30: Chapter 30 Substitutes and Disguise

The palm strike True Person Yuanyang took was a counterattack from Liu Xi's Double before his death. Not only was the force heavy, but it also hit him squarely; he was now breathing more out than in.

With a single glance, Meng Li knew that the healing pills he had concocted would be useless for such injuries. Furthermore, based on the revelation from Liu Xi's Double just now, his impression of the other man was not very good, so he simply didn't bother wasting a pill.

Additionally, there were two Liu Xis just now; the first was killed by True Person Yuanyang, Zhao Qianhe, and Li Gao, and then another one appeared later.

This wasn't because Liu Xi had a Clone technique or a twin brother, but because he had trained a Double for himself.

The one killed earlier was the Double, and the one who appeared later was the real Liu Xi.

Meng Li only realized this after the fact.

In the original series, this Double of Liu Xi's had also died in his place once.

At that time, Mu Rong Xian's Pure Yin Fate was exposed and targeted by Liu Xi. Xiao Yuer accidentally learned about the Liu Ren Divine Dice and created a fake one, intending to use traps and explosives to kill Liu Xi. He didn't expect Liu Xi to be so calculating and a step ahead.

He guessed there was a trick, so he temporarily swapped identities with his Double and let the other man go get the Liu Ren Divine Dice.

As a result, the Double was blown to pieces, while the real Liu Xi waited in the shadows, easily capturing Mu Rong Xian, Xiao Yuer, and Tie Xinlan, who had walked right into his trap.

Throughout the entire series, Liu Xi's Double only appeared this once. He looked almost identical to the real Liu Xi but didn't show any signs of knowing Martial Arts.

Therefore, Meng Li hadn't initially thought that the Liu Xi from before would be a Double.

As for whether their identities could be reversed? Impossible!

Given Liu Xi's nature, it was impossible for him to put himself in danger while letting his Double follow behind.

Furthermore, through the Transferring Flowers and Grafting Trees technique just now, Meng Li had already mastered the Martial Arts Liu Xi had learned, confirming that one of them was the Absorbing Qi Technique.

The Absorbing Qi Technique was the foundation of Liu Xi's power; he would never allow a Double to learn it.

The Double's Martial Arts must have been bestowed upon him by Liu Xi through a Direct Energy Transfer.

After all, since the Absorbing Qi Technique could absorb power, it could naturally transfer it as well. In the original series, Liu Xi had transferred power to Jiang Biehe, but that time it was for intimidation and mockery. Jiang Biehe's foundation was poor, and he was nearly burst by Liu Xi's Internal Energy, scaring him into pleading for mercy.

A lot of thoughts had spread through his mind, but only a moment or two had passed.

Soon, Meng Li snapped back to his senses and whispered to Tie Ruyun and Li Gao, "These pills primarily treat internal injuries; taking them will speed up your recovery."

"The matter here is concluded. Take care of yourselves."

Having spoken, he didn't wait for a response. He picked up the unconscious Chong Tian and leaped up, vanishing after a few bounds.

Tie Ruyun and Li Gao's words of gratitude were instantly stifled.

Looking in the direction Meng Li had left, Li Gao asked in confusion, "What kind of expert is this person? Why did he save us?"

Tie Ruyun shook his head. "I am not sure either. Let us treat our injuries first."

...

After Meng Li left, he didn't flee far immediately. Instead, he secretly found a place to settle the unconscious Chong Tian and then circled back to patrol the surroundings.

This was out of concern that Liu Xi hadn't left and might target Tie Ruyun again.

As it turned out, while the East Depot's Jerry was indeed insidious, he was also truly cowardly; he had been scared off after witnessing Transferring Flowers and Grafting Trees.

The Black-Clad Arrow Squad, which hadn't joined the battle due to terrain restrictions, had also withdrawn.

Seeing this, Meng Li felt relieved. He changed into normal clothes and used his Lightness Skill to head toward Chang'an.

...

Splash!

A handful of water was splashed onto his head, and Chong Tian jolted awake from his unconscious state.

Once he had fully regained his senses, his first instinct was to slip away.

The masked man in his last memories before passing out was far too powerful and terrifying; calling his Martial Arts a Demonic Technique wouldn't be an exaggeration.

He had been completely handled by the other party, possessing no power to resist.

That feeling of helplessness, of being the meat on someone else's chopping block, was something Chong Tian never wanted to experience again in his life.

But soon, he realized something was wrong.

He could move, but he felt a sense of weakness he hadn't experienced in a long time. His cultivation...

"I've left you twenty percent of your cultivation for self-defense."

A low voice rang out. Chong Tian was instantly startled and instinctively assumed a defensive stance while looking toward the source of the sound.

Then, his astonishment grew even greater, and he even felt a surge of fear.

Because the one speaking was precisely the masked man who had completely dominated him.

After several full seconds, Chong Tian finally asked, "Why didn't you kill me?"

Meng Li said, "I do not like killing. However, you did interfere with my business after all. So, while you are spared from death, you cannot escape punishment. If you want me to let this go, you must pay a price."

Chong Tian was stunned, then asked, "What do you want? It couldn't be my Martial Arts, could it?"

As he finished, he couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh.

It wasn't that he was being overly humble; his Martial Arts were indeed not bad in the Jianghu, but compared to the person before him, saying it was like comparing a small flame to the sun would be an understatement.

Even if he gave it to the other party for free, they might not even value it.

Therefore, what the person before him wanted couldn't possibly be his Martial Arts.

This was indeed the case. Meng Li had spared Chong Tian's life not because he wanted his Martial Arts, but it wasn't because he looked down on them either.

When it comes to collecting, while the quality of the items is important, completeness is also a basic pursuit for an enthusiast.

The Yi Hua Jie Mu Version of the Marrying Clothes Divine Skill came with a passive ability to master something as soon as it was "learned." Meng Li didn't have to worry about mastering too many Martial Arts and becoming a jack of all trades but master of none, so in terms of Martial Arts, he followed the philosophy of "the more, the better."

He didn't seek Chong Tian's Martial Arts now because he had already mastered them when he absorbed his energy earlier.

What Meng Li wanted now was the other man's Disguise Technique.

In the original series, Chong Tian had used his Disguise Technique to impersonate Murong Wudi, and even his daughters, Murong Shu and Mu Rong Xian, couldn't see any problems. While this was partly due to the critical situation and the short duration, it was enough to prove that Chong Tian's Disguise Technique was extraordinary.

However, the Disguise Technique was not a martial art, so he couldn't obtain it directly using the Wedding Dress Divine Skill and had to find another way.

At that moment, Meng Li stated plainly, "I want your Disguise Technique."

The Disguise Technique?

Chong Tian was somewhat surprised.

He hadn't revealed his Disguise Technique from start to finish. How did the other party know he could do it?

Despite his confusion, Chong Tian didn't ask further and simply agreed, "Very well."

As for whether the person before him would go back on his word?

He was the meat on the chopping block and had no choice but to trust the other man's character.

"However, the method of disguise is very complex. It's difficult to master just by listening to an oral description..."

Before he could finish, Meng Li pointed to a stone slab nearby. "Sign and thumbprint the contract, then write down the details of the disguise method."

Chong Tian looked in that direction and only then noticed a set of writing tools—Brush, Ink, Paper, and Inkstone—placed on the stone slab.

One of the papers had writing on it, presumably the contract the other party mentioned, but...

Making a contract for something like this?

He found it difficult to understand but didn't ask.

Perhaps it was the unique way an expert conducted business.

The Jianghu was vast, and there were plenty of people with strange ways.

He had been around for many years and had seen quite a few, so just making a contract was actually relatively normal.

The thought flashed by, and Chong Tian went over to scan the contents of the contract. He found that except for the blank space for Meng Li's name, there were no issues. The general meaning was similar to what Meng Li had said, so he immediately signed and thumbprinted it.

Subsequently, he began to write down the method of disguise.

...