Change appearance and disguise oneself

In a valley thirty kilometers outside the city of Yanjing, Jiang Yun struggled to climb out of the river. He shook his dazed head and felt weak and sore all over. After walking another two or three miles on the shore, Jiang Yun finally found a secluded spot where he wouldn't easily be discovered.

He had broken a couple of ribs, making it difficult to breathe. The force of Xiao Wanshui's palm was incredibly fierce. If it weren't for the healing effects of the Yi Jin Jing internal energy technique and the timely protection of his vital meridians, an ordinary martial artist would have died on the spot.

There were still two body-refining pills left. Jiang Yun smiled bitterly. While others used body-refining pills to aid their cultivation, he had to rely on them solely for healing. To be honest, using body-refining pills as a healing medicine was not the best choice, but Jiang Yun had no other options.

After an hour, Jiang Yun exhaled deeply, finally regaining basic mobility. However, some internal injuries still needed time to recover. Thankfully, he now had the ability to protect himself temporarily.

He took out the item that Xiao Wanshui had used as a hidden weapon at the critical moment and began studying it under the moonlight.

It was a rubbery bead-like object, slightly elastic, and felt soft in his hand. Jiang Yun examined it from various angles in the moonlight but couldn't discern any clues.

The reason he kept this thing was that he noticed Xiao Wanshui's regretful expression when he threw it. Moreover, this bead-like object had little power as a hidden weapon. Even if Jiang Yun hadn't caught it, it probably wouldn't have caused much harm.

Just as he was about to put it away, Jiang Yun noticed a very subtle protrusion on the surface of the object under the moonlight. If it hadn't reflected the moonlight just right, he might not have noticed this detail at all.

Upon this discovery, Jiang Yun gently pinched the tiny protrusion between his thumb and index finger, taking quite some time to grasp it due to its minuscule size.

Soon, Jiang Yun managed to unfold the object from the tiny protrusion. After unfolding it, it was about the size of a human face and resembled the kind of face mask used by women in the mundane world.

After a while, Jiang Yun still couldn't figure out the purpose of this object. He was almost at the point of desperation, trying everything including immersing it in water and exposing it to fire. He even attempted to infuse it with spiritual energy.

However, he did make one discovery. This object acted as an insulator against spiritual energy, which was extremely rare in the Spirit Martial Continent. In the continent, spiritual energy could be infused into almost anything, even wood and stone. Some objects could withstand it, while others couldn't.

But this mask-like object completely insulated spiritual energy. Jiang Yun had a sudden realization and attempted to infuse his inner energy into it. To his surprise, the object could change its shape at will in response to his inner energy. He spread the "mask" open in his hand and observed it closely. Before long, Jiang Yun pressed the "mask" onto his face.

As soon as the mask touched his facial skin, it completely merged with Jiang Yun's face without causing any discomfort. Jiang Yun once again tried to infuse his inner energy into the mask, and the ability to change its shape still worked.

Feeling delighted, Jiang Yun walked to the riverside and looked at his reflection in the water. The face reflected back was truly appalling—crooked nose, slanted mouth—bearing no resemblance to Jiang Yun's previous handsome appearance.

Although his reflection in the water was hideous beyond description, Jiang Yun was extremely pleased because this ugly appearance was entirely a result of him casually using his inner energy to alter the shape of the "mask." With a little adjustment, he could completely create a face he liked, and no one would be able to recognize his appearance.

Adjusting his reflection for a while, Jiang Yun transformed himself into a young, handsome face of around twenty years old. It was a face he adjusted based on a famous film and television star he knew from Earth. Although this star had almost faded away from the industry, his wicked smile matched the image Jiang Yun had just conceived for a plan.

Smiling at his reflection, Jiang Yun looked at the water and revealed an evil smile that could be extremely charming to women. It's no wonder that star had been involved with so many female celebrities; he indeed had the charisma. Unfortunately, he eventually faded from the entertainment industry because of it.

At noon, in the Moonlight Valley, a small team guarded a carriage traveling towards Yanjing City from the main road. The person inside the carriage seemed to have a high status, and the guards were all martial practitioners of Qi Martial Realm or above. The captain leading the way appeared to have the strength of at least the sixth level of the Qi Martial Realm.

When Jiang Yun emerged from the roadside bushes in a sorry state, the captain of the guard looked at him warily and signaled for the carriage behind to stop temporarily.

"Who goes there? Why are you blocking the road?" The captain questioned Jiang Yun, not directly hostile but with a strong warning tone.

Jiang Yun tugged at his disheveled hair and glanced at his ragged appearance. With a pitiful expression, he said, "I am a scholar from Ling City. I was originally traveling to Yanjing City to visit my family, but unexpectedly encountered bandits on the road. They robbed me of all my belongings. I managed to escape and ran into your group. I was hoping you could help me enter the city. I promise not to cause any trouble for the person inside the carriage."

The captain sized up Jiang Yun's sorry state and concluded that he didn't seem like a liar. Moonlight Valley had encountered some bandits before, and Jiang Yun, with his lack of spiritual energy fluctuations and thin limbs, didn't appear dangerous. The captain felt some sympathy and furrowed his brow as he said, "Stay where you are. I need to consult with my master."

In reality, the reason Jiang Yun didn't exhibit any spiritual energy fluctuations was because of the mysterious "mask." The mask not only altered his appearance but also concealed the spiritual energy within his body. Jiang Yun had discovered this after conducting some research.

The captain turned to his assistant and instructed, "Go and inform the young lady about this. Let her know that there's a scholar who was robbed and wishes to travel with our convoy into the city."

The assistant nodded and rode his horse to the side of the carriage to relay the information. Jiang Yun noticed the curtain of the carriage being slightly drawn open by a delicate hand. It seemed that the owner of the carriage glanced in his direction. However, from Jiang Yun's angle, he couldn't see the person inside the carriage, only hearing a voice resembling the melodious song of a valley.

"Captain Li, you decide."

Observing Jiang Yun and seeing that he didn't appear to be a bad person, Captain Li said, "The people over there are all servants. You can join them. Clean yourself up, and then find Housekeeper Lin to get a change of clothes. You've been through a lot, managing to escape from a bandit's den."

Jiang Yun expressed his gratitude repeatedly and blended into the group of servants. The housekeeper was quite kind. Not only did he provide Jiang Yun with a basin of water to wash away the dust from his face, but he also found him a set of clothes, even though it was the attire of a servant.

"Thank you, Housekeeper Lin."

When Jiang Yun emerged after changing his clothes, he captivated Housekeeper Lin with his appearance. This young man was truly charming and handsome, with clear brows and bright eyes.

Housekeeper Lin appeared to be in his thirties, slightly plump in stature, and had a friendly smile. He was quite talkative and managed to extract all the details of Jiang Yun's background within a short while. Fortunately, Jiang Yun had already prepared a fabricated identity, which Housekeeper Lin accepted without further questioning.

"Xiao Brother Li Tao, who are your relatives in Yanjing City? Perhaps I might know them," Housekeeper Lin asked, subtly probing for the names of Jiang Yun's supposed relatives in Yanjing City. It seemed that Housekeeper Lin didn't fully believe Jiang Yun's made-up story. If Jiang Yun casually mentioned a person who didn't exist in Yanjing City, it would be easy to discover that he was lying.

"It's a distant cousin of mine, who supposedly became a minor steward in a prominent family in Yanjing City a few years ago. His name is Li Yuncong. But you probably wouldn't know him. I can tell from the elegant carriage of your lady that she belongs to a reputable family in Yanjing City. They wouldn't have any connection with us common folks," Jiang Yun replied.

Li Yuncong was a real person whom Jiang Yun knew. He used to be a subordinate of Jiang Yun's father. However, after the change of leadership in the Jiang family, Li Yuncong was expelled and now engaged in small businesses in Yanjing City. This could serve as a shield in case Housekeeper Lin decided to investigate further. If he did, it would confirm Jiang Yun's fabricated identity.

Housekeeper Lin exclaimed in surprise, "Li Yuncong is your distant cousin? What a coincidence! Young brother, if you mentioned someone else, I might not have recognized them. But the moment you mentioned Li Yuncong, we've had dealings with him. The Jiang family and our Lin family had quite a close relationship back then. We were almost..."

Housekeeper Lin paused and lightly patted his own mouth, realizing that he was about to say something inappropriate.

"Is that so?" Jiang Yun feigned surprise. It was astonishing that a casual mention could establish a connection. Fortunately, Housekeeper Lin didn't pursue the topic any further and engaged in some casual conversation before leaving.