Chapter 73: News of Huangfu Xiu

Zhou Qi decided to alter his appearance and pay a visit to Suiye City, hoping to catch a glimpse of Huangfu Xiu. This time, he transformed himself into a middle-aged cultivator, displaying the cultivation of a mid-stage Golden Core. This way, he would neither draw attention for being too powerful nor invite trouble for being too weak. If he appeared to be at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stage, he would be an easy target for robbery; playing the pig to eat the tiger simply wouldn’t work—he’d end up the pig for real.

He left Jiu’er behind. Bringing her along was too conspicuous; if trouble didn’t come on its own, it would find them anyway. But with the Mists of Immortals Array and the Earth-Shattering Talisman, Jiu’er shouldn’t face any serious danger.

Zhou Qi wandered through Suiye City, unsure where to begin. The Huangfu family was vast—one could say the entire city belonged to them—but as for where Huangfu Xiu resided or how to investigate, that was a problem.

If he went straight to the Huangfu family headquarters, and someone with high cultivation saw through his concealment or discovered the Medicine Immortal’s Sacred Mansion in his soul sea, he’d be in real trouble.

Like a headless fly, Zhou Qi roamed the streets. Suddenly, a sharp rebuke broke out: “You dare fight on Huangfu family territory? You’ve got a death wish.”

Huangfu family? Zhou Qi’s eyes lit up. He followed the voice and saw four or five cultivators subduing two others who had been fighting, preparing to take them away.

“Fellow Daoist, please wait,” Zhou Qi hurried forward and saluted. These four or five men must be patrolling cultivators of the Huangfu family.

“Do you need something?” The five turned to look at him, their bodies exuding a murderous aura—clearly not people easy to deal with.

“I do, fellow Daoists. I wish to inquire about something.” Zhou Qi strode forward and slipped a storage pouch into the hand of the lead cultivator.

A sweep of spiritual sense revealed several thousand spirit stones inside. The man’s expression softened at once. “Whatever you wish to know, just ask. If I know it and can tell you, I will.”

“I am a friend of Huangfu Xiu’s. I heard he was injured and I wish to visit him,” Zhou Qi said in a low voice.

“You’ve come for nothing, then. Huangfu Xiu’s Golden Core is about to shatter. No high-level cultivator could heal him, and the family has already abandoned him. He’s been expelled from Suiye City, or so it’s said,” the man replied.

“Expelled?” Zhou Qi was shocked. “Do you know where he went?”

“I heard he was sent to Quan’an City—to live or die on his own,” another cultivator interjected.

“Where in Quan’an City?” Zhou Qi pressed, handing over another storage pouch.

The man glanced inside and continued, “I don’t know the exact location, but if you go to Lin’an City, he should be at the City Lord’s Mansion! There’s a teleportation array here that goes directly to Quan’an City, so you don’t have to make the journey yourself. It’s not expensive—just 200 low-grade spirit stones.” Seeing Zhou Qi’s generosity, the cultivator offered this advice kindly.

Zhou Qi thanked him and took his leave. If he was going to Quan’an City, he couldn’t leave Jiu’er alone in the cave dwelling. If anything unexpected happened, that would be bad.

With this in mind, Zhou Qi hurried back to the cave he had previously carved out. Fortunately, Jiu’er was safe and waiting quietly for him.

He told Jiu’er that he would take her with him to Quan’an City. She was delighted, hugging Zhou Qi’s arm and exclaiming that he was the best brother.

Feeling the softness at his arm, Zhou Qi was embarrassed. Jiu’er absolutely couldn’t go out with her current appearance—it would be as good as telling everyone he was Zhou Qi. Even if they didn’t know either of them, her beauty alone would provoke ill intentions.

Putting her into the Medicine Immortal’s Sacred Mansion wasn’t a good idea, either. Though Jiu’er could shield him from flying swords, she was still a member of the demon race. If she saw the Sacred Mansion and got other ideas, that would be trouble—one could never be too careful with the human heart.

Seeing Zhou Qi’s dilemma, Lord Tianxuan understood his concern and said, “You can teach her the Illusion Transformation Technique.”

“Lord, that’s your magical ability. You don’t mind if I teach it to an outsider?” Zhou Qi asked.

“It’s fine. It’s a minor technique—so long as it’s not the Profound Heaven True Art, I don’t mind,” replied Lord Tianxuan.

Zhou Qi fell silent at that, realizing Lord Tianxuan had placed great hope in him. Suddenly, he felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier.

With Tianxuan’s permission, Zhou Qi decided to teach Jiu’er the Illusion Transformation Technique.

“Jiu’er, your appearance might cause trouble. I’m going to teach you the Illusion Transformation Technique so you can change your face, just like me,” Zhou Qi said. His bugged transformation had not yet ended, so he still looked like a middle-aged cultivator.

“Brother, I can already change my appearance! It’s a natural divine art of my people. Not only can we assume human form at birth, but we can also change our appearance at will. Look…” As she spoke, Jiu’er transformed into a captivating young woman with a slender figure outlined by a tight long dress, crimson lips, a half-smile, and enchanting eyes.

Zhou Qi swallowed and shook his head. No, still too beautiful—this would just attract a swarm of villains.

“Make yourself uglier,” Zhou Qi said.

“How about this?” Jiu’er changed again, this time into a little girl with a cherry mouth, rosy cheeks, twin ponytails, and blinking eyes. Her long dress became a knee-length skirt, exposing legs as white as lotus roots.

This still wouldn’t do—she might attract a lot of strange old men. “Jiu’er, do you misunderstand what ugly means?” Zhou Qi decided to direct her himself.

“Make your eyes smaller, darken your skin, flatten your nose, tuck in your bottom—yes, like that, hold it. Your hair’s too neat.” Zhou Qi took out a towel and wrapped her pale blue hair up in it.

A moment later, Zhou Qi looked at his handiwork with satisfaction. The feeling was novel—like customizing an avatar in a game.

Jiu’er’s once peerless face had become utterly ordinary, her figure average, and though she still radiated a captivating charm, one look at her face would kill any cultivator’s interest. Zhou Qi took out some medicinal herbs, refined them into a pungent liquid, and dabbed it on her—nothing subdued an alluring aura better than a foul smell.

Jiu’er was quite displeased, but to avoid causing Zhou Qi trouble, she complied. The two waited quietly in the cave, biding their time until Zhou Qi’s Illusion Transformation bug wore off. If they left now and the transformation ended unexpectedly, it would be a disaster.

After an entire day, Zhou Qi couldn’t endure it anymore. “Jiu’er, revert for now, but remember this look. Change back when we go out.”

Jiu’er resumed her breathtaking beauty, and Zhou Qi finally felt at ease. Twenty-four hours later, Zhou Qi returned to his true appearance and began waiting for the skill’s cooldown. Seeing how easily Jiu’er could change her form, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness in his heart.