I Became the Top Immortal in the Realm by Being a Stand-In

Cold Pool:

Ji Mingheng’s skirt hem dipped into the icy spring. This was the third time this month she had pretended to be the lingering soul of that beloved immortal and visited the Valley Master of the Medicine King Valley.

"Li’er, your soul is becoming more substantial." The white-robed young man gazed at her dreamily and brought out a flask of wine. "I brought a thousand-year-old Black Ice brew especially for today..."

Ji Mingheng conjured a water clock that floated in midair.

"From the third quarter of the Shen hour to the start of the You hour." She held up a jade slip. "Comprehending a dual cultivation technique costs three hundred years of spiritual power. Playing the zither to soothe your heartache costs two additional wood spiritual roots. If you want to hold my hand, you need to pay in advance..."

The young man’s ears turned red as he slapped down a storage pouch. "I want it all!"

Deep in the Sword Mound:

Iron chains clinked.

The blood-soaked sword cultivator clutched the corner of her sleeve. "You said you’d come at midnight!"

Ji Mingheng took half a step back. "Immortal Su, when you crushed your communication jade talisman at the third quarter of the Xu hour, I was helping the Buddhist heir mend his kasaya. By the rules, urgent last-minute requests cost triple the amount in metal sword energy."

The sword cultivator bit through his tongue and spat blood onto his sword. "Take it!"

The Demon Realm’s Blood Pool:

The black-robed man gripped her chin and sneered. "Song Qingli wouldn’t have dared bargain with me back then."

"If the Demon Lord thinks I’m too expensive," Ji Mingheng said, turning away in distaste, "the Medicine King Valley next door is still waiting for me to play their Valley Master’s fiancee..."

A long-fingered hand suddenly pressed against the back of her neck, pouring pure demonic energy into her spiritual platform. "Two hours. I’m buying you out."

When the midnight bells rang, Ji Mingheng leaned against a dead tree and counted her gains. The Rebirth Mirror in her arms suddenly cracked. She took it out and saw a face that looked almost exactly like hers emerge from its surface. "My good disciple, the spiritual power you stole won’t be enough to keep the corpses in those coffins alive..."

Bonus Scene:

[Another day, the Sword Mound]

Iron chains tore through the air.

Ji Mingheng didn’t dodge.

The chain pierced her shoulder, and sword energy invaded her meridians.

At the other end of the chain, a long-fingered hand seized her by the throat and pinned her against an ice coffin.

She suddenly let out a soft laugh and asked, "When the Dao Lord gave you the Supreme Art of Severing Emotions here..."

Immortal Su’s fingers abruptly tightened.

"Did he ever mention," Ji Mingheng looked up, "that this Dark Yin Physique you’ve always coveted was supposed to belong to my master?"

Inside the coffin, a woman lay still, her face as lifelike as ever.

Only at her heart was a jade pendant set perfectly in place, bearing the Ji family crest.

[The Immortal Execution Platform]

Song Qingli was nailed to a broken stele as a rumble of thunder rolled across the sky.

Rain mingled with blood and streamed down the words "Ji Residence" carved into the stele. With difficulty, she moved her eyes and finally made out the restless figures on the Mirror of Retribution.

Pale shadows, almost impossible to see, stood silently in the wind and rain, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder.

Old men, children, women, scholars... She could even recognize a few of their faces.

They were the vengeful souls of the entire Ji clan, whom she herself had exterminated a hundred years ago.

"My good disciple..." Song Qingli coughed up a mouthful of golden blood. "You actually used the grafting technique I taught you..."

Ji Mingheng crouched down and brushed the white hair from her forehead with her fingertips.

"On you," she said softly.

Then she closed her hand.

The final fragment of her primordial spirit shattered.

"You taught me everything." Ji Mingheng stood up.

"After all, on the night you massacred the city, you held my hand as you pierced my dantian..."

A rain of blood fell from the sky.

It wasn’t a metaphor.

It was real blood.

Mixed with flashes of lightning, it soaked the ruins crimson.

Blood gathered in her palm, forming dark golden incantation marks.

The Godslayer Curse.

The newly reborn fallen immortal closed her fingers, the corner of her mouth curving upward.

Next,

it was time to pay a visit to the "System" that had tricked her into signing a Mirage Spirit Contract.

Advance Preview: The Wise Emperor Is Mad

[Softhearted god, perceptive childhood sweetheart x a mad emperor who plays the dashing lover with masterful acting]

The entire realm praised Xie Heng as a wise emperor the likes of whom had not been seen in a thousand years.

Only Su Ci knew he was a madman who belonged to her alone.

[Childhood]

Ten-year-old Su Ci rescued Xie Heng from cruel servants who were abusing him.

The boy was covered in wounds, yet he pressed a piece of candy into her hand. "Cici, don’t be afraid. It doesn’t hurt."

[Now]

The new emperor, Xie Heng, was gentle, benevolent, self-disciplined, and courteous.

He filled the palace grounds with the white camellias Su Ci loved, and personally saw to every detail of her care.

The officials all said His Majesty treated the Su family girl who had once saved him with the grace of a true gentleman and profound affection.

Su Ci thought so too.

Until she accidentally discovered that the benevolent and filial emperor was calmly mixing deadly poison into the Empress Dowager’s medicine.

She was the very stepmother who had once abused him.

He looked up and saw Su Ci. The malice in his eyes had yet to fade, but he curled his lips into the same gentle smile as always. "Cici, come here."

Later, her parents arranged a marriage for her.

He came through the snow in the dead of night, his imperial robes wrapped around her as they held each other.

His voice was hoarse:

"Cici, look. The people who tried to lay a hand on you are all over there."

Su Ci followed his gaze out the window.

At some point, someone had been tied up in the courtyard, barely clinging to life.

The best performance of Xie Heng’s life was pretending to be a wise emperor for Su Ci.

He built an ornate cage and laid a gentle trap, convinced he could fool the world.

But he had no idea that from the first time he lost control because of her, his beloved childhood sweetheart had already seen the madness beneath his perfect exterior.

Reading Guide:

1. Dual virgins, one-on-one romance, happy ending, childhood sweethearts. The male lead appears gentle but is secretly a madman.

2. The female lead is the male lead’s only cure and his light. A healing romance, and at its heart, an incredibly sweet love story!

Theme: What you’ve wanted all along isn’t a replacement romance, but a Godslayer’s medal.