Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Gemini Star, River Ying

In the early morning, Guo Lang sensed someone approaching and sighed, opening his eyes to glare at the chubby little girl holding a stalk of foxtail grass, clearly up to mischief. “How are you so energetic? Didn’t you go to bed late last night?” he wondered inwardly, “Are all kids this bored?”

Xiaoting, caught in the act, pouted and hid the foxtail grass behind her back. “There’s a guest here for you. I came to call you.”

“So early?” Guo Lang quickly got up, rubbed his eyes, and walked out of his room. Looking down from upstairs, he saw the visitor chatting amiably with his mother, as if they were old friends. Yet the scene was distinctly odd...

When he came downstairs, both women noticed him. Lin Meiru greeted him joyfully, “Ah, Lang, I never thought you’d know such a beautiful young lady. Why haven’t you brought her home before?”

Guo Lang winced. Beautiful? Was she referring to the person or the clothes? He looked at the guest’s attire: a lavish purple ancient-style gown, high-waisted and trailing to the floor, elegant wide sleeves, flowing silks, and a jade hairpin adorning her hair. In her hands was a konghou—a rare and sophisticated instrument he’d seen scarcely even in period dramas!

After a moment’s silence, Guo Lang, lines of frustration on his face, asked, “What’s with this outfit... is there some meaning?”

“‘Who says there is no regret after parting? In cold moonlit nights, dreams return. Knowing love persists, old memories do not fly with the clouds.’” Jiang Liuying stood and bowed formally. “I greet you, Master Guo.”

Guo Lang: “...........”

Behind him, Xiaoting picked her nose without the slightest decorum. “Bro, it’s Liu Mengli. How can you not tell? Haven’t you played the Sword and Fairy series?”

Guo Lang’s face darkened. “I don’t play turn-based games!”

“Hey, Lang, you’re up early!” Xie Tianhua called, emerging from behind with Guo Zhenghua, Guo Lang’s father.

“Oh? What a lovely young lady!” Guo Zhenghua was taken aback by the striking sight of Jiang Liuying, then hastily nodded in praise.

“Right? Old Guo, you think her outfit’s beautiful too?” Lin Meiru, usually so demure, was uncharacteristically excited. Guo Lang and Xiaoting were stunned at first, then terrified—what was going on with their mother? Could she be thinking of wearing those clothes herself? The thought sent an involuntary chill through them!

Sensing his wife’s intentions, Guo Zhenghua wore a pained expression, quickly changing the subject. “Director Xie, has your son arrived?”

“Oh, he called just now. Said he’s downstairs, in line for steamed buns.”

“What buns? Tell him to come up, my wife’s making noodles for you all! Food from outside isn’t clean these days!”

-------------------------------

After a few minutes, Second Brother Xie came upstairs, dressed in his usual cool, refined style—elegant, composed, handsome in a natural way, not at all like the exaggerated characters in anime.

Yet Guo Lang noticed that once Xie Lin arrived, he glanced only briefly at Jiang Liuying and then never looked at her again, as if she didn’t exist at all... This intrigued Guo Lang.

After enjoying Lin Meiru’s spicy noodles, everyone lounged contentedly on the sofa. Even the always elegant Xie Lin had an unusually hearty appetite, draining his soup bowl. Afterwards, Guo Lang looked at Jiang Liuying, still checking her reflection, and sighed, “Sister Liu, when are we leaving?”

“I’m ready anytime!” Jiang Liuying touched up her makeup. “Shouldn’t you get ready? Or are you planning to go out in pajamas? Aren’t you afraid you’ll attract too much attention?”

Guo Lang’s face fell, finally snapping, “I’d rather not be mocked by you, okay? Even if I wore red X shorts on the street, I wouldn’t draw as much attention as you!”

Of course, he obediently returned to his room to change. But just as he took off his shirt, the door opened and Xie Lin entered. Guo Lang’s nerves tensed, and he hurriedly stepped back. “Second Brother Xie, what are you doing...”

Xie Lin’s expression was blank. “I want to talk.”

“Talk? With all those people outside? Aren’t you a bit blatant? Let me warn you, federal law is clear: indecent assault on a virgin, minimum three years, maximum death penalty!” Guo Lang, no longer a virgin, shamelessly joked.

Ignoring Guo Lang’s banter, Xie Lin remained expressionless. “Who’s that woman?”

Guo Lang paused, realizing who he meant. He coughed awkwardly, finished dressing, and replied, “I thought you weren’t interested—since you haven’t looked at her since you came in, almost as if she’s invisible.”

“It’s not that I didn’t look—I just don’t dare look... That woman is a bit frightening.”

Guo Lang was surprised, then laughed. “Even you, Second Brother Xie, are afraid of someone?”

Xie Lin fell silent, then looked at Guo Lang seriously. “What do you think of my appearance?”

Guo Lang’s eyelid twitched, feeling Xie Lin’s conversational leaps today were wild. He played along. “Pretty good—sunny and handsome. With a bit more edge, you’d be almost as cool as me.”

Xie Lin ignored the self-praise, speaking earnestly. “I don’t mean that—look at my face.” He pointed at his face. “I look like a good person, right?”

Guo Lang was taken aback. “Sort of a warm-hearted type...” Then he finally voiced a longstanding suspicion. “But it always feels a bit off. At first glance, you’re a warm type, but the longer I look, the less it feels right.”

“Exactly.” To Guo Lang’s surprise, Xie Lin nodded. “You all see from different angles, so you sense this...”

He covered most of his face, revealing only a small corner of his upper right side. “What about now?”

Guo Lang froze in disbelief. The gentle face, once mostly concealed, left only a portion visible—and in that fragment, it was fierce, cold, and full of hostility!

So that’s it! Guo Lang suddenly understood. There was more to reading faces than he’d realized.

“People are, in part, shaped by their appearance. Many truths hide in the details of a face, but people tend to perceive the whole and use simple words to describe it. That’s why first impressions can be unreliable!” He paused, his tone sinister. “So, people should not be judged simply by their looks.”

Seeing Guo Lang was still puzzled, he continued, “From birth, people have certain personality tendencies, which create habitual expressions. The muscle groups and bones responsible for expressions, through repeated movement, grow in response to those tendencies!”

He pointed to himself again. “Take me, for example. I grew up in a scholarly family—three generations, all either highly educated or high-ranking officials, so my upbringing was strict. With good genes, my appearance and temperament are naturally decent. But my personality isn’t what it seems, and years of concealing it mean my micro-expressions differ greatly from my overall appearance. That’s why you, and others who know me well, always sense something off. Even my siblings subconsciously keep their distance.”

I know... Guo Lang thought silently. I’ve always known. Second Brother Xie has never been a good person—in his past life he was the infamous Blackwater Warlock in the Federation, and the blood on his hands could fill an ocean!

“So...” Guo Lang asked cautiously, “You’ve noticed Sister Liu is like you?”

“No!” Xie Lin said gravely. “She’s the opposite. Because of my situation, I’m good at reading people’s personalities through their micro-expressions. But that woman... after the first glance, I dared not look again. Her face is too upright, without a single shadow or nuance!”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Guo Lang was confused.

“Good?” Xie Lin sneered. “Everyone has two sides, light and dark. No one is purely positive. Take your father—his image is upright, but there are still faint shadows in his facial details, just far less so. Everyone has them. Even your sister Xiaoting—she’s still a child, pure in thought, but not without a hint of darkness. Only infants have faces like hers.”

After a pause, Xie Lin said, “I don’t believe such people exist. That’s why I always thought Little Dragon Maiden from Jin Yong’s novels was fake. You once invited me to a world you traveled to, to help defeat an enemy. If this woman is a teammate, I need to know about her background—she feels dangerous to me. If I’m not sure, I don’t want to work with her.”

Xie Lin’s tone was firm. Guo Lang felt a headache—he didn’t want to lose such a powerful teammate. With no choice, he revealed a bit, sighing, “Well... there are special reasons.”

“You really know?” Xie Lin looked genuinely interested.

Oh... Guo Lang was speechless. Another gossip lover. He sighed, giving in for the sake of keeping a teammate.

“Second Brother Xie, you’ve succeeded in your class change, so you know about souls, right?”

“Yeah.” Xie Lin nodded. As spellcasters, he was well versed in souls—elemental contracts and alchemy arrays were inscribed onto the soul itself, and as his rank rose, the number of arrays in his soul increased.

“Like you said, people have light and dark sides; your profession has two branches, right? For water mages, there’s the pure and the impure schools?”

Xie Lin squinted, thoughtful. “So you can see our professions? I’m curious—how did you figure it out?”

“Let’s stick to Sister Liu...” Guo Lang dodged the question, continuing, “Generally, mages can’t master both branches, especially not opposing ones, right?”

Xie Lin nodded. Spellcasters’ contract arrays are engraved in the soul; two different attributes cause instability and can easily explode. Opposing attributes in the soul would definitely explode!

“Have you heard of royal bloodlines?”

“Yeah, but they’re expensive. I can’t afford it!” Xie Lin admitted his poverty.

“In the blood elf race, there’s a bloodline that can split the soul completely.”

Xie Lin: “!!”

“So you get it...” Guo Lang smiled. “This bloodline theoretically lets you master two opposing magical inheritances, but the cost is each personality becomes extreme.”

“How... how do you switch between them?” Xie Lin stammered.

“How should I know?” Guo Lang rolled his eyes. “That’s a secret—do you think such info is in public records?”

For the first time, Xie Lin looked embarrassed, then eyed Guo Lang curiously. “From what I saw yesterday, you’re strong-willed, but probably a melee class. How do you know more than us mages? Do you read a lot?”

“Eh...” Guo Lang waved dismissively. “I’m a novel buff, always browsing those stories. I’ve read millions of words—takes me a day or two at most!”

Xie Lin: “...................”

Just then, a knock came at the door, followed by Xiaoting’s scornful voice. “Are you two done yet? Young people, show some restraint in broad daylight. The elders are waiting—mind your reputation!”

Guo Lang: “............”

Once everyone gathered downstairs, they set out together to the secret spot Guo Lang had chosen. Jiang Liuying slowly etched alchemical runes into the ground, and Guo Lang couldn’t help but feel her in full Eastern fantasy costume was a bit out of place.

“All done!” Jiang Liuying clapped her hands, straightened up with a smile, and picked up her konghou, playing it with impressive skill. Though Guo Lang didn’t know much about music, it sounded legitimate.

As the music started, the runes beneath her feet glowed purple. Guo Lang grimaced at this woman’s style—fashioning a magical device into a konghou—and couldn’t help but tease, “No matter how you pretend, you won’t turn this into a fantasy drama. Give it up!”

“Shut up!” Jiang Liuying, having just found her groove, shot him a glare. “Aren’t you coming in?”

Everyone obediently stepped onto the array. Old Guo and Old Xie, both elders, watched in amazement. The style was odd, but undeniably impressive!

Buzz! A sharp sound of spatial distortion rang out. The array’s light enveloped them, and with a sudden compression of space, they vanished completely from the map of City C. (PS: Highly recommend the masterpiece “Maid War”—don’t be put off by the title, it’s truly a great book! And another PS: The author says this spot gives the best recommendation effect!)