Harvest

"Rip!"

A sound like tearing cloth rang out as Gu Han felt around the face of the Black Fiend, the "Old Boatman."

After a moment, he exerted a little force with his palm and directly peeled off a lifelike Human Skin Mask from the man's face, revealing beneath it the ordinary middle-aged man's visage—a face frozen in shock, eyes wide open in death.

"The Shadow Poison Sect's disguise arts truly are unrivaled under heaven. Such an exquisite Human Skin Mask—even I couldn't spot a single flaw. It's hard to believe."

Staring at the unfamiliar face beneath the mask, Gu Han felt a flicker of surprise.

With his current eyesight, let alone a face right before him, he could clearly see ants fighting ten zhang away.

Yet just now, if this Black Fiend "Old Man" hadn't exposed himself on purpose, Gu Han wouldn't have noticed anything wrong with him at all. Even when the man laughed loudly or made subtle expressions, Gu Han detected no issue whatsoever.

Such terrifying technique was truly incredible. Not even in ancient times, nor in the advanced technology of his first life, could such a thing be achieved—a testament to its wonder!

"I wonder who created this disguise art. So miraculous that even I can't tell truth from falsehood—truly an extraordinary person."

Seeing how remarkable the Black and White Fiends' disguise skills were, Gu Han let out a soft sigh of admiration, then grew even more eager. He continued searching the Black Fiend's body.

"Ten Fragrance Bone-Softening Powder, Three-Day Gut-Wrenching Pill, Life-Extending Eight Pills, Heavenly Fragrance Powder, Human Skin Mask..."

Packs of medicinal powder, bottles and jars were pulled from the Black Fiend's person. But no matter how Gu Han searched, he couldn't find a single trace of information about the disguise technique manual or the method for crafting Ten Fragrance Soft Bone Powder.

"Huh, why isn't it here? Could it be that the Shadow Poison Sect's manuals aren't on the Black Fiend, but are carried by the White Fiend or stashed somewhere else?"

Gu Han wondered.

Martial artists roaming the jianghu usually liked to keep important items on them—it gave them a peculiar sense of security. Especially for experts like the Black and White Fiends, whose threat level and survival skills rivaled those of evil-path Great Accomplishment of Internal Qi masters, they were often even more self-assured.

But while that was the general rule, exceptions existed. Perhaps the Black and White Fiends weren't the type to carry important things on them—it wasn't impossible.

"Forget it. I'll fish up the White Fiend first and search his body. If I still can't find it, I'll just have to let it go."

Gu Han felt a pang of reluctance. He was about to paddle the small boat over to the White Fiend's corpse—the "Delicate Maiden"—and haul it up.

But suddenly, he felt an unevenness on the Black Fiend's back.

"Rip! Rip!"

Two more tearing sounds rang out. On the boat, Gu Han flipped the Black Fiend's corpse over, tore open the clothing on its back, and felt around again. Finally, he detected an anomaly. With a flick of his hand, a piece of human skin the size of a washbasin, densely covered in tiny writing, appeared in his grasp.

"'Ten Fragrance Soft Bone Powder Crafting Method,' 'Disguise Technique Mastery'!"

At the bow of the boat, Gu Han looked at the dense script on the human skin and a smile spread across his face.

Though these two skills belonged to the unorthodox path, their practical value might far exceed even the three supreme martial techniques created by Patriarch Bodhidharma.

After all, no matter how strong Patriarch Bodhidharma was, bound by the limits of this world, he was merely a Second-rate Master. The techniques he created might be precious to Gu Han now, but once Gu Han advanced to Second-rate himself, they would likely be nothing special.

But the "Ten Fragrance Soft Bone Powder Crafting Method" and "Disguise Technique Mastery" were different.

The former needed no further explanation.

It was a drug specifically designed to dissolve internal qi. While it couldn't harm Gu Han—his body had already undergone a transformation, granting him immunity to all poisons—if used against other martial artists, even Internal Qi experts, or Second-rate Masters in the main world's Yue Kingdom who could project True Qi, a sufficient dose could dissolve their internal qi, leaving them helpless.

And compared to the "Ten Fragrance Soft Bone Powder Crafting Method," the "Disguise Technique Mastery" might be even more fearsome.

Though "disguise arts" were a well-known skill in the martial world for concealing one's identity, and almost everyone roaming the jianghu knew a little, knowing and mastering were two different things. The Shadow Poison Sect were true experts in this field—just look at the Black and White Fiends for proof.

Their disguise arts were so perfect that even Gu Han's naked eye couldn't see through them, let alone the Second-rate or First-rate Masters of the main world, whose bodies were inferior to his.

In short, if Gu Han could fully master this "Disguise Technique Mastery," using it in the real world or other simulation worlds, it would be like learning Sun Wukong's "Seventy-Two Transformations" from the myths—able to create countless identities out of thin air. A perfect method for murder, robbery, and framing others!

Gu Han's heart swelled with delight. Carefully, he folded the human-skin manual and tucked it into the golden box in his bosom.

Finally, he picked out a Human Skin Mask from the pile he'd gathered on the ground—one depicting a young man with a long, thin scar on his face, looking extremely cold and stern—and slowly pressed it onto his own face.

"Pop!"

A faint sound rang out. As soon as the Human Skin Mask touched his skin, it felt like a suction cup meeting a smooth wall. In an instant, it clung tightly to Gu Han's face, transforming him from a handsome, masculine young man into an ordinary-looking youth with a scar across his cheek.

"Good stuff!"

Feeling the mask now firmly on his face, Gu Han bent down and looked at the reflection of another unfamiliar face in the clear river water. He couldn't help but praise it aloud. Then he returned to the cabin, found a four-foot-long blade, strapped it to his back, and began rowing the oars toward the distant, faintly visible large ship.

Because, according to what the Black Fiend had just said, that might be where his new starting point lay—and the stepping stone to achieving his ultimate goal in this world!

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