Shi Yu woke from her deep sleep and stared at the cave ceiling, through which scattered rays of daylight peeked, feeling momentarily dazed.
She sat up and looked at her surroundings, unable to recall for a moment where she was.
“Where is this?” She tried hard to recall, but could only remember her own name. Her past memories were blurred, shrouded in a thick fog, completely beyond her reach.
She couldn't even remember her identity or her parents. Everything felt like a blank page.
Rising to her feet, she saw that the cave had only one exit, so she walked toward it.
Parting the vegetation veiling the cave mouth, a vast, boundlessly misty sea of clouds met her gaze.
She paused, looking out as far as her eyes could see. Distant mountain ranges merged with the sea of clouds in rolling waves, magnificent and grand. Between peaks that pierced the clouds, cascades of silver-white waterfalls plunged through midair into the sea of clouds. Clusters of white clouds drifted apart under the impact of the falling water before scattering and regrouping, resembling a true immortal realm.
—This was undoubtedly a realm of immortals, where mountain peaks piercing the clouds were cut off entirely from the mortal world.
However...
Gazing at the landscape before her, Shi Yu still couldn't remember who she was or what she was supposed to do.
Her confusion did not linger for long, for soon, several unusual clouds drifted right before her. Thick and pure white, they began to slowly revolve around her.
Shi Yu tilted her head and stared at these clouds for a moment. Then, as if drawn by a magnetic pull, she reached out her hand and touched one of them.
The cloud she touched instantly unfurled, enveloping her entirely within it.
...
Upon the Enlightenment Mirror, at the exact moment the white cloud wrapped around Shi Yu's body, a dense mist obscured the entire scene.
The members of the Yun Clan had been staring spellbound at the woman's face within the mirror. Cut off so abruptly, they only now gradually snapped back to their senses.
“Miss Shi seems to be safe for the time being.”
“We can't see anything now. What should we do? How can we get Miss Shi out?”
Upon stepping into the cloud, a pure white world shrouded in drifting mist unfolded before her eyes.
Shi Yu peered around with curiosity, and soon heard the faint, whispery voice of a woman echoing as if from nowhere.
Walking slowly in the direction of the voice, Shi Yu saw a slender, fragile woman kneeling on the ground, her head buried low and her eyes closed in deep prayer: “...Now that Lord He wishes to divorce me, I truly have no face to meet my deceased parents... I beg the gods and Buddhas to manifest and help me... Please, I beg you...”
Shi Yu approached her and walked around her a few times, but the woman was entirely unaware of her presence. She continued weeping softly and murmuring, praying that a divine being would rescue her from her sea of misery.
As Shi Yu looked at the woman, she simultaneously saw her past.
This woman came from the mortal world and was named Li Suye. Born into a scholarly family, she was an only child who had studied literature and calligraphy at her father's knee since childhood, her knowledge matching that of any young man. Upon coming of age, through the matchmakers and her parents' command, she married into the He family, wedding a young man named He Mengshu—a well-matched match between families of equal status.
The two had not known each other beforehand and could hardly be said to share deep affection, yet they treated each other with mutual respect.
After several years of marriage and daily companionship, their bond deepened day by day, and they gradually grew intimate, enjoying a period of sweet harmony.
However, the good times did not last. Once He Mengshu passed the imperial examinations and became an official, her mother-in-law began to look down on Li Suye's standing. To make matters worse, around that time, Li Suye's parents went up the mountain to pray for blessings, only to encounter bandits on the way and lose their lives. With her family gone and left as an orphan, her mother-in-law despised her even more.
Later, when He Mengshu was dispatched to serve as an official elsewhere, he fell deeply in love with a local woman and soon took her as a concubine.
This woman was formidable in her schemes. She not only captivated He Mengshu completely but also coaxed Old Lady He into high spirits. In secret, however, she tormented and mistreated Li Suye, the principal wife, in every imaginable way.
Li Suye was an only child whose parents were devoted and faithful to each other; having never witnessed inner courtyard intrigue, how could she be a match for her? In just a few months, He Mengshu came to detest her and even brought up the matter of divorcing her.
“Suye has become an orphan. If Lord He divorces me, where am I to go... I beg the gods and Buddhas to manifest, please manifest...”
Shi Yu looked at the weeping, haggard-faced Li Suye and felt a desire to help her.
Strangely enough, though she remembered nothing of her past, the moment this thought arose, she recalled a spiritual talisman known as a "Soul-Swapping Talisman."
This talisman was of a very low tier and worked only on mortals; upon use, it could swap two souls and exchange their physical bodies.
And so, Shi Yu extended her hand, and a talisman pen and paper appeared out of thin air.
Her technique for creating talismans was like an etched bodily instinct. Even with her mind completely blank, she casually drew a Soul-Swapping Talisman without missing a beat.
She placed the finished talisman before Li Suye and told her, “Attach this talisman to your husband.”
Li Suye heard an ethereal, airy woman's voice ring out in her ears. She snapped her eyes open, but there was no female figure before her.
Just as she questioned whether she had misheard, she lowered her head and saw a talisman glowing with reflected spiritual light resting quietly in front of her.
With trembling hands, she cupped the talisman, weeping tears of joy: “The gods have manifested...”
After kowtowing repeatedly and recalling Shi Yu's voice from a moment ago, Li Suye hastily stammered, “Thank you, Immortal Maiden! Thank you, Immortal Maiden!”
Shi Yu sat down cross-legged, watching Li Suye.
The scene before her shifted along with Li Suye's perspective. Shi Yu did not understand what she was supposed to do, but figured it wouldn't hurt to keep watching.
After returning to her room, Li Suye stared at the talisman in silence, her expression hesitant and uncertain, lost in thought.
After a long moment, she let out a sigh. “I wonder what miraculous power this talisman holds.”
Anxiety clouded her face. Even now, Li Suye still harbored affection for He Mengshu; not knowing the talisman's true effect, she feared it might harm her husband.
Just then, the door was pushed open, and a charming young woman dressed in a pink dress burst inside.
Li Suye quickly stashed the talisman away. Staring at the intruder, she clenched her palms tight. “Concubine Shen, how can you be so rude as to barge in without announcement?”
Shen Wan'er sneered, sitting down casually to pour herself a cup of tea. “Sister, you'll be leaving the He Manor tomorrow. I merely came to chat with you.”
“This title of 'Concubine Shen' is truly unpleasant to hear. I still prefer hearing others address me as Madam He.”
Li Suye gripped the talisman tightly, pressing her lips together as she stared at her.
After mocking her thoroughly, Shen Wan'er tossed out the sentence, “Husband has already drafted the letter of divorce,” before strutting away haughtily.
Li Suye felt bitterness in her heart as she watched the girl who acted delicate and charming in front of her husband show such a spiteful face before her. Unfolding the talisman in her hand, she seemed to come to a decision.
Before long, Shi Yu saw He Mengshu enter Li Suye's room and hand over the letter of divorce, adding with a look of disgust, “Since you're leaving anyway, why can't you tolerate Wan'er? She is young and innocent, unaware of women's petty schemes. Why must you pick on her?”
Presumably, Shen Wan'er had whispered more slander into his ear.
Li Suye no longer had the heart to argue or explain. With a bitter smile, she accepted the letter of divorce.
“Leave the He Manor tomorrow.” He Mengshu never stopped to consider where Li Suye, now helpless and without reliance, could possibly go. Tossing out those cold words, he turned to leave, unwilling to stay a moment longer.
“Husband!” Li Suye stepped forward, grabbing his sleeve and discreetly slapping the Soul-Swapping Talisman onto his body.
He Mengshu did not pause, flicking his sleeve free. “Do not address me that way anymore.”
Li Suye watched the Soul-Swapping Talisman flash and disappear. Her heart fluttered with anxiety, unsure of what was to come.
...
“With the Soul-Swapping Talisman attached, their souls will exchange bodies for six months. I wonder if Li Suye can change her destiny.” Having watched for so long without feeling the slightest fatigue, Shi Yu continued to observe.
Sure enough, early the next morning, Li Suye noticed something was wrong the moment she woke up.
She had assumed that yesterday's encounter with the immortal maiden bestowing a talisman was merely a dream born of her desperation; after a night's sleep, she herself couldn't tell whether it was real.
However, when Li Suye sat up and saw Shen Wan'er lying beside her, she froze in astonishment, her expression turning peculiar.
Rubbing her eyes, Shen Wan'er complained coquettishly, “Husband, you talked in your sleep all night, muttering things about thanking an immortal maiden. You kept Wan'er awake the entire night.”
She feigned annoyance: “What, sleeping beside Wan'er, are you still thinking of an immortal maiden from the heavens?”
Li Suye had no heart to pay her any mind. She hurriedly got up and walked over to the bronze mirror.
She saw a familiar face that did not belong to her.
—Reflected in the mirror was clearly He Mengshu's form.
Staring blankly, Li Suye touched the bronze mirror, thinking, Did I actually... swap souls with my husband...?
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