Volume 1, Chapter 57 – In One Breath, Become a Woman (Part 1)

Huang Qi regained consciousness once more, and before his eyes now lay the bustling streets of the Honghua Sect.

‘Looks like I’m dreaming again!’

He sighed inwardly in relief, but his heart soon felt hollow—because he knew exactly what this meant.

‘Whatever. My identity is most likely already exposed. With only a few days left to live, why should I care about gender? As long as I can save Father, it’s already a win for a dying man.’

A self-deprecating smile tugged at his lips as he began observing his surroundings. This dream was unusually vivid—he could even see a tiny mosquito hovering in the air with perfect clarity. His current body was strolling alongside several senior and junior sisters, and he could no longer see his own feet when looking down. Moreover, his eye level was now even with that of an adult.

‘Seems like the timeline in this dream is many years later.’

That was his deduction, considering that the last time he had entered this dream, his body had been that of a four or five-year-old little girl.

Huang Qi’s dream-body—or rather, Fairy Hongling—walked silently beside her sisters, exuding an icy aloofness.

Though Su Qingying beside her was also a cold beauty, she would occasionally unleash a sharp-tongued remark out of nowhere, leaving the others trembling in fury.

Huang Qi finally understood the difference between them: Su Qingying was fake aloof but genuinely venomous, while Fairy Hongling was the real deal—truly untouchable.

As they walked, the fairies chatted about everything under the sun—food, clothing, daily life, even intimate women’s topics—holding nothing back.

Huang Qi listened, growing increasingly embarrassed, yet he couldn’t walk away.

“Hey, have you heard? That cultivation deadbeat is finally getting kicked out.”

Just then, the voices of two male disciples by the roadside reached Fairy Hongling’s ears—and by extension, Huang Qi’s.

“Which deadbeat?”

“Duh, aside from that disciple under Steward Hu, how many cultivation deadbeats does the Honghua Sect even have?”

“You mean Huang Qi? Seriously? With Steward Hu backing him, how could he be forced out so easily?”

“This time’s different. Elder Wu personally went to drive him out.”

“About damn time! Why should a failure who couldn’t even break through be allowed to linger in the Honghua Sect for so long? Is that fair to the other disciples who got expelled?”

“Well, he had a good master—one willing to spare a room for him to live in.”

“You think Huang Qi’s Steward Hu’s illegitimate son or something? Why else would he go to such lengths?”

“Who knows? Enough talk—if you wanna see the show, hurry up!”

With that, the two disciples rushed toward the main gate.

Huang Qi’s heart clenched at their words. So, in this “dream”, today was the day he was expelled from the sect.

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“Senior Sisters, since we’ve got nothing else to do, why don’t we go watch the commotion too?”

Miao Xiang’s timid suggestion was met with immediate agreement from the others, and they all headed toward the main gate.

Huang Qi didn’t want to go. Being driven out of the Honghua Sect had been the darkest day of his life—one he didn’t even dare to recall.

He tried to will his feet to turn away, but this was Fairy Hongling’s memory. His body wasn’t his to control.

Soon, the group of fairies arrived at the sect’s entrance, where a massive crowd had already gathered. But they weren’t here to bid farewell to some esteemed figure—they had come to mock Huang Qi, the cultivation deadbeat.

‘To think I’d have to relive this in a dream after experiencing it in reality.’

Huang Qi couldn’t bear to look, but he had no power over Fairy Hongling’s eyes.

Before long, he saw himself again. In the dream, he was now a twenty-five-year-old man, the confident smile from ten years ago completely gone, replaced by thick layers of shame. Dressed in tattered hemp clothes, he looked more like a beggar seeking alms than a former disciple of the Honghua Sect.

‘So this was how wretched I looked back then…’

His heart ached even more.

Beside the dream version of Huang Qi stood a lean middle-aged man with a clean-shaven, square-jawed face and a slightly hooked nose—none other than Steward Hu Bing.

Meanwhile, behind the master and disciple, Elder Wu followed closely with four or five disciples in tow, as though escorting a criminal.

“Master… I’ll be going now.”

At the gate, the dream Huang Qi bid a feeble farewell, his eyes stubbornly avoiding the crowd there to mock him.

“Go on. Be careful on the road. Remember to keep the protective talisman on you, and don’t give up after you return. Hold onto what I’ve taught you.”

Hu Bing’s instructions were meticulous.

“Yes, Master! I’ll… I’ll come back to visit you when I can.”

The dream Huang Qi’s eyes brimmed with reluctance.

“Mm.”

Hu Bing nodded approvingly.

“Then… I’ll go. Take care of yourself.”

With one final farewell, the dream Huang Qi stepped out of the gate, turning back every few steps as though unable to bear leaving.

As the person who had lived through this, Huang Qi knew exactly what his past self was thinking—he had no idea how to face his parents after this. The thought of their disappointed expressions terrified him.

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“Move it! What’s with the dawdling? Need me to kick you out?”

Elder Wu’s merciless voice rang out from behind.

A flicker of anger crossed the dream Huang Qi’s face, but he quickened his pace and left the Honghua Sect. He knew he had no right to fight back.

Watching his own desolate figure retreat, Huang Qi’s heart twisted in agony.

“Haha! The deadbeat’s finally gone! What a relief!”

“Yeah, a residential spot in the Honghua Sect costs tens of thousands of taels—some people spend generations saving up for it. How could he freeload for so many years?”

“That Hu Bing, as a steward of the Honghua Sect, openly violated sect rules to shelter Huang Qi. How has no one called him out till now?”

The crowd jeered and mocked without restraint, kicking him while he was down.

“I… I think he’s kind of pitiful.”

Miao Xiang’s soft voice suddenly cut through the noise.

“Yeah, just look at his clothes. His family must be dirt-poor. Once he goes back, he’ll never recover from this.”

Ruan Lingyu chimed in sympathetically.

“What can be done? Those are the Honghua Sect’s rules. If you don’t meet the requirements, you leave. Otherwise, wouldn’t this place turn into a refugee camp?”

Yun Fei, however, remained pragmatic.

Huang Qi understood this logic, of course. He had never resented the Honghua Sect—which was why he had risked his life earlier to drive away those demonic cultivators.

Just as the crowd began to disperse, Elder Wu wasn’t done yet.

“Steward Hu, now that that good-for-nothing is gone, it’s your turn, isn’t it?”

His tone was openly hostile.

“Me? Are you trying to kick me out too?”

Hu Bing’s mood had already been foul, and now, provoked, his expression darkened completely.

Huang Qi’s heart leaped into his throat. He hadn’t expected his own affairs to drag his master into trouble.

“And why shouldn’t we? The Honghua Sect’s rules are clear—no loiterers allowed. Yet you, as a steward, knowingly broke the rules, sheltering that expelled waste in your home for ten years! That’s a severe violation. What right do you have to remain a steward?”

Elder Wu pressed aggressively.

‘I’m the waste? You’re the waste, you old bastard!’

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Huang Qi couldn’t hold back his silent fury.

“Elder Wu, let me remind you—that house is my private property. I can let whoever I want live there.”

Hu Bing’s voice was icy.

“True, the house is yours. But you are a steward of the Honghua Sect. You must abide by the rules. Violate them, and you’re out.”

Elder Wu’s face twisted with malice, as though Huang Qi had been squatting in his home.

“Heh. Whether I stay or go—since when is that your call?”

Hu Bing smirked dismissively.

“Not mine, you say? Then how about the Sect Leader’s? Let me spell it out for you—your removal was his direct order. Don’t believe me? Go ask him yourself.”

Elder Wu’s face was full of mockery.

Huang Qi’s heart turned to ice. He knew that no matter how arrogant Elder Wu was, he wouldn’t dare lie outright in front of everyone. If he said Sect Leader Qin had approved this, then it must be true.

‘If I’d known Master would suffer for this, why did I cling to the Honghua Sect so shamelessly?’

Regret and guilt tore at him.

Hu Bing swept his gaze across the crowd, but not a single person stepped forward to defend him. A scornful smile tugged at his lips.

“Fine, I’ll go. I stopped wanting to stay in this filthy sect long ago.”

“What? A steward dares to call the Honghua Sect filthy?”

“He breaks the rules, and now he bites the hand that feeds him? How shameless!”

“Like master, like disciple. No wonder Huang Qi was such a leech—he learned from the best!”

The onlookers erupted in condemnation.

“Steward Hu. What did you just say? Care to repeat that?”

A voice like rolling thunder suddenly boomed across the Honghua Sect.

Before the words had even faded, a figure materialized before Hu Bing—none other than Qin Quan himself. As Sect Leader, he would never tolerate anyone insulting the Honghua Sect, not even one of his own stewards.

“Didn’t hear me? Then I’ll say it again—this is a filthy sect!”

Hu Bing stood his ground, unflinching.

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“What’s gotten into Master? Why is he being so extreme?”

Huang Qi was baffled.

“Out of respect for your years of service to the Honghua Sect, I’ll give you one chance to explain. Convince me. Otherwise, I guarantee what you lose today won’t just be your position as steward.”

Qin Quan’s immortal-like demeanor had vanished, replaced by a chilling grimness. Hu Bing had crossed a line.

“Since Sect Leader Qin wishes to hear it, I’ll speak. I’ve kept this bottled up for ten years—it’s suffocating me.”

Hu Bing took a deep breath before continuing. “Ten years ago, my disciple Huang Qi was progressing smoothly in his cultivation. But just before he attempted to break through the Guanyuan acupoint, the spiritual energy in his body inexplicably vanished, leaving him without enough true qi to succeed. Do you know why?”

The crowd exchanged puzzled glances. Wasn’t failing a breakthrough normal? The Honghua Sect had outer disciples who experienced this every year.

Huang Qi didn’t understand why his master was bringing this up either. He could hardly stand to remember that day himself. “Master, can’t you leave me just a shred of dignity?”

“It means your waste of a disciple had limited talent. Why even ask?”

Elder Wu didn’t hesitate to sneer.

“Oh? But when Huang Qi first entered the sect, it was Elder Ruan who tested him. Everyone knows how strict he is—every disciple he approved became a cultivator without exception.”

Hu Bing’s voice rose sharply.

At this, the crowd finally sensed something unusual. Murmurs spread.

“That’s true. After Huang Qi failed, my grandfather was baffled. He said this disciple wasn’t a genius, but his aptitude was at least average—there was no reason for him to fail.”

Ruan Lingyu spoke up in confirmation.

“So I wasn’t the only one who thought that?”

Hearing Ruan Lingyu’s words, Huang Qi was deeply moved. Back then, he had also felt something was off, but to avoid ridicule, he had swallowed his grievances. He never imagined others had shared his doubts.

“Then what’s your explanation?”

Elder Wu smirked, prodding further.

“Because someone poisoned him!”

Hu Bing’s words came out through gritted teeth.

“Wh—what?!”

Huang Qi’s mind went blank.