The Unmasking and a Heartless Truth

The night was deep and quiet. A sliver of moonlight pierced through a crack in the window, streaking across the room like a bolt of white silk. It settled on the floor, resembling frozen frost.

“Speaking of which, how did you get in here?” He Suosi asked.

Little Black was no longer a flat paper cutout. He stood on the brush holder, preening his slick feathers with his beak. Hearing He Suosi’s question, the bird cocked his head.

“Why do you ask?”

He Suosi scratched his face, keeping it in the shadows to prevent his expression from betraying too much interest. “Just curious. Didn’t they say the Guangyu Immortal Sect was impenetrable? You’re only at the Core Formation stage, and you’re not even from the sect. How did you manage it?”

Presumably deeming it harmless to reveal, Little Black began to explain. “Pei Nishang’s people smuggled me in inside a spirit beast pouch. They registered me, then simply reported that the spirit beast had died. Easy!”

Upon hearing this, He Suosi felt a wave of disappointment. As a human soul in a human body, he couldn’t exactly be carried out in a spirit beast pouch. Moreover, even spirit beasts required registration, indicating that the sect’s security was far more comprehensive than he had imagined.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Tell me, what’s the way out of this place?”

Little Black cackled gleefully. “Caw! Caw! You got in, you even pulled off a grand deception, but now you can’t get out?”

‘Who the hell knows how I got in?’ He Suosi thought, secretly rolling his eyes. Displeased with Little Black’s disrespectful manner, he tapped the bird’s head with a calligraphy brush. Little Black, however, seemed unfazed by the tap, instead narrowing his eyes in apparent enjoyment.

He Suosi sighed. “Yes, I can’t get out. I’m trapped. And you’re still laughing? If I can’t get out, do you honestly think you can?”

Little Black retorted, “Of course! If you can’t get out, then neither can I, your grandpa! I don’t want to be cooped up here forever. No way! Hurry up and think of something!” He squawked and hopped noisily on the brush holder, causing the hanging brushes to sway erratically.

“The guards aren’t the problem,” He Suosi mused. “It’s the barrier encircling the immortal sect—it’s a high-level formation. I simply can’t break through it with this current strength.”

Little Black blinked. “Why are you telling me this? Your grandpa has no solution either. I can’t even deal with you.”

He Suosi fell silent. He had a faint suspicion that Little Black was withholding something, but it didn’t matter. He could afford to wait.

Yet, it wasn’t all bad news. Upon closer reflection, Pei Nishang’s cultivation was considerably higher than Yu Anlin’s, and her elemental affinity was closer to his past self. This meant that while he had been helpless in Yu Anlin’s body, as Pei Nishang, he might actually be able to force a breakthrough.

With renewed vigor, He Suosi resolved to plan his escape. He seized Little Black, stuffing the bird into his spirit beast pouch, then opened the door and summoned the servants to bring fresh water for his grooming.

By afternoon, he remained in his room, studying formations and awaiting the outcome of Pei Nishang’s original scheme.

“So, will that maid go directly and tell them?” He Suosi asked Little Black through the pouch.

“My suggestion will only trigger when she sees the Immortal Monarch. So, we have to wait until that Wei girl meets him.”

“It seems I’ll have to wait for the show to start,” He Suosi mused.

However, events unfolded faster than expected. Reportedly, Wei Jiaren and Yuan Zhigong had an “accidental” encounter in the garden and then retired to Wei Jiaren‘s courtyard. But was it truly an accident? He Suosi wasn’t convinced.

Sure enough, by evening, Zhuyu approached him with a look of panic. “Mistress! There’s a lead on the disappearance of Yu Jiaren!”

He Suosi’s eyebrow twitched. ‘It’s here!’

He hurried to the scene, where a young maid lay on the ground, her life hanging in the balance. Wei Jiaren, who had scowled at He Suosi just yesterday, was now slumped on the ground, distraught.

People nearby whispered. “Wei Jiaren spoke ill of Pei Jiaren just yesterday. Who knew she was the real culprit?”

He Suosi remained silent. Zhuyu whispered in his ear, “I heard that the little maid, Wei Jiaren‘s accomplice, couldn’t bear the guilt any longer and confessed everything to the Immortal Monarch.” She spoke with such conviction, even casting a scornful glance at Wei Jiaren, that He Suosi—who knew the truth—inwardly gasped.

He Suosi subtly sniffed the air. Sure enough, he detected the faint scent of All-Encompassing Flowers. The aroma was so weak that had he not been a high-grade alchemist in his past life, he likely wouldn’t have noticed it.

Zhuyu continued, “I heard Wei Jiaren used drugs to control those around her. Yu Jiaren was also controlled this way, which led to her death.”

Wei Jiaren, who had been strikingly beautiful just yesterday, now looked haggard, her hair disheveled. Witnessing such a tragic decline, He Suosi felt a pang of pity. Yet, with his own life at stake, he couldn’t afford to be indecisive.

At that moment, Wei Jiaren lifted her head. Spotting “Pei Nishang,” her face suddenly contorted with bloodthirsty rage. She snarled and leaped up, lunging toward He Suosi. The dazzling flash of a spell caught him off guard, but before he could react, blood splattered from Wei Jiaren‘s body in mid-air. She collapsed, dead before she hit the ground.

Yuan Zhigong flicked his sleeve, addressing a nearby attendant with a cold tone. “Dispose of the body.”

After speaking, his face resumed its gentle expression. He walked over to He Suosi, asking with concern, “Are you alright, Nishang?”

He Suosi felt a sense of absurdity. If he hadn’t possessed Pei Nishang’s body, and if Yu Anlin had remained himself, would they have both met mysterious deaths while the true culprit walked free? He gazed at Yuan Zhigong and a thought surfaced: ‘Are men truly this easily fooled?’

But he quickly remembered he was also a man.

That night, Yuan Zhigong visited Pei Nishang again. He Suosi finally experienced the full extent of the favor Pei Nishang had enjoyed before Yu Anlin’s arrival. Despite never actually touching her, Yuan Zhigong was remarkably gentle and reserved toward her.

“Nishang, the culprit has been found. You no longer need to worry.”

“…” ‘What should I be worried about?’ Driven by an impulse, He Suosi blurted out, “Do you truly believe Wei Jiaren was the culprit?”

Yuan Zhigong’s cold, clear eyes swept over him. His brows furrowed slightly, revealing a look of confusion.

‘Oh, crap! Did I mess up?’ He Suosi broke out in a cold sweat. He realized that while he tried to imitate her, the “Pei Nishang” he had known was an act. He twisted his fingers, trying to feign a panicked expression.

Yuan Zhigong tilted his head and suddenly spoke. “You’re not usually like this, Nishang.”

‘Major! Crisis!’

Yuan Zhigong continued, “Are you imitating Anlin? Ah, you’re still the same as before. You mimic whoever I show favor to.”

He Suosi remained silent, his heart hammering. ‘He scared me for a second.’ He mentally wiped sweat from his brow. The original Pei Nishang was truly more twisted than he’d imagined if she regularly mimicked her rivals to gain attention.

He Suosi feigned composure, lowering his head and softly saying, “In the past, the Immortal Monarch favored Sister Yu alone. Now that Sister Yu is gone, the Immortal Monarch must be very sad.”

Yuan Zhigong, however, said, “Favored alone? There was no such thing, Nishang. You’re overthinking it.”

He Suosi was displeased by this. It sounded like a dismissal of his previous acting skills as Yu Anlin. He couldn’t help but look up, feigning indifference. “For the past few months, the Immortal Monarch clearly went to see Sister Yu whenever you had free time. Doesn’t that count as favoring her?”

“I also came to see you whenever I had free time in the past. That doesn’t mean anything,” Yuan Zhigong replied naturally.

For some unknown reason, He Suosi’s heart suddenly ached. He stood frozen, watching Yuan Zhigong turn to find a book, and only belatedly realized that this was a residual feeling from Pei Nishang’s soul. She had deluded herself into believing she was special to him. Yet, he had just confirmed that she was nothing more than a habit.

“That’s truly heartless.” Without realizing it, He Suosi murmured the words aloud.

Yuan Zhigong’s hand, flipping through the book, froze. The air in the room grew heavy and hot. Yuan Zhigong’s finger finally turned the page, and he spoke without looking up.

“Who exactly are you?”

He Suosi remained silent. ‘This time, I’ve truly messed up!’