Volume 1, Chapter 67 – In the End, They Still Caught Me (Part 2)

The five fairies rushed to the county government office without stopping, disregarding all formalities. They directly revealed their identities and ordered the guards at the gate to summon Secretary Yuan. After all, in this world, cultivators were supreme.

“Oh heavens, you ladies! Where have you all been? Just an hour or two ago, that impostor came with the registration token, and the moment I stepped out, I couldn’t find hide nor hair of you!”

The moment Secretary Yuan saw the fairies, he began complaining loudly, trying to prove just how diligently he had been searching for them.

“Just as I thought!” Yun Feiyao gritted her teeth.

“Sigh… I was fooled again. I almost became a delivery girl for nothing!” Ruan Lingyu sighed, her expression looking utterly defeated.

Miao Xiang, on the other hand, burst into tears—she was so angry she cried.

“I knew there was no way our master would send us to our deaths! That damned impostor—if I catch her, I’ll strip her naked and parade her through the streets!” Shen Yuan viciously slashed the air a few times with her sword.

“Don’t forget to skin her,” Su Qingying coldly reminded.

Secretary Yuan watched the fairies with confusion, curious but not daring to ask.

“Did she go inside to register the token?” Ruan Lingyu finally snapped out of her daze and confirmed.

“Yes,” Secretary Yuan replied respectfully.

“What name did she use?” Ruan Lingyu pressed, unaware that Qi Huang had forged the token.

“Qi Huang. Is there a problem?” Secretary Yuan asked cautiously.

“Then there’s no issue.” Ruan Lingyu let out a sigh of relief. She had been genuinely worried that the madwoman would use her junior sister’s name. With such excellent disguise skills, forging a token under the name “Cheng Hongling” wouldn’t have been difficult.

If Qi Huang knew what Ruan Lingyu was thinking, she would have been flattered. Her current appearance wasn’t due to any disguise technique but rather the effects of the Human Skin Mask.

“That wicked woman is utterly despicable, but she’s also quite devoted. Right under our noses, she took the risk of being exposed just to register.” Miao Xiang gasped slightly, her small mouth parted in amazement.

“Isn’t devotion a good thing? No matter where she is now, we’ll just go to the Huang family and wait for her to show up!” Ruan Lingyu made her decision.

“But what if she refuses to admit it? We still can’t tell her apart from our junior sister.” Shen Yuan worried that her sword might not get any use.

“It won’t matter. This time, I won’t give her any chance to argue. We’ll drag her straight back to the Honghua Sect and confront her with our junior sister.” Ruan Lingyu had already made up her mind.

The fairies agreed that this was a good plan and immediately set off for Huatian Village, ignoring any potential dangers.

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Meanwhile, Qi Huang remained completely unaware that she had been exposed. She continued escorting her father home, her divine sense extended, carefully monitoring their surroundings for any disturbances.

“We need to hurry. We’ve reached Maying Gully—I heard someone say they heard wolves howling around here!” Huang Kairong suddenly warned.

Awooo—!

Before he could even finish speaking, a ghostly howl echoed through the dense forest, carrying far into the distance.

“Not good, it really is a wolf! Run!” Huang Kairong paled in fright and immediately urged his “daughter-in-law” to flee.

“Wolves?” Qi Huang was also startled and instinctively quickened her pace. But after a few steps, she suddenly realized, ’Wait, I’m a cultivator now. Why should I be afraid of wolves?’

Huang Kairong, thinking his “daughter-in-law” couldn’t run anymore, slowed down to cover their rear, picking up a wooden stick from the roadside.

A moment later, the sound of frantic footsteps approached. Two emaciated, starving wolves burst out from the undergrowth, kicking up dust as they gave chase.

Through her divine sense, Qi Huang could see just how skeletal the wolves were—their faces looked like a cross between a dog and a fox. Yet the wild ferocity in their eyes was unmistakable. Their fangs were bared, their fur stood on end like steel needles, making one wonder if their father had been seduced by a porcupine.

Huang Kairong immediately stopped, fearlessly raising his stick to block the wolves’ path as he shouted to his “daughter-in-law”.

“You run ahead! I’ll hold them off!”

“Hold them off? Can you even do that?” Qi Huang was skeptical.

“I—I can’t, but… but eating me will at least buy you some time! If you can’t outrun them, climb a tree—wolves can’t climb!” Huang Kairong trembled all over, but he still took the time to instruct her. After all, she was the future of the Huang family.

Touched, Qi Huang thought to herself that her hard-earned abilities were finally going to be useful.

The two wolves closed in, driven by hunger. They quickly lost patience and pounced.

Huang Kairong was terrified, but he didn’t retreat. As two gaping maws lunged at him, he shut his eyes and swung his stick wildly, bracing himself for the pain of being bitten.

But Qi Huang remained eerily calm. With a thought, two strands of her hair—thin as silk—suddenly shot out like steel wires. They pierced through the wolves’ skulls from the front and exited through the back, then retracted just as silently.

Thud!

The two wolves, mid-leap, suddenly lost control of their bodies and collapsed right in front of Huang Kairong, limbs twitching as if they had staged their own deaths.

Huang Kairong opened his eyes in confusion, disbelieving what he saw.

“What happened to them?”

“I don’t know. They’re too skinny—maybe they fainted from hunger?” Qi Huang played dumb.

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“Really?” Huang Kairong was doubtful but poked the wolves with his stick. Once he confirmed they were half-dead, he broke into an excited grin. “I thought you were here to eat me, but it turns out you wanted me to eat you! What kind wolves!”

Muttering to himself, Huang Kairong quickly found some vines nearby, tied up the two wolves, and slung them over his back.

“Heh, they’re a bit scrawny, but together they’re still forty or fifty catties. Enough for our family to eat for months.” He weighed them with satisfaction, a content smile on his face.

Qi Huang watched her father’s expression, her heart filled with regret. If she weren’t a fugitive hunted by the Honghua Sect, with her current abilities, she could have ensured a good life not just for her family, but for the entire village.

And so, the father and… well, father and daughter continued their journey, returning to Huatian Village by the afternoon.

Before Qi Huang even reached the gate, the sound of commotion from inside reached her ears.

“What’s going on?”

An inexplicable sense of foreboding weighed on her heart. Exchanging a glance with her father, she quickened her pace.

“Huang Qi’s taste is just awful. How could he get involved with a woman like this? She’s ruined the Huang family!”

“Yeah, disappearing out of nowhere. Now not only is Huang Kairong gone, but  Huang is on his deathbed too.”

“Huang Qi is really something. If his woman ran off, fine—but how could he let his own father take his place in conscription?”

Before Qi Huang even stepped into the courtyard, she heard the villagers gossiping about her.

“Sister-in-law, tell me the truth—was that girl just someone you hired to put on an act?” Huang Kaiyou’s voice rang out.

“I’ve told you a thousand times—no!” Li Fen snapped back, clearly in a foul mood.

“If not, then why did she disappear out of nowhere? Huang Qi is my nephew. If he didn’t have a lover, he should’ve just said so! My two daughters-in-law could’ve introduced him to someone. Even if he had to raise another man’s child, at least he wouldn’t have ended up like this!” Huang Kaiyou said hypocritically.

“Who said I disappeared?!”

Qi Huang strode in, her voice sharp as she glared around. The courtyard was lit by flickering torches, and about twenty people were gathered—she had no idea what they were doing there.

The yard fell dead silent. Huang Kaiyou and his wife stared, their faces alternating between green and white.

“That’s right! My daughter-in-law went back home to get her registration token. That’s why it took so long!” Huang Kairong huffed as he followed behind, the two wolf carcasses on his back impossible to miss.

“What’s that? Wolves? Or dogs?”

“They’re wolves! Good heavens! Where did he get those?”

“Probably bought them. His daughter-in-law is rich—buying two wolf carcasses isn’t a big deal.”

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The villagers erupted into chatter, crowding around to gawk.

“You’re back! I thought—” Li Fen burst into tears as she rushed over.

“Mother! It’s alright, don’t cry! I’ve already registered the token.” Qi Huang quickly comforted her.

“No more tears! Husband, go see your father quickly. After he heard his granddaughter-in-law had disappeared and you were taken away, he fell ill. He hasn’t eaten in two days and can barely speak now.” Li Fen wiped her tears as she spoke.

“What?!”

Qi Huang was horrified and immediately rushed into the side room. Now she understood why so many relatives and friends had gathered in the courtyard.

“Grandfather, I’m back! I’m back!”

Qi Huang called out as she entered, but the blankets obscured the old man’s face. She couldn’t even hear his breathing.

“Back? My granddaughter-in-law is back?”

Old Master Huang, who had been deathly silent, miraculously spoke up. With trembling hands, he pushed the blanket aside.

“Yes, Father! Your granddaughter-in-law didn’t disappear—she went back to get her registration token. See? I’ve returned completely unharmed!” Huang Kairong quickly explained.

“Good… good… Is there any food? I’m starving!” The old man licked his lips.

“Yes, yes, right away!”

Li Fen wiped her tears and went to fetch food.

Qi Huang also let out a sigh of relief. As long as he had an appetite, his health would slowly recover.

“Father, eat something first to fill your stomach. We’ll slaughter those two wolves to make you some nourishing broth.” Huang Kairong rolled up his sleeves and headed outside.

Not wanting to disturb her grandfather’s rest, Qi Huang followed her father out.

“Everyone, lend a hand! Tonight, we feast on wolf meat!” Huang Kairong announced generously.

“Huang Kairong, did your daughter-in-law buy those wolves?” someone asked.

“Uh—” Huang Kairong instinctively wanted to say they starved to death.

“I didn’t buy them. My father… my father-in-law killed them on the road.” Qi Huang cut him off.

“Heavens! Huang Kairong is that strong? He took down two wolves alone? Were they from Maying Gully? I heard someone say they heard wolves howling there!”

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“If that’s true, he’s done the whole village a favor!”

“That old man Huang Kairong doesn’t look like much, but he’s got some skill! Look at him—he killed two wolves without a scratch on him!”

The villagers’ faces were filled with admiration.

Huang Kairong hadn’t expected his “daughter-in-law” to be so “considerate”. He was so pleased he nearly grinned ear to ear.

Seeing that it was still early, Qi Huang considered making an excuse to slip away. But the thought of her grandfather made it impossible for her to leave.

‘Forget it. Those fairies will take at least two or three days to make a round trip to Fengming County. I’ll stay for now and leave once Grandfather’s condition improves a little.’

She made up her mind, completely unaware that her scheme had already been uncovered.

As night fell, the sound of laughter came from outside the gate. Qi Huang frowned and saw her two cousins arriving—this time, not just with their so-called wives, but also three other equally unattractive women.

The seven of them swaggered into the courtyard, showing no respect for  Huang’s illness as they continued laughing and joking.

The other bachelors in the village were immediately captivated, like cats catching the scent of fish. Only He Chao and Liu Keqian remained diligently cleaning the wolf carcasses.

“Niece-in-law, I heard you promised to introduce He Chao and Liu Keqian to some girls. Didn’t you bring any sisters back with you this time?”

Huang Kaiyou seized the opportunity to provoke her.

The villagers all turned their eyes to Qi Huang.

Qi Huang was dumbfounded. What sisters? The only ones she had were in her dreams.

“Don’t tell me you don’t even have two sisters to introduce? Are your connections really that poor?” Qu Zhen sneered.

Huang Kairong and his wife looked at their “daughter-in-law” with concern, unsure how to help.

“Who says she doesn’t? We’re right here!”

At that moment, a voice rang out from the gate.

Qi Huang’s soul nearly left her body—because it was unmistakably Ruan Lingyu’s voice.