Volume 1, Chapter 29 – Oh No, She Caught Me

Huang Qi’s vision darkened as he suddenly realized his earlier carelessness. You couldn’t just fabricate an identity out of thin air—when dealing with government officials, you needed proof.

“Your Honor, my daughter-in-law isn’t an unregistered citizen! She just didn’t bring her identification plaque.”

Huang Kairong, sensing the situation turning sour, quickly interjected.

“Then have her bring it first before we proceed.”

Secretary Yuan remained unmoved.

“Your Honor, as you heard, she’s from the prefectural city—hundreds of miles away. How could a young girl possibly make that trip alone?”

Li Fen’s voice was thick with distress.

“That’s your problem to solve.”

Secretary Yuan’s tone grew slightly impatient.

“Your Honor, is there really no flexibility?”

Huang Qi pleaded, clinging to a sliver of hope.

“Sigh!”

Secretary Yuan exhaled deeply before explaining earnestly:

“Let me be frank. The court has tightened marital registrations significantly—it’s tied to military conscription. I’ve already made allowances by permitting the groom’s absence. But if the bride can’t even produce an identification plaque, how much more leeway can I give? If I bend the rules for you, who will bend them for me when the higher-ups come checking?”

Huang Kairong and his wife exchanged helpless glances. With the official putting it so bluntly, they couldn’t press further. Their eyes turned to their “daughter-in-law,” silently seeking a solution.

Huang Qi’s mind raced with panic. As an unregistered person with a fabricated identity, where could he possibly obtain a plaque?

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‘Get a fake one made?’

That was his first thought, but he dismissed it immediately. Though the plaques were just cheap iron tags, they bore daoist engravings courtesy of the Immortal Alliance—impossible for ordinary people to replicate.

‘Steal one, then?’

But each plaque carried the owner’s portrait. A stolen one would be useless.

“Daughter-in-law, didn’t you say your family would send someone for you soon? Would they arrive in time?”

Li Fen ventured cautiously.

“The problem is, I don’t know when they’ll come. What if it’s past the deadline?”

Huang Qi deflected. In truth, this was just a lie he’d concocted to stay with the family.

“If all else fails, I’ll accompany you home to fetch the plaque.”

Huang Kairong clenched his teeth. His son’s life was at stake.

“No! The prefectural city is hundreds of miles away—it’s too dangerous.”

Huang Qi refused without hesitation. “Qi Huang” was a fabricated identity—there was no home to return to. Even if there were, he couldn’t let his father risk the journey.

“But there are only two weeks left until the month’s end. If your family doesn’t come for you, what happens to my son?”

Li Fen grew increasingly frantic, her composure crumbling.

“Let me think.”

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Huang Qi stepped aside, rubbing his temples.

‘From Secretary Yuan’s tone, there’s no fooling our way through this. We must get a plaque. But they can’t be forged or stolen. What now?’

He paced in place, mind churning.

‘Wait—how could I forget this?!’

A flash of inspiration struck. Ruan Lingyu had mistaken him for Cheng Hongling, meaning this human skin mask truly resembled the fairy’s face.

“If I could get Cheng Hongling’s plaque, would that work?”

He weighed the plan’s feasibility, resolve hardening. With no alternatives, this was his only option.

“But even if I could, I don’t know her details—address, family records. Where would I find her plaque?”

The next obstacle loomed. In his dreams, he’d visited Cheng Hongling’s home, but dreams weren’t reality. He didn’t even know if “Cheng Yuan” and “Jiang Linian” truly existed.

“In the real world, forget a home—do those ‘parents’ even exist?”

He scoffed inwardly.

Out of ideas, Huang Qi prepared to leave with his parents—but not before confronting the magistrate. His family had suffered unjustly today; they couldn’t walk away empty-handed.

After some haggling, Magistrate Luo reluctantly compensated them with five taels of silver for their distress.

Huang Qi handed the money to his parents before leading them out of the yamen.

Outside, the trio wore grim expressions, each lost in thought.

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Distracted, Huang Qi suddenly caught a whiff of sweet fragrance on the breeze. He looked up—and nearly collided with a petite girl who’d appeared right before him.

Stumbling back, he took in her appearance: an adorably small figure with twin pigtails, her round face as pink as a peach. Though tiny, her proportions were perfect, and her pink dress gave her the air of a little princess.

“What a cute girl!”

The thought sprang unbidden, yet something about her felt eerily familiar.

“Take off your veil!”

The girl planted her hands on her hips, baring tiny fangs in what she clearly meant to be a fierce glare. It wasn’t the least bit intimidating.

This, of course, was Miao Xiang, who’d been surveilling the government office for some time.

Huang Qi’s eyelid twitched, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.

“Daughter-in-law, do you know this girl? She’s adorable!”

Li Fen’s question made Miao Xiang falter.

“Daughter-in-law?!”

Second Senior Sister had insisted this was likely a man in disguise. Why was this woman using such a term? An accomplice?

Huang Qi studied the girl, that sense of familiarity nagging at him. Then it hit him—she was a smaller, real-life version of the “Miao Xiang” from his dreams.

“Senior Sister Miao Xiang?”

The name slipped out before he could stop himself.

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‘Oh no!’

His blood pressure spiked. How could he have blurted that out? The dream might explain their similar faces, but their voices would differ. Speaking had just risked everything.

‘Wait—if it’s just a dream, she might not actually be the Miao Xiang from Honghua Sect. Why panic?’

The realization eased his tension, though his mind still reeled.

Miao Xiang’s eyes widened. The impostor’s voice was identical to Little Junior Sister’s. How could a man sound so melodious?

“L-Little Junior Sister?”

She echoed uncertainly.

“W-What?”

Huang Qi was utterly lost.

“Aren’t you in seclusion? Why are you here?”

Miao Xiang’s suspicion warred with confusion. She’d come to expose an impostor, only to seemingly encounter the real Cheng Hongling.

‘She didn’t deny it—so she really is Miao Xiang of the Honghua Sect. Does that mean my dreams were… real?’

Fear sent Huang Qi’s eyelid into spasms. As a mere second-level Spirit Gathering cultivator, discovery would mean certain death.

Survival instincts kicked in, his mind accelerating:

‘But she called me ‘Little Junior Sister’—meaning my voice matches Cheng Hongling’s too. If I don’t slip up, there might still be a way out.’