Volume 2, Chapter 84 – Do I Really Look Like Some Chaste and Virtuous Heroine?

“Tell your sect leader to come out and greet us. The Heyi Sect has arrived to offer congratulations.”

At the gates of the Honghua Sect, Lin Chao barked orders at the two disciples standing guard with an air of arrogant authority.

“Heyi Sect?”

The two disciples exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave. One of them immediately rushed inside to report. Though the Heyi Sect was classified as a county-level sect like Honghua, its strength far surpassed theirs. Their sect leader was a powerhouse at the eighth layer of the Unity Realm, and they had three or four elders and protectors of the same cultivation level.

Before long, Qin Quan emerged with Elder Wu, a humble smile on his face. “Sect Leader Lin, your esteemed presence brings boundless honor to our humble Honghua Sect.”

“Humble? Sect Leader Qin, you’re far too modest. A place capable of nurturing such a prodigy is nothing short of a phoenix’s nest.”

Lin Feng stepped forward with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

The two exchanged pleasantries as they made their way into the Honghua Sect.

Once inside the main hall, Qin Quan ordered wine and refreshments to be served. Though the two sects had their occasional frictions, no major conflicts had ever broken out between them. Basic courtesy as hosts could not be neglected.

“Sect Leader Qin, I’ll be frank. We’ve come to offer our congratulations. Rumor has it that your sect has produced a once-in-a-generation genius—a fifteen-year-old who’s reached the Incarnation Realm?”

After sitting for about fifteen minutes, Lin Feng finally cut to the chase.

“Sect Leader Lin is remarkably well-informed. News travels fast indeed.”

Qin Quan chuckled noncommittally.

“Sect Leader Qin jests. A fifteen-year-old in the Incarnation Realm? The Western Radiance Dynasty has never seen such a prodigy. Such joyous news isn’t just for neighbors like us—I’d wager even the capital is abuzz by now.”

Lin Feng had no choice but to flatter him again.

“Luck, pure luck!”

Qin Quan waved it off with a laugh.

“Sect Leader Qin, my father has come all this way to offer congratulations. Surely you won’t deny him the chance to meet this genius?”

Lin Chao, unable to hold back any longer, spoke up from the side.

“Of course not!”

Qin Quan gestured grandly and ordered a disciple to summon Xu Mei.

Not long after, Xu Mei received the news. A sense of foreboding gripped her as she hurried to find her disciple.

“The Heyi Sect’s leader wants to see me? That won’t work. His cultivation is higher than mine. If he tests me, I’ll be exposed immediately.”

Cheng Hongling shook her head.

“Then what do we do? He’s asking for you by name. Even if our relations aren’t the best, he’s still a sect leader.”

Xu Mei frowned in distress.

Read oո ΚαtRеadіոɡСаfе

“Then I’ll recall my doppelgänger to handle it. But she’s already left the range of my divine sense. Unless she contacts me first, I can’t summon her back.”

Cheng Hongling pondered for a moment before replying.

Xu Mei considered the situation. “They’ve been gone for two days now. Sending disciples to find them would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Here’s what we’ll do—I’ll tell the sect leader you’re in seclusion and can’t receive guests.”

Once master and disciple reached a decision, they relayed it to Sect Leader Qin.

Upon hearing that Cheng Hongling’s doppelgänger had already left the mountain, Qin Quan’s expression flickered briefly before he regained his composure.

“My apologies, Sect Leader Lin. My disciple has only just broken through, and her foundation is unstable. She requires seclusion for the time being and cannot receive guests.”

Qin Quan offered a perfunctory excuse.

“How arrogant.”

Lin Chao’s face darkened instantly.

“Ah, but she’s an Incarnation Realm genius. A little arrogance is only natural.”

Lin Feng’s tone was laced with sarcasm before he added, “If the main body is in seclusion, the doppelgänger will suffice. We don’t mind.”

A cold smirk flashed across Qin Quan’s face. So they’re here to investigate after all. He continued lying smoothly. “Unfortunately, her doppelgänger is also in seclusion.”

“No matter. We have time. We’ll wait until she emerges. Having come all this way, it would be a shame to leave without meeting her. Surely Sect Leader Qin doesn’t mind us staying a few more days?”

Lin Feng shamelessly insisted.

“Not at all. I’d be delighted.”

Qin Quan’s enthusiasm was palpable—at least on the surface.

“Sect Leader Qin, this is a small token of our esteem. I hope you won’t find it lacking.”

Lin Feng signaled to his disciples, who carried forward a chest.

“Sect Leader Lin is too kind.”

Qin Quan barely glanced at it. He didn’t need to look to know it held nothing of real value.

“It’s only proper for such an occasion.”

Lin Feng feigned magnanimity.

Just then, a disciple suddenly appeared outside the hall.

“Sect Leader, the Huxiao Sect delegation has arrived, claiming to offer congratulations.”

The disciple reported.

Rеαⅾ οո KаtRеaԁіnɡCafе

“Huxiao Sect?”

Qin Quan’s heart sank. He was beginning to grasp the severity of the situation. Some people he could brush off—but others, he couldn’t afford to refuse.

Meanwhile, Qi Huang remained blissfully unaware of the chaos unfolding at the Honghua Sect. She and her senior sisters had settled into a small town for the night.

After dinner, Qi Huang politely declined her senior sisters’ “offer to keep her company” and returned to her room alone to cultivate.

Meanwhile, her senior sisters were next door, scheming about how to “claim” her.

“I can’t stand it! We finally managed to leave Master behind at the sect, and now we’re just going to let this golden opportunity slip away?”

Ruan Lingyu sighed dramatically.

“Exactly! To have such a tender little lamb right in front of us and do nothing… it’s torture.”

Shen Yuan agreed mournfully.

“What if we slip her something? Then she’ll be nice and docile.”

Yun Fei offered a devious suggestion.

“That’s an idea. A little sister who can’t move is the best kind of little sister.”

Ruan Lingyu’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“But… what if we run into ghosts or evil spirits without her?”

Miao Xiang voiced her concerns timidly.

“Are you stupid? We’d only drug her when it’s safe—like right now.”

Su Qingying shot back.

“Right, right! Let’s do it now. We’ll bring her some late-night snacks… with a little extra seasoning.”

Shen Yuan’s excitement was palpable.

“But who has knockout drugs on them right now?”

Ruan Lingyu scanned her fellow disciples skeptically.

“No problem. We’ll just buy some from the apothecary. If we pay enough, even the shopkeeper will whip it up for us.”

Yun Fei spoke with unsettling expertise.

Rеαⅾ οn KatReαⅾіnɡСаfe

“You’ve bought them before? How do you know this so well?”

Ruan Lingyu’s gaze turned sharp.

“W-what? No way! Just a guess! Pure speculation!”

Yun Fei stammered nervously.

“Then why are you stuttering?”

Su Qingying delivered a merciless verbal jab.

“A-anyway, stop wasting time! The apothecary will close soon.”

Blushing furiously, Yun Fei quickly changed the subject.

The group found this reasoning sound and promptly sneaked out to the apothecary.

Qi Huang, completely oblivious to the “wolves” plotting against her, was deep in cultivation when Ruan Lingyu’s voice called from outside her door.

“Little Junior Sister, I brought you some late-night snacks—meatballs! They smell amazing.”

Ruan Lingyu’s sultry voice was far more intoxicating than the meatballs themselves—not that she realized it.

“Meatballs?”

Qi Huang’s mouth watered instantly. She hurried to open the door, and a rich aroma wafted in.

“Thank you, Senior Sister!”

Qi Huang accepted the bowl and chopsticks politely.

“No need. Eat them while they’re hot.”

Ruan Lingyu smiled, her expression just a little too innocent.

Unaware of the trap, Qi Huang carried the bowl back inside, carefully shutting the door behind her—lest her “generous” senior sister try to sneak in and make refusal impossible.

Qi Huang savored the meatballs leisurely before sitting cross-legged on the bed to resume cultivation.

Some time later, a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over her.

“This doesn’t make sense. My divine sense has already reached the Unity Realm. I should be able to last much longer than seven days without sleep. Why am I suddenly so tired?”

Qi Huang was baffled. “Am I not really in the Unity Realm? But I could lift those leaves with my mind!”

Before she could puzzle it out, hushed whispers reached her ears from outside.

“Do you think she’s passed out yet?”

Rеαⅾ on KаtRеαԁіոɡСаfе

“No idea. I’ve never taken knockout drugs before.”

“How much did you put in?”

“All of it. The shopkeeper said it could drop a bull.”

“Should we call out to check?”

The senior sisters were practically vibrating with anticipation.

“So it was them! They drugged me! Do I really look like some ‘chaste and virtuous heroine’ to them?”

Qi Huang was furious. Being the object of her senior sisters’ affections was flattering, sure—but drugging her? If she lost consciousness, she’d be trapped in dreams again, and there was no guarantee she’d wake up next time. Not with that Spirit Wisdom Soul still lurking inside her.

“Little Junior Sister… are you asleep?”

Ruan Lingyu’s tentative voice floated through the door.

“No. What is it?”

Qi Huang forced herself to sound alert despite the overwhelming fatigue.

“N-nothing!”

Ruan Lingyu clearly hadn’t expected her junior sister to be so “resilient”. She didn’t dare push further.

“Are you sure you bought the right drug?”

“How should I know?”

“How can you not know?”

“I’ve never bought it before! Who knows if it’s real or fake?”

The senior sisters tiptoed away from the door.

Qi Huang had no energy left to deal with them. The drowsiness crashed over her in relentless waves, devouring her consciousness like a tidal wave.

“What do I do? What do I do?”

Panic set in. Her eyes darted around the room, searching desperately for salvation.

Then—

“That’s it! The ghost tomato!”

Her gaze locked onto her travel bag, where the ghost tomato she’d obtained just yesterday lay.