Chapter Ninety-Six: Tendon and Bone Refinement

In that case, this man could not be allowed to live.

Yet the information he had yielded led He Song to set his sights on that notorious flower thief.

“Flower thief?”

At the notice wall in Xian City, He Song swept his gaze across the posted proclamations and soon found one concerning the flower thief.

The notice clearly warned the residents of Xian City to remain vigilant against the flower thief roaming the surrounding area, and it also made public the martial art by which the thief could alter form and appearance.

It was obvious that the authorities of Xian City were guarding against the flower thief’s appearance.

Leaving the notice wall behind, a flash of insight lit He Song’s eyes as his gaze swept over the crowd before him.

The martial art by which the flower thief changed appearance and physique was indeed exquisite, but He Song believed that so long as the other was not a cultivator, he would not deliberately guard against a spirit-eye technique.

Therefore, it was likely that the flower thief had merely altered his outward appearance, rather than completely transforming his face and body.

If the transformation was not complete, then He Song’s spirit-eye technique would be able to detect the discord within the other’s body.

In that case, he only needed to use his spirit-eye technique to inspect the area, and the flaw would reveal itself.

Of course, if the other were to maintain a flawless transformation of form and appearance at all times, then even with the spirit-eye technique, He Song would not be able to see through it.

A body and face indistinguishable from an ordinary person’s, altered only slightly so that one seemed like a different person, while the inside remained perfectly harmonious without the slightest inconsistency.

That was the kind of martial art for changing form and appearance that He Song wanted to find.

But if he was not a cultivator, how could an ordinary martial artist possibly guard against a spirit-eye technique?

How could they maintain such a seamless transformation at every moment?

That was precisely why He Song had chosen to use the spirit-eye technique.

To an unprepared mortal martial artist, the existence of immortals still felt somewhat ethereal and unreal.

Although the Great Li Dynasty had spread the word, ordinary mortals who had truly encountered cultivators were in fact very few, and most of them stood at the very summit of mortal society.

With one glance around him, a trace of disappointment crossed He Song’s eyes.

None of the people nearby showed any disharmony in form or appearance.

Since he was not here, he would simply search slowly.

With the spirit-eye technique in his possession, so long as he encountered that flower thief, he would be able to recognize him at a glance.

He Song activated the spirit-eye technique and swiftly began sweeping through Xian City.

One street.

Two streets.

Three streets.

One wealthy residence.

Two wealthy residences.

Three.

Street after street passed beneath He Song’s glance.

Residence after residence was thoroughly examined by him.

As a cultivator, He Song moved with extraordinary speed; with each sweep of his gaze, he could judge dozens, even hundreds of people.

Such a rapid method of search was far beyond what mortal constables could ever hope to match.

Thus, several hours later, in the rear courtyard of a wealthy household, He Song finally found his target.

The estate was vast and exquisite beyond measure.

Carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and bracketed arches, pavilions and towers, artificial hills and flowing water—everything was present.

Long, deep corridors connected every part of the estate, and from time to time maids would pass through them, heading in all directions.

The target He Song had searched for over several hours had now taken the form of a maid, closely following behind a young lady of a distinguished family, step by step, never leaving her side.

Standing atop the tiles of a corridor, He Song looked over that person. His eyes shimmered with spiritual light, yet all he felt was a kind of speechless resignation.

The famed flower thief.

Naturally, he was male.

And yet he had deliberately taken the form of a maid; one sweep with the spirit-eye technique was enough to expose the deception.

He was in Xian City, inside the residence of a wealthy family.

And he had even become the maid of a young lady.

With so many conditions combined, the identity of the person before him was all too obvious.

The flower thief.

“This thing is not easy to hide. It seems that if I ever learn this martial art in the future, I can only use it to change my appearance and build—I absolutely cannot behave as he does.”

Shaking his head, once he had confirmed the other’s identity, He Song simply dropped from the corridor and in an instant cast earth escape, vanishing into the ground.

Once beneath the earth, he seized an opening when no one was paying attention and, using the very same method as before when capturing the burly man, dragged the flower thief down into the underground.

Then, carrying him through the earth, he soon arrived at a dark, secluded corner.

He tossed the flower thief into the corner and casually flicked his fingers four times.

Four streaks of spiritual light instantly pierced through the thief’s wrists and ankles, crippling him at once.

Ignoring the other man’s screams, He Song reached out and rummaged through his person, quickly pulling out a small bundle.

Earlier, after sweeping him with the spirit-eye technique, He Song had discovered that the man possessed no cultivation at all, and naturally he had no interest in wasting words.

He had simply captured him, crippled his hands and feet, and begun searching him.

Opening the bundle, He Song soon found two books inside.

Bone-Twisting and Tendon-Refining Method

Earth Purity Manual

His gaze passed over the titles of the two books, and He Song could not help but lower his head to look at the flower thief, who was still howling in pain. A flicker of surprise flashed briefly in his eyes.

He had never heard of the Bone-Twisting and Tendon-Refining Method, but judging from the situation, it must be the martial art that allowed the other to alter his appearance and physique.

But the Earth Purity Manual was truly everywhere, wasn’t it?

He could simply grab any flower thief at random and search out an Earth Purity Manual from his person?

“If you do not want to die, then stop making noise.”

Looking at the flower thief still shrieking in agony, He Song frowned and issued a cold rebuke.

The screams cut off abruptly.

“Where did you get these two manuals?” He Song asked, shaking the two books in his hand.

How could a mortal flower thief be carrying an Earth Purity Manual?

Even in his former life, after becoming a cultivator, he had only bought his copy of the Earth Purity Manual for one spirit stone in an immortal marketplace.

“Reporting to Immortal Master, both of these books were found by this lowly one in a cave. I do not know whether they are true or false. I tried cultivating them, but could make no sense of them. In the end, I could only carry them with me and look through them from time to time, hoping to gain some insight.”

Sensing the killing intent in He Song’s eyes, the flower thief immediately confessed everything.

He was much like the burly man, having heard of the existence of Immortal Masters before.

Being dragged here from underground by He Song had also made it clear to him exactly what kind of person He Song was.

Now that his life and death rested in another’s hands, naturally he would answer whatever was asked.

However, although he did not know why He Song had caught him, while answering, his eyes still darted about restlessly, as though searching for a chance to flee.

Hearing the flower thief’s voice, He Song frowned.

Because the flower thief had assumed the form of a maid, his voice was naturally feminine. Even the screams of agony from earlier had not reverted to a man’s voice.

To He Song’s ears, this was somewhat unpleasant.

“If you cannot speak properly, I can cut out your tongue and let you learn manners at your leisure.”