Volume 13, Chapter 867 – I’m Going to Steal Vegetables

Qianqian obediently accepted the sack of seeds. She was just a child at heart, pure and simple-minded. She didn’t question what the seeds were, nor did she ask why Qi Huang, who seemed perfectly fine, wanted her to grow vegetables.

Qi Huang, however, was anything but careless. She knew that if she wanted to turn Minghou Planet into her own vegetable garden, relying solely on Qianqian wouldn’t be enough. After all, this cat-eared little girl was far too young. No matter how powerful she was, she couldn’t command the masses. Whether she could truly become the next Queen of the Underworld remained uncertain.

And as it turned out, Qi Huang’s concerns were valid. Since Qianqian had yet to formally inherit the title of Queen of the Underworld, many ambitious high-ranking generals began to show their true colors. Orders weren’t being effectively communicated up or down the chain of command, leaving close aides like Duan Qing seething with rage, to the point of nearly grinding their teeth to pieces.

Qi Huang didn’t act immediately. After all, none of those people had openly rebelled, she needed to wait for the right opportunity.

One day, the scouts Qianqian had sent out returned and delivered their report to Duan Qing.

“Your Highness, please contain your grief. It’s confirmed that Her Majesty the Queen of the Underworld has indeed perished. Along with her, two of the Three Kings and Five Queens were also killed by that Ziji Immortal Emperor. Their bodies are now being displayed atop the gates of Ziji City as trophies.”

Duan Qing relayed the news truthfully to Qianqian.

Upon hearing this, the last glimmer of hope in Qianqian’s heart was extinguished. She couldn’t hold back and burst into tears once more.

“With the Sea Queen also slain by us, doesn’t that mean only one king and one queen of the original Three Kings and Five Queens remain?”

Qi Huang confirmed aloud.

“Yes. They were too far away and didn’t make it in time, so they narrowly escaped the massacre,” Duan Qing replied.

“This Ziji Immortal Emperor is truly ruthless… He single-handedly crushed most of the powerful figures among the ghost race of the Immortal Realm,” Qi Huang remarked in awe.

“Well, it’s not like our ghost race was ever strong to begin with. All these years and not one of us has reached the Heavenly Demon level. If the Demon Ancestor were still around, she could squash him like an ant with a single finger,” Duan Qing said bitterly. The Demon Ancestor she referred to was naturally Lu Yao.

“By the way, do you know how many fragments of the Demon Ancestor’s heart those other two fallen kings and queens had, besides the Queen of the Underworld?” Qi Huang asked urgently, then quickly added, “You know my situation—I need to find and gather them. That’s the only way to remove future threats.”

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“The Fox Queen had five fragments, and the Peach Queen had four,” Duan Qing replied with all the information she knew.

“And the other surviving king and queen?” Qi Huang pressed on.

“It’s said that the Scorpion Queen has four fragments as well. As for the surviving king, he definitely doesn’t have any. The heart fragments have always been held by female members of the ghost race. It seems to be due to the nature of the assimilation power. Even if a man acquires them, he ends up turning into a woman.”

Duan Qing answered, then suddenly recalled something. “Oh right, the Sea Queen had five fragments too. She used one as bait. That should mean there are still four remaining. I wonder if they’re still inside her corpse?”

“I’ve already retrieved those four,” Qi Huang said frankly, no need to hide it.

“That’s good,” Duan Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

“There were five with the Queen of the Underworld, five with the Fox Queen, four with the Peach Queen, and another four with the Scorpion Queen. If I can gather all of those, and add in the seven in my wife’s possession, that makes twenty-five in total. But where do I find the remaining seven?” Qi Huang began counting on her fingers.

A moment later, she realized something was off and asked again, “What about the one that was used as bait by the Sea Queen? Who got that one?”

“Of course, the Ziji Immortal Emperor. No one could possibly snatch it from him,” Duan Qing said, gritting her teeth.

“Then that makes twenty-six. Only six left,” Qi Huang murmured to herself.

“Sister, if you manage to gather twenty-six fragments, you’ll be able to sense the remaining six,” Qianqian suddenly chimed in.

“Really?” Qi Huang asked, surprised.

“Yes. I heard the Queen of the Underworld say that if one gathers five fragments, they can vaguely sense others when given some hints. With ten fragments, even without any clues, they can sense nearby fragments. With fifteen, they can roughly pinpoint the locations of fragments across the Immortal Realm. And with twenty fragments, they can ignore spatial barriers and sense the location of all fragments across countless worlds… let alone with twenty-six.”

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Duan Qing explained further in detail.

“Good! Very good!” Qi Huang smiled with satisfaction. She could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Your Highness, this servant has a matter to discuss with you,” Duan Qing suddenly said seriously to Qianqian.

“Aunt Duan, what is it?” Qianqian sniffled and wiped away her tears.

“It’s like this. Now that Her Majesty is gone, our Minghou Planet is like a dragon without a head. Many selfish people are growing restless, and communication has broken down. It’s time to choose a new Queen of the Underworld. As the princess, you should naturally inherit the position.”

Duan Qing proposed.

“Huh? But I’m still so young! I can’t be the Queen!” Qianqian looked troubled.

“You must, even if you think you can’t. And you must do it immediately. Haven’t you heard the saying: ‘A nation cannot go a single day without a ruler’? If we wait too long, something bad could happen.”

Duan Qing, uncharacteristically firm, insisted. Her urgency had another reason: she was afraid that Qi Huang might leave. Without her support, it would be nearly impossible for Qianqian to take the throne, especially with threats coming from both inside and out.

“Sister!” Qianqian turned helplessly to Qi Huang.

“Duan Qing is right. As the princess, you should succeed your mother,” Qi Huang said, backing the proposal.

“But I really don’t know how to do it…” Qianqian pouted. Even though she had been dead for hundreds of years, death had frozen her development. Mentally, she was still just a five or six-year-old child.

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you,” Qi Huang promised. After all, she still needed Qianqian’s help and naturally had to give her a push.

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“Really?” Qianqian was overjoyed. She turned excitedly to Duan Qing and said, “Aunt Duan, then I’ll become the Queen!”

“That’s wonderful. Congratulations, Your Highness,” Duan Qing exhaled deeply. With Qi Huang’s support, the weight in her heart was finally lifted. But that still wasn’t enough.

“By the way, since you’ve supported the princess so wholeheartedly, we can’t let your efforts go unrewarded,” Duan Qing said, turning to Qi Huang. After a brief pause, she offered a suggestion, “How about we declare publicly that you are Her Highness’ teacher? Once she ascends the throne, you’ll be the National Preceptor of Minghou Planet. What do you think?”

“Are you sure about that? I’m just a cultivator. I’ve got nothing to teach her about cultivation,” Qi Huang warned.

“That’s alright. She’s still young. She needs to learn not just cultivation but literacy, life wisdom, governance… so many things,” Duan Qing said “generously.”

“Well, alright then.” Qi Huang understood that they were trying to tie her to their ship, which actually aligned with her own interests, so she didn’t object.

“Since you’re now the teacher, then it’s only right that you handle the arrangements for the succession ceremony,” Duan Qing said respectfully.

“Alright then. Duan Qing, please issue a public announcement. Say that in ten days, Her Highness will inherit the throne. I’d like to see who dares stir up trouble,” Qi Huang ordered without delay. She didn’t want to waste time.

“Yes!” Duan Qing clasped her fists and departed swiftly to carry out the command.

Just like that, Qi Huang became the future National Preceptor of Minghou Planet. Her status soared, and she was granted her own palace quarters.

Once back in her quarters, Qi Huang released Cheng Hongling.

“If twenty fragments are enough to sense the rest, then in a way, the Sea Queen did us a huge favor. She helped consolidate more than twenty fragments into the Ziji Immortal Emperor’s hands. Now, we only have to deal with him,” Cheng Hongling assessed.

“Yeah… It’s just, this Ziji Immortal Emperor is said to be at the early stage of Heavenly Immortal Realm. I’m not strong enough to take him on right now,” Qi Huang admitted awkwardly.

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“Don’t worry. I’ll help you. At your current growth rate, you’ll surpass him soon enough,” Cheng Hongling encouraged.

Hearing that, Qi Huang felt a wave of calm settle in her heart.

The next morning, before Qi Huang had even stepped outside, Duan Qing came knocking.

“Duan Qing, what is it?” Qi Huang asked in puzzlement.

“Um… National Preceptor, didn’t you give a sack of seeds to Her Highness? They’re ghost tomato seeds, aren’t they?” Duan Qing asked to confirm.

“Yes. What about it?” Qi Huang frowned slightly.

“You need them to nourish the Boundless Demonic Hair, don’t you? I recall Her Majesty once mentioned that the Boundless Demonic Hair feeds on ghost tomatoes to grow,” Duan Qing speculated.

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Qi Huang was getting a little impatient.

“I think you should make a trip to the territories of the Peach Queen and Fox Queen. Over the past few centuries, they’ve ordered their subordinates to cultivate vast quantities of ghost tomatoes on a scale you wouldn’t believe. Now that they’re dead, getting your hands on them would be a piece of cake,” Duan Qing suggested.

“Seriously? There’s such a great opportunity?” Qi Huang broke into a grin but still restrained her excitement as she asked, “Why were they planting so many ghost tomatoes?”

“I heard from Her Majesty that those two were trying to lure the Boundless Demonic Hair to appear. Everyone knows it loves ghost tomatoes,” Duan Qing explained.

“So devious…” Qi Huang shivered slightly, thinking to herself how lucky she was not to have trespassed in their “gardens” earlier… or she might have been caught on the spot.

“Alright then. Who here knows where those two had their bases? This National Preceptor is going to steal some vegetables!”