Chapter Five: The Smile in the Mirror
A week passed, and with it, the quiet hum of a new life settled in. Yunli—now wearing Yona's name like a borrowed coat—walked through the school gates with her hair neatly tied and her uniform crisp. The building was gray and dull, yet every step felt like walking into the arena of a silent war.
The moment she entered the classroom, the teacher clapped twice. "Everyone! Please rise."
The class stood obediently.
"Let us welcome Yona back. She's been through a very serious accident and we are lucky to still have her with us. Let's all be kind and make her feel safe again."
A chorus of "Welcome back, Yona" echoed across the room like a chant they were forced to say. Their smiles were fake. Their eyes didn't shine.
But Yunli wasn't looking for friendship. She was marking targets.
There they were—Mi-yeon, with her sugary voice and hollow heart, So-ra, always holding her phone like a weapon, and Da-jin, the tall one who shoved with her shoulders and laughed with cruelty.
Yunli smiled.
Not the shy, awkward smile Yona used to wear. But something cold and amused. Her lips curled upward slowly, and her eyes sparkled—not with innocence, but anticipation.
She took her seat near the window, stared out at the morning sky, and waited.
After the first period ended, she stood and walked out without a word.
Straight to the restroom.
She leaned against the tiled wall near the sinks, head down, hair hiding her face. Her fingers tapped softly on the sink edge as she waited. The energy around her shifted—light flickers, water dripped from the faucet, and a cold chill moved through the air.
And just as she expected…
Click. Click. Click.
Footsteps.
Mi-yeon's giggle echoed first. "Look who's haunting the restroom again."
So-ra rolled her eyes. "Maybe she forgot how to talk after the accident."
Da-jin cracked her knuckles. "She's still breathing, isn't she? I thought the gods were finally merciful."
Yunli lifted her head slowly.
"I missed you three,"she said sweetly.
The girls froze.
Something about her voice was… different. Not scared. Not timid.
Playful. Dangerous.
Mi-yeon blinked. "W-what?"
Yunli stepped forward, her eyes glowing faintly with something ancient. "You've been repeating the same mistake," she said, her voice laced with calm rage. "But here's the thing about curses… they don't stay dormant forever."
She turned, locking the restroom door behind them with a single twist.
Click.
So-ra laughed awkwardly. "What are you doing?"
Yunli turned around slowly, her smile widening into a grin that didn't belong to a middle-schooler.
"I'm just repaying debts," she said softly.
The lights flickered.
Da-jin, the mayor's daughter—tall, broad-shouldered, and always sneering—cracked her knuckles and stepped forward. Her eyes flickered with arrogance. "Still soft after that little accident, huh? Let me welcome you back properly."
Before Yunli could react, Da-jin slammed her fist into her stomach.
Crack.
Yunli gasped, the wind knocked from her lungs. Her back hit the cold wall, and for a moment, pain screamed through her ribs. She was still weak. This body wasn't trained, and her cultivation was fractured.
But deep in her blood, something stirred. She might be weak, but you can't compare the strength of a ghost to ordinary mortals.
Da-jin laughed. "don't kill her yet, you know she is still weak. We are not done with her." She said mockingly.
The other girls chuckled, but then Yunli's head slowly lifted. Her eyes, once blurred with pain, now gleamed like cold glass.
"…You hit me first," she said softly.
"What?"
Yunli stepped forward—slowly, terrifyingly calm.
"You broke the rule of spirits… whoever strikes first must bear the wrath."
Da-jin barely processed the words before Yunli's fist flew into her jaw.
Smack.
The force wasn't human. Da-jin staggered, then collapsed backwards onto the tiled floor.
Before she could get up, Yunli was on her.
One punch.
Two.
Three.
Blood splattered across the floor.
Da-jin screamed and struggled, but Yunli's fists kept coming, her eyes burning with a wild fury—not just rage, but memory. Every bruise she once received as Yunli. Every slap Yona took in silence. Every night someone cried themselves to sleep.
Now it was being returned, one blow at a time.
Mi-yeon and So-ra stood frozen, shocked beyond words. This wasn't Yona. This was something else—someone else.
Yunli's knuckles dripped with blood as she finally rose off Da-jin, who whimpered, holding her broken nose, tears mixing with crimson.
"W-What… are you?" So-ra whispered, trembling.
Yunli turned to them, expression unreadable. Then, she pulled out her phone and opened the camera app.
"Your turn," she said coolly, flipping the camera to record.
"What—w-what are you doing?"
"You like playing queen bees?" Yunli asked. "You like silence? Fear? Then you'll understand this. Strip. Isn't this the method you used to threaten others, including myself?"
Their eyes widened.
"W-What?!"
"Now," she said sharply. "Strip. Or I'll make you regret everything you've ever done."
Mi-yeon began to cry. "P-Please—"
Yunli lowered the phone slightly, just enough to meet their gaze directly. "This isn't for fun. This isn't for power. This is leverage."
Her voice dropped, slow and cold:
"So no one dares to speak against me in the future… ever."
That silenced them. Her tone held something ancient—like an echo from a tomb. Even So-ra, the most spiteful, didn't dare speak.
They undressed—but they backed away, hands raised, tears spilling. They knew that fear now. They knew what it meant to be prey.
Yunli turned took pictures and videos of them.
"I won't upload this unless you push me," she said. "Do we understand each other?"
Nods. Shaking. Sniffles.
She walked past them, opened the door, and stepped into the hallway like nothing happened.
But behind her, fear settled like fog.
The girl they once bullied was dead.
And something far more dangerous had taken her place.
Yunli strode back into class like she owned the world.
Bruised? Yes.
Bloody knuckles? Sure.
But victorious? Absolutely.
She had done what the real Yona never could—fight back. Not for dominance, but for survival. And for the woman who now called herself her mother.
The other students kept their distance. No one made eye contact. Even Da-jin, who had been carried off to the nurse's office, didn't dare whisper another word.
Yunli sat down at her desk, arms crossed, a small, proud smile tugging at her lips. Her hair fell across her face, hiding the fire in her eyes.
For today, the war was over. But not ended.
School ended quickly.
The sun was setting, casting a burnt-orange glow across the streets as Yunli walked home. She was still replaying everything in her mind—Da-jin's face, the blood, the look of fear.
Her heart swelled with a dark satisfaction.
Then—
"You're really enjoying this human flesh, huh, little princess?"
The voice slid into her ears like silk dipped in venom.
She froze.
That voice—no, it couldn't be.
She turned around slowly.
There he was.
Leaning casually against a lamp post in a sleek black coat that flowed like smoke, a lollipop lazily in his mouth, dark hair swept to the side. His eyes gleamed like ink. A mischievous, taunting grin painted his face.
He looked just like him.
"Uncle… Wuxian?"
Li Wuxian. Her father's youngest brother. The playful devil in the court. The one who once dyed her elder brother's robes pink and called it "a royal experiment."
He stepped forward, arms out. "Aww, you remember me! And here I was, worried this little mortal brain would forget her uncle."
Yunli backed away, heart racing. "W-Why are you here? Does Father know—?"
"Not yet dear." He popped the lollipop out of his mouth and tossed it. "I wish it wiil stay this way, don't you?"
He leaned closer, inspecting her bandaged arms and slightly limping leg.
"Wow… mortal injuries? That's… pathetic." He smirked. "But kind of cute."
"I don't need your sarcasm right now."
"I missed you too." He winked.
Yunli clenched her fists. "Why are you really here?"
Wuxian's expression briefly darkened, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"To keep an eye on you. Things are stirring, little niece. And you're not the only one who's crossed the veil."
...
The throne room of the Ghost Realm had never known peace — but this time, it trembled.
A deathly silence fell as Jang Li Shen, the Ghost King, appeared in a streak of black mist that froze the very air. His footsteps echoed like the beating of a war drum. Cold. Final. Every living creature within the palace held their breath.
He had returned.
His dark robes, woven with soul silk, dragged shadows behind him. His long silver hair was drenched in killing intent, and his face—beautiful, ageless—was twisted into something monstrous.
He stepped into Yun Li's private chamber, his sharp gaze landing on the scattered remnants of the teleportation talisman, but still a little dusty.
A single breath.
A single blink.
Then the palace shook with rage.
"You let my daughter escape."
His voice was low, but it carried through every wall. It wasn't a shout — it was worse. It was a calm before carnage.
The dozen elite guards stationed outside her chamber dropped to their knees, trembling.
"Your Majesty—" one began, but his voice cracked like glass.
The King raised one finger.
Their chests caved in simultaneously.
He didn't even blink.
He walked among the dying, his hands behind his back, face void of expression, as hearts ripped from ribcages and floated toward him. He caught them midair, blood swirling like red mist, and whispered in an ancient tongue. The hearts turned black and began to shrivel, refining into crystal fragments.
His Soul-Furnace Pendant opened with a click. He dropped the remains in.
"Let this be a lesson," he said coldly, "to those who sleep when a king is awake."
Every servant in the palace collapsed to their knees in tears, afraid to breathe.
One old guardian, eyes sunken from decades of loyalty, dared to speak, "My King… your daughter—"
"I will go to the mortal realm, to search for the princess "
His voice cracked with pain for the first time. Then it vanished, swallowed by his cruelty.
" I will find her myself." He roared.
His crimson eyes narrowed as he turned to the burning mirror—a portal connecting realms. Yun Li's faint aura still lingered there. Weak, fading, hidden in mortal filth.
He slammed his hand onto the mirror. The glass shattered into smoke.
The darkness pulsed outward.
"I will find you, my child," he whispered. "Even if I have to burn the world."