Chapter 151: The Saintess’s Great Secret
Hearing this, Long Tao immediately became unsettled. So among fellow transmigrators, the other party actually came with a built-in cheat?
“What exactly is your talent?”
Upon hearing this, Saintess Yaxi subconsciously twirled a strand of pink hair that hung down over her shoulder with her slender fingertips.
A trace of showy pride flashed across her face, mixed with a hint of hesitation, but she ultimately still answered,
“This body is born with a ‘Glazed Immaculate Dao Body,’ far rarer than any Heavenly Spiritual Root.” She lifted her chin slightly, faint light flowing through her eyes. “Cultivating the Hehuan Sect’s techniques is a perfect match. Otherwise, do you think just anyone can sit in the Saintess’s seat?”
As she spoke, her right hand lightly pressed against her collarbone.
The air around her seemed to ripple subtly with her tone, blooming into a pale pink halo. That posture was both pure and alluring, dreamlike and unreal.
“So powerful? Then… do you have something like a System?”
“A System? Transmigration with a System included?” She widened her eyes in surprise. “Why didn’t I get one? Don’t tell me you have one?”
“I… I was just asking.”
“Oh, then you definitely don’t.” She pursed her lips, casually fiddling again with an exquisite jade pendant at her waist. “If you really had a System, how could you end up like this… eighteen years old and still stuck at the Qi-Refining Sixth Layer.”
“Can we not talk about cultivation?” Long Tao’s mouth twitched as he hurriedly changed the subject. “You’ve been using that piece of paper to probe people all these years just to find fellow townsmen? How were you so sure there were other transmigrators in this world? Normally people think they’re one of a kind.”
“At first, I thought so too.” She propped her cheek with one hand, fingertips lightly tapping her face. “But after becoming Saintess, I was able to access many hidden archives. In some ancient secret records… there seemed to be traces left behind by earlier transmigrators.”
“Secret records? Can you go into detail?”
“Sorry.” She shook her head.
The pink hair released from her fingers slid down her shoulder. “Just like you said—although we’re fellow townsmen, we only just met. It’s not time to lay everything bare yet.”
“Alright then. How many people have you found over the years?”
“Only you.” She sighed softly. “There were a few who looked similar, but they didn’t line up in the end. Only you were the one nailed down for sure.”
“Just based on that piece of paper?”
“Of course there had to be initial screening.” The corners of her lips lifted slightly, revealing a somewhat sly smile.
“Once they got the paper, I would ask them where their hometown was. As long as thoughts like ‘transmigration’ or ‘another world’ flashed through their minds, the word ‘transmigration’ would appear on the paper. It’s not foolproof, but there’s still a ninety-nine percent certainty.”
“That really is a method.” Long Tao nodded. “Then what exactly are you after by finding fellow townsmen? Some grand plan?”
“That question is really interesting.” She smiled faintly. “Of course it’s to go home. For a transmigrator, is there anything more important than that?”
Long Tao was momentarily speechless.
Going home wasn’t something he had never thought about, but he had always had no clue how, and with the familial bonds of this life tying him down, the thought had gradually faded.
Still, he could understand the other party’s obsession.
“But for us right now, isn’t that far too difficult? To touch on power that crosses worlds, you’d need at least the Nascent Soul Stage.”
“Exactly, exactly.” She leaned forward excitedly, her sleeves carrying a waft of fragrance. “But finding companions with the same goal is always a good thing. To be honest, although your cultivation is a bit low, the fact that you’re a registered disciple of the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect’s deputy sect master really surprised me.” As she spoke, she lightly patted Long Tao’s shoulder. “You’ll definitely be able to help a lot.”
Seeing how excited she was, Long Tao felt something was off and cautiously asked,
“Why are you in such a hurry? This world cultivates immortality, but it’s not lacking in other aspects either. Mechanism Arts aren’t backward, living standards are quite good. And you’re a peerless beauty with top-tier talent, adored by all, destined to become one of the top figures of the cultivation world. You can choose whatever kind of man you want. A woman who’s reached your level—what could you possibly be dissatisfied with?”
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Saintess Yaxi’s previously lighthearted expression instantly dimmed. She lowered her head, fingers unconsciously twisting her sash, her voice sinking as well,
“It is pretty good… for a woman, conditions like mine… there’s really nothing to pick at. But the problem is…”
She paused, then said quietly,
“I’m not a woman.”
“What?” Long Tao suspected his ears were malfunctioning.
“I said I’m not a woman! At least I wasn’t before transmigrating!”
Saintess Yaxi suddenly lifted her head, her cheeks flushing bright red, as if she had finally spat out a secret she had been holding in for a long time.
She nervously bit her lower lip, looking both shy and resolute, as though she had gone all in.
“Before transmigrating, I was chatting nonsense with a few brothers in the dorm, saying things like ‘what would you do if you turned into a beautiful girl.’ I casually replied, ‘obviously I’d let the brothers have a good time first’…” She laughed at herself. “Then I woke up and became a female disciple of the Hehuan Sect. Hey! I’ve never told this secret to anyone else. I only told you because you’re a fellow townsman—don’t screw me over and spread it!”
Long Tao listened in a daze.
This secret sounded huge, but when it came down to it, it was personal privacy. Even if he really told others, no one would believe it anyway.
Besides, judging by Yaxi’s demeanor, she had probably wanted to confide this secret to someone for a long time.
Just as he was about to comfort her, Long Tao suddenly realized something and hurriedly asked,
“Wait! You woke up inside this Saintess’s body? That means… you seized the body with a soul transmigration?”
“Yeah.” She spread her hands helplessly.
Even that gesture carried a unique charm when she did it. “But back then, this body was just an ordinary disciple, and the Glazed Dao Body hadn’t been discovered yet. Wait!” She suddenly widened her eyes and leaned forward. “Don’t tell me you weren’t a soul transmigrator? You crossed over with your physical body intact?”
“Not that either. I was a womb transmigrator—I already had awareness while still in my mother’s womb.”
“So that’s how it is!” She leaned heavily back into her chair. “No wonder you’re not in a hurry to go home… sigh, same transmigration, different fates.” Her gaze drifted into the distance, and only after a long while did she bring it back.
“But now you can understand me, right? It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with this body. Like you said—peerless beauty, top-tier talent, noble status. If I just kept cultivating, it wouldn’t be bad at all. But the problem is…” She helplessly curled her lips. “I’m the Hehuan Sect’s Saintess, and what I cultivate is the Forgetting-Emotion Returning-to-the-Sect Art.”
“Just hearing the name sounds impressive.”
“It is impressive—absolutely top-tier. But there’s a not-so-big, not-so-small problem.” She raised one finger, her expression solemn.
“Before forming the Golden Core, I must find a partner for dual cultivation, otherwise breaking through is impossible. I kept playing dumb and dragging it out before, relying on my cultivation progress not being slow, and the elders let me have my way.” She irritably ruffled her hair, messing up her carefully styled locks. “But now I’m already at the late Foundation Establishment Stage… they’ve finally run out of patience and are about to make a move against me.”
“That really is… everyone has their own difficulties.” Long Tao stroked his chin. “But… you’ve been a woman for so many years already. You should’ve gotten used to it by now, right? For example, influenced by estrogen, a change in sexual orientation wouldn’t be strange at all.”
Based on experience from his previous life, Long Tao offered what he considered a relatively scientific judgment.
“Heh, you think I didn’t hope for that?” Saintess Yaxi gave a bitter smile, her fingers unconsciously drawing circles on the table. “Back then, I also thought that after a few years, my body and mind might completely feminize—uh, I mean, become fully female—and I’d accept a woman’s identity. But even now, I still can’t muster any interest in men. All I want every day is to stick close to pretty sisters.”
“Really? But you look like you’ve already gotten quite used to being a woman. Normal men don’t constantly twirl their hair with their fingers.”
Hearing this, Yaxi finally noticed that her right index finger was winding a lock of side hair and idly flicking it. She hurriedly shook it off, then blushed as she defended herself,
“T-this is because I’ve stayed in the Hehuan Sect with senior sisters and junior sisters for too long, and my body and mind were influenced, that’s all. My heart is still a pure man’s heart. Anyway… I’ve even told you my biggest secret. That should be enough to show my sincerity, right?”