Chapter 564: That's him!

Xiao Ningxun felt great joy inside, yet his face revealed none.

He smiled: "Sir, could you please come with us to the inn?"

The man blinked: "What for?"

"That person indeed came by and left something to be done."

"This thing was already finished; because I was in a hurry to go home and check on the sick, I left quickly and couldn't wait for him to come pick it up."

He sighed: "I took their money, so I must return the item. But he didn't leave his name, and now I'm worried I can't find him."

The man looked doubtfully at Kang An: "Is that so?"

Kang An glanced at him and nodded: "Yes."

The man then patted the dust off himself: "Alright, I'll tell my wife."

He shouted into the room: "I'm going out for a bit! Watch the pancakes, I'll be back soon!"

A woman inside replied.

The man followed the group back to the inn.

Xiao Ningxun took out paper and brush, spread them on the table, lifted the brush and looked at the man: "Sir, please tell me slowly, what did that person look like?"

The man squinted, thinking for a while: "Luosaihu, his beard is thick all over his face."

Xiao Ningxun's brush didn't stop.

"He wears an eye patch over one eye, a one-eyed dragon."

"His face is broad, his eyebrows very thick, his eyes narrow, seeming to be always squinting."

Xiao Ningxun listened and drew; gradually, a face appeared on the paper.

He turned the paper over: "Sir, does it look like him?"

The man leaned in, looked, shook his head: "No, the face needs to be wider."

Xiao Ningxun added a few strokes.

"The eyebrows aren't thick enough."

Add more.

"His eyes should be narrower; yours are too big."

Xiao Ningxun revised it again.

The man then nodded: "Yes, yes, yes, this time it's right, that's him."

Lu Qi took out a piece of broken silver and handed it over: "Thank you for the trouble, sir."

The man took it, grinning, tucked it into his sleeve, turned to Kang An: "Kang An, tell your father—he hasn't been around these two years, and all the work in town has been snatched by others."

"Tell him to come back sooner, don't keep staying cooped up at home."

Kang An's eyes reddened, he gave a slight nod.

The man smiled, waved his hand, and walked away.

As the door closed, Xiao Ningxun handed the portrait to Kang An: "Kang An, is this him?"

Kang An lowered his head, shook it, pointed at the beard on the portrait, then at the eyes.

Xiao Ningxun frowned slightly: "Are both eyes okay?"

Kang An nodded.

"No beard?"

Kang An shook his head, gestured on his own face.

"An eight-character beard?" Xiao Ningxun picked up his brush and drew another.

Kang An glanced, still shook his head.

Xiao Ningxun put down his brush, his brows knotted.

Xiao Ningyuan was somewhat irritated: "Why does it never match? Could it not be the same person?"

Tuan Tuan leaned on the table, staring intently at the face: "Third Brother, this person's beard looks just like that of the map‑selling swindler."

Xiao Ningxun startled, lowered his gaze to the portrait.

"The false eye, the altered beard—what about the other features?"

"If this person deliberately hid his appearance, then on this portrait, all those striking features that are hard to forget—could they be exactly what he purposely did?"

Xiao Ningxun stared at the portrait for a long time.

He lifted the brush again, made the eyebrows finer, enlarged the eyes, narrowed the face a bit.

He set the brush down and pushed the portrait toward Kang An.

Kang An lowered his look, his face instantly changed, lips trembling: "Yes, it's him!"

Tuan Tuan clapped her little hands: "Wow, Third Brother is amazing!"

Xiao Er and Lu Qi exchanged a glance, committing the face to memory: "So this is that damned thing."

Xiao Ningxun, however, took out a fresh sheet, lifted the brush, and redrew based on the previous one.

This time, however, he removed the beard.

Kang An looked at him, puzzled.

Xiao Ningxun set down his brush and said softly: "This person is so skilled at disguise."

"Having stayed at your house for a few days, he might very well shave off the beard entirely afterward."

"If we want to find him by portrait, it's better to have a few more copies."

Tuan Tuan understood: "Third Brother means, that villain will sometimes have a beard, sometimes not?"

Xiao Ningxun nodded: "Right."

Tuan Tuan tilted her little head, looking at the two portraits: "Third Brother is really smart!"

Xiao Ningxun smiled and rubbed her head: "When evildoers do bad things, they all fear being seen in their true form."

"With this portrait, we can go find Kang An's enemy."

He stared at the portrait: "This person came to such a remote place to inquire about the blacksmith; he must have known Kang An's father, the next guardian, who is away from home."

"He first moved Kang An's father with the guise of a filial son, learning that he indeed possessed the secret of Wu Jin Mud."

"Then he brought people back to try to extort more information; this face must be his true visage."

Tuan Tuan clenched her tiny fists: "What a huge bastard! He deserves a beating!"

Xiao Er looked at the portrait: "But even with this portrait, how can we find him? We can't just wander the Western Regions asking everyone."

Lu Qi nodded: "Indeed, we're unfamiliar with this place."

Xiao Ningxun pondered for a moment, just about to speak, when the door was pushed open and Xue Tong strode in.

"You brat," he glared at Kang An, "why didn't you come to my place when you got back? I was waiting to give you acupuncture!"

Kang An startled, hastily bowed repeatedly: "Forgot."

Xue Tong rolled his eyes: "I hate it when patients don't remember their own condition."

"We doctors work ourselves to death, yet the patients themselves don't care."

Tuan Tuan slid off the chair, ran to Xue Tong's side, grabbed his arm and gently shook it: "Master, Master, don't be angry! We're discussing important matters!"

Xue Tong looked down at her: "What important matters? More important than healing?"

Tuan Tuan's eyes sparkled: "Master, that person you saved before—are they well known around here?"

Xue Tong was taken aback, then proudly said: "Of course."

Xiao Ningyuan slapped his forehead and stood up: "How did I forget this!"

He looked at Xiao Ningxun: "Third brother, the person saved by Old Valley Master Xue is from the Yutian Kingdom royal family!"

"Why not go directly to him for help? Isn't that better than us wandering aimlessly?"

Xiao Ningxun nodded: "What the elder brother says is right; if he's willing to help, we'll get twice the result with half the effort."

Tuan Tuan pulled Xue Tong's hand toward the table: "Master, Master! Come quick and look!"

"We know what Kang An's enemy looks like now!"

Xue Tong was dragged by her to the table, lowered his head to look at the portrait on it.

Immediately, his face changed drastically: "It's him!"