What would you do if one day you came home to find a woman who was exactly your type sitting in your house, claiming to be your wife?
Su Luowei never imagined that such a scenario, straight out of a trending online dream story, would happen to her in real life.
What was the top-voted response again?
Something like—hug her immediately, bury your face in her soft chest, and call her your wife.
Su Luowei glanced at the sword at the woman's waist and seriously considered the feasibility of that approach. If she really did hug her, would the woman immediately draw her sword and cut her down?
After all, the sword and the woman's imposing aura seemed real. Su Luowei was sure that if this woman wanted to fight, she could probably take down ten of her without breaking a sweat.
While she hesitated, the woman moved first. She stepped forward, hesitantly extending her arms to encircle Su Luowei in a hug.
Su Luowei was wearing a thin silk dress today, soft and form-fitting. Through the fabric, she could feel the warmth of the woman's body and the steady beat of her heart.
Her body was slightly warmer than Su Luowei's, and her heartbeat was strong and sure. In her embrace, Su Luowei felt an inexplicable sense of comfort. There was no resistance or discomfort, as if they had hugged countless times before.
Surrounded by the familiar scent of lilies of the valley, a wave of relief washed over Meng Shuying. She kissed Su Luowei's dark hair softly and whispered, "Senior Sister, I'm sorry."
She apologized for deceiving her, for arriving late, and for the truth she was about to reveal, which would shatter the illusion her senior sister was living in.
Su Luowei was already a cultivator in the Grand Ascension stage, her heart and mind more steadfast than ordinary people. A simple illusion would not easily deceive her.
That she was now immersed in an illusion, completely unaware of anything amiss, could only mean one thing—deep down, Su Luowei still had attachment to this world.
Su Luowei wasn't used to physical contact. Even with her closest friend, Zhu Hanhang, the most they did was link arms. Being tightly embraced like this was a first for her.
It made her feel shy and a little awkward. Her face flushed red as she gently pushed at the woman's arms. "Let go of me."
But once Meng Shuying released her, Su Luowei immediately felt a pang of loss. To cover it up, she moved to the fridge, opened it, and poured the woman a glass of ice water.
The cold water quickly frosted the glass, making it damp to the touch, the perfect remedy to help Su Luowei cool down.
"Explain yourself. And tell me, are you a ghost..." Su Luowei's gaze dropped to the tips of the woman's shoes beneath her robes, and she felt slightly reassured. "...or a human?"
Meng Shuying thought for a moment before recounting their past together, choosing the key points.
Half an hour later, Su Luowei was rubbing her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"Wait, let me get this straight. So, according to what you're saying, we've shared three lifetimes of fate? In the first, I was your master, and in the second, I was your senior sister?" Seeing the disapproval on Meng Shuying's face, she quickly added, "And your Dao partner."
Meng Shuying nodded. "Yes, but where did this third lifetime come from?"
Su Luowei replied matter-of-factly, "This third lifetime is the one we're in now. I was living my life just fine, and then you suddenly appeared, claiming to be my Dao partner. That counts as fate, doesn't it?"
Meng Shuying shook her head gently. "Senior Sister, this lifetime doesn't count."
"Why not?"
Since Meng Shuying had come all the way from the past to find her, she should stay and live here with her.
Sure, she might have trouble adjusting at first, but Su Luowei was confident that she'd adapt quickly. Meng Shuying could even get a steady job—maybe as a historical re-enactor or a martial arts instructor. At least, that's how it usually went in the novels Zhu Hanhang read.
Oh, wait, in most of those novels, the characters who traveled to the modern world ended up doing illegal things—like becoming cold-blooded assassins or thieves.
Su Luowei seriously considered the possibility. She didn't have any connections in law enforcement, so if Meng Shuying got arrested, it would be hard for her to pull strings and get her out.
So, she would have to give up the dream of having a partner who slipped out the window every night in a sleek black outfit.
The thought left her feeling a little disappointed.
Meng Shuying, unaware of how far Su Luowei's thoughts had wandered, had a serious expression on her face as she prepared to reveal the truth.
"Because this place isn't your real world."
She took Su Luowei by the shoulders and led her to the window. Outside, neon lights flashed in a rainbow of colors, and the streets bustled with traffic—a scene full of the vibrant energy of modern life.
"Look at that tower in the distance."
From Su Luowei's living room window, you could see a tall tower—this city's iconic landmark. Every night, 36,000 lights illuminated the tower, and they stayed on until dawn.
Su Luowei had looked out at that tower countless times, so she noticed right away that tonight, the tower seemed blurry.
How strange, she thought. The sky was clear and the moon bright—there shouldn't be any fog.
"You probably don't go there often, so the tower isn't as detailed," Meng Shuying murmured by her ear, her breath—whether intentional or not—brushing against Su Luowei's earlobe.
"Senior Sister, if you look closely, you'll realize that everything in this world is an illusion."
An illusion cannot be conjured from nothing; it must be based on reality. The more familiar Su Luowei was with a place, the more convincing the illusion appeared.
Her home, her office, her daily commute—all of these places were flawless representations. Even her friend Zhu Hanhang, who she knew so well, appeared lifelike.
Su Luowei was naturally intelligent and observant. Once Meng Shuying pointed out one flaw, she was quick to find others. Soon, she realized the world around her wasn't quite right: the fast-moving traffic had blurred license plates, the pedestrians on the street all seemed to share the same few faces, and the trees and flowers were exactly as she remembered them.
Then, what about herself?
Staring at the reflections of herself and Meng Shuying in the window, Su Luowei suddenly felt uneasy. "Am I... delusional?"
She turned away, brushing past Meng Shuying as she strode toward her bedroom, muttering to herself, "I must be overworked. I'm starting to hallucinate."
Meng Shuying grabbed her hand, frowning slightly. "Senior Sister."
Su Luowei stopped in her tracks, looked up at her, and then yanked her hand away. "And you? Are you just an illusion too?"
Meng Shuying's voice was steady. "Of course not."
"Then prove it."
"Prove it? How?"
Meng Shuying hesitated. In this illusion, Su Luowei didn't recognize her. How could she prove that she was real and not just a figment of Su Luowei's imagination? Meng Shuying thought about how she had left Ask Immortal Terrace but quickly dismissed the idea. No, she couldn't have her senior sister jump from a great height.
After a long pause, Meng Shuying finally said, somewhat awkwardly, "There is a way. Since we're bound by our Dao partner contract, you can enter my spiritual sea to confirm that I'm real."
Su Luowei crossed her arms. "Then let me in."
For the first time, Meng Shuying's expression showed embarrassment. She studied Su Luowei's face carefully before speaking in a small voice, "You currently don't have any spiritual energy. To enter my spiritual sea, we would need to... dual cultivate first."
Su Luowei fell silent. After a long pause, she let out a cold huff, turned on her heel, and marched back to her room, slamming the door behind her.
Whether it was an illusion or a delusion, it would surely disappear by morning. And if it didn't... well, then she'd see a doctor!
The next morning, just as the first light of dawn broke, Su Luowei opened her eyes. She climbed out of bed, barefoot, and pulled open the thick curtains. She unlocked the window and leaned out, taking in the view.
The world outside was still shrouded in mist, as if the entire city hadn't fully woken up. But the moment her alarm rang for work, it was as though the curtain had been drawn back on a stage—the fog vanished instantly, and the city returned to its normal hustle and bustle.
An uncle out for a morning jog, an aunt walking her dog, students heading to school—everything moved in perfect, orderly rhythm under the rising sun.
Yet Su Luowei's heart sank.
She had lived in this apartment for two years. Her bedroom faced southeast, so the morning light was always bright. To avoid being woken by the sun, she had custom-made thick curtains.
Every night before bed, she would close the curtains, only opening them after her alarm went off in the morning. Because of this, she had never seen what her neighborhood looked like at first light.
Since she had never seen it, the illusion couldn't replicate it.
Su Luowei stormed out of her room, unsurprised to find that the woman was still sitting on the sofa. As she went through her morning routine—washing up, having breakfast, combing her hair—Meng Shuying simply sat there, silently watching.
When Su Luowei was finally ready to leave, she turned to Meng Shuying and said, "Come with me."
The place Su Luowei took her was a cemetery on the outskirts of the city. Before going, they made a detour to buy a bouquet of flowers.
The taxi driver looked familiar, just like the man who served food in their cafeteria. The florist also looked familiar, bearing an uncanny resemblance to her high school teacher.
The cemetery was located on a mountain, and the grave she was visiting was at the very top. After entering the main gate, they had to climb stairs for thirty minutes to reach it. Su Luowei's mother had passed away when she was young, so she hadn't had much say in her mother's burial. Her father had chosen the highest section of the cemetery because the plots there were the cheapest.
As time passed, her father remarried and started a new family, visiting the grave less and less. It was always just Su Luowei, making the long, lonely climb.
As they ascended the endless steps, bordered by rows of white lilies of the valley and black headstones, Su Luowei kept glancing over at Meng Shuying. To her surprise, Meng Shuying seemed perfectly composed, even offering, "Shall I carry you?"
Of course not!
Su Luowei shot her a glare but then quickly felt childish and turned her head away, refusing to look at her.
Seeing this, Meng Shuying chuckled but said no more. The staircase was long—very long—and along the sides, white lilies of the valley grew, interspersed with black tombstones. Each grave held a small compartment for an urn.
Everything was meticulously maintained, evidence that Su Luowei had visited often and knew this place well.
After about half an hour of walking, they neared the summit. Su Luowei was breathing heavily by now and stopped to catch her breath, gripping the railing for support. Once her breathing steadied, she asked, "You mentioned I had parents in that other world. What were they like?"
Meng Shuying hadn't had much interaction with Su Haozang and Zhan Xueying, briefly mentioning them last night. Now, after a moment of thought, she waved her hand in the air, and a screen appeared, like a television, displaying the scene from years ago when they had visited Eastern Extremity Sect. The screen showed Su Luowei interacting with her parents.
After watching the scene unfold, Su Luowei's face softened with a hint of longing. "They look so healthy."
"They are both cultivators, so they have long lives," Meng Shuying replied, inwardly resolving to find a way to extend Su Luowei's parents' lifespan after they left this illusion.
Different cultivations granted different lifespans. Besides Su Haozang and Zhan Xueying, there were also Xie Hanzhu and Wen Miaomiao—all the people Su Luowei cared about should have long, enduring lives. Otherwise, their passing would break Su Luowei's heart.
A sudden breeze stirred the leaves, making them rustle softly. Su Luowei pulled the tie from her hair, combing her fingers through the strands before retying it into a neat ponytail. Then she turned to Meng Shuying. "Let's keep going."
Her mother's grave was in the third row, sixteenth plot. Su Luowei carefully placed the bouquet she had brought in front of the headstone, then used a handkerchief to wipe away imaginary dust from the stone. Staring at the familiar name etched into it, she whispered softly, "Mom, this will probably be the last time I visit you."
Glancing over at Meng Shuying, Su Luowei offered a slightly embarrassed smile before speaking again, her tone serious despite feeling a bit melodramatic: "If you're watching from the afterlife, please don't blame me. There are many people waiting for me in that other world, and I have to go save them."