Despite the desolate mountains being completely empty of people, the two female warriors remained full of vigilance and alertness. Their eyes were sharp as cold stars, hands gripping curved blades. Their entire bodies were poised like female leopards, ready to pounce and strike at any moment.
The carriage they were protecting was very long and large, pulled by two fine horses. However, it did not appear particularly luxurious.
The three horses and one carriage galloped swiftly, drawing closer and closer to Lan Ling, who lay on the ground with his life hanging in the balance. The sky was dim and not yet bright. It looked as though they were about to trample right over him. If he were stepped on, he would surely die without question.
Thirty metres, twenty metres, ten metres, five metres…
Lan Ling was about to be crushed to death by the tall horses.
“Sister, be careful. There is someone on the road!”
Even though the sky had already darkened, the woman in black leather spotted Lan Ling lying in the middle of the road. She immediately became alert, yanked the reins hard, and halted her galloping horse.
With a long neigh, the horse beneath her was forcibly stopped. Its front hooves reared high before it came to a standstill.
The woman in red leather, meanwhile, used her slender hands to rein in both horses at once. One was the horse she was riding, and the other was pulling the carriage. The carriage behind continued forward due to momentum but was also halted by her other hand.
It was hard to imagine that such a seductive and alluring body could possess such tremendous strength.
“Sister, stay with the carriage and do not move.” The woman in black ordered, then drew her curved blade, leapt off her horse, and walked towards Lan Ling.
“Alright, Sister, be careful.” As expected, the two were twin sisters. The younger one also drew her curved blade and stood guard over the carriage.
They valued this carriage so highly. One could only wonder what was inside.
The woman in black walked up to Lan Ling. First she placed her curved blade across his neck, then checked his breathing. Seeing his dishevelled hair and beard, his clothes reduced to rags like a sack, and his overall wild appearance, she frowned and said, “It is a barbaric savage. He is nearly dead. Might as well kill him directly.”
With that, her curved blade moved to slice across Lan Ling’s neck.
“Sister, no.” The younger sister quickly jumped down and said, “Saving a life is better than building a seven-tiered pagoda.”
The woman in black replied, “Barbarians eat human flesh and drink blood. They all deserve to die.”
The younger sister walked over to Lan Ling and said, “What if he is not a barbarian? Let us wake him first and see if he can speak the Central Plains language. If he can, we will not kill him.”
With that, she helped Lan Ling sit up, circulated her dragon force to clear the blood blockage in his chest, placed a medicinal pill in his mouth, and fed it to him with water.
…
After an unknown amount of time, Lan Ling slowly woke up.
He found himself inside a carriage. What met his eyes were two identical beautiful faces. The only difference was in their expressions. One was cold and sharp, the other innocent and romantic.
Their outfits were also different. One wore tight black leather, the other tight red leather. But their figures were exactly the same, both possessing near-demonic curves. Even on Earth, Lan Ling had rarely seen such devilish bodies. Firm and endlessly long supermodel legs, towering peaks, a waist as slender as a snake, and astonishingly round and perky hips. It was impossible to look directly at them.
When they saw Lan Ling wake up, the woman in black immediately placed her curved blade across his neck and said coldly, “Speak. Open your mouth.”
The woman in red said anxiously, “Hurry and speak. As long as you can speak the Central Plains language, it proves you are not from the barbarian tribes. My sister will not kill you.”
Logically, Lan Ling should have been doomed. Because he was from Earth and did not know any Central Plains language at all.
But… the so-called Central Plains language they mentioned was exactly the same as Chinese. Although the accent had some variations, Lan Ling could easily understand every single word.
This was not normal! After all, this was another world. There were two moons, griffins, unicorns. It was full of fantastical elements and clearly not ancient Earth.
The language of any world should be different. Yet these women were speaking Chinese. What on earth was going on? Was it a coincidence? There could not be such a coincidence.
“As expected, a barbarian. Die.” The woman in black said coldly. Her curved blade slashed down fiercely.
“I am not a barbarian.” Lan Ling quickly spoke up.
The woman in black’s blade stopped instantly. She looked at Lan Ling in some astonishment.
“Sister, I told you he is not a barbarian. His Central Plains language is even more standard than ours.” The woman in red said.
The woman in black stared intently at Lan Ling and said, “Say another sentence. Anything at all.”
The woman in red added, “Sister, one more sentence will prove it.”
“I am not a barbarian. Who are you two?” Lan Ling asked.
After hearing Lan Ling’s second sentence, the younger sister also looked at him in shock and said, “Sister, he… his voice is very similar to the young master’s.”
“Indeed…” The woman in black’s breathing quickened. Then her curved blade flashed like lightning.
Lan Ling only felt a chill across his face. Blade light flickered chaotically, and then all the messy beard on his face fell away, revealing his clean and smooth features.
At that moment, the two twin female warriors were completely stunned. They stared at Lan Ling’s face in disbelief.
“Not only the voice, even the appearance is very similar to the young master.” The younger sister said.
“This… could this be the will of heaven? Does heaven not wish to destroy our Suo clan?” The woman in black said, her voice trembling.
“What do your words mean?” Lan Ling asked.
The woman in black did not reply. Instead she pointed to the side.
Only then did Lan Ling notice that there was actually a coffin inside the carriage. What these sisters had been escorting all along was precisely this coffin.
“We are vassal warriors of the Suo clan. Our master, Count Suo Long, has passed away. The young miss ordered us to go to the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range to find Young Master Suo Lun and have him inherit the title. But all we found was his corpse.” The woman in black said, “So we travelled thousands of miles to transport the coffin back to the count’s residence in the royal city. On the way, we encountered you on the verge of death.”
With that, the woman in black directly lifted the coffin lid, revealing the body inside.
Thanks to some kind of medicine, the corpse had been perfectly preserved with no trace of decay.
Lan Ling could see clearly. The person lying inside did indeed look very similar to him, at least eighty percent alike. Only much more handsome. As for build, the height appeared almost identical to his own.
Lan Ling was truly astonished. After transmigrating to this other world, there was actually someone who looked so much like him, and that person was already dead.
“What is your name?” The woman in black asked.
“Lan Ling.” Lan Ling answered.
“Where is your home? Why were you here?” The woman in black asked.
“I… do not know where my home is.” Lan Ling hesitated for a moment before replying. He had transmigrated here, so it was truly difficult to explain his origins.
The woman in black was silent for a while, then said, “Lan Ling, life is the most precious thing to everyone. I believe it is no exception for you, correct?”
Lan Ling nodded.
The woman in black continued, “And since I saved your life, you should repay me, right?”
Lan Ling already knew what she was about to say. For a moment he did not know how to respond.
The woman in black said, “Correct. You must repay me for saving your life. Therefore, I want you to impersonate Young Master Suo Lun and go to the royal city to inherit the title.”
The matter was too sudden. Lan Ling opened his mouth but did not know what to say. After a long pause he finally replied, “Although I look similar to him, I am not exactly the same. The differences can still be noticed.”
The woman in black said, “Do not worry. I have a way to make your appearance identical to his.”
“But… but…” Lan Ling wanted to refuse inwardly, yet he did not know what to say.
The woman in black said, “Lan Ling, although I do not know your background, I can tell you were not born into wealth. Your life has been quite difficult and impoverished, correct?”
Lan Ling had depended on his sister since childhood. At first it had truly been very hard. Later, when his sister began earning a bit more money, and after he started working part-time while attending university, their lives gradually improved. Among his university classmates, he was indeed the one from the poorest family background.
The woman in black continued, “And the Young Master Suo Lun you would impersonate is the sole heir of the count’s residence. The Suo clan is not only nobility of the kingdom, but also a hereditary feudal lord for two hundred years. Generation after generation, they have ruled Tianshui City.”
She began to tempt Lan Ling with wealth and power, but Lan Ling was almost unmoved. Right now his heart was filled with only one thought: find any possible way to return to his sister’s side, protect her, and take care of her.
The woman in black went on, “Do you know how large Tianshui City is? Five hundred li in radius, five hundred thousand people, twenty thousand troops. As long as you agree to my request, not only will you become a count of the kingdom, but this entire foundation will belong completely to you.”
Lan Ling’s heart skipped a beat. Not because he was tempted by the wealth. But because he was shocked by the sheer scale of this inheritance. Five hundred li in radius meant over fifty thousand square kilometres. That was equivalent to two or three prefecture-level cities in China on Earth. This truly was an astronomical fortune. Even the richest people on Earth did not possess such wealth and authority.
And back on Earth, Lan Ling’s greatest wish had been, after marrying his sister, to buy a larger new house. In his city, housing prices were forty thousand yuan per square metre.
This Suo Lun had been born as the heir to such a vast estate. Truly born with a golden key in his mouth. What a pity he had died so young.
“How did your young master die?” Lan Ling asked.
The woman in black replied, “He did not know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth. He pursued Princess Zhi Ning and suffered unprecedented humiliation and blow. So he left the royal city to clear his mind in the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range, and ended up dying there.”
Lan Ling asked, “Was he killed by someone?”
The woman in black said, “No. The Heavenly Demon Mountain Range contains countless mysterious ruins. It is extremely dangerous.”
Lan Ling organised his words in his mind. After thinking it through, he opened his mouth and said, “Two ladies, although I come from humble origins, I want to be myself. I do not want to be anyone’s appendage or puppet, nor do I want to impersonate anyone, even if that person is ten thousand times richer than me.”
The woman in black was stunned. She had not expected Lan Ling to refuse what appeared to be an enormous stroke of good fortune. She looked at him seriously, confirming the sincerity in his words. Then a hint of admiration appeared in her eyes. Slowly she said, “I admire that you have such thoughts. You are a proud person. Then, how do you plan to repay me for saving your life?”