After leaving the ambush site in the wilderness, the three of them followed the gravel road toward the town.
Duan Jian led the way, his jet-black wings folded against his back. A loose gray cloak covered most of them, leaving only the very edges of the feather tips exposed.
The wounds wrapped in strips of cloth were still bleeding, and the dark red stains stood out starkly against the gray fabric.
Yet he walked with his back straight and his strides even, as though he felt no pain at all.
After they had traveled about two li, the wind across the wilderness picked up, whipping fine sand and gravel against their legs with a dry rustle.
Nie Li suddenly stopped, took a small cloth pouch from inside his robe, untied it, and tipped a lump of grayish-white clay into his palm.
It looked soft and limp, its surface giving off faint fluctuations of spiritual energy and a light, earthy smell.
"What's that?" Duan Jian asked, turning back.
"Cloud clay. A material you apply externally to temporarily change your appearance. Mold it onto your face, and it can alter your facial contours for about half a day to a day." Nie Li rolled the cloud clay in his palm and kneaded it a little softer, then looked up at Duan Jian. "Your face is too well known in the Silver Wing Family. If you enter town looking like this, word will reach Sikong Yi's ears before long. Let's change it."
Duan Jian fell silent for a moment, then nodded and sat down on a flat stone beside the road.
Nie Li broke off a piece of cloud clay, kneaded it into a suitable shape in his palm, and began applying it to Duan Jian's face.
He first molded two pieces along