Chapter 579: Art of Skin Painting

Chapter 579: Art of Skin Painting

“I personally agree with Skin Painting Gentleman. There is no harm in being cautious.”

Limp Celestial hummed for a moment before adding, “It is said that Night Cat entered Peach Blossom Mountain two days ago. He hasn’t been seen since.”

“Night Cat? Are you sure about this, limp geezer?” Tiger Sovereign exclaimed in surprise.

Night Cat was no ordinary warrior. An infamous thief in Northern Xinjiang, he was most proficient in sneaking into houses, lock-picking, thieving and robbing. He also boasted an outstanding movement art and a wide repertoire of survival tools. Due to the numerous crimes he committed in Northern Xinjiang, he was hunted by both orthodox and unorthodox warriors. However, he remained at large to this day. His character notwithstanding, it was clear that he was no one to be trifled with.

“It’s something I heard on the streets. I have no idea if it’s real or not,” Limp Celestial said.

Tiger Sovereign made his doubt plain. “Then it’s probably just a rumor. Night Cat is one of the most slippery bastards I know. They even call him ‘Nine Lives’ because of his skills. There is no way he could die at such a place.”

“Regardless of the authenticity of the rumor, it’s always better to be safe than sorry, my friend!” Skin Painting Gentleman chimed in.

“What should we do then?” Tiger Sovereign asked impatiently.

Skin Painting Gentleman thought for a moment before answering, “How about this? Let’s ascend the mountain together. The three of us combined should be enough to handle any danger.”

“How will we split the treasure then?” A glint appeared in Tiger Sovereign’s eyes.

“Assuming there is a treasure, then we can split it evenly among us. If not, then any further discussion is wholly pointless,” Skin Painting Gentleman said. “Let’s not count our chickens before they hatch, yeah?”

“Very well. Let’s work together.” Limp Celestial nodded after a moment of consideration.

“I don’t have a problem with this arrangement either,” Tiger Sovereign also said.

“Good. Let us enter the mountain then.”

Skin Painting Gentleman smiled, and his four female attendants lifted the soft litter and walked toward Peach Blossom Mountain.

Limp Celestial and Tiger Sovereign exchanged a glance with each other before following behind him.

Peach Blossom Mountain looked exactly the same on the inside as it did from the outside. It was death and decay wherever they looked. When the Human-faced Peach Blossoms were blooming, their fragrance could be smelled from far, far away. Now, there was only the rotten stench of decay.

This was good news, of course. The dead Human-faced Peach Blossoms could not pose a threat against them. Still, the trio did not let down their guard and proceeded cautiously.

The fifth and final step was imbuing the mind. The practitioner would detach a portion of their soul and inject it into the skin. This would transform it into a true puppet that was, on the surface, no different from a person.

The “Art of Skin Painting” was normally a long, difficult and complicated process, but Skin Painting Gentleman wasn’t trying to create perfect puppets out of these bodies. He just wanted to create a couple of fodders to scout the road ahead. Hence, he could afford to cut corners.

Tiger Sovereign clicked his tongue enviously. “Tsk tsk, your ‘Art of Skin Painting’ sure is convenient, sick boy. As long as you have the materials, you can fashion a bunch of puppets for your own use anytime, anywhere.”

“It’s just a heretical art. It does not deserve your praise,” said Skin Painting Gentleman humbly before commanding the six puppets to walk up the mountain. “Let’s continue on our way, shall we?”

The trio fell behind the puppets and continued their ascent up the mountain. Not long after, they encountered another two bodies.

“Huh? It’s the Bandit and the Whore!” Limp Celestial recognized their faces and exclaimed in surprise.

The Bandit and the Whore were a pair of somewhat famous villains in Northern Xinjiang. They were both Half-Step Spirit Masters. The man was a barefoot bandit who killed people, robbed caravans, plundered villages and more to enrich himself. The woman was a prostitute who especially enjoyed killing their customers in the middle of sex and robbing them afterward. Later, they were known together as the Bandit and the Whore.

“Do you know how they died?” Tiger Sovereign asked.

“I can’t see any clear marks on their body, but judging from their terrified expression...” Limp Celestial said slowly after inspecting the bodies, “I believe they were scared to death.”

“Scared to death?” Skin Painting Gentleman coughed twice before voicing his puzzlement. “The Bandit and the Whore aren’t exactly weaklings. What on earth could scare them to death?”

“I can’t say.” Limp Celestial shook his head.

After a brief discussion that led to nowhere, the trio abandoned their investigation and resumed their journey.

The Bandit and the Whore wouldn’t be the last bodies they found. Not even close. The higher they climbed, the bigger the number of bodies they found. The manner of death grew increasingly varied as well.

Some warriors had died killing each other, some had died out of sheer fright, some had gone crazy and killed themselves, some had died with a laugh permanently frozen on their face, and some had died out of sadness of all things.

Perhaps the most worrying discovery of them all was that some of the deceased were pretty powerful warriors. The trio recognized this and grew increasingly wary over time.

It was at this moment Peach Blossom Mountain shook once, and the black lotus appeared in the sky once more, radiating dreamy, phantasmal light in every direction.

Skin Painting Gentleman, Limp Celestial and Tiger Sovereign subconsciously looked up, and their eyes lost their focus just like that.

No one moved a single muscle.