Chapter 45 - 39: Painted Skin
"My dear departed husband loved to tinker with all sorts of rare trinkets. This is my favorite of them all, and I have more than one."
Madam Shen swayed her voluptuous hips around the desk and plopped right into Jiang Mu’s lap. Her red-lacquered fingertips gently caressed his handsome cheek as she watched him with a smile.
"After all, men in this world can’t be trusted. If a woman wants to live well, how can she get by with just one piece of leverage?"
As she spoke, her hand moved lower.
She squeezed gently.
"If Lord Jiang wants to silence me, you’re more than welcome to try. You can see if this is my only Sound Stone. Besides, this little thing can only record a person’s original voice."
’This woman is insane.’
’The moment her interests are threatened, she’ll really drag everyone down into the abyss with her.’
Jiang Mu took a deep breath, a chill spreading through his heart.
Ran Qingshan was right. The fog demon invasion in Hu State wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
It was a premeditated plot.
Seeing Jiang Mu’s expression shift between dark and light, Madam Shen grew even more smug.
"Believe me now? To be honest, when I first heard those drunken words, I didn’t believe them either. But then the Great Demon really came, and I finally understood. You’re not just a heartless lover; you’re a ruthless traitor colluding with the enemy."
"Because when I asked you why you weren’t leaving, you said... the Demons wouldn’t kill you."
Jiang Mu found the situation absurdly comical.
’What kind of mess is this?’
’Just two days ago, the director ordered me to secretly investigate the mole, and now the investigation has led right back to me?’
’Jiang Chen, you bastard.’
’I could look past you being a homewrecker. I could even stomach you colluding with Demon Fiends. But why would you pour your heart out and tell a woman all this?’
’Did you let your dick do all the thinking until your brains leaked out?!’
’Wait!’
Jiang Mu’s thoughts raced as he suddenly sensed something was wrong.
’If Jiang Chen was really colluding with the Demon Fiends, one of "their own," then why was the Jiang family massacred?’
’Why was even Jiang Chen himself afflicted with severe fog poison and kicked the bucket?’
’Unless...’
Jiang Mu’s breathing suddenly quickened.
’He was silenced!’
’This was a case of silencing a pawn who had outlived his usefulness!’
’The Demon Fiends used Jiang Chen to gather intelligence and possibly even as an inside man in the city.’
’Once their plan succeeded, they eliminated this disposable pawn along with his entire family.’
’And that so-called sister of his, Jiang Yuexin, was probably replaced by a Demon Fiend long ago, becoming the blade that carried out the massacre!’
Of course, this was all just Jiang Mu’s speculation for now.
But no matter the truth, he was now trapped in a quagmire.
"I’ve already written the address on here. That little fox lives there."
Madam Shen slapped a piece of stationery on the desk.
"You’d best resolve this as soon as possible. Don’t worry, once it’s done, I’ll hand over the Sound Stone. Then we’ll be even. After all..."
She stood up, extended a finger, and ambiguously hooked Jiang Mu’s chin, her gaze as soft as silk.
"We were lovers for a night, and I’m still quite fond of you. There isn’t another man in this world who’s made me beg for mercy."
The woman smiled like a venomous snake.
With that, she swayed her willow-like waist and turned to leave.
The room fell silent once more.
Jiang Mu stared at the stationery on the desk, his expression grave.
’Madam Shen thinks she has me by the throat, but she’s seriously overestimating herself.’
’I have plenty of ways to deal with a profit-driven madwoman like her. Worst comes to worst, I’ll just find an opportunity to get rid of her. A viper like that must have her hands dirty with countless foul deeds. Killing her would be no great loss.’
’The key now is whether there’s anyone else behind her.’
’Where are the other Sound Stone copies hidden?’
’Of course, regardless of the inside story, the most urgent task is to raise my Cultivation Level as quickly as possible.’
’As long as I have enough strength, I won’t have to fear any unexpected turns in the future.’
Jiang Mu opened the envelope.
Written on it was an address in Three-leaf Lane, in the western part of the city.
That area happened to be under the jurisdiction of Wen He from the Third Hall.
’I’ll go check it out tonight. See what this mistress is all about.’
A flicker of light crossed Jiang Mu’s eyes.
...
「The night was deep and still.」
The streets and alleys appeared deathly pale under the moonlight. The occasional bark of a dog from the distance only added to the profound quiet.
Dressed in night-crawling attire, Jiang Mu lay hidden in the alley.
Beside him was an ordinary small courtyard—the very address Madam Shen had given him.
Jiang Mu made sure no one was around before leaping onto the top of the wall.
He didn’t rush down. Instead, he first observed the courtyard to see if there were any patrolling servants.
But after watching for a long while, he only spotted a single maidservant.
At that moment, the maidservant was carrying a tray along the corridor. She walked up to a room glowing with candlelight and knocked on the door.
"My lady, the ginseng soup is ready."
"Come in."
A lazy and gentle voice drifted out from the room.
The maidservant pushed the door open and entered.
A moment later, she came back out with an empty bowl, closing the door behind her.
Jiang Mu watched her walk away.
Just in case, he first summoned Demon Shadow No. 1 and placed it in the alley to act as a retreat "anchor point."
Only then did he flit into the courtyard.
At the same time, he activated the bone tablet that could conceal his aura with Demonic Qi.
Jiang Mu crept silently to the front of the small house.
The window wasn’t shut tight, leaving a crack the width of a finger.
A dim, flickering candlelight shone through the gap.
Holding his breath, Jiang Mu leaned closer to the crack and peered inside.
The room’s decor was elegant.
Light gauze curtains hung, and incense smoke curled in the air.
A woman with a graceful figure was sitting before a dressing table.
Her back was to the window.
She was draped in nothing but a thin, crimson nightgown.
Under the candlelight, her delicate body, smooth as White Jade, was faintly visible.
With a wasp waist, slender back, and exquisite curves, she was truly a stunner.
At that moment, she was holding an ivory comb, stroking it through her waterfall of black hair.
’She really is top-shelf. No wonder Shen Wanhai was so utterly captivated.’
Jiang Mu appraised her silently.
’Although Madam Shen is still quite charming, the seductive allure emanating from this woman’s back puts her to shame.’
’However, Madam Shen is clearly worrying for nothing.’
’A shrewd businessman like Shen Wanhai would have already made her his proper wife and brought her home if he were serious. The fact that he only dares to keep her on the side means he’s just lusting after her body and doesn’t dare to truly play with fire.’
Jiang Mu observed for a moment longer. Seeing no sign of Shen Wanhai in the room, he prepared to leave.
But just then, the woman suddenly put down her comb.
She reached both hands behind her ears.
Her long fingers fumbled at the base of her ears for a moment before pinching a small piece of skin and slowly pulling it outward.
It was like peeling off a layer of damp, clinging fabric.
Before Jiang Mu’s horrified eyes, the woman tore off her own beautiful skin and draped it over the mahogany screen beside her.
Reflected in the bronze mirror was no longer a beautiful face.
Instead, it was a horrifying, featureless face, as smooth as a boiled egg white.
A DEMON!!
’And it’s a legendary Painted Skin Demon!’
Jiang Mu’s heart lurched.
He had never expected such an accidental discovery.
But what truly terrified him was that after entering the Third Realm, a normal Cultivator should be able to sense Demonic Qi.
Yet he couldn’t sense any Demonic Qi from the Painted Skin Demon in the room.
This meant the Demon’s Cultivation Level was extremely high.
It had at least reached a state where it could perfectly conceal its Demonic Qi.
Jiang Mu instinctively reached for the saber at his waist.
He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should charge in and fight it to test the Banshee’s depth.