Volume 1, Chapter 68 – In the End, They Still Caught Me (Part 3)

Qi Huang had just experienced the most awkward moment of her life. She thought to herself, ‘If I had known it would come to this, I never would’ve agreed so casually back then!’

But no matter how embarrassing the situation was, she hadn’t let that so-called “good sister” bail her out. After all, embarrassment wouldn’t kill her, right?

The crowd turned toward the source of the voice and saw five extravagantly dressed young women stepping into the courtyard. Each had her own distinct charm—some plump, some slender—but they all shared fair skin and striking beauty. More importantly, each carried an otherworldly aura that made the simple villagers gawk in awe. Even Huang Long and Huang Bo, who had been flirting with their sweethearts just moments ago, were completely entranced, forgetting the women beside them.

‘All five of them came? Did they have to make it such a grand affair?!’

Qi Huang inwardly groaned. If these fairy maidens had come looking for her in person, it most likely meant her fake identity had been exposed. If only one or two had shown up, she might have had a chance to escape—but with five of them here, she was at their mercy.

‘But how did they see through me?’

She mentally reviewed her “schemes” but couldn’t find any obvious flaws.

“Who was it that just said she had no connections?”

Ruan Lingyu stood in the center of the courtyard, her beautiful eyes sweeping across the crowd with an imposing air.

“I scammed Ruan Lingyu out of everything she had—why hasn’t she lashed out yet?”

Qi Huang was baffled by the other woman’s claim that they were “good sisters ¹ the sisters used here means closer to good female friends rather than actual biological sisters .” If their roles were reversed, she definitely wouldn’t have been able to hold back.

‘She’s still covering for me… Could it be they haven’t realized I’m an impostor? Did they track me down through some other clue?’

A sliver of hope flickered in Qi Huang’s heart.

The villagers finally processed the situation and, as if on cue, all turned to look at Qu Zhen.

Qu Zhen wanted to retort indignantly, but when she glanced at the three or four homely “sisters” beside her, she could only lower her head and pretend to be invisible.

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The surrounding bachelors instinctively took a few steps back, clearly distancing themselves from the scene.

“Uh… daughter-in-law, who are they…?”

Li Fen stepped forward hesitantly.

Qi Huang quickly analyzed the situation. Since the other party hadn’t exposed her yet, there was no need for her to confess. She might as well play along.

“Oh, they’re all my good sisters! Remember how I promised Uncle He and the others before? So I invited them over for a visit.”

“Really?”

Li Fen turned to her husband in disbelief, her face alight with joy. She had expected this to be a humiliating disaster, but her daughter-in-law’s connections far exceeded her wildest dreams.

Huang Kairong, however, looked bewildered. If these were really her good sisters coming to visit, why hadn’t she mentioned it earlier?

Huang Kaiyou and his wife were utterly speechless, standing there like fools, unsure of what to do.

From a distance, He Chao and Liu Keqian exchanged glances, their faces filled with undisguised shock.

The fairy maidens looked at each other, thinking, ‘This impostor really has no shame! Even now, she’s still trying to squeeze every last bit of value out of us.’

“Of course! We’re even closer than real sisters!”

Ruan Lingyu smiled warmly, though an inexplicable grinding of teeth could be heard from her cherry lips.

Qi Huang laughed awkwardly, her eyes darting around nervously. She didn’t know if these fairy maidens had already seen through her, but guilt weighed heavily on her.

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“Since you’re my daughter-in-law’s good sisters, please, come sit!”

Li Fen hurriedly invited them in.

The fairy maidens thanked her politely and took their seats in a corner of the courtyard. The once-plain yard suddenly bloomed with beauty, dazzling everyone’s eyes.

In contrast, Qu Zhen and her companions looked like country bumpkins next to them. Unable to bear the humiliation, they fled in disgrace.

“Sis, you’re really too kind! You actually brought your good sisters here!”

“Sis, thank you for thinking of me, but girls like these… I don’t even have the courage to talk to them. How could I ever pursue one? Next time, bring some more ordinary ones. I know my limits.”

He Chao and Liu Keqian quietly approached Qi Huang to chat. Though they spoke humbly, their excitement was unmistakable. After all, they were men—who didn’t have a few wild fantasies?

‘Like hell I wanted to bring them here!’

Qi Huang’s smile was uglier than a grimace. The five fairy maidens had been staring at her like hawks since they sat down, making her spine tingle as if she were a prisoner under surveillance.

After a while, Ruan Lingyu suddenly called her fellow disciples to their feet and approached Qi Huang.

“Little sister, could we step outside for a chat?”

Ruan Lingyu gazed at her with a half-smile.

Though Qi Huang didn’t know their intentions, she was in no position to refuse. She obediently followed them out.

The moment they left the house, the fairy maidens retrieved swords they had hidden outside and swiftly encircled Qi Huang.

Only after they were far from the village did Ruan Lingyu finally turn around. The cheerful smile from earlier had completely vanished, replaced by narrowed eyes and a cold interrogation.

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“My dear junior sister, would you mind telling your senior sister why you’re in a place like this? Didn’t you say you were guarding the county office?”

“County office? I’ve never been to any county office. I just happened to hear that the new daughter-in-law of the Huang family in Huatian Village looked a lot like me, so I suspected she might be the impostor. I went undercover to investigate, but I didn’t expect you all to come too.”

Qi Huang flatly denied it. She knew that admitting to this would be tantamount to confessing she was the fake—after all, the real Fairy Hongling had never gone to the county office.

“Oh? Our little junior sister is truly remarkable! We’ve been in Ping’an County for so long, and it took us immense effort to track down this remote village. Yet you just ‘happened’ to stumble upon it?”

Ruan Lingyu’s tone was mocking.

“Just lucky, I guess!”

Qi Huang forced a modest smile, but cold sweat had already broken out on her forehead. Even an idiot could tell they had already pegged her as the impostor. Their earlier act in the house had just been a performance.

“Alright, Master said they’ve already found the impostor, so we don’t need to stay here anymore. Let’s go back.”

Ruan Lingyu lied smoothly.

Qi Huang knew this was likely a trap. If she went to the Honghua Sect and came face-to-face with the real Cheng Hongling, her identity would be exposed instantly. She hesitated briefly.

“What’s wrong? Could it be… you’re feeling guilty?”

Ruan Lingyu’s expression darkened.

“Guilty? Why would I feel guilty? I just have some unfinished business here! You all go ahead first!”

Qi Huang quickly explained.

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“Ugh, I can’t take this anymore! I’m done pretending! I think you’re the impostor!”

The hot-tempered Shen Yuan had reached her limit and cut straight to the point.

“How could that be? I really am your junior sister! If you don’t believe me, test me with questions!”

Qi Huang’s heart pounded, but she forced herself to remain calm. If she wanted to survive, she had to keep pretending to be Cheng Hongling.

“Fine! Then let my sword ask you first—do you even have Unity Realm cultivation?!”

Shen Yuan, brimming with pent-up fury, unsheathed her sword without another word. In the blink of an eye, she vanished from her original position and lunged at Qi Huang.

Qi Huang wasn’t about to wait for death. Though she was only at the second layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm—far too weak to perceive Shen Yuan’s movements with her eyes, let alone dodge them—she had one advantage: her divine sense had already reached the Unity Realm.

She remembered her master saying that divine sense was incredibly powerful, capable of perceiving even the fastest-moving objects. Against cultivators or demons faster than herself, it was an invaluable tool.

Even though Hu Bing himself hadn’t reached the Unity Realm, Qi Huang never doubted her master’s words. The moment Shen Yuan drew her sword, Qi Huang had already spread out her divine sense. Just as her master had said, despite Shen Yuan’s blinding speed, under the scrutiny of divine sense, her movements were as slow as a snail’s.

‘That’s it? I could take on ten of her!’

Qi Huang was ecstatic. She hadn’t expected divine sense to be this useful. Calmly, she tried to sidestep—but then came the crushing realization.

Her body couldn’t keep up with her mind’s speed.

It was like a three-year-old trying to swing a giant hammer.

All she could do was watch helplessly as Shen Yuan’s blade swept toward her throat.