The three of them peeled off the mountain ogre's skin, exposing the mangled "human" flesh beneath. The man had been dead for some time as well. With practiced ease, they dissected his arm and carefully examined his muscles, tendons, and bones to determine how long he had been joined to that mountain ogre skin.
"It should be over a year."
The two men who had brought the body out finally stripped off their disguises.
They revealed their true identities beneath.
They were Iron Kites of Western Xia, skilled in archery and horsemanship. More importantly, after proclaiming himself emperor, Li Yuanhao had selected a group from among the Iron Kites.
These men belonged to that group.
They had special methods of their own.
After confirming how long the mountain ogre skin had been joined to the man, the two took out a ritual brazier, dropped burning rhinoceros-horn incense into it, and gently fanned it with their hands.
At the same time, they chanted under their breath. After a while, a phantom appeared in the air.
It looked human yet not human, resembling both a mountain ogre and a living person.
This fusion was different from the skinning of a physical body.
Changes to the soul were far more profound, mysterious, and strange.
"The soul has changed. The problem probably lay with this man. His three Hun and seven Po weren't stable enough. Or perhaps whoever did this failed to perform an appeasement rite. Humans have three Hun and seven Po; mountain ogres don't. The human's three Hun and seven Po should have been dominant.
"But this man's mind was weak. His stinking lung, sparrow yin, and hidden arrow were all corrupted.
"That's how he ended up like this.
"But if that's the case, where did all his tricks and abilities come