Chapter Thirty-Five: The Art of Painted Skin

After hearing the entire sequence of events, Yi An nodded. Although there were still a few doubts in his mind, the general outline of the matter was gradually becoming clear.

Master Xuan Yang pondered and said, “Your son became entangled with the demoness, causing the loss of his vital essence. Even if we manage to save him, he will be severely weakened, and it will be difficult for him to recover. More seriously…”

Upon hearing this, Master Chen's expression darkened, and he asked anxiously, “Master, please don’t frighten me… My son is my only child—I cannot afford for anything to happen to him!”

The old Daoist replied gravely, “I am not exaggerating the situation, only reminding you to be mentally prepared. Of course, I will do everything in my power to help.”

Master Chen’s face fell; his body even trembled slightly as he pleaded in a quavering voice, “I must trouble you, Master… If you can save Qingwen, I will surely reward you handsomely. Please, you must rescue him.”

Yi An interjected, “Now is not the time to discuss this. The most urgent matter is to rescue him first—everything else can wait.”

Master Chen nodded repeatedly, “You are right, nephew.”

Xuan Yangzi said, “That fox demon is quite cunning. She actually thought to do the unexpected and hid herself in the city—which explains why we found no trace of her outside the city earlier.”

At the time, after Master Chen had invited him down from Jade Void Temple, Xuan Yangzi quickly discovered the fox demon’s lair outside the city. Seeing she was only a young demon who had only recently gained human form, he hadn’t paid her much heed. Who would have expected that the fox demon was so skilled in illusions, and played a ruse to draw him away?

When his search outside proved fruitless, Xuan Yangzi turned his attention within the city. Only today did he finally see through the fox demon’s trickery and discover her hiding place.

...

After meeting with Master Chen and passing on the information, Xuan Yangzi did not linger. Following his guidance, it took only the time it takes for a cup of tea to arrive at a dilapidated tile-roofed house.

Shrouded in night, the old house looked even more worn. Judging by its appearance alone, one could hardly imagine it would be the fox demon’s den.

Previously, Yi An had thought Chen Qingwen and the fox demon might have hidden again in the Drunken Flower Pavilion.

After all, with the mysterious demon clan expert Shen Baiyu there, their safety was assured.

“Master, there is something I don’t quite understand,” Yi An said, as if a thought had just occurred to him.

“Ask whatever you wish; if I know, I will answer without reservation,” Xuan Yangzi replied, nodding for him to continue.

“That fox demon—somehow she can completely hide her demon aura. As long as they don’t reveal themselves, outsiders can hardly detect them. How is this possible?” Yi An asked, his curiosity piqued.

He had wondered about this for some time. By rights, even if demons had a way to conceal their aura, they shouldn’t be able to imitate human yang energy. Yet the fox demons at the Drunken Flower Pavilion were able to do just that; without close scrutiny, they seemed no different from ordinary people.

Xuan Yangzi pondered, then explained, “If my guess is correct, it is likely the legendary art known as ‘Painted Skin.’ This technique uses the yang energy of a living person as a guide, combined with secret methods to refine the demon body, infusing it with yang energy and suppressing the demon aura. Few demons possess such skill. If the demon’s cultivation is shallow, a discerning eye might still catch a flaw. But when faced with those of profound cultivation, it becomes troublesome—under this concealment, they appear exactly like ordinary people.”

Yi An said, “So, the fox demon must have used this art to suppress her demon aura and appear no different from a human. Master, do you have a way to see through it?”

Xuan Yangzi smiled wryly, “If it’s an ordinary case, I might still spot some flaws. But as I said, against a highly cultivated one, there’s nothing I can do.”

“However, though this art is mysterious, it has no real offensive power—it serves only to conceal, and does no true harm. It merely borrows a sliver of human energy, which is not of much consequence.”

“If I come across one who commits evil, it doesn’t matter whether he is a demon or not—I will not tolerate him. But if a demon who has never done wrong wishes to use this art to avoid trouble, I can accept that.”

“The art itself is not inherently good or evil. What matters is the hand that wields it. A fine technique in the hands of a villain becomes a curse upon the world; while a technique deemed evil in the hands of a good person might bring blessing to the people.”

Yi An agreed, “Master, you are wise. Such is the proper conduct of those who cultivate the Way.”

Xuan Yangzi did not linger on the matter. Gazing at the house before them, his eyes grew sharp. “The longer we wait, the more dangerous it becomes. Chen Qingwen cannot afford any more delay. While the fox demon is still off guard, we must act now.”

“Remember, that fox demon is skilled in illusions. Be extremely careful not to fall into her traps.”

“If your mind is clear and undistracted, you will not be affected by her!”

At this, Yi An nodded.

All around, there was not a sound; the house itself was shrouded in silence.

Xuan Yangzi formed a gesture with his fingers and sent out a beam of spiritual light. The tightly closed door swung open without a sound.

“Once inside, you go rescue Chen Qingwen. I will handle the fox demon,” Xuan Yangzi whispered.

Yi An nodded. Though he could have dealt with the fox demon himself, it would have been strenuous—he had studied the methods of the Way, but had had little chance to practice the arts.

Though the term ‘method and art’ has a long history, the two are distinct: the 'art' is one thing, the 'method' another. They must not be confused.

The techniques he did know were advanced and not suited to his current level of cultivation; forcing himself to practice them would only do harm.

The two entered the house, which consisted of three rooms. From the central chamber, a faint light glowed, clearly indicating someone was inside.

As if sensing a disturbance, Wan’er—who had been nestled close to Chen Qingwen—suddenly started, rising quickly and casting her gaze toward the courtyard.

“Wan’er, what’s wrong?” Chen Qingwen asked gently.

“Qingwen, no matter what happens outside, you must not come out.”

...

What follows, do not read just yet. Give me a moment to make some corrections—the time is too short, and I haven’t had time to revise it. Wait ten minutes.

After hearing the full sequence of events, Yi An nodded. Though some doubts remained, the main threads of the matter were gradually becoming clear.

Xuan Yangzi pondered and said, “Your son became entangled with the demoness, causing the loss of his vital essence. Even if we manage to save him, he will be severely weakened.”