Transformation

Xu Yuan froze for a second, then hurriedly caught hold of this big block of ice. "Don't be in such a rush." "..." Ran Qingmo looked at him, puzzled. Her eyes seemed to ask: Didn't you mean for me to go kill that Bai Zhao just now? Xu Yuan said nothing, merely blinking at her. Ran Qingmo blinked back in confusion. Xu Yuan glanced toward her seat. Ran Qingmo obediently sat back down. With that settled, Xu Yuan turned his gaze back to Xu Xinyao. "I die, or he dies. Choose." After a long pause, Xu Xinyao spoke with evident difficulty: "Third Brother, this isn't a simple binary choice. He has no reason to betray us, and no one would believe him anyway." Xu Yuan nodded and said in a low voice, "You're right. Given my current reputation, the world wouldn't take the word of a mere gang leader. But Xinyao, you seem to have forgotten one thing." "What?" Xu Xinyao asked. Xu Yuan said flatly, "Those friends of yours have met me before. They know what kind of person I am now." "..." Xu Xinyao's pupils contracted slightly. Xu Yuan continued, "Huanglong Market is too close to both Shengshan County and Wanxiang City. The timeline matches, the people match, and with this kind of information on top of that, do you really think they wouldn't think twice about such a coincidence? And if they do think twice, won't they tell their elders?" At this point, Xu Yuan smiled ambiguously. "Of course, you could also claim that the people you associate with are all fools who wouldn't think that far." "..." Xu Xinyao fell silent. Xu Yuan looked directly into her eyes. "Xinyao, I only just told you how Second Brother died. "Even the slightest possibility of such a thing cannot be permitted. Even if I agreed, Father wouldn't, because if it happens, I will certainly die." Sighing, Xu Yuan cast his gaze toward the sky outside the pavilion. "Ten years from now, he could say whatever he pleased. By then, I'm confident my cultivation would surpass the current Xu Changge. But not right now. I'm too weak." Xu Chang'an had not become a second Xu Yinhe—because he had died. In this world, cultivation did not decide everything, but without cultivation, many things simply could not be done. After his words fell, Xu Xinyao remained quiet for a long time. Xu Yuan waited a moment. Seeing that she still offered no answer, he gave up trying to persuade her. Looking away, he picked up his chopsticks and murmured, "Forget it. Let's eat first—" "He dies." "What?" Xu Yuan paused, looking at Xu Xinyao in mild disbelief. Xu Xinyao's hands were clenched tightly against her lap. She lifted her eyes, which were slightly rimmed with red. "He dies. I... I don't want Third Brother to die." "..." Now it was Xu Yuan's turn to fall silent, his expression turning somewhat strange. After a long daze, Xu Yuan suddenly beamed, reaching out to brush away the tear about to spill from the corner of her eye. "Hey, don't cry. I was just teasing you. "I didn't lie to him earlier. I really do plan to speak to Father about him. Though he'll most likely be placed under house arrest, his life should be safe." Hearing this, Xu Xinyao's expression shifted through several emotions. She turned her face away, biting her lip. "Third Brother, all you ever do is bully me..." Xu Yuan withdrew his hand, poured himself a cup of fragrant tea, and pointed at the other human-skin mask in the compartment of the box on the table. "Put it on. Don't let anyone see you, or someone else might end up having to die." "Mm." Xu Xinyao nodded silently. Having dealt with that, Xu Yuan noticed that Ran Qingmo was still staring at him. In high spirits, he leaned in a little closer and asked with a light chuckle, "Staring at me all this time—does this mask look good?" With his masculine scent drawing near, Ran Qingmo instinctively sat up straighter and drew back slightly. She studied him earnestly for a few breaths before replying, "Mm... not as good as you looked before." "Oh?" Xu Yuan uttered a soft murmur of surprise. After a brief pause, he asked in a serious tone, "That's too vague. Describe for me how I looked better before than I do now." "..." Hearing his solemn tone, Ran Qingmo's eyes narrowed slightly as she stared intently at him, seemingly scouring her mind for adjectives. Just then, Xu Xinyao rolled her eyes and passed over a bronze mirror. "Third Brother, stop putting Sister Qingmo on the spot. See for yourself." "Tsk." Xu Yuan clicked his tongue and shot his fourth sister a glare, but sat up and took the mirror to look. A clean-looking, handsome young man met his eyes. Reaching up to touch his face, he felt no sensation of a foreign layer at all. It was far more natural than the technology of his past life, and it could be put on and removed at will. A bona fide piece of black tech. Pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan smiled and looked up at Xu Xinyao, who had already put on her mask as well. Though she wore the disguise, the calm, gentle grace inherent to her demeanor remained impossible to hide. Xu Yuan watched her without speaking. Xu Xinyao asked, a little puzzled, "Third Brother, why are you staring at me?" Xu Yuan rose slowly to his feet and replied, "The higher-ups of the Wanxiang Sect have seen you. Even if an intent-soul can't see through this mask, your bearing is far too similar." Xu Xinyao started slightly. Watching Xu Yuan step closer, she asked in a low voice, "Then what should we do? Find someone to apply cosmetics and disguise me?" Xu Yuan stepped behind his younger sister and brushed through her long hair draped over her shoulders. "Your face is already completely changed—what other disguise do you want? Changing your hairstyle will do the trick." "Hairstyle?" Xu Xinyao blinked. "Give me a few hair ties," Xu Yuan said with a smile. Though puzzled, Xu Xinyao handed them over. Recalling a bit, Xu Yuan gathered up her glossy black hair and began working with practiced skill. For a time, the pavilion fell completely silent. Sitting opposite them, Ran Qingmo quietly watched Xu Yuan tie Xu Xinyao's hair with a brooding look. Fifteen minutes later, Xu Xinyao stared unblinkingly at the somewhat unconventional hairstyle reflected in the mirror. Then she shifted her gaze in the mirror to look at Xu Yuan behind her, her expression turning peculiar. "Third Brother... what kind of hairstyle is this?" "A hairstyle that can change your temperament," Xu Yuan said with a smile, looking at the rather cool, sharp Xu Xinyao in the mirror. He had learned this in his past life from a girlfriend who loved dressing up. She had sported a different hairstyle every day and always pestered him to help her; over time, he had picked it up. Xu Xinyao went quiet for a moment, the corners of her lips curving up in gentle teasing. "It seems over the years, Third Brother did pick up a few tricks to win over girls after all." "If you keep quiet, no one will take you for a mute." Xu Yuan gave the high ponytail at the back of her head a gentle tug and instructed in a low voice, "When we go to the Wanxiang Sect, remember not to wear what you have on now. Change into something more nimble and crisp—something like what Ran Qingmo wears would be great." With that, he set the remaining hair ties on the stone table and turned away, ignoring his adopted sister's soft wince of pain. And then, his eyes met Ran Qingmo's brooding gaze. After exchanging looks for two seconds, Xu Yuan asked casually, "Do you want one too?" "..." Ran Qingmo glanced at Xu Xinyao's hairstyle, paused briefly, and shook her head. "No. A hairstyle like that will fall apart when moving fast." Xu Yuan suggested, "You could buy a few hair ornaments engraved with array patterns, or just ask Xu Xinyao for a couple. As long as they aren't struck head-on, it won't come undone." This big block of ice always dressed in black, letting her hair fall naturally over her shoulders, never styling it. In the end, Ran Qingmo shook her head again. "A waste of time." "Fair enough." Seeing this, Xu Yuan did not press the matter further. Instead, he sent a voice transmission to Ran Qingmo: "With the hair and clothes taken care of, only the figure remains. Remember to tell Xinyao in a bit to bind her chest." "..." Ran Qingmo looked puzzled. "..." Xu Yuan's gaze slowly drifted downward and paused. "..." Ran Qingmo's hand darted upward, gripping her ink sword.