Volume 3, Chapter 286 – Please Don’t Take It Out on My Young Lady!

Describing forms and bones, imitating all things.

A scroll is inherently a soulless, lifeless object. That was why Bu Lianshuang had said that “Song Shixuan” carried the aura of the undead.

In truth, this “Song Shixuan” was no undead creature.

She was merely a substitute created through painting by a little artist.

Bu Lianshuang couldn’t smell the aura of a living being from the substitute, so she had mistaken it for something undead.

Tsk, tsk… No wonder there wasn’t a single flaw to be found on the surface. It had been painted directly from the Heaven-Mandated Male Lead himself, so of course there would be no flaws.

This kind of disguise was even more convincing than a fox demon’s illusion technique, and easier to control than Chi Xiyan’s Disguise Pills.

The only flaw was the scent.

The spirit ink used for painting and writing carried a fragrance that was difficult to conceal to begin with, and on top of that, it had absorbed its master’s own scent.

Had it not been for Bu Lianshuang, Lu Zhuxin wouldn’t have uncovered the truth behind this “Song Shixuan” so easily.

And the master of this technique was Song Shixuan’s younger aunt, Song Shutao. A complete shut-in who did nothing but paint.

Because she was Song Shixuan’s blood aunt, Lu Zhuxin hadn’t been deranged enough to write anything incestuous, so Song Shutao wasn’t a female lead in the novel. She was merely an eighteenth-tier background character who had appeared for only a few paragraphs.

Her presence was so forgettable that Lu Zhuxin had nearly forgotten she’d ever written such a character.

Yet in the original novel, this character had never once stepped foot outside her home.

In the plot Lu Zhuxin had written for her, she did nothing but paint. This homebody had poured her entire self into her scrolls.

How had Song Shixuan managed to get this woman, who never set foot outside, to leave the Song household?

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No, wait. This didn’t count as leaving in person. She had simply attached her spiritual consciousness to a scroll. She was presenting herself through the painting, not her true face.

“Song Shutao…” Lu Zhuxin slowly turned the name over in her mouth.

Nothing stirred unease and fear quite like the unknown.

Lu Zhuxin was no exception to that.

But if you already knew the true face of your opponent and stripped away the concealing veil, knowing both yourself and your enemy, victory was within your grasp.

While Lu Zhuxin was lost in thought, the Chi family’s study hall elder was glaring furiously at Bu Lianshuang.

“This is absolutely outrageous!”

“What do you think this place is?!”

Hearing this, Bu Lianshuang’s brows furrowed, a flash of hostility crossing her eyes.

If this old man hadn’t suddenly jumped in just now, she could have gotten in a few more hits on that “Song Shixuan.”

By now, Lu Zhuxin had also snapped back to her senses and pushed aside the thoughts that had been floating through her mind.

Being able to uncover the truth behind that “Song Shixuan” today was already quite a significant gain.

A meal is eaten one bite at a time. A plan is carried out one step at a time.

Even if Chi Xiyan truly did get married, Lu Zhuxin would still have plenty of opportunities before she and the Heaven-Mandated Male Lead officially consummated the marriage.

Of course, Lu Zhuxin had no intention of letting things drag on that far.

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Right now, she needed to deal with the little farce unfolding in front of her.

The Chi family had no Eighth Realm cultivators. No one could see through what Lu Zhuxin had just done.

Song Shutao was a painting fanatic, sheltered deep within the Song household. Her talent was far from weak, and she had read widely, possessing a wealth of theoretical knowledge. It was this foundation that had allowed her to use technique alone to suppress Bu Lianshuang, a martial artist whose cultivation had been restricted.

But someone who could only follow the books was, in the end, just a paper tiger. In a true fight to the death, her weakness, a lack of real combat adaptability, would be exposed immediately.

Just now, Lu Zhuxin had used her spiritual pressure to force Song Shutao into showing a gap in her defense. Song Shutao hadn’t even understood what had happened. She probably thought she had simply been startled by Bu Lianshuang’s killing intent.

Thinking this, Lu Zhuxin quietly laughed to herself.

She reached out and grabbed Bu Lianshuang’s wrist, stepped forward, and gently pulled her behind her.

“I’m sorry, Elder… it was Muxue’s fault…” Lu Zhuxin lowered her head slightly, like a child who had done something wrong. “Muxue was too eager in her training and wanted to see the brilliance of Lingxiao Sword Sect’s sword immortals in actual combat, so she asked Shuang’er to spar with Brother Shixuan…”

“Muxue never expected Brother Shixuan to…”

“It’s all Muxue’s fault. Causing Brother Shixuan to nearly get hurt. Muxue will reflect on this and won’t casually ask her maid to spar with Brother Shixuan again.”

Bu Lianshuang stared at Lu Zhuxin’s back, momentarily stunned.

‘Is the little fox lady planning to take the blame for me?’

‘In the eyes of everyone here, it was I who provoked Song Shixuan first in that sparring match.’

‘I’m the one who doesn’t have a leg to stand on here.’

‘If anyone is to be punished, it should be me. Yet the little fox lady has taken the responsibility onto herself.’

Bu Lianshuang couldn’t quite put into words what she was feeling.

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When she had moved to beat “Song Shixuan,” she had already prepared herself to shoulder all the blame alone.

After all, wolf clan people had thick skin and tough bodies. A beating was nothing. But the little fox lady was delicate and frail. How could she bear any punishment? It would only make one ache to watch.

The Chi family’s study hall elder listened to Lu Zhuxin’s words, and the corner of his eye twitched slightly.

What was this girl even saying?

She hadn’t expected the Young Sect Master of Lingxiao Sword Sect to lose to a maid, had she?

This was actually something he himself couldn’t figure out either. Song Shixuan was the Young Sect Master of Lingxiao Sword Sect, someone who had earned considerable renown through victories against demons. Even with deliberate cultivation restrictions, a Fourth or Fifth Realm sword cultivator shouldn’t lose to a Third Realm martial artist, right?

Yet everyone had witnessed what had just unfolded in that sparring match.

When the maid had drawn her dagger, Song Shixuan’s movements had inexplicably slowed by half a beat, and then the girl had seized that opening.

Even after falling into crisis, Song Shixuan had failed to mount any effective counter.

The entire sequence of reactions was nothing like what you’d expect from a battle-hardened sword cultivator.

This couldn’t help but make the Chi family elder start to wonder.

Could it be that this so-called prodigy of the Song family wasn’t what the rumors made him out to be? That he was actually just a good-for-nothing with a pretty face?

Were all those accomplishments of his nothing but hot air?

Had the Chi family found their eldest daughter such a useless husband?

As the thought crossed his mind, the elder’s expression gradually grew peculiar.

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But whether Song Shixuan was all flash and no substance, it wasn’t his place as a mere study hall elder to judge.

At this moment, Song Shutao, who was disguised as Song Shixuan, did not look pleased at all.

She could hear the murmuring of the young people around her and feel the strange gazes being directed her way.

She knew. She had ruined things.

In order to convincingly disguise herself as a sword cultivator, she had spent a great deal of effort cramming all kinds of sword sect theories beforehand.

But she was, in the end, not a sword cultivator.

“Young Master Song, are you alright?” the study hall elder said to Song Shutao with concern. “This servant was rude and offensive to you. Shall I fetch a physician to take a look?”

Song Shutao’s expression didn’t improve in the slightest. If anything, it darkened further.

Seeing this, Lu Zhuxin allowed herself a quiet, inward smile.

She walked up to Song Shutao, her face full of apologetic pleading. “Brother Shixuan, I’m so sorry. It’s all Muxue’s fault. Let Muxue go get Sister to treat your injuries. Sister’s medical skills are extraordinary, she can bring back the dead and restore flesh to bare bone. She will definitely be able to heal you!”

Chi Xiyan, who had just rushed over after hearing the commotion, listened to those words and slowly felt several question marks form on her face.

Bu Lianshuang, who had been sheltered behind Lu Zhuxin, furrowed her brows tightly. She couldn’t watch any more of this. She stepped forward and cupped her fists toward “Song Shixuan.”

“I apologize, Young Master Song. This servant struck a little too hard.”

“In a sparring match, blades have no eyes, and injuries are unavoidable. It was this servant’s miscalculation, a failure to gauge the proper limits, and a failure to pull back in time. If Young Master Song is displeased, this servant will accept whatever punishment you see fit.”

“Kill me or cut me down as you please. Only, please do not take your anger out on my young lady.”