Chapter 67: Fate (Thanks to Lifelong Dream, Grandpa Sponge, and Mushroom for their votes)

“Have you ever heard of multiple souls in one body? That is, a single body housing two or even more souls, each with different personalities, genders, or ages.” Wang Keyue recalled those people with multiple personalities from her previous life.

“Host, do you mean…” 9538 ventured a guess.

“Yes. If we really get discovered, we could place Soldier Brother’s soul into my body. That way, we’d kill two birds with one stone: you’d avoid being tracked by the main system and, at the same time, bring Soldier Brother’s soul back to our original world. The question is, 9538, do you have the ability to transfer his soul into my body?” Wang Keyue had come up with a solution, but she wasn’t sure if 9538 was capable or if the System Shop had such an item.

“Host, your idea is good, but I need to think carefully to see if there’s a better way to implement it.” With that, 9538 went silent, likely already running calculations on the feasibility of this plan.

Wang Keyue didn’t want to disturb it. The idea was promising, but the specifics were up to 9538 to work out—especially since the main program was no pushover.

She stepped out of the room. Soldier Brother was still training in the courtyard. When he saw Doctor Wang emerge, he hurried over. “What happened just now? Is everything alright?”

Since she now knew this was the very soldier who had saved her, Wang Keyue felt she should ask for his opinion.

“Sorry, Mr. Chen. Something came up just now. Let’s continue our previous conversation.” She genuinely felt a bit embarrassed, having unreasonably occupied his house without explanation.

“No need to call me Mr. Chen. Just call me Hongyu. Before I came here, I was a soldier in the Ancient Kingdom. My surname is Xiao, given name Hongyu. I ended up here after saving a girl who fell off a cliff.” Mr. Chen—Xiao Hongyu—spoke openly, revealing his identity without reservation.

While exercising earlier, he’d already figured things out. The elderly figure before him—although mysterious—was, after all, his only fellow countryman in this world. He wanted to trust him.

At the same time, his curiosity about the elder’s true identity only grew. To show his sincerity, he had to drop his guard and be honest.

Wang Keyue stood up and, under his curious gaze, stepped back and gave Xiao Hongyu a deep bow. “Thank you, Comrade Xiao!”

“Hey, you—what’s this about?” Xiao Hongyu quickly rose and steadied her.

“Comrade Xiao, to be honest, I am the girl you saved in our original world. My name is Wang Keyue. In this world, I am Wang Yue’er, a legitimate daughter of the Wang clan, exiled by the Qin Emperor.” Since he’d been candid with her, she felt there was no reason to hold back—and after all, he was her savior.

“What? You… you’re that girl?” Xiao Hongyu stared in disbelief at the elder before him. Was this some kind of disguise? Or face-changing technique? It was astonishing—the voice was even that of an old man.

“I used a little trick. As for the details… I can’t explain just yet, Comrade Xiao.” Matters concerning the system would have to wait until 9538 returned and she could consult with it before deciding whether to tell Xiao Hongyu.

“That’s alright, I don’t mind. By the way, you said your Wang clan was exiled—don’t tell me you’re the daughter of the Great General Dingyuan?” Xiao Hongyu didn’t press her for secrets; everyone had their own, and he kept some of his as well.

“Yes. When I woke up, I was already on the road to exile.” Wang Keyue recounted what had happened, skimming over the details, and without mentioning anything about the system.

Listening to her story, Xiao Hongyu couldn’t help but lament the cruelty of this era.

“In the future, just call me Brother Xiao. My true identity in this world is actually Xiao Yu, eldest son of the Prince of Beiping. My name here differs by just one character. Unfortunately, Xiao Yu was born of a concubine and isn’t favored, but he still holds some standing in Beiping. By the way, do you need money? If nothing else, this body isn’t short on silver!” Xiao Hongyu patted his chest.

He explained his current status in detail. Wang Keyue was stunned. She was just about to pass through Beiping County—what were the odds that its master should be a fellow countryman? Fate worked in mysterious ways.

Thinking of this wealthy young lord, who hadn’t even blinked when spending four thousand taels of silver to buy twenty bags of her Plague-Clearing Powder, Wang Keyue’s lips twitched. “I used part of your money to purchase an estate. In a few days, some of my clansmen will be moving there.”

“Which estate? I’ll make sure to watch over it. Kangle County is essentially my stronghold—you and your people will be absolutely safe here,” Xiao Hongyu said, offering her peace of mind.

“It’s the Prosperity Manor, about an hour’s journey from the East City Gate. It belonged to the second branch of the Liu family, a collateral line of the Qin Dynasty’s Liu clan.” Wang Keyue replied honestly, wanting to know just how secure the place was.

Xiao Hongyu pondered for a moment, searching his memory. “That manor is in a good location. Master Liu paid a hefty price to build it. Most importantly, there’s an ancient well inside, and the water supply is more than adequate. The only issue is the high price—it hasn’t sold in over a year.”

She smiled. “I suppose I was lucky. I happened to arrive when Madam Liu was ill, and after saving her, Young Master Liu sold it to me at a discount,” Wang Keyue replied casually.

The two of them shut themselves in the room, each recounting their experiences and discussing their plans for what lay ahead.