Chapter 192 – Soul Iron Gains Flesh, Blood Gold Crystals Bring Life, The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell and Returns - Part 3

A few days later.

Within the Clock Mansion, in the eastern wing of the outer courtyard, rooms had been set aside specifically for incoming undying husks.

The mansion master, often dressed in a red robe, had earned no small amount of criticism for letting outsiders move in, but he simply behaved as though he were powerless, allowing them to swagger around as they pleased.

His subordinates were abused; he endured it. His fattest livestock was snatched away; he submitted. They insisted on living inside his own estate; he gave in yet again.

But when the outsiders demanded the Clock Mansion provide forces to join their offensives against other prefectures, he refused, insisting they were too weak—unfit to march beyond their

backwater

region. People mocked him all the more for his cowardice.

In one of the courtyards, its walls cold stone and mottled gray, a few wisps of eerie chill drifting in, more than a dozen undying husks sat around a round table. They were here to coordinate the Northriver Prefecture operation.

Among them were Chang Qi, who’d reluctantly parted with his thousand-mile thread to Yan Yu, and the two other members of his small group. Several more shadowy figures lurked around the edges.

All eyes focused on a portrait lying in the center of the table. It was of an unremarkable-looking man.

Chang Qi spoke in a cold voice. “That Woodson has gone out on missions 17 times and captured 16 of our people. Ten died in prison, and five more were killed trying to escape.”

Another person said, “He’s become a real problem. I propose we use the ghost mirror to kill him.”

“It’s not time for that,” someone else interrupted. “The ghost mirror is reserved for Zhu Nuyang. That will be the final stroke here in Northriver Prefecture.”

He spoke calmly, and at his words, everyone fell silent. Clearly, this man was the genuine prefecture lord who had come to take over Northriver Prefecture, having hidden away in the ancient ghost street where no martial power could reach him.

Chang Qi continued, “My lord, this Mister Woodson seems reckless, but he’s broken our kill-traps every single time. We—”

Before he could finish, the figure at the center raised a hand, cutting him off. A frigid gaze flitted over the portrait as he said icily, “He must die, no doubt about it, though we won’t be using the ghost mirror—”

He didn’t get to finish, for at that moment, an undying husk hurried in. “Mister Woodson is dead!”

Everyone turned in surprise to look at the messenger. “Say that again?”

“Mister Woodson, that enforcer they call Mister Woodson...he’s dead!”

“Explain,” the supposed prefecture lord demanded.

Beaming, the messenger recounted what had happened in detail.

“That Mister Woodson led a squad to wipe out the Immortal Worship Cult in two counties in the north of Northriver Prefecture. After entering a trap, he suddenly seemed to lose his senses, staring at one of our members with adoration in his eyes. He kept calling her Hong Hong and asking if it really was her.

“That female member was a bit stunned at first, but quickly caught on and simply sighed in response. Incredibly, he followed her willingly into a certain building. Once inside, she locked the door behind them. Afterward, he vanished, almost certainly dragged away by our curse. Dead.”

“How can that be?” the prefecture lord muttered in surprise. “Bring that undying husk to me.”

“Yes, sir.”

A few moments later, a fairly attractive woman arrived in the courtyard, still looking rattled. “My lord, I’m not sure what happened. As soon as that enforcer saw me, he was captivated. At first, I thought maybe he was just lustful, but soon I realized something was off.”

“How so?”

“In his eyes, there was...yearning, heartbreak, and a kind of desperation. He called me Hong Hong with a trembling voice. I realized he was mistaking me for someone else, so I played along and lured him into our ambush.” The woman let out another sigh. “He was such a hopeless romantic. If he weren’t our enemy, I might’ve actually wanted to sit and chat with him, to hear his story.”

With that, the truth behind Mister Woodon’s

death

was laid bare, and nobody could find anything else to say.

Suddenly, Shu Niang, the undying husk standing beside Chang Qi, spoke up, “Maybe this is our chance.”

Chang Qi flashed a sinister grin. “You mean before they confirm Mister Woodson’s death, we use that special local rouge compact to disguise ourselves as him, infiltrate their ranks, and kill the enforcers who live with him?”

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Shu Niang laughed. “Exactly.”

The prefecture lord of Northriver Prefecture pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Go ahead and try it.”

Shu Niang explained, “Mister Woodson is supposed to be sixth rank. We can use a yellow rouge compact, worth three candareens, to not only transform into him but also gain part of his strength. We’ve never used a rouge compact of this quality before, but it seems perfect for this situation.”

Chang Qi said, “I’ll do it. I’m seventh rank, so turning into a sixth rank martial artist shouldn’t overwhelm me. I should be able to handle it without getting cursed.”

The prefecture lord gave Chang Qi a long look. “Alright. There’s no time to lose. Put on your disguise and head out immediately. If you succeed, you’ll be well rewarded.”

Overjoyed, Chang Qi bowed in gratitude, then grabbed the portrait of Mister Woodson and hurried off to one side to begin applying the yellow rouge compact.

Before long, his face was the exact same as Mister Woodson, and even his body warped and shifted until it perfectly matched Mister Woodson’s build. But once finished, Chang Qi stood frozen in place, staring at his own hands in disbelief.

“What is it now?” the prefecture lord demanded with a frown.

Chang Qi sputtered, “He...he isn’t sixth rank at all! This power...he doesn’t even reach ninth rank!”

Everyone else was stunned.

“That’s impossible!” an undying husk exclaimed. “He must be sixth rank. Plenty of us have seen his strength firsthand.”

The prefecture lord spoke in a low, cold tone. “Well, well. Seems our Mister Woodson is more complicated than we thought.”

Chang Qi was rattled. “So...what am I supposed to do?”

The prefecture replied, “You have two choices. Keep posing as Mister Woodson and head for Eastspring County. Or drop the whole thing, and we’ll say no more about it.”

Chang Qi hesitated, biting his lip. He really did want to go. Earning a major achievement would greatly increase his chances of walking beneath the sun. He’d been cursed before, managed to lift it, then got saddled with an even more terrifying curse later on. With no way to free himself, all he could do was hope the imperial tutor in the Jade Capital would honor his promise to suppress it, so he could live normally one day.

But his target had clearly used a phony face, likely anticipating that someone would try to impersonate him.

“I...I choose the second option.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Within the Mellow Moon, a giant of a man was drinking and laughing with Yan Mu.

“Uncle, you pulled that off flawlessly, like a golden cicada shedding its shell!”

“I didn’t have much choice.” Li Yuan poured wine for both of them, then clinked glasses and downed his cup in one swig. “If you see anyone wearing Mister Woodson’s face now, just grab them on the spot. They’re definitely an undying husk.”

“Got it.” Yan Mu asked, “So what’s your plan now?”

Li Yuan smiled. “I’m still going to serve as an enforcer for your three factions, of course.”

Yan Mu stared for a while, then finally let out a colorful expletive, wearing a wry smile. “I’m just glad you’re my uncle-in-law, not someone else’s.” Switching topics, he said, “But honestly, you have an even larger bag of tricks than the undying husks we;re dealing with. I doubt they have half the tools you do.”

Li Yuan replied, “That item I used this time isn’t cheap, and I can’t just use it whenever I please. So I already told my family I won’t be going back for a while. I’m planning to stay here, earn what money I can, and then head home once I’ve got enough.”

Yan Mu gave a rueful chuckle. “Can’t you just get rid of all the undying husks for us?”

Li Yuan threw up his hands. “You think I don’t want to? Tell me how I’m supposed to do that. You’re not paying by body count, and half the time you don’t even know who’s an undying husk. And if I really did wipe them all out somehow, you’d start prying into how I managed it. Nephew, are you trying to get your dear uncle killed?”

Yan Mu’s face twisted in a bitter smile. He thought it over, realizing Li Yuan was right; this was the reality of the sect system and human nature. What could be done?

He took a moment, then said, “In that case, I won’t be recommending you officially this time. We’ve talked it over, and we’ll create a fresh identity for you. Then you can go see Mu Hua. Right now they’re desperate for manpower, and I’m sure Mu Hua will still want you stationed at the Peakside Pavilion.”