The beauty that could topple cities, I’d never witnessed such a thing before, but now, I was seeing it. In almost an instant, I was utterly stunned by the peerless beauty before me. The wine-red silk robes swayed gently in the breeze, her exquisite features beyond the reach of any mere description.

"Liu Mengli." Gods, this woman looked exactly like Liu Mengli from Chinese Paladin 4 that I used to play. More importantly, she shared my rare trait of black hair and black eyes. She was, by far, the person I’d seen since arriving in this world who bore the strongest resemblance to someone from the modern world. Stranger still, the woman’s features were strikingly similar to my mother's—the eyes, the nose, the mouth. If her hair were blue and styled like my mother’s, she might be almost indistinguishable from her, though much younger, perhaps only eighteen or nineteen, and about my height.

"My name is Jiuyuan Shenyin." The stunning woman stared at me with equal shock, for in this moment, I, too, possessed black hair and black eyes, bearing little difference from her. "I truly never imagined I would meet someone so like myself here."

Everyone present was dumbstruck. In the Mafa Continent, black hair and black eyes were incredibly rare, yet here were two of them appearing simultaneously. Moreover, one was a beauty capable of toppling nations. The shock was beyond words.

"Indeed," I murmured, "You are the first person I've met who shares my black hair and black eyes."

"Xingchen, are you absolutely certain you have no siblings?" Long Xin whispered. "Not only do you share the same eye and hair color, but your appearances are also very similar."

"They look exactly the same. Are you perhaps twins?" Dong Guan muttered.

"If Xingchen weren't with us, I would genuinely believe you two were brother and sister," Long Qi exclaimed in awe.

"Can you tell me your name?" Jiuyuan Shenyin's voice held an almost uncontrollable tremor; clearly, she was deeply moved. Her dark, luminous eyes seemed slightly vacant as she stared intently at me, as if trying to etch my entire being into her memory.

"My name is Xingchen." As if sleepwalking, I unconsciously spoke my name.

"Xingchen," the beautiful woman mused for a long moment before forcibly steadying her emotions. "Where are you from, Xingchen? Is that your true name?"

Could she truly be related to me? Why else would she instantly seek to know my real identity upon meeting me? For a moment, I didn't know what to do. As a Ranger (Youxia), I knew I must strictly guard my identity. Yet, conversely, I felt an inexplicable kinship with someone who looked so much like me, and subconsciously, I didn't want to hide anything from her. Perhaps she really did share some blood tie with me; otherwise, I couldn't accept that two people in this world looked so remarkably alike.

However, one of the most fundamental principles of a Ranger was never to reveal one’s true identity under any circumstances. For now, even Long Xin and the others were unaware of my true identity. Though I was merely a minor retainer from Ginko Village, it was the only thing I currently concealed from them. Of course, they concealed things from me too. Though I knew they belonged to the Long family of Beichuan, who could truly verify if that identity was genuine? Just as Yan Luo and I called each other siblings, hadn't I posed as a member of the Lan family of Cangyue Flowing Stream back then? Even comrades who had shared life and death possessed their own final boundaries, their last secrets. This was an ironclad, insurmountable rule for all Rangers. The world of Rangers was volatile; existing within it meant one careless step could bring utter disaster upon friends and family.

"That... I..." In that instant, I was lost for words. Faced with this woman's expectant, even fervent gaze, I could only instinctively clench my teeth, terrified that a slip of the tongue might expose me. I was no longer an unknown nobody; I was a wanted fugitive pursued by the Four Great Clans and Sabbac. No matter how special this woman felt, I could not afford this risk.

"Never mind," the woman said, seeming slightly disappointed, yet still unable to mask her inner joy. "Though I deeply wish to know who you are, since you are a Ranger, you must uphold your principles." She offered a captivating smile. "I hope you have the opportunity to inquire thoroughly with your elders. Perhaps you share some special connection with Jiuyuan."

"Jiuyuan Shenyin," I murmured. "I'll remember it. If I get the chance, I will definitely ask my mother."

"Yes. If possible, I hope you will call me Sister Shenyin from now on." Jiuyuan Shenyin looked at me with profound anticipation, clearly feeling an extraordinary closeness to me as well.

"Good. Having an older sister—I couldn't ask for more." Perhaps she truly did have some special connection to me.

"Excuse me!" It was only then that the staff member found an opening to interject. "They are the Youlong Gang who accepted the escort mission yesterday."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Since you have accepted Xingchen as your younger brother, we are essentially family now," Long Xin finally recovered from her initial shock. "I am Long Xin, the leader of the Youlong Gang, a High-Rank Initial Stage Mage."

"Youlong Gang Vice-Leader Long Qi, High-Rank Mid-Stage Daoist." Long Qi performed the most courteous noble etiquette.

"Youlong Gang Vice-Leader Long Zhan, High-Rank Initial Stage Warrior." Long Zhan’s rugged face turned an unusual shade of red; the man was clearly extremely nervous.

"Youlong Gang Vice-Leader, Xingchen, Scarlet Moon Initial Stage Warrior." Although I had already introduced myself, some supplementary information was necessary.

"Youlong Gang Member, Dong Guan, Intermediate Mid-Stage Mage." Dong Guan’s eyes were shining, staring blankly at the beauty before him; it seemed this kid was rather bold.

"Youlong Gang Member, Jin Hong, Intermediate Mid-Stage Daoist." Of everyone, Jin Hong appeared to be the most composed.

"Heh, this is quite interesting." Beside Jiuyuan Shenyin stood a beautiful woman around twenty years old, with golden hair and eyes, her appearance bearing some resemblance to Yan Luo. However, her figure could only be described as explosive—a super temptress who could easily make people feel heated just by looking at her. By all rights, she was a rare, stunning beauty, but standing next to Jiuyuan Shenyin, she was sadly overshadowed, to the point that everyone had overlooked her presence. Now, she was observing us with curiosity. "One leader, three vice-leaders, yet only two regular members?"

"Well, well, hehe." Long Xin was uncharacteristically blushing deeply. "We'll have more soon, hehe."

I felt cold sweat pouring down my back. Gods, I’d embarrassed myself completely this time. Long Qi and the others were no better off.

"Regardless, you at least have a Scarlet Moon Initial Stage Warrior," Jiuyuan Shenyin chuckled softly. "This Rank Five Guild is indeed worthy of its name."

"..." This time, the group was truly speechless.

And so, after meeting two employers whose beauty seemed inhuman—or rather, after meeting a newly recognized older sister—we finally embarked on our first escort mission on the Cangyue Continent: Destination, Cangyue City.

To my surprise, this newly acknowledged older sister possessed an unreasonable side. As soon as we set off, she eagerly exercised her privilege as an elder sister, ordering me to sit with her in the carriage for conversation. This left me incredibly awkward, unsure whether to sit or stand. Meanwhile, Long Qi outside the carriage was consumed with envy.

Long Xin, having moved past the initial shock, had regained her composure. Dong Guan and Jin Hong seemed relatively unaffected, cheerfully bringing up the rear as the rearguard. As for Long Zhan, he had been specifically assigned the duty of driving the carriage. It was understandable; these two delicate, high-status patrons lacked even a coachman, a detail that seemed incongruous with their noble bearing and rich attire.

The open main road posed no immediate threats, so everyone relaxed their guard somewhat. The two great beauties in the carriage also seemed unable to tolerate the silence and engaged me in sporadic conversation.

As the saying goes, traveling with pleasant company makes work feel lighter. What’s more, riding along while chatting with two stunners—seeing the friendly rapport between me and Jiuyuan Shenyin—made Long Qi and Long Zhan wish they could kick me out and take my seat. However, since Shenyin only acknowledged me as her brother, I felt a small surge of satisfaction.

Through our casual talk, I finally learned the name of the other great beauty: Jiuyuan Shenyi, Jiuyuan Shenyin’s personal attendant. Now that we were family, Shenyin seemed to hide nothing, frankly explaining her current situation. It turned out Jiuyuan was a princess of the Dragon Demon Empire. Jiuyuan Shenyin was traveling to the Cangyue Empire as an envoy for the Dragon Demon Empire, but upon arriving in Cangyue, they were ambushed by an unknown force, resulting in heavy casualties among her retinue. Only she and Shenyi managed to escape by chance using a Random Teleport Scroll. They were currently fleeing for their lives. They had arrived here five days ago, after which Shenyi sought out Rangers to hire their assistance in reaching Cangyue City. Unfortunately, Wenda City was remote, and almost no Rangers frequented the area, so the mistress and servant had to wait until we appeared.

Hearing all this, I could only reflect on it as fate. After waiting so long, I ended up stumbling upon them. It seemed our destinies were quite similar; both of us were fugitives on the run. When the conversation turned to my situation, I vaguely mentioned running into major trouble in Biqi and that I was coming to Cangyue to seek refuge and continue my cultivation.

Of course, I also realized that I might have just taken on a very dangerous burden. Anyone who dared to attack royalty must be an extremely powerful force and surely wouldn't want Shenyin to reach Cangyue City alive. In fact, I already regretted accepting this mission; I foresaw that endless dangers lay ahead. But, facing a woman who felt so uniquely significant and who had already claimed me as her brother, abandoning her was simply not something I could do.

Damn it, just because she called me brother, I absolutely cannot leave her behind. For safety, I decided to equip her with my disguise and identity concealment gear.

"Sister, I have an idea," I hesitated, but then voiced the thought in my mind.

Shenyin looked at me, confused, not understanding what I meant.

"You don't realize, your black hair and black eyes are far too conspicuous. If someone spots you, it will be disastrous."

"I know, but there’s nothing I can do," Shenyin replied helplessly.

"I genuinely don't know how you two have survived this long without being caught." I felt a sense of frustrated helplessness. Gods, these two delicate beauties seemed completely inexperienced in the martial world, yet they had survived this long—it was truly a miracle.

"I believe this must be the arrangement of the Great God Mafa," Shenyin said piously. "When I set out on this mission, the Celestial Master warned me of terrible disaster, but that I would meet a benefactor who would help me overcome the peril." At this point, Shenyin looked at me. "The Celestial Master’s prophecies have never been wrong. Haven't I found you now?"

"Sweat!" I was thoroughly defeated by that logic. "Perhaps I'm not your benefactor at all."

"No, I believe you are." Shenyin was firm. "When I asked the Celestial Master who this benefactor helping me might be, he replied that I would know upon meeting them. Now, I finally understand."

"Alright, if the Celestial Master said I am your benefactor, then perhaps that guarantees your safety," I said, a little speechless. Honestly, I had no faith in these mystical, vague prophecies. But I didn't want to let her become too disheartened, and perhaps this prophecy had given me a slight boost of confidence; maybe I could ensure their safe arrival in Cangyue City.

"Since you believe I am your benefactor, then from now on, I hope you will listen to my arrangements." I took out the Phantom Demon Eye from my spatial pouch.

"I will listen to you." Shenyin seemed to trust me implicitly.

"First, I must change your appearance."

"Change my appearance?"

"Yes."

"How will we change it?"

"First, we change the hair color, then the style," I continued, taking out the dye. "Then, we alter the eye color as well."

"Hair, eyes, colors can be changed," Shenyin stared at me blankly.

"Just leave it to me." However, I only had brown dye in stock, so I could only dye her hair brown. At this moment, I was extremely grateful to Yan Luo back in Biqi; without the Phantom Demon Eye she gave me and these precious dyes, I wouldn't have had a good solution.

.........................

An hour later, a brown-haired, brown-eyed version of Jiuyuan Shenyin was born. Her facial contours and skin appeared much rougher, drastically different from her original look. The hairstyle hadn't been changed yet; I didn't know what style would suit her. In short, she was now uglier by more than just a little compared to her original appearance. Yet, even so, she was still far prettier than the average girl. This was the limit of the makeup artistry I could achieve; trying to make her uglier would look forced and draw suspicion. It seemed being too beautiful was also a problem; even making someone look plainer wasn't easy. Furthermore, the clothes needed changing, but I didn't have the nerve to ask her to change in front of me.

Shenyi, watching from the side, was utterly astonished by the miraculous transformation I wrought on Shenyin. She immediately insisted I change her hair color too. I had already planned on it. Since she asked, it suited my intentions perfectly. Half an hour later, Shenyi's golden hair was forcibly dyed a long shade of brown. Unfortunately, I only had one set of the Phantom Demon Eye, so I couldn't change her eye color. But I thought that with a change of hairstyle and clothing, no one would recognize them.

Once the hairstyle and eye color were dealt with, the rest was easier. I tactfully slipped out of the carriage.

"Boss, Long Qi, I need to discuss something with you both."

"What is it?" Seeing my grave expression, Long Xin became somewhat nervous.

"I think we might have accepted a major headache." Then I explained Shenyin's situation.

"What?" Long Qi immediately gasped. "The Dragon Demon Empire royalty?"

"Ambushed halfway?" Long Zhan muttered.

"This is truly a massive problem," Jin Hong whispered in shock.

"What do you all think we should do?" I asked helplessly.

"Since we accepted this mission, we must see it through," Long Xin declared firmly. "Besides, she is practically your sister now."

"Heh," Long Qi smirked. "Even if we quit, I suspect you’d insist on escorting them to Cangyue City regardless."

"Just like that time we escorted Sister Ziyue and her brother," Long Zhan commented wistfully.

I felt a bit embarrassed; indeed, I harbored that thought. If Long Xin and the others understood the gravity and chose to withdraw, I would still continue the escort mission myself. The reason would naturally be that I couldn't stand by and watch them die.

Since Long Xin, Long Zhan, and Long Qi had all agreed to continue, the four of us instinctively looked toward Dong Guan and Jin Hong.

"You've all stated your positions. What can two small soldiers like us do?" Dong Guan grumbled.

"I think we should continue the escort," Jin Hong said. "As long as we are careful, there shouldn't be any major issues."

It seemed everyone had decided to press on with the escort mission, which brought me a measure of relief. "Boss, go inside and help them with their final disguise. I’ve done my best to alter their features, but you have more experience with hairstyles and attire; please adjust those for them."

"Hehe, I didn't realize you had this skill," Long Qi said with a suggestive tone.

"Did Yan Luo teach you?" Long Xin sounded distinctly displeased.

"Okay, Boss, now isn't the time to investigate that. In any case, ultimately dress them up like Rangers. That might help mask the inherent noble aura they carry."

"I'll do my best," Yan Luo replied, stepping into the carriage.

"The only thing I worry about now is that our presence in Wenda has been exposed. If the wrong people notice, it will be disastrous," Long Qi worried.

"Yes," Long Zhan agreed. "We need to speed up our journey."

"To be safe, I suggest we don't take a straight path," Jin Hong proposed. "If they truly found us, they will certainly try to catch up as fast as possible, and their route will be a direct line toward Cangyue City."

"You mean you want to take a detour?" Dong Guan asked.

"Only this way can we ensure that even if our tracks were revealed in Wenda, we won't be caught by pursuers immediately," Jin Hong explained.

"That's a good idea," Long Qi affirmed. "For safety's sake, we’ll have to do that."

"And we can't use this carriage anymore," Jin Hong added. "Since we’re dressing them up as Rangers, they need to look like Rangers. Riding in a carriage is inconsistent with that image."

"But can the two of them ride horses?" Dong Guan asked.

"Of course we can," Shenyin emerged from the carriage, but her appearance shocked everyone. Shenyin was now clad in light brown armor, holding a Ling Feng sword in her hand, her former long hair tied up into a bun, just like my current look.

"Hehe, what do you think?" Long Xin said proudly. "I wasn't sure what hairstyle to choose. Since she looks so much like Xingchen, I just decided to alter her look to match Xingchen’s. Since her features are already quite changed, I figured, why not change her gender presentation too?" Long Xin beamed. "What do you think, Boss? I have some skill, right?"

Good heavens, she looked exactly like me. This was the attire I adopted when I returned to ZUMA Hall after seeing Yan Luo and Qian Yue off. I couldn't help but laugh with a bitter edge. "Boss, you really outdid yourself. She’s a girl, how can you turn her into this? How is she supposed to show her face in public?"

"Hehe, I like this look, it's excellent!" Shenyin was excited. "It's so cool! I always wanted to disguise myself as a boy but could never pull it off. Now, it's perfect; I really do look similar!"

"..." I was speechless. Looking at the overtly excited Shenyin, I felt a strange sensation, as if I were looking at another version of myself.

"Um, can you use a sword?" I asked, curious as I looked at the Ling Feng in her hand.

"Of course. As a member of the Dragon Demon Imperial family, how could I not know swordsmanship?" Shenyin adopted a stern posture. "Don't underestimate me; I passed the Warrior Intermediate Initial Stage professional assessment. Ordinary people can’t even get close to me!"

"I really couldn't tell," I said, genuinely humbled. With that level of skill, she still felt the need to boast; I was truly impressed by her.

"Then look at me," Shenyi said, now dressed in Ranger gear herself. Shenyi sported brown hair and golden eyes, wearing a standard Mage robe of light green, holding a Sea Soul staff in her hand. Her entire image had changed drastically—she was now a lively, capable novice beauty mage, clean and full of vigor.

"Um, can you use magic?" Dong Guan asked.

"Certainly, watch this move," Shenyi roared, brandishing the Sea Soul in his hand. A massive fireball shot rapidly toward Dongguan.

"Ah!" Dongguan was thoroughly startled, utterly unprepared for Shenyi’s maneuver, and quickly dodged aside.

"Heh heh, how about that? I'm a mid-tier initial stage Mage, pretty impressive, right?" Shenyi struck a smug pose.

"Showing off with such amateurish tricks—what’s there to boast about?" Dongguan appeared somewhat disheveled; although the fireball was evaded, the dust kicked up by its explosion still coated him.

"What? You dare call my skills 'amateurish'?" Shenyi erupted in anger, raising his staff to strike Dongguan, but was stopped by Shenyin's call.

"Enough, now! Are we all prepared?" I surveyed the surroundings, taking a careful look.

"Almost," Long Xin replied, yet she eyed me with a strange expression. It wasn't just her; Long Qi, Long Zhan, and Shenyi all wore thoughtful looks. "It seems we’ve forgotten something incredibly important."

"Forgotten what?" Being stared at made my skin crawl.

"Have you forgotten that you also have black hair and black eyes?" Long Qi pointed out. "What do you think would happen if those assassins saw you looking just like that?"

"..." I froze for a moment. "That really is a serious problem. Good thing we caught it early. I suppose I need a disguise makeover too, lest I suffer collateral damage."

Half an hour later, finally, with Long Xin’s assistance, my hair was dyed brown, though the style remained neatly tied back.

"Hehe! What do you all think!" Long Xin beamed proudly. "Now, aside from your eye color, you two look exactly alike."

Everyone looked on in disbelief. "Heavens, they are identical."

"Heh heh, now if I say I’m his older brother, no one will doubt it, right?" Shenyin said triumphantly.

Staring at the two nearly identical faces in the mirror, I felt an urge to collapse on the spot. "Even true twins couldn't look more alike than this."

"Alright, now that the appearance is sorted, the remaining issue is names!" Dongguan interjected.

"Right, names must change too," Shenyin agreed. "Since he is Xingchen's older brother, my name naturally needs to start with 'Xing' (Star). I think I’ll go by Xinghe (Star River) from now on."

"Xinghe." Everyone's eyes lit up.

"Star River—what a magnificent name," Shenyi commented. "Since the princess is Xinghe, then I shall be Xingyue (Star Moon). Having just stars is rather dull; we certainly need a moon to accompany them."

"Xingyue," Dongguan murmured with feeling. "You three are truly... admirable. Stars, Moon, and River—you’ve claimed them all."

"And they are all celestial bodies," Jin Hong added. "Impressive, truly impressive."

"Yes, excellent names," Shenyin confirmed. "From this moment on, we are the three siblings of the Xing family. Eldest sister is Xingyue, I am the second brother, Xinghe—hehe—and the youngest is Xingchen. Haha, this works perfectly."

It seemed a large bead of sweat was suspended above everyone's forehead.

"Mission accomplished, let’s move out," Xinghe exclaimed excitedly, waving the Lingfeng in his hand toward the front. "Target: Cangyue City." The sight of him instantly brought to mind a Japanese squad leader from World War II, only missing the cry of 'Atariryaaa!'