Shen Langhun carried Tang Lici on his back as they fled Wangting Manor. Almost simultaneously, a formation of Demon Soul Death Warriors pursued them from behind. Covered in wounds and far from his usual physical strength, carrying Tang Lici made every step agonizing. After running several dozen zhang, he was already exhausted. His mind raced, but in the heat of the moment, he couldn’t think of any way to escape. In desperation, he whispered hoarsely, “What now?”
Tang Lici pressed a hand to the wound on his abdomen and coughed once. “Go straight, then turn left toward the hill.” Shen Langhun steeled himself and mustered the last of his strength to sprint toward the hill on the left. Though it didn’t seem far, given his current condition, every leap felt like his chest was on fire, each breath a struggle akin to dying. By the time they finally reached the back of the hill using stealth techniques, Shen Langhun suppressed the burning in his chest and crouched in the grass, lifting his gaze to survey the scene.
Among the trees and grass sat a few people—two women, a scholar, and even a child in someone’s arms. Shen Langhun couldn’t suppress a violent cough, spitting out bloody foam. Were these the saviors Tang Lici had in mind? A group of men and women who wouldn’t even rank as third-rate in the martial world?
Hearing his harsh coughing, the figures on the hillside turned their heads. Shen Langhun staggered forward with Tang Lici on his back. He recognized every one of them on the slope. Though he had never met Lin Bu in person, he had been tracking Liu Yan’s movements and had witnessed Lin Bu’s encounter with Liu Yan firsthand.
Before A Shui could clearly see who had emerged from the grass, she abruptly stood up. Yu Tuan’er gasped, “Brother Shen… how… how did he end up like this?” Shen Langhun panted heavily, his voice hoarse. “The Dissolute Shop’s men are behind us… we must… flee now…”
A Shui gripped Tang Lici tightly. “How badly is Young Master Tang injured?” Shen Langhun replied in a low voice, “His internal organs… are damaged…” A Shui’s face turned deathly pale. “How could this happen?” Shen Langhun muttered darkly, “I was incited and manipulated by Fu Cui… Bah! I was the one who stabbed him. No use talking about it now. How are so many of us supposed to escape?”
“Dis… guise…” Tang Lici barely opened his eyes and weakly pointed toward the many common houses in Chengfeng Town. “Find the most… ordinary one… break in… tie up everyone inside, young and old… then we’ll… stay there…” He gestured at Yu Tuan’er, who wasn’t foolish and nodded repeatedly before turning to dash away. Among them, her face was the least familiar. Even though the Dissolute Shop had long monitored Shumei Residence, Yu Tuan’er’s appearance had gradually changed, growing younger over time, making her the least recognizable at this moment.
“My injury… isn’t serious.” Tang Lici spoke softly, his eyes avoiding Shen Langhun as he leaned weakly against A Shui, his eyelids drooping. “It just… pierced that heart… that’s all…” He shuddered, his lips pale though his cheeks still held a faint flush. “But it’s still beating.” A Shui clutched his hand tightly, but Tang Lici pulled away abruptly. “We can’t outrun the Dissolute Shop’s pursuit… we can only take the risk…”
When injured, he particularly resisted anyone getting close. A Shui sighed. “Let me disguise everyone, then.”Before long, Yu Tuan'er returned quickly and pointed to a small house at the edge of the town. "There." Immediately, Shen Langhun carried Tang Lici on his back, hastily draped in Lin Bu's robe, and darted toward the town. Lin Bu and A Shui waited for them to leave before following slowly. Neither of them knew martial arts, and carrying an infant made them less conspicuous.
Upon reaching the house, Shen Langhun silently praised the cleverness of the young girl. The small dwelling was on the outskirts of Fengcheng Town, slightly distanced from other homes, making it very inconspicuous. Yet the house itself was not small, indicating the family was not too poor. Yu Tuan'er had already subdued the five members of the household by sealing their acupoints and tying them under the beds. Breaking into homes was something she was accustomed to, and she thought nothing of it. Shen Langhun laid Tang Lici on the bed inside the house, exhaling deeply before sitting on the floor, unable to rise for quite some time.
A Shui quickly rummaged through the family's wardrobe, retrieving two women's skirts for herself and Yu Tuan'er to change into, then found two sets of men's clothing for Shen Langhun and Lin Bu. The family were farmers, and their clothes were coarse and simple. A Shui scraped some soot from the stove and smeared it on her and Yu Tuan'er's faces. Lin Bu had a somewhat scholarly air, making him appear younger than his age. However, the red snake mark on Shen Langhun's face could not be concealed. Yu Tuan'er picked up a piece of red-hot charcoal from the stove. "If I burn it off, no one will recognize it." A Shui was startled and quickly stopped her, but the idea gave her another thought. She tore her white scarf into strips, stained them with Shen Langhun's blood, and wrapped them around half his head, pretending he had a head injury, covering the snake-marked cheek as well.
Yu Tuan'er clapped in approval, but A Shui knew in her heart that such crude disguises would be instantly exposed if they encountered Bai Suche or Fu Cui. For now, they could only hope those people wouldn't come. The four hastily finished their makeshift preparations and turned their attention to Tang Lici on the bed.
What disguise would suit him best? If they dressed him as a farmer, Tang Lici's refined features and fair complexion would make it unconvincing. If not a farmer, then what? He had an abdominal injury and couldn't walk, and the Dissolute Shop would surely search for anyone with such wounds. A Shui stamped her foot. "Young Master Tang, I think we can only hide you. Even if we disguise you as a farmer, you'd be recognized immediately."
Tang Lici pressed a hand to his abdomen. The knife had struck Fang Zhou's heart, but the muscles around it were exceptionally dense, so Shen Langhun's blade had not pierced through entirely, and the bleeding had gradually stopped. Seeing the hasty disguises of the four, Tang Lici shook his head and raised his hand. "Does anyone have rouge... or powder..."
Yu Tuan'er reached into her robe, blushing slightly. "I do." A Shui never wore makeup and carried no rouge. Tang Lici took the box of rouge, a cake of powder, and an eyebrow pencil from Yu Tuan'er, then gestured for A Shui to fetch an egg from the stove. Though the knife wound in his abdomen was deep, it had not damaged his internal organs. He sat up slowly, his eyelids fluttering before opening fully. "Shen Langhun."Shen Langhun raised his head and exhaled lightly, speaking in a calm tone, "Do you perhaps know the art of disguise?" Though he was an assassin, he rarely encountered opponents and was not skilled in the techniques of disguise and impersonation. Tang Lici smiled faintly, his expression one of barely maintained composure—a look Shen Langhun had seen a few times before. "I don’t know disguise..." He pulled off the white cloth wrapped around Shen Langhun’s head and had him sit on the chair in front of him. "I only know how to apply makeup..."
Lin Bu and Yu Tuan'er exchanged glances, unsure of what Tang Lici intended to do with Shen Langhun. They watched as he cracked an egg, mixing the egg white with face powder. Dipping his fingers into the mixture, he slowly applied it to Shen Langhun’s cheeks, which bore red tattooed marks. The color of the powder alone couldn’t cover the crimson of the tattoos, but Tang Lici waited for each layer to dry before applying another. By the fourth layer, the red serpent on Shen Langhun’s cheeks had completely vanished, leaving only a deathly pale, mask-like complexion.
This ghostly pallor was likely even more conspicuous than the red serpent tattoos. Yu Tuan'er’s heart pounded in fear that members of the Dissolute Shop might suddenly barge in. Fortunately, the clamor of voices gradually faded into the distance as Bai Suche ordered the Demon Soul Death Warriors to pursue in all directions, moving farther and farther away, unlikely to return anytime soon. After painting Shen Langhun’s face a stark white, Tang Lici lightly dabbed a trace of rouge, pressing it from the sides of his cheeks toward the bridge of his nose. The rouge was originally bright red, but he used so little that it only left a faint shadow, instantly dulling the stark whiteness. Lin Bu watched Tang Lici’s technique in amazement—with each stroke and press, Shen Langhun’s cheeks seemed to hollow out, his jawline sharpening. Tang Lici then smeared red rouge onto his fingertip and gently pressed it to the corners of Shen Langhun’s eyes, following up with an eyebrow pencil to lightly trace his eyelids.
Shen Langhun felt his entire body stiffen. Tang Lici’s fingertips were warm and smooth, but the sensation of the eyebrow pencil against his eyes was unbearably sharp. When Tang Lici finally withdrew the pencil, Shen Langhun exhaled in relief, only for the three people opposite him to gasp softly in unison, their faces filled with astonishment.
Yu Tuan'er gaped at Shen Langhun, utterly speechless. Shen Langhun’s appearance had been utterly ordinary, but after Tang Lici’s work, he seemed like a completely different person. Tang Lici had painted his cheeks to appear sunken, making his nose seem sharper and more pronounced, while his eyes suddenly appeared far more vivid. It was as if one could now discern how strikingly beautiful Shen Langhun’s pupils were—when he looked at someone, it was as though the light from both inside and outside the window flickered within his gaze. "Heavens... you’ve turned Brother Shen into... a demon..." Yu Tuan'er murmured. "How did he end up like this..."
Beads of cold sweat had already formed on Tang Lici’s forehead. He rubbed a small amount of egg white between his hands and patted it onto Shen Langhun’s face. Suddenly, the traces of powder vanished, as though Shen Langhun had been born with such a strikingly handsome face. With a flick of his index finger, Tang Lici drew a long wound down Shen Langhun’s right cheek. Blood seeped out, quickly forming a scab. After Tang Lici’s meticulous work, Shen Langhun was utterly unrecognizable—completely transformed, with the bloody scar on his cheek now the most striking feature. Tang Lici exhaled softly and smiled faintly, pointing to the scholar’s robe Lin Bu had just changed out of. "You... you can leave now... Make up a name for yourself. Even if you use your martial skills, it won’t matter."Lin Bu stared in horror at Shen Langhun's completely altered appearance, while Yu Tuan'er burst into laughter. "How about I give Brother Shen a new name—let's call him 'Scarred Recluse' Pan Ruo'an?" Shen Langhun gave a bitter smile as he picked up Lin Bu's scholar robe and put it on. Once fully dressed, he became the center of attention—no one could have guessed this handsome scholar was actually Shen Langhun. A Shui adjusted his hair bun for him. "Brother Shen, go ahead." Shen Langhun nodded, and Tang Lici raised his hand to whisper a few confidential words to him before taking something from his robe and handing it over. With repeated nods, Shen Langhun strode out.
The area was dangerously close to Wangting Manor, and every person who could leave was one less in peril. Tang Lici, unable to move, had no choice but to stay behind, while Shen Langhun's departure was imperative to find a way out of their predicament.
They needed a plan to lure away all of Dissolute Shop's forces—or to find a peerless master who could extract Tang Lici without alerting them.
Was it even possible? The situation within the Central Plains Sword Association was too unpredictable. His only option was to seek help from Azure Fall Palace. Shen Langhun walked calmly through the streets of Chengfeng Town, first stopping at an inn to eat his fill before heading north.
Would Wan Yu Yuedan lend his aid? Shen Langhun had no real confidence, only an unspoken hope that everyone inside Wangting Manor would drop dead—every last one of them.
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