The sweet, gentle voice lingered in the quiet bedroom, soft enough to fool any outsider into believing that the girl standing at the door was the most caring and well-behaved younger sister in the world.
Snowwei Skyward held the white porcelain plate steadily, her delicate fingers resting on the edge of the plate, the golden osmanthus cake on it emitting a faint, sweet fragrance—exactly the flavor that Lira had claimed to love in her previous life.
Back then, Lira had been naive and foolish, treating this cousin who had grown up with her as her closest relative. She had shared all her cultivation insights, given her precious spiritual stones, and even defended her countless times when she was bullied by other clan children. She had wholeheartedly regarded Snowwei as a weak little sister who needed protection, never realizing that the wolf had been hiding beside her, biding its time to tear her throat out.
It was this seemingly harmless girl who had secretly plotted to steal her golden spiritual root, who had whispered slanderous words about her in front of their grandfather every day, who had joined hands with Yanze Gu to send her to the bloody altar for a cruel sacrifice.
Every time she thought of the pain of her spiritual roots being torn out alive, and the despair of being betrayed by everyone she loved, the hatred in Lira's heart surged like a volcanic eruption, almost burning her reason.
But she did not act rashly.
In her previous life, she had been impulsive and straightforward, wearing all her emotions on her face, which had become the biggest handle for Snowwei to slander her as "arrogant, violent, and unruly." This time, she would not make the same mistake again.
She would let Snowwei fall into the abyss little by little, let her taste the despair and pain that she had suffered, and make her lose everything—her reputation, her talent, her family's favor, and finally her dignity as a cultivator.
Lira raised her eyes slowly, her dark pupils devoid of the usual warmth and closeness, only a coldness that penetrated to the bone. Her gaze was like a sharp blade, sweeping over Snowwei's innocent face, as if she could see through the ugly, greedy soul hidden under that delicate skin.
Snowwei's heart skipped a beat for no reason.
For a moment, she felt that the cousin in front of her was completely different.
In the past, Lira had always been bright and dazzling, with a touch of youthful recklessness in her pride, but her eyes were always clear and warm, never carrying such a terrifying coldness. It was as if she was looking at a dead object, not a living person.
Snowwei suppressed the strange unease in her heart, the smile on her face becoming even sweeter and more harmless. She walked forward step by step, the hem of her pink dress sweeping across the soft carpet, and said in a coquettish tone: "Sister, you finally woke up. You were in a daze just now, I was so worried about you. I specially asked the kitchen to make your favorite osmanthus cake, try it quickly?"
As she spoke, she raised the plate high, trying to hand it to Lira, her big eyes blinking, full of "care" and "consideration."
If it were the previous Lira, she would have been moved, taking the cake and praising her endlessly.
But now, Lira just looked at her indifferently, her red lips curling into a mocking arc.
"Worried about me?" She repeated these four words slowly, her voice low and cold, with a faint sarcasm that made Snowwei's face stiffen slightly.
Before Snowwei could react, Lira suddenly raised her hand and waved it hard!
Snapped—!
A clear and loud slap sound exploded in the bedroom, resounding through the corridor outside the door.
Snowwei was caught off guard, her head turned sharply to one side, a bright red five-finger print instantly appearing on her fair, delicate cheek. The plate in her hand fell to the ground with a crash, the sweet osmanthus cake scattered all over the floor, mixed with the broken porcelain pieces, in a mess.
Everything happened so fast that Snowwei didn't even have time to react. She covered her burning cheek, her eyes wide open, staring at Lira in disbelief, as if she couldn't believe that the always gentle sister would suddenly hit her.
"You… you hit me?" Snowwei's voice trembled, her eyes quickly turning red, crystal tears rolling down her cheeks, looking extremely aggrieved.
This was her usual trick—whenever she did something wrong or wanted to frame someone, she would immediately shed tears, pretending to be weak and bullied, using everyone's sympathy to achieve her goals.
In her previous life, Lira had been tricked by this trick countless times, and was finally accused of "bullying her cousin" and lost the favor of her grandfather.
But today, Lira would not be fooled again.
The moment the slap landed, a clear system prompt sounded in her mind.
[Ding—Host has slapped Snowwei Skyward, initial revenge completed! Triggering mission progress: 50%!]
Lira ignored Snowwei's crying performance, her cold eyes sweeping over the door.
Sure enough, the movement in the room had already alarmed the maids waiting outside the door. Several maids in uniform stood at the door, their faces full of shock, staring at the scene inside the room in disbelief—their eldest miss, who had always doted on Miss Snowwei, had actually slapped Miss Snowwei!
This was simply unprecedented!
Snowwei also noticed the maids at the door, and her crying became even more fierce. She threw herself on the ground, clutching her red and swollen cheek, tears streaming down her face, and said pitifully: "Sister, why did you hit me… Did I do something wrong? I just wanted to bring you cake… If you're unhappy, you can scold me, but don't hit me…"
Her voice was choked with sobs, weak and pitiful, as if she had suffered a great grievance. She believed that as long as these maids saw this scene, they would spread the news that "Lira is violent and bullying her cousin" throughout the family in an instant.
At that time, even if Lira wanted to explain, she would not be able to.
A trace of pride flashed through Snowwei's tearful eyes, but she hid it well.
But she never expected that Lira had already anticipated all her moves.
Lira took a step forward, looking down at the crying Snowwei on the ground, her cold voice clearly reaching the ears of every maid present.
"Did I hit you wrong?" She raised her chin slightly, her momentum pressing, "You said you brought me my favorite osmanthus cake, but you secretly added frost spirit powder to it. Do you think I don't know?"
As soon as these words came out, Snowwei's crying stopped abruptly, her face turning pale in an instant, and the tears on her face froze there.
Frost spirit powder!
That was a kind of spiritual medicine that was not fatal, but would slowly erode the cultivation base. If taken for a long time, it would make the spiritual roots become sluggish, and the cultivation speed would drop sharply!
She had indeed added a small amount of frost spirit powder to the osmanthus cake, planning to let Lira take it for a long time, so that her peerless golden spiritual root would gradually waste away, and she would naturally become the most talented genius in the family.
But how did Lira know?!
This was her secret plan, and she had never told anyone!
Snowwei's eyes were full of panic and disbelief, looking at Lira as if she was looking at a stranger.
The maids at the door also changed their faces drastically.
Frost spirit powder was a forbidden medicine in the family. If Miss Snowwei really added this thing to the eldest miss's cake, it would not be a small contradiction between sisters, but a deliberate harm!
Lira looked at Snowwei's panicked expression, the coldness in her eyes becoming more intense. She raised her foot and gently kicked the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, and a faint white mist emerged from the crumbs of the osmanthus cake—this was the characteristic of frost spirit powder when it encountered air.
The evidence was conclusive.
Snowwei's face was as white as paper, her body trembling, and she couldn't say a word of defense.
Her hypocritical mask, which she had worn for more than ten years, was completely torn apart by Lira in front of everyone at this moment.
[Ding—Mission [Slap in the Face of the Hypocrite] completed successfully! Snowwei Skyward's reputation has been damaged, host has obtained full revenge satisfaction!]
[Mission Reward Issued: 100 System Points, Instant Breakthrough to Body Tempering Level 3, Low-Grade Spirit Sword *1!]
[Hatred Value +100, Current Hatred Value: 1099!]
[System Level remains at Level 1, accumulate more Hatred Value to upgrade!]
Warm spiritual power instantly surged through Lira's body, flowing through her limbs and bones, and her cultivation base directly broke through from mortal to Body Tempering Level 3, a powerful force filling her whole body.
A sharp, cold low-grade spirit sword appeared out of thin air and fell steadily into her hand. The blade was cold and glowing, exuding a sharp edge.
Lira held the spirit sword, her eyes cold and sharp.
Snowwei, this is just the beginning.
The revenge I owe you, I will repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold.
And Yanze Gu, the Skyward Family, the Qingyun Sect elder… all of you who betrayed me and killed me, just wait.
I, Lira Skyward, have returned from the hell of death.
From today on, I will step on all of you under my feet and climb to the top of this world!
The maids at the door were still in shock, and Snowwei was sitting on the ground, pale and helpless, like a clown who had been exposed.
Lira did not look at her again. She turned around with the spirit sword in her hand, her back straight and proud, like a queen who had just won a battle.
The first step of revenge had been taken perfectly.
And her road to dominate the world with revenge had just opened.