After Mistaking My Cultivation Partner in Bed Because I'm Face-Blind

Gu Shilan was a once-in-a-millennium cultivation prodigy, peerless among her generation. She began Qi Refining at five, reached Foundation Establishment at six, formed her Golden Core at eight, and attained perfection in the Nascent Soul stage at twelve.

Unfortunately, she was born with two defects. First, her soul was damaged, and she needed a human cauldron to cultivate the missing fragment of her soul.

Second, she was face-blind and couldn't recognize people.

Trapped in a secret realm for twenty years, Gu Shilan raced back to her sect at the last possible moment to sleep with the human cauldron who had been promised to her since childhood. He'd grown into his looks, and his personality had changed completely. He seduced her shamelessly, inviting her to share his bed, nothing like the stiff little prude he'd been before.

After several wild nights, Gu Shilan stared blankly at her Golden Core.

...Wasn't dual cultivation with a human cauldron supposed to repair her soul?

"A Lan, did you enjoy last night?" the person beside her asked with a smile.

Well, even if it hadn't worked, she'd take responsibility for him.

*

Her childhood friend was a completely different person by day and by night. In public, he was restrained and courteous, blushing even when he held her hand, though his grip never loosened.

When they were alone, however, he had no shame at all. He clung to Gu Shilan, begging for kisses and cuddles, and interrogating her about how she'd spent her day.

As if he didn't already know. They were practically inseparable.

A few months passed. Her soul still wasn't repaired, and now her cultivation had gone awry, too. Her master hurried over when he heard the news, took one look at the person beside her, and flew into a rage. He hauled her childhood friend over to her. "Who on earth have you been fooling around with?! This is your human cauldron!"

Gu Shilan: Huh?

Oh no. She'd slept with the wrong person.

*

The fox spirit pretending to be her human cauldron was a handful, and her childhood friend refused to dissolve their bond. Gu Shilan couldn't do anything about either of them, so she turned a blind eye. Whoever ended up in her room each day was up to them.

When her master asked again, she stammered that she really couldn't tell them apart.

But she was only face-blind, not blind to people's hearts.

She could tell the newcomer apart. He carried the same lingering fragrance as her master.

Her master had no fox-clan charm magic, and his disguise and seduction were both clumsy. He coldly asked her which night she'd found more memorable.

Gu Shilan: ...

She didn't dare expose him.

*

When Gu Shilan ascended to the upper realm, the Heavenly Gate reviewed her past, then suddenly faltered when it came to her romantic entanglements.

Every idle immortal in the heavens came rushing over, eager to witness for themselves the legendary exploits of this woman whose marriage threads were tangled beyond all recognition.

Instead, they heard Gu Shilan ask calmly, "I heard you can bring your partners with you when you ascend. Is there a limit to how many?"

The three people back home were still in the lower realm, fighting tooth and nail over their spots.

Reader's Guide:

1. The heroine is naturally a heartbreaker. One woman, three partners, and adored by everyone.

2. Written with complete abandon. I write whatever I dream up.

Theme: Clear and turbid waters, though different in color, flow together as one. This also serves as a metaphor for the filthy and the wicked coveting the pure and upright.