen, this was the first time she had ever felt such cowardice.

Just then, Qi Huang’s voice echoed in her mind through soul resonance.

“Where are you? The sect elders have asked about you multiple times.”

Qi Huang was baffled. Given the main body’s speed, she should have arrived long ago. Yet there was still no sign of her.

“Almost there, almost there.”

Cheng Hongling answered distractedly.

“Almost where? Give me a real answer!”

Qi Huang was growing impatient. She needed her main body back to start selling.

“Ugh, stop nagging! I’ll get there when I get there!”

Already in a foul mood, Cheng Hongling snapped.

“What’s wrong with you? Did your period come early?”

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Qi Huang wondered—but that didn’t make sense. Their cycles were synced. Unless there was a leak…

After a moment, realization struck.

“…You didn’t catch the Nine Nether Demon Cat, did you?”

“How did you know?”

Cheng Hongling was shocked.

“If you’d succeeded, you’d have rushed back celebrating. The fact that you’re hiding means you’re ashamed.”

Qi Huang teased.

“Fine, yes. I failed. I ran into a Divine Ability Realm expert—there was no winning. Don’t tell the sect. I don’t want to cause panic.”

Cheng Hongling pleaded.

“You can’t hide this forever.”

Qi Huang’s tone was amused.

“Then what do I do? If I tell the truth, how do I face the elders and my master? If I lie, I don’t have a cat to show for it!”

Cheng Hongling groaned in frustration.

“Relax. I already told them you didn’t capture the cat—but you did find a supplier for cat tears. From now on, anyone who wants some can buy them from you. Right now, everyone’s waiting for you to deliver.”

Qi Huang suggested cheerfully.

A long silence followed.

Then—

“QI HUANG, I’LL KILL YOU!!!”