Bai Xifeng stood before her small mirror, now dressed in a crisp, high-collared male outfit. Despite her best efforts with charcoal and powders, she found that her delicate features remained stubbornly recognizable. No matter how much she tried to contour her jawline or thicken her brows, anyone who knew the Third Young Miss would recognize her instantly.
Her goal was to slip out of the Bai Residence undetected. Her destination was the legendary Shanghai House, a notorious hub where she hoped to acquire information about the rare herbs required for her detoxification.
She had already conducted a preliminary investigation into the Shanghai House and knew it was a place of deep shadows and complicated allegiances. It was far too dangerous to send the innocent Xiao Li in her stead,the maid's identity would be compromised in heartbeat, which would inevitably lead the trail back to Xifeng herself. She needed to move in total secrecy, ensuring no one could link her to the purchase of those specific medicinal plants.
"Baishe, do you have any way to truly alter my appearance?" Bai Xifeng asked, looking toward her earring.
"Alter your appearance?" Baishe echoed, sounding genuinely confused.
"Exactly. I need to go out, but my face is a liability," Xifeng explained. "I want a male face, something handsome but unrecognizable. It's much easier to navigate the city's underbelly if I'm disguised as a man."
"Ah, I understand. In that case, we can utilize illusion magic," Baishe suggested. "I can project my own human appearance onto your face. People will see my features instead of your own. Though... are you truly comfortable with that?" Based on her previous reactions, Baishe was under the impression that she found his human form rather unsettling.
"Absolutely. I don't mind at all." Bai Xifeng nodded firmly.
Baishe was visibly surprised by her quick agreement. Noticing his hesitation, Bai Xifeng raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"I simply assumed you would reject the proposal, considering how much you seemed to dislike my human look." Baishe admitted.
"Hey, a slightly creepy handsome face is better than getting caught and thrown into a dungeon, right?" Bai Xifeng grinned mischievously.
Once the illusion was cast, Bai Xifeng emerged from the mirror world. She walked over to the mirror and saw a stranger staring back, a man with sharp, ethereal features and a cold gaze. Satisfied, she turned toward the door, ready to make her escape. Suddenly, the door swung open from the outside, and Xiao Li stepped into the room.
Xiao Li's mouth opened to call out for her mistress, but the words died in her throat. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head as she saw a tall, unknown man standing in the center of the Young Miss's private chambers. She drew in a sharp breath, ready to scream for the guards.
Before a sound could escape, the man blurred across the room with predatory speed and clamped a hand firmly over her mouth. Xiao Li's heart hammered against her ribs in sheer terror, but even in her fright, her first thought was of her mistress's safety.
"Please, Xiao Li, don't scream. It's me." Bai Xifeng whispered.
Xiao Li froze. The voice was unmistakable, it was the Young Miss's voice, coming from the throat of this strange man.
'Baishe, drop the veil for a second,' Bai Xifeng commanded mentally.
In an instant, the man's features shimmered like heat rising off a road, melting away to reveal Bai Xifeng's true face.
"Young... Young Miss?" Xiao Li blinked rapidly, her head spinning.
"Yes, it's really me. Please, keep your voice down." Bai Xifeng cautioned, slowly releasing her hand. "I was using a bit of illusion magic just now to prepare for my trip."
"Illusion magic?" Xiao Li whispered, her suspicion not entirely fading. "But... only powerful cultivators or those with rare artifacts can wield such high-level illusions. Not everyone can just... change their face." She looked at her mistress with a new, wary respect, wondering just how many more secrets the "trash" Third Young Miss was hiding'.
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