Volume 1, Chapter 50 – My Hair, It’s Alive (Part 1)

Huang Qi’s heart burned with resentment. He had risked life and limb to obtain the Tongming Comb from the Honghua Sect, and before he could even use it more than twice, some random ghostly woman had appeared out of nowhere, threatening to strip him of his manhood.

‘Wait—the Tongming Comb! How could I have forgotten its power?’

In his dazed state, Huang Qi suddenly recalled the function of this treasure. The reason he had fallen into this illusion was that his soul was not strong enough to resist the spiritual attacks of vengeful spirits. But the Tongming Comb could enhance one’s divine sense. If he combed his hair with it a few more times, he might just break free.

Huang Qi wasn’t entirely sure if this method would work, but at this point, he had no choice but to try. With great effort, he reached into his robes, pulled out the comb, and began dragging it through his hair.

One stroke… two strokes… three strokes…

A cooling sensation seeped into his scalp, and gradually, his consciousness began to clear. At the same time, he noticed cracks forming in the illusion around him—like a dried-up lakebed splitting under the scorching sun.

‘It’s working!’

Overjoyed, Huang Qi continued combing tirelessly, stroke after stroke.

As time passed, his arm grew sore from the repetitive motion, but his divine sense continued to strengthen.

Cheng Hongling knocked on the gates of her own home. She had originally come to hunt down the imposter, but since she was already here, she figured she might as well visit her father—it had been over a month since she last returned.

“Young Miss, you’re back,” the servant Fugui greeted respectfully as he opened the gate.

“Where’s my father?” Cheng Hongling asked, her delicate face as cold as carved jade.

“The master is in his study,” Fugui replied nervously. For some reason, seeing the young lady again today filled him with much more pressure than yesterday.

Without another word to the servant, Cheng Hongling strode decisively toward the study.

“This time, she didn’t even need me to lead the way?” Fugui scratched his head in confusion.

Cheng Hongling reached the study and gently knocked. “Father, I’m back.”

A moment later, Cheng Yuan opened the door, his face lighting up with pleasant surprise. “Oh? Have you finished your business already?”

“You mean the matter with the Changhe Sect? I’m not going.”

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“Changhe Sect?”

Cheng Yuan’s expression turned puzzled. He had no idea why his daughter would bring that up now, so he asked directly, “Didn’t you say yesterday evening that you had urgent business to attend to? Did you finish it so quickly?”

“What? Yesterday evening? I came back yesterday evening?”

Cheng Hongling’s aloof fairy-like demeanor nearly cracked.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Cheng Yuan grew uneasy at her reaction.

“I never came back yesterday. This is my first time home since then.”

Cheng Hongling’s voice was numb as she explained. She already had a rough idea of what had happened—just like with the Honghua Sect, the imposter had beaten her to it.

“How is that possible? Fugui saw you return yesterday. Ask him if you don’t believe me!” Cheng Yuan insisted, agitated.

“There’s no need. That was an imposter. She just stole something from the Honghua Sect, and we’re currently hunting her down.”

Cheng Hongling stated it plainly.

“An imposter? How could that be? She looked exactly like you—even her voice was the same. And worst of all, she carried the scent of Golden Fate Blossoms too!”

Cheng Yuan’s eyes widened in shock, unable to believe it.

“She had the scent of Golden Fate Blossoms?”

This finally shook Cheng Hongling’s composure. Though she had met the imposter before, her own body was already saturated with the fragrance, making it hard to distinguish who was emitting it in a short encounter.

“Yes, and it was strong—almost as strong as yours.”

Cheng Yuan described carefully before suddenly brightening. “Do you think she might know something about the Golden Fate Blossoms?”

“Impossible. If she had that kind of ability, she wouldn’t have risked her life stealing a mere Tongming Comb from the Honghua Sect. It must have come from my dress—that woman stole my clothes.”

After a moment of thought, Cheng Hongling reached this conclusion.

“So that’s how it is.”

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Cheng Yuan suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead. “No wonder! No wonder!”

“No wonder what?” Cheng Hongling asked reflexively.

“She was wearing a pair of oversized shoes—almost the same size as mine. I found it strange, so I asked her about it. She said some cultivation technique had ruined her feet, forcing her to wear larger shoes. And like a fool, I actually believed her!”

Cheng Yuan was filled with regret, wishing he could slap himself.

“A woman’s feet couldn’t possibly be as big as yours!”

Cheng Hongling was stunned.

“I don’t know, but the shoes were definitely that big. Maybe it was hereditary?”

Cheng Yuan shrugged.

Cheng Hongling curled her lips disdainfully before pressing further. “Then why did she come here? Did she steal anything?”

“She had me take her to the Prefect’s residence to forge an identity plaque with Young Master Dong’s help.”

Cheng Yuan answered truthfully.

“Forging an identity plaque? What is she planning?”

Cheng Hongling’s delicate brows furrowed. The situation was becoming more and more surreal.

“I don’t know. She didn’t tell me.”

Cheng Yuan shook his head.

“If that woman forged an identity plaque while impersonating me, that’s a clear violation of the dynasty’s laws. Can we ask the Prefect to help capture her?”

Cheng Hongling suddenly thought of a solution.

Cheng Yuan pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “No.”

“Why not?”

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“Because Young Master Dong was the one who helped forge the plaque. The Prefect won’t want this to blow up—if it does, his official position is at risk. Given his own interests, do you think he’d help us? I guarantee he’ll pretend nothing ever happened.”

Cheng Yuan’s analysis was sharp and experienced.

“You’re right.”

Cheng Hongling agreed but then added, “No matter. As long as she’s still in Huangtian Prefecture, the Honghua Sect alone can dig her out.”

“I hope so. If she remains at large, she’ll cause trouble sooner or later—and it’ll be your reputation that suffers.”

Cheng Yuan reminded her worriedly.

“Don’t worry, Father. I’ve seen her—she’s pathetically weak. She won’t escape my grasp.”

Cheng Hongling clenched her delicate fist with absolute confidence.

Meanwhile…

On the other side, Huang Qi had combed his hair thousands of times. The cracks in the illusion multiplied, and light from the outside world began seeping in—it was already daytime.

“What would happen if my divine sense could grow infinitely stronger?”

Huang Qi suddenly wondered. In his understanding, cultivators usually started with Qi Refining. He had never heard of anyone specializing in divine sense cultivation—after all, techniques specifically for enhancing divine sense were as rare as legendary immortals. Everyone claimed they existed, but he had never seen one.

Of course, Huang Qi was merely fantasizing. The Tongming Comb had its limits. After so many strokes, he could already feel the cooling sensation weakening. At this rate, it would eventually become ineffective. There was no way it could strengthen a person’s divine sense indefinitely.

“Damn it all! I wasted so many uses of the comb just to deal with this ghost woman. If my cultivation speed can’t keep up with the consumption, I’ll be stuck as a woman forever.”

Huang Qi cursed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t just sit around waiting to die.

After what felt like an eternity, the illusion cracked—shattering completely!

“Ah—!”

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A faint woman’s scream echoed before the real world finally unveiled itself before Huang Qi’s eyes.

Looking around, Huang Qi found himself in a cave. Though there was no sunlight, it was at least daytime, and his sharp senses allowed him to make out his surroundings clearly.

He remained vigilant, scanning the area for any threats, but after a long while, nothing happened. He had no idea whether the vengeful spirit had fled or been destroyed.

Only then did Huang Qi take the time to examine the cave properly. The ceiling was less than ten feet high, but the space at the far end was surprisingly spacious—almost like a hidden chamber.

In the distance, Huang Qi spotted something purple at the back of the cave. It looked like some kind of fruit.

Curious, he moved closer and confirmed that it was indeed a fruit—its skin a deep eggplant purple, its shape perfectly round. A small crack had split open, and thick black juice oozed out like sticky coal tar, though it carried no discernible odor.

“Did this grow here naturally, or did it fall from above?”

Huang Qi instinctively analyzed the situation, leaning toward the latter explanation. The cave was barren—no sunlight, no soil—how could anything grow here?

He stepped closer and noticed no vines on the ground nor any openings above that could have dropped the fruit.

“How bizarre!”

Now intrigued, Huang Qi leaned in for a better look. Soon, he detected a faint but distinct fragrance emanating from the juice.

“This scent… it’s familiar. Where have I smelled it before?”

Frowning, Huang Qi racked his brain before suddenly raising his small hand to his nose and sniffing.

“Yes, it’s the same, but it’s not Golden Fate Blossom. Where else have I encountered it?”

Muttering to himself, he suddenly brightened and pulled out the Tongming Comb from his robes. Bringing it to his nose, he confirmed that the fragrance matched.

“What’s going on? Why does the comb carry the same scent as this fruit?”

Utterly baffled, Huang Qi’s gaze flickered between the two objects.

After a long silence, a wild idea struck him. Holding the comb, he cautiously extended it toward the black, oil-like juice. His breathing grew rapid.