Chapter 3

Despite the desolate mountain being empty of people, the female samurai remained vigilant, her eyes as cold as stars, holding a curved sword, ready to pounce like a leopard at any moment.

The carriage they were protecting was long and large, pulled by two fine horses, but it did not look particularly luxurious.

The three horses and one carriage galloped swiftly, getting closer and closer to Lan Ling, who lay on the ground, his fate uncertain. The sky was dark and unclear, and it seemed they were about to trample him. If he were to be stepped on, he would surely die.

Thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters, five meters...

Lan Ling was about to be trampled to death by the high horses.

"Little sister, be careful, there's someone on the road!"

Although it was already dark, the woman in black leather noticed Lan Ling lying in the middle of the road. She suddenly became alert and pulled the reins, stopping the horse.

With a long neigh, the galloping horse was forcibly stopped, its hooves raised high, halting its steps.

The other woman in red leather, with her delicate hands, actually managed to hold back both horses—one she was riding and the other pulling the carriage. The carriage, due to inertia, still rushed forward but was stopped by her other hand.

Unexpectedly, her alluring and delicate body was filled with such immense strength.

"Little sister, guard the carriage and don't move," the woman in black instructed, then drew her curved sword and dismounted, walking toward Lan Ling.

"Okay, sister, be careful," the sister replied, drawing her curved sword to guard the carriage.

They valued this carriage so much; it was unknown what it contained.

The woman in black approached Lan Ling, first placing her curved sword at his neck, then checking his breath. Seeing his disheveled hair and beard, and his tattered clothes, she frowned and said, "He's a savage, almost dead. Might as well kill him."

As she said this, her curved sword was about to slice down on Lan Ling's neck.

"Sister, don't," the sister quickly jumped down and said, "Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

The woman in black said, "Savages eat people and drink blood; they all deserve to die."

The sister walked to Lan Ling and said, "What if he's not a savage? Let's revive him first and see if he can speak the language of the Central Plains. If he can, we won't kill him."

With that, she lifted Lan Ling, using her dragon power to unblock his chest meridians, and gave him a pill, making him swallow it with water.

...

After an unknown amount of time, Lan Ling slowly regained consciousness.

He found himself in a carriage, facing two identical beautiful faces. The only difference was their eyes—one cold and sharp, the other innocent and romantic.

Their clothing was also different—one in tight black leather, the other in tight red leather. But their figures were identical, with nearly devilish curves.

Seeing Lan Ling awake, the woman in black immediately placed her curved sword at his neck, coldly saying, "Speak."

The woman in red anxiously said, "Hurry and speak. If you can speak the language of the Central Plains, it means you're not a barbarian, and sister won't kill you."

Lan Ling was supposed to be doomed. He was from Earth and didn't know the language of the Central Plains.

But... the language they called the language of the Central Plains was exactly the same as Chinese. Although the accent was a bit different, Lan Ling easily recognized every word.

This was abnormal! After all, this was a different world, with two moons, griffins, and unicorns, full of fantastical elements, not the ancient Earth.

The language of any world should be different, yet these women spoke Chinese. What was going on? Could it be a coincidence? There couldn't be such a coincidence.

"Indeed a barbarian, die," the woman in black said coldly, her curved sword about to strike.

"I am not a barbarian," Lan Ling quickly said.

The woman in black's curved sword stopped, and she looked at Lan Ling in surprise.

"Sister, I told you he's not a barbarian. His language of the Central Plains 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."

The woman in red said, "Sister, one sentence is enough to prove it."

"I am not a barbarian. Who are you?" Lan Ling asked.

After hearing Lan Ling's second sentence, the sister looked at him in surprise and said, "Sister, his voice is very similar to the young master's."

"That's right..." The woman in black's breathing quickened, and her curved sword flashed like lightning.

Lan Ling felt a cool sensation on his face, the chaotic beard falling off, revealing a clean face.

At this moment, the twin female samurais were completely stunned, looking at Lan Ling in disbelief.

"Not only does his voice resemble the young master, but his appearance is also very similar," the sister said.

"Is this... the will of heaven? Is heaven not destroying our Su family?" the woman in black said, her voice trembling.

"What do you mean by that?" Lan Ling asked.

The woman in black did not speak but pointed to Lan Ling's side.

Lan Ling then noticed that there was a coffin in the carriage, and the sisters had been escorting it.

"We are the retainers of the Su family. Our master, Count Solon, died, and the young lady sent us to the Demon Mountain Range to find the young master, Solen, to inherit the title. But we only found his body," the woman in black said. "So, we are traveling a long distance to return the coffin to the capital's count's mansion, and we found you on the verge of death on the road."

With that, the woman in black lifted the coffin lid, revealing the body inside.

Due to some medicine, the body was well-preserved, without any signs of decay.

Lan Ling could see clearly that the person lying inside looked very much like him, at least eighty percent similar, but much more handsome. In terms of height, it was almost identical to his.

Lan Ling was truly astonished. After crossing to this world, he found someone who looked so much like him, and this person was already dead.

"What's your name?" the woman in black asked.

"Lan Ling," Lan Ling replied.

"Where is your home? Why were you here?" the woman in black asked.

"I... don't know where my home is," Lan Ling hesitated, as he was from another world and found it hard to explain his origin.

The woman in black was silent for a moment and said, "Lan Ling, life is the most precious thing for everyone, and I believe it is the same for you, right?"

Lan Ling nodded.

The woman in black said, "And I saved your life, so you should repay me, right?"

Lan Ling already knew what she was going to say but didn't know how to respond.

The woman in black said, "Yes, you should repay me for saving your life. So, I want you to impersonate the young master, Solen, and go to the capital to inherit the title."

This was too sudden. Lan Ling opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. After a while, he said, "Although I look like him, I'm not exactly the same. There are still differences."

The woman in black said, "Don't worry, I have a way to make you look exactly like him."

"But... but..." Lan Ling wanted to refuse but didn't know what to say.

The woman in black said, "Lan Ling, although I don't know your identity, I can see that you are not from a wealthy family and have lived a rather poor and difficult life, right?"

Lan Ling had grown up with his sister, and it was indeed very difficult at first. Later, his sister earned more money, and after Lan Ling started university and worked part-time, their life improved. Among his classmates, he was indeed the one with the poorest family background.

The woman in black said, "The young master, Solen, is the only heir of the count's mansion. The Su family is not only a noble family in the kingdom but also a hereditary feudal lord for two hundred years, ruling the city of Tianshui."

She began to tempt Lan Ling with wealth and power, but Lan Ling was almost unmoved. All he could think about was finding a way to return to his sister, protect her, and take care of her.

The woman in black continued, "Do you know how big Tianshui City is? It covers five hundred miles, with a population of five hundred thousand and an army of twenty thousand. If you agree to my request, not only will you become a count in the kingdom, but this entire estate will belong to you."

Lan Ling's heart skipped a beat, not because he was tempted by the wealth, but because he was amazed by the enormity of the estate. Five hundred miles was over fifty thousand square kilometers, equivalent to two or three prefecture-level cities in China. This was truly immense wealth and power, more than even the richest person on Earth could have.

Lan Ling's greatest wish on Earth was to marry his sister and buy a larger new house. The housing price in his city was forty thousand yuan per square meter.

Solen was born as the heir to this estate, truly born with a golden spoon in his mouth, but unfortunately, he died young.

"How did your young master die?" Lan Ling asked.

The woman in black said, "He pursued Princess Zining without knowing his limits, suffered unprecedented humiliation and setbacks, and left the capital to go to the Demon Mountain Range to clear his mind, where he died."

Lan Ling said, "Was he killed by someone?"

The woman in black said, "No, the Demon Mountain Range is full of mysterious ruins and is very dangerous."

Lan Ling organized his thoughts and said, "Ladies, although I come from a poor background, I want to be myself, not anyone's subordinate or puppet, and I don't want to impersonate anyone, even if they are ten thousand times wealthier than me."

The woman in black was taken aback, not expecting Lan Ling to refuse such a seemingly great opportunity. She looked at him seriously, confirming the truth of his words, and then showed a look of admiration, saying, "I appreciate your thoughts. You are a proud person. So, how will you repay me for saving your life?"