89: Chapter 88 I am the Princess of the Underworld

The woman in the mirror was still smiling.

It was a standard, almost artificial 'happy face,' the curve of her lips fixed as if by a precision caliper.

"Duo Duo, stop fooling around. Hurry up and throw away that broken stone."

Her mother, wearing an apron and holding freshly cut watermelon, chattered on about the grandson of Old Zhang next door.

Her father, face flushed with happiness, put down his newspaper and spoke earnestly, "Dad is strong and healthy now. Our family being safe and sound is what matters most. Leave all that fighting and killing to others to handle."

The most supreme illusion never relied on frightening people with fangs and monstrous features.

Instead, it wove a net from the warmth you crave most in your heart, a net you wouldn't want to wake up from. It slowly softened your sharpness, ambition, and spirit, letting them rot in the honey pot called 'stability.'

Pei Duo quietly looked at these two familiar yet unfamiliar faces.

She wasn't hysterical, nor was she weeping uncontrollably.

She merely pushed away the slice of watermelon her mother offered, her movements gentle yet carrying an undeniable, cold finality.

"You acted very well."

Pei Duo whispered, her fingertip tracing the spotless tabletop.

"But my mom has a fiery temper, and if I showed mysophobia, she would only call me pretentious, never helping me clean up my messes. My dad is a stubborn old chain-smoker; he would never tell me to 'let others carry the burden.'"

She raised her head. The layer of false softness in her usually gentle eyes shattered inch by inch, revealing the sharp, blade-like cold light beneath.

"My dad would only tell me—the people of the Pei family must walk with their backs straight, even if their spines are broken!"

As these words landed, the warm bedroom began to fade like an old photograph.

The pleasant aroma of cooking instantly turned into the smell of decaying dust.

"Pei Duo, you are too willful."

A languid voice sounded. In the void, the 'Pei Fei' wearing a hoodie walked out, his brow tightly furrowed, his face filled with disappointment.

"I paved the best road for you—no bleeding, no risking your life—yet you insist on ruining it?"

"Brother."

Pei Duo looked at the figure that was almost flawlessly real, a mocking curve rising on her lips.

"If it were the real Pei Fei, seeing how I've wasted away for the last five years, he would have already kicked me, not stand here reasoning with me."

She advanced step by step toward the phantom figure, her footsteps echoing clearly in the dead silence of the space.

"The real Pei Fei, though sharp-tongued and domineering, understood better than anyone—a towering tree cannot grow in a greenhouse, and a bird of prey cannot be caged."

"He protected me because I am his sister."

Pei Duo took a deep breath, her back ramrod straight. An authority she had never possessed before, the pressure belonging to a superior being, erupted violently from her slender body.

"But he hoped even more that one day I could stand beside him with a sword, not forever hiding behind him as a burden!"

The phantom's expression changed; it was astonishment born from having its logic seen through.

"You..."

"Listen well, imposter."

Pei Duo's voice was not loud, but it thundered throughout the entire space, every word like a piece of metal striking the floor.

"I am not anyone's vassal, nor am I a canary that needs to be hidden away."

She abruptly raised her head, her eyes seemingly burning with the netherworld fire from the Nine Hells. She spoke word by word, her dominance soaring to the heavens:

"I am the full sister of the Great Emperor of Fengdu, the Eldest Princess of the Underworld!"

"This kind of stable life where you can see the end at a glance—this Princess does not cherish it!"

Bang!

She swung her hand violently, smashing a fist into the full-length mirror beside her.

No hesitation, no holding back.

The mirror instantly shattered. Blood flowed down her knuckles, but Pei Duo felt a long-lost, genuine exhilaration.

Accompanying the breaking of the mirror, the entire cozy bedroom, the fake parents, and the phony brother all dissolved into scattered points of light, vanishing instantly like scattered clouds swept away by a fierce wind.

...

Darkness returned.

Cold, damp, and foul-smelling.

It was still the obsidian altar, still that desperate, dead place.

Pei Duo slowly opened her eyes.

She looked down at the black jade pendant in her hand. It was still covered in cracks, dull and lusterless, like a piece of scrap stone from the roadside.

But this time, she no longer felt it was worn out.

"Only by seeing through illusion can one find their true heart."

Pei Duo let out a light laugh, casually hanging the jade pendant back around her neck. Her temperament had changed. Before, it was a forced strength; now, it was a tranquility washed clean of impurities.

That feeling was like an unparalleled ancient sword that had finally shed its rust, revealing the cold light that swallowed the sun and moon.

She turned and walked toward the tightly closed main door.

No probing, no hesitation.

Her fair palm gripped the rusted handle, exerting force at her wrist, and pressed it down hard.

"Rumble—"

The sound of heavy machinery echoed. The sealed Gate of Trial was open.

...

Outside the door.

The atmosphere was stretched to its limit.

Xu Mo's talisman in his hand was already soaked with sweat, while Lin Sa's dagger was wedged in the door crack, ready for a forceful breach.

"Both of you! You mustn't!" Kaban was sweating profusely, "Forcibly opening the door will trigger the temple's self-destruct sequence. Miss Pei will die!"

"Get lost!" Xu Mo's eyes were bloodshot, "If anything happens to her, I'll make your entire Xibalba pay the price!"

Just then, the great door burst open.

A beam of light shot out from within, piercing the gloom of the corridor.

Everyone's actions froze in that instant.

Pei Duo walked out.

She walked against the light, her hair slightly messy, her skirt still dusted with grime, but her steps were steady.

There was neither the weeping of a survivor nor the ecstatic joy of a victor.

She simply stood there quietly, her gaze as calm as a bottomless ancient well. It was the indifference of one who has seen a thousand sails, the composure of one who has understood life and death.

Xu Mo was stunned.

He had envisioned countless scenarios, but never one where he would see this version of Pei Duo.

The girl who used to rely on others, act spoiled, and panic was gone. In her place stood a 'peer' that even made him feel a slight sense of pressure.

No, in fact... in her, Xu Mo vaguely saw the shadow of that man.

The shadow of the solitary and eternal Underworld Son of Heaven.

"Pei... Pei Duo?"

Lin Sa subconsciously retracted her dagger and tried to step forward to inquire, "Are you alright? What happened inside? You..."

A hand stopped Lin Sa.

Xu Mo pushed up his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses deep and complex. He gently shook his head at Lin Sa, signaling her to stay quiet.

As a top strategist, he was too familiar with that look.

It was the look of a lion surveying its territory, the look of a monarch looking down upon his subjects.

Any comfort or inquiry at this moment would be an offense to her.

"Apologies for the wait."

Pei Duo's gaze swept over the three of them, finally settling on Kaban.

No fear, no overwhelming pressure, just a faint glance.

Yet Kaban felt his knees weaken. It was a class suppression originating from the depths of his soul, making him, a candidate for God King, suddenly feel an urge to kneel in worship.

"I had a very long dream. Once I woke up, I came out."

Pei Duo's tone was flat, as if the life-and-death calamity she just experienced was merely an insignificant nap.

She offered no further explanation and strode forward.

As she passed Kaban, her steps paused slightly. She turned her head and asked the question that surprised everyone:

"Oh right, you still haven't told me, why is this door half wood and half steel?"