Volume 1, Chapter 70 – Act, Keep Acting for Me

Qi Huang felt a pang of fear in her heart, but she took some comfort in the fact that she wouldn’t be killed immediately—after all, her captors would surely interrogate her about the whereabouts of the Golden Fate Blossoms.

‘If I refuse to talk no matter what, maybe I can buy myself some time.’

Qi Huang began scheming in her mind.

‘But what if they torture me, threaten me, or try to bribe me? Could I hold out?’

Her confidence wavered. Physical torture was one thing—she could grit her teeth and endure it. But if they resorted to psychological tactics, especially seduction, she wasn’t so sure. Given the beauty of these fairy maidens, she definitely wouldn’t be able to resist if they tried to charm her.

‘But even if I can’t hold out, what then? Even if I wanted to confess, I have nothing to confess!’

She quickly deflated. After all, she had no idea how the scent of Golden Fate Blossoms had ended up on her in the first place.

‘If I keep refusing to talk, will they just use me up and then discard me?’

Qi Huang grew anxious, completely forgetting that she was now in a woman’s body. Why would they send fairy maidens to seduce her?

…Well, unless they sent handsome cultivator masters instead.

Her thoughts spiraled wildly as she was escorted by the fairy maidens into the Honghua Sect.

Since they weren’t entirely certain Qi Huang was an impostor, the maidens didn’t raise an alarm. As a result, Qi Huang, this so-called “fake”, was treated with the same reverence as the real Fairy Hongling.

“Greetings, Junior Sister Hongling!”

“Junior Sister Hongling, I brought some local specialties from home. Here, take some!”

“Senior Sister Hongling, could I trouble you for an autograph? My parents adore you.”

People greeted her enthusiastically along the way, their admiration bordering on fanaticism.

“Hello, everyone! Aunts, uncles, brothers, and sisters, you’ve all worked hard!”

Qi Huang was extremely “polite”. Even though disaster loomed, she responded to each greeting with warmth. Since she’d soon be exposed anyway, why bother pretending to be aloof and offend people? Being friendly might earn her some sympathy when the truth came out.

At first, she did it out of courtesy, but soon she got carried away, her cheeks flushed with excitement. She even considered giving out a few autographs on Fairy Hongling’s behalf.

“You shameless impostor! Even now, you’re still pretending to be our junior sister?”

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Shen Yuan gritted her teeth in frustration.

“Well, they greeted me. Was I just supposed to ignore them?”

Qi Huang’s expression was awkward, but she stubbornly defended herself.

The fairy maidens ignored her, though the swords at their waists seemed to inch slightly out of their scabbards.

Qi Huang quickly sobered up and obediently continued on her way.

Before long, she was escorted into the Orchid Courtyard and brought before Xu Mei’s quarters.

“Master, we’ve caught the impostor.”

The eldest disciple, Ruan Lingyu, stepped forward and knocked on the wooden door to announce their arrival.

“I told you, I’m not an impostor!”

Qi Huang protested reflexively. Until she faced the real Fairy Hongling, she would deny everything.

Creak—

The door swung open, and Xu Mei stepped out. She narrowed her phoenix-like eyes, sweeping a glance over Qi Huang before turning to her head disciple with displeasure.

“Didn’t I tell you to deal with her after confirming the truth? Why bring her back? The Honghua Sect doesn’t keep idle people.”

“Master, when we caught her, we noticed an extremely strong scent of Golden Fate Blossoms on her. But she refuses to provide any leads.”

Ruan Lingyu hurriedly explained.

“What? Golden Fate Blossoms ?”

Xu Mei’s expression shifted. She immediately stepped forward and sniffed Qi Huang.

“It really is the scent of Golden Fate Blossoms! Heaven truly favors our Honghua Sect!”

Xu Mei was overjoyed, then turned to her disciples with a frown.

“Then why haven’t you forced her to talk? For immortal sect disciples, that shouldn’t be difficult, should it?”

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“Because… she looks exactly like Junior Sister. We couldn’t be completely sure, so we couldn’t bring ourselves to do it.”

Ruan Lingyu’s expression turned awkward.

“Nonsense! You’ve been with Hongling since childhood—how could you not tell the difference?”

Xu Mei reprimanded them before finally focusing on Qi Huang. She circled her, examining her closely, her expression growing increasingly astonished.

“I must admit, your disguise is flawless!”

After a long while, Xu Mei exclaimed in amazement.

“Master, I really am your disciple. I’m not disguised.”

Qi Huang shamelessly continued muddying the waters.

“Heh. My disciple is currently at her family home. If you’re her, then who is she?”

Xu Mei sneered. “You seem awfully confident, as if you’re certain we can’t tell the difference. But you may not know—while appearances can be disguised, the soul cannot!”

‘The soul? How could I forget about that?!’

Qi Huang’s breath hitched. It was true—while her body had been feminized, her soul might still be that of her former rough-and-tumble self. If they saw her true soul, not only would her disguise be exposed, but her real identity would be revealed as well.

“What’s wrong? Feeling guilty now? Just wait for your death, impostor!”

Shen Yuan gloated, while the other immortal maidens looked at Qi Huang as if she were already a corpse.

‘What do I do?’

Qi Huang was indeed panicking. She quickly released her Divine Sense and swept it over her own body—this was the first time she had ever observed her own soul.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

A beautiful, translucent figure—just as tall and graceful as her current body—was perfectly fused with it.

‘How is this possible? Did the Human Skin Mask feminize my soul too?!’

Qi Huang nearly thought she was hallucinating and scanned herself again to confirm.

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Meanwhile, Xu Mei had already turned and re-entered the room, emerging moments later with a small jade vial.

“Do you know what this is? Cat’s Tears! Its main component is the tears of a Netherworld Ghost Cat—a creature that preys on wandering spirits. A single drop in the eyes will reveal any ghost, demon, or human soul!”

Xu Mei held up the vial with confidence.

Qi Huang almost laughed out loud. She had already confirmed her soul was completely feminized—what did it matter if they looked?

“Master, why not have Junior Sister identify her herself? She’s already reached the Unity Realm—she wouldn’t need Cat’s Tears!”

“Yes! Our supply is already low. If we waste it on her, how will we exorcise demons in the future?”

“Exactly! Why not ask Sect Leader Qin to take a look?”

The female disciples grew anxious seeing Xu Mei about to use such a precious resource and tried to dissuade her.

Qi Huang watched her “senior sisters” with a twinge of guilt.

“It seems Master doesn’t have much Cat’s Tears left. If she wastes them on me, these immortal maidens will be left defenseless against demons. That’d be no different from sending them to their deaths!”

“Hongling is the one involved—letting her identify the impostor lacks credibility. As for Sect Leader Qin, who knows where he’s gone? I can’t wait any longer—I must expose this fraud immediately!”

Xu Mei, nearly frenzied, uncorked the vial and prepared to pour.

“Master, I really am Hongling! Don’t waste the Cat’s Tears on me—what will the sisters do when they face demons later?”

Qi Huang quickly tried to reason with her.

“Oh? Feeling nervous now, are we?”

Xu Mei mocked.

“I’m not nervous! I’m thinking of everyone’s well-being!”

Qi Huang pleaded earnestly.

“Act! Keep acting for me!”

Xu Mei was so angry she laughed. She brought the vial to her eye.

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“This time, I’m not acting! Don’t be rash—you’ll regret it!”

Qi Huang tried to rush forward and stop her, but the fairy maidens held her back.

Xu Mei ignored her and let a single drop fall into her right eye before declaring, “Though Cat’s Tears are precious, using them to expose an impostor like you is worth it.”

She covered her left eye and turned to scrutinize Qi Huang. The disciples below watched with bated breath.

“ Sigh … Why won’t you listen?”

Qi Huang was nearly frantic.

Xu Mei observed her for a moment, then began trembling slightly. She lowered her hand, her face filled with disbelief.

“How… is this possible?”

“Master? What’s wrong?”

Ruan Lingyu asked worriedly.

“It’s nothing. Perhaps I didn’t use enough.”

Xu Mei feigned calmness and poured more Cat’s Tears into both eyes this time.

“You’re using more?! Do you think it’s eye drops?!”

Qi Huang shook her head helplessly. Being a good person was harder than she thought.

Xu Mei, now with both eyes treated, looked at Qi Huang again—but what she saw remained unchanged. The impostor’s soul matched her appearance perfectly.

“How can this be? Are you truly Hongling?”

Xu Mei was utterly baffled. Then her expression darkened.

“If you’re Hongling… then who is the one at her home right now?”

The thought sent a chill down her spine.