Volume 7, Chapter 420 – In My Eyes, She’s Just a Little Kitten

During the brief moment Elder Jin hesitated, the conditions of Jin Hu and Bao Gang deteriorated rapidly. Jin Hu began foaming at the mouth, a result of severe headaches inducing nausea, while Bao Gang was already on the verge of death.

“These two are finished. Even if their essence souls are recovered now, their souls will suffer irreversible damage, and their divine sense will plummet drastically!”

“Still worrying about divine sense? In this state, they’d be lucky just to stay alive!”

“That Qi Huang said begging her might help. Who knows if it’s true or not?”

“Probably a lie. She’s been on the arena the whole time, how could she know where their essence souls went? She’s just kicking them while they’re down!”

The surrounding cultivators buzzed with discussion.

“Do you have my son and disciple’s Essence Souls?” Elder Jin urgently confirmed.

“Indeed!” Qi Huang admitted openly.

“Impossible! You’ve been on the arena the entire time!” Elder Jin immediately questioned.

“I already told you earlier. If you don’t believe me, forget it. I won’t force you.” Qi Huang shrugged indifferently.

Elder Zuo and Steward Cai exchanged glances beside him. Since they couldn’t verify the truth, they remained silent.

“Father… Father… save me! I don’t want to die!” Jin Hu clutched his head, his words slurred from agony. Veins bulged on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot, and his lips bitten raw.

Elder Jin had no choice. Left with no other option, he turned to Qi Huang and said, “Fine, we agree! Now fulfill your promise!”

Qi Huang’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. “Did you mishear me? I said ‘beg’. Does your tone sound like begging?”

“Fairy Qi… I beg you! Please release my son and disciple’s Essence Souls!” Elder Jin clenched his teeth and cupped his fists in a forced salute.

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“Still not enough sincerity,” Qi Huang replied coldly, unmoved.

“Then what exactly do you want me to do?!” Elder Jin was on the verge of losing control.

“Kneel and beg.” Qi Huang narrowed her eyes slightly.

“What?! How dare you—” Elder Jin’s face twisted in fury, his muscles trembling violently.

“She’s determined to make an enemy of the Jinliu Sect! Both are sects under the Immortal Alliance, won’t they have to interact in the future? Is this necessary?”

“Exactly. The Jinliu Sect is the third-largest immortal sect in the Western Radiance Dynasty. If they retaliate later, the Honghua Sect will suffer.”

“Mad people act without thinking. The real problem is that Cheng Hongling isn’t stopping her, this is suicide!”

The surrounding cultivators voiced their doubts.

“What? Not willing? Then this fairy shall take her leave. I don’t have time to waste with you.” Qi Huang feigned impatience and turned to leave.

Elder Jin panicked and hastily pleaded with Qin Quan, “Brother Qin! As the Honghua Sect’s leader, can’t you control your disciple?!”

“Why should I? I think she’s absolutely right. Those who insult Huangtian County must pay the price!” Qin Quan stood firm. With a monstrous disciple like Qi Huang backing him, what did he have to fear? Of course, three years ago, he would never have dared speak like this to a Jinliu Sect elder.

Qi Huang’s lips curled in approval, though she knew the old man’s words weren’t purely flattery. Everyone in the Honghua Sect despised those who insulted Huangtian County.

Elder Jin was livid, but with his son’s life hanging by a thread, he couldn’t afford to let any chance slip. Gritting his teeth, he finally dropped to his knees with a “thud”.

“Fairy Qi… I kneel and beg you! Please release my son and disciple’s souls!”

“Wow! A Jinliu Sect elder actually kneeling to a junior. His face is completely gone!”

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“What choice does he have? It’s either his dignity or his bloodline!”

“Now these two sects are truly sworn enemies. There’ll be no peace between them from now on.”

The onlookers gasped in shock.

Qi Huang smiled in satisfaction before slowly turning back. “In that case, shouldn’t your son change his name to ‘Jin Shu’ ¹ Golden Rat from now on?”

“Y-yes… whatever the fairy says.” Elder Jin hurriedly agreed.

“If your sect has a rat, doesn’t that make the Jinliu Sect a den of rodents?” Qi Huang pressed further.

“Y-yes…” Elder Jin hesitated only for a split second.

“And if the Jinliu Sect is a den of rodents, doesn’t that mean all of you are rats?” Qi Huang continued her assault.

“Yes, yes! We’re all rats!” Elder Jin threw all caution to the wind.

“Good. Everyone heard that! Elder Jin himself admitted the Jinliu Sect is a den of rodents. From now on, anyone who dares insult Huangtian County will join them as fellow vermin.” Qi Huang’s voice rang out clearly as she swept her gaze across the crowd.

The surrounding cultivators averted their eyes, not daring to meet her gaze. A woman this ruthless and cunning was terrifying.

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Meanwhile, near the Golden Fortune Auction House, Huang Di received his orders instantly. He stood up and vanished, reappearing in a secluded alley in the blink of an eye.

First, he covered his face with a cloth before pulling out a spatial ring. The very one the Jinliu Sect had used to conceal Jin Hu and Bao Gang’s essence souls.

Huang Di removed the divine sense seal, and the two weakened Essence Souls, previously suppressed by the Heavenly Dao’s will, fled as if granted amnesty. Without even checking their assailant’s identity, they immediately summoned their main bodies to retrieve them via their soul tethers.

Huang Di then took out another spatial ring and, using his divine sense, dragged out a Jinliu Sect disciple in uniform, the one surnamed Liao. His task had been to protect Jin Hu and Bao Gang’s Essence Souls, but Huang Di had knocked him out without anyone noticing.

To prevent others from detecting him, Huang Di had stashed the unconscious disciple in his own spatial ring. Which was why Elder Zuo and the others had failed to locate him.

With everything done, Huang Di vanished again, returning to the auction house to resume his usual work.

Back at the arena, Jin Hu and Bao Gang stabilized after reclaiming their Essence Souls. However, their souls had suffered severe damage, and their divine sense would now be significantly weakened.

“You dare attack Jinliu Sect disciples?!” Steward Cai, seeing the direct connection to Qi Huang, immediately stepped forward to accuse her.

“Steward Cai, you can eat carelessly, but you can’t speak carelessly! I’ve been on the arena the entire time, never once left the Immortal Alliance’s branch. Everyone here saw it.” Qi Huang countered without hesitation.

“Exactly, Steward Cai. Where’s your evidence? Baselessly accusing our junior sister only shames the Immortal Alliance!” Ruan Lingyu fearlessly backed her up.

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“The moment Elder Jin agreed, their Essence Souls were released. How can you claim the culprit isn’t connected to you?” Steward Cai demanded through gritted teeth.

“Of course they’re not! Here’s what really happened: A friend of mine was out for a stroll when they coincidentally saw a Jinliu Sect disciple being attacked. Out of kindness, they rescued him. If anything, the Jinliu Sect should be thanking me!” Qi Huang lied without batting an eye.

The surrounding cultivators wore expressions of disdain, even her fellow Honghua Sect disciples. The lie was too brazen.

Steward Cai nearly laughed in frustration. Did she think he was a three-year-old? But without proof, he couldn’t refute her, leaving him red-faced and fuming.

“I’m curious, where did your friend hide the Jinliu Sect disciple? My divine sense scanned the entire prefecture earlier and found nothing.” Elder Zuo couldn’t help but ask.

“Guess!” Qi Huang dismissed him without a shred of respect before turning and walking away.

The Honghua Sect members followed, heads held high, faces glowing with pride.

Elder Zuo’s lips twitched. With a flick of his sleeve, he stormed toward Lü Er, who had been watching the spectacle.

“Why did you back out? Because of you, that brat got to humiliate me again!” Elder Zuo hissed furiously.

“Oh? Is Elder Zuo here to demand answers?” Lü Er didn’t even turn around, his greedy eyes fixed on Qi Huang’s slender, alluring figure.

“I wouldn’t dare. I merely wish to remind you of your promise. You agreed to suppress her, why let this opportunity slip?” Elder Zuo suppressed his rage.

“A promise? Has age clouded your memory? When did I ever agree to suppress her? I came here solely to select my future wives. And if I’m choosing wives, naturally I’d want to observe her performance closely.” Lü Er raised an eyebrow.

“You—!” Elder Zuo’s anger flared, but he had no retort. Choking back his fury, he said, “Don’t you understand the saying ‘nurturing a tiger invites calamity’? If she keeps ‘performing’ like this, she’ll inevitably attract the attention of other monsters. By the time formidable rivals appear, it’ll be too late for regrets.”

“Nurturing a tiger? Her?” Lü Er smirked dismissively. “In my eyes, she’s just a little kitten. No matter how much you raise a cat, it’ll never become a tiger. Don’t worry. Under my watch, she won’t leave the Evergreen Conference alive.”