Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Thousand-Faced Man and Painted Poison

“Judging by your demeanor, has your plan already begun?”

“When did it start? You didn’t even give me a heads-up—have you forgotten about me?”

At that very moment, in the office of the head of the Jiangxi branch of the East China Division, a man in his thirties wearing gold-rimmed glasses and exuding an air of professionalism held a satellite phone, smiling as he inquired.

“To help you, I’ve been stuck in this godforsaken place for nearly five years. You know me—I detest all these rules and restrictions!”

“Heh, don’t worry…”

Upon hearing this, Xia Ye smiled faintly.

“I promised you from the start that I would see this through. But right now, we’re just getting started, and I need your help. You’ll have to stay in your position a while longer, and if possible… aim even higher.”

“You understand, your transformation is quite complex. After all, your wish isn’t a simple one. To help you fulfill it, I need to gather more materials.”

“Ah, I understand, I understand. My demands are indeed excessive. If it weren’t for this, I wouldn’t have bothered coming to work at the company!” The man shrugged involuntarily.

“Aim higher, huh… not impossible. I’ve done well these past few years, and the company is considering promoting me again. I was hesitant, but since you say so, I’ll give it my best shot…”

“Don’t let me down!”

“Of course.”

With that, Xia Ye ended the call. The man then pulled out a small cloth pouch he always carried, opened it, and the space inside warped as he stored the satellite phone away.

Suddenly…

Knock, knock, knock!

The sound of knocking came from the door. He glanced over and called out,

“Come in!”

The door opened, and an employee responsible for receiving messages walked in. “Boss, the guys we placed on the train sent back a message. They found signs of a supernatural being’s intervention on board but no trace of the person.”

“Hm. Then check the surveillance footage at the entrances of the stations along the route. Let’s screen for any wanted individuals first.” The man waved his hand, casually giving orders.

At the same time…

“That Yuhua Du is doing quite well for himself. Has he ever thought he might actually be cut out for this?” Xia Ye murmured softly, putting down the phone and gazing out the window.

Indeed, the person he had just spoken to was none other than the infamous “Thousand-Faced Man,” Yuhua Du—a spy Xia Ye had planted long ago within the company. After all, the company was a constant thorn in their side; how could they manage without an insider?

This all began five years ago, when Xia Ye first descended the mountain. From that moment, he had been preparing for everything that was to come, plotting and arranging meticulously.

Naturally, placing someone inside the company was his top priority. With the company’s cautious nature, this was no easy task, so he needed a flawless candidate who would never be exposed.

After careful consideration, he finally settled on Yuhua Du. This man’s supernatural ability was excellent, making him perfect for undercover work.

As for the problem of “impossible disguise,” Xia Ye had a solution. He began monitoring all kinds of information and tracking Yuhua Du’s whereabouts.

In fact, when Xia Ye first left the mountain, Yuhua Du was already quite renowned and had joined the “Quansheng” faction. But it seemed his aim was freedom alone. Aside from stealing from the wealthy under the title of “Great Thief,” he hadn’t been known to harm anyone.

His nature was the key factor in Xia Ye’s consideration and the prerequisite for choosing him.

After several twists and turns, Xia Ye found Yuhua Du just as he was transforming into a beautiful woman to approach a foreign tycoon and steal a priceless ancient vase. Xia Ye had researched beforehand and learned it was a rare Chinese artifact lost overseas, so he refrained from intervening.

Once Yuhua Du succeeded and secretly handed over the item, Xia Ye made contact and explained his intentions. Using his methods, he resolved the “disguise energy” issue, perfected Yuhua Du’s innate ability “Painted Skin,” and extended an invitation.

After some discussion, Yuhua Du agreed to help him infiltrate the company as an insider in exchange for achieving his greatest wish. The two reached an immediate understanding and have been working together ever since.

As for that wish…

“My heart is originally without form; from formlessness arises all forms. All things are myself, wandering freely through the mortal world!”

Recalling Yuhua Du’s expression when he first said this, Xia Ye’s lips curled into a slight smile.

Come to think of it, among all the people he had encountered, this man’s temperament suited him best. But after their initial arrangement, they parted hastily. Perhaps once reunited, they could grow closer and become confidants.

“Slowly, then…” he whispered to himself.

Meanwhile…

After jumping from the train, Xiao Zizai and the others traveled through forests, changed their clothes, and disguised themselves in a small town. Then they slipped back into the woods.

After a day and night of trekking, they finally arrived at a small city on the border of Jiangxi and Zhejiang, far from the train jump site. They then boarded a bus to Hangzhou, finally feeling safe.

After another day’s journey, they reached Hangzhou and entered the city, heading toward Tianmu Mountain. By evening, they arrived at Xia Ye’s clinic.

Creak—

As the door opened, the aroma of food wafted in. The table was already laden with dishes. Xia Ye, just having placed a pot of stewed pork ribs on the table, took off his apron and called out,

“You’re back? Sit down and eat!”

Seeing this scene, Xia He narrowed her eyes and looked around, noticing no one else was there. She pointed at Xia Ye and looked at Xiao Zizai.

“So this is our boss?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Xiao Zizai nodded.

“Oh?”

Hearing this, Xia He raised her eyebrows, surprised by how different this man looked from her expectations. She had imagined someone capable of commanding a terrifying figure like Xiao Zizai, controlling a strange entity like Duo Duo, and orchestrating plans right under the company’s nose would be deep and unfathomable. Instead…

“He really does look like the boy next door, hehe~”

She smiled faintly, harboring no objections. After all, appearances can be deceiving. Perhaps such a person was even more dangerous.

So she promptly stepped forward and spoke first, “Are you the young man I spoke with earlier? Hmm… you’re quite handsome~”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Xia Ye smiled as he hung his apron aside.

“Hello, Miss Xia He. My name is Xia Ye. I’ve heard about you for a long time. It seems fate has brought you here. Welcome to join us.”

“Oh? You had heard of me before?”

Xia He was momentarily stunned but soon realized it made sense.

“Yes, not just you, but those Quansheng folks as well. Seems my inquiries over the past year have caught quite a few people’s attention…”

Just as she opened her mouth to ask more, Xia Ye waved his hand.

“All right, you’ve all been on the move for two days and must be tired. Sit down and eat first; we’ll talk after the meal.”

With that, he summoned his “Three Madmen” with a thought and led them into the treatment room, then called Xiao Zizai and Chen Duo…