A Change of Demeanor

The sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting a golden glow upon her raven-black hair bun, like molten gold spilled over dark obsidian. Though she was now another’s concubine, Wang Zhongge still wore the towering ‘Flying Immortal’ bun, adorned with a golden hair ornament studded with red garnets. Her baby-fat face was brimming with a maiden’s innocent charm.

Despite her voluptuous figure and graceful demeanor, her youthful face meant that a single innocent blink of her eyes could utterly disarm anyone.

He Suosi leaned back in a cushioned chair, propping his face with his hand. His gaze briefly swept over Wang Zhongge before settling for a prolonged moment on the intricate carvings of the mahogany chair behind her. He struggled to maintain his composure, pondering how to begin.

Wang Zhongge, seated beside him, began to speak, a bright smile gracing her lips. “Sister Yu, let’s continue with yesterday’s topic.”

He Suosi, of course, knew what ‘yesterday’s topic’ implied. He tried to project a cold, yet fragile expression, believing this was how Yu Anlin should appear before Wang Zhongge. However, he was no longer quite so certain, for Wang Zhongge, in Yu Anlin’s presence, was vastly different from what he had imagined.

Thus, he chose to evade the question, countering, “Don’t you want some pastries? The small kitchen makes them quite well.”

Wang Zhongge seemed taken aback by He Suosi’s words—or rather, by Yu Anlin’s unexpected remark. She paused, then watched as the other calmly summoned a maid to arrange pastries on the table. A sudden unease flickered within her.

‘Strange, was yesterday’s Yu Anlin like this?’ she wondered.

With that thought, she maintained her innocent and harmless smile, asking, “Have you truly never seen that alchemist again—the alchemist named He Suosi?”

At the mention of his own name, He Suosi looked up at her. He effortlessly detected the aggressive undertone beneath her feigned ease and contentment. Though it felt somewhat shameless, observing Wang Zhongge’s current demeanor, He Suosi suspected she still harbored feelings for him. A flicker of self-satisfaction arose within him, only to be quickly overshadowed by an intractable gloom: ‘Even if I’ve captured their hearts, their bodies already belong to another.’

Seeing He Suosi remain silent, Wang Zhongge continued, speaking to herself, “It seems you haven’t seen him again—that’s right, Sister Yu, that fellow deceived you. The Beauty Pill I took yesterday was nothing special at all.”

He Suosi’s expression shifted dramatically—a feigned reaction. Yet, He Suosi knew the real Yu Anlin would not be indifferent to such a statement, and even Wang Zhongge understood this. The way she watched his rapidly changing face, despite her best efforts to mimic sympathetic sadness, revealed an undeniable triumph.

That triumph was laced with malice. When He Suosi faced such smugness, he found himself unable to detach, despite knowing he shouldn’t internalize it. The initial pity he felt for her as an acquaintance gradually dissipated.

Reason returning, He Suosi met Wang Zhongge’s gaze with a faint smile. “You never even took that Beauty Pill. How can you claim it was nothing special?”

Wang Zhongge’s face stiffened. “W-what are you saying?”

Only a small low table separated He Suosi and Wang Zhongge. The moment Wang Zhongge finished speaking, He Suosi suddenly leaned forward, hooking his fingers around her arm. His grip tightened around her slender wrist, the thin fabric of her sleeve doing nothing to impede the transfer of body heat. Wang Zhongge’s face instantly flushed red, and she stared at him in astonishment.

“Your pulse is racing,” smiled Yu Anlin, currently inhabited by He Suosi’s soul. “What are you so flustered about?”

‘He Suosi had said that very line before.’

For a moment, Wang Zhongge was lost in a daze. Yu Anlin’s face bore no resemblance to He Suosi’s, yet her current expression, for some inexplicable reason, instantly reminded Wang Zhongge of her former lover, the now-renowned He Suosi. Back then, he had been an unknown young cultivator, yet even then, his eyes held no trace of inferiority or suppression. When he had taken her wrist, it was no different from holding a child’s hand. “Your heart is beating fast. What are you so flustered about?” He Suosi had said, with a teasing smile, the exact same words.

Wang Zhongge blinked forcefully. This time, Yu Anlin had reverted to her usual self—that annoyingly bland face, inherently imbued with a cold, lifeless aura. Though, cultivators outside would probably call it ‘aloof nobility’ or some other such phrase.

Wang Zhongge tried to pull away from Yu Anlin’s grasp, only to find the hold unexpectedly firm. Sensing her struggle, the other woman’s face twisted into a treacherous, insincere smile. “My cultivation is higher than yours, Zhongge.”

Wang Zhongge inexplicably froze, yet she still spoke. “Are you really going to kill me here?”

Yu Anlin let out a scoff. It was the first time Wang Zhongge had seen such an expression on Yu Anlin’s face, an expression so familiar it irritated her immensely. She didn’t want to admit how much it resembled He Suosi’s. While on a man, this expression conveyed a dashing nonchalance, on Yu Anlin, it appeared captivatingly alluring. Yet, the contemptuous smile itself was identical. Yu Anlin, wearing this smile, asked, “Why would I kill you?”

With slightly pale lips parting and closing, Yu Anlin stared into Wang Zhongge’s eyes, enunciating each word. “There are countless ways to make your life miserable. Even if the most I can do here is beat you, outside, don’t you still have a whole family?”

Wang Zhongge’s face instantly paled. Her forced entry into the Guangyu Immortal Sect had been for this very reason. She hadn’t expected to still be constrained by it even after coming here. Although the Wang family was a minor cultivation clan, it paled in comparison to the Azure Jade Sect, Yu Anlin’s esteemed origin.

So, she finally softened her tone. “But I really did take it. Didn’t Sister see it yesterday?”

He Suosi observed Wang Zhongge’s change. He didn’t know if the current Yu Anlin seemed somewhat out of character in Wang Zhongge’s eyes, but it didn’t truly matter. The two weren’t close, and a firmer attitude now could override the impression the real Yu Anlin had left on Wang Zhongge before—an impression he believed was likely not a good one to begin with.

He withdrew his hand and sat quietly, a serene smile gracing his lips. “You didn’t take it. Though it’s merely a Beauty Pill, how could its medicinal properties dissipate so completely in just one day? I can smell it; there’s no trace of the pill’s scent on you.” Furthermore, if it was a pill refined by someone she liked, she probably wouldn’t bear to consume it, even if it came from a rival. The latter reason was merely an internal thought; even He Suosi felt it would be rather awkward to voice it himself.

Wang Zhongge’s smile was strained. “I never thought Sister was also skilled in pharmacology.” At this point, she was utterly flustered, unable to detect any inconsistencies, especially since she wasn’t particularly familiar with Yu Anlin.

Looking at Wang Zhongge, He Suosi felt a pang of pity. He was bullying not just a gentle girl, but a gentle girl who liked him. It sounded truly inhumane. He couldn’t help but reach out and gently stroke her forelocks, saying softly, “That pill is truly important to me. Just give it back. At worst, I’ll give you another one someday.”

Wang Zhongge’s expression immediately turned peculiar. She looked up at He Suosi with a hint of surprise.

Seeing her gaze at him with such a strange expression, and remaining silent, He Suosi somewhat realized his actions were inappropriate. He withdrew his hand, cleared his throat lightly, then spread his hand flat on the table. “Come, give it to me.”

A thumb-sized pill was placed in his palm. The pill itself was truly unremarkable; though its medicinal fragrance was subtle and its patterns neat, it was still just a simple Beauty Pill. He Suosi held it up to his eyes, only then noticing the tiny inscription: An Ke Xiang Si. He sighed, connecting the phrase—meaning ‘How can one be lovesick?’ and bearing both of their names—to his own predicament, and was filled with a myriad of emotions.

With the pill returned, the two sat in silence. After a short while, Wang Zhongge rose to take her leave. As she departed, she had completely lost the lively, bird-like demeanor she had arrived with. Yet, for some reason, He Suosi felt that this was her true self; the vibrant, spirited girl, once as bright as the morning sun, had evidently changed.

Lan Jun came over to pour him tea. Seeing the calm, stoic young woman, He Suosi felt like he was the melancholic, sensitive woman. He couldn’t help but ask, “What was Yu… what was I like before?”

Lan Jun was tidying Wang Zhongge’s tea set. She seemed so engrossed that she didn’t answer He Suosi’s question. Not until she had wiped the tea from the tabletop with a tea cloth, and He Suosi was almost losing interest in the question, did she suddenly speak. “However you are now, is how you were before.”

He Suosi tilted his head, glancing at her. He gradually began to suspect that although this maid appeared to be merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she might actually be someone playing dumb to catch a tiger. Otherwise, why would she accept her master’s sudden personality change with such calm composure?

So he asked again, “Do you dislike Yu Anlin?”

The moment the question left his lips, He Suosi braced himself for Lan Jun to kneel and beg for forgiveness, but once again, she defied his expectations.

She looked up at He Suosi, her slender eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. It was then He Suosi first noticed her extraordinarily beautiful eyes. The color of her irises was not a single, solid black or brown, but rather a gradient of magnificent hues: deep coffee and honey-like pale gold interwoven with emerald green. Such eyes appeared both mysterious and captivating. For a moment, He Suosi couldn’t even discern the meaning in her expression.

“Immortal Fairy smiles more than before,” he heard Lan Jun say in a daze. “If Immortal Fairy smiles more, the Immortal Monarch will surely favor you even more.”

He Suosi: “…”

‘No, I don’t look forward to your Immortal Monarch’s liking at all,’ he grumbled silently. He Suosi then waved his hand, signaling Lan Jun to leave, and also dispelled the melancholy from his face. He resolved to quickly study his current situation and strive to return to his own body as soon as possible.

However, with limited clues, deep contemplation proved futile. He Suosi pondered until evening, gaining nothing but sorrow over his once vast and boundless spiritual energy now being ridiculously thin, and his countless techniques now utterly unusable. Just then, Lan Jun came to urge him to have his hair styled, informing him that the Immortal Monarch was arriving.