Chapter 387: Ten Thousand Faces (Patreon)

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As much as Liu Jin wants to ignore Serene End, that is probably not the wisest idea. The barriers around the tower ensure no harm can be done to anyone, meaning there is no better neutral ground to talk with the Death Fashioning Scripture. Knowing Great Mother’s eyes have not left him since the moment he entered the tower, Liu Jin follows Serene End to a different room.

“You will not join me inside?” Liu Jin asks when Serene End holds the door open for him.

“Alas, a conversation like this is far beyond the scope of a simple disciple like me,” Serene End says, keeping her head down.

Liu Jin chuckles. What a convenient excuse. Most likely, Serene End does not want to be part of this meeting. Who can blame her? As soon as she opened the door, a foul presence began emanating from the room.

Xiao Shuang’s Qi reaches out to him from below. His Qi flares slightly, reassuring her that he would be fine, before he walks into the room.

“So you are the one who killed my Fleshcrafter.”

Those are not the words Liu Jin wants to hear, and the person in front of him is not one he wants to see. Unlike Serene End, this man wears robes that grow out of his skin. Their light grey color is not the result of any dye but simply what happens when skin is left to dry. A hood casts shadows over his face, but Liu Jin can make out what seems to be a skull mask.

The man is an Emperor, but Liu Jin cannot quite discern his exact level. Curiously, he could not detect his presence at all until Serene End opened the door. Is that a feature of the tower?

“I am,” Liu Jin says, sitting down in front of the man. “Have you come to take revenge?”

The man laughs.

“Do not mistake my curiosity for hostility,” he says. “Everything decays, and everything dies. That is the nature of things.”

“The Fleshcrafter claimed to have learned under the greatest masters,” Liu Jin says.

“Did he?” The man asks, amused. “He was far too prideful to ever praise others. You must have made him quite angry. Still, I thank you for bringing me his words, Emperor Qing. I am Ten Thousand Faces, and as you surmise, I am one of the people who had a hand in shaping the Fleshcrafter.”

“You are both rather different from your companions,” Liu Jin notes.

Ten Thousand Faces chuckles. Sharp teeth can be seen under his skull mask.

“Are we?” He asks. “Or do we merely hide what we are less than the others? But even if we are, is that wrong, Young Dragon? The Death Fashioning Scripture is not a monolith. We all happen to share a unique passion that can be expressed in different ways. However, that is not the reason why we called you here. You are not here to talk to me.”

“Oh?” Liu Jin makes a show of looking left and right. The room is empty save for the two of them. “Then who am I supposed to be speaking to?”

Ten Thousand Faces brings his hands together.

“Give me a moment. I will bring him here soon. I merely wanted to sate my curiosity before doing so. Consider it my selfishness.”

Liu Jin watches with some unease as Ten Thousand Faces falls into a meditative stance. A crack resounds throughout the room, and Liu Jin immediately leans back. It is not Ten Thousand Faces’ Qi that causes the sound. Instead, it is coming from inside him. His bones crack and push against his skin as his entire body jerks left and right. Liu Jin catches a glimpse of flesh falling over his face like clay.

Liu Jin’s eyes dart to the exit, debating the wisdom of just leaving even if he knows no harm can be done to him here. However, there is no need for that. The sound of cracking bones stops. Ten Thousand Faces stops moving. His arms, longer and more muscled than before, slowly reach to pull back the hood covering his face.

Liu Jin stands up. His Qi blazing in front of him.

“Is this supposed to be a joke?” he says.

Whatever Ten Thousand Faces looked like before, it was not this. This man has small eyebrows and a full black beard that covers the lower half of his face. His head is shaved bald. Liu Jin knows him even though he has never met him in person.

He is Cao Bian, the Shape of Death—the leader of the Death Fashioning Scripture.

His master’s former friend.

He cannot possibly be here.

“Ah, you know me,” Cao Bian says, chuckling as he cracks his neck and rolls his shoulders. “I never thought he’d be the type to share memories of me, but that makes things easier. Sit down. This is neither a joke nor a trick. I am exactly who you think I am.”

Liu Jin does not move. His eyes take in every detail of Cao Bian’s face as dozens of possibilities flash through his mind.

“Ten Thousand Faces is a master of disguise,” Cao Bian says. “However, this is no disguise. I truly am speaking to you. If you are anything like him, you will not let this go until you have answers. However, if you are anything like him, you should already have enough clues to figure it out. I would hate to find out I went through so much trouble over an idiot.”

“You are controlling him like a corpse,” Liu Jin says.

It is the same thing Serene End and other members of the Death Fashioning Scripture do to control their creations. They project their consciousness over vast distances. However, Cao Bian is doing it to a living person.

“Correct.” Cao Bian nods approvingly. “Ten Thousand Faces is a very talented person. His flesh and soul are so malleable that I can use him as an extension of myself, albeit in a diminished form. Thanks to him, this meeting of ours can be realized. Quite grand, don’t you think so?”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Good. You can focus on listening,” Cao Bian says. “I’ll make this simple, brat. Join me.”

Liu Jin stares at him.

“You betrayed my master,” he says slowly and with venom in his tongue. It is probably not the wisest reply, but his emotions get the better of him.

What he does not expect is for Cao Bian’s reaction to be just as raw.

“I did not!” Something massive threatens to be unleashed, and Liu Jin instinctively flinches away. Cao Bian’s whole body quivers like water.

It stops.

Cao Bian takes a deep breath before speaking again.

“I did not,” he repeats in a much calmer voice. “I betrayed his master, a woman who deserves none of the loyalty he showed her. Will you repeat his mistake?”

“I am my master’s disciple,” Liu Jin replies.

Simply.

Proudly.

“That you are, dunce,” Cao Bian says after judging him in silence for several seconds. “Very well, that is all that needs to be said.”

Liu Jin blinks.

“That’s all you summoned me for?”

“Why act so surprised?” Cao Bian asks him. “I could try to convince you, but you will not believe my words. Frankly, you’d be a fool to do so. That is fine. You will come to me in time.”

“I will not-”

“You are a child in need of training,” Cao Bian interrupts him. “You are caught between powers you cannot hope to prevail against and desperately hiding behind the Shadow of a Divinity. Do not misunderstand me. You have done very well. Your interference helped bring about the ceremony earlier than expected. My plans cannot be realized at this time.”

Cao Bian shrugs but does not look particularly bothered.

“However, that means I can simply do nothing now. I can be patient. The other two will not be. They will try to kill you, and every time they try, their attempts will get just a little better. Eventually, you will have no choice but to run to me. You better hope I still have need for you then.”

~~~

Xiao Shuang is already waiting for him outside the room by the time Liu Jin leaves it. She spares a single glare for Serene End before leading him away.

“Great Mother told us we should not be near the arena,” she reminds him when he suggests they go there.

“Suggested,” Liu Jin corrects. “Besides, I feel I have already done something far more dangerous.”

“That is another problem entirely, husband.”

Nevertheless, Xiao Shuang does not offer further resistance as the two head down. With the Scribe of the Heavenly Sword gone, the atmosphere in the amphitheater is considerably more relaxed. Different groups of people are huddled together, conversing in whispers, but most are crowded around the stage.

“I wondered whether you would come down.”

“Chen Guo,” Liu Jin greets him. Xiao Shuang does the same. The impossibly large young man has a female disciple of the Infinite Mountain Sect sitting next to him. Liu Jin vaguely remembers her from the Crimson Cloud Tournament. “Are you not going to participate?”

“I have been advised to refrain from doing so,” Chen Guo says. His lips seem to thin. “It is not easy.”

Liu Jin does not need to ask why. Down below, a man a few years older than them grunts as he is thrown to the ground.

“Is that really it?” His foe laughs. He is dressed in the blue-and-gold robes of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows, but he wears a green sash around his waist. “Did you really step up to the challenge of this Green Shadow with such a pathetic level?”

“Shut up!” the man says as he struggles to get up. “The Scorching Sand School’s Sandforged Body is the strongest strengthening technique there is! I’ll not have you speak ill of it!”

Above the two, the words [Body Strengthening Technique Contest] float in the air. The man from Pure Oasis Country foolishly decided to participate, not realizing what the contest would entail.

“Argh!”

He roars as his fist crashes against his foe’s chest and fails to do anything. Green Shadow smirks before answering with his own attack. His fist buries itself into his opponent’s chest with devastating force. Everyone hears the man’s ribs break before his back hits the floor.  

How exactly does one judge the suitability of a Body Strengthening Technique? Obviously, by hitting the one using it so that his technique might be tested. However, that standard favors the one with a higher level of cultivation. The strength and quality of the technique are lost in the face of overwhelming power.

This contest is nothing but an excuse for the stronger fighter to bully the weaker one.

“You would win,” Liu Jin says to Chen Guo, despite sensing that Green Shadow is on the Fifth Level of the Heaven Realm.

Members of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows are too reliant on their shadow to reach their full potential. It cannot compare to Chen Guo, who has been refining his body from birth. 

“I might. I might not. Regardless, I do not believe it would be wise,” Chen Guo says, closing his eyes. Liu Jin does not miss how tightly his fists are clenched. The female disciple at Chen Guo’s side puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Maybe I should have brought Bei Hong,” Liu Jin says. Xiao Shuang giggles quietly.

“He would have already jumped right in,” she says.

Their interaction draws the attention of Green Shadow. He smirks and leaves his defeated foe behind as he walks up to them.

“I had heard much about the beauties of the Divine Frozen Palace,” Green Shadow says, looking directly at Xiao Shuang. “Why is it that you cover your faces with veils? That seems like such a waste. Or could it be that you are inviting me to take it?”

Instead of answering, Xiao Shuang turns to Liu Jin.

“Husband, that uncouth man is addressing me as though I were not a married woman,” she says. “He has clearly not been taught any manners.”

Liu Jin cannot help but laugh. Neither can the female disciple of the Infinite Mountain Sect. Green Shadow turns red.

“You dare laugh at me!” Green Shadow says, advancing on them with loud stomps.

Liu Jin quickly moves between him and Xiao Shuang. Though Xiao Shuang is more than capable of defending herself, the burst of happy emotions behind Liu Jin makes it clear that she approves of him doing this.

“My wife is not someone you should address so casually,” he says. “And violence is not allowed here. I do not think you want to find out what will happen if you attempt it.”

“Emperor Qing,” Green Shadow says, managing to make his name sound like an insult. “If that woman is your wife, you are to blame for her poor behavior. It’s a man’s job to remove the thorns of a woman and make her submissive. If you can’t, perhaps someone else should educate her for you.”

“A rose’s thorns are part of her beauty,” Liu Jin replies. “If you find yourself pricked, it is only a mark of your lack of skill. I do not believe you possess the qualities to educate anyone.”

“You speak quite freely for a man who should be locked in a cage,” Green Shadow says, his aura rising with anger.

“And you speak poorly for someone who represents the Temple of the Thousand Shadows,” Liu Jin counters before looking around. “Is there anyone of higher rank than you? I have quite a few members of your Sect sealed back in my country, so I had hoped to negotiate their return.”

Green Shadow’s anger temporarily gives way to surprise.

“You did not kill them?” he asks before laughing with derision. “Firm Shadow and Alarming Shadow are still alive? Truly, some people are too lucky!”

Ah.

Liu Jin did wonder whether those two were trapped in the ice. There was no way to check without weakening the technique, and that risked releasing an unknown number of hostile cultivators. It was too dangerous to be considered. Unless they can be returned to the Temple of the Thousand Shadows, they will remain trapped in the ice forever.

“Keep them,” Green Shadow says.

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow.

“Are you in any position to decide what should be done with them?”

“I am the Green Shadow,” he tells him. “My words will be listened to. Besides, there is no one left who cares for those fools. They are traitors who valued their own will above that of the Council of the Hundred. Every single one of them followed their idiotic masters to the bitter end. Idiots like those are unneeded.”

Liu Jin’s hostile intent fills the air.

“Do not speak ill of them,” he says.

“Do you mean to threaten me with violence?” Green Shadow asks, spreading his arms wide. “As you so kindly reminded me earlier, such things are pointless here. However, if you truly have a problem with me, there is a way to settle it.”

“Brother Jin,” Chen Guo stands up to warn him. “Do not act rashly.”

“Great Mother told us not to take part in these contests,” Xiao Shuang says. “However, the ruler of the Divine Frozen Palace has no authority over you, husband. If you believe a lesson must be taught, by all means, do so.”

The words floating above the stage change. One contest is already over. A new one is about to begin.

[Alchemy Contest]

Ah, so it is like that.

Liu Jin’s lips curl up.

~~~

Mini-Character List

Liu Jin: Our protagonist. Annoyed. Partially taking it out on Green Shadow, partially just playing along. Does actually like the idea of an alchemy contest. 

Ten Thousand Faces: Elder of the Death Fashioning Scripture. Helpful, yet creepy. Ranked #3 in the list of Elders of the Death Fashioning Scripture that you don’t want to get experimented by. 

Cao Bian: Leader of the Death Fashioning Scripture. Do nothing. Win. 

Xiao Shuang: Disciple of the Divine Frozen Palace. Has always liked the idea of being protected by Liu Jin from unwanted suitors, but never got to indulge in it because the Divine Frozen Palace took her away. 

Chen Guo: Disciple of the Infinite Mountain Sect. The female disciple with him is Xie Jun from the Crimson Cloud Tournament. She has been repeatedly trying to make him aware of her feelings for the past six years, but it’s very hard to get through to him. We wish her the best of luck.

Green Shadow: Disciple of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows. Deliberately annoying, but it also comes naturally. People joke about his name behind his back. He is oblivious to it.