Flirting with the Villain's Mother - Chapter 15

“No, not that,” Shen Su said, her raised finger slowly curling. She pointed to her head and said with utmost sincerity, “Madam, I’m sorry.”

Why was she apologizing to Wei Nanyi? Perhaps because she had just glimpsed a past where Wei Nanyi had nearly had her soul swapped by a Demonic Creature—an ancestor of Shen Su’s named Mirror Quilt.

The memories in Shen Su’s mind belonged to Mirror Quilt.

Through Mirror Quilt’s memories, Shen Su learned the truth about the Bloodline Restriction and saw a story starkly different from what Wei Nanyi had told her.

Wei Nanyi hadn’t lied outright, at least not about Mirror Quilt’s birth and her entry into the Sect.

She had merely concealed the painful details of her past and omitted its darker aspects.

As Wei Nanyi had said, Mirror Quilt, the former leader of Wild Goose Jade Mountain, was no fool. In fact, one could argue that she was the more cunning of the two.

Wild Goose Jade Mountain was a sacred haven for Demonic Creatures to cultivate. Naturally, since it was suitable for Demons, it was also ideal for any creature requiring spiritual power. Human Cultivators had once considered seizing the mountain, but Wild Goose Jade Mountain was home to powerful Great Demons. Though these Demons were not united, they would never allow outsiders to invade their shared territory on a large scale.

Yet in the eyes of the mighty Demons, the weak were invisible.

To exploit the resources of Wild Goose Jade Mountain, the Sect often sent its disciples there for training. These disciples, with their relatively low cultivation levels, rarely attracted the attention of powerful demons, making most training sessions proceed smoothly. The disciples gained experience, and the Sect harvested some of the mountain’s resources. But Mirror Quilt’s emergence changed everything.

Mirror Quilt united the entire Wild Goose Jade Mountain, making its inhabitants wary of all outsiders. During that period, every disciple who entered the mountain perished.

Initially, the Sect remained unaware of the upheaval on Wild Goose Jade Mountain. It was Wei Nanyi who first brought news of Mirror Quilt to the outside world.

Over fifteen hundred years ago, Wei Nanyi was not yet the Eldest Senior Sister of Approaching Immortals Mountain. Her status wasn’t merely undefined by formal master-disciple bonds; rather, her strength had yet to earn the full recognition of all the sect’s disciples. The title of Eldest Senior Sister at Approaching Immortals Mountain was never simply a matter of seniority.

Wei Nanyi had ventured to Wild Goose Jade Mountain alone for training. Mirror Quilt initially dismissed the then-Golden Core cultivator as insignificant. Yet this seemingly unremarkable disciple managed to escape the mountain despite being besieged by its eight great demons, carrying news of Mirror Quilt’s existence. This feat finally earned Wei Nanyi the widespread acknowledgment of her strength among the Approaching Immortals Mountain disciples.

Such power, far exceeding her cultivation level, naturally piqued Mirror Quilt’s curiosity.

Mirror Quilt discovered that Wei Nanyi possessed extraordinary talent, placing her among the elite cultivators. Remarkably, Wei Nanyi had achieved Golden Core status without relying on Medicinal Pills or external assistance, relying solely on her own strength. Combined with her striking beauty, this piqued Mirror Quilt’s interest.

Mirror Quilt possessed two abilities: mind-reading and the ability to absorb a Demonic Creature’s powers by transforming into it. However, this was limited to Demonic Creatures; she couldn’t directly seize human bodies, necessitating soul-swapping.

Mirror Quilt didn’t mind having multiple bodies.

She represented the pinnacle of Demonic Creature bloodlines, while Wei Nanyi embodied the pinnacle of cultivator talent—a combination that wasn’t contradictory.

When the Four Great Immortal Sects, led by Approaching Immortals Mountain, proposed accepting Demonic Creatures into their Sects, Mirror Quilt agreed. She knew the Sects aimed to disrupt the stability of Wild Goose Jade Mountain to continue exploiting its resources, but she also had her own ulterior motives: Wei Nanyi’s body and the Immortal Sect’s techniques.

Many Demonic Creatures on Wild Goose Jade Mountain possessed weak cultivation methods. Despite their innate talent, their cultivation progress remained stagnant. While the Immortal Sects offered a few cultivation methods suitable for Demonic Creatures—though limited in number and lacking Heavenly Tome-level techniques—these undoubtedly provided a path for those with weak cultivation methods to break free from their stagnant progress.

Mirror Quilt’s plan was clear and swiftly executed.

Within three months, the resources of the major sects had been systematically plundered. The demonic creatures who had infiltrated the Three Great Sects fled back to Wild Goose Jade Mountain, prompting the sects to vow never again to admit demons. Only Approaching Immortals Mountain remained untouched, not for any particular reason, but simply because Mirror Quilt found its people strange.

Unlike the other three sects, they hadn’t descended upon Wild Goose Jade Mountain to plunder its resources after the great demons departed. Instead, they patiently taught Mirror Quilt and the other disciples who had come to Approaching Immortals Mountain, treating them no differently from the rest. When the demonic creatures who had infiltrated the Three Great Sects caused trouble and the sects came demanding justice, Shen Yinxue, the Sect Leader of Approaching Immortals Mountain, refused to hand Mirror Quilt over. Instead, she declared that Guiyan was now a disciple of Approaching Immortals Mountain and no longer subject to the affairs of Wild Goose Jade Mountain, thus protecting her.

Mirror Quilt, who had always protected other demons on Wild Goose Jade Mountain, found herself being protected for the first time.

After sitting in Shen Yinxue’s chambers for three days, she couldn’t help but ask, “Sect Leader, why are you protecting me?”

Shen Yinxue, a woman of strict adherence to sect rules, replied calmly, “Whether human or demon, once you join Approaching Immortals Mountain, you become my disciple. As Sect Leader, it is my duty to protect you.”

Mirror Quilt could read minds, and she knew Shen Yinxue was telling the truth.

That day, Mirror Quilt had thought Shen Yinxue was a good person. It was also the day she met Shen Yiwen, all thanks to his unreasonable master, who had beaten her without rhyme or reason.

Shen Yiwen was a young cultivator who blushed at every other word. When he offered her the medicinal paste, he nearly buried his face in the ground. “Miss Guiyan, please don’t hold a grudge against my master. She has a terrible temper and often beats me too.”

This did little to comfort Mirror Quilt. On the contrary, it only reinforced her belief that Shen Yiwen’s master, Jiang Ruiping, was mentally unstable. She had tried to read Jiang Ruiping’s mind but failed. Jiang Ruiping was the only person on Approaching Immortals Mountain whose thoughts remained impenetrable to her. Initially, Mirror Quilt had assumed Jiang Ruiping possessed some special ability, until she witnessed her master single-handedly surround and beat the elders sent by the Three Great Sects.

Only then did Mirror Quilt realize the truth: she couldn’t read Jiang Ruiping’s mind because their cultivation levels were too vastly different.

Mirror Quilt didn’t fully understand the inner workings of Approaching Immortals Mountain, but among the elders she could observe, Jiang Ruiping was undeniably the strongest.

It was curiosity about Jiang Ruiping’s extraordinary cultivation talent that had drawn Mirror Quilt to Shen Yiwen in the first place. But he was truly foolish, as pure and innocent as a blank sheet of paper. That was why Mirror Quilt had fallen for Shen Yiwen, and why she had grown somewhat fond of Approaching Immortals Mountain as well.

Mirror Quilt broke her promise and failed to return to Wild Goose Jade Mountain in time.

Staying at Approaching Immortals Mountain had its drawbacks. As a demon, Mirror Quilt possessed innate abilities, but even the most powerful of these couldn’t provide the foundation needed to cultivate most of the mountain’s techniques. She even struggled to find a sword that resonated with her. Once again, she yearned for Wei Nanyi’s body, this time with even greater urgency.

So she kidnapped Wei Nanyi.

Yet she had underestimated her opponent. She hadn’t anticipated the resilience of Wei Nanyi’s soul.

Instead of seizing Wei Nanyi’s body, Mirror Quilt suffered a backlash when Wei Nanyi shattered her technique.

Now weakened to the point of vulnerability, Mirror Quilt could easily be killed. Surprisingly, Wei Nanyi showed no intention of harming her, even speaking with remarkable gentleness: “Miss Guiyan, do you want to kill me?”

The question was utterly redundant, given the obvious circumstances.

Mirror Quilt wanted to retort with a sarcastic remark, but as the words formed on her lips, she sensed Wei Nanyi’s thoughts.

Wei Nanyi harbored no blame, no anger. Instead, she felt guilty, wondering if she had done something wrong to provoke Mirror Quilt’s murderous impulse.

Mirror Quilt suddenly felt a deep loathing for her ability. She had no desire to know how forgiving her prey was. She scoffed, “Senior Sister Wei is perfect. That’s the problem. She’s too perfect, making me jealous. I want her talent, her beauty, her…”

Wei Nanyi frowned slightly and gently tapped Mirror Quilt’s forehead. “Miss Guiyan, please refrain from reading my mind.”

Mirror Quilt was momentarily taken aback. Wei Nanyi withdrew her hand and gazed quietly at the weakened Mirror Quilt, her expression complex. “But your talent is already extraordinary, and you’re remarkably beautiful.”

Does Wei Nanyi even realize I just tried to kill her?!

Her kindness was suffocating.

Mirror Quilt felt like a fishbone was lodged in her throat. After a long struggle, she forced out, “But I’m trapped on Approaching Immortals Mountain. As a demonic creature, I can’t cultivate human techniques. If I abandon my own cultivation method to practice the Earthly Tome’s techniques, I could learn the Sect’s methods, but my innate method is far superior. Senior Sister Wei, don’t you find it absurd that such a vast Sect lacks even a single Heavenly Tome for demonic creatures? Why is it that even with comparable talent, most demonic creatures are limited to their innate methods, while human cultivators have a vast array of advanced techniques to choose from? It’s not fair, is it?”

Mirror Quilt expected Wei Nanyi to refute her, but Wei Nanyi’s gaze darkened slightly as she replied solemnly, “Not now, perhaps later.”

Wei Nanyi’s sincerity left Mirror Quilt speechless.

“Then come talk to me again when that time comes, Senior Sister,” Mirror Quilt said.

Wei Nanyi truly left, showing no intention of punishing Mirror Quilt for attempting to switch souls. However, Mirror Quilt had suffered a backlash, and even if Wei Nanyi remained silent, the Sect elders would inevitably discover the truth.

Jiang Ruiping personally drove Mirror Quilt off Approaching Immortals Mountain.

Mirror Quilt couldn’t understand Jiang Ruiping’s fury. Even if she had successfully switched souls, Approaching Immortals Mountain wouldn’t have lost Wei Nanyi. Only Wei Nanyi’s soul would have been extinguished, and Mirror Quilt was confident she could control both bodies.

Moreover, neither Wei Nanyi nor Shen Yinxue had held her accountable. Why, then, was Jiang Ruiping so enraged?

When Shen Yiwen spoke up in Mirror Quilt’s defense, Jiang Ruiping even severely injured her own disciples. If Wei Nanyi hadn’t intervened in time, Jiang Ruiping might have killed Mirror Quilt outright.

Jiang Ruiping cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness, her heart as hard as stone. Yet she treated Wei Nanyi relatively well, even better than her own disciples.

She glanced at Shen Yiwen, who stood protectively in front of Mirror Quilt, then at Wei Nanyi, who stood in front of Shen Yiwen. She paused, her voice still icy. “Wei Nanyi, even if you don’t want to pursue this matter, you must understand this isn’t just about you. If she can harm you today, who will she harm tomorrow? Harming fellow disciples is a capital offense on Approaching Immortals Mountain.”

Wei Nanyi remained silent. Shen Yiwen, fearing she might yield, immediately knelt and begged, “Eldest Senior Sister, Yan’er will never do it again! Please, beg Master to spare Yan’er!”

In truth, Shen Yiwen didn’t need to plead with Wei Nanyi, for she had no intention of backing down.

Jiang Ruiping saw through this. She cast a cold glance at Shen Yiwen behind Wei Nanyi. “Nanyi, you’re too soft-hearted.”

It was undeniable.

Wei Nanyi pressed her lips together and gripped her sword tightly. “Please, Martial Aunt, grant her leniency.”