Volume 10, Chapter 653 – The Red Mark, It Has Appeared

Thus, the five junior and senior sisters returned to inform Xu Mei that they intended to venture out for training.

Since Xu Mei believed that there were no longer any wandering spirits or wild ghosts in Huangtian County, she agreed to their request.

After receiving permission, the five sisters left Honghua Sect in a hurry, eager and restless, for they had no idea when the owner of the Golden Fate Blossom seed might come knocking. They had to make haste.

“Senior Sister, which country should we inquire in first? Should we act together or split up?”

Shen Yuan sought opinions.

“I think we should move together. Our cultivation is too low. If we split up and encounter danger, what should we do then?”

Yun Fei cautiously suggested. After all, their cultivation was only at the Body Refining Realm, and without the Cat’s Tears, they couldn’t even see ghosts.

“No, we must split up. Only that way can we find the Golden Fate Blossom seed as quickly as possible.”

Shen Yuan, however, had a different opinion.

“We have the Divine Grade Protective Talismans that Junior Sister gave us; what danger are we afraid of? If you’re that scared, you might as well go back now!”

Su Qingying’s sharp tongue struck mercilessly.

“Uh…”

Yun Fei was left speechless.

“How about this: we’ll split into two teams. I’ll go with Miao Xiang to Beiling Kingdom to inquire, while you three head to Gaosheng Kingdom. If there’s any news, we’ll use the Thousand-Mile Communication Tube immediately.”

Ruan Lingyu made the decision.

“No way!”

Yun Fei immediately objected and suggested her own plan: “Have Shen Yuan go with you; we three will stay together.”

“Why?”

“Why?”

Ruan Lingyu and Shen Yuan asked in unison.

Yun Fei helplessly rolled her eyes, then secretly gave Shen Yuan a meaningful glance.

“Oh… right, right, right… I’d better stick with Senior Sister. I’m usually too lazy and need her to take care of me.”

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Shen Yuan immediately understood and quickly followed along.

“Alright then, let’s decide on that.”

Ruan Lingyu shook her head, smiling bitterly. Even if she weren’t the sharpest, she could still see through her junior sisters’ intentions.

The five sisters took out the protective talismans given by Qi Huang and then parted ways. Ruan Lingyu and Shen Yuan headed for Beiling Kingdom, while Yun Fei, Su Qingying, and Miao Xiang went toward Gaosheng Kingdom!

Qi Huang, of course, knew nothing about this. At the moment, she was focused entirely on strengthening her doppelgänger’s power. Whenever she had spare time, she napped, hoping to see Cheng Ling’s memories again.

That morning, Qi Huang woke up groggy. After washing up briefly, she went downstairs.

“How is it? Did you manage to see Cheng Ling’s memories last night?”

Cheng Hongling asked with a trace of hope.

“No.”

Qi Huang shook her head with a bitter smile.

“Don’t lose heart. As long as it’s not the very end, there’s still a chance.”

Cheng Hongling comforted her patiently.

“Mm!”

Qi Huang certainly wasn’t resigned to her fate. If she were to be completely feminized, it would be far more than just becoming a woman. Cheng Ling would definitely exploit that chance to escape from her main body’s Sea of Consciousness and wreak havoc.

“Wait… no…”

At that moment, Cheng Hongling suddenly leaned closer, her pupils trembling violently.

“What is it?”

Qi Huang instinctively stepped back two paces, feeling uneasy, and subconsciously touched her cheek.

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“Don’t move!”

Cheng Hongling ordered sharply, leaning in again to scrutinize her closely.

Qi Huang stood awkwardly in place.

“Sigh! What’s meant to come has come! The red mark on your face has started to show.”

After confirming multiple times, Cheng Hongling closed her beautiful eyes in pained resignation.

“What?”

Qi Huang was startled. She quickly scanned herself with her Divine Sense and found that beneath her right eye, there was indeed a faint pink mark shaped like a teardrop. It was so subtle that it was practically invisible unless one looked carefully.

Qi Huang examined it curiously, but soon calmed down. She had been mentally prepared for this and, being male-minded, didn’t place much importance on appearances.

“If I’d known this would happen, I shouldn’t have separated that Blood-Tear back then. Not only did I personally create the disaster that is Cheng Ling, but I’ve dragged you into this as well.”

Cheng Hongling regretted bitterly.

“It’s fine. You know I used to be a man; I don’t care much about looks.”

Qi Huang quickly reassured her, pulling out a veil to cover her face. It wouldn’t matter if the main body saw, but if her adoptive mother found out, that would be troublesome.

“They say, ‘A tree lives by its bark; a person lives by their face.’ Even men need dignity, let alone you. In everyone else’s eyes, you’re a woman now.”

Cheng Hongling’s expression didn’t relax.

“Oh, come on! Cultivators aren’t like ordinary people. Strength matters, not beauty. Looks aren’t that important.”

Qi Huang tried her best to argue, then warned her: “Whatever you do, don’t tell Mother about this.”

Cheng Hongling sighed and shook her head helplessly. In a household where everyone saw each other daily, how could it be hidden?

And indeed, Jiang Linian wasn’t someone who could be easily fooled.

Because Qi Huang kept wearing a veil at home and always made excuses to avoid eating, Jiang Linian quickly became suspicious, especially since Qi Huang had behaved like this before.

“Little Huang, take off your veil!”

During dinner that night, Jiang Linian suddenly demanded.

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“I’ve got pimples lately; it’s unsightly.”

Qi Huang lied.

“I don’t care what’s on your face. Take it off right now. That’s an order from your mother.”

Jiang Linian’s tone was unusually firm.

“Oh, come now, dear. Girls care about their looks; if she doesn’t want to, just let her be.”

Cheng Yuan tried to smooth things over.

But Jiang Linian remained unmoved, her gaze fixed firmly on Qi Huang.

Realizing there was no way to bluff her way out, Qi Huang reluctantly removed the veil.

Jiang Linian walked up and examined her closely, then her body trembled slightly as she choked out: “As expected! It really is that red mark!”

“What?”

Cheng Yuan, only now catching on, hurried over to look, and his face instantly darkened.

“Little Huang, this is all my fault! I’ve harmed you!”

Jiang Linian broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

“It’s alright, Mother! You know I used to be a man; I don’t care much about my looks.”

Qi Huang embraced her adoptive mother, comforting her as best she could.

“But… but the problem is… wuu… you’re a girl now! If outsiders see… see this… what will happen then? Mother… Mother knows all too well what kind of consequences this can bring!”

Jiang Linian cried bitterly.

“It’s fine. Worst case, I’ll just wear a veil all the time. No one will know.”

Qi Huang could only keep soothing her, but her words had little effect.

After a long while, Jiang Linian finally calmed down somewhat. She went into the room and brought out bottles and jars of ointments, insisting on applying them to her daughter. They were medicines her husband had bought for her long ago.

“Mother! It’s useless! You know where this red mark came from; there’s no way medicine can cure it.”

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Qi Huang refused helplessly.

“No! We have to try!”

Jiang Linian was stubborn.

Qi Huang eventually gave up resisting, knowing this was the only way to make her adoptive mother feel better.

That evening, Xu Mei rushed into the house in a panic.

“Something’s wrong… your senior sisters are missing!”

She blurted the moment she stepped through the door, turning anxiously toward Cheng Hongling.

“What? Missing? Which senior sister?”

Cheng Hongling froze for a moment, then urgently asked.

Qi Huang stumbled over, worried that it might involve Ruan Lingyu and the others, they were like true sisters to her. But as fate would have it, the thing she feared most came to pass.

“Yun Fei, Su Qingying, and Miao Xiang. All three of them are missing.”

Xu Mei’s voice trembled.

“What? All three missing? What on earth happened?”

Qi Huang widened her eyes in panic.

“Half a month ago, your five close senior sisters told me they wanted to go out for training. Since there aren’t many evil spirits left in Huangtian County, I agreed. But just now, Lingyu contacted me via the Thousand-Mile Communication Tube and said the three of them had gone missing! I asked her for details and learned they had gone abroad to search for the Golden Fate Blossom seeds.”

Xu Mei quickly explained the situation.

“Then why are Lingyu Senior Sister and Shen Yuan Senior Sister fine?”

Qi Huang asked, puzzled.

“To speed up the search, they split into two teams. Lingyu and Shen Yuan went to Beiling Kingdom, while the other three went to Gaosheng Kingdom.”

Xu Mei explained, her pupils trembling slightly. She understood too well how dangerous the world outside was. Even for cultivators, once they went missing, the chances of survival were slim.