Chapter 449: Chapter 413: I’m Not Worth That Much?
In a foreign land meeting an old acquaintance, Hua Qianmian was very happy. She brought Sang Que into the main hall, poured hot tea for Sang Que, took out some pastries, and sat down to talk about her experiences during this time.
Yao Zhen leaned against the pillar in the corridor, pretending to nap to avoid suspicion; she wasn’t familiar with Hua Qianmian.
Hua Qianmian said that when she faced the dwarf from the Ghost Opera Troupe that day, she was exhausted and couldn’t win. The Ink-Wash Ghost Realm corroded her, and coupled with the ghost backlash inside her, she felt as if she were dead.
It was only after an unknown amount of time that Hua Qianmian discovered that the power of her Heart Lamp was gradually strengthening, partly from the Divine Statue she had sent away earlier and partly from an unknown place, seemingly not belonging to this world.
Sang Que guessed that this part of the Heart Lamp’s strength might come from the admiration and pity of some readers when her mother wrote about Hua Qianmian’s experiences.
In short, Hua Qianmian relied on this power and muddleheadedly survived, suddenly stepping into Ghost Level.
By then, Wangshan City was already destroyed. Hua Qianmian, confused and dazed, couldn’t well control the ghost inside her and could only head to desolate places.
Hua Qianmian came to Jinzhou, trying to find a way to make a living while recollecting her identity, playing as the Thousand-faced God.
It took Hua Qianmian nearly four months to stabilize her own power. Later, Qinzhou fell into chaos. Hua Qianmian was glad she didn’t stay in Qinzhou, and for a stable future, she originally planned to make a living in Jingzhou.
After all, under the Emperor’s feet, life, though difficult, was definitely safer than in other states.
Unfortunately, the entry checkpoints into Jingzhou were very strictly controlled, and she was temporarily unable to sneak in, so she had to return to the Jinzhou Prefecture’s Sanchuan City and open a Yizhuang nearby to make a living.
"...I just think that if I have the chance in the future to take the skin of some important person, disguise as them, and sneak into Jingzhou, then my heart will settle. Someday, if I encounter that dwarf again, I will personally kill him!"
Whenever Hua Qianmian mentioned that dwarf, she was furious.
Sang Que cleared his throat, "Well, the dwarf from the Ghost Opera Troupe has already been killed by me."
Hua Qianmian was full of surprise, "Really? When, where, did he die miserably enough?"
Sang Que briefly recounted the day in the Death Domain of Tangyuan County when he slew the dwarf. Hua Qianmian kept clenching her fists, and after listening, she slammed the table and shouted, "Great! A clean death!"
After speaking, Hua Qianmian again scrutinized Sang Que inside and out, "What level are you at now, you’re making the Painted Skin Ghost inside me feel very afraid."
The ghost Hua Qianmian actually harnessed was a Painted Skin Ghost, merely self-proclaiming as the Thousand-faced God.
"Already in the fifth layer."
Hua Qianmian’s mouth was wide open; she couldn’t speak.
Sang Que took a sip of tea, "I originally just came to see how you’re doing now. Since you say you want to go to Jingzhou, coincidentally I have an opportunity here to sneak into Shengjing City. Do you want to go together?"
Hua Qianmian closed her mouth, her eyes brightened, and she nodded vigorously, "Yes, I wouldn’t miss it! Uh...I’ve only just opened this Yizhuang for two months, and now it has to be abandoned again?"
Hua Qianmian felt a pang of heartache, sensing that she had a conflict with the Yizhuang business. Last time, outside Wangshan City, she had just taken over a Yizhuang, yet the earth of Wangshan City shook, and everything collapsed.
Now that she had finally settled down in Bai Gou Village, the opportunity to go to Jingzhou came her way again.
Next time, she won’t open a Yizhuang but a coffin shop instead!
As Hua Qianmian was thinking, she suddenly felt an uncomfortable gaze of scrutiny. She lifted her head only to meet Sang Que’s eyes.
"What are you doing?"
Sang Que dissipated the effect of the Ghost Eye; the current Hua Qianmian wasn’t the same as the girl from Wangshan City in appearance; Hua Qianmian had put on another girl’s skin.
Earlier was just a quick glance, now it’s a careful examination, the Ghost Eye still couldn’t see through, only seeing the past experiences of this girl herself.
Such a disguise was simply seamless and exquisitely perfected.
Sang Que asked, "Can your ability to change skins be applied to others, like me?"
Hua Qianmian leaned back and sized up Sang Que, suspiciously, "Are you planning on doing something big in Shengjing?"
Sang Que didn’t deny it, "Rescue someone, steal something!"
Hua Qianmian’s eyes darted left and right, then she took out an abacus from her arms, shook it up and down, fiddled with the beads, not knowing what she was calculating, finally, the abacus settled back, and she showed Sang Que a smile of a money-grubber.
"I can help you, but even with blood-related sisters, we have to settle accounts clearly, this reward..."
"Just say it, as long as I can afford it."
"Ten thousand gold!"
Sang Que had already foreseen this; without a black heart and greed for money, it wouldn’t be Hua Qianmian!
"So stingy!!"
From outside the door, Yao Zhen’s shocked voice suddenly came. Although Yao Zhen was pretending to nap, she occasionally overheard what was being said inside; the two in the room never thought to guard against her.
Yao Zhen suddenly heard Hua Qianmian open her mouth asking for ten thousand gold, shocked she jumped up, stood at the door staring wide-eyed at Hua Qianmian, wanting to see just how dark her heart was, how bold she was, asking for ten thousand gold right away.
Yao Zhen in her entire life had never seen what ten thousand gold looked like!
Hua Qianmian didn’t think it was strange at all, folding her arms she said, "The ability of my Painted Skin Ghost is very special; it cannot kill, but it can turn one person into another very efficiently. Mulan definitely recognizes the goods, otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked, right?"
Yao Zhen gritted her teeth, staring at Sang Que, her eyes asking if he really dared to give, the annual expenses of all the people in Bright Moon Mountain wouldn’t come to ten thousand gold.
When Sang Que asked her for help against the Fish Woman, he only promised her three taels of gold after the deed.
Why? Does she have so little value?!
Yao Zhen’s eyes were about to pop out; Sang Que could only take tactical sips of water, clear his throat, scratch his face, little actions continued incessantly.
Finally, under the pressure of both pairs of eyes, Sang Que said, "Let’s talk about the reward slowly, after all, I won’t let down anyone who helps me, but for now, the important thing is to clarify the risks of this journey, and you’d better explain to me the advantages and drawbacks of your ability, the rest... we’ll talk slowly, no rush!"
Hua Qianmian casually fiddled with the abacus, "Okay! Regarding business, I’m not a black-hearted merchant; if the item isn’t worth this price, even if you give me the money, I wouldn’t dare to accept it."
Yao Zhen now also didn’t avoid suspicion, she walked in large strides to the round table, sat down, poured herself a cup of water, she had to see why she wasn’t worth much!
Sang Que pushed the platter of pastries on the table in front of Yao Zhen, only for Yao Zhen to angrily push it aside.
Hua Qianmian scanned the two of them, seeing the close relationship between Sang Que and Yao Zhen, and remembering how Yao Zhen single-handedly held back many coffin carriers outside Wangshan City, almost at the cost of her life.
Such a good person could be trusted.
Once Hua Qianmian figured it out, she no longer hid anything and straightforwardly said, "The ghost I harness is a Painted Skin Ghost, adept at taking human skin. Once adorned with it, either I or someone else can transform into another. For instance, if I skin this Kun Dao..."
"Just try it!" Yao Zhen glared.
Sang Que sighed, Hua Qianmian chuckled, "Just a metaphor, though. Let’s use Mulan as an example; if I skinned Mulan, once I wore it over myself, I would instantly know everything Mulan had experienced before being skinned, even gaining some of Mulan’s own abilities, like Martial Arts."
"But if I were to put Mulan’s skin on you, Kun Dao, if you were just an ordinary person, you would irresistibly believe you are Mulan herself, unconsciously becoming Mulan until someone exposes you. When that happens, you’d shed your skin and die, irreparable."
Hua Qianmian glanced at Sang Que, "Previously, I only tested on those wickedly evil; Mulan, as a Yin Walker, when skinned and exposed, probably wouldn’t die directly, maybe using the Evil Suppression Bureau’s Substitute Death Grassman could bypass this rule."
"Must a skin be taken first? Can’t one be drawn, to disguise as someone else?" Sang Que asked.
Hua Qianmian went silent for a moment, "The Painted Skin Ghost has this ability, but I can’t do it yet. The Painted Skin Ghost and I must step into the Fifth Layer Realm to manage."
