Chapter 519 - 520: The Secretary Handles Business, and When There's None...

"This is a great technique. Very practical," Zhao Yuan praised sincerely.

With the Skin Painting Technique, he could have the Bone Woman take human form and stay by his side at all times. This was far more convenient than carrying her in a luggage bag. She could also take action immediately at critical moments, preventing any delays or missed opportunities.

As soon as she heard this, Ying Ji knew Zhao Yuan must be familiar with the Skin Painting Technique. She said no more. After giving Zhao Yuan a few reminders, she and Hao Li took their leave.

The moment they were gone, Zhao Yuan opened his Storage Ring, took out paper, ink, brushes, and an inkstone, and laid them on the coffee table in the suite's living room. Then, he beckoned to the Bone Woman. "Tonight, pause your Cultivation and learn the Skin Painting Technique. Once you can paint a perfect human skin to wear, you can worry about other things."

"Yes," the Bone Woman replied respectfully, but she didn't walk over to Zhao Yuan.

He looked over and realized she was too scared by the White Cat to move. The White Cat was circling her, its small eyes scanning her up and down, as if curious why these bones weren't scattered on the floor but were instead assembled into a human shape that could move.

Zhao Yuan chuckled in spite of himself, muttering inwardly, 'Both Xiaoyang and the Bone Woman are a little afraid of Xiaobai. It seems to have a natural deterrent effect on demonic beings. That's not an ability any ordinary cat would possess...'

Unfortunately, the White Cat couldn't talk, and its origins were impossible to trace. Figuring out what it actually was felt completely impossible.

At least for now.

Zhao Yuan shook his head, casting these stray thoughts aside, and ordered the White Cat, "Xiaobai, stop causing trouble. Let the Bone Woman come over."

The White Cat let out a MEOW, finally ceasing its "inspection" of the Bone Woman. It leaped onto the sofa, gave a lazy yawn, and began to sleep with its tail for a pillow.

The Bone Woman felt the pressure on her vanish instantly and hurried to Zhao Yuan's side.

Zhao Yuan meticulously imparted the techniques and key points of the Skin Painting Technique to the Bone Woman.

The technique was best performed by the Bone Woman herself; that way, the human skin she painted would be the most suitable for her. If Zhao Yuan were to help, the resulting skin, while usable, would have all sorts of problems that would affect how it was worn and the overall transformation.

The Bone Woman studied with great focus.

On one hand, this was a technique her master had taught her and a task he had assigned, so she had to give it her all.

On the other hand, she desperately wanted to regain a human body!

It had been four or five hundred years since she died and became a Demon. Throughout that time, she had always appeared as a skeleton, but deep in her heart, she still harbored the desire to be human again.

Now that her wish could finally be fulfilled, how could she not take this seriously?

After imparting the techniques of the Skin Painting Technique, Zhao Yuan left her to it, letting the Bone Woman fumble and practice on her own in the living room. He, meanwhile, washed up and returned to the bedroom. There, he lit a stick of Soul-Stabilizing Incense, activated his Concentration Technique, and began to study *Acupuncture Theory and Practice Part 1: Theoretical Foundation*.

The White Cat seemed to enter the bedroom right on cue. It curled up next to the Soul-Stabilizing Incense, took a deep sniff, and wore an expression of pure bliss.

「The night passed.」

Zhao Yuan's efforts once again bore fruit; he had finished studying the textbook, *Acupuncture Theory and Practice Part 1: Theoretical Foundation*.

All of Wu Peng's brilliant theories on Acupuncture, meridians, and acupoints were now firmly lodged in his mind. It was safe to say that when it came to acupuncture theory, Zhao Yuan had already reached a top-tier level!

And why not the absolute best? Because for now, Zhao Yuan had merely memorized these points of knowledge without having fully integrated them. The moment he could completely digest and synthesize this knowledge, no one would be able to surpass him in the realm of acupuncture theory!

After he finished studying *Acupuncture Theory and Practice Part 1: Theoretical Foundation*, the subsequent textbook appeared right on schedule in the medical section of the Information Leaf: *Acupuncture: Techniques and Applications*.

Zhao Yuan skimmed through the new textbook and saw it was primarily divided into two parts.

The first part, on techniques, covered various acupuncture methods—over a hundred of them, including the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique that Zhao Yuan had learned through observation. This section also covered how to handle adverse events like needle shock and stuck needles, as well as topics like moxibustion, scalp acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, and intradermal needling. The sheer volume of content was staggering; he had a lot to learn.

The second part, on applications, fell into the clinical domain. It primarily focused on differential diagnosis for specific illnesses and listed the appropriate acupoints, needling techniques, moxibustion methods, and so on.

It was safe to say that once he finished *Acupuncture: Techniques and Applications*, he would be a master, ready to practice Acupuncture with full confidence.

Zhao Yuan was very satisfied with the night's accomplishments and gains. 'I wonder how the Bone Woman is doing with painting her human skin?'

With that thought, he got up and left the bedroom.

"Holy crap, what is going on?"

The moment he stepped out of the bedroom, Zhao Yuan was stunned by the sight before him.

A completely naked woman with a graceful figure, nearly perfect curves, and a beautiful face that held a hint of martial valor, sat cross-legged with her eyes closed on the living room carpet.

Zhao Yuan was dumbstruck. He couldn't help but wonder if he'd opened the wrong door and walked into the wrong room.

Sensing Zhao Yuan's presence, the woman opened her eyes and immediately dropped to one knee in greeting. "Chikuzen Hakumei Rihachiro welcomes you, Master."

"You're Chikuzen Hakumei Rihachiro?" Zhao Yuan was startled at first, but then it clicked. "You've finished painting the human skin and put it on?"

So this stark-naked woman was the Bone Woman!

"Yes," the Bone Woman replied. "Thank you, Master, for allowing me to regain a human body."

Zhao Yuan didn't dare to look directly at her, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see that she was well-endowed where she should be and slender where she should be. Her legs were especially slim and long, and incredibly alluring. This was a rare sight even among modern women from Japan, let alone ancient ones.

Also, he didn't know if it was because she hadn't painted it on or if she had been that way when she was alive, but her private area was completely bare.

"A White Tiger..." Zhao Yuan couldn't help but mutter.

The Bone Woman didn't hear him clearly and asked, "Master, what did you say?"

"Ah? Th-that... I didn't say anything." Zhao Yuan was mortified, his face flushing red. He waved his hands dismissively. "You should put on some clothes before we talk. It's... really awkward when you're not wearing any."

The Bone Woman replied, "I don't have any clothes."

"My mistake." Zhao Yuan slapped his forehead. He opened his Storage Ring Space and took out a set of his own clothes. "Here, make do with my clothes for now. We'll go buy you something suitable later."

"Thank you for your gift, Master!" The Bone Woman bowed her head again.

"I'm going to wash up. You hurry and get dressed." With that, Zhao Yuan practically fled into the bathroom.

The Bone Woman stood up, the corners of her lips curling up slightly. In a voice too soft to be heard, she murmured to herself, "Master is so cute when he's shy."