Chapter 55: Clouds of Doubt Emerge (Part 2): You’re Done For!! Part 2

“Come, let sister take a look at what kind of injury it is.”

As she spoke, the hand wearing half a black glove reached toward Mu Qian Tan’s collar.

The lingering, drawn-out tone made Mu Qian Tan frown tightly. She managed not to show any disgust but unceremoniously slapped her hand away. “Please behave yourself.”

This Brain-Damaged No. 3 was definitely suspecting her identity, and she had probably started doing so from their first meeting. She had held back before, but now she deliberately chose a moment when both the Hall Master and Sect Master were present to press her, hoping to make her lose her composure under five pairs of eyes.

Although the situation was unfavorable, Mu Qian Tan felt only irritation at being questioned by several people at once and was not particularly panicked.

She had thought about it some time ago. With this role she was playing full of holes, she would eventually run into issues as she encountered more people and they noticed something off. So she had deliberately gone to the Cloudtop Immortal Manor to check and arrived at an exciting conclusion—this world had no concept of body possession.

Here, when the soul died, the flesh died too, either mutating into a demon or drifting away as a ghost. It was impossible for one soul to completely take over a body that did not belong to it and continue living as before without anyone noticing.

At least not with her current abilities and status.

The real reason these people pressed her was not body possession, but demonic creatures.

In this book, magi were heaven-defying existences that could highly mimic human bodies.

As long as they saw someone once, they could impersonate them so convincingly that they seemed more real than the real thing. Although they possessed extreme destructive power, demonic creatures did not like direct harm. They loved to toy with people, excelled at lurking, and struck from within to completely break their targets before vanishing without a trace once their goal was achieved.

History had examples of wars of blood and carnage sparked by replacements from demonic creatures, all ending in tragic fates that served as warnings. As a result, many places were highly vigilant against demonic creatures, adopting an extreme stance of better to kill a thousand innocents than let one guilty party escape.

In the matter of Qin He’s sister Qin Shuang, the widely circulated story was that Yao’e Immortal had pushed Qin Shuang into a demon’s maw to save her own life. Thus, as someone who had confronted demonic creatures head-on, it was possible she had been remembered by one.

If not for the Sect Master’s strong endorsement, the absurd claim that she had become a demonic creature would probably have spread far and wide, even more than her other ill reputations.

However, her recent displays of differences from the original host in details, combined with her odd behavior at the Cloudtop Immortal Manor that time, had drawn You Lianmeng’s attention.

This woman wanted to test if she was a demonic creature. If not, all would be well. If yes, with the Sect Master and several Hall Masters present, she had no fear of her escaping.

As Mu Qian Tan pondered how to prove she was not a demonic creature, You Lianmeng suddenly said, “You’ve seemed off lately. Did something happen? You’re so cold to me now—can our relationship still be like it was before?”

Mu Qian Tan carefully maintained her silence.

You Lianmeng sighed and asked, “The jade coffin I gave you before—do you still have it?”

Doubt appeared on the faces of everyone in the pavilion, but Mu Qian Tan’s attention was on the woman and she did not notice. She was still mulling over the fact that the jade coffin in the Azure Palace had been a gift from this woman? Unable to confirm, she simply said, “It’s still there.”

“Is it useful?”

“Mm.”

“You’re not going to thank me?”

Those two words circled on the tip of her tongue a few times before Mu Qian Tan opened her mouth. “Thank you.”

Several pairs of eyes turned toward her at once.

You Lianmeng’s coldly alluring face seemed immersed in some strange pleasure. She folded and unfolded the tortoiseshell fan several times before snapping it shut and tapping it against her forehead. “Ah, my mistake. That wasn’t from me—it was from the Sect Master.”

“I’ve lived too long; my memory’s getting worse and worse. But…” She feigned a sigh, her lip color deepening. “Yao’e, would you make a mistake like that too?”

Mu Qian Tan rubbed her thumb against her index finger joint and stared at her silently, cursing inwardly: This dog thing…

She also asked, ‘Li Biyuan, can these people see the Black Hand on my heart?’

The atmosphere was too tense, so Li Biyuan did not dare speak loudly and stammered, ‘They can’t see it. They can’t see mine either.’

‘Alright then.’

She took several deep breaths, her face showing some difficulty, as if struggling intensely before finally compromising.

After performing this routine in front of everyone, she slowly rolled up her sleeve and said to Shen Xin, “Immortal Master Shen, could I trouble you to take a look for me?”

The first time she had been called by name without follow-up, Shen Xin had briefly snapped out of it and started thinking random thoughts. This time, with a clear instruction—and one involving her favorite diagnostics—Shen Xin gladly accepted and walked over to Mu Qian Tan, grasping her wrist.

That outfit was as plain white as tofu, making one involuntarily imagine how glaring even a single drop of blood would be.

While she eyed the clothes, everyone else looked at the wrist. Shen Xin’s three fingers pinched the slender white wrist for a long time, constantly making small adjustments to her position. Her originally unremarkable face gradually lit up with a strange glow, as if savoring something increasingly marvelous. In the end, she let out a soft “Eh?”

Xie Mei asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Xin shook her head first. “It’s not a demonic creature.”

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The Glazed Mirror before You Lianmeng’s eyes reflected a glaring green light, but her expression showed no change.

Mu Qian Tan did not know how she had determined it, but since You Lianmeng had called Shen Xin over from the start, she probably had the relevant ability.

Rather than dodge and evade, better to face it head-on and let her see.

Mu Qian Tan was certain this body did not belong to a demonic creature. Let her get the negative answer first, then she could throw out another fabricated reason. Since they had doubts, better to dispel them completely now so she would not be constantly constrained by the original host’s persona in the future.

Shen Xin felt around a few more times before looking up with keen interest. “Your injuries are very severe, and your qi and blood are deficient, but that’s minor. What I want to know is, with your heart shattered like this, how are you still alive?”

Panxiang Yin found it odd too and walked over, placing her hand on Mu Qian Tan’s shoulder. Warm spiritual power flowed into her body, traveling along her heart meridians for a loop. She also said, “Yao’e, what’s going on?”

“Qi Deviation.” Mu Qian Tan brushed their hands away and lowered her eyelashes. “For a while, I was plagued by nightmares and couldn’t avoid it during cultivation. In the end… spiritual power reversed into my heart, turning it into this state.”

As she said this, she seemed relieved yet somewhat lost. “I lost part of my memories; I can’t remember many things from before. There might be some changes, but I’m not sure either. I didn’t want to mention it because I thought I could handle it. Besides, I’m not dead, so I figured I’d just make do and live.”

Mu Qian Tan looked up. “Immortal Wen Xiu, you can call me weak or a waste, but suspecting me of being a demonic creature is too insulting.”

Her pale lips and slightly cold gaze made her pitiable. You Lianmeng narrowed her eyes and smiled. “It was my mistake, little sister.”

Panxiang Yin said, “Everyone treats demonic creatures like birds startled by a bowstring; we can’t afford mistakes. Wen Xiu was thinking of the sect too. Don’t blame her—blame me instead. Yao’e, tell your godmother how long your heart has been like this. Any discomfort now?”

Mu Qian Tan averted her gaze. “Several months. None.”

There had indeed been a moment of suspicion just now, which Panxiang Yin could not deny. Faced with her obvious sulking, she was at a loss and could only say, “How about this: Go back and rest today. I’ll handle things here. Once it’s over, I’ll take you to get your body checked.”

“No need, thank you, Sect Master.” Mu Qian Tan stood, gave a salute, and said, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

She turned to leave, but Shen Xin held her tightly, like she had encountered a once-in-a-century puzzle. She grew excited, eyes gleaming with urgency to figure it out, refusing to let go. Mu Qian Tan yanked hard to free herself, flung her sleeve, and walked out of the Grading Pavilion without looking back.

The moment she stepped out, she spat out a foul breath. No need to grade scrolls—perfect.

Leaving the stifling environment, even the grass and trees outside felt friendly.

Mu Qian Tan walked along the alley for a moment before Li Biyuan broke free from her suffocation, trembling so hard her teeth chattered as she madly clutched her hair. ‘Aren’t you scared? That scared me to death! So many eyes on us—if they discovered you, you couldn’t even run!’

Mu Qian Tan said, ‘Discover what? That I’m a fake? Heh, this is why reading ahead matters. There’s no body possession here, only demonic creatures taking over. That’s what they’re afraid of.’

‘Mine might not be the original host’s soul, but this body is the real deal. Even if they find my memories don’t match, I can just make up a reason. What’s to panic about?’

Li Biyuan said, ‘I couldn’t do it. My nerves are too weak. I didn’t even dare open my eyes just now. Lucky you could act—and act so convincingly. It wasn’t real emotion spilling out, was it?’

Mu Qian Tan lightly bit her lower lip. Moments later: ‘How could it…’

Before she finished, a force suddenly came from behind, catching her off guard and sending her lurching forward into the wall. Then shoulders were gripped, spinning her around.

“What?”

With her back against the alley wall, Mu Qian Tan saw that the person before her was You Lianmeng.

They were both standing, and she realized the woman was much taller than her. At such close range, the pressure was intense. That plant-like fresh scent also lingered around her, bringing waves of chill.

“Are you insane?” Mu Qian Tan tried to push her away, but the woman grabbed her wrist with one hand and pinned it down together.

You Lianmeng did not reply. Her face still held that sly fox-like faint smile, with faint coldness flickering in her eyes.

Ignoring the struggles before her, she brushed aside the stray hairs from Mu Qian Tan’s forehead with her other hand. Her fingertip pressed her eye corner, gently rubbing out a red mark before saying, “There’s a mole at the eye corner. Correct.”

Even the most powerful demonic creature could not perfectly replicate every mole on the body. After all, she could see faces, but how could she see details on the body?

You Lianmeng did not trust her own judgment to be wrong. Even with Shen Xin’s conclusion, she had to confirm it herself.

From this irresistible touch, Mu Qian Tan began to tremble, her stomach contracting. Her vision blurred in waves. She endured the nausea and glared furiously at the woman. “Immortal Master Shen already said it’s not. Why are you still harassing me? Let go!”

You Lianmeng turned a deaf ear. Her fingertip slid down to her neck, gently tugging open the collar to reveal the collarbone, along with two red moles and a faint bite mark.

“Two moles on the collarbone—good. Eh, what’s this bite mark? Someone bit you?”

Cool wind poured in through the opened collar. Mu Qian Tan trembled with rage from her teeth, experiencing this kind of person and situation for the first time in her life—and under strength suppression, she could not resist at all.

Rage made her lose reason. She lashed out with hands and feet to kick her away. “Fuck your grandfather! You’re done for! I’ll definitely kill you!”

“Don’t be hasty. I’ll let you go once I confirm.” Seeing the woman ignore her, You Lianmeng grew annoyed. Her hand slid down to Mu Qian Tan’s lower abdomen, pressing her wound, and said helplessly, “You had to refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit.”

Intense pain hit. Mu Qian Tan’s vision went black, and she instantly lost strength but did not fall, caught around the waist by the woman. The mix of wine and plant scents made her dizzy. She could only murmur lowly, “Get… lost…”

You Lianmeng smiled. “Be good. Don’t move.”

Her hand reached for the back of Mu Qian Tan’s collar, intending to pull it open for a look inside. “There should be demon patterns on the back…”

“What are you doing?”

A girl’s voice came from behind.

You Lianmeng paused and looked back. Mu Qian Tan heard the familiar voice and lifted her head from the woman’s embrace, her breathing unsteady and face deathly pale.

Shang Shan stood at the alley mouth, not knowing where she had wandered off to. She hugged a pile of orange fruits, holding half-eaten one in her hand. She took a few steps closer, saw what was happening, and dropped a bunch of fruits that rolled away with a clatter.

“What are you doing?”

She asked again, sounding like she was gritting her teeth.