Volume 1, Chapter 23 – “Officer, This Is My Daughter-in-Law”

The Great Horror had left the world teeming with restless spirits, and only the techniques of immortal sects could truly eradicate them. As a result, cultivators held supreme status in this era. Many talented women even vowed to marry none but an immortal master.

Thus, when Huang Qi had entered the Honghua Sect at nine years old, his greatest ambition wasn’t to become an immortal—it was simply to find a wife and start a family!

Yet despite nearly twenty years of effort, he had never obtained that tiny cultivator’s waist token. Who would’ve thought that years after being expelled, he’d finally have a chance to achieve his dream?

Reaching the first layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm required three steps:

1. Accumulating enough spiritual energy.
2. Clearing the meridians connected to the Guanyuan acupoint to allow smooth energy flow.
3. Assaulting the Guanyuan acupoint itself to break through.

Since Huang Qi had already completed the second step during his time in the Honghua Sect, all that remained was the final breakthrough.

With meticulous control, he guided the water-attributed spiritual energy from his dantian through his meridians toward the Guanyuan acupoint. This process demanded absolute precision—too forceful, and his meridians would rupture, crippling him forever; too gentle, and the energy would dissipate before breaking the barrier, leaving him equally ruined. Countless cultivators had perished at this stage.

Fortunately, Huang Qi had twenty years of experience. His energy manipulation was second nature. Like a relentless stream, his spiritual power wore away at the invisible membrane sealing his acupoint—neither rushed nor hesitant.

Time blurred.

Just as his reserves were about to deplete—

Crack!

A faint sound echoed in his mind, like ice splitting under pressure. A chill surged from his lower abdomen, as if a hole had been torn in his clothes. External water-attributed spiritual energy flooded in, replenishing his depleted reserves. A refreshing coolness spread through his limbs, like a breeze on a sweltering summer day.

When the sensation faded, Huang Qi opened his eyes.

His senses were sharper. His vision clearer. His hearing more acute. It was as if he had woken from a dream twice over.

“So this is the first layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm?”

He marveled at the newfound strength in his limbs. Even the weight of his two new burdens no longer strained his back.

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“Hah! Who would’ve thought? The so-called ‘cultivation deadbeat’ dropout’ has finally become a cultivator!”

The faces of his former sect brothers—those who had mocked him—flashed in his mind, filling him with vindictive glee.

“Master! Fellow villagers! I haven’t failed you!”

The guilt he’d carried for years lightened slightly.

But his excitement quickly faded.

He had only reached the first layer. The Human Skin Mask’s curse still loomed over him.

“Cultivators at this stage can go seven days without sleep. That means I have seven days to find a way to stop this feminization!”

Yet almost immediately, his hope deflated.

He had no leads. No ideas. Even seventy years wouldn’t be enough.

“Do I really have to accept this fate? But I don’t want to be a woman!”

The memory of his chest’s transformation sent a shudder through him, leaving psychological scars.

“Forget it. Let’s see if Father’s back.”

Shaking off his dread, he adjusted his appearance and stepped out.

In the courtyard, Huang Kairong had already returned, unloading sacks of rice and flour from his wheelbarrow. Without hesitation, Huang Qi hoisted a fifty-pound bag—a weight that would challenge most women, but he was no ordinary woman now. He was a cultivator.

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“Daughter-in-law, you look so delicate, yet you’re surprisingly strong!” Li Fen remarked, impressed by how effortlessly “she” carried the load.

“Delicate?”

Huang Qi wasn’t so sure. He certainly didn’t feel delicate.

Before they could rest, hoofbeats thundered in the distance.

The family rushed outside to see four or five uniformed officers galloping toward their home, kicking up dust. Neighbors gathered, drawn by the commotion.

“Is this Huang Qi’s residence?” The lead officer dismounted, his tone clipped.

“Yes, sir!” Huang Kairong answered calmly. He knew his son’s character—there was no reason to fear.

Huang Xinghu and Li Fen stood firm. Huang Qi himself remained composed. He had always abided by the law.

“By decree of the Western Radiance Dynasty, all unmarried men aged twenty-eight or older must enlist by month’s end. Your son qualifies. Report to Prefect Shi Sima at once.”

The village erupted in panic.

Huang Qi’s blood ran cold.

He was twenty-eight.

“Wait—since when is the conscription age twenty-eight? It was thirty!” Huang Kairong protested.

“The frontlines are desperate. The law has been amended,” the officer replied coldly.

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“So any unmarried man over twenty-eight must serve?”

“Gods! My son’s twenty-six—how can he find a wife in two years?!”

“This can’t be! They can’t just change the law! He’s my only son!”

The villagers’ outcry grew frantic—especially from men like He Chao and Liu Keqian, who were nearing the cutoff.

Huang Qi’s mind reeled. The war was a meat grinder. Few who enlisted returned alive.

“Officer, my son is twenty-eight, but he’s already betrothed,” Huang Kairong interjected, stepping aside to reveal his “daughter-in-law.” “This is his fiancée.”

“Fiancée?”

The word jolted Huang Qi awake.

‘Right! Why am I panicking? I’m not Huang Qi right now—I’m the Huang family’s daughter-in-law! With this appearance, they’d sooner charge me with impersonation than send me to war!’

Relief washed over him.

The officer’s gaze lingered on Huang Qi, a flicker of admiration breaking through his stern demeanor.

“If he’s engaged, register at the magistrate’s office immediately. Miss the deadline, and he’ll be treated as a draft dodger.”

“Understood. Thank you, sir.” Huang Kairong bowed, then hesitated. “But my son is traveling. He can’t return in time.”

The officer’s expression darkened—but then, unexpectedly, his eyes drifted back to Huang Qi, and his tone softened.

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“Fine. The parents and the fiancée must appear in his stead. No exceptions.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the officers rode off, the village buzzed with dread.

“Thank the heavens our Huang Qi is responsible. Otherwise, we’d lose him,” Huang Kairong sighed.

“Responsible? We should thank our daughter-in-law! Without her, our only son would be gone!” Li Fen corrected.

“Ah, yes! Stupid of me! No matter how capable Huang Qi is, it’s her favor that saved him!”

“We’ll go to the magistrate tomorrow. Sooner the better,” Li Fen decided, turning to “her” for approval.

“The magistrate?!”

Huang Qi stiffened. He had been avoiding the county seat, unsure if the Honghua Sect was still hunting him.

“Is something wrong?” Li Fen frowned.

“N-no! Of course not!”

He forced a smile. There was no way out of this.

‘Fine. I’ll wear a veil. Even if the worst has happened… no one should recognize me.’

He could only pray his disguise held.