The girl curled up beside Bai Fengxi, exhausted but unable to sleep. In the dim morning light filtering through the cave's entrance, her gaze lingered on Bai Fengxi's face—so eerily identical to her own.
Slowly, almost unconsciously, her fingers reached out and began tracing the curve of Bai Fengxi's cheek.
The skin was warm now, no longer burning. Alive. Breathing.
Her fingers drifted downward, featherlight, past her jaw and along her neck. Then—she paused.
There, just above Bai Fengxi's collarbone, partially hidden beneath the robe, was a mark she had noticed while cleaning her the night before. She hadn't thought much of it then. But now…
She gently pulled the robe aside, revealing a *half-white lotus flower* birthmark.
Her breath caught.
"How…?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Who really are you? How are you connected to me?"
Her fingers hovered above the mark but didn't touch it again. Her mind was spinning.
The resemblance. The mark. The timing. It couldn't be coincidence.
Now she knew—this girl wasn't just a stranger who wore her face.
She was something…..more.
Bai Fengxi had been unconscious for two days.
Bai Yue was kneeling beside her, gently unwrapping the bandages. Her movements were focused, careful—until suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist in a vice-like grip.
Startled, she looked up to meet a pair of sharp, dazed sapphire eyes.
Bai Fengxi blinked several times, her breath ragged. As her vision cleared, she realized who she was holding and quickly released her.
"I'm sorry… I—" she stammered, her voice dry and cracked like withered leaves.
Bai Yue didn't respond. She simply stared, her expression unreadable.
The silence stretched. It made Bai Fengxi shift uncomfortably, unsure whether she'd just committed some offense or stumbled into something deeper.
Then, a few minutes later, Bai Yue spoke.
"Bai Yue."
"…What?" Bai Fengxi frowned, confused.
"My name," she repeated calmly. "Bai Yue."
"Bai...?" Bai Fengxi whispered, almost to herself.
'How could they bear the same face… and the same surname?!'
What in the world was happening?
So many thoughts surged through her mind like a fast-moving train—unrelenting, dizzying, impossible to hold down. Her gaze dropped to the bowl of dark liquid in her hands, steam curling from its surface. It smelled of roots, bark, and something ancient—almost spiritual.
"Stop staring and drink," Bai Yue said quietly. "You need the strength. This place isn't safe."
Bai Fengxi gave a small nod and furrowed her brow. "What… exactly did you concoct?"
Bai Yue's eyes flickered to the fire. "Ginseng," she began. "And *Black Ice Orchid*—good for damaged meridians. A bit of *Heavenly Serpent Vine*, to strengthen your qi and dull internal pain. And… just a pinch of *Soul Mending Resin*."
Bai Fengxi blinked. "Soul what now?"
"Resin from a tree that only grows once every fifty years in the Depths of Mingzhu Forest," Bai Yue said flatly. "You're lucky I had it. Without it, you wouldn't have lasted through the night."
"…Oh." Bai Fengxi looked at the drink again, hesitant. But something in her gut told her this girl—this *stranger with her face*—was telling the truth.
Without further question, she raised the bowl and downed it in one go.
The bitterness struck first—sharp and earthy—but then came a strange warmth, sliding down her throat, into her chest, and blooming outward from her core like firelight in winter. Her hands, which had trembled moments ago, now stilled.
She let out a soft breath. "Warm…"
"You'll feel numb in a few minutes," Bai Yue added. "Don't panic. It's just the Soul Mending Resin at work."
Bai Fengxi leaned back against the cave wall, finally able to think without her body screaming.
"Good." Bai Yue took the empty bowl from Bai Fengxi's hands and placed it carefully beside a small line of similar stone bowls arranged by the fire. Each one was cleaned and stacked with an almost ritualistic precision.
"You should be better in an hour or two," she said without looking back. "Your external wounds have already healed."
"What?!" Bai Fengxi's voice shot up in surprise.
She sat up straighter and hastily pulled back the robe. Her hands roamed across her side, her ribs, her stomach—where deep gashes and bruises had once throbbed in agony.
But now… nothing.
Only unbroken, soft skin remained. As if her body had never been damaged at all.
"How…?" she breathed.
Bai Yue turned toward her, her expression unreadable. Slowly, she reached out and gently placed her hand on Bai Fengxi's cheek.
"Why do we look alike?" she asked, her voice low.
Bai Fengxi blinked. "I don't—"
But Bai Yue's gaze tightened, and Fengxi immediately cut herself off. She sighed, rubbing her temple.
"My theory… is that we might be sisters. Identical twins, to be precise."
It would explain the face. The surname. The strange connection she couldn't deny.
Besides, this wasn't her world. The idea of cosmetic procedures or cloning was a fantasy here— she had fallen into an ancient place with its own rules, its own logic.
Bai Yue's lips curled into a soft, enigmatic smile.
"We are," she said quietly. "Sisters."
Bai Fengxi froze.
She stared into Bai Yue's eyes, her thoughts suddenly silent—overwhelmed by the weight of that single truth. The air around them grew still, as if even the wind dared not interrupt.
"…What do you mean *we are*?" she asked cautiously. "You… *knew*?"
Bai Yue nodded firmly. "We are twin sisters."