Soon, news of the Young Lord’s awakening spread throughout Kung Sang. Before Liu Shuang could leave her chambers, someone arrived with a message from the Realm Master.

Fu Liu panicked upon hearing this: “Young Lord, the Realm Master will surely hold you accountable for going to Kun Lun Immortal Realm without permission. What should we do? What should we do?”

What could be done? They could only face whatever came.

Although Liu Shuang hadn’t intentionally possessed Chi Shui Liu Shuang’s body, the event had happened by coincidence. Given the chance to live again, she couldn’t let the Realm Master kill her for malicious possession.

If she died, she could forget about avenging the original owner, protecting Kung Sang and Cang Lan—both Chi Shui Liu Shuang and Liu Shuang would cease to exist in this world.

The most urgent task was to play the role of the original owner well, ensuring no one noticed any differences.

Liu Shuang worked hard to gather all possible information. From midnight until dawn, she learned much from Fu Liu. Combining this with what she remembered from biographies she’d read in the demon realm’s archives, Liu Shuang wasn’t completely unfamiliar with this Chi Shui clan’s Young Lord!

In the archives’ biographies, there were only fragments about Chi Shui Liu Shuang. Reportedly, this Chi Shui Young Lord should have possessed extraordinary talent but was born missing one soul fragment.

Due to this missing soul, she was clumsy from childhood. The Realm Master’s wife pitied her daughter and spoiled her excessively. Chi Shui Liu Shuang had low cultivation and a reckless, impetuous character.

As a golden branch and jade leaf of the ancient Chi Shui clan, she hadn’t lived past three hundred years before perishing, the cause of death unknown.

And now, Liu Shuang had become the Chi Shui clan’s Young Lord.

No wonder Fu Liu so readily accepted her claim of memory loss upon waking. The soul-deficient Chi Shui Liu Shuang had a volatile temper but little actual initiative, believing whatever others told her.

Had no one instigated her, she would never have dared swallow the Phantom Appearance Pearl or gone to Kun Lun to humiliate the Ji Mo Young Lord.

Several immortal warriors stared at Liu Shuang intently, blocking the sleeping chamber completely, saying politely: “Young Lord, please.”

Liu Shuang knew she had to accept responsibility, whether she wanted to or not. She would take things one step at a time.

Along the way, Liu Shuang, fearing she might reveal herself, desperately recalled what little existed in biographies about “Kung Sang” and the old Realm Master.

Compared to the early-perished “Chi Shui Liu Shuang,” the old Realm Master had far more extensive records. Rumor had it that Kung Sang’s Realm Master possessed powerful magic, had lived for twenty thousand years, had a serious and straightforward temperament, and shared a deep love with his wife.

During the Realm Master’s rule, Kung Sang was united in love and thriving prosperously. If compared to mortal emperors, he was an emperor who loved his people like his own children.

But precisely because of this, Liu Shuang was worried. As his only precious daughter, the original owner had escaped Kung Sang, dissolved the engagement, and caused discord between the two great immortal realms. The fact that the Realm Master hadn’t visited his unconscious daughter for days and forbade his wife from visiting showed how furious he was.

She didn’t know how this Realm Master father would punish her this time.

Liu Shuang followed the warriors to the palace gates. The leading immortal lord, seemingly aware of Liu Shuang’s impending trouble, said sympathetically: “Young Lord, seek your fortune and don’t anger the Realm Master further.”

Liu Shuang nodded.

The immortal lord looked at her pitiful face and twitched his lips.

The immortal lord thought: The Young Lord truly has a big heart. Born with a heavenly countenance, she swallowed the Phantom Appearance Pearl without hesitation, wastefully destroying her beautiful face. Then he remembered she was missing a soul fragment, innocent as a child—nothing she did would be surprising. He could only sigh.

Liu Shuang had no time to ponder these confusing matters. She just wanted to get past this meeting with her “father.” Upon entering the hall, before seeing the Realm Master himself, she heard his authoritative voice: “Kneel!”

Recalling that the original owner feared her father, Liu Shuang said nothing and fell to her knees with a thud, assuming a perfect posture of apology. Liu Shuang raised her head to see a dignified, handsome middle-aged man.

Kung Sang’s Realm Master, Chi Shui Chong, was severe and strict, now looking at her with a stern face.

“Do you know your mistake?”

Fu Liu had said the original owner was timid, so Liu Shuang immediately replied: “I know, I know.”

Her prompt admission caught Chi Shui Chong off guard. He said, “If you were truly dissatisfied with this marriage, you shouldn’t have used such a despicable method, changing your appearance to scold the Kun Lun Young Lord. If he weren’t magnanimous and good-natured, do you think you could have left Kun Lun alive?”

The more Chi Shui Chong thought about it, the more exhausted he felt. Fortunately, his daughter had trespassed into Kun Lun, whose Young Lord was famously good-natured and, remembering the friendship between their fathers, let her leave safely. Had Liu Shuang ventured into Buzhou Mountain’s Feng clan territory, she might have entered upright but left horizontally.

Liu Shuang had also once had a strict father. Within a few exchanges, she could see that the Realm Master deeply loved his daughter. More than the mistake she’d made, Chi Shui Chong was worried she might have been harmed in Kun Lun. The original owner feared Chi Shui Chong’s authority, but Liu Shuang could tell he was a good father. She relaxed, certain that Chi Shui Chong wouldn’t harm her.

In such a situation, given the original owner’s fear of punishment, she would likely tell the truth while unintentionally shifting blame. Liu Shuang made up her mind and immediately said, “Immortal Maiden Mi Chu said I could go to Kun Lun this way.”

Chi Shui Chong frowned: “You’re saying Mi Chu told you to go?”

Liu Shuang nodded.

“Absurd!” Chi Shui Chong said. “You make a mistake and blame others! This Lord will beat you to death, you little troublemaker!”

He raised his hand, poised to strike.

From trying to report someone to facing a beating, Liu Shuang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She covered her head. It seemed the original owner often made baseless accusations, leaving a terrible record with her father and destroying any trust.

Liu Shuang didn’t plan to run from this beating. If the Realm Master truly wanted to hit her, she couldn’t escape. She just wondered how heavy his hand would be.

But before Chi Shui Chong’s hand fell, someone stood in front of Liu Shuang.

The man shielded Liu Shuang, kneeling to plead: “Realm Master, please calm your anger. The Young Lord is young and inexperienced. It was Zhuixu who failed to watch over her, allowing her to cause such trouble. Zhuixu is willing to accept punishment in the Young Lord’s place.”

Chi Shui Chong said, “Zhuixu, this matter doesn’t concern you. Step aside.”

Bai Zhuixu remained silent but didn’t move an inch. Chi Shui Chong had no way to deal with his stubborn nature and flung his sleeve: “Chi Shui Liu Shuang, go reflect in the Nine Thoughts Pond. You are not permitted to leave until your cultivation breaks through!”

Bai Zhuixu frowned, about to speak, when Chi Shui Chong said: “Say one more word for her, and you’ll kneel in there too.”

Bai Zhuixu kowtowed without hesitation: “Zhuixu will accompany the Young Lord in accepting punishment.”

Chi Shui Chong waved his hand, signaling them to leave quickly, out of sight, out of mind.

Liu Shuang was helped up by Bai Zhuixu and led outside the hall. She looked at the man whose robes were embroidered with green bamboo, feeling quite embarrassed. Her punishment was one thing, but she hadn’t expected to implicate others.

Bai Zhuixu’s voice was very familiar—he was the one who had said he would ask the Realm Master to dissolve the engagement for her while she was unconscious.

Seeing Liu Shuang looking at him with guilty eyes, Bai Zhuixu smiled gently: “Don’t be afraid, Brother Zhuixu will accompany you.”

Before Liu Shuang could speak, a contemptuous voice sounded: “She’s so stupid; by the time she has an epiphany and breaks through, it might be a hundred years later. Brother, do you want to accompany her in the Nine Thoughts Pond for a hundred years?”

“Yuxiao, you shouldn’t speak of the Young Lord this way!”

Liu Shuang turned to see a young man flying down from a tree. He smiled maliciously, pinching her now-ugly face: “Chi Shui Liu Shuang, go accept your punishment yourself. Don’t harm my brother!”

Liu Shuang glanced at him. Very well, she immediately knew who this person was.

She knocked away the young man’s hand with considerable force. Did this person think her face was dough? He was nearly pinching her skin off. It was quite painful.

Liu Shuang said, “I won’t implicate others. Don’t be so hands-on.”

Bai Yuxiao’s expression turned strange, quite surprised in his heart. Chi Shui Liu Shuang was more timid than a mouse; the Nine Thoughts Pond was pitch black with just a lotus seat, and without someone to accompany her, did she truly have the courage to enter and stay until breakthrough?

Liu Shuang rubbed her face and said to Bai Zhuixu, “Thank you, but there’s no need to accompany me. If convenient, could you just show me the way?”

Bai Zhuixu looked at her with concern. He never refused the Young Lord. Hearing her speak this way, he immediately nodded: “If you become afraid, call for me at any time.”

Bai Yuxiao snorted.

The Nine Thoughts Pond was bottomless, its entrance pitch black, like a black hole that devoured people. Fortunately, Liu Shuang had stayed in the Blood Sea of the Ghost Realm before, so such a quiet place for reflection wasn’t difficult to endure.

The two brothers escorted her to the entrance of the Nine Thoughts Pond, one showing worry, the other gloating.

Bai Yuxiao said, “What? You dare not enter? Would you like Young Master to kick you to send you down? This is what you get for causing trouble and falsely accusing Mi Chu.”

Liu Shuang didn’t argue with him, treating him like air. As a newcomer, having scattered and then unexpectedly reunited her soul, she was already grateful for the chance to live again.

Liu Shuang turned to bow to Bai Zhuixu, expressing thanks for his plea, then stepped into the Nine Thoughts Pond.

After all, the Realm Master hadn’t severely punished her but merely instructed her to cultivate. While this might seem like the sky falling for the original owner, for Liu Shuang, it hardly counted as punishment. It even gave her time to properly consider how to adapt to her new identity.

Seeing Liu Shuang’s silhouette disappear at the entrance, Bai Yuxiao’s face darkened.

He felt very displeased but couldn’t articulate why. The little Young Lord was foolish and stupid, quite unable to withstand teasing. In the past, when he provoked her with a single word, she would pounce on him to fight. This time, however, she did not react and even bowed to Bai Zhuixu.

Her figure was graceful, her bow elegant, with an indescribable bearing.

Bai Yuxiao found it jarring and inwardly sneered—with such an ugly face, anything she did would look unattractive!

Bai Zhuixu also remained stunned for quite a while before pressing his lips together in a smile, saying with satisfaction: “The Young Lord has grown up.”

Bai Yuxiao mocked his brother: “Don’t make such a smitten expression. People who don’t know better might think you’ve fallen for an ugly monster!”

“Yuxiao, don’t talk nonsense.”

“Which part is nonsense? The part about you having feelings for her, or the part about her being ugly?”

Bai Zhuixu silently drew his sword, staring at his brother. Bai Yuxiao stepped back, pouting: “Old fogey, so boring.”

While they argued outside, Liu Shuang couldn’t hear them. She had already fully entered the Nine Thoughts Pond.

Inside, it was pitch black. Just as Bai Zhuixu had said, there was nothing inside except a cold pond and a giant lotus seat.

She focused her gaze in contemplation, feeling that this layout resembled the Blood Sea used to imprison people in the Ghost Realm, though the Blood Sea was far more terrifying.

Liu Shuang flew onto the lotus platform and sat cross-legged.

She wasn’t discouraged by her failure to expose Mi Chu; after all, there would be time. From the reactions of the Kung Sang people, Liu Shuang could see that Mi Chu was quite popular in Kung Sang.

The situation wasn’t favorable for the original owner.

Although many protected the original owner, because she was born missing a soul fragment, everyone’s gaze contained pity.

As the Young Lord, due to her weakness, there was no reverence in others’ eyes. The original owner likely felt powerless and dejected.

Mi Chu had harmed the original owner, but coming from Liu Shuang’s lips, no one would believe it.

No matter, Liu Shuang took a breath. She would take it slowly. First, protect herself and settle into the immortal realm.

Mist rose from the cold pond. Liu Shuang closed her eyes to concentrate her energy. Since waking, she hadn’t properly examined this body’s condition.

Now, entering the Nine Thoughts Pond, she finally had a chance to settle down.

Liu Shuang carefully examined the meridians and was surprised to discover that the original owner’s innate constitution was quite good, at least much more suited for cultivation than her former self. However, due to the missing soul, cultivation had been twice as difficult and half as effective.

Over time, the original owner had developed an inferiority complex and lost interest in cultivation.

Now that the body had a new soul, the missing element seemed suddenly complete. After just a brief period of serious meditation, she felt her entire body refreshed, beyond description.

During her hundred years in the demon realm and ghost realm, Liu Shuang had numerous deficiencies due to her low cultivation. Now she was delighted to discover that cultivation came naturally to her.

Living again, her mind was clear as a mirror. Nothing was more reassuring and important than becoming powerful.

She immediately gathered all her focus, not concerning herself with Mi Chu or even pondering the Phantom Appearance Pearl within her body, concentrating entirely on her spiritual sea.

After an unknown period, thin strands of ice-blue energy appeared around her body, very light, like floating catkins.

Suddenly, a beam of light shone down from above, and a smug voice said: “Chi Shui Liu Shuang, are you hiding in there crying?”

Liu Shuang opened her eyes, recognizing Bai Yuxiao’s voice.

Liu Shuang felt a headache coming on. Bai Yuxiao had a malicious personality and boundless energy. If he disliked her, shouldn’t he stay far away? Why did he keep approaching her? She looked up to see a young face with ill intentions.

How had the original owner dealt with Bai Yuxiao? Fight him?

The young man leaned down and said, “I borrowed the Ancestral Mirror to bring you a great gift. Earlier, when you returned from Kun Lun injured and fell into a coma, it was because of a little demon spawn, remember?”

Liu Shuang’s eyes showed confusion.

Bai Yuxiao assumed she understood and curved his lips: “I’ve captured him and am now throwing him in here for you to torment. Don’t worry, the Realm Master won’t know about this. Have fun, and no need to thank me. And don’t expect my brother to come in and accompany you.”

Before Liu Shuang could respond, he raised his hand and threw someone down.

Liu Shuang quickly retreated to the lotus platform, veins throbbing on her forehead. With a loud crash, the person landed beside her, covered in blood, lying powerlessly—all four limbs’ meridians had been brutally severed!

Before Liu Shuang could refuse, Bai Yuxiao vanished, along with the light from above.

In the dark world, besides herself, there was only the seemingly half-dead “little demon spawn” beside her.

Liu Shuang approached, using the spiritual energy she had just managed to gather to light a faint blue flame at her fingertip. She bent down and gently pushed the fallen person.

“Wake up, are you all right?”

He didn’t move.

Liu Shuang turned him over and, in the next moment, clearly saw his face. She pressed her lips together, and the flame at her fingertip silently extinguished.

…It was him.