There were two things inside the pouch.
One was a note.
Shen Han leaned closer to the oil lamp and read by its light. The handwriting on the note was fresh, and it contained only ten characters:
All troubles and woes lie within the Reclining Buddha.
The message was brief and to the point—it pointed straight to the Reclining Buddha! But what exactly was this Reclining Buddha?
He had no leads for now. Shen Han put the note away and turned to look at the other item.
A Human Skin Mask.
Shen Han immediately spread out the mask. It felt cool to the touch, and its surface was made from some kind of special material. It was incredibly thin and lifelike, even down to the texture.
"Let's give it a try..."
He put the mask straight over his head.
The mask clung closely to his skin, fitting seamlessly and blending with his face. There was nothing unusual about it at all.
He fetched a basin of water and looked into it.
What he saw shocked him even more. The reflection staring back at him was a completely different person: an exceedingly ugly middle-aged man, with not a single flaw in the disguise.
"Interesting... Huh, my voice?"
Even more incredible, once he had put on the mask, his voice had turned hoarse and much deeper.
This thing was amazing!
Shen Han took off the mask and returned to his original appearance.
If he ever needed to do something while keeping his real face hidden, he could put on this mask, assume another identity, and get it done!
"Guard Zhan, how does your arm feel?"
The next day, Shen Han arrived at the Hanging Pot Medical Hall and headed straight to the guard squad.
Zhan Chaoyang looked ruddy and healthy. "It doesn't hurt at all anymore. Physician Shen, you really are a miracle doctor!"
"Your good constitution deserves most of the credit. Come, I'll give you another acupuncture treatment and change your dressing."
"Sorry for the trouble."
After changing the dressing, Shen Han remembered the note in the pouch. An idea struck him, and he said, "By the way, Guard Zhan, you've been around Three Rivers County for years. I wanted to ask you something."
Zhan Chaoyang looked surprised. "What is it?"
"Where in Three Rivers County can I find a Reclining Buddha?"
Shen Han enunciated every word.
"A Reclining Buddha?"
Zhan Chaoyang froze. "Let me think. I don't think there is one... Wait, there is!"
Shen Han's eyes lit up. "Please tell me where, Guard Zhan."
"On the west side of the county town, there's the Golden Buddha Temple. Inside lies a statue of a Reclining Buddha. But the temple's been abandoned for years. There's no incense there anymore. Physician Shen, what do you want with a Reclining Buddha?"
"I was just asking."
"Right. The Golden Buddha Temple probably only has the occasional homeless beggar staying there. It's not very safe. You'd better not go, Physician Shen."
"I understand."
Shen Han smiled.
Everything at the medical hall carried on as usual during the day. Everyone there avoided talking about the Black Dragon Gang collecting protection money the night before.
Soon, night fell.
Shen Han found a set of black clothes and changed into them. With the Human Skin Mask on his head, he quietly made his way toward the west side of town.
There were few people in Three Rivers County at night to begin with.
The western part of town was even more run-down, with houses scattered here and there and hardly anyone around.
As he rounded an alley, a carriage came slowly into view.
The horse whinnied.
Perhaps Shen Han's hideously ugly face had startled the horse. The driver suddenly lost control of it.
The carriage sped up in an instant and charged toward Shen Han.
Thud!
Shen Han darted aside. The carriage crashed into the low wall beside him before finally coming to a stop.
"What happened?"
Two men jumped down from the carriage, one after the other.
Shen Han recognized them.
One was Lin Tanzhi, the young escort chief of the Fukang Escort Agency; the other was the agency's steward.
"What an ugly man..."
The steward held up a lantern. The moment he saw Shen Han, the words slipped out.
"Be quiet!"
Lin Tanzhi hurriedly cut him off.
He came over to Shen Han with a smile and bowed politely. "Sir, I'm terribly sorry. We startled you."
Young Escort Chief Lin didn't recognize me... Shen Han thought to himself.
The Human Skin Mask really was no ordinary thing!
"It's all right. He was only stating the facts. I really am very ugly."
Shen Han waved a hand.
Lin Tanzhi looked a little embarrassed and quickly said, "There's no need to put yourself down, sir. Looks aren't everything. As long as you have ability, you can still make your way in the world!"
As he spoke, he took out two taels of silver.
"Please accept this silver as an apology. We have important business to attend to, so we'll be on our way."
"Take care."
After watching the carriage leave, Shen Han tucked the silver into his clothes.
"Young Escort Chief Lin really is generous. No wonder the common folk think so highly of him.
"This little mishap also gave me a chance to test how amazing the mask is.
"Now, time to take care of my own business!"
Following the directions Zhan Chaoyang had given him, Shen Han soon arrived at the entrance to the Golden Buddha Temple.
It was a small temple, with only one shrine hall.
The temple gate was gone without a trace, and the walls were full of holes. It was clear the place had been abandoned for a long time.
"Is this the place the note mentioned?"
Shen Han looked around, then stepped into the Golden Buddha Temple.
Compared with the outside, the inside was an even greater mess. Broken tiles and filth littered the ground, and waves of stench assailed his nostrils.
Shen Han frowned and looked straight ahead.
There lay a Sleeping Buddha on its side.
The Sleeping Buddha was over two zhang long, but its head was already gone, and its body was pitted and battered.
Shen Han circled the Reclining Buddha.
He couldn't see anything yet.
"All troubles and woes lie within the Reclining Buddha... Could the thing be hidden inside the statue's belly?"
He gently tapped the Reclining Buddha.
It wasn't hollow, which meant there was no secret compartment inside.
Squeak, squeak!
Just then, footsteps crunched on fallen leaves outside the temple.
Shen Han acted at once. He leapt through the temple's back window and hid behind the wall.
Two beggars came in.
"Today was lousy. I only got two copper coins. How about you?"
"A little better than you. Three coins."
"We can't go on like this."
"How about we stake out Miaoyu Pavilion and steal from people outside? Those clients are all loaded anyway."
"Sure. Let's have a go first, then we'll head over."
"You're such a bad man..."
Shen Han stared in disbelief from behind the wall. Being a beggar was one thing, and stealing money was understandable, but the two of them were both men...
Half an incense stick later, the two beggars were done.
"Let's go."
"Let me hide our five coins first."
"Mm."
One of the beggars went to the corner, squatted down, and reached out to pry loose a brick.
There was actually a secret compartment inside.
He took a pitch-black earthenware jar from the compartment and dropped the copper coins inside.
When he was done, the two beggars left the temple hand in hand.
Silence once again settled over the Golden Buddha Temple.
"So there are secret compartments in the walls of this ruined temple..."
After the beggars had gone far away, Shen Han returned to the temple.
He carefully examined all four walls.
Before long, he found a secret compartment on the north side.
Inside the compartment was a wooden box!
Shen Han took it out at once.
There was almost no dust on the box, which meant it hadn't been put there very long ago.
Click!
Shen Han opened the wooden box.
Inside lay a black brick the size of his palm, along with a piece of fine silk.
The black brick was unusual, radiating a purple glow all over.
He couldn't tell what kind of material it was made from.
Several lines of writing and four images had been drawn on the silk.
"This must be the brick the Iron Fist Martial Hall was looking for. What's written on the silk? Never mind. It's pitch-dark here and I can't see clearly. I'll study it at home."
Shen Han didn't dwell on it.
He put the empty wooden box back in the secret compartment, then quietly left.
Before you continue