No sooner had this thought crossed her mind, Nie Yinzhi felt as if she was possessed by a demon. No matter how she looked, she felt as if the face reflected in the bronze mirror was covered with a mask—a mask named Xiao Ling.
She entered the Cloud Scripture Sect's celestial mountain at twelve, spending five years there. It was during this time when her facial features began to mature. As the saying goes, a woman changes eighteen times between childhood and adulthood. Seeing herself every day, she didn't notice any changes.
The maidservants attending to her didn't notice anything either.
Nie Yinzhi remembered when she went home, her mother touched her face and sighed, “My Yinzhi is truly a cultivator. Your features are so delicate, so divine, so different from your father and I, who are ordinary and dull.”
Nie Yinzhi laughed without a care, “Not at all. Father may be ordinary, but mother is a renowned beauty. Everyone has always said I look like mother. When you praise me, you're praising yourself.”
Her father, who was listening on the side, was amused, “You two, go ahead and compliment each other, but why do you have to belittle me?”
Nie Yinzhi snapped out of her memories, once again meeting her reflection in the mirror. She reached out and shattered the bronze mirror, glanced at the hanging portrait, and walked out.
If the Ruyi Sword decided to abandon her, then so be it.
Nie Yinzhi took off the jade hairpin from her head. This hairpin was not a mere ornament, but a magical tool.
She ran her fingers over the inscription on the jade hairpin. The hairpin glowed with a warm luster, transforming into a sword of considerable size, carrying her away from Bright Sky Peak.
Upon returning to Pill-Forming Peak, Ah Huan and Cheng Bi were frightened by her appearance. They hurriedly helped her onto the couch and applied medicine to her wounds.
“Miss, what happened? How did you get so severely injured? It must hurt...” Ah Huan mumbled as she applied the medicine, her tears falling like rain, crying even more bitterly than the injured Nie Yinzhi.
Nie Yinzhi, however, had no energy to comfort her. She said to Cheng Bi, “Bring me my mother's miniature portrait.”
Cheng Bi, although puzzled, didn't ask any questions. Soon, she brought a brocade box. The box contained letters from Nie Yinzhi's family, as well as her mother's miniature portrait.
With bandages wrapped around her hand, Nie Yinzhi sat in front of the dressing table, comparing her features with those in her mother's portrait.
Her mother was right, they were different.
Why hadn't she noticed it before?
Nie Yinzhi stared at the face in the mirror, her eyes burning with anger, her teeth biting through her lip, drawing blood.
Ah Huan knelt beside her, heartbroken, “Miss, if something has upset you, you can practice your swordsmanship, or Cheng Bi and I can sing for you. Please, don't hurt yourself.”
Cheng Bi, who was usually quiet, nodded earnestly.
Nie Yinzhi took a deep breath, her disheveled hair falling around her face, “You two, leave.”
“Miss...”
Nie Yinzhi furrowed her brows, “Leave.”
The two maidservants hesitated for a moment, then left the courtyard, looking back every three steps.
With a single palm, Nie Yinzhi shattered the dressing table. The spiritual power surged out from her meridians, tearing open the bandages on her hand, crushing the bronze mirror, and scattering all the bottles and jars on the floor. The strong scent of the cosmetics made her nose itch.
After venting her anger, she sat amidst the mess. For the past five years, Sang Wumian and Meng Jin had been very kind to her. Thus, Nie Yinzhi almost considered them as her own family, and the Cloud Scripture Sect as her second home.
Now she realized that all these kindnesses were dependent on the existence of another person.
But did she, Nie Yinzhi, lack love? Or someone who cared for her?
No, there were plenty of people who loved her, loved the original her. Even if she didn't enter the Cloud Scripture Sect, with her talent, there was no sect she couldn't join. Even if she was in the mundane world, she could live a life of luxury, why should she beg for this insincere kindness?
The cool breeze that slipped in through the window lifted the azure cloud gauze in the room. The quiet room became lively again, it seemed the plot had returned to her side, so the barrage of comments started to get lively again.
Many comments were still discussing the plot on the other side.
["Those who say the female lead is being melodramatic, do you have a heart? Her golden core is shattered, her meridians are exhausted, and her eyes are eroded by miasma. She's definitely going to be self-conscious and not dare to recognize the male lead."]
Nie Yinzhi followed behind the puppet, there was a small house deep in the bamboo forest, another straw man puppet was waiting in front of the house, and on the other side, there was a large pile of broken limbs and heads, all discarded puppets.
The puppet carrying the food box entered the house, Nie Yinzhi looked through the window and saw a man half lying on a chair.
The straw man puppet fed him a bite of food, Xiang Sijue suddenly got angry for some reason, knocked over the bowl of rice, his fingers embedded in the puppet's chest, and tore it apart.
Nie Yinzhi now knew how the pile of limbs in the corner came about.
"Who's there? Get out!" Xiang Sijue roared.
Nie Yinzhi nonchalantly walked into the hut, making no effort to hide her presence. She gave a respectful bow, "Uncle Xiang."
Xiang Sijue's numb eyes turned towards her, his gaze flickered, "Ling Ling?"
Nie Yinzhi tilted her head, neither confirming nor denying.
Xiang Sijue had entered the Five Declines Period, his appearance showing signs of age. His white hair was messily draped over his shoulders, his beard covering half of his face, and his eyes were cloudy and yellow, full of bloodshot veins.
The once prime sword cultivator was now in such a pitiful state.
Nie Yinzhi could sense the desperation in him, which felt strangely familiar.
Xiang Sijue was watched by her understanding gaze, which made him feel a surge of fear and anger from within. His face distorted in rage, he shouted neurotically, "Get out! Get out! Don't look at me, go away, don't come back, Ling Ling, I don't want you to see me like this..."
His emotions ran high, he spat out a mouthful of blood, slapped his hand on his chair, and his wheelchair quickly retreated deeper into the room with him, "I won't die, I won't die so easily, you get out, get out now!"
A chilling atmosphere filled the room, and the furnishings were swept up by the wind and hurled towards her.
Nie Yinzhi took a step back, exiting the hut.
Did he mistake her for a ghost coming to guide him to the underworld?
People on the brink of despair are like tightly wound strings, any slight movement could cause the string to snap, leading to hysteria. Xiang Sijue was in such a state now.
He should also know that his life was nearing its end. Nie Yinzhi didn't mind giving him a push, letting him go mad a bit earlier.
"Uncle Xiang, I can only apologize to you."
Nie Yinzhi took a wind chime from a mustard seed, looked around, lightly leaped up, and tied the delicate bell to a bamboo branch.
She formed a hand seal, a bamboo leaf was swept by the wind through the window into the room, lightly touched the bloodstain on the floor, then was drawn back by an invisible force, falling into Nie Yinzhi's hand.
The bloodstain was peeled off from the bamboo leaf and seeped into the bell.
The breeze swayed the bamboo branch, the bell swung with the wind, but was silent.
Nie Yinzhi left a spying charm around to ensure she could see every move of Xiang Sijue. She returned to the Pill-Forming Peak, had lunch, lay in bed with her eyes closed, but was actually always paying attention to Xiang Sijue's movements.
The sun was about to set when Nie Yinzhi finally woke up.
【The female lead finally woke up, the camera cut to her twice, she was sleeping both times, weird】
【She knows she's a stand-in, but she still can eat and sleep, is this really dark or not】
【What bad thing is she planning, can someone kindly spoil it for me】
【Spoilers roll away, if you can't hold it in, go read the original, I'm tired of being spoiled by the comments】
【If you don't want to see spoilers, just turn off the comments】
Ignoring the pointless arguments, Nie Yinzhi got up and let Ah Huan serve her some fruit and snacks.
When night fell, she quietly left Pill-Forming Peak and headed once again towards the bamboo forest behind Biyang Peak.