The ancestral hall's smoke parted like a curtain drawn by invisible fingers, and through it stepped the figure everyone believed had vanished into death.
Shenzha Jao.
Except… not quite.
Her feet didn't touch the ground.Her hair floated behind her like silk drifting underwater.Her eyes were too bright, too knowing, too alive for someone who no longer owned a heartbeat.
And yet, she smiled.
"Yang."
Prince Yang's breath hitched.Not fear.Not grief.Something far more dangerous—recognition.
Jiao Shui felt the temperature drop in a sudden wave, as if the entire hall exhaled frost.
Shenzha Jao glided forward, her gaze sweeping past trembling ministers, past the Emperor, past chanting priests, landing finally—directly—on Jiao Shui.
"Thief."
The word struck like a slap.
Prince Yang reacted instantly, stepping between them like a blade.
"You are dead," he said quietly, as if saying it aloud might force reality to obey.
Shenzha Jao tilted her head. "And yet here I am."
Her voice was gentle. Sweet.And sharp enough to cut bone.
The three ghost friends huddled behind Jiao Shui's shoulder.
Ting'er whispered, "She looks… upgraded."
Lian muttered, "Revenge never looked so moisturized."
Ruomei added dryly, "Her spiritual energy is unstable. Proceed with terror."
Shenzha Jao ignored them, even though she could clearly sense them. All her attention locked on Jiao Shui.
"You stole my life," she repeated, more softly this time, as if savoring the accusation.
Jiao Shui steadied her breath. "I did nothing to you."
Shenzha Jao's smile sharpened. "Not in this life."
The hall shook.
Ministers stumbled.The Emperor braced against the altar.Prince Yang tensed like a bowstring drawn too tight.
"Explain," he demanded.
"No."Shenzha Jao's voice dripped with a strange sweetness. "Let her explain."
All eyes turned to Jiao Shui.
Lian floated by her ear."You might want to run."
Ting'er:"You really should run."
Ruomei:"She'll catch you in three seconds, but running is still polite."
Jiao Shui inhaled slowly, grounding herself in the chaotic chorus of ghostly commentary.
"I lived before," she said finally, voice steady. "Another life. Another timeline."
Murmurs exploded around the hall.
Prince Yang's pupils contracted. "You… remembered?"
She nodded.
And then—because she had no choice—she continued.
"In that life, the Emperor chose me as princess consort. She," Jiao Shui gestured at Shenzha Jao, "was his concubine. He… loved her."
Prince Yang's jaw clenched, a silent oath cracking behind his teeth.
Shenzha Jao's smile thinned. "And because he loved me, you feared me."
"That's not true."
"You ruined me," Jao whispered, voice trembling now—not with fear, but with the memory of heartbreak. "You let the court blame me. You watched them tear my name apart. You let me die."
"No."Jiao Shui stepped forward. "I died too."
Shenzha Jao stilled.
"Died?" she echoed.
Jiao Shui nodded. "Both of us fell victim to the same betrayal."
The hall hushed.
Even the spirits stopped speaking.
Prince Yang looked between them, confusion and dread twisting through his usually unreadable face.
"Who betrayed you?" he asked.
Jiao Shui's lips parted—
But Shenzha Jao beat her to it.
Her eyes darkened to bottomless ink.
"YOU did."
The floor cracked under their feet.
Wind roared through the hall.
And before anyone could move, Shenzha Jao thrust out her hand.
A lash of spiritual energy snapped toward Jiao Shui—
Prince Yang lunged, grabbing her and twisting them both aside—
The beam struck the wall behind, carving a smoking crater the size of a man.
"Yang," Jao whispered, voice breaking now, "you were mine."
"No," he said, shielding Jiao Shui with his entire body. "I never belonged to you."
The hall exploded into chaos.
Ghosts screamed.Spirits recoiled.Ministers ran.The Emperor barked orders no one could hear.
And Shenzha Jao's fury finally ignited.
"You stole my rightful ending," she hissed at Jiao Shui. "Now I'll steal yours."
Jiao Shui trembled.
Not from fear.
From recognition.
Because Shenzha Jao wasn't wrong.Not entirely.
Their deaths were connected.Their fates were tangled.Their vengeance belonged to the same person.
And Jiao Shui whispered the name into the thunder shaking the hall:
"Shenzha Jao… you weren't the only victim. The person who killed us—wasn't me."
Jao froze.
The hall stilled.
Prince Yang turned sharply toward her.
And Jiao Shui finally said it:
"It was the Crown Prince."
The Emperor staggered.Prince Yang's eyes widened.Shenzha Jao went deathly still.
The truth had finally cracked open.