Volume 5, Chapter 338 – Yaoyao, Let’s Run Away

“Does this woman have some kind of mental illness? Do I look like a vixen to her? Can’t keep her man in check and now blames me for it!”

Qi Huang fumed as she complained to Yaoyao. In her eyes, a “vixen” was some shameless, coquettish woman who lacked basic decency. How could she, a former man, possibly fit that description?

“I think she described you perfectly. Standing there, you do look like a vixen,” Yaoyao added fuel to the fire.

“Uh…”

Qi Huang was momentarily speechless.

“Why do you even care so much? Making her furious was one of your goals for entering the palace, wasn’t it?”

Yaoyao shot back.

“Right! That damned Empress tried every underhanded trick to stop me from entering the palace. Now that she’s coughing up blood from rage, it’s nothing but poetic justice!”

Qi Huang suddenly realized, her mood lifting instantly. If revenge was the prize, then being called a vixen was a small price to pay.

“Attendants! Escort Her Majesty back to her chambers to rest!”

Emperor Lin Tu didn’t even glance at the Empress as he issued the order dismissively.

Several concubines, empathizing with the Empress, felt nothing but despair.

“Enough of this farce. Let the selection continue!”

Lin Tu waved his hand imperiously before turning to Qi Huang. “As for you… accompany Us on a stroll.”

“Gladly!”

Qi Huang couldn’t have asked for better. After all, she had matters to discuss with this dog emperor.

The eyes of every woman present burned with jealousy as they watched Qi Huang’s retreating figure. To gain the Emperor’s favor so swiftly upon entering the palace, she would surely dominate the harem from now on.

As the two walked away, Qi Huang extended her divine sense, detecting numerous hidden experts lurking in the shadows. The palace truly was a den of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.

“Qi Huang, there’s one thing We don’t understand. Since you’ve already cultivated true qi and have no desire to be a concubine, why did you still enter the palace?”

Once they reached a secluded spot, Lin Tu cut straight to the point.

“First, I had to prove a point. Many claimed I’d never set foot in the palace alive, I had to show them what I’m capable of. Second, revenge. The moment I became an Imperial Consort, people in the palace started targeting me. I had to scare them straight, or they’d keep thinking I’m an easy target.”

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Qi Huang answered casually.

“Heh…”

Lin Tu smiled. “We find Ourself growing fonder of you by the minute. A unique girl like you is a rare sight. Keeping you in the palace was indeed a wise decision.”

“Oh? Your Majesty might want to reconsider. My status as a cultivator won’t stay hidden forever. Once word spreads, you won’t just be offending Elder Zuo, you’ll be provoking the entire Immortal Alliance. That dragon throne of yours might not remain so steady.”

Qi Huang smirked, her tone laced with warning.

“No matter. As long as you entered the palace willingly as an Imperial Consort, no one can interfere.”

Lin Tu’s eyes narrowed slightly, his smile unwavering.

“Does Your Majesty truly believe I came here willingly?”

Qi Huang’s delicate face bloomed into a radiant grin. So this was how the dog emperor planned to defy the Immortal Alliance, by forcing her compliance.

“Not necessarily now, but We are confident you’ll grow to like Us.”

Lin Tu’s arrogance was palpable.

‘If only you knew I used to be a man, your confidence would shatter instantly!’

Qi Huang barely held back her internal scoff. Aloud, she merely said, “Then let’s wait and see. But don’t take too long, Your Majesty. The Immortal Alliance might come knocking before I ever ‘like’ you.”

“Rest assured, We won’t disappoint you.”

His confidence remained unshaken.

“This old bastard’s shamelessness knows no bounds. I really want to skin him alive and see just how thick his face is!”

Even Yaoyao couldn’t resist cursing.

“By the way, there’s someone I’d like to report—Governor Niu of Yongning Province.”

With a flick of her divine sense, Qi Huang retrieved her Shadow-Retaining Mirror and replayed the recorded scenes from that night.

“To think such a magical artifact exists, capable of preserving events like this!”

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Lin Tu seemed genuinely astonished.

“Your Majesty should focus on the corrupt official, not the mirror.”

Qi Huang reminded him pointedly before swiftly storing the mirror back in her spatial ring.

“Worry not. Since you’ve brought it to Our attention, We will dispatch investigators.”

Lin Tu gave his word.

“And if I hadn’t spoken up? Shouldn’t punishing corruption be your duty? This isn’t just about the people’s welfare, it concerns the stability of your entire empire. Surely you understand that?”

Qi Huang coldly retorted.

“What a sharp tongue you have.”

Lin Tu’s breathing grew slightly ragged.

“So, it’s not too late to regret keeping me. I won’t grovel like your other concubines.”

She was baiting him now.

“It matters not. We prefer your temperament.”

Lin Tu remained unfazed before commanding, “You needn’t return to the Office of Palace Ceremonies. The conditions there are poor. We will assign you a private residence.”

“Your Majesty, I’m merely an Imperial Consort. Won’t this invite gossip?”

Qi Huang feigned concern. She knew standing out would only make escaping harder.

“What is there to fear? You’re not just any consort, you’re a cultivator, a fairy of the Honghua Sect. Is it not fitting for Us to treat an honored guest with courtesy?”

Lin Tu’s justification was as brazen as his smirk.

“Then this humble one thanks Your Majesty for your generosity.”

Qi Huang’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“Additionally, the palace is filled with experts. We’ll have them… look after you.”

His words carried a veiled threat.

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“Ah, so relocating me isn’t about favor, it’s for surveillance.”

Qi Huang didn’t mince words.

“You misunderstand. We merely wish to ensure your safety. As you said, being a chosen consort paints a target on your back. We’d hate for any… accidents to befall you.”

The corner of his lips curled.

Qi Huang responded with a noncommittal smile, inwardly branding him a crafty old fox.

Soon after, she excused herself to “pack her belongings” and returned to the Office of Palace Ceremonies to retrieve her doppelgänger. The entire time, experts lurked in the shadows, including the Golden Zombie. Their master was no mystery.

Refusing to stay passive, Qi Huang immediately had her main body attempt a summons.

In a blink, Cheng Hongling’s Soul Tether stretched across a thousand li, piercing straight into the palace, only to be blocked by an overwhelming divine sense at the Office’s perimeter. The summoning failed!

“I’m sorry. I tried.”

Cheng Hongling sounded guilty.

“No matter. I expected this. I just wanted to test their capabilities.”

Qi Huang brushed it off lightly.

“What will you do now?”

Cheng Hongling’s worry was palpable. If Qi Huang couldn’t escape, she’d be stuck “celebrating motherhood” soon.

“Relax. That divine sense was only at the Divine Realm’s peak. It can’t stop me. I’ll be out of the palace by tonight!”

Her confidence was firm, though inwardly, she knew the Golden Zombie was the real obstacle.

After a theatrical display of packing, Qi Huang followed a group of eunuchs and maids to her new residence—the Piaoxiang Palace, once home to a famed consort of the previous dynasty.

“Lady Qi, this was the Fragrant Consort’s palace. For His Majesty to bestow it upon you so soon speaks volumes of his favor. Your future is boundless!”

An elderly eunuch fawned.

Qi Huang smiled silently. Such “favor” was the last thing she wanted.

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Inside, she immediately plotted her escape. With her identity exposed, fleeing to the Immortal Alliance’s protection was her only option, the emperor wouldn’t dare pursue her then.

‘But how?’

The Golden Zombie was the immovable barrier. Even at full strength, she stood no chance.

After pacing restlessly, her gaze landed on her spatial ring.

“Right! How could I be so stupid?”

She smacked her forehead. “Yaoyao, quit pretending to be dead! Get me out of here before that dog emperor forces himself on me!”

“Esteemed Lady Qi, you overestimate me. That Golden Corpse outside is at least mid-stage Divine Ability Realm, comparable to the Zombie Prince of Pingshan Mass Burial Ground. Add the other experts, and you think I can handle them?”

Yaoyao shot back sarcastically.

“I’m not asking you to fight. Remember, I have a spatial ring!”

Qi Huang grinned. “At midnight, I’ll hide inside it. You turn into a cat and carry me out.”

After a long pause, Yaoyao reluctantly conceded. “For someone usually so dense, you do have flashes of brilliance. I’ll admit, it’s a decent plan.”

“Heh, I learned this trick from Consort Hui. Just repurposing it.”

Qi Huang smirked.

Midnight arrived. Qi Huang entered the ring, Yaoyao shifted into a cat, and with the ring clutched in her jaws, she slipped through the window.

Though surrounded by experts, none detected her true nature, such was the Nine Nether Demon Cat’s innate stealth.

Soon, they were beyond the palace walls!

“Goodbye, dog emperor! This fairy was never yours to claim!”

Qi Huang’s laughter rang triumphantly as she raced toward the city’s outskirts. This palace venture had been wildly fruitful, she’d exposed a corrupt official, made the Empress vomit blood, and, most crucially, accidentally proved her “inferior bloodline”. Within three days, the news would spread across the entire Western Radiance Dynasty.

“Evergreen Conference, just you wait! I’ll show the world that bloodline theory is absolute garbage!”

Her heart swelled with vindication.