Volume 1, Chapter 38 – Run, She’s Back (Part 1)

“If Fairy Hongling has already left the Honghua Sect, wouldn’t I be walking into a dead end?”

Huang Qi realized the severity of the situation and could no longer care about the silver. He paced anxiously in circles.

“Should I chase after them and ask for details?”

Impulsively, he rushed toward the door—but his feet ultimately didn’t cross the threshold. He knew his earlier narrow escape had been pure luck. Actively seeking trouble now would be suicidal.

Returning to the room, Huang Qi continued pacing until suddenly smacking his own forehead.

“Why am I so stupid? Why would I believe the words of a bunch of human traffickers? Didn’t those Honghua Sect fairies clearly say their junior sister was in seclusion?”

Exactly! When choosing between human traffickers and fairies, even a fool would know whom to trust! Besides, those traffickers had admitted their information was just hearsay.

Thinking this, Huang Qi felt as if a weight had been lifted. He packed the silver and headed for the door.

The inn attendant was no longer outside—likely scared off.

Standing in the hallway for a moment, Huang Qi watched as onlookers gradually gathered, murmuring among themselves, completely clueless about what had happened.

Soon, the attendant returned with the innkeeper, clutching a bloodied shoulder—clearly injured earlier.

After a brief hesitation, Huang Qi tossed him two taels of silver. Though the boy’s protection had been part of his job, his intentions had been good.

“Miss, what exactly happened earlier?”

The innkeeper asked cautiously, while the crowd’s faces brimmed with curiosity. They had hidden at the first sign of trouble, utterly baffled by the thugs’ sudden retreat.

“Some questions are better left unasked.”

Huang Qi waved him off impatiently before returning to his room. The last thing he wanted was to escalate the situation.

The innkeeper shared the sentiment and promptly acted as if nothing had happened, ushering the guests back to their rooms.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed to resume cultivation, Huang Qi couldn’t shake the traffickers’ final words from his mind:

“Thank heavens we came late and met her halfway!”

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Something about that sentence felt off, but no matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t pinpoint why.

At the crack of dawn the next day, Huang Qi set off in high spirits.

After a full day’s journey, as the sun dipped below the horizon, he finally reached Huangtian Prefecture’s borders. At most, half a day’s travel remained before he’d arrive at the Honghua Sect.

Though burning with impatience, Huang Qi decided to prioritize safety and find lodging for the night. Having missed the last town in his haste, he settled for a village.

Knocking on a family’s courtyard gate, he stated his purpose.

The moment the homeowner heard it was a “young lady”, he welcomed Huang Qi without hesitation—absolutely no questions asked.

‘How ironic. Back when I was a man, even asking for water in broad daylight got me turned away. Now, in this form, people treat me like royalty even in the dead of night.’

The thought left Huang Qi torn between laughter and tears.

“You’re alone?”

The middle-aged homeowner froze momentarily before peering curiously behind Huang Qi.

“Yes, why?”

Huang Qi countered.

“You’re far too bold for a young girl. How could your parents let you travel like this?”

The man shook his head in disbelief.

Huang Qi didn’t bother explaining and stepped into the courtyard. A woman in her fifties—wrinkled and sun-darkened—stood there, likely the mistress of the house. Beside her was a scrawny young man in his twenties, presumably their son, Ah Ming.

The homeowner introduced himself as Zhang, confirming the woman as his wife, Liu, and the young man as their son, Ah Ming.

Huang Qi handed over a few coins, requesting a meal.

After a token refusal, Zhang accepted the silver—after all, no family in these times was well-off.

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Ushered into the main hall, Huang Qi waited while the couple prepared dinner, leaving their son to “keep him company”—their intentions couldn’t have been more obvious.

Unfortunately for them, Ah Ming was hopeless. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at Huang Qi, let alone hold a conversation, and soon slunk away in defeat.

Huang Qi didn’t mock him. Faced with someone like Fairy Hongling, he’d probably fare no better.

Eventually, the couple brought out the meal: a few potatoes, two dried-up vegetable dishes—whether boiled or fried was impossible to tell, as there was no visible trace of oil.

“Miss, apologies! This is all we have. Please make do.”

The wife explained awkwardly.

“It’s fine.”

Huang Qi shook his head. He wasn’t some pampered young mistress—this was the kind of food he’d grown up eating.

“By the way, you must be from out of town?”

The wife probed. Since they were both “women”, she felt no shyness.

“How could you tell?”

Huang Qi asked casually.

“Simple. Where in Huangtian Prefecture would you find a girl as tall as you?”

She grinned triumphantly, proud of her deduction.

“Forget girls—even among boys, few reach your height. Look at our Ah Ming—he’d barely come up to your chin.”

Zhang chimed in, shooting his son a “disappointed” glance.

Ah Ming shrunk further under his father’s criticism.

“Where’s a young out-of-town girl like you headed? Why travel so late? Where’s your husband’s family? How could they be so irresponsible?”

The wife continued her roundabout questioning.

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“I… I don’t have a husband’s family.”

Huang Qi replied awkwardly. He’d considered lying but couldn’t bear to shame the Huang name.

“So you’re not betrothed yet? What do you think of our Ah Ming?”

The wife pounced on the opening. It wasn’t desperation—just seizing a fleeting opportunity before the “girl” left at dawn.

Huang Qi was stunned. “Didn’t I just come here for lodging? Since when was this a matchmaking session?”

“Don’t let his height fool you—he’s hardworking! And our family’s circumstances aren’t bad either…”

The wife began boasting about their “prosperous” household.

“This counts as ‘not bad’?”

Huang Qi reflexively glanced at the meager meal, half-wondering if he’d misseen it. Maybe it was actually lavish fare, and his eyes were playing tricks? Otherwise, where did this confidence come from?

“Mother! Stop!

Ah Ming, unable to endure the embarrassment, finally spoke up.

“Quiet!”

The wife scolded, exasperated by his lack of spine.

“Sorry, but I already have someone I like.”

Huang Qi cut the charade short with a lie.

The family’s faces fell—especially Ah Ming’s. He knew his limitations, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t harbored some hope.

Not wanting to prolong the awkwardness, Huang Qi took a few potatoes and retreated to his room. Eating in front of them would mean removing his veil—a risk he wouldn’t take.

The night passed without incident. At dawn, Huang Qi bid farewell to the family and set off under their reluctant gazes.

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Two hours later, he entered the main road leading to the Honghua Sect—and his nerves tightened.

His plan was simple: exploit Fairy Hongling’s seclusion to impersonate her, borrow the identity token and Tongming Comb, then return them afterward with ample compensation.

“Given how fast I’m cultivating now, I should be able to repay them somehow!”

He reassured himself.

As he traveled north, he passed several villages. Normally, he’d spot farmers working, but today, an eerie silence hung over the area.

An inexplicable heaviness settled in Huang Qi’s chest—just as a stumbling figure in Honghua Sect robes came into view ahead.

Steeling himself, Huang Qi approached. When they met, his blood ran cold.

The disciple was disheveled, drenched in blood—like a vengeful spirit clawing its way out of hell.

“What in the world happened?”

Huang Qi was stunned. This was Honghua Sect territory—how could demons or ghosts appear here?

“What’s wrong?”

He rushed forward, no longer fearing recognition now that he was at the sect’s doorstep.

“Hong… Hongling? Junior Sister?”

The disciple’s voice trembled with desperate relief as he leaned on his sword, gasping. “Hah… hah… You… You really didn’t leave the sect!”

“What’s going on?!”

Huang Qi stamped his foot in urgency.

“Right now… tens of thousands of evil spirits are besieging the Honghua Sect!”

The disciple spat out each word between ragged breaths.