historical

While her companions were left in the mortal realm, Shen Minyao found herself in a completely different place inside the mirror. In its last resort to protect itself, the mirror demon chose to absorb her and trap her in a fake reality.

As soon as she opened her eyes, the fox woman felt like she had returned to the past, to the days when she was still possessing Su Daji's body and living in the imperial harem along with Little Jiu.

In this concocted reality, she was still a noble consort that had risen through the ranks by gaining favors and without sleeping with the emperor. She had gained a larger courtyard that many consorts envied and coveted to have, which meant more hatred and animosity were sent her way—much to her delight.

She looked down at herself and saw that she was wearing a black and white robe, with a red sash keeping her clothes in place. It was the same outfit she sported in the past, its colors contrasting against her pale, smooth skin. Her hands had the familiar slight calluses on them, which amused her. Aside from her face, her past host felt insecure with her hands.

The fox woman wasn't sure what the mirror wanted to depict this time, but it would be foolish for it to assume that it would be able to trap her here for eternity.

This was one of the other skills of a mirror demon. Aside from replicating anyone who'd seen their reflection in the mirror, the mirror demon could trap its victim inside an illusion—an illusion where it would show the victim the world and life their heart sought.

No humans would be able to break free from it easily as they would never suspect that they had been bewitched by a demon in the first place, given how realistic this world was to the naked eye. But not the fox woman.. never her.

Everything here felt too real. The coolness of the wind as it touched her skin; the crunching leaves under her feet as she walked in the vast garden of her courtyard; the fragrance of flowers that reached her nose.. if she was a human, the fox woman would surely succumb to this illusion.

It was late afternoon, and she observed the sun set behind the mountains. She was then reminded of the old days she spent with her young ward before she rose into power and was eventually betrayed by her lord husband as he faced rebellions one after another.

"Miss!" A familiar voice reached her ears, and the fox woman turned her head in the direction where it came from. As if she was in a trance, her eyes slightly widened upon seeing Little Jiu running towards her with a bright smile that she always sported. The human she came to care for.. the person who she treated with utmost importance.. was right in front of her.

The young woman running towards her with glee was like a scene frozen in time that the fox woman could vividly remember. However, it wouldn't change the fact that all of these were just an illusion the mirror demon conjured to trick her.

No matter how hard it tried to convince her that the woman in front of her was Feng Jiu, the fox woman was aware that Li Fei'er must be worriedly waiting for her in the real world by this time.

As soon as the fake Little Jiu reached her, her right hand immediately grasped the imitation's neck and lifted it midair with ease. Little Jiu clawed at her hands, attempting to break free from the fox woman's hold.

"M-Miss.. why.. how could you do this to me?" She asked the demoness pitifully with teary eyes as she struggled to break free from the fox woman's grasp.

The fox woman's eyes narrowed, her grip tightening on the smooth, vulnerable neck of the fake Little Jiu. Little Jiu had never looked at her like this, never doubted her—not even once.

"You're asking me why?" Her lips curled into a vicious smile, eyes narrowing with disgust as she stared at the abomination that the mirror demon tried to use to fool her.

"How dare you trick me using my Little Jiu's face?" Her tone was filled with menace. If anything, this illusion only made her aware of her failures and how she lost Little Jiu miserably in the past.

The fox woman hated it when her enemies opted to use Little Jiu and deemed the girl as her one weakness. It certainly wasn't the first time Little Jiu was used against her by another demon, but in the end, those who offended her lost their lives.

She broke the fake Little Jiu's neck easily and discarded its dead body to the ground before wiping her hand clean with a white cloth. The fact that the mirror demon had dared to use her ward's identity to fool her was enough to make her blood boil in rage.

The scenery around her started to distort as if the world began to fade. The once dreamy atmosphere of the sweet, waning sunset had been eaten by darkness, like a showing movie suddenly running out of filmstrips. The concocted reality soon broke down into pieces. Because this was one of the memories she cherished the most in her long life, the fox woman wasn't pleased with the mirror demon's impertinence to taint it.

Her demonic aura swirled around her, a cacophony of cracking noises resounding within the confined space she was in. It was then followed by a loud wailing sound as cracks appeared around her, completely ruining the illusion of the demon cast upon her.

The fox woman needed not locate the energy orb of the mirror demon as she started to absorb the energy around her. She stood unmoving in her place, her appearance morphing into her demon form.. Her long hair turned white while her eyes turned into smoldering amber.