Chapter 5: Here I Come, Royal City

Lanling glanced at Suo Lun's flayed corpse, a shudder running through him, and said, "Where is the skin of the corpse?"

"It was peeled off. This way, you've become him, dead without any evidence to the contrary. The face I change must be flawless," the mysterious sorcerer said.

Lanling breathed a sigh of relief, as long as the face wasn't made from Suo Lun's skin.

He lay down, and the sorcerer gently scooped up the mysterious crystal mask, gently placing it on Lanling's face.

Then, he felt an itching sensation, because the mask was flowing, penetrating.

That's right, it had completely infiltrated Lanling's face. Since it was fluid, it gradually altered Lanling's visage. Indeed, this mysterious mask was alive.

The nose became slightly higher, the lip contour more delicate, the corners of the eyes more upturned, the eyebrows more handsome, and the eyelids filled with a teasing charm.

The flow of the phantom mask lasted a full quarter of an hour, maybe even longer, to the extent that Lanling, in his dazed state, felt as if he was about to fall asleep.

Finally, everything stopped. Lanling felt nothing on his face. He couldn't help but reach out and touch his face, finding that aside from his skin becoming more delicate, there was no feeling of separation, the touch as clear and sharp as ever, with even every stubble of beard still present, just like he wasn't wearing a mask at all, as if it was his own face.

He even began to doubt whether the process had failed—how could he not feel the mask at all.

But upon seeing the shocked expressions of the Ye Jingyu Sisters, he knew the transformation had been successful.

The sorcerer held a mirror in front of Lanling.

This mirror was made of crystal and nearly matched the mirrors of Earth, showing every detail.

Seeing himself in the mirror, Lanling was stunned.

…

Lanling found that his appearance had completely changed, although it still bore a 70% resemblance to his original self. This new face had an added touch of handsomeness, exactly matching Suo Lun, without any flaws, even capturing the frivolous and wanton air perfectly.

Just by the face alone, no one would be able to find any faults.

This was truly miraculous, to actually achieve such an identical likeness. The sorcerer's fee was high, but her skill was truly divine.

Lanling said, "What if I want to change back to my own face after a few years? What should I do?"

The sorcerer replied, "Still come to find me, it will cost another thousand gold coins. However, once this phantom mask is removed, it will be completely destroyed and cannot be restored."

Then, pointing at Ye Jingfeng, the sorcerer said, "This girl stays. The two of you go."

Ye Jingfeng's eyes reddened as she said, "I, I'll go send off Sister and him, may I?"

The sorcerer nodded.

…

Ye Jingfeng clung to her sister, unmoving for a long time. Though she didn't cry out loud, she sobbed continuously. Ye Jingyu didn't cry either, but her eyes were deeply red.

The two sisters said nothing to each other; being twins, they communicated heart to heart, so words of farewell and trust weren't necessary.

After letting go of Ye Jingyu, Ye Jingfeng hugged Lanling tightly, saying, "Lanling, from now on, you are our young master. Will you please rejuvenate the Suo Family? And please, protect the miss, will you?"

Lanling's eyes turned red. If not for this pure and kind girl, he would have long been killed by Ye Jingyu with a single stroke; she was truly his savior. Moreover, to revive the Suo Family, she had agreed to stay in this dreadful manor for three years, even though she had never been away from her sister's side.

Suddenly, Lanling felt a heavy sense of responsibility.

"In three years, I will come for you," Lanling said in a low voice.

"It's a deal," Ye Jingfeng said, extending her small hand.

"It's a deal," Lanling agreed and hooked his pinky with hers.

"Well then, off you go. Miss must be getting anxious," said Ye Jingfeng before she turned and ran back into the castle.

And so, the highly skilled yet naive and timid Ye Jingfeng stayed behind in the castle, keeping the strange and solitary mystic sorcerer company.

…

With immense sorrow, Ye Jingyu and Lanling left the Sorcerer Manor.

Suo Lun's body could not be taken back because it was entirely ruined; the skin had been peeled off his entire body. It would surely decompose on the way, so it had to be burned and the ashes taken back.

Ye Jingyu placed Suo Lun's body on a flat slab of stone, took out a bottle of fiery red liquid, poured it over the body, and handed the torch to Lanling, saying, "Now you are the young master, the only man in the family, you should do this."

Lanling was taken aback as he received the torch, immediately feeling its heavy weight—not the weight of the torch itself, but the weight of Ye Jingyu's words.

Gazing at Suo Lun's body on the stone slab, Lanling said softly, "I don't know if I can do this well, but I will try my best."

Then, he ignited Suo Lun's body.

"Boom..." In an instant, blue flames surged up fiercely. With the help of the mystic fluid, Suo Lun's body was immediately engulfed by the flames and burned intensely.

Within less than a quarter of an hour, the flames died down, and Suo Lun's body had completely turned to dust, leaving only a layer of unburned ash.

Ye Jingyu carefully swept all the ash into a box.

"Let's go, back to the Earl's mansion in the capital," Ye Jingyu said with one last look in the direction of Sorcerer Manor, taking a deep breath before mounting her horse.

Lanling boarded the carriage while Ye Jingyu rode a steed, driving the carriage and galloping toward the northwest, heading for the capital of the Rage Wave Kingdom, Zhi Du!

…

Five days after leaving Sorcerer Manor, the carriage entered the cities of the Rage Wave Kingdom.

Looking through the window at these cities, Lanling clearly perceived a term: a mix of Eastern and Western architecture. There were ancient Eastern carvings, pavilions, and elegant structures, as well as Western castles, amphitheaters, and statues. These cities were all very prosperous, especially toward the capital, the closer they got, the more bustling it became.

On the tenth day, a grand and colossal city stood before Lanling—the capital of Rage Wave Country had arrived.

The Rage Wave Kingdom, the southern hegemon of the Middle Earth World, spanned thousands of miles and was home to over thirty million people.

The capital city, also known as Zhi Du, had a population of one million, not only the largest city in the Rage Wave Kingdom but also one of the top five famous cities of the world.

The walls of Zhi Du City were sixty to seventy miles in circumference, and standing before them, one could not help but be overwhelmed by their majestic splendor.

Whether on the walls or beneath them, there were soldiers clad in distinctive armor everywhere.

Even in the sky, Lanling saw several dark shadows.

Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be samurai riding Griffin Beasts, patrolling the air. In this world, even an exotic beast air force existed.

The three gates to the city were already wide open, yet countless crowds were jamming in front of the gate, waiting to enter. Lanling noticed that there were people of various ethnicities: mostly people of Asian descent with a small number of Caucasians, brown people, and others.

After Ye Jingyu presented a jade token, she rode straight into the city through the middle gate without any exchange with the officers—such was the privilege of nobility.

After entering the city, a massive urban sprawl and swarm of people washed over them.

"Capital city, here I am!" Lanling couldn't help but whisper to himself.