Chapter 11 Where is My Skin?

Whoosh—!

Wang Yuan felt as though he had merged into the wind and rain of the night, his Qi-blood surging, with the vigor in his bones, tendons, muscles, and membranes flowing through his body like mercury rolling around in a tray.

However, he didn't rush to the rescue in a panic but, out of caution, took a large detour, changing directions several times among the treetops.

Just as Wang Yuan had sensed, no matter how far he went, the volume of that sound remained exactly the same as it was initially!

There was not the slightest sign that the distance between them had increased.

Even when Wang Yuan tried to speed up to shake off the other party, the cries for help next to his ears became more urgent.

"Help, is anyone there? Please come and save me..."

His face took on a bitter expression, having long since thrown his original intentions of chivalry and charitable deeds to the back of his mind.

'Damn it, stop shouting, I'm scared!

You're the worst kind, clinging on like a dog's skin plaster.

Can't you just... go find someone else? I'm begging you.'

After changing his Qi Fortune once, Yin Morality had only 82 points left. Just now, in order to escape the Royal Mausoleum, he used up another 10 points in the span of two breaths.

If he encountered something weird again, the mere 72 points of Yin Morality might not be enough to save his life, with very poor risk resistance.

Unfortunately, while good things failed to happen, bad things turned out to be very effective.

When Wang Yuan was about to cross a barren Burial Mound, he suddenly discovered a flickering light approaching from the mountain road on the opposite side, and his face went green with alarm.

The other party had unknowingly moved in front of him.

He touched the two heavy "Talisman Seal waist badges" in his chest, wondering whether these items stopped working after leaving the Royal Mausoleum.

After all, these were Peach Wood Cards that had been worshipped for two hundred years.

"Two sets of footsteps?"

His eyes narrowed as he could already make out the dim light in the distance.

A middle-aged woman, dressed in a printed skirt and half-wearing a straw raincoat, was running ahead, carrying a shaky paper lantern and looking utterly panic-stricken as she called for help.

A black wolf followed leisurely behind her, its body blending into the night, but its pair of luminescent green eyes was disconcertingly bright.

Wang Yuan had assumed it was a Mountain Spirit or Wild Ghost from god knows where, trying to trick people with a ghostly ploy. Seeing the scene before him, however, he became somewhat unsure of his judgment.

Because under the illumination of the lantern light, the shadows of both the person and the beast were clear, and their footsteps were also distinct.

The woman, whether in her gait, expression, or emotions, showed no signs of falsity or flaws, seemingly no different from an ordinary woman being chased by a wild wolf.

At least Wang Yuan, with the acting skills he had honed over fifteen years, doubted he could perform as convincingly.

Before he could react, the woman ahead finally saw the youth with the saber and, showing a look of surprise and joy, called out hurriedly for help:

"Young man, come quick and help your auntie.

My husband and I went into the mountains to bring food to my elderly mother living in the 'Elder Care Pavilion', planning to return home before dark.

But we got separated after encountering a mountain fog, and now this wild wolf has followed me, this beast is about to eat me!"

Her pitiable appearance could not help but evoke sympathy in others.

Wang Yuan had just heard from Wang Cheng about the cruel truth hidden behind the Elder Care Pavilion, and compassion naturally arose within him.

"Even if I can't see any abnormalities,

the fact that a regular woman could call for help for so long without being caught by the wolf, and just happens to run into me, is itself the biggest abnormality."

The conflict between what he saw and common sense caused Wang Yuan to feel torn.

'Maybe, this auntie is being used by something, and the real issue is actually the wolf behind her?'

Wang Yuan's nerves had gradually become tougher and more insensitive after encountering bizarre entities multiple times.

Even when faced with the mysterious and unpredictable Weird, he could keep his composure.

Since the other party clearly didn't intend to let him go and insisted on clinging to him to play house, he didn't mind playing along a bit.

Wang Yuan didn't run anymore, but he also didn't step forward. Instead, he stood in place, waving his hand and calling out:

"Auntie, come over here, I'll help you chase it away."

He silently drew the Tiger Head Saber from his waist, vigilantly on guard, ready to strike as soon as the other party approached.

Whether he would chop down the woman along with the wolf was something only he knew.

The woman, hearing this, hurriedly quickened her steps with joy.

However.

As they drew closer, Wang Yuan, who had kept his eyes firmly on the peculiar pair, furrowed his brows tighter and tighter, as if he had discovered something extremely significant.

Suddenly, he extended his hand and commanded in a deep voice,

"Stop! Everyone stand still and don't move!"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman about five steps away from Wang Yuan, and the large black wolf silently following behind her, both involuntarily halted.

The woman, not knowing what had happened, looked even more panic-stricken, while the black wolf bared its fearsomely white teeth at Wang Yuan with its mouth wide open.

Wang Yuan looked towards the wolf, even blacker than charcoal, and stated decisively,

"You... you're not actually a wolf, are you?"

In an instant, both the middle-aged woman and the black wolf trembled.

The woman looked behind her, incredulously, and a look of struggle immediately appeared in her eyes.

As she locked eyes with the wolf, it instinctively took a step back, then immediately advanced another step.

Crouching low, it bared its sharp teeth, taking on the vicious posture of a wild wolf about to attack.

The woman hesitated, the struggle in her eyes gradually fading away.

Just then,

With a 'plop,' a fragrant scallion pancake landed in front of the large black wolf.

It was Wang Yuan who had quickly taken out an oil-paper packet and thrown one of the scallion pancakes he had snatched from the Royal Mausoleum feast, intending it as a late-night snack.

The three stared at each other, large eyes fixed on small ones.

At the enticing scent of scallion oil, the "black wolf's" eyes flickered intelligently. It sniffed with its nose, and its ferocious expression collapsed completely in the next second.

With a howl, it wolfed down the scallion pancake.

While eating, it even wagged its tail at Wang Yuan.

"Woof, woof, woof..."

"Uh, I've heard that Huskies can look 99% similar to wolves, with the difference only in diet and intelligence. I was almost fooled just now.

Wolves can't be tamed, but most dogs have owners.

Speaking of which, since this is a dog, then where is its owner?"

The woman, who had been staring intently at the large black dog, upon seeing this spectacle, suddenly staggered, clutching her head, and mumbled in confusion:

"Right, it's a dog, not a wolf!

I... was bringing food... got separated from my husband... no, we were all killed by a pack of wild dogs! I need to find a scapegoat, a scapegoat to skin.

Right, where's my own skin? Where is my skin? Where did my skin go?!"

Her words seemed to flip a switch, triggering something.

The woman's skin seemed to suddenly come to life, writhing and struggling, stretching and shrinking at times.

As if it was trying with all its might to peel itself off the bones and flesh of this body.

Her ten fingernails, sharp as daggers, extended and retracted continuously; one could imagine the ease with which they could tear off flesh if they were to suddenly claw at someone.

Meanwhile, beneath the facade of the woman's face, the leering male countenance began to emerge distinctively.

Just like a donkey rider looking for his steed, the woman's skin wasn't lost; she herself was that skin!

And the one wearing this skin was probably the dog's owner.

Pffft!

Just then, a gleaming blade emerged from her abdomen. Carved with a dragon-and-phoenix-dancing vermillion seal script, it suddenly lit up.

[Heyan Killing Ghost Seal]

This is a basic talisman that tomb guardians under the supervision of the Divine Palace Supervisor, working for the Daling Department, are equipped with - it's a legacy passed down through generations by the clan families guarding the tombs.

Before taking up duty, the tomb guardians only need to press this Peach Wood Seal, carved with seal script by the Mountain Chasing Taoist during the Time of Extreme Yang, onto their Tiger Head Sabers to bestow upon them a powerful lethality against yin objects.

It is said that the sabers of the White Tiger Elite Soldiers in the thirty-six 'Daoist Soldier' battalions are quenched directly in tiger blood, obviating such troubles, and are innately capable of slaying demons.

This Tiger Head Saber, snatched from Wang Cheng, naturally had one as well.

The "woman," distorted and deformed, glanced at the blade protruding from her stomach. She twisted her body like a rubber band to look at Wang Yuan, her mind seeming not quite clear:

"Young man, why did you stab your auntie?"

What a joke, seeing an enemy about to transform and not stabbing immediately—did you think this was an opera?

However, the expected hissing of oozing blood or smoke did not happen.

Wang Yuan decisively pulled out the Tiger Head Saber, retreated swiftly, then, with a slip of the foot, turned and ran.

"Sorry about that, my hand slipped. Bye, aunty, take care, see you!"