Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 444 - 444 0313 The Right Thing

Chapter 444: Chapter 0313: The Right Thing Chapter 444: Chapter 0313: The Right Thing Chapter 0313 The Right Thing

This time, a significant discovery was made within the secret realm. The National Master Manor organized personnel to explore it. Huang Liuyan willingly volunteered to restrict her Gold Core Stage cultivation to a Half-step Golden Core level and preside over the mining operations in the secret realm. Despite likely getting rewards afterward, the benefits she could gain from this venture in no way compensated for the potential losses she could incur. Nonetheless, since the venture would greatly benefit the National Master Manor, the Manor saw no reason to refuse her.

Cheng Daoran repeatedly tried to dissuade Huang Liuyan from this course, hoping that she would rescind her decision. However, she remained adamant. With no other choice, Cheng Daoran began to place spies close to Huang Liuyan: partly to ensure her safety and partly to interfere in her affairs if necessary.

This time, Qi Tian sent a message to Huang Liuyan via the Message Paper Crane, which allowed the spies that Cheng Daoran had sent to find out about Qi Tian’s existence. The spies had audaciously intercepted Qi Tian’s message before it reached Huang Liuyan.

Upon opening the message, they discovered Qi Tian’s unexpected existence. Complying with Cheng Daoran’s orders to eliminate any potential threat to him, the spies wasted no time in communicating with a counterfeit Huang Liuyan upon discovering Qi Tian.

The fake Huang Liuyan was not in the camp, but was hiding nearby, maintaining a safe distance from Huang Liuyan. This way, she could deal with unexpected situations promptly and eliminate potential dangers.

Thus, the spies and the fake Huang Liuyan set a trap to kill Qi Tian. They thought it was practically a done deal. The fake Huang Liuyan had a remarkable ability to disguise herself, was an agile assassin, and had been given arrays and magical weapons by Cheng Daoran. From any perspective, there was no reason for them to fail. However, contrary to their expectations, before they could engage Qi Tian, he saw through their ruse and made the first move. After only two or three moves, the fake Huang Liuyan was defeated by Qi Tian.

Having heard her narrative, a hint of rage flashed in Qi Tian’s eyes. He never imagined that Huang Liuyan was in such a dire situation. Even after advancing to the Gold Core stage, her life remained difficult.

Qi Tian glanced at the counterfeit Huang Liuyan. She lifted her head, closed her eyes, and awaited her death at the hands of Qi Tian.

Looking at the face that was identical to Huang Liuyan’s, Qi Tian felt a sense of bewilderment. Despite knowing that she was a fake Huang Liuyan, he couldn’t bring himself to reprimand her. After hesitating a moment, he said, “Remove your illusion and reveal your true face.”

The fake Huang Liuyan was not afraid of Qi Tian killing her, but she was terrified of his Locust Thief Bees. Understanding how terrifying they could be, she complied with Qi Tian’s request, quickly removing her illusion and revealing her true face. It was a face as striking as Huang Liuyan’s, with bright, watery eyes. Though she looked somewhat weakened due to her serious injuries, her expression still carried a touch of stubbornness.

Qi Tian pondered for a moment and asked, “Why do you follow Cheng Daoran’s commands? You have cultivated to the Half-step Golden Core, so your talent should be quite impressive.”

Cheng Daoran replied, “I originally had a master as well in the National Master Manor. Unfortunately, my master died during a mission, leaving me without support in the Manor and as rootless as a duckweed. As a beautiful woman stuck in a nebulous position of Half-step Golden Core, it was impossible for me to acquire the resources necessary to advance to the Gold Core Stage, or even to maintain my basic cultivation. Unless I agreed to the demand of certain individuals, consenting to be their concubine or even their cup of immortality, I had an extremely slim chance of advancing in cultivation. Otherwise, I would have to reconcile myself to remaining at my current state my entire life. Such cases are common in the National Master Manor. The same happened to Huang Liuyan. She was smart and chose to go outside to practice before reaching the Half-step Golden Core stage. Only after advancing to the Gold Core Stage did she return to the Manor. Once she reached the Gold Core stage, she gained a degree of autonomy. Even if a higher-level Gold Core cultivator wanted Huang Liuyan to be his partner, she would have to be a primary wife at the very least, in most cases. Regardless of her status or position, she had a guaranteed safety net. Unlike me, who had no autonomy and could only be chosen by others.”

“So, you’re saying Cheng Daoran promised you some benefits, like helping you advance to the Gold Core stage?” asked Qi Tian.

A sneer appeared at the corners of the counterfeit Huang Liuyan’s mouth. “Do you think that’s possible? Even a Nascent Soul Master would not easily promise to help someone advance to the Gold Core Stage. Cheng Daoran is merely at the Half-step Nascent Soul stage. How could he make such a promise? Of course, he did promise me some things. He agreed to take me as his concubine after marrying Huang Liuyan. And if there were ever a chance to advance to the Gold Core stage, he would consider me as a priority.”

“Are you sure he said ‘consider’ you as a priority, and not ‘let’ you be the priority?” countered Qi Tian.

The fake Huang Liuyan was not foolish. She naturally understood the difference between “considering as a priority” and “letting be the priority”. She clenched her teeth, and although somewhat reluctant, she managed to squeeze out a response, “I’m already very content.”