Who exactly was this man?
I don't think I've seen him in Mirage, but he must be a desperado hired by Master Artisan Yang. Only Yang would hate me to the marrow of his bones!
Li Chen suspected the man might have a jade talisman from Mirage, a treasure that served both communication and recording functions. If it locked onto his aura and sent a signal back, things would turn ugly.
To be safe, he used Shape-Stealing Skin-Painting and the Breath-Hiding Method to completely alter his appearance and aura. He then lingered in the nearby mountain woods for a long while, only approaching to inspect the body after he felt there was no danger.
The result was unexpected: this man had used a disguise.
Li Chen had only thought him a stranger because the man's disguise had been clever enough to fool him.
His true identity was Nie Fengting, a rogue cultivator and puppeteer from the Tao Kingdom.
Li Chen had even met him a few times at gatherings to exchange insights and discuss the Dao. He had never expected the man to be bought off by Master Artisan Yang and sent to deal with him.
Li Chen made the Puppet Chassis crouch down and dab a trace of spirit blood onto its fingers, then instructed, "Auxiliary Brain, analyze the composition of his flesh and see what modifications he underwent."
He also released his divine sense, comparing what he found against the general knowledge section of the Complete Book of the Puppet Master Order.
He soon reached a conclusion. Nie Fengting had undergone the "Fill with Mercury as Blood" modification. His blood was entirely spirit mercury, still retaining some of the properties it had possessed in life. His flesh resembled clay paste, the result of "Knead Clay, Transform Flesh," a