Volume 4, Chapter 256 – Madam, You Are Indeed No Ordinary Person (Part 1)

As the shelter was nearing completion, Qi Huang prepared to make a quick escape, only for misfortune to arrive.

“Hehe, your future husband is here.”

Yaoyao suddenly teased.

“Stop joking! What husband do I have?”

Qi Huang instinctively retorted.

“Am I not your future husband?”

A man’s voice abruptly rang out. Before the words had even faded, a tall, slender figure appeared in the clearing. His phoenix-like eyes glinted with amusement as he gazed at Qi Huang, his entire demeanor exuding an eerie charm.

This uninvited guest was none other than the Zombie Crown Prince, Jiang Feng.

“Why is it you?”

Qi Huang was startled and immediately hid behind Yaoyao, thinking to herself how unlucky she was, whatever she feared most always seemed to come true.

“Surprised? Or perhaps pleasantly surprised?”

Jiang Feng spoke with shameless confidence.

“Hehe, what a wonderful surprise! It would’ve been even better if you hadn’t come at all!”

Qi Huang forced a dry laugh.

“Oh? You came all this way to visit your future husband. If I didn’t come to greet you, wouldn’t that be too heartless?”

Jiang Feng spoke as if they were already intimate.

“I didn’t come to visit you! Don’t flatter yourself!”

Qi Huang immediately protested.

“Is that so? Then why have you two young ladies been building houses and claiming land here? Don’t tell me you plan to settle down permanently?”

A trace of excitement flashed across Jiang Feng’s face.

“That’s exactly the plan. I wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince would welcome us?”

Yaoyao asked calmly, her expression unreadable.

Rеаԁ оո КаtRеаdіngCafе

“Of course you’re welcome! After all, Fairy Hongling is my future crown princess, we’re practically family!”

Jiang Feng replied magnanimously before his tone shifted.

“As for you… staying isn’t impossible, but I’ll need to confirm whether you’re friend or foe. If you’re an ally, then settling here is no issue. But if you’re an enemy… well, your actions would be nothing short of a land grab.”

“Giggle…”

Yaoyao’s bell-like laughter rang out.

“I never expected His Highness to be not only formidable in strength but also astonishingly thick-skinned. This land currently belongs to the Western Radiance Dynasty. The Great Qi Kingdom fell long ago, it has nothing to do with you. How can you accuse me of stealing your territory?”

“Miss Yaoyao is quite the eloquent speaker. Unfortunately, I’m already dead. That so-called Western Radiance Dynasty belongs to the world of the living, it holds no authority over me.”

Jiang Feng’s narrow phoenix eyes narrowed further, radiating danger.

‘Did negotiations just break down?’

Qi Huang grimaced internally, curling into herself.

“Fine, then let’s talk about mutual benefit.”

Surprisingly, Yaoyao didn’t escalate the confrontation. Instead, she patiently explained:

“To be frank, I’m establishing a sanctuary for our Nine Nether Demon Cat tribe. If I were you, I wouldn’t interfere, I’d even offer protection.”

“Oh? Is that so? I’d like to hear your reasoning, Miss Cat Spirit.”

Jiang Feng’s smile grew even more sinister.

“Your Highness, don’t forget, you’re now one of the ghostfolk, natural enemies of cultivators. Sooner or later, war will break out between you. And how do low-level cultivators track wandering spirits? Isn’t it through the tears of Nine Nether Demon Cats?”

Yaoyao reminded him pointedly.

“That’s common knowledge. What’s your point?”

Jiang Feng’s expression turned thoughtful.

“My goal is to rescue my kin, bringing them from the clutches of the major sects to settle here. If you provide sanctuary, cultivators will eventually run out of cat tears to use. Wouldn’t that be an immense advantage for the ghostfolk?”

Yaoyao laid out her argument plainly.

Rеαd on KatRеaԁіոɡСafe

“A valid point!”

Jiang Feng had an epiphany, but then his brow furrowed again.

“However, Nine Nether Demon Cats feed on wandering spirits. If I shelter them, wouldn’t I be nurturing a future threat? What if they harm my subordinates?”

“Your Highness, the Pingshan Mass Burial Grounds are teeming with wandering spirits, not all of them belong to you.”

A faint smirk tugged at Yaoyao’s lips.

“Understood. But you must guarantee that my subordinates won’t be targeted. Otherwise, once you’re here, you’ll never leave, this sanctuary will become your graveyard.”

Jiang Feng delivered his warning with an impassive expression before turning to leave with a flourish.

“Deal!”

Yaoyao visibly exhaled in relief. Like Jiang Feng, she feared nothing for herself, but she had a group of vulnerable kin to consider, forcing her to act cautiously.

“You actually convinced him?”

Qi Huang wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

“Did you think I was as unprepared as you? If I dared come here, I already had a plan.”

Yaoyao lifted her chin proudly.

Qi Huang was speechless. ‘Why do you have to take digs at me while explaining?’

Not daring to linger outside, Qi Huang hurried to finish constructing the shelter. But Yaoyao acted like a merciless overseer, nitpicking every detail without lifting a finger herself. By the time Qi Huang was finally freed, night had already fallen.

“From now on, this will be the home of the Nine Nether Demon Cats. I’ll mostly stay here to protect my kin, so I won’t be returning with you.”

Yaoyao announced her decision.

“Huh?”

Qi Huang’s face scrunched up in dismay. Her assistance to the Nine Nether Demon Cats wasn’t solely for their tears, she also relied on their ability to block divine sense. Without Yaoyao’s help, even leaving the Honghua Sect would be impossible.

“Look at that pitiful expression! Anyone would think I’m abandoning you after taking advantage!”

Yaoyao scolded before adding, “Since you’ll still be helping me care for my kin, all the cat tears will remain yours.”

Rеаⅾ οn ΚаtRеаԁіոgСаfе

“Do I look that greedy? The real issue is that without your cover, what if my main body discovers me? Leaving the Honghua Sect will be a nightmare!”

Qi Huang laid out her predicament.

“And? I’m not your babysitter, don’t push your luck! If you’ve got any pride as a woman, go back and defeat your main body. Make her your subordinate and enforce the Three Obediences and Four Virtues!”

Yaoyao remained unmoved, even egging her on.

“If I dared do that, forget the sect gates, I probably wouldn’t even make it out of my own room!”

Qi Huang shuddered at the thought.

“Not my problem!”

Yaoyao gloated.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you, the spatial ring is almost full. If we don’t find a bigger one soon, when you bring more of your kin, there might be a stampede. What if some get hurt or killed? And if I’m stuck in the Honghua Sect, who’ll solve that for you?”

Qi Huang countered smoothly.

“Useless fool. Fine, I’ll escort you back this time. Notify me whenever you need to leave in the future.”

Yaoyao rolled her slit-pupiled eyes in exasperation before transforming into a black waist-high ruqun that draped over Qi Huang’s body.

Smirking in triumph, Qi Huang rushed back to the Honghua Sect’s training chamber. Only then did Yaoyao use the spatial ring to transport her “kin” back to the sanctuary.

That night, dozens of Severed Immortal Sect disciples scaled the walls of the Cheng residence. They slaughtered every living thing in sight, even mice that dared peek out were chased down three streets.

After the bloodbath, only Cheng Yuan and his wife remained alive—not out of mercy, but because they still served a purpose.

Cheng Yuan had heard the commotion and tried to alert his daughter, but the invaders’ leader was terrifyingly strong. The moment he picked up the Thousand-Mile Communication Tube, it was snatched from his hands.

Horrified, Cheng Yuan immediately crushed a talisman he kept on his person. A semicircular ice barrier enveloped him and his wife.

“Who are you people?”

Rеаⅾ οո ΚαtRеаⅾіnɡCαfe

Standing protectively in front of his wife, Cheng Yuan demanded with forced composure.

“No one important, you wouldn’t know us. But your name is renowned, Cheng Yuan, father of the illustrious Fairy Hongling!”

The leader, Altar Master Xu, replied casually before throwing a straightforward punch.

Crack!

The ice barrier shattered like glass, splintering into pieces.

“What do you want? If you know this is Cheng Hongling’s home, how dare you barge in?”

Cheng Yuan shielded his wife desperately.

“Nothing much. I just have a question I’d like you to answer.”

Altar Master Xu remained unhurried.

“What question?”

Cheng Yuan steadied his nerves.

“Are you two truly ordinary people? How else could you have produced a daughter as exceptional as Cheng Hongling?”

Sect Leader Xu’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Of course we’re ordinary! Our backgrounds are clear, we’re locals of this prefecture. If you don’t believe me, go ask around! And since when can’t ordinary people have outstanding children? Are nobles and generals the only ones entitled to talent?”

Cheng Yuan refuted fearlessly.

“Well said! But dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, the sons of rats will only dig holes. In the cultivation world, this is an ironclad rule. I refuse to believe exceptions exist. So you must be lying… or perhaps one of you has a hidden past, something even you don’t know about.”

Sect Leader Xu made a bold deduction.

“Nonsense! I’ve told you, our origins are clear. We’re both natives of this prefecture. If you don’t believe me, investigate for yourself!”

Cheng Yuan reiterated firmly. Yet behind him, his wife’s face flickered with something complicated.

“No need. Whether you’re ordinary or not… this will tell us.”

Sect Leader Xu pulled out a Phoenix Selection Token from his pocket.