Chapter 7

"Returning to the capital with the body of Young Master Soren, I saved a dying teenager in the uninhabited mountains on the southeastern border of the kingdom. To my great surprise, he looked very much like Young Master Soren, in appearance, build, and even voice. So, I made a decision to have him impersonate Young Master Soren and return to the capital to inherit the title of Earl." Ye Jingyu continued, "He initially refused me, saying he would rather be poor and true to himself than impersonate anyone. I threatened him with the debt of saving his life, and he agreed to impersonate Young Master Soren for three years."

Ye Jingyu really, really took a bold step, making such a significant decision on his own.

"How, how can you do this?" Suoning Bing trembled, "Even if he looks similar, it's impossible to be exactly the same. People will notice the discrepancies."

Ye Jingyu replied, "Don't worry. I took him to the estate of the Nine Spirits Mage to have his face changed. Now he looks exactly like Young Master Soren. I have already cremated Young Master Soren's body and brought back his ashes."

"You... you..." Suoning Bing was speechless, especially because Ye Jingyu had cremated Soren's body without her consent, preventing her from seeing her brother one last time, which caused her immense pain. However, she couldn't bring herself to blame Ye Jingyu, who had acted for the family's sake.

Ye Jingyu knelt on the ground and said, "I have made a mistake, and I am willing to accept any punishment from Miss. But for the sake of the Suo family's century-old legacy, please agree to my plan."

After saying this, Ye Jingyu bowed deeply to the ground.

"Don't do this..." Suoning Bing hurried to help her up, but she couldn't lift her, as she had no martial arts skills.

"I won't get up until you agree," Ye Jingyu said firmly.

Then, Suoning Bing noticed that Ye Jingfeng was missing. She usually stayed with Ye Jingyu like a conjoined twin, so she asked, "Where is Jingfeng?"

Ye Jingyu paused for a moment and then said, "The face change cost 1,000 gold coins, and I didn't have enough. The Nine Spirits Mage proposed that my sister Jingfeng stay with her for three years in exchange for the face change."

"How could you do this?" Suoning Bing said, pained, "Jingfeng has never left our side. Leaving her in the mage's estate for three years will be too much for her. You should immediately take money to the mage's estate and bring Little Feng back."

"It's too late for that. You know how peculiar mages can be; they never go back on their word. For the revival of our family, we must do whatever it takes. Losing three years of freedom is a small price to pay," Ye Jingyu said.

Suoning Bing, angry, said, "Why didn't you consult me before making these decisions?"

Ye Jingyu replied, "There was no time, and the capital is full of prying eyes."

Of course, the most critical reason was that Miss Suoning Bing would not have agreed, so Ye Jingyu had to act first and present the fait accompli.

Then, Ye Jingyu returned to the main topic, "Whether to have the teenager impersonate Young Master Soren is up to you, Miss."

Suoning Bing was plunged into a difficult decision. After a while, she sighed, "Where is the child you brought?"

Ye Jingyu said, "I have already brought him. He is waiting outside the Earl's residence."

"Bring him in, I want to meet him," Suoning Bing said.

"Yes," Ye Jingyu stood up and walked out, letting out a long breath when she was out of Suoning Bing's sight.

...

Lanling followed Ye Jingyu into the Earl's residence. As they walked deeper, his heart beat faster and faster.

The Earl's residence was large but somewhat old, and there were not many servants or maids. He saw only about a dozen people, which was indeed a small number for such a large estate.

Turning through a small garden, they arrived at a secluded back courtyard. Inside the courtyard was a delicate pavilion, and the white pear blossoms were in full bloom.

Ye Jingyu led Lanling to the pavilion door and whispered, "Miss, the young master has arrived."

"Let him in," a voice came from inside, slightly hoarse but incredibly melodious.

Lanling's body trembled as if he had heard a hallucination, and he dug his ear with his finger.

"Push the door and go in," Ye Jingyu said, then stood guard outside, not allowing anyone to approach.

Lanling stood there, his heart beating faster, feeling like he was about to take an exam, despite not really wanting to impersonate Soren.

Taking a deep breath, Lanling pushed the door open.

Instantly, he saw a graceful and unparalleled silhouette. Just this silhouette alone made his heart race.

The entire room was filled with a faint but incredibly captivating fragrance, not from incense but from the woman standing before him.

Lanling had never seen such a captivating silhouette, and he felt a strange, special sensation.

Moreover, his heart suddenly clenched for some reason.

Suoning Bing took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and turned around. Facing a stranger who looked exactly like her brother required mental preparation.

The moment she turned, Lanling's heart stopped, his eyes widened to the maximum, and he stood there as if struck by lightning, completely motionless.

The woman was truly beautiful, radiating a glow wherever she stood, beautiful to the point of making it hard to breathe, like a celestial being.

However, Lanling's intense reaction was not due to her beauty.

After a full minute, Lanling's body finally regained movement, and he couldn't control the trembling, not just in his hands but also his lips, cheeks, and entire body.

Finally, he rushed forward, tightly embracing Suoning Bing, holding her as if his life depended on it.

"Sister, sister, I found you, I found you! Is this a dream, is this a dream..."

"Heaven has shown mercy, heaven has shown mercy... Your face is healed!"

"I will never leave you again, I will never leave you for a moment..."

Lanling trembled, muttering to himself, tears streaming down his face, feeling an overwhelming joy.

Because the appearance of this Suoning Bing was almost identical to that of his sister, Lankou, on Earth, the sister he had relied on for over a decade, the sister he had secretly loved for many years, the sister whose face had been disfigured by sulfuric acid.

After crossing over to this world, Lanling was almost driven to despair, even swearing to the moon that he would use any means to return to his sister's side. He never expected that his sister would suddenly appear before him.

Is this all fate? Or perhaps the favor of heaven?

But no matter what, Lanling felt an unprecedented happiness, his heart swelling with joy and gratitude, as if it might burst.