Volume 5, Chapter 303 – I’ll Come Kill Her Right Now

“You—how dare you threaten us! Do you believe I can’t make the Immortal Alliance lose a few people today?”

Cheng Hongling spoke slowly, her voice icy. Proud by nature, she detested nothing more than being threatened.

“Do you even have the capability? Talent doesn’t equate to strength.”

Steward Cai sneered.

“Steward Cai, may I interpret this as you forcing me into the palace?”

Qi Huang interjected. She knew her main body’s temper well, if this old fool kept provoking her, she might actually take action.

“Not forcing, merely a suggestion! A sincere suggestion!”

Steward Cai weaseled his words.

“Heh…”

Qi Huang gave a noncommittal laugh. “You didn’t even dare to publicly announce that I possess True Qi. How very sincere.”

After saying this, Qi Huang suddenly raised her voice and declared loudly:

“Everyone, I possess True Qi, that makes me a cultivator. As such, I should be under the protection of the Immortal Alliance!”

“What? Fairy Qi still has True Qi in her body? How is that possible?”

“Right? After the Severed Immortal Sect’s invasion, I heard the higher-ups in her sect were trying to purge the Qi-Leaking Powder from her system. Could that have been false?”

“Did she really find a way to detoxify it?”

“Impossible. It’s common knowledge that Qi-Leaking Powder has no antidote.”

“You’ll believe hearsay over her own words? She just stated clearly that she was never poisoned in the first place!”

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

“What are you trying to do?”

Steward Cai finally panicked. He knew the bigger this matter blew up, the worse it would be for him.

Instead of answering, Qi Huang shifted the topic.

“And you, Steward Cai, not only do you refuse to protect a disciple of the Immortal Alliance, but you also try to force me into the palace. Have you taken some bribe from the imperial court?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? This steward is clean-handed and plainly dressed, everyone here can see that! Do I look like someone who’s taken bribes?”

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Steward Cai spread his arms, displaying his modest attire.

“No? Then there’s only one other possibility, the Immortal Alliance fears the emperor of the Western Radiance Dynasty!”

Qi Huang’s voice was laced with frost.

“You—!”

The accusation struck a nerve, leaving Steward Cai flustered and stammering.

“Heh, how laughable. The mighty Immortal Alliance, cowering before a mortal emperor? If this gets out, wouldn’t it damage the Alliance’s prestige? How will you lead the major sects from now on?”

Qi Huang pressed further.

“Exactly! The Immortal Alliance is supposed to lead the entire cultivation world, yet they bow to the emperor of the Western Radiance Dynasty? How disgraceful.”

“Typical behavior. This Steward Cai has repeatedly ignored pleas for help, earning the resentment of Huangtian County’s people. Does he even care about shame?”

“And he still dares to talk about leading the sects? Why don’t we sisters establish our own ‘Immortal Cute Alliance’ ¹ 仙萌 (xiān méng), a pun for 仙门 (xiān mén) aka The Immortal Aliance for fun? All you need to do is talk big, even I could do that!”

“Aren’t you afraid he’ll sue you for infringement?”

“I’m using the character for ‘cute’ ² 萌 , not ‘alliance’ ³ 盟 . What’s he gonna sue me for?”

The group of sisters bantered openly, not bothering to lower their voices.

Hearing this, the crowd began pointing and murmuring.

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The Immortal Alliance dominates the cultivation world, how could we fear the emperor of some backwater kingdom? We acknowledge him as emperor only because we choose to. If we refuse, he’s nothing!”

Steward Cai, having lost his composure, blurted out recklessly.

“Chief Steward Zhong, did you hear that? This man just called the Western Radiance Dynasty a ‘backwater kingdom’ and insulted your emperor.”

Qi Huang immediately raised her voice, ensuring her words reached Chief Steward Zhong in the distance.

“Steward Cai, I didn’t quite catch that. Care to repeat yourself?”

Chief Steward Zhong’s calm voice rang out.

Steward Cai’s face flushed red. He turned to Qi Huang and snarled:

“You sharp-tongued little wench! How dare you sow discord between the Immortal Alliance and the imperial court? Do you not realize that neither side’s wrath is something you can withstand?”

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“What do I realize? Didn’t you see my medical certificate? I’m mentally ill! Surely the exalted Immortal Alliance and imperial court wouldn’t stoop to persecuting a lunatic? That’d be even more humiliating if word got out.”

Qi Huang replied coolly.

“Hehe! Our junior sister has a doctor’s note, what can you do to her?”

Ruan Lingyu chimed in.

“That’s right. Even if she killed you on the spot, the Immortal Alliance couldn’t touch her.”

Shen Yuan added a threat.

“Don’t like it? Then go get yourself diagnosed as mentally ill too!”

Yun Fei offered a suggestion.

“Look at you—crooked mouth, slanted eyes. You already look the part. All you’re missing is the certificate. Hurry to the clinic before it’s too late!”

The venomous-tongued Su Qingying delivered the final jab.

“You… You’ve all gone mad!”

Steward Cai nearly coughed up blood, but he was no match for their verbal onslaught. He could only turn to his distant ally:

“Chief Steward Zhong! Chief Steward Zhong, say something!”

“I’ve already said it—today, Qi Huang will be brought into the palace.”

Chief Steward Zhong repeated mechanically.

“Ugh!”

Steward Cai sighed deeply, then softened his tone as he turned back to Qi Huang.

“Qi Huang, I’m begging you. What will it take for you to enter the palace?”

“Have you ever heard of someone begging while standing? Didn’t Elder Zuo tell you to kneel and beg me?”

Qi Huang’s expression turned severe.

“You eavesdropped on our conversation?”

Steward Cai was both shocked and furious.

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“Forgotten already? I’m mentally ill. There’s nothing I wouldn’t dare do.”

Qi Huang smirked.

“Fine! I’ll kneel!”

After a long internal struggle, Steward Cai finally relented.

“Not to me, to her! She’s the main body!”

Qi Huang grabbed Cheng Hongling’s delicate hand and pulled her forward.

“What are you doing?”

Cheng Hongling was stunned, sending a mental message.

“Last time, because he altered the rules, you suffered a great loss at the Evergreen Conference. Making him kneel and apologize is only fair.”

Qi Huang replied casually. In her dream, she had witnessed the scene as if she had lived it herself, and she had vowed then to make this Cai bastard kneel to her main body if given the chance.

Cheng Hongling was speechless. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that her doppelgänger would go to such lengths just to vent her anger on her behalf.

Steward Cai took a deep breath, then dropped to his knees before Cheng Hongling.

“I beg you, Fairy Hongling, please let Qi Huang enter the palace!”

“Wow! A high-ranking Immortal Alliance steward actually kneeling to Fairy Hongling! The Immortal Alliance’s face is completely lost today!”

Cheng Hongling exhaled deeply. The resentment in her heart dissipated significantly, replaced by a warm, comforting sensation. Her beautiful eyes grew slightly red, and she blinked rapidly to hide her discomposure.

“Do you want me to enter the palace as a concubine?”

Qi Huang smiled as she sought her opinion.

“Of course not! I won’t allow anyone to take you away!”

Cheng Hongling met Qi Huang’s gaze with unwavering determination. Her misty eyes shimmered with emotion, if her possessiveness before had been driven by selfishness, this time, it was pure sincerity.

“Hear that? My main body refuses. You may stand now.”

Qi Huang turned her head dismissively.

“But you said—”

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Steward Cai instinctively began to protest.

“What did I say? You knelt of your own volition. I never promised anything.”

Qi Huang corrected him.

Steward Cai trembled with rage but dared not act out. He slowly rose to his feet.

“Fine. I’ll remember today’s humiliation. You’d better hope you enter the palace this time, otherwise, we’ll have plenty of time to settle this.”

“Hear that, Qi Huang? You’ve been blacklisted by this man. Without His Majesty’s protection, offending him means your days ahead won’t be peaceful. So, come with me to the palace.”

Chief Steward Zhong seized the moment to call out persuasively.

“Sorry, but I don’t need anyone’s protection. I’ve only ever been the one protecting others.”

Qi Huang remained unmoved, shaking her head.

“Youthful arrogance always comes at a price.”

Chief Steward Zhong sighed with faux pity.

Steward Cai was at his wit’s end. He could only pull out his Thousand-Mile Communication Tube again to consult Elder Zuo.

“What? You actually knelt to her, and she still didn’t relent?”

Elder Zuo’s voice was filled with disbelief.

“Yes! Master, I’ve exhausted all options!”

Steward Cai whined.

“You fool! I was only speaking metaphorically! Did you really have to kneel?!”

Elder Zuo lamented his disciple’s lack of spine.

“This…”

Steward Cai inwardly cursed, ‘If you hadn’t threatened to pin the blame on me, would my knees have buckled so easily?’

“She’s asking for death! I’ll come kill her right now. If this drags on any longer, the Immortal Alliance’s reputation in the Western Radiance Dynasty will be reduced to a joke!”

Elder Zuo’s furious roar echoed through the tube.