Volume 9, Chapter 593 – But You Like Girls

Inside Honghua Sect, Qi Huang was tending to her ghost tomatoes in the greenhouse when the main body’s mental transmission sounded in her mind.

“That guy Jiang Feng came looking for us.”

Cheng Hongling notified her.

“Jiang Feng? That zombie crown prince? He came to Honghua Sect for us?”

Qi Huang was stunned. They weren’t even acquaintances, let alone friends; for him to show up like this was far too abrupt.

“Yes. A disciple just came to the house to inform me.”

Cheng Hongling confirmed.

“That really is strange. What’s he here for? Don’t tell me he still hasn’t given up?”

Qi Huang speculated to herself.

“Enough nonsense. Go meet him and we’ll know.”

Cheng Hongling urged, a touch impatient.

“All right. He’d better not try anything funny, or killing him will be no harder than crushing an ant.”

Qi Huang answered with confidence. She wasn’t the person from three years ago who could only make a living by acting.

The main body and the avatar left Honghua Sect together and met the former dynasty’s zombie crown prince in a secluded grove.

Jiang Feng had taken pains to disguise himself. He used white foundation to cover the golden corpse-marks on his face; paired with those wicked, charming phoenix eyes and his handsome features, at a glance he almost looked presentable.

“Crown Princess!”

At his side, General Li clasped his fists respectfully.

When Cheng Hongling heard that form of address, her clear, pretty face turned several degrees colder.

Qi Huang couldn’t be bothered to argue the point and asked bluntly, “I wonder what business Your Highness has with us?”

“Don’t be hasty, my beloved. Sit and we’ll talk slowly; this isn’t something that can be made clear in a few words.”

Unruffled, Jiang Feng gestured at a flat boulder nearby.

General Li, quick on the uptake, hurried over and wiped the dust off with his tattered sleeve.

Qi Huang accepted the courtesy, walked over, and sat with elegant poise, smoothing her skirt. Cheng Hongling, however, remained standing where she was, her face still icy.

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“The main body stands while the doppelgänger sits, doesn’t that seem improper?”

Surprise flickered across Jiang Feng’s face.

“Who asked you?”

Cheng Hongling snapped.

“Heh. Every time I see the two of you I can’t help but laugh. Clearly one person, yet why are your mannerisms so completely different?”

A teasing smile played on Jiang Feng’s lips.

“So you came all this way just to laugh at me?”

Cheng Hongling’s beautiful eyes narrowed into two dangerous crescents.

“Do I look that bored to you?”

Ignoring her glare, Jiang Feng smiled and said, “I came to my beloved with serious business. First, it’s about the source of the yin miasma at the Pingshan Mass Burial Ground. Don’t you want to know?”

Cheng Hongling’s expression eased a little at that, though she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

“Of course we do. If Your Highness is willing to tell us, we would be deeply grateful.”

Qi Huang answered at once. That mass burial ground was a sword hanging over the entire Huangtian County.

“And how do you plan to show gratitude, my beloved? By offering yourself to me?”

Jiang Feng joked.

“Sure. I’m just afraid you couldn’t handle it.”

Qi Huang’s smile turned frosty.

“Enough, no more jokes. Some time ago I went to scout the source of that yin miasma, but on the way I was blocked by a golden corpse. According to him, there’s another fiend at Pingshan with strength roughly on par with ours. From that, I infer the source is at least a flying corpse, something on the level you cultivators call the Heavenly Tribulation Realm.”

Jiang Feng grew solemn.

“We’d already prepared for that possibility. If it were only a golden corpse like you, that much yin miasma wouldn’t be leaking out.”

Qi Huang shot back.

“My beloved thinks I’m weak, is that it?”

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Jiang Feng’s smile went stiff, but he magnanimously let it go. “Forget it; I won’t stoop to your level. Since you’ve estimated the fiend’s strength, do you have a way to deal with it?”

At that, Cheng Hongling’s expression shifted. If it truly was a Heavenly Tribulation, level fiend, even sending her doppelgänger to “act” might not work.

Qi Huang held her tongue, wanting first to figure out what medicine he was selling in that gourd.

“Looks like my beloved has no countermeasures.”

Jiang Feng sneered.

“That won’t trouble Your Highness. The source hasn’t erupted yet; we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Qi Huang replied offhandedly.

“Then you’d best brace yourselves. Two days ago, the source’s underling came to me, asking that I help awaken their master. The timing is soon, maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after.”

Jiang Feng said it blandly.

“What?”

Qi Huang shot to her feet.

Cheng Hongling’s eyes flew wide open. For all of Huangtian County, that was catastrophic news.

Qi Huang thought for a moment, then tested him: “And did Your Highness agree?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I have to come out and take revenge on the Lin clan, don’t I? Otherwise what kind of man would I be?”

Jiang Feng arched a brow, ready to scare the little girls some more.

“But has Your Highness considered this? The land beneath our feet used to be Great Qi. As the former crown prince, can you really bear to see the common folk plunged into suffering?”

Qi Huang tried persuasion.

“As you yourself said, I’m only the former crown prince. The land under our feet is now called the Western Radiance Dynasty, and those living on it are rebels and traitors. Why should I show mercy?”

Jiang Feng shot back, impervious.

Hearing that, a hint of killing intent stirred in Cheng Hongling’s eyes. She sent a mental transmission to her doppelgänger: “With your current strength, killing him shouldn’t be hard, right? Without his help, those fiends probably can’t awaken the source. Otherwise they wouldn’t have asked him.”

“Of course. But don’t you find it odd? If he’s already decided to stand against us, why come here to flaunt it?”

Qi Huang replied.

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Cheng Hongling sensed the off note too and, for the moment, suppressed the murderous urge.

“State your terms, Your Highness. You didn’t come all the way to Honghua Sect just to show off, did you?”

Qi Huang probed. If this zombie prince was truly here only to gloat, she didn’t mind making him die one more time right here.

“My beloved is as sharp as ever.”

Admiration touched Jiang Feng’s face, and he laid out his demand. “My terms are simple. I want to meet the Holy Maiden of Shuiyu Valley. She’s at Honghua Sect right now, yes?”

“What do you want with her?”

Qi Huang asked in astonishment. She never would have guessed he’d play so off-script.

“Here’s how it is…”

Jiang Feng explained, in full, his plan to look for descendants. After all, it wasn’t some secret that couldn’t be told.

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling exchanged a look, minds whirring.

“To tell you the truth, after General Li’s in-depth investigation over the centuries, the last of my Jiang clan was likely killed by the rebel Lin clan more than thirty years ago. I only want to see Shuiyu Valley’s Holy Maiden to confirm whether that’s true.”

Jiang Feng added, making his meaning plain: this wasn’t something he absolutely had to do, so don’t even think about haggling.

“If we agree, what kind of compensation can Your Highness offer?”

Qi Huang decided to get the terms straight first.

“If you agree, I can guarantee that until the truth is revealed, I’ll neither lift a hand nor offer aid to those creatures. The source of yin miasma will remain asleep. I’ll also keep you informed of its status.”

Jiang Feng offered sincere terms.

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling traded another look and switched to mental transmissions.

“Should we let him see Mu Ruoyi or not?”

Qi Huang asked for her opinion.

“You need to ask me such an easy question? Feeling guilty the moment Mu Ruoyi is mentioned, are we?”

Cheng Hongling sounded displeased.

“Ahem, how could I? When have I ever been a thief, and what would I be guilty about?”

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Qi Huang argued her case.

“Oh really? Sneaking off to see her all the time isn’t thievery?”

Cheng Hongling pressed.

“Uh… I… I was only trying to be a good host. She came from far away as a guest; leaving her hanging like this isn’t very nice.”

Qi Huang’s gaze darted as she tried to explain.

“Listen up. The Protective Artifact of Shuiyu Valley has already been destroyed, and we’ve got no ambiguous ties to her anymore. You can repay their kindness for teaching us ‘Water Exquisite Art’, but don’t you dare go attracting bees and butterflies again.”

Cheng Hongling warned.

“I know. It’s not like she actually likes girls; what are you worried about?”

Qi Huang said helplessly.

“But you like girls. Who knows if you’ll ‘infect’ her?”

Cheng Hongling retorted.

Qi Huang was left speechless and hurriedly changed the subject. “Back to business. If we don’t let him see Mu Ruoyi, he’ll have no hope left and will throw himself into awakening that source. That would get messy. So let him meet her.”

Cheng Hongling said nothing, which counted as tacit consent.

Qi Huang swept Honghua Sect with her divine sense and found Mu Ruoyi cultivating in her boudoir. Too lazy for formalities, she simply seized her with divine sense and hauled her over.

“Ah… help—ahh!”

Mu Ruoyi never imagined she could be kidnapped mid-cultivation at home. Terrified out of her wits, she cried for help. But before she could finish a sentence, she had already been dragged to stand before Qi Huang.

“Oh my! It’s little sister Qi Huang! If you wanted to see your big sister, you could’ve given a heads-up first. This is really scary, you know? I thought I’d been targeted by some lecher.”

Still shaken, Mu Ruoyi patted her still-heaving chest a few times.

“You do have an eye for people.”

Cheng Hongling sniped from the side.

Qi Huang gave a sheepish smile and explained, “I wasn’t the one looking for you, he was.”