Four Split Personalities

Ji Xiaoge, fully immersed in the play, suddenly felt utterly embarrassed. It was then she remembered that The Realm of Innocence was, after all, just a game. No matter how deeply moving Lujiang’s quest to find her brother had been, those two were still sharing the same pot of rice outside the game. She had completely forgotten that detail and was shockingly surprised that Mourning could communicate normally with Lujiang, which led to her being counter-killed...

"Hmm, so you mean to say, Brother Mourning, you’ve always known about us?"

Motan glanced at Ji Xiaoge, who was hanging her head with her face flushed, and then, with a suppressed smile, he changed the subject and asked the air in front of him.

Mourning from 1750 years ago chuckled twice and confirmed, "Yeah, I knew from the moment you crashed that guy with the airplane. Including the times you fought in the arena together, and Xiao Lu learning the Dragon Transformation Technique from Femigel, to be honest, our conversations over this period were almost always about The Realm of Innocence."

"Eh!"

At that moment, Ji Xiaoge suddenly seemed to remember something and clapped her hands, exclaiming, "Right, then you must also know about Lujiang being a girl in the game, right?"

Mourning was silent for a good while before replying with an especially pained voice, "Yeah, when I first heard about it, I nearly lost my mind. I really can’t imagine what that kid would look like as a sister. Though he’s reasonably handsome, turning into a woman is... uh... Anyway, the only upside is that whenever I get bored in ’the past’, the thought of seeing my brother turned into a woman when I return to the normal timeline makes me less eager to go back."

Ji Xiaoge propped her chin and pondered for a few seconds with a peculiar look on her face before asking, "So, you mean you’ve never actually seen what Lujiang looks like as a girl, right?"

"Yeah, and I’m super grateful... The whole cross-dressing big shot thing... uh..."

Mourning affirmed weakly.

"Cough cough, I think it’s not as bad as you imagine," said Motan, turning his head and exchanging a glance with Ji Xiaoge before he continued, "Compared to a cross-dressing big shot, Lujiang now is more like a normal, pretty girl. Or rather, in this game, she is completely a girl, not just a man who changed his basic gender traits. Simply put, she’s quite attractive, even by the standards outside the game she would be considered beautiful."

Perhaps it was because the statement came from a man, which seemed more convincing, or maybe because Lujiang had already secretly cushioned the blow for her brother, Mourning did not immediately express a ’no way, I don’t believe it’, but rather fell into a longer silence.

Two minutes later, just when they were starting to wonder if he had disconnected, Mourning’s voice finally came through again, "How beautiful?"

"Pure, cute, naturally appealing; the kind that could get extra points if she auditioned for art schools,"

Ji Xiaoge, who considered herself more knowledgeable about women than Motan, quickly raised her hand to answer.

"Terrible... that’s totally my type..."

Mourning muttered under his breath, then said in a grave voice, "Cough cough, well, you two might as well leave, I suddenly don’t want to return to the normal timeline. Having my own brother suddenly enter my dating range... Yeah, I think I’d rather play solo my whole life."

Motan shrugged his shoulders, pretending to walk away while asking as if issuing a final ultimatum, "Are you sure?"

"Cough, just kidding,"

Mourning gave an awkward laugh and said despondently, "Worst comes to worst, when I get back I’ll use the Transformation Technique to turn Xiao Lu into a wild boar."

Ji Xiaoge chuckled and with a trembling shoulder, asked, "Aren’t you afraid he’ll fight you over it?"

"He can’t beat me."

Mourning chuckled slyly, casually stating, "That kid trips over his own feet walking down the street. In middle school, he was pinned to the ground and beaten by a lady two heads shorter than him — his combat power is about the same as a Pekingese."

As a friend, Ji Xiaoge naturally couldn’t stand by and let Lujiang be mocked like this, immediately retorted, "Lujiang is very strong, let me tell you! When he teams up with us for arena fights, he’s incredibly fierce!"

"Well, I have a rough idea of his level in the game; the teacher also told me a bit,"

Mourning kept his tone light and laughed, "But I could poke him to death with one finger twenty times over."

Motan and Ji Xiaoge were both taken aback because, judging by Mourning’s tone, he seemed to be simply stating a fact without any exaggeration.

"Haha, but talking about that is useless. After all, I can’t even add you as friends in my current situation, let alone meet you. If it weren’t for your accidental appearance here and being perceived by a certain power, we wouldn’t even be able to send each other messages. Try it if you don’t believe me, my game name is ’[Mourning]’, the Mourning of bereavement,"

"That’s an oddly peculiar example you’ve chosen..."

Ji Xiaoge couldn’t help but tease.

"Well, my name outside the game is A Sang. What can I do if my dad wasn’t thinking straight?"

Mourning sighed and lamented, "By the way, my dad’s name is Fu Xing; just hearing that makes you think of labor reform camps, right?"

Motan/Ji Xiaoge: "..."

After an awkward silence, it was Motan who took the initiative to change the subject, earnestly saying, "Hmm, I’ve tried already, I can’t add you as a friend, seems... like you don’t exist."