Volume 1, Chapter 35 – Senior Sister, I’m Your Junior Sister!

Huang Qi reached up and touched his face, then let out a relieved sigh.

“Thank goodness… Thank goodness the feminization didn’t go too far.”

He exhaled deeply, his most important spiritual anchor still intact—he absolutely couldn’t afford to lose that.

Of course, for Huang Qi, the fact that the feminization wasn’t excessive was a good thing. But if there had been no feminization at all, that might have been a problem. After all, there were still four or five fairy maidens outside waiting for this impostor.

Huang Qi hadn’t forgotten why he was lying here in the first place. He hurriedly got up, lifted his skirt, and looked down—only to find his view stubbornly blocked by his chest. No matter how he craned his neck, he couldn’t see past the soft obstruction to his waist or lower abdomen.

Panicking, he grabbed the bronze mirror from the table and angled it toward his stomach. What he saw left him stunned.

It wasn’t that there was no feminization—it was that it had gone too far.

His waist, once stiff and thick, was now slender enough to be encircled by a single hand. His skin was smooth as jade, without a single crease of excess flesh, no matter how he moved. Even the slightest shift made his body undulate with serpentine grace. His navel had transformed into something delicate and refined, like a lone plum blossom resting on snow.

But below the navel… everything remained as it was.

The contrast was jarring.

Blushing, Huang Qi let the skirt fall back into place. It took him a long moment to regain his composure before he finally grumbled, “If you’re going to feminize me, why go so overboard? What if my waist snaps under the weight of these things?”

It was a legitimate concern. His waist, compared to the two burdens above, now resembled a slender branch straining under the weight of heavy fruit—precarious and unbalanced.

“At least I’m a cultivator now. My physique is stronger. Otherwise, a wrong move might actually break my back.”

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

Once his nerves settled, Huang Qi began planning his next move. With his waist now appropriately slender, he no longer had to worry about being exposed by those fairy maidens. It was time to leave the county town.

But what then?

He had already made up his mind—he needed to get to the Honghua Sect as soon as possible to obtain two things: an identity token and the Tongming Comb (assuming such a thing even existed).

“I don’t know how long I was unconscious. Did my dream take up real time?”

He frowned. Unlike sleep, unconsciousness didn’t restore energy. The clock was still ticking.

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Hastily, he washed up and dressed. As he tightened his belt, he instinctively cinched it a little more, afraid his waist might still not be as slender as Fairy Hongling’s. The last thing he needed was more trouble.

But just as he stepped over the threshold, his gaze fell on his feet.

“No—my feet haven’t changed at all! If those fairies see them, I’m done for!”

His heart lurched.

“But why didn’t Miao Xiang notice yesterday?”

After a moment’s confusion, it hit him. Yesterday, he had walked with small, careful steps, his long skirt covering his feet completely. That must be why she hadn’t spotted anything. The same logic applied to his encounter with Ruan Lingyu.

A cold sweat broke out on his back. “I was dancing on the edge of death without even realizing it!”

From then on, he made sure to take dainty, restrained steps.

Downstairs, he asked the innkeeper for the date and was relieved to find only a single day had passed. Without delay, he hurried out toward the northern gate—the direction of the Honghua Sect.

He quickened his pace through the streets, partly because time was running out, and partly because his unaltered feet were still a liability. Though hidden under his skirt, they weren’t completely concealed. He couldn’t afford another mishap.

But fate had other plans.

Hoping to avoid attention, Huang Qi stuck to secluded alleys—only to find his path blocked by a tall, slender figure.

His guilty conscience made him jump. When his eyes focused, he nearly groaned.

Standing before him was none other than Fairy Lingyu, whom he hadn’t seen in days.

He hadn’t forgotten that he’d not only swindled twenty taels of silver from her but also taken liberties, though unintentionally.

,If she recognizes me, I’ll be chopped into pieces.,

He had no doubt about that. His heart pounded so loudly it nearly deafened him.

“Take off your veil.”

Though her tone was calm, the glint in her narrowed eyes betrayed her murderous intent.

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Trembling, Huang Qi slowly lifted the veil. The sound of his own heartbeat roared in his ears like thunder.

“It is you, you impostor! How dare you impersonate our junior sister? Not only did you swindle me out of twenty taels, but you also—”

Her words cut off as fury overtook her. A delicate hand flew to the hilt of her sword.

“Senior Sister, it’s me! I’m your junior sister!”

Seeing the danger, Huang Qi blurted out the only lifeline he had—pretending to be Fairy Hongling and hoping to deceive her.

“J-Junior sister?”

Ruan Lingyu froze, her sword half-drawn. Her second senior sister had theorized that the impostor was likely male, and though Lingyu had argued otherwise for pride’s sake, she privately agreed. The evidence was clear—the suspect’s build, the way they avoided speaking to hide their voice.

There was no way they could sound exactly like their junior sister.

And yet…

“It’s me! Who did you say was impersonating me?” Huang Qi feigned ignorance.

“Y-You’re supposed to be in seclusion! What are you doing here?”

Her stunned expression mirrored Miao Xiang’s from the day before.

“I just finished. Master sent me on a secret mission.”

He forced calm into his voice.

“Is that so?”

She didn’t sound convinced. “Hold up your hands. Let me see.”

Knowing he was at her mercy, Huang Qi obeyed. His pale, delicate hands emerged from his sleeves—slender fingers like spring onions, skin like fresh milk, nails a natural rosy pink. Even in the dim alley, they seemed to glow.

“Huh? It really is you, Junior Sister!”

Ruan Lingyu’s wariness melted away. She sheathed her sword and stepped closer.

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Huang Qi’s tension didn’t ease. The nearer she got, the higher the risk of exposure.

Lingyu leaned in, her jade-like nose twitching like a puppy’s as she sniffed. Then her eyes fluttered shut in bliss.

“It’s the scent of Golden Life Blossoms.”

‘Golden Life Blossoms?’

This was the second time Huang Qi had heard that name in reality.

‘If what happened in the dream was real, then Fairy Hongling must have already drunk the Bamboo Mist Water.’

But then a bizarre realization struck him.

‘Wait—I’m an impostor. I never ate the Golden Life Blossom seeds, nor did I drink Bamboo Mist Water. So why do I smell like it?’

His brain short-circuited.

“Junior Sister, you wouldn’t believe it—there’s someone in this town impersonating you! Master doesn’t know what they’re after, so she sent us to capture them.”

Now completely at ease, Lingyu affectionately squeezed Huang Qi’s hand as she complained.

The sensation of her soft skin made Huang Qi’s thoughts scatter. As a gentleman, he wanted to pull away—but doing so might arouse suspicion.

‘Heavens above, bear witness—she’s the one initiating this. I’m not trying to take advantage!’

“Oh? And what will you do if you catch them?”

He seized the chance to probe.

“Kill them, of course. What else?”

She said it offhandedly, her sparkling eyes fixed on him like he was a rare treasure.

“What?!”

Huang Qi’s legs nearly gave out.

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“The Honghua Sect may not be the strongest, but we’re still an immortal sect. We can’t let just anyone impersonate our disciples—especially not someone with your status. Master wants to make an example of them.”

As she explained, her fingers traced idle circles on his palm.

“W-Well, then… I’ll leave it to you senior sisters.”

He steadied himself with effort.

“Of course.”

She smiled sweetly. “We shouldn’t just stand here. Let’s find a teahouse.”

“I can’t. Master’s mission is urgent.”

There was no way he was sticking around.

“Already? What a shame. We’ll have to catch up back at the sect.”

Disappointed, she rummaged in her sleeve and pressed a silver ingot into his hand. “This is the twenty taels I owe you!”

Huang Qi was speechless. He had already swindled twenty taels from her days ago. How could he accept more?

“N-No, I can’t—”

“You must! Even between close sisters, accounts should be clear. If you refuse, how can I borrow from you in the future?”

Her stubbornness won out. Though she had already repaid the debt once, that was to the “impostor”.

Trapped, Huang Qi reluctantly accepted, vowing to repay her with interest someday.

“Goodbye, Senior Sister!”

He turned to leave—but after a few steps, an idea struck him.

“Oh, Senior Sister,” he called over his shoulder, “have you seen my Tongming Comb?”