"If you’re going to tell anything," she said evenly, "make sure the ghost around you hasn’t heard a word."
Layla froze. Her eyes widened. "Ghost?" Her voice trembled slightly. "What kind of ghost?"
Lana’s gaze drifted behind her.
From the mont Layla had started talking about Traven and the illegitimate child, a small, greyish hand had appeared near Layla’s shoulder.
At first, Lana hadn’t reacted much. But as Layla continued speaking... about how she was willing to risk everything, the ghost grew clearer.
Its outline sharpened, its presence thick and oppressive.
’Hm... interesting.’ Lana thought grimly.
At first, she had been confused. But now she understood. This ghost was tied to Layla’s past. Otherwise, it would have appeared long ago.
What stunned Lana even more was Layla herself.
She looked utterly innocent.
Her aura was almost pure white, so clean that it was undeniable proof she wasn’t a malicious person.
Still, Lana couldn’t ignore reality. There was a GA mber inside the mystic departnt.
Because of that, she hadn’t dared to get close to anyone. For a mont, she had even suspected Layla herself.
’Otherwise, why would a ghost appear now?’
That suspicion vanished the mont she saw Layla’s stunned expression.
"There’s a strange woman," Lana said quietly. "Her face isn’t visible. She has long hair, and she’s wearing a very decorative red dress."
Layla’s face drained of all color. She stiffly turned her head to the right.
Lana shook her head. "Left."
At those words, Layla imdiately channeled her mystic energy.
The air vibrated sharply. Lana watched as the ghost struggled, its grey hand slowly turning pitch-black, but it refused to let go of Layla.
Lana frowned deeply.
Not hesitating any longer, she raised her hand and focused her mystic energy at her fingertips. A sharp yellow light burst forth and struck the ghost directly.
The ghost shrieked.
This ti, Layla heard it.
Her body trembled violently as she collapsed onto the ground, her face pale and expression blank with shock. Lana hurried forward and grasped Layla’s cold hand.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice softer now.
Layla shook her head weakly.
"It’s strange. I never thought there was a ghost following . If there really was one... why was it always with ? And why did none of the people from the mystic cultivation departnt ever see it?"
Lana paused. Her brows knitted together as a theory ford in her mind.
"Maybe," she said slowly, "it wasn’t with you all along. Maybe it ca after you only after you arrived here."
Layla looked at her in confusion. "What do you an?"
Lana pressed her lips together. ’If I’m not wrong... the GA mber has already started moving,’ she thought coldly. ’And their first target is Layla.’
Taking a deep breath, she shook her head.
"It’s nothing. Just listen carefully. Keep your distance from everyone in the departnt. Avoid personal contact as much as possible. Don’t take items from others. Don’t let anyone touch your hair, saliva, or anything that belongs to you."
Layla’s face turned even paler. "I’ve already been doing that. I never let anyone keep my things."
At the sa ti, Lana narrowed her eyes.
Now she understood.
Layla wasn’t being paranoid... she was protecting herself because she had another identity, one so sensitive that even a strand of hair could beco a weapon in soone else’s hands.
Layla finally looked at Lana and spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I’m Traven’s illegitimate child."
Lana closed her eyes.
She had suspected it, but hearing Layla admit it still shook her. She sat down beside her as Layla lowered herself to the ground, staring up at the dark sky.
"He wanted to keep it secret from the entire world," Layla said softly. "Because of his position, status, and how... I was nothing more than a stain."
Lana nodded slowly.
In her previous life, she rembered how so of Traven’s dark deeds had eventually been exposed.
Back then, he had denied everything calmly, and the matter had been buried. Lana didn’t know every detail, but she knew one thing with absolute certainty.
Those accusations had been true.
And that was why she had long ago understood that not all top mystic cultivators were good cultivators.
And hence, when Layla had once declared that all top cultivators were good cultivators, Lana had opposed that statent without hesitation.
Who would have thought that Layla herself was Traven’s illegitimate child?
Layla slowly lifted her gaze toward the vast sky above them. The wind brushed against her cheeks, carrying a faint scent of dust and old leaves, and a bitter smirk curved her lips.
"I don’t have a good background," she said quietly, her voice steady yet heavy. "Rather than being born to a respectable lineage, I was born to a mistress. That’s what they call , a mistress’s child."
Lana looked at her, remaining silent, while Layla continued, her fingers curling slightly as if gripping invisible thorns.
"What’s even more shocking," Layla said, her tone sharpening, "is that my mother was never considered righteous. In fact, everyone saw her as a despicable woman, soone people would spit on if given the chance."
The air seed colder as Layla exhaled.
"She deliberately approached a very prominent mystic cultivator back . Traven had just begun making a na for himself."
Her eyes darkened.
"After she got pregnant, she harassed him endlessly for child support, and every bit of that money was spent on ."
Layla smiled faintly, but the smile carried no warmth.
"What’s ironic is that to others, she was a terrible person. But to , she was everything."
Her voice softened, trembling slightly.
"Throughout my childhood, she never let down. She protected , cared for , and when Traven stopped providing money, she worked two jobs without complaint. She raised like a princess, even when her own hands were cracked and bleeding."
Hearing this, Lana remained silent, her chest feeling strangely tight.
"I won’t justify my mother’s actions," Layla continued. "I know she was wrong in many ways. But from my perspective, she had a pure soul."
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