"Thank you, benefactor. I know the Disguise Technique, so I could tell you'd changed," Zhu Yan replied.
Su Chen fell silent. He'd thought his disguise was quite convincing, but he hadn't expected Zhu Yan to see through it.
"In return for finding all this money for me, I'll give you a chance. If you want me to avenge you, what can you offer?"
Su Chen glanced at Zhu Yan and considered for a moment before speaking.
At those words, a flash of delight appeared on Zhu Yan's face.
He'd said so much to Su Chen for the sake of hearing those words. Now, at last, he'd gotten his wish.
But his joy soon subsided. He took out the last of the money he had on him and gave a dry laugh.
"Well, benefactor, I have less than ten taels left. Could I offer you some other kind of payment?"
"Let's hear it."
Zhu Yan quickly produced two manuals. "I have two manuals here. One is the Medical Codex, accumulated by my Zhu Family over generations; the other is the Disguise Technique. If you agree, I'm willing to give them both to you as payment."
The Disguise Technique?
Su Chen's thoughts stirred. He'd just been wondering how to get the Disguise Technique from Zhu Yan, and now Zhu Yan was offering to give it to him.
After a moment's thought, he asked, "How strong is this Zhao Kuo?"
"He should be a little stronger than Liu Tong. I once saw the two of them fight. Liu Tong lost, but Zhao Kuo was injured too. That was nearly a year ago, though. I've kept an eye on Zhao Kuo since then, but I haven't seen him fight."
As he spoke, Zhu Yan scratched his head.
Of the three, he hated Lin Hai and Liu Tong more. Compared to Zhao Kuo, they were not only easier to watch, but easier to get revenge on as well.
"I can give it a try. If he's really as you say, I'll make a move. But if I find that I'm no match for him, I'll give up. And..."
"And what?"
"And you'll have to pay half up front. Give me the Disguise Technique first."
After saying that, Su Chen fell silent and waited for Zhu Yan's answer.
Zhu Yan stood there, his expression shifting between uncertainty and resolve. At last, he nodded. "All right. We'll do as you say, benefactor."
He handed the Disguise Technique to Su Chen, then explained every detail of how to use it, holding nothing back.
Su Chen listened quietly, committing it all to memory.
The Disguise Technique Zhu Yan described was even more complicated than he'd imagined.
It took nearly half an hour before Zhu Yan's throat grew itchy from talking and he finally stopped.
During that time, he also told Su Chen what he'd learned about Zhao Kuo.
There wasn't much, but it was useful.
"All right. I've remembered everything."
Su Chen took the silver from the box and tucked it into his clothes, then spoke to Zhu Yan.
"Benefactor, how can I find you?" Zhu Yan asked.
"Wait for me at Lin Family Fortress. When it's over, I'll show up."
With that, Su Chen turned and left.
Zhu Yan watched him disappear into the distance and clenched his fists, hope flickering across his face.
"I hope the benefactor really can kill that bastard Zhao Kuo for me!"
Three days later.
Gathering Fragrance Restaurant.
A somewhat burly figure sat by the window.
A Steel Saber was strapped to his waist, and the long sleeve over his severed arm hung down across the chair, marking him out as someone unusual.
There were several small dishes on the table, along with a pot of tea. He ate now and then, and sipped his tea between bites.
Though he had only one hand, he ate without the slightest hint of awkwardness, carrying himself with an air of elegance.
This man was Su Chen.
Thanks to Zhu Yan's instruction and three days of practice, Su Chen's understanding of the Disguise Technique had deepened considerably.
If the Disguise Technique had been a Martial Art, Su Chen could have mastered it even faster with the help of his panel.
Still, his disguising skills had improved by leaps and bounds.
Before, people could still make out what he normally looked like. Now, unless they looked closely, they wouldn't notice anything different about him.
They would simply assume that Su Chen really had only one arm.
As he ate, Su Chen watched the street below, keeping in mind what he'd learned from Zhu Yan.
At around ten every morning, Zhao Kuo went to the Tea House across from Gathering Worthies Restaurant to hunt.
He almost never missed a day.
"He's here!"
Suddenly, Su Chen caught sight of a familiar figure. Accompanied by two White Jade Gang members, the man was heading toward the Tea House.
The White Jade Gang was one of the top gangs in White Stone City, and Zhao Kuo was its Hall Master, a man of high standing.
It was no surprise that he had two guards.
Besides, this area was under Zhao Kuo's jurisdiction. He had no need to bring many guards.
Soon, Zhao Kuo entered the Tea House and, as usual, went straight to the window.
The staff kept that seat especially for him.
Whenever Zhao Kuo came, tea and food were already waiting on the table.
He sat by the window, savoring the fragrance of the tea as he surveyed the entire street below.
His eyes roamed over the passersby with a predatory focus, searching for specific targets.
Watching from the diagonally opposite seat, Su Chen couldn't help shaking his head.
Zhao Kuo really was just as Zhu Yan had said: he had a weakness for beautiful women.
And even more so for married women!
The reason he came to the Tea House every day was to look for prey.
Young women were merely secondary targets.
His main targets were married women who were reasonably attractive.
Whenever he spotted one, Zhao Kuo would send someone to follow her, then lead his men in abducting her and taking her home.
Su Chen had looked into the fate of the women who were taken. Almost none of them had ever escaped Zhao Kuo.
The families torn apart by these abductions were usually better off staying quiet. If they made a fuss, they would be forced to disappear before long.
After watching for a while, Su Chen suddenly saw Zhao Kuo leap to his feet, his narrow eyes fixed on a Yellow-Clothed Woman below.
Clearly, he'd found a target.
She seemed to suit his tastes perfectly. He didn't even send his men to follow her; he went after her himself.
Su Chen saw this and shook his head. "If that fellow finds out this woman is a man in disguise, I wonder what kind of face he'll make."
The moment Zhao Kuo set his sights on the Yellow-Clothed Woman, Su Chen had sensed that something was off about her.
The Disguise Technique he'd been learning over the past few days now proved its worth, allowing him to see through the Yellow-Clothed Woman's disguise at a glance.
"Judging by her behavior, she seems to be deliberately luring Zhao Kuo in. Could she have a grudge against him?"
Zhao Kuo had already gone downstairs. Led by the Yellow-Clothed Woman, he gradually disappeared from Su Chen's sight.
Seeing this, Su Chen immediately stood up, left the cost of his meal on the table, and followed them.
Elsewhere.
Zhao Kuo, who had been following the Yellow-Clothed Woman the whole time, had noticed nothing amiss.
Before he knew it, she had led him into a secluded alley.
Only when the Yellow-Clothed Woman stopped and turned to look at him did Zhao Kuo sense something strange.
He looked at her and asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"
"The one who's going to kill you!"
The Yellow-Clothed Woman gave a cold snort. Her arm shifted slightly, and a long sword appeared out of nowhere.
Gripping the Precious Sword, the Yellow-Clothed Woman lunged at Zhao Kuo.
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