“I brought back Young Master Suo Lun’s body to the royal capital. In the desolate mountainous area on the southeastern border of the kingdom, where no one lives, I saved a dying young man. To my astonishment, I discovered that he resembled Young Master Suo Lun extremely closely, not only in appearance and build, but even in voice. So I made a decision: I would have him impersonate Young Master Suo Lun and return to the royal capital to inherit the title of Earl,” Ye Jingyu said. “At first he refused me outright, saying he would rather live in poverty and remain himself than pretend to be anyone else. I used the debt of saving his life to pressure him, and he finally agreed to impersonate Young Master Suo Lun for three years.”
Ye Jingyu was truly, truly audacious. To make such a massive decision on her own, without consulting anyone.
“How… how can this be done?” Suo Ningbing said in a trembling voice. “No matter how similar they look, they cannot be exactly identical. Someone will surely notice something wrong.”
“Do not worry. I took him to the manor of the Nine Spirits Warlock and had his face changed. Now he looks exactly like Young Master Suo Lun. As for Young Master Suo Lun’s body, I have already cremated it and brought back the ashes.”
“You… you…” In an instant, Suo Ningbing was completely speechless. Especially since Ye Jingyu had taken it upon herself to cremate Suo Lun’s body. She had not even been able to see her younger brother one last time. This caused her immense pain, yet Ye Jingyu had done it all for the sake of the family. She could not bear to utter any words of blame.
Ye Jingyu knelt on the ground and said, “I have done wrong. Young miss, I am willing to accept any punishment. But for the sake of the Suo clan’s hundred-year foundation, please agree to my plan.”
With that, Ye Jingyu kowtowed deeply, her forehead touching the floor.
“Do not do this…” Suo Ningbing hurried forward to help her up, but she did not know martial arts and could not lift her at all.
“If young miss does not agree, I will never rise,” Ye Jingyu said resolutely.
Then Suo Ningbing noticed that Ye Jingfeng was missing. Normally the two sisters were inseparable, like conjoined twins. She could not help asking, “Where is Jingfeng?”
Ye Jingyu was silent for a moment before replying, “Changing faces required one thousand gold coins. I did not bring enough gold with me. The Nine Spirits Warlock demanded that my younger sister Jingfeng stay by her side for three years before she would perform the face change for that young man.”
“How could you do this?” Suo Ningbing said heartbrokenly. “Little Feng has never been apart from us since she was small. Leaving her in that warlock’s manor for three years… she really will not be able to bear it. You must immediately take money back to that warlock’s manor and bring Little Feng home.”
“It is too late to bring her back. You know how eccentric warlocks can be. They always keep their word. To revive the family, we are willing to do anything. Losing three years of freedom for Little Feng is nothing in comparison,” Ye Jingyu said.
Suo Ningbing said angrily, “Why did you not come home first and ask for my opinion before making these decisions?”
Ye Jingyu replied, “There was no time. Besides, the royal capital is full of eyes and ears.”
Of course, the most crucial reason was that the young miss before her would never have agreed. That was why Ye Jingyu had simply cooked the rice before serving it.
Then Ye Jingyu returned to the main topic. “Whether or not to let that young man impersonate Young Master Suo Lun is for young miss to decide in the end.”
Instantly, Suo Ningbing fell into a difficult dilemma. After a long while, she sighed and said, “Where is the child you brought back?”
Ye Jingyu said, “I have already brought him. He is waiting just outside the Earl’s residence gates.”
“Go and bring him in. I want to see him,” Suo Ningbing said.
“Yes.” Ye Jingyu stood up and walked out. When her back was turned to Suo Ningbing, she let out a long sigh of relief.
…
Lan Ling followed behind Ye Jingyu as they entered the Earl’s residence. With every step deeper inside, his heartbeat grew faster and faster.
The Earl’s residence was very large, yet it already appeared somewhat old and worn. There were not many maids and servants either. He only saw about a dozen or so. For such a grand Earl’s residence, that number was indeed too few.
They passed through a small garden and arrived at a secluded rear courtyard. Inside the courtyard stood an exquisite little pavilion, and the snow-white pear blossoms were blooming brilliantly.
Ye Jingyu led Lan Ling to the door of the little pavilion, then said in a low voice, “Young miss, the young master has arrived.”
“Let him come in,” came a voice from inside. It was slightly hoarse, yet incomparably pleasant to the ear.
Lan Ling’s body trembled as if he had heard an illusion. He even reached up to dig at his ears.
“Push the door and go in,” Ye Jingyu said. Then she stood guard outside the door, preventing anyone from approaching.
Lan Ling stood dazed for a moment. His heartbeat grew faster and faster, as if he were facing an important examination, even though deep down he was not particularly willing to impersonate this Suo Lun.
Taking a deep breath, Lan Ling pushed the door open and went inside.
Immediately, he saw an incomparably graceful and enchanting back view. Just that back alone was enough to stir one’s heart intensely.
The entire room was filled with a faint yet utterly captivating fragrance. It did not come from any perfume, but from the body of the woman before him.
Lan Ling had never seen such a moving back view. Moreover, there was a very strange, special feeling welling up inside him.
And for some unknown reason, his heart suddenly clenched violently.
Suo Ningbing took a deep breath, then opened her eyes. Turning around to face a complete stranger who looked exactly like her younger brother required mental preparation.
The instant she turned, Lan Ling’s heart stopped. His eyes widened to their limit. His entire body seemed to have been struck by lightning. He stood completely frozen, unable to move.
This woman was truly beautiful. No matter where she stood, it was as if a layer of light enveloped her body. Her beauty was so overwhelming that it made breathing difficult, like a true fairy. Although she was dressed as a married woman, she carried the pure and flawless charm of an untouched maiden.
But Lan Ling’s reaction was so intense not because of her beauty.
A full minute passed before Lan Ling’s body finally regained the ability to move. Then he began to tremble uncontrollably. Not just his hands, but his lips, his cheeks, his entire body shook.
Finally, he rushed forward and tightly embraced Suo Ningbing in his arms, holding her with desperate strength.
“Sister, sister, I have found you. I have found you! This is not a dream, is it? This is not a dream, right…”
“Heaven has pity on me, heaven has pity on me… your face has healed too!”
“From now on, I will never leave you again. I will never leave you even one step…”
Lan Ling trembled as he murmured to himself. Tears surged forth uncontrollably. Infinite狂喜 welled up in his heart.
Because the appearance of the Suo Ningbing before him was almost exactly the same as his older sister Lan Kou back on Earth. The sister he had depended on for more than ten years. The sister he had secretly loved for so many years. The sister whose face had been disfigured by sulphuric acid.
After transmigrating to this other world, Lan Ling had nearly collapsed. He had even sworn to the moon in the sky that no matter what means he had to use, he would return to his sister’s side. He never expected that his sister would suddenly appear right in front of him like this.
Was this all heaven’s will? Or heaven’s favour?
No matter what, at this moment Lan Ling felt an unprecedented happiness. The joy and gratitude in his heart were so overwhelming that they nearly exploded.