Volume 7, Chapter 384 – Is She Even Worthy of Me Making a Move? (Part 1)

As the Evergreen Conference approached, Cheng Hongling practiced with relentless urgency, wishing time would slow down.

Meanwhile, Qi Huang lived a leisurely life. After all, planting vegetables guaranteed her a bright future. She had no need to train as desperately as her main body. In fact, she eagerly anticipated the conference’s arrival.

The reason was simple: Qi Huang had been suppressing her true strength in preparation for the Evergreen Conference, and the prolonged restraint had left her itching for an outlet.

Just as she was counting down the days, an unexpected complication arose. Huang Di suddenly sent her a telepathic message, Liu Yingyue had gone missing.

“Missing?”

Qi Huang could hardly believe her ears. Furious, she demanded, “You have Divine Sense at the Incarnation Realm! How could you lose track of a single person? Do you have any idea how important she is to us?”

“My apologies. She disappeared while out shopping. I had to stay behind at the auction house to handle registrations, I couldn’t follow her every second.”

Huang Di, being a doppelgänger, had no choice but to endure the scolding patiently.

“…”

Qi Huang fell silent, realizing she had overreacted. Softening her tone, she asked, “When did she disappear? Where? Have you searched for her?”

“This morning, in an alley near the auction house. I’ve combed the area but found no trace. Given your superior Divine Sense and broader detection range, I had no choice but to ask for your help.”

“What about Xia Wei? Wasn’t she with her?” Qi Huang pressed.

“She was. But she said a sudden gust of wind blew past, before she could even see clearly, her mistress had vanished.”

“A master-level move, then. Why does this woman always get tangled in such messes?” Qi Huang sighed in exasperation.

“Unavoidable. In business, the more connections you have, the more enemies you make.” Huang Di responded reasonably.

Knowing complaints wouldn’t help, Qi Huang immediately set off for the provincial capital.

Her speed was terrifying, she arrived in just two quarters of an hour, yet she still felt dissatisfied. Remembering Lu Yao’s instantaneous, thousand-mile traversal in her dreams, Qi Huang couldn’t help but feel slower than a snail.

Without wasting time, she unleashed her overwhelming Divine Sense, enveloping the entire city in a carpet-like sweep. Not a single living soul, not even an ant, could escape her detection.

Soon, she found her target.

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At that moment, Liu Yingyue was tied up in a cellar beneath an abandoned estate on the city’s outskirts. The space was sealed, and the surrounding area was deserted. Even if she screamed her lungs out, no one would come to her rescue.

“Manager Liu, speak up. Who commissioned the auction of those Nine Nether Demon Cat tears?”

The masked kidnapper, a middle-aged man judging by his voice, leaned in menacingly.

“Of course it’s about the cat tears.”

Qi Huang shook her head wryly. She had long anticipated this. After Yaoyao’s wholesale plundering of the Western Radiance Dynasty’s Immortal Alliance, nine out of ten factions were desperate for the tears. Since the Golden Fortune Auction House regularly auctioned them, it was only natural that the mysterious supplier would attract “interest”.

“Our auction house has a rule: we never disclose client information.”

Liu Yingyue’s voice was calm.

“Spare me the excuses. You make the rules, you can break them.”

The kidnapper’s tone turned sharp.

“Not true. The rules were set by our ancestors. I don’t have the authority to change them.”

A self-deprecating smile touched her lips.

“Enough nonsense. Talk, or I’ll see whether your precious rules matter more than the clothes on your back.”

The kidnapper’s patience wore thin.

Liu Yingyue fell silent. Even if he threatened her life, she would never betray Qi Huang, her great benefactor.

“So the rules mean more than your dignity? Then I suppose this pretty dress is unnecessary.”

With a lewd grin, he raised his sword toward the collar of her robes.

“What about your life? Does that matter?”

A cold female voice cut through the air from behind.

Liu Yingyue’s eyes widened, her face lighting up with joy.

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“Who’s there?!”

The kidnapper jolted upright, whirling around to face Qi Huang.

“No answer? Then I suppose it doesn’t.”

Qi Huang’s Divine Sense crushed down like a mountain, followed by a strand of hair piercing straight through his skull. She could have killed him with Divine Sense alone, but to avoid traumatizing Liu Yingyue with excessive gore, she opted for a cleaner method.

The man collapsed, clutching his head in agony as his limbs convulsed from cerebral hemorrhage.

Ignoring him, Qi Huang stepped forward to untie Liu Yingyue.

“Little Yu, you came!”

Liu Yingyue clung to her arm, pressing her ample bosom against Qi Huang without reservation.

“You knew I would?”

Qi Huang blinked in surprise.

“Of course! Little Yu is omnipotent, I knew you’d save me.”

The earlier frustration in Qi Huang’s heart melted away under her affectionate display. Flustered, she stammered, “E-even so… be more careful next time! Bring Huang Di—I mean, my sworn brother—when you go out. What if I couldn’t make it in time?”

“Understood! Understood!”

Liu Yingyue nodded repeatedly.

Thus, the kidnapping crisis was averted without further incident. From that day on, Liu Yingyue became more cautious, ensuring Huang Di accompanied her whenever she ventured out.

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Located in Lincang Prefecture, at the empire’s eastern edge, the Donglai Sect stood unchallenged.

At this moment, its founder, the sagely Ye Donglai, was meditating in seclusion. His serene demeanor betrayed no hint of the ruthless genius who, centuries ago, had forcibly renamed the sect after himself.

This was a tale known to every cultivator in the Western Radiance Dynasty. Originally a mid-tier sect, Donglai had risen to prominence solely through Ye Donglai’s efforts. After single-handedly eradicating the dark forces plaguing Lincang, he expanded the sect’s influence within decades then demanded it bear his name. Those who opposed him either died or fled. Such was the arrogance of his youth.

“Master.”

A young man’s voice sounded at the door.

“Enter.”

A faint smile appeared on Ye Donglai’s face.

The door slid open, revealing a slender, pale-skinned man in his late twenties. His delicate features and almost feminine complexion gave him an air of quiet menace.

This was Cheng Kang, the Western Radiance Dynasty’s top cultivation prodigy.

“Little Kang, what brings you?”

Ye Donglai’s smile deepened, his eyes gleaming with pride.

“Master, the Evergreen Conference in Yongning Prefecture is less than a month away. Are you still forbidding me from attending?”

Cheng Kang dispensed with formalities, his tone polite yet unbending. His arrogance mirrored his master’s in younger days.

“Patience, child. Arriving early would make you a target for scrutiny, it would hinder your performance.”

“Unnecessary. I have absolute confidence in myself.”

“Confidence? Good, very good.”

Ye Donglai chuckled, then said, “Fine, you may go. I’ll accompany you.”

“You? Why? I’m not a child needing a nursemaid.”

Displeasure flickered across Cheng Kang’s face.

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“Oh, I’m not going for you.”

A cryptic smirk played on Ye Donglai’s lips.

“I’m going to lure out a snake.”

“A snake? What snake?”

“You’re aware of the thief who’s been robbing the Nine Nether Demon Cats from sects across the dynasty this past year, yes?”

“Of course. What of it?”

“Then why have they not targeted our sect?”

Cheng Kang’s frown deepened. “With you here, who would dare?”

“Precisely. So if I ‘leave’, the thief will strike. Once we capture them and seize their stolen goods, Donglai will never want for cat’s tears again.”

“And if the ‘snake’ bites back? They’re strong enough to raid major sects. Without you, our disciples wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Which is why I’m not actually leaving. A doppelgänger will suffice for the ruse. The real me will be waiting… for our little thief to walk into the trap.”

Ye Donglai stroked his beard, thoroughly pleased with himself.

Meanwhile, Elder Zuo had already arrived in Central Continent, rushing straight to the premier cultivation clan of the Weiyuan Empire.

His goal?

To recruit a monstrous talent capable of crushing Cheng Hongling and Qi Huang.