Madam Xia stared blankly at the scene in the Qiankun Mirror, her fingertips trembling slightly, almost unable to hold the frame.
The mirror rippled like water, but the scene it reflected pierced her heart like a sharp blade.
She had always believed that her Yuwei was only occasionally willful, and that her petty tricks against Xia Qingdai stemmed from a fear of losing her parents' affection. She had repeatedly tolerated her, covered for her, and even punished Qingdai for it. She had warned her that even if she returned, Yuwei would always be a young lady of the Xia family…
But now, everything in the Qiankun Mirror has completely shattered her illusions.
In the mirror, Xia Yuwei and her biological father conspire to kill Xia Qingdai...
"There shouldn't be any problems with this, right?" The man rubbed his hands together, his tone slightly tentative.
Xia Yuwei's lips curled slightly, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes: "What problem could there be? Even if the Xia family couple finds out, they won't blame me." She gently touched the pearl hairpin at her temple, a gift from Madam Xia just last month. "They dote on me so much that even if I did something, they'd only think it was Qingdai's fault."
Upon hearing this, the man burst into laughter, a rough and grating sound: "That's right! Those two from the Xia family are like fools, raising my daughter so well, yet they have no idea how much suffering their own daughter has endured at our hands!" He narrowed his eyes, his tone chilling, "Now, even if you kill Xia Qingdai, they won't find out. After it's all done, the three of us can be reunited at the Xia residence!"
Xia Yuwei chuckled, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes: "Father, don't worry. As soon as Qingdai dies, I'll immediately bring you and Mother into the manor. The Xia family dotes on me so much, they'll grant me anything I want." She paused, her tone growing increasingly smug, "Then, everything in the Xia family will be ours."
The man's laughter grew even more rampant, his voice hoarse: "Who would have thought that all these years they've raised you were actually raising our daughter for us! Hahaha..."
Mrs. Xia's hand trembled violently. Her breath almost stopped, and a buzzing sound filled her ears, as if countless sharp thorns were piercing her brain.
She stared intently at the two狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) smiling faces in the mirror, tears silently rolling down her cheeks, splashing onto the mirror surface and creating a blurry watermark.
ridiculous……
All her hard work over the past ten years has been a complete scam.
She personally combed Xia Yuwei's hair, tailored her clothes, selected the best tutor for her, and even spent a fortune to collect rare jewelry just because Xia Yuwei said she liked it.
She thought she was loving her own daughter, but in reality, she was raising someone else's child, while her own flesh and blood, Xia Qingdai, was suffering endless torment in that dark corner.
It was only at this point that Madam Xia finally began to believe that Xia Qingdai was her biological daughter.
She remembered Qingdai's always downcast eyes, her cautious demeanor, and the scars on her body that she had once thought were left by "not knowing the rules"... It turned out that they were all her own daughter's silent cries for help.
What's even more terrifying is that Xia Yuwei not only wants to take everything away from her, but also... kill Qingdai.
Madam Xia's fingernails dug deeply into her palms, drawing blood, but she remained oblivious. Her chest heaved violently, a chilling hatred spreading from the depths of her heart, threatening to engulf her entirely.
She knew what happened later; Xia Qingdai had not died.
But her reputation was completely ruined.
Yuwei always claimed that her older sister, lacking talent but wanting to achieve great things overnight, actually tried to fly on a sword. Then she fell off a cliff.
From then on, Qingdai became a laughing stock for everyone.
She remembered that day when Qingdai was carried back to the manor by Xiaotao, covered in wounds, while Yuwei covered her mouth and chuckled, "Sister insisted on trying to fly on her sword, and ended up falling off the cliff." What did she do then? She didn't even look at Qingdai, but just angrily cursed, "What a disgraceful thing."
She then remembered that Xia Yuwei had tried to kill Xia Qingdai more than once...
The second time she tried to kill Xia Qingdai, he was right in front of her.
She even scolded Qingdai, saying that she shouldn't be so petty and shouldn't treat her sister like that.
Even after Yuwei's death, she still cooperated with the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect to try and kill Qingdai...
Madam Xia's tears kept falling as she looked up at Bai Ying.
It was a face that looked about 80% like mine.
She's my own daughter...
If the midwife hadn't deliberately switched her with Yuwei, Qingdai would have grown up by her side, and would have been the one she cared for...
The surrounding chatter surged like a tidal wave, each word piercing Madam Xia's heart like a knife. The undisguised contemptuous gazes of those cultivators almost made her lose her footing.
"This is truly an eye-opener! How could there be such a foolish mother in the world!" a monk in blue robes sneered. "Her own daughter has been tortured like this, yet she treats her enemy like a treasure."
"The White Fairy has already shown more than enough patience," another person chimed in, his sharp gaze sweeping over Madam Xia. "If it were me, I would have ended that so-called sister's life with a single sword stroke long ago. How could I allow her to harm people time and time again?"
"Yes, Madam Xia actually wanted to kill Fairy Bai for that wicked sister. She must be out of her mind."
Madam Xia trembled violently, her nails digging deep into her palms. She dared not look up, dared not meet those piercing gazes. Only when a warm tear fell to the ground did she realize that she was already in tears.
Trembling, she raised her eyes and looked into Bai Ying's calm, still eyes. There was no hatred, no anger, only a heartbreaking sense of alienation.
"Qingdai..." Madam Xia choked back tears and took a step forward, but froze the moment she saw Bai Ying instinctively step back. She opened her mouth, but suddenly her knees buckled, and she knelt down in front of everyone!
"It was all my fault..." She cried heart-wrenchingly, her carefully styled hair disheveled. "I was blind, I was blinded, and I let you suffer so much..." She reached out to touch Bai Ying's clothes, but stopped mid-air, withdrawing her hand like a child who had done something wrong. "Please... please give me a chance to atone for my sins, okay?"
The onlookers immediately fell silent. Some looked disdainful, some shook their heads and sighed, and most turned their gazes to Bai Ying, who remained silent throughout.
Bai Ying silently watched the woman kneeling on the ground. This once high and mighty Madam Xia, now with her hairpins askew and her makeup ruined, had lost all her former elegance.
"Madam Xia," she finally spoke, her voice soft, yet it sent a shiver down Madam Xia's spine, "You've knelt before the wrong person."
"That Xia Qingdai who needs your apology... died the very day Xia Yuwei forced her off the cliff."
Mrs. Xia was struck dumb, collapsing to the ground. She finally understood that some mistakes cannot be made up for with just an apology. Like that scar, it would be forever etched between her and her daughter, never to be erased.
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