Chapter 65 - 62: I Am Ancestor Red Simurgh
This was the situation Lu Changyuan and Xia Lianxue now faced.
If Lu Changyuan were to believe Ancestor Red Simurgh was the person he was to marry, Xia Lianxue would be replaced.
The truly insidious thing about this Dharma was its subtlety.
The ink-rain that first fell from the sky—that touch of the absurd amid the grotesque—was actually infused with Ancestor Red Simurgh’s magic. It would silently bewitch the minds of those who entered the painting.
The three bows of the wedding ceremony were the very manifestation of this magic.
The Ink-Wash People crowded around the pair, much like the Buddhist Sect’s Great Compassion Palm, making them feel that they should perform the bows.
But once the three bows were complete...
Lu Changyuan would go from thinking Xia Lianxue was his wife to believing the bride he was bowing with was his wife. By the time he lifted the veil, it wouldn’t matter if Xia Lianxue was under it or not. He would be so bewitched by Ancestor Red Simurgh’s Illusion Moon Dao that he would be forced to believe that *this* was his wife.
And thus, Ancestor Red Simurgh would have completed her heaven-stealing switch.
Lu Changyuan had guessed this trick even before the bows began.
It might seem novel to the Cultivators of the current Cultivation Realm, but Chang’an Daoist had seen plenty of similar ploys back when he was on his killing sprees.
By all rights, if Lu Changyuan were a mere mortal—or even a Cultivator at the Fifth Realm Jade Balance, on the cusp of reaching Kai Yang—he would have been completely fooled by such a scheme.
Unfortunately for them.
The Supreme Pure Spirit Forget Immortal Technique could break illusions, and the Illusion Moon Dao had no effect on Lu Changyuan.
’I’ve already lifted one veil. As for this one, whoever wants to can have at it.’
Lifting the veil was the final link in the spell—the killing blow.
Lu Changyuan couldn’t be bothered to lift this veil. Something seemed to be whispering bewitchingly in his ear: *Lift this veil, and you can marry Ancestor Red Simurgh. She’s the most powerful woman in the world. Marry her, and you’ll never have to think about anything again. She’ll even find you Saintesses from countless Sects to serve as your bedchamber maids.*
*Isn’t this the path of the kept man you’ve always wanted? Wealth, companions, Dharma, and land—it’s all right here for the taking.*
The Demon’s Voice seeped into his ears, thick and cloying, with the power to bewitch all things.
Lu Changyuan wanted to laugh, but he held it in.
The Third Princess, carrying her birdcage, spoke in a hushed tone. "Then why don’t I lift the veil for Young Master Lu?"
This was a novel experience for her.
To think she could experience lifting a bride’s veil like a groom before she was even married herself.
Ah.
’Then again, she wouldn’t get to experience this even if she did get married.’
Lu Changyuan nodded. "Be my guest."
And so, the Third Princess reached out and ripped the veil from the bride’s head.
The moment the veil fell, an ink-wash spear appeared in the bride’s hand. She instantly transformed into a monster, her lower body covered in bizarre black hair.
The ink-wash spear stabbed straight toward Lu Changyuan.
But before the spear even reached him, it lost all momentum, clattering to the ground and dissolving into a puddle of ink.
A head came rolling to a stop at their feet.
Lu Changyuan withdrew Broken Thought.
"Xian Qingqiu," Su Youwan said.
"You know her?"
The Third Prince added, "I met her once, many years ago. An Elder from the Canglan Sect had fallen into demonhood, and I saw her when I accompanied a True Master from the palace to handle the aftermath... I was only ten years old then."
Lu Changyuan paid it no mind, instead looking outside.
Outside, the rain of ink had grown even more violent, accompanied by the RUMBLE of thunder.
Su Youwan asked, "Aren’t you going to look for Miss Xia?"
"Were you always this talkative, Third Prince?"
"It’s only when I see you that I feel like talking a bit more."
A faint smile touched Su Youwan’s lips. Her silver hair, the color of moonlight, shimmered with a faint light, exuding a breathtaking sense of fragility.
She was like a white porcelain doll, seemingly ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
"Do you know where Miss Xia went, Young Master Lu?"
Lu Changyuan stared at the sky, his hands clasped behind his back, a highly amused expression on his face.
"Do you know when the backlash from the Heaven-Stealing Substitute Body Technique is most severe?"
Su Youwan shook her head. "Do you enjoy answering questions with questions so much, Young Master Lu? It’s not a very endearing quality."
"Not endearing to whom?"
"Not endearing to anyone who doesn’t already like you."
’This Third Prince is quite the master of idle chatter.’
Seeing Su Youwan had no intention of taking the bait, Lu Changyuan explained nonchalantly, "With the Heaven-Stealing Substitute Body Technique, the closer one gets to success, the greater the price. If the Spell is completely reversed at the final moment, right before it succeeds, the caster will suffer the most severe backlash imaginable."
Lu Changyuan’s mouth twitched, and finally, unable to restrain himself, he let out a laugh.
"It’s better to let her get her own revenge, isn’t it?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Who are you?"
"Xia Lianxue."
In the grand hall of Miao Yu Palace, two chairs had been placed facing each other. Two people sat upon them, face to face.
Both were women dressed in red wedding gowns, their heads covered by red veils.
"No, you are not Xia Lianxue."
"I... am not Xia Lianxue?"
The two red veils were lifted simultaneously. On one side was the face of Xia Lianxue; on the other, Ancestor Red Simurgh.
Xia Lianxue felt her mind descend into chaos.
She heard the other woman ask, "Do you wish to ascend?"
’Who wouldn’t want to ascend? To surpass Yao Guang and become an Immortal, gaining eternal life and looking down upon the world.’
And so, Xia Lianxue answered, "I don’t."
’She only wanted to fall into the Red Dust with the man she loved.’
Ancestor Red Simurgh gritted her teeth. "You established the Immortal Palace and suppressed the Painting Demon. You’ve made an indelible contribution to this world, haven’t you?"
"No. I never established an Immortal Palace, nor did I suppress the Painting Demon."
The other woman coaxed her, "You are a Seventh Realm Yao Guang. When the Immortal Palace was in peril, it was you who held it up. It was you who suppressed the Painting Demon."
Xia Lianxue frowned. She sensed something was wrong, but her thoughts were so muddled she couldn’t figure out what.
Nor could she see her own face gradually changing, becoming more and more like the Ancestor Red Simurgh opposite her.
She could, however, see the face of Ancestor Red Simurgh opposite her becoming more and more like her own.
Xia Lianxue asked blankly, "Who are you?"
"Me? I am the real Xia Lianxue."
"If you are Xia Lianxue, then who am I?"
The other woman bared her gleaming white teeth. She was using Xia Lianxue’s face, and Xia Lianxue thought, ’That doesn’t look good at all. Her teeth are too sharp; they wouldn’t be good for serving the Young Master.’
’What am I thinking?’
The other woman was clearly taken aback for a moment before her expression darkened. "You are Ancestor Red Simurgh."
’Ancestor Red Simurgh?’
’I am Ancestor Red Simurgh.’
Xia Lianxue tried to say something, but it was as if her soul had fled her body. She couldn’t remember anything and could only murmur, "I’m... Ancestor Red Simurgh?"
Suddenly, red shadows swirled around her, each one whispering to Xia Lianxue, "You are Ancestor Red Simurgh."
And so, Xia Lianxue seemed to truly believe it.
Her face twisted into the likeness of Ancestor Red Simurgh, while the other woman’s face became a perfect copy of Xia Lianxue’s.
Extremely satisfied with this result, the other woman stood up. Her robes turned the color of fresh blood as she extended a hand.
"You are Ancestor Red Simurgh, but Ancestor Red Simurgh has already passed away. So..."
"So... I should be dead."
"Yes. It’s time for you to die."