Chapter 406: 380 Changing the Makeup

Teng Liang ultimately followed Tang Zhao's wishes and bought a small house in the Outer City.

Houses in the Outer City were not expensive. Teng Liang came from a poor background and knew how to live frugally; after comparing several options, he chose a small main room in a courtyard.

The main room was also in a mixed-use courtyard, where two other households lived. The reason he didn't buy a whole courtyard was that the ones within his budget were in bad locations. A bad location in the Outer City didn't refer to things like poor transportation, but rather to a lack of safety.

The Outer City had too many mixed-bag factions. Living in the territory of a criminal gang and being exploited was already difficult enough, but what was truly terrifying was living at the intersection of two or more factions' territories. There were truly small fights every three days and big fights every five, with blood shed at the drop of a hat; you might even find an arm or a leg when you woke up in the morning. Moreover, the factions changed often, and every time a new one arrived, you had to pay again—it was truly miserable.

The house Teng Liang picked, though small and low, was a rare vacuum zone of criminal factions in the Outer City because it was near a government office. Every few days, bailiffs would patrol, the storefronts were managed, and the sewers were cleaned. Only by living here could Teng Liang possibly avoid the eyes of his former brothers in the gang.

An elderly couple and a mother and son also lived in the courtyard, and there were no powerful figures. Teng Liang carefully inspected it before deciding to buy it.

From then on, Lao Xiazi finally obtained his own home in his later years.

When Tang Zhao arrived at the house, he was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Teng Liang to handle things so properly. Not only was the house well-chosen, but after Lao Xiazi moved in, the room was already mostly furnished. Although the furniture was simple, it was sufficient, and household items like pots, bowls, ladles, and basins were eight or nine-tenths complete.

Teng Liang said triumphantly, "How about it? When it comes to getting things done, I really don't lose to anyone. In the gang, besides fighting and killing, if you don't handle things well for the boss, how could you survive? Besides, finding a place to stay is something I've been used to since I was a kid. Although the old man would stay in temples or ancestral halls to save money, he would occasionally find short-term rentals. He really knew how to pick a house and haggle over the price. It wasn't hard for me to learn a few tricks."

Tang Zhao praised, "It's truly good, better than me. As expected, there is a specialty in every trade."

Just then, he saw the seven or eight-year-old child from the mother-son pair opposite curiously watching from the doorway. Tang Zhao smiled, reached out, and gave him a piece of candy. The child said, "Thank you, Uncle," and ran off.

Tang Zhao laughed, "The child... is a bit cute. The neighbors don't know what you do, right?"

Teng Liang curled his lip and said, "Didn't you tell me not to say? With a temperament like mine, standing there, I look like the young master of a wealthy family at the very least, or at least a young proprietor. If I don't say anything, who could tell I'm a hoodlum?"

Tang Zhao looked at him and shook his head. Teng Liang said, "Go away. When you're with me, my young master temperament drops by more than half. Don't worry, as long as they don't provoke me, I won't let them know."

Tang Zhao said, "If people don't provoke you and you can hide it, that's something anyone can do. If they truly provoke you and you still don't let them know, that is what's truly rare. Because that is what people who accomplish great things do. It is said that those who achieve great things possess a calm spirit. The better you hide, the more successful you will be in the future."

After saying this, he took out his gifts. He gave Lao Xiazi and Teng Liang several sets of everyday clothes for the four seasons, enough to last a few years if they were careful. Making clothes was one of the biggest expenses for an ordinary family, especially winter clothes; Lao Xiazi's coffin money probably couldn't cover it, so Tang Zhao sponsored some.

After arranging everything, Tang Zhao confirmed again, "Then I'm leaving; we won't see each other for a few months. Can you take care of him? Do you have any other requests?"

Teng Liang patted his chest and said, "No problem! When I do things, you can rest assured. Go do your business. I'll just wait here to become a disciple of a prestigious sect."

Tang Zhao smiled and patted him, saying, "Ambitious, then see you later." He then bid farewell to Lao Xiazi and turned to leave the courtyard.

Tang Zhao walked through the mixed-use courtyard, seeing the white-haired old couple, the hardworking mother, and the child laughing in the yard; this was an ordinary and peaceful Human World life.

He hoped that when he returned, this place would still be as calm and peaceful.

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year.

Heavy snow fell from the sky.

The wind and snow blew all night, stopping slightly by morning, leaving Mu City and its surroundings a vast expanse of white.

Today was the day of assembly, and Tang Zhao got up early to apply his makeup.

Since he had decided to go in disguise, Tang Zhao had tried out his new look long ago. Deciding what to look like was also very important. First, it required being under twenty, so there was no need to change age or gender, but since these weren't changing, the contrast would be small, so he had to find a way to create a sense of difference so people wouldn't associate him with Tang Zhao himself.

On the other hand, it also had to match Tang Zhao's temperament.

This didn't mean matching Tang Zhao's own temperament. It meant matching the temperament of the "character" Tang Zhao was playing.

Tang Zhao not only had to change his face but also his personality.

Originally, if there were no acquaintances at Jingzhe Villa, then changing his personality wouldn't matter, as long as people couldn't tell at a glance that it was "Lord Tang" himself. But with an acquaintance like Meng Huazhou, and his increasing aversion to his original identity being linked to the Five Poisons Society, he ultimately decided to change into a completely different person from the inside out.

Making the decision was easy, but succeeding was hard.

Wei Se could help him with the makeup, but playing another personality was entirely up to himself.

Tang Zhao watched bit by bit as his features became blurred, all his distinct characteristics filed away, until he had a plain, unremarkable face. By this time, he had been sitting in front of the Mirror for over two hours.

He had thought Wei Se's disguise was fast because of some legendary "human skin mask," but he hadn't expected it to be a matter of mixing and smearing various oils and powders, much like when Black Widow had made him up as a Daoist Child, only the technique was more refined.

"Isn't there that kind of mask where you tear it off and you're a completely different person?"

Wei Se stopped wiping the powder and said, "I thought you minded wearing human skin on your face?"

Tang Zhao asked in surprise, "Is it really made of human skin?"

Wei Se said, "There are other styles, but human skin has a more realistic texture. However, human skin masks also require makeup to cover the seams between the skin and the mask, and you have to use techniques to make it fit the features, otherwise, you can't make expressions. The advantage is that the features don't need special modification, and it's convenient for filling. Since I started following you, I haven't made any more masks. These are all leftovers from the Yama Shop period."

Tang Zhao shook his head and said, "If I had known, using my Sword Image to manifest it would have been even more convenient."

That was what he said, but while using an illusion was convenient, the Sword Image had to be locked onto his face at all times; once he used it, the effect would be lost, which was too restrictive. If not for the matter with Meng Huazhou, Tang Zhao could have tried it, but now that he had a target to be wary of, he couldn't impose such a great restriction on himself.

After applying makeup for nearly two hours, Tang Zhao finally obtained a "waterproof makeup" that could last for about half a month. Wei Se gave a friendly reminder: if it really rained heavily, he still needed to take precautions against the rain, lest the makeup run and he be cut down as a Phantom.

Tang Zhao made an expression at the Mirror, twisting his mouth and grinning to show his teeth.

This expression was copied from Teng Liang, and it belonged to the kind of expression that anyone who knew Tang Zhao would never associate with him, even if they racked their brains.

Wei Se had been watching quietly, but suddenly said, "I think you've been contaminated."

Tang Zhao laughed, "I didn't say I'd keep this look forever, just testing the flexibility of the expressions. It's exactly the same as not wearing makeup, and it doesn't shed powder either; impressive, impressive."

He had originally intended to pretend to be the "three-no" personality like Wei Se, but that was actually very difficult. Wei Se had almost no stress response, and it was hard for Tang Zhao to achieve that level of not showing his emotions on his face.

In the end, he had to copy a little from here and a little from there, creating something that was neither fish nor fowl, finally settling on one fundamental trait—he was crazy.

Tang Zhao changed into his new face and went out for a stroll to familiarize himself with the "character." Wei Se transformed himself into a tall, sturdy, and fierce-looking "street youth" image, and the speed was so fast that Tang Zhao felt he must have "torn off" his face.

Looking at that fierce face, Tang Zhao said with interest, "Actually, this image is very distinct; I could try it too."

Wei Se said bluntly, "Better not. You can't act it out."

Tang Zhao said, "Pretending to be fierce shouldn't be hard, right? I've seen many evil people."

Wei Se said, "Exaggerated personalities are easy to act but hard to maintain. Moreover, there are many details that must be logical. For example, you just went out on the street; did you notice that people's attitudes toward you were different?"

Tang Zhao was stunned and said, "I didn't talk to anyone, did I?"

Wei Se's eyes were filled with the expression of "you didn't interact with anyone, so what kind of character did you find," but he still calmly explained, "You were born with such a face before, so no matter where you went, others would treat you well and value you..." He saw Tang Zhao open his mouth and said, "You might not have noticed, but these things happen subtly. Now that you've changed to this appearance, others might ignore you; don't think others are cold, ordinary people's lives are all like this."

He pointed to himself and said, "With a face like this, everyone will instinctively fear and avoid you when you go out. Over time, your own personality will shift because of it; not only will you get used to it, but you might even take pleasure in scaring people, becoming increasingly arrogant. If you go out wearing my face, you might doubt life itself within half a day."

He saw Tang Zhao frowning and thinking, looking thoughtful, and said, "Forget it, it's already this late, don't overthink it; thinking too much will only make things messy. If there are any mistakes on this trip, I suggest you play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses."

Tang Zhao said, "Play to my strengths and avoid my weaknesses, my advantage is..."

Wei Se advised him, "Your advantage is that your strength is greater than others. If someone suspects you, I suggest you act directly and solve the problem at the root."

The disguise finished, the two packed their luggage—although the Time Jar had everything, bringing nothing would be eye-catching—and they arrived at the assembly point, the ten-mile pavilion in Mu City.

The pavilion originally had a tiled roof, but it was now covered in a layer of white snow, as if pressed down by a silver mountain. Black Widow stood within the pavilion, her white robes seemingly melting into the snow; only her raven hair, dark eyes, and a touch of crimson on her lips stood out, stunningly beautiful.

Tang Zhao was wearing a thin cotton-padded jacket, which was quite inadequate for such a snowy, windy day, yet Black Widow was dressed in silk gauze and a skirt, with only a cloak to shield her from the snow, looking quite cold.

She did not recognize Tang Zhao at first glance, but upon discovering the black spider Tang Zhao kept on his shoulder as a signal, her gaze softened and she said, "Jiang is here? Was the journey smooth?" As she spoke, she reached out to brush the snow from Tang Zhao's body, took the black spider off him, and smiled.

"You have truly grown up now. Back then, you were terrified even by a spider in a washbasin, and now you carry one on your body so openly. You are even taller than me now."

Her tone was gentle, yet lacked her usual flirtatiousness; she sounded like a loving mother or an elder sister. Of the three young people behind her, all except Jiao Feng were stunned, but cowed by the authority of the Manor Master, they dared not make a scene and instead stole glances at Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries, saying, "Terrified by a washbasin? That does sound like something that happened. It was Sister Yuan Qing who told you, right? It has been a long time; is she not here today?"

Among the three young people Black Widow brought, Yuan Qing was not present, presumably because she exceeded the age limit.

Black Widow said, "I sent her out to be a branch leader. She is doing quite well. If you miss her, we can gather when we return; she misses you too. As for the young people by my side now, you already know Jiao Feng; these are Chen Yingfei and Yuan Yu."

Both young people were dressed in the style of Black Spider Villa, and Yuan Yu looked somewhat like the Yuan Qing of years past.

Black Widow had heard that Tang Zhao had a childhood friend in a gang subordinate to the Five Poisons Society, and to curry favor with him, she had originally intended to bring the friend along, but upon asking, she found the person had fled overnight and their whereabouts were unknown; she immediately guessed this was Tang Zhao's doing, so she told her subordinates to stop searching and never mentioned the matter again.

Tang Zhao nodded to each of them in greeting and said, "Manor Master, do you have any idea about this time's topic?"

Black Widow shook her head and said, "No one knows. The eyes and ears I left at Jingzhe Villa haven't even seen that young master; he is truly very mysterious. But since no one knows the topic, it is still considered fair."

Tang Zhao smiled slightly and said, "It is not particularly fair. Because I might already know."