The two princesses were anxious as well.
They looked around, but no one dared to make a decision, so they could only place their hopes on Yun Liu, each grabbing one of his hands and shaking him endlessly.
“You came at the right time! Hurry and tell everyone who the real one is!”
“Just pretend all you want! Would he not know who’s real and who’s fake?”
Jing Tan’er and Jing Tan’er quarreled non-stop.
Listening to them, Yun Liu scratched his head and sighed—he really didn’t know.
Everyone was getting a headache.
Just then, a blonde girl bounced into the Garden of Blossoms.
“Master? You finally made it!”
Ji Shiyu entered the palace under the escort of two Prohibition Guards.
As a princess’s adopted daughter and, in Jing Tan’er’s eyes, a warm bed maid, the Shenhua Sect’s little fairy had the freedom to come and go.
She was chewing on candied hawthorn, holding a box of marinated snacks in her hands, and her pockets were stuffed with snacks, eating merrily.
“Yo, little Yun and Xiao girl are here too… What the—!?”
Ao Tian rubbed its eyes.
The escort mission was a complete success.
Looking closer, its eyeballs nearly popped out—when did Jing Tan’er become two?
“You, what kind of ghost trick is this?”
“I should be asking you!”
Yun Liu gritted his teeth.
Ao Tian looked completely innocent.
Wasn’t it agreed that it would take care of Jing Tan’er? How did another identical princess get dragged back?
Ji Shiyu blinked, circled the two, both amazed and surprised, and then burst into laughter.
How did the villainess split in two in just a short while?
Everyone chattered at once, explaining the situation again to the blonde master and servant.
Ao Tian’s expression became just as baffled as Yun Liu’s.
At the other end, the two impatient princesses stood on either side, being questioned separately under the watch of the Imperial Guard, as the group tried every possible way to spot flaws in the impostor.
Nini’s question was,
When we first met, how many slaps did you give me?
“Eighteen!”
Both Jing Tan’ers answered without hesitation, each in their own way but both correct.
Xiao Xinran barely held back her laughter.
The other judges also had to stifle their giggles—it sounded like a painfully tragic story!
Lu’er’s question was even more private.
She asked when Her Highness had her first period.
Again, both answered smoothly, even accurately describing the embarrassing scene that day—fortunately, her companion had experience.
The two maids returned in defeat, at their wits’ end.
These were things only they and Her Highness knew!
The proprietress, Ying Shadow, sent a voice transmission:
“Boss, something’s off. I remember the Demonic Sect has a type of Blood Technique. Unlike ordinary disguises, the practitioner uses a drop of essence blood to paint skin—besides mimicking flesh and blood, it can even steal memories and perfectly replicate the original.”
“I’ve heard a little about it, too.”
Yun Liu and Youyou were thinking the same thing.
This kind of hidden setting usually only existed in game backstories; seeing it with their own eyes was a first.
That person must have been hiding by their side all along.
They took Jing Tan’er’s essence blood on the Golden Crow during the chaos, perfectly replicating and wearing her skin.
“Skin Painting demands a high level of spiritual sense from the practitioner. It can only be used on those weaker than oneself, and the flaws are obvious. Before the Blood Technique is lifted, you can only inherit the target’s cultivation and abilities—utterly useless.”
That was what Yun Liu couldn’t understand.
What benefit was there for the Demonic Sect to keep pretending to be a fake princess here?
If the puppet learned Jing Tan’er wasn’t dead, they should’ve known the plan had changed.
Why not seize the chance to escape, but instead openly confront the original, acting with such impunity?
She painstakingly approached the Shenhua group—just to mess with them?
The thought sent chills down Yun Liu’s spine.
In other words, the one wearing Jing Tan’er’s skin was far superior to the original in both cultivation and cunning!
Such a playful, wicked nature, skilled in Skin Painting—it had to be her…
No way.
Would such a little Zhusheng Dynasty be worth her leaving the Nili Abyss to stir up trouble in East Pole Province?
Youyou wanted to say something but stopped.
She didn’t want to sound alarmist, worried about scaring the young boss fresh out of the world.
With a great enemy before them, Yun Liu had no heart to consider the cause and effect, only wanting to quickly find the fake.
“I know!”
Ji Shiyu, having eaten her fill, suddenly jumped up and raised her hand.
“Speak.”
Yun Liu glanced at Ji Shiyu.
Everyone else gathered, eager to hear what the little fairy had to say.
Under the expectant gazes of the two Jing Tan’ers, Ji Shiyu crossed her arms, full of confidence.
“Hmph… they’re both fake!”
?
Everyone rolled their eyes and nearly fainted.
Xiao Xinran said with no patience,
“You spent all that time to reach that conclusion?”
“Then what else can we do? It’s impossible for both to be real, right? Why not just beat them up, kill them both, and show impostors what happens when they mess with us?”
Ji Shiyu clenched her fists.
“Come on, that would mean the real one’s dead too, wouldn’t it?”
Xiao Xinran couldn’t find the strength to retort.
She could hardly believe she’d once lost to someone this clueless.
“That’s not possible! Absolutely not!”
Commander Geng was so scared his hair stood on end.
The King’s sacred body was still unwell and resting—how would he report such a thing?
“Then forget it. I already gave you the solution, it’s you guys who won’t do it.”
Ji Shiyu whistled, pulled out a steaming flatbread, and offered it to Master as if presenting treasure, showing no concern for who was real or fake.
Yun Liu shook his head with a bitter smile, propped up his chin, and quickly understood Ji Shiyu’s real intention.
It was indeed a method.
When life and death were on the line, the fake would reveal their true self.
But within the royal court, such a method was impossible to implement.
It could only be a last resort.
“I have an idea too, though I’m not sure if I should say it.”
After Wolong, Phoenix Hatchling also spoke up.
“Damn, even chickens talk now!?”
Commander Geng slapped his forehead.
The Prohibition Guards were shocked—strange things happened every year, but this year was especially strange.
Qin Yao covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
“That’s Junior Sister Ji’s spirit-talking parrot, it’s very clever.”
“Hey! I’m not a parrot!”
Everyone looked at each other, helpless.
With nothing else to do, they could only listen to what the chicken had to say.
Recalling unpleasant past experiences, Yun Liu sighed.
“Shut your mouth. I can tell what kind of crap you’re going to spew before you even open your beak.”
“Cluck cluck! I’m going to say it anyway. In my opinion, just drag both of them into a room and sleep with them. See who’s deeper or shallower—no matter how good the disguise, it’s useless on the inside!”
Yun Liu glared at the silly crow.
Once Ao Tian opened its mouth, there was no stopping it—these two big-brains only came up with stupid ideas.
“If it’s the real princess, of course, she’d be happy. But if it’s a fake, well, you wouldn’t lose out either!”
Ao Tian cackled, flapping its wings and speaking loudly on purpose, aiming it at Jing Tan’er to mess with the fake.
Unfortunately, neither of them showed any abnormal reaction.
As for ‘probing depth’—both princesses’ faces flushed red at the same time.
One lowered her head, staring at her toes, shyly.
The other bit her finger, seemingly… expectant?
“I-I-I-I don’t really mind, anyway, I’m Yun family’s person sooner or later. At worst, get on the carriage first and buy the ticket later.”
“Hmph! Since you’re so eager for the wedding chamber, I’ll be generous and grant your wish!”
Double princesses, double tsundere?
“Look carefully, I didn’t say any of that, okay, big sister!”
Yun Liu felt his scalp tingle as the two princesses’ passionate gazes bore into him, his heart pounding.
Unbelievably, he even found both Jing Tan’ers adorable, whichever one they were.
That was the most terrifying part!