Volume 5, Chapter 271 – Mother, Do You Want to Know Your Origins?

When Qi Huang returned to the Cheng residence, she found that the incident from the previous night had even alarmed Prefect Dong and his family. The prefect himself had personally arrived at the scene to oversee the investigation conducted by the constables. Of course, anyone with eyes could see that his intentions lay elsewhere.

When Young Master Dong, that lovestruck fool, saw the two “Hongling sisters” appear together, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He immediately turned to Cheng Yuan and asked what was going on.

Naturally, Cheng Yuan couldn’t afford to ignore the son of the prefect, so he explained the concept of a cultivator’s “doppelgänger”.

“So… if her cultivation grows stronger, she can create even more doppelgängers?”

Dong Yu asked in disbelief.

“Indeed. If she reaches the Heavenly Tribulation Realm, she can refine all three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls into doppelgängers. Including her original self, that would mean I’d have eleven daughters.”

Cheng Yuan laughed smugly, momentarily forgetting his troubles. In this world, being blessed with even one daughter was already considered a stroke of luck from the heavens. Not only did he have one, but she could also “split” into more.

“Eleven?!”

Dong Yu’s jaw dropped, followed by an uncontrollable surge of excitement: “Then whoever marries her would essentially be marrying eleven wives?!”

“Nephew Dong, you’re thinking too far ahead. With eleven daughters, I’ll naturally need to find eleven sons-in-law.”

Cheng Yuan promptly shattered the young master’s fantasy.

“Heh heh…”

Dong Yu scratched his head sheepishly, embarrassed that his ulterior motives had been exposed.

Qi Huang, who had been observing the exchange from the side, couldn’t help but roll her eyes. ‘Eleven wives? If I let you marry even one, I’ll bear a child myself, mark my words.’

After learning this, Dong Yu grew even more restless and tried to curry favor with Cheng Hongling. Needless to say, he was met with a cold rejection.

“Hongling-meimei ¹ little/younger sister suffix , don’t be like this! Back when I helped you get that identification plaque, you said you’d give me a chance!”

Dong Yu whined like a clingy mutt.

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“I said that?”

Cheng Hongling was stunned. Then, realizing something, she shot Qi Huang a glare.

Qi Huang immediately put on an innocent expression. She really wanted to march over and sew that Dong fellow’s mouth shut. ‘When did I ever say something so shameless? This is outright slander!’

“Sorry, the one who asked you for the plaque wasn’t me, it was her.”

Cheng Hongling glanced at Qi Huang. She had absolute confidence in this doppelgänger. ‘If you can actually win over this male-hearted, female-bodied doppelgänger of mine, then I’ll accept my fate.’

“It was her?”

Left with no choice, Young Master Dong decided to treat a dead horse as if it were still alive and turned his flattery toward Qi Huang.

Remembering that Dong Yu had once helped forge an identification plaque for her, Qi Huang humored him with a few words. But the moment she showed him an inch of courtesy, he took a mile and clung to her like glue, leaving her utterly exasperated.

Meanwhile, Prefect Dong pulled Cheng Yuan aside for a private conversation.

“Brother Cheng, I’d like to ask you something—I hope you don’t mind.”

The prefect treaded carefully. After all, even a secular official like him had to show deference to the father of a cultivator.

“Brother Dong, speak freely. Why stand on ceremony between us?”

Cheng Yuan replied straightforwardly.

“I just wanted to ask… about your daughter’s doppelgänger. Is she… like an ordinary person?”

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Prefect Dong phrased his question vaguely.

“What do you mean?”

Cheng Yuan frowned in confusion.

“What I mean is… is she an independent person? Not missing any limbs or… other parts?”

The prefect had no choice but to spell it out.

“Of course she’s independent! Not only is she whole, but her personality is completely different from my daughter’s. You can practically consider her my second daughter.”

Cheng Yuan wasn’t offended and even patiently explained.

“Is that so? That’s wonderful! Congratulations, Brother Cheng! Not only do you have such an outstanding daughter, but she can even ‘take over your duties’ and give herself sisters. Truly enviable!”

Prefect Dong quickly flattered.

“‘Take over our duties’?”

Cheng Yuan nearly choked at this novel analogy. Unlike you, you flabby oaf, I don’t need anyone to ‘take over’ for me!

“Brother Cheng, do you remember what I mentioned before? I understand my Little Yu isn’t worthy of your daughter, and I respect that you might have other plans for her. But now things are different, since she has a ‘sister’, we simply must become in-laws!”

Prefect Dong finally cut to the chase.

So this is where he was leading. ‘Too bad, even if it’s just my daughter’s doppelgänger, your son still isn’t good enough.’

Cheng Yuan smiled faintly and replied ambiguously:

“Brother Dong, you know my daughter isn’t ordinary, she’s a cultivator. Things like parental arrangements and matchmaking don’t apply to her. But as I’ve said before, if your son can win her heart, whether it’s the doppelgänger or the original, I won’t object.”

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His words were masterfully diplomatic, saying everything and nothing at once.

Prefect Dong was no fool. He forced a smile, knowing that whether a fairy would marry his son wasn’t something a mere mortal official could influence.

After finally shaking off the prefect, the Cheng family of four could finally address their own affairs.

Late at night, the Cheng residence remained illuminated by flickering candlelight.

In the main hall, Cheng Yuan and his wife sat at the head of the table, while Qi Huang and the original Cheng Hongling sat on either side. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts.

Cheng Yuan’s expression was somber. On one hand, he felt unworthy of his wife; on the other, his worldview had been shattered, leaving him feeling hollow, as though he had lost something vital.

‘Back then, I even shouted in the Honghua Sect, ‘Are kings and nobles born to their positions?’ Now that I think about it, how embarrassing.’

He sighed. Though his wife’s exact origins remained unknown, her extraordinary fertility spoke volumes, she was certainly no commoner.

Jiang Linian, who had resumed her disguise, occasionally glanced at her husband with concern and guilt. She had always been empathetic and understood exactly what troubled him.

Cheng Hongling studied her parents, contemplating how to handle the aftermath, such as whether to investigate her mother’s origins.

As for Qi Huang, she was undoubtedly the most restless of the four. Her position was precarious, whether she was considered family or an outsider hinged entirely on her adoptive parents’ words. If things went poorly, she might lose this hard-won kinship entirely.

“Husband… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you. It’s just… because of my parents, I didn’t want to bring up being adopted. They never mentioned it to me, either.”

In the end, Jiang Linian was the first to break the silence.

“Your parents never told you?”

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Cheng Yuan was surprised.

“No. I overheard it by accident. You understand why they kept it secret. Since they treated me as their own, I couldn’t betray their kindness, so I never spoke of it.”

Jiang Linian explained.

“Wife, you don’t need to apologize. I’ve never blamed you. If anything, I feel unworthy of you. Marrying you is the greatest fortune of my life.”

Cheng Yuan spoke earnestly.

The couple exchanged a smile, though both knew the real issue lay elsewhere.

“Mother… tell me honestly. Do you want to know your origins? If you do, I can investigate for you.”

Cheng Hongling finally spoke up.

Cheng Yuan visibly tensed at her words. He knew that with his wife’s bloodline, her background was anything but simple. If her family were ever found, his days as her inadequate husband would be numbered.

“No need.”

Jiang Linian shook her head without hesitation.

“Remember what I once told you? I’m content with my life now. I don’t want to dredge up the past. If they were determined to abandon me, why should I go crawling back?”

Cheng Yuan exhaled slightly in relief. He didn’t know whether his wife truly meant it or was sparing his feelings, but warmth blossomed in his chest regardless.

Cheng Hongling didn’t press further, it was her mother’s choice, after all.

After a brief pause, she turned to the uneasy Qi Huang and said:

“Father, Mother… there’s one more thing I think you should know.”