Volume 5, Chapter 339 – The Evergreen Conference, I’ll Give You All a Surprise

Qi Huang’s divine sense had reached the late stage of the Divine Ability Realm, allowing her to move as fast as lightning. Covering over a thousand li ¹ 1 li = 500m/0.31 miles in less than half a shichen ² 1 hour , she swiftly returned to the Honghua Sect.

As she gazed upon the familiar sect, small as a pebble yet evoking a profound sense of homecoming, she couldn’t help but feel a deep attachment. After all, she had lived here for so long that it had become her second home.

Descending at the entrance, she noticed her main body standing motionless at the gate, staring into the distance like a stone statue waiting for a husband. The moment Cheng Hongling caught sight of her, a fleeting look of joy crossed her delicate face before vanishing just as quickly.

“What are you looking at?” Qi Huang asked, puzzled.

“Nothing.” Cheng Hongling replied evasively, her expression stiff. Then, as if unable to resist, she added, “It’s good that you’re back.”

“Yeah, no matter how grand a golden nest or silver nest may be, it can’t compare to our own humble home.” Qi Huang sighed.

“Let’s go. Mother and Father have been worried about you.” Cheng Hongling turned and walked inside, her demeanor once again cool and detached, like an unapproachable fairy.

Soon after, the family gathered for a heartfelt conversation by candlelight.

“How was the palace? It must be filled with experts, right?” Cheng Hongling couldn’t resist asking.

“Indeed. On the surface alone, there are three individuals on par with the Immortal Alliance’s Elder Zuo, Chief Steward Zhong, the leader of the imperial guards, Thousand Shadows, and a powerful zombie said to be the founding general, Tang Xiao.” Qi Huang explained in detail.

“What? Tang Xiao?” Cheng Yuan exclaimed in shock. “That man played a pivotal role in establishing the Western Radiance Dynasty. The number of Great Qi Kingdom’s soldiers and civilians who died by his hands reaches into the millions. He was also the first to storm the imperial palace and exterminate the entire royal family, earning him the nickname ‘Butcher’ in secret. To think he’s now a zombie!”

‘Exterminated the entire royal family?’

Qi Huang was stunned. If the zombie prince ever found out, he would surely go mad.

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“That dog emperor doesn’t even think about eradicating those evil spirits, instead, he raises zombies himself! How can he face the people of the Western Radiance Dynasty?” Cheng Hongling couldn’t help but curse.

“Exactly! On the surface, the court issues proclamations every other day, vowing to cleanse the world of evil. Yet behind the scenes, he keeps a zombie. What hypocrisy!” Jiang Linian chimed in indignantly.

“What’s worse is that this tyrant is warmongering, stirring up trouble everywhere and leaving the people in misery.” Cheng Yuan shook his head helplessly.

“He acts this way solely because he relies on his overwhelming strength, he has nothing to fear!” Qi Huang pinpointed the crux of the matter.

“Is the Immortal Alliance just standing by and doing nothing? How can they tolerate such a tyrant?” Cheng Yuan slammed the table in agitation.

“The Immortal Alliance has no authority over mortal emperors,” Cheng Hongling stated bluntly.

“Even if they wanted to intervene, they lack the power. Their influence in the Western Radiance Dynasty is weak. Unless they unite all major sects to challenge Lin Tu, which is clearly impossible.” Qi Huang elaborated further.

“Speaking of the Immortal Alliance, I had Elder Zuo notified in advance to assist you. Did he show up?” Cheng Hongling suddenly recalled.

“He did, and he even stepped forward. Unfortunately, he was scared off by Tang Xiao in the end.” Qi Huang smirked disdainfully.

“What a coward! And he calls himself an elder of the Immortal Alliance? The rot starts from the head!” Cheng Hongling fumed before curiosity got the better of her. “How did you escape the palace? You didn’t fight your way out, did you?”

“I’m not that reckless. Even if I could fight my way out, it would expose my strength, which would be detrimental to our plans for the Evergreen Conference a year from now.” Qi Huang shook her head. “I hid inside a spatial ring and had a stray cat carry me out.”

“Stray cat?! You’re the stray cat! Your whole family’s stray cats!” Yao Yao roared indignantly. Being called a “stray” was akin to being called a “savage”, how could she stay calm?

Qi Huang awkwardly refrained from retorting.

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“Why would a stray cat obey you so readily?” Cheng Hongling frowned slightly. She was far too sharp to be fooled so easily.

“Uh… I stuffed the ring inside a fish first, so it was lured by that.” Qi Huang improvised after a brief pause.

“Little Huang is so clever! Who would’ve thought of such an escape plan?” Jiang Linian praised in amazement.

Cheng Hongling didn’t press further, the explanation was plausible enough.

“Wait, if she escaped, won’t the emperor send people to recapture her?” Jiang Linian suddenly realized the situation wasn’t so simple.

“No need to worry. He wouldn’t dare come after me again.” Qi Huang smiled confidently. “First, I’ve regained my True Qi and even demonstrated it publicly. News of this will soon spread throughout the Western Radiance Dynasty, leaving him no justification to pursue me.”

“That’s not necessarily true. What if he suppresses the news? Last time, you said the same thing, yet he still dragged you into the palace by force.” Jiang Linian immediately countered.

“The emperor won’t suppress the news.” Cheng Hongling dismissed the concern outright.

“Exactly. Now that she has escaped, if I were him, I’d take the opportunity to claim he released her willingly. Otherwise, if the truth gets out, how would he save face?” Cheng Yuan agreed.

“Besides, it wasn’t just palace officials present, there were also people from the Kang Manor and the Immortal Alliance. Even if he wanted to silence everyone, he couldn’t.” Qi Huang added.

Jiang Linian finally understood, nodding repeatedly.

“Second, the only reason I was forcibly taken to the palace last time was because the Immortal Alliance assisted him. But after the recent events, the two sides are now at odds—there’s no chance of them collaborating again.” Qi Huang continued, then added with a smirk, “Moreover, the Immortal Alliance now knows how formidable I am. They wouldn’t dare take such a risk even if given ten thousand chances.”

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The family instinctively nodded in agreement.

“And finally, if he tries to come after me again, the losses will outweigh the gains. I tested the Phoenix Selection Token in the palace, and my fertility score was only four. That means I don’t possess any remarkable bloodline, just a pretty vase.” Qi Huang concluded.

“What?! Your fertility score is only four?!” Cheng Hongling was visibly shaken, her chest heaving in agitation. “That’s impossible! I tested the Phoenix Selection Token before, all six categories were perfect scores. You were there! As my doppelgänger, even if your fertility is subpar, it shouldn’t be lower than six or seven!”

“I don’t know why either!” Qi Huang shrugged indifferently. She hadn’t bothered investigating, it was meaningless to her.

“Could it be because I only gave you a face and not enough bloodline?” Cheng Hongling’s eyes flashed with realization, but she quickly dismissed the thought. “No, that can’t be. You were originally a cultivator, even if my bloodline contribution was minimal, it should’ve been at least six or seven.”

“Stop overthinking it. Bloodline means nothing to me anyway. You all know I don’t cultivate True Qi as my primary path.” Qi Huang quickly interjected.

“What does a score of four mean?” Jiang Linian, seeing even her usually aloof eldest daughter so worked up, pressed for an explanation.

Cheng Yuan, having traveled extensively in his youth, proceeded to explain the Phoenix Selection Token’s function to his wife.

“That really is strange.” Jiang Linian also furrowed her brows.

“Who cares? It’s actually a good thing for me.” Qi Huang reassured them again.

“A good thing? How?” Jiang Linian was puzzled.

“Mother, think about it—news of my ‘inferior bloodline’ will soon spread across the Western Radiance Dynasty. Once that happens, no one will come after me anymore. That saves us a lot of trouble, right?” Qi Huang explained, then turned to her adoptive father with a serious expression. “Most importantly, if someone with a ‘lowly bloodline’ like me can dominate all the cultivators at the Evergreen Conference, wouldn’t that prove Father’s belief that ‘nobility is not inherited’?”

Cheng Yuan smiled warmly at first, then sighed with deep emotion. “Child, your filial piety alone is enough to move me. But as parents, our greatest wish isn’t for ourselves, it’s to see our children happy. So this isn’t good news to me.”

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‘Seems I underestimated him.’

Qi Huang felt a pang of guilt but quickly recovered. “Don’t worry, Father. These two things aren’t mutually exclusive! I have a perfectionist streak—if I’m living well, my family must too. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

“We’ll discuss that later.” Cheng Hongling cut off Qi Huang’s grand declarations. “Just in case, I think we should inform Elder Zuo about your escape as soon as possible. Though the Immortal Alliance is unreliable, they’re the only ones who can help.”

“I agree. Elder Zuo genuinely didn’t want me to stay in the palace, he was just outmatched at the time.” Qi Huang nodded.

Soon after, Cheng Hongling picked up the Thousand-Mile Communication Tube and relayed the news to the Immortal Alliance.

At that moment, Elder Zuo was racking his brains over how to explain the fiasco to his superiors. This news was nothing short of a lifeline. The very next day, he ordered his subordinates to issue a proclamation stating that he had personally escorted Qi Huang out of the palace.

Though Lin Tu was fuming internally, he couldn’t refute the claim, admitting the truth would be even more humiliating. So he played along, declaring that Qi Huang had been released at his own discretion.

And just like that, the matter of the imperial consort selection came to a close. Lin Tu had drawn water with a bamboo basket—all his efforts were in vain, leaving him with nothing but pent-up frustration.

Qi Huang, on the other hand, emerged as the biggest winner. The mere confirmation of her “inferior bloodline” was worth its weight in gold.

As she had predicted, news of her “lowly bloodline” soon spread like wildfire across the Western Radiance Dynasty, followed by a storm of ridicule and slander.

‘This is exactly what I wanted. Just wait, at the Evergreen Conference, I’ll give you all a surprise.’

Qi Huang smiled triumphantly.