Chapter 518 - 518: Skin Painting Technique

Cheng Haoyu was smart; it clicked for him instantly. "You're not trying to say that Brother Zhao is 'Just Love to Eat,' the most popular and mysterious person on the Cultivator Forum, are you? But didn't he just say he doesn't have an account?"

Realizing she'd let the cat out of the bag, Ying Ji gave Zhao Yuan an embarrassed, apologetic look. After confirming he wasn't upset with her, she breathed a sigh of relief and explained with a smile, "That account is one of Fatty Hao's alts. Zhao Yuan borrowed it to teach some classes on the Cultivator Forum."

"Why are you making it sound like I'm teaching classes?" Zhao Yuan gave a wry smile and waved his hand dismissively. "I just made a post pointing out some of their mistakes on the Pill Master registration exam."

"Holy crap, you were really the one who wrote that post, Brother Zhao?" Cheng Haoyu's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"The one and only," Hao Li said with a grin. "If you don't believe it, I can log into the 'Just Love to Eat' account right now."

How could Cheng Haoyu not believe him at this point? After marveling for a moment, he stared at Zhao Yuan with wide eyes and even circled him a few times.

Zhao Yuan felt a little creeped out by the staring and asked, bewildered, "What are you doing?"

Cheng Haoyu let out a long sigh and replied, "I'm trying to figure out what kind of monster you are. Drawing Talismans, Artifact Creation, Alchemy... It would be one thing if you just knew how to do them, but you're an expert in everything. If you were some old Demon who's lived for hundreds of years, we could accept it. But you're only about twenty years old! How on earth did you learn all this? It's so damned discouraging!"

Ying Ji and Hao Li nodded in unison; they felt the exact same way.

Zhao Yuan replied with a perfectly straight face, "The reason is simple. I'm a genius!"

"Pfft!" All three of them gave him the middle finger. 'This guy is so shameless!'

After joking around for a bit, Zhao Yuan brought the conversation back on topic. Pointing at the Dixiu and Ghost Grass, he said, "Fellow Daoist Cheng, give me these two Spirit Medicinal Materials. After I refine the Qi Condensing Powder, I'll set aside a portion for you."

Cheng Haoyu pondered for a moment before asking, "Are you sure you can refine Qi Condensing Powder?"

"Positive," Zhao Yuan said, full of confidence.

'Are you kidding me? With a cheat as powerful as the Wu Peng inheritance, how could I possibly fail at refining Qi Condensing Powder?'

"Alright, I can give you the Dixiu and Ghost Grass, but I want two portions of Qi Condensing Powder!" Cheng Haoyu said.

Zhao Yuan nodded. "No problem. But any extra Qi Condensing Powder has nothing to do with you."

Cheng Haoyu smiled. "Of course. I know the rules when it comes to commissioning Alchemy."

In the current Cultivation Realm, Pill Masters controlled a complete seller's market, holding a monopoly. Anyone wishing to hire a Pill Master not only had to provide the money and materials, but could only receive the pre-agreed amount once the elixirs were refined. Any surplus belonged to the Pill Master.

Cheng Haoyu had approached several Pill Masters before, and while none of them had taken the job, he had become very familiar with these rules.

Once they'd settled the terms, Cheng Haoyu handed the Dixiu and Ghost Grass to Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan opened his Storage Ring Space and placed them inside. Such precious Spirit Medicinal Materials were much safer inside the Storage Ring Space.

Cheng Haoyu said, his voice full of envy, "Brother Zhao, after you finish refining the Qi Condensing Powder, remember to make me a Storage Ring. Money will be no object."

Zhao Yuan replied, "Don't worry. I never go back on something I've promised."

Ying Ji and Hao Li also chimed in, urging Zhao Yuan that if he had any extra Qi Condensing Powder, he absolutely had to sell it to them.

Zhao Yuan, of course, readily agreed.

With their business concluded, Hao Li went to the kitchen. After a flurry of activity, he brought a spread of delicious dishes to the table. Cheng Haoyu took out a treasured bottle of red wine, and the four of them dug in, feasting with great enjoyment.

As they ate, Cheng Haoyu said, "You all should just stay at my villa tonight. I sent all the girls away, so there are plenty of rooms. Take your pick."

"No thanks," Ying Ji refused without a second thought. "We'll stay at a hotel. We can come find you again tomorrow morning."

Hao Li chimed in, "Yeah, you're the kind of guy who parties all night and is miserable without a woman. Even if you sent the girls away for now, who knows if you'll get the urge in the middle of the night and call them back? We'll stay at a hotel, just to avoid being kept awake by the racket you'd be making."

"What do you mean, miserable without a woman? It's all for the sake of my cultivation," Cheng Haoyu protested weakly, but didn't press the issue. "Fine, then. Let's meet directly at the pier tomorrow morning. I'll send you the specific location then."

After dinner, the three of them didn't linger and said their goodbyes.

For the sake of convenience, Ying Ji and Hao Li also checked into Zhao Yuan's hotel, getting rooms on the same floor.

They rode the elevator up, and after a few turns down the hall, Zhao Yuan arrived at his door. "This is my room here. I'm heading in. See you two in the morning."

"Wait," Ying Ji said, one eyebrow raised. Her expression turned serious. "The Death Qi in your room is so thick. What do you have in there?"

Zhao Yuan didn't try to hide anything—after all, he would have to bring the Bone Woman with them to Putuo Mountain the next day. "Come in and see for yourself," he said, taking out his key card and opening the door.

The Bone Woman had already sensed Zhao Yuan's return and was kneeling in the suite's living area to greet him. "Master, you have returned."

Ying Ji was composed, but Hao Li jumped in fright at the sight of a moving skeleton. "Holy crap, what the hell is that thing?"

The White Cat, upon seeing the Bone Woman, seemed very interested. It trotted over and began to circle her.

The poor Bone Woman trembled under its scrutiny.

For some reason, the moment the Bone Woman saw the White Cat, a profound fear rose from the depths of her soul. She herself couldn't understand why she would be so terrified of a cat.

Ying Ji examined the skeleton closely for a moment before saying in surprise, "This is a Bone Woman? And she's acknowledged you as her master?"

Zhao Yuan wasn't surprised at all that she had identified the Bone Woman at a glance. 'She's a Witch Cultivator, of course she'd recognize one!'

"This is what happened..."

Zhao Yuan recounted the recent events to Ying Ji, then said, "I suspect Lingzi has already fled back to Japan. Does your Ying Family have any eyes over there? If you do, help me keep tabs on that woman's whereabouts."

"No problem!" Ying Ji agreed without hesitation. She then pointed at the Bone Woman and asked, "Are you planning to just let her tag along to Putuo Mountain looking like that tomorrow?"

Zhao Yuan answered, "Of course I'll have to put her in a travel bag. A skeleton walking down the street would definitely cause a panic."

Ying Ji asked, "Have you ever heard of the Skin Painting Technique?"

"The Skin Painting Technique?" Zhao Yuan froze for a second as his mind raced. He quickly recalled seeing this technique in the Ying Family's Library. He hurriedly opened his Information Leaf and pulled up the entry.

Reading the detailed description, he learned that this technique, which belonged to the Witchcraft and Divination Class, allowed one to use a brush and paper to draw a human skin. Skeletons, Yin Ghosts, demon charms, and the like could then wear it to take on human form.

Indeed, it was very similar to the ability of the Demon in "The Painted Skin" from *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*, which painted itself to look like a beautiful woman.