Morning had only just reached Fengbo.
Mist drifted lazily between the green hills, thin as silk, clinging to treetops and curling around ancient trunks. Leaves whispered as the wind passed through, and somewhere far away, a bird called once before falling silent again. The forest looked gentle, almost tender, as if nothing cruel could ever exist beneath its canopy.
But deep inside the mountains, where the sunlight struggled to reach the ground, the earth was drinking blood.
A girl knelt in the dirt.
Her arms were wrenched behind her back, held tight by two men whose grips showed no mercy. Her head hung low, hair loose and tangled, soaked dark and heavy.
Blood slid from her scalp and face, falling drop by drop into the soil below. Each drop vanished quickly, swallowed by the ground as if it had always been waiting.
Her breathing was faint, uneven. Every breath seemed to scrape against her chest.
Footsteps approached.
Slow. Calm. Unhurried.
The girl forced herself to lift her head.
Her teeth clenched so hard they trembled.
When she looked up, her face was barely human anymore.
Fresh wounds split her skin open, cruel and uneven, the flesh beneath exposed and raw.
Blood blurred her vision, but she still stared forward, refusing to close her eyes.
"Who… are you?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse, barely louder than the wind. "Why… why do you want to harm me?"
A woman stopped in front of her.
A pale blue dress brushed against the grass, light as flowing water. A tassel at her waist swayed gently with each small movement. Everything about her was neat, clean, and calm, as if she were walking through a garden rather than standing before someone on the edge of death.
She looked down at the kneeling girl.
Even without seeing her face, one could feel the smile behind the veil.
"I am Lin Xue," the woman said softly. Her voice was warm, confident, familiar. "Daughter of the General's Mansion. Beloved granddaughter of the old general. Future head of the Lin Family. And the fiancée of the Third Prince of Canglan Kingdom."
The words struck harder than any blade.
The girl's eyes widened. Her body shook violently as she struggled against the hands holding her, though she had no strength left to move.
"No!" she cried, voice breaking. "That's me! I am Lin Xue! I am! Not you..."
The woman then raised a hand.
Two pale fingers reached up and slowly lifted the veil.
The fabric slid down.
A new face appeared.
Perfect. Gentle. Beautiful. The same brows, the same eyes, the same lips, the girl had seen in the mirror her entire life.
The world went silent for her.
The kneeling girl could no longer speak. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her mind emptied, then filled all at once with disbelief so sharp it made her dizzy.
The woman crouched down, bringing herself level with the girl's bloodied face. Her eyes shone, not with pity, but with excitement she could no longer hide.
"From today onward," she said softly, almost kindly, "I will live your life. Your name, your place, your future. Everything you had will belong to me, Lin Xue."
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"And you…" She smiled. "With your intelligence, you should already know what happens to someone who has lost everything."
The girl stared at her, lips trembling. A memory rose from deep within her, one she had never questioned before.
"Sun Xiao?" she whispered. "You… you are Sun Xiao?"
Sun Xiao.
The orphan she had grown up with. The girl her family had taken in. The sister she had shared secrets with, laughed with, and tears with. The one who had once held her hand and promised they would always protect each other.
Sun Xiao smiled wider.
"Yes," she said. "It's me."
The pain in Lin Xue's chest was sharper than the pain on her face. Tears mixed with blood as they slid down her ruined skin.
"Why?" she asked, voice shaking. "I treated you well. I trusted you. Why would you do this to me?"
Sun Xiao stood up slowly, smoothing her skirt as if nothing had happened.
"Why?" she repeated, amused. "Because you had everything. A grandfather and a father who treasured you like a jewel. A future filled with honor. A man who looked at you as if you were the only one in the world."
She looked down again, her eyes cold. "All of it should have been mine."
Sun Xiao watched the broken figure on the ground for a long moment. Only when she was satisfied did she speak again, her voice light, almost playful.
"I could have killed you tonight," she said. "It would have been easy. A single order, and everything would end." She paused, then laughed softly. "But that would be far too kind."
Lin Xue's body trembled. She raised her head with effort, blood slipping down her chin, and met Sun Xiao's eyes. In them, she saw no warmth. Only cold pleasure.
"Do you know," Sun Xiao continued, crouching down, "why I ruined only your face, and not the rest of you?" Her gaze slid over Lin Xue slowly. "Because you are still useful."
Lin Xue's heart sank.
"There are places," Sun Xiao said calmly, "where men do not care about a woman's face. They care about skin, about youth, about what can be touched in the dark." She smiled faintly. "Even if you look like a ghost now, this body of yours will still sell for a good price."
Lin Xue's eyes widened in horror.
"You can glare at me all you want," Sun Xiao said. "Your face is ruined. Even if you scream that you are the eldest miss of the General's Mansion, who would believe you? They will only think you are mad." She straightened, brushing dust from her sleeve. "As for escaping… with your pitiful strength? Don't dream."
She suddenly reached forward and forced something into Lin Xue's mouth.
"Swallow."
Lin Xue struggled, but weak arms could not fight strong hands. The bitter taste spread across her tongue, burning her throat as it slid down.
Sun Xiao smiled and stood up. "Seven days. If no one kills you within seven days, the poison will."
Lin Xue bit down hard, blood seeping from the corner of her lips.
"Sun Xiao," she rasped, "even if I become a ghost, I will not let you go."
Sun Xiao laughed softly. "Even as a ghost, you would still lose to me."
She turned away. "Take her. Sell her far away."
"Yes!" the two men replied.
Rough hands lifted Lin Xue's limp body and threw her over a shoulder. The forest swallowed their figures, leaves closing behind them as if nothing had happened.
A man dressed in black stepped forward and lowered his head. "Miss, it is late. Should we return to the mansion?"
Sun Xiao looked up at the sky. Dawn was already breaking.
"Yes," she said gently. "From this moment on, I am Lin Xue."
*
Two days later;
Hanlin Town;
Tianxiang Building.
A sharp scent filled her nose.
Lin Xue's eyelids fluttered open. Her mind was blank, her body heavy, as if it no longer belonged to her. Before she could understand where she was, she felt hands on her arm.
She screamed. "Gaaah..."
Her body reacted faster than her thoughts. She rolled off the bed and crashed onto the floor, curling into herself.
A man laughed.
"So you're awake?" he said, licking his lips as he looked her over. He was in his thirties, his face greasy, his eyes full of hunger. "Don't lie there like a corpse. The master likes his women lively."
Lin Xue pressed herself backward, shaking her head wildly. "Don't come closer. Don't!"
She scrambled to her feet and ran for the door.
Two steps.
Strong hands grabbed her hair and yanked her back.
"Run?" the man sneered. "You're already inside this room. Where do you think you're going?"
He shoved her hard. The thin fabric at her sleeve tore with a sharp sound, exposing pale skin. His eyes lit up.
Lin Xue screamed again, her whole body breaking out in cold sweat. Panic swallowed her thoughts. She pushed and struggled, her hand brushing against something hard at his waist.
A dagger.
She did not think. She only acted.
Her fingers closed around the hilt, and she drove it forward with everything she had left.
The blade struck shallow, but it was enough.
The man howled and staggered back, clutching his chest. "Fuc*ing Bitch!"
He swung his arm.
Pain exploded across Lin Xue's body as she was thrown aside. Her head struck the edge of the bed with a dull sound.
The world spun.
Warm liquid flowed down her temple. Her legs gave out as she tried to stand.
Then darkness closed in, thick and heavy, dragging her into silence once more.
"Damn it!"
The man glanced at the blood seeping from his chest, his face twisting with rage. The pain only made him crueler. He stepped forward and kicked her hard in the stomach.
"Get up!" he shouted. "Stop pretending to be dead!"
Lin Xue's body curled as pain tore through her. Before she could breathe, a hand grabbed her clothes and dragged her toward the bed, fabric scraping against the floor.
Her head throbbed. Her stomach burned. Darkness pressed in again, but this time, something strange stirred inside her.
A voice.
Crying.
Weak. Broken.
It echoed in her mind like a child sobbing in a locked room.
Her brows tightened. Irritation rose suddenly, sharp and cold.
"Shut up."
The word was not loud, but it cut cleanly.
Her eyes snapped open.
The crying stopped.
What she saw made her pupils shrink. A wretched man stood before her, half undressed, breathing heavily, his eyes full of desire. The room around them was old and narrow, smelling of incense and sweat. A bronze lamp flickered. The carved wooden bed loomed behind him.
Disgust flashed across her face. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"So you woke up?" the man sneered. "I told you, dying won't help you. Be good and play with me, or I'll make you regret it."
He lunged toward her like a starving beast.
"Looking for death."
Her voice was cold, calm, nothing like the weak girl from before.
She moved.
In one smooth motion, she rose, bent her knee, and kicked.
The man flew backward.
"Ah—!"
His body slammed into the wall. He collapsed to the ground, gasping like a broken dog.
He stared at her in shock, then scrambled up in fury. "Stupid woman! You dare hit me? I'll kill you!"
He raised his fist and swung.
She caught it.
His arm stopped midair, locked in her grip. Before he could react, she twisted.
A sharp crack echoed in the room.
"AAAH—!"
His scream tore through the air, but it was cut short. Her other hand closed around his throat, fingers cold and firm. She slammed his head back.
His eyes rolled.
His body went limp.
Silence fell.
The room became so quiet that even breathing sounded loud.
She released him.
The man dropped to the floor with a dull thud, eyes wide, lifeless.
The girl sat back on the edge of the bed.
She raised her hand and studied it slowly, as if seeing it for the first time. Her fingers were slender, pale, steady. A faint smile curved her lips. It was calm, sharp, touched with something dark.
On her ruined face, the smile looked strange. Almost frightening.
Outside the room, no one came.
The men guarding the door had heard the noise, the impact, the muffled cries. They laughed among themselves. To them, it sounded like a man enjoying himself. They did not interfere.
She stood and walked to the dressing table.
A bronze mirror reflected her face.
The scars were deep. Ugly. Cruel.
She stared at the reflection without blinking. Her fingers tapped lightly against the wooden table. Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Who are you?" she asked the mirror, as if speaking to herself.
A voice answered inside her mind.
Crying again.
"I am Lin Xue," the voice said weakly. "Who… who are you?"