Volume 5, Chapter 311 – That Little Vixen Is Finally Dead

“What do you mean? Do I look like someone who’d do something shady? My moral integrity is more reliable than that old eunuch Zhong’s chastity!”

Qi Huang declared with confidence.

“And what exactly does your so-called ‘moral integrity’ entail? Using the cat tears I gave you for free, only to turn around and sell them at a high price to your own sect?”

Yaoyao’s voice dripped with disdain.

“I earned those cat tears through hard labor! How is that ‘free’? And I sold them way below market price, alright? Don’t go slandering a good person like me!”

Qi Huang immediately protested, her words frantic with self-defense.

“Hard labor? You have the nerve to bring up your poop-scooping duties! My kind who followed you had to endure three days without food for every nine meals, and on top of that, they had to give you their tears. If they hadn’t found shelter in the Pingshan Mass Burial Ground, they wouldn’t have died at the hands of cultivators, they’d have starved to death under your ‘care’! Doesn’t that count as a shady deed? Look at how emaciated they’ve become! Doesn’t your conscience ache? Or do you need me to teach you what a guilty conscience feels like?”

Yaoyao grew angrier as she spoke, tightening the black bustier she controlled around Qi Huang’s chest.

“I was restricted by my main body at the time, I couldn’t even leave the house! What else was I supposed to do?”

Qi Huang tugged at the bustier, trying to reason with her.

“Still making excuses? Let me see if you even have a heart!”

Yaoyao, being a catgirl, was not one for reasoning. She simply tightened her grip further.

“I was wrong! Auntie! Please stop! Now’s not the time for infighting, I need to hurry back, or the inn will be in chaos!”

Qi Huang quickly surrendered.

“Tch. Can’t even handle a little pressure like this? Seems like they’ve grown even bigger. Shameless milk cow.”

Yaoyao muttered with envy and resentment, giving a few more vicious tugs before finally letting go.

“I’m only sixteen! My body’s still developing, what’s so shameless about that?”

Qi Huang rubbed her sore chest indignantly, then took out an ordinary dress from her spatial ring and changed into it. She could no longer rely on her doppelgänger and had to return to being her true self, meaning she had to walk instead of fly to avoid exposing her strength.

As Qi Huang entered the small county town, the streets were eerily quiet. The residents, terrified by the apocalyptic scene earlier, had all hidden in their homes. Her mind gradually settled, but dark thoughts began to creep in.

“Yaoyao… do you think what happened was really just a coincidence?”

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Qi Huang transmitted her thoughts through their spiritual link.

“I get it. You’re wondering if someone was trying to kill you, right? Otherwise, why would that lightning strike that exact inn?”

Yaoyao replied without hesitation, clearly having noticed the anomaly as well.

“You know those consorts won’t just let me enter the palace without a fight. They’d seize any last chance to eliminate me.”

Qi Huang voiced her suspicions.

“But how? An attack of that scale would require at least a Heavenly Tribulation Realm cultivator, and the Western Radiance Dynasty doesn’t have experts of that level.”

Yaoyao countered.

“What if they hired someone from another country?”

Qi Huang speculated.

“Oh, please. If that were the case, killing you would’ve been child’s play. Why go through such an elaborate spectacle? Besides, I already scouted the area, there’s no suspicious activity within dozens of miles.”

Yaoyao dismissed the idea firmly.

“Maybe it was some kind of talisman or magical artifact?”

Qi Huang ventured another guess.

“Who knows? But one thing’s for sure, if the consorts really were behind this, then your entry into the palace must threaten someone’s interests enough to warrant such an extreme move.”

Yaoyao’s tone carried a hint of mockery.

“Isn’t that great? I was worried my arrival wouldn’t scare them enough!”

Qi Huang smirked triumphantly.

“And what if they have another trick up their sleeves? You don’t have a doppelgänger to take the fall next time. Going back now would be suicide.”

Yaoyao warned.

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“Then what do you suggest I do?”

Qi Huang shot back.

“Use this chance to hide! Why go back at all? They don’t even know you’re alive.”

Yaoyao proposed.

“Hide? I haven’t even cultivated True Qi yet. If I’m caught, it’ll be a crime of deceiving the emperor. The palace is crawling with experts, I’m not ready to die just yet.”

Qi Huang shook her head immediately.

“Must you be so stubborn? I’m not telling you to flee, just lay low until the Imperial Consort Escort reaches the capital. Then you can reappear and claim you sensed danger and had your main body recall you.”

Yaoyao sighed in exasperation.

“Ah! Why didn’t I think of that?!”

Qi Huang smacked her own forehead a few times. Why should she care if Chief Steward Zhong and the others were in chaos? Survival came first!

“See? This is why smaller breasts are better. Too much nutrition going to your chest stunts brain development, just look at you. Learn from this lesson.”

Yaoyao seized the chance to jab at her.

Qi Huang’s face fell. ‘Like I can control how big they get! What kind of lesson is that supposed to be?’

Following Yaoyao’s advice, Qi Huang decided against returning. Instead, she lurked in the shadows, observing the Imperial Consort Escort.

Meanwhile, the escort was frantically digging through the ruins for any trace of Qi Huang. But after turning the entire inn upside down, they couldn’t even find a single strand of her hair.

“Enough. Stop searching. In the face of such a calamity, she’s undoubtedly dead.”

Chief Steward Zhong waved off his subordinates in defeat.

The faces of the escort members turned ashen, as though they’d just lost their parents. They all knew what this meant.

“Chief Steward Zhong… what do we do now?”

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Feng Wuwei, covered in dust, stammered.

“What else can we do? With the Imperial Consort dead, we can only return and report our failure.”

Chief Steward Zhong let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“Then… should we inform His Majesty first?”

Feng Wuwei ventured cautiously.

“Are you in such a hurry to die? I’d like to live a few more days.”

Chief Steward Zhong’s expression darkened.

“Y-yes… this subordinate spoke out of turn.”

Realizing his mistake, Feng Wuwei quickly dropped the idea.

And so, the Imperial Consort Escort, now empty-handed, resumed their journey. Every face was grim, none could ignore the consequences awaiting them upon their return.

“If I were them, I’d have already fled.”

Qi Huang sighed.

“Easier said than done. They’re not like you, most are ordinary people with no means to escape. Reporting back honestly might leave them a sliver of hope. If they run, they’ll be hunted down without mercy.”

Yaoyao explained coldly.

“Now I feel a little guilty… but what choice do I have? If I don’t pretend to be dead, who’s to say I won’t be targeted again?”

Qi Huang shook her head helplessly.

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Chief Steward Zhong had hoped to keep Qi Huang’s death a secret, but there were spies in his ranks. News reached Empress Zheng in the rear palace almost immediately.

“That little fox spirit is finally dead!”

Empress Zheng was so overjoyed she couldn’t even sleep, her excitement surpassed even the day she became empress. She immediately summoned Consort Jin to share the good news.

“Sister, is this information reliable?”

Consort Jin asked cautiously.

“Hehe, I have eyes in the Imperial Consort Escort. My informant witnessed The Heavenly Tribulation strike with her own eyes. With that little vixen’s level of cultivation, how could she possibly escape, let alone contact her main body?”

Empress Zheng smirked triumphantly.

“Congratulations, Sister! You’ve rid yourself of a thorn in your side.”

Consort Jin forced a smile, though her own delight was barely contained.

“The joy is mutual. I’ve also helped you eliminate your own problem. So… how will you repay me?”

Empress Zheng’s grin deepened. She was no altruist—having spent immense resources to deal with that little fox, she wasn’t about to let others freeload.

“Don’t worry, Sister. I wouldn’t dream of shortchanging you.”

Consort Jin’s smile faded slightly as she retrieved a small jade vial from her sleeve. “Youth Preservation Cream’ is for you. Formulated using an immortal sect’s recipe, its ingredients are exceedingly rare. Applied to the face, it halts aging for three years.”

“Truly?”

Empress Zheng accepted it eagerly. Nearing fifty, she was at the age where a woman’s beauty faded fastest, this gift was nothing short of a miracle.

“Of course. We see each other every day, would I dare lie to you? If it doesn’t work, you’re welcome to come for me.”

Consort Jin assured her.

“Hehe, today is truly a day of double blessings!”

Empress Zheng’s smile stretched so wide her cheeks ached. With a wave of her hand, she commanded, “Servants! Prepare several crates of fireworks. When Chief Steward Zhong returns, we shall give him a proper… welcome.”