Volume 4, Chapter 266 – Identity Exposed (Part 1)

“My three…”

Qi Huang instinctively wanted to demand where her brothers were, but at that moment, her pupils violently contracted, and the words at the tip of her tongue were forcefully swallowed back. She realized that although the layout of this palace looked familiar, it was completely different from what existed in her own Sea of Consciousness. This could only mean one thing, she was currently inside the main body’s Sea of Consciousness.

To confirm her suspicion, Qi Huang immediately scanned her own Sea of Consciousness with her Divine Sense and found that her guess was correct. Though the three male souls had been bound, they were still stubbornly alive. How touching!

‘That was close!’

Qi Huang’s scalp tingled with dread. Had she misspoken just now, her true identity would have been exposed instantly.

‘No wonder everyone here is a “sister”—this is the main body’s Sea of Consciousness.’

Gradually, Qi Huang came to her senses. It seemed that after she had lost consciousness, the main body had pulled her into its own Sea of Consciousness.

‘Wait, if this is the main body’s Sea of Consciousness, then what’s this Spiritual Wisdom Soul doing here? Unless…’

Her heart lurched again. She swept her Divine Sense through her own Sea of Consciousness and found, to her horror, that the damned Spiritual Wisdom Soul was indeed missing. It had clearly escaped! No wonder the three male souls had been tied up.

‘Who knows how long it’s been out here? Has it already spilled all my secrets to the main body?’

Unease churned inside Qi Huang, a side effect of losing the emotion of fear. Had this happened before, she would have been scared out of her wits.

“Those three what? Looking for your three brothers?”

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul beside her taunted with ill intent.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Qi Huang played dumb. Though she had lost the ability to feel fear, she had gained the advantage of cold, rational thinking. Acting came naturally to her now, a silver lining in an otherwise disastrous situation.

“Acting? Keep acting! I’ve already told the main body your true identity. Let’s see how long you can keep this up.”

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul sneered.

“…”

A chill ran down Qi Huang’s spine. She had been so careful, keeping her secret even from her own family. Yet despite all her precautions, she had still reached this point.

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Without fear to cloud her judgment, Qi Huang didn’t panic. Her mind raced, searching for a way out. The only option was the same as before, deny everything. After all, they had no concrete proof.

“What’s wrong? Can’t keep up the act? You were always so good at it before.”

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul continued to mock.

“What ‘true identity’? My real identity is the Spiritual Wisdom Soul. Who the hell are you, some stray cat or dog trying to pass off as the real thing? How dare you turn around and accuse me!”

Qi Huang immediately began muddying the waters.

“Still lying? Fine, go take a look through the Window of the Heart and see where the main body is right now!”

Rather than getting angry, the Spiritual Wisdom Soul “helpfully” suggested.

Qi Huang hesitated but ultimately walked over to the Window of the Heart to peer through. What she saw sent another wave of icy dread through her.

The main body had already arrived at her home.

Worse, she was wearing a veil and a forehead pendant, clearly disguising herself.

“Do you know why the main body is there? She’s come to see your male doppelgänger. Care to guess whether Huang Tian will be able to tell her apart from you? One wrong word from him, and… hehe.”

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul’s smile widened.

Qi Huang’s heart sank. After a brief moment of thought, she decided she wouldn’t just sit and wait for death. She turned toward the Heart’s Door, the main body’s barrier couldn’t hold her.

“I wouldn’t act rashly if I were you. Have you forgotten? The main body has already comprehended Killing Intent. Do you really think you can take her on?”

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul calmly threatened, well aware that Qi Huang had just woken up and didn’t yet realize she had lost the capacity for fear.

Sure enough, Qi Huang’s steps slowed. For a moment, she was at a loss.

“If I were you, I’d drop to my knees and beg for mercy right now. Then, I’d hand over control of the body to me. Maybe then the main body would be lenient… and spare your family.”

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul tempted.

Qi Huang ignored her and instead returned to the Window of the Heart to keep watching. She had never been one to resign herself to fate.

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The other souls of Cheng Hongling remained silent. Without solid evidence, they weren’t foolish enough to pick sides. Choosing wrong could earn the main body’s displeasure, a risk none of them wanted to take.

Meanwhile…

Cheng Hongling had already knocked on the Huang Family’s door.

“Who is it?”

After a moment, Li Fen’s voice came from inside. Given the tense times, she didn’t immediately open the door.

“It’s me.”

Cheng Hongling replied casually.

The door swung open at once, revealing Li Fen’s excited face.

“Daughter-in-law! Come in, come in! Why didn’t you send word ahead? We could’ve had Huang Qi fetch you!”

Li Fen warmly grabbed Cheng Hongling’s hand and pulled her inside.

Cheng Hongling stiffened slightly but managed not to shake her off.

As the “mother-in-law and daughter-in-law” pair entered the courtyard, Li Fen called out:

“Father-in-law! Husband! Son! Our daughter-in-law is here!”

Almost instantly, three men—old, middle-aged, and young—emerged from the house.

“Don’t even think about using telepathy to warn him. Everyone’s watching. The moment you use your Divine Sense, you’ll be caught red-handed. Think carefully.”

The Spiritual Wisdom Soul “kindly” reminded her again.

‘Huang Tian… don’t disappoint me!’

Qi Huang was helpless. All she could do was watch her doppelgänger and pray, though she knew her expectations were unreasonably high.

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The reason was simple. Qi Huang had spent so long imitating the main body’s mannerisms that it had become second nature. Unless she was acting erratically or revealed her Doppelgänger Mark, even Cheng Yuan and his wife couldn’t tell them apart, let alone Huang Tian. This was an almost impossible task.

Sure enough, as soon as Huang Tian saw Cheng Hongling, he approached without hesitation. He wore a headband to conceal his Doppelgänger Mark, unfortunately, that only worked against the naked eye.

Cheng Hongling wasted no time. Her Divine Sense quietly extended, probing the man before her. Instantly, she saw the Doppelgänger Mark hidden beneath the headband.

“Huang Qi was an outcast from the Honghua Sect. How could he have cultivated a doppelgänger in just a few years? That’s an ability of the Incarnation Realm… Could what the Spiritual Wisdom Soul said actually be true?”

Cheng Hongling pondered silently.

“Did you come back for something important?”

Huang Tian instinctively tried to send a telepathic message to the “main body”, but received no response.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, his expression turning thoughtful before he fell silent.

“I’d like to speak with you alone.”

After a moment, the decisive Cheng Hongling made her request.

“What can’t be said through telepathy?”

Huang Tian tried again, still nothing.

‘Could she be…?’

His breath hitched. Without protest, he followed Cheng Hongling out of the courtyard. He knew a single misstep could doom him.

The two arrived at a secluded spot nearby. After a brief pause, Cheng Hongling tested the waters:

“Huang Tian.”

Hearing that name, Qi Huang’s soul trembled. She was certain the damned Spiritual Wisdom Soul had revealed it. One admission from her doppelgänger, and everything would be over.

“Huang Tian? Who’s that? Isn’t my name Huang Qi?”

Huang Tian replied without missing a beat.

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“Good! That’s my boy!”

Qi Huang was overjoyed. He must have recognized Cheng Hongling and was now playing dumb.

“You’re Huang Qi? Is that possible? Just a few years ago, you were expelled from your sect. How could you have already cultivated a doppelgänger?”

Cheng Hongling hadn’t expected her first probe to fail so quickly. She cut straight to the point.

“Maybe I had a sudden enlightenment! Do you know me, Fairy? Why are you impersonating my fiancée? Who are you really?”

Huang Tian immediately turned the tables.

“How did you see through me?”

Cheng Hongling asked after a brief pause.

“Your acting was terrible. My fiancée always greets my parents warmly, calling them ‘Father-in-law’ and ‘Mother-in-law’ without fail. You, on the other hand, were stingy with your words. That made me suspicious. I wasn’t entirely sure at first, but then you gave yourself away.”

Huang Tian explained his reasoning, naturally omitting the failed telepathy attempts. Admitting that would be a confession in itself.

“You’re quite clever.”

Cheng Hongling sighed. Then, her gaze turned icy.

“Unfortunately, your acting isn’t much better. That’s why you’re going to die today.”

Without warning, the Blue Scale Sword materialized in her hand, its edge flashing toward Huang Tian’s throat.

Qi Huang hadn’t anticipated the main body would strike so suddenly. With no time to think, she sent out her Soul Tether, yanking Huang Tian back into her Sea of Consciousness.

The moment she did, Qi Huang froze.

She had just exposed herself.

Using the Soul Tether in front of all the “sisters” in this hall, there was no coming back from this.