Chapter 18: Who Says There's No Poison Targeted at the Skin?

After being struck in the face, Butler Zhang instinctively spun, deflecting the attack. Still, he couldn't comprehend why the poison he administered to Tao Yaoye, a masterpiece that had claimed the lives of countless cultivators, would fail.

Tao Yaoye didn't answer. After confirming the parrot indeed belonged to Miss Shang, she heightened her vigilance.

Everyone in the village knew about a talking demonic bird flying around. If the Shang family had sent someone to look for it, they would have easily found the parrot, and none of these subsequent events would have occurred.

The Shang family's actions defied common sense, indicating a definite problem!

Moreover, Miss Shang's aloof attitude wasn't like shooing them away; instead, it seemed to be a warning that the Shang family was in danger, urging them to leave quickly.

A languid voice came from behind, answering for Tao Yaoye: "Would you like to see the 'Eighteen Hundred Common Poisons and Their Antidotes,' a compulsory introductory course at the Dao Inquiry Sect?"

Butler Zhang's proudly concocted poison was a joke in the eyes of the Dao Inquiry Sect. No matter how skilled you are at refining poisons, could they be stronger than those refined by my Pill Cauldron Peak?

Butler Zhang spun around, discovering Lu Yang leaning against the doorframe, ancient sword in hand, smiling at him.

Butler Zhang realized then that Tao Yaoye wasn't the prey; he was.

He asked in a deep voice, "How did you find me?"

He didn't believe he had revealed any weaknesses. The Shang family was under his control, and no one had divulged any secrets.

When Shang Yuan and Lu Yang spoke in the room, he worried that projecting his spiritual sense would be detected, so he resorted to eavesdropping, thereby learning that Lu Yang and his companion were Dao Inquiry Sect disciples.

But even then, Shang Yuan hadn't revealed his identity.

Butler Zhang's hearing was excellent; even subtle sounds like writing and drawing couldn't escape his ears.

Lu Yang chuckled, "Do you know what the parrot said in the village?"

"What did it say?"

"It said, 'Who are you, where is Zhang Guanjia?'"

"At first, we thought the parrot was looking for Zhang Guanjia, but later we realized it was just repeating something. That's when I wondered, Zhang Guanjia doesn't travel the pugilistic world, so where did the parrot hear that phrase?"

"What if the parrot wasn't saying 'Who are you, where is Zhang Guanjia?' but rather, 'Who are you, where is Butler Zhang?'"

Lu Yang envisioned a scene:

Twenty days ago, Miss Shang accidentally discovered that Butler Zhang's identity had been replaced. Terrified, she cried out, "Who are you, where is Butler Zhang?" She then knocked over the birdcage, startling the parrot, which flew away. This was the last sentence the parrot heard, and so, at the tailor's shop, when facing Village Head Huang, the parrot repeated it.

Perhaps the parrot's pronunciation was unclear, or perhaps Village Head Huang's first thought went to Zhang Guanjia, whom he interacted with most often. In any case, the parrot's words became "Who are you, where is Zhang Guanjia?"

Butler Zhang was furious. He never imagined that a mere repeating parrot would ruin his plan.

Had he known, he would have killed it then and there!

Butler Zhang was no novice in the pugilistic world. Faced with the two-person encirclement, he burst into laughter. "I am a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. If I wish to escape, can you possibly stop me?"

Tao Yaoye grew anxious. If Butler Zhang escaped, they would have no choice but to report it to the sect and let their senior brethren and sisters handle it. Whether his tracks could be followed was another matter entirely.

This made Tao Yaoye feel somewhat embarrassed. She had successfully completed two missions, only for an unexpected issue to arise on her third.

Lu Yang maintained his calm demeanor, which unsettled Butler Zhang. "Didn't it occur to you that if you can poison us, we can also poison you?"

Hearing this, Butler Zhang relaxed and scoffed, "I thought it was something serious. Poison? What good would that do against me?"

As he spoke, Butler Zhang's skin began to loosen, as if a snake shedding its skin. His flesh separated from his skin, and the shed skin formed a complete human shape, standing hollow-faced in the center of the room, staring directly at Tao Yaoye, a truly unsettling sight. The skinless body, meanwhile, collapsed to the ground with a thud.

A Skin-Painter Ghost.

Tao Yaoye's expression turned grave. She now understood why Butler Zhang claimed poison was useless against him.

Poisons traditionally target the physical body—specifically, the internal organs, muscles, and meridians. Butler Zhang was a Skin-Painter Ghost, his true form being a skin. Who would poison skin?

Furthermore, how could there be a poison specifically targeting skin? At least, Butler Zhang had never heard of such a thing.

Lu Yang could.

Just as Butler Zhang was about to boast about his body, he horrifyingly discovered pea-sized blisters growing on both his feet. His skin peeled off in layers, and the blisters swelled, itching and hurting. They burst with a mere scratch, and after Butler Zhang scraped his feet on the ground a few times, thick yellow fluid oozed out.

"W-what is this?!" Butler Zhang's voice was filled with terror.

Butler Zhang had never encountered anything like this. When had he ever been poisoned?

"Athlete's foot."

"What?" Butler Zhang thought he had misheard.

"Did you think I was just making small talk with you all this time? No, I was waiting for the condition to take hold."

"I predicted you would come looking for Tao Yaoye, so I left a poison to induce athlete's foot in this room beforehand!"

Butler Zhang's face went pale.

Tao Yaoye's face darkened.

Lu Yang grinned menacingly, taking step after step towards Butler Zhang, who scrambled backward in fright and ultimately collapsed onto the ground.

"H-how did you know I was a Skin-Painter Ghost?!" If he hadn't known beforehand, how could he have poisoned him with such precision!

Most importantly, Butler Zhang had never heard of a Skin-Painter Ghost getting athlete's foot!

Now, with both his feet itching almost to the point of madness, he even considered cutting them off. This forced him to divert most of his energy and magic to suppress the poison, making escape impossible.

Suddenly, Butler Zhang's vision blurred, and Lu Yang seemingly vanished into thin air.

"How is that possible!" Butler Zhang's eyes nearly popped out. Lu Yang had only just entered the Foundation Establishment stage; no matter how exquisite his movement technique, he shouldn't be able to evade his sight.

"It's an illusion!" Butler Zhang instantly realized, quickly rolling to move from his spot.

It was too late. A cold gleam appeared, swift as lightning. A thin line ran from Butler Zhang's forehead down to his crotch. Lu Yang sheathed his sword, and Butler Zhang split into two, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

"Well done," Lu Yang said, giving Tao Yaoye a thumbs-up.

Just now, Tao Yaoye had used the Thousand Illusions Umbrella to trap Butler Zhang in an illusion. The illusion wasn't perfect, and Butler Zhang, having years of experience in the pugilistic world, would have seen through it after a moment of daze.

Lu Yang only needed that fleeting moment of distraction: he drew his sword, cleaved vertically, and sheathed it, all in one fluid motion.

Skin-Painter Ghosts were known for their deviousness, not their defense. When confronted by a sword cultivator, renowned for their formidable offense, combined with that moment of daze and no protective cultivation activated, victory was decided in a single move, without any suspense!

The Skin-Painter Ghost's advantage of stealth vanished the moment Lu Yang saw through its identity.

The Skin-Painter Ghost stared at Lu Yang in disbelief, its mouth opening and closing, its words barely discernible, asking: How did you recognize my true form?

Tao Yaoye looked at Lu Yang; she also wanted to know the answer.

Without a word, Lu Yang swung his sword again, cutting the Skin-Painter Ghost into four pieces. He then poured spiritual wine over them and lit them on fire. Amidst agonizing wails, the Skin-Painter Ghost burned to cinders.

Who knew if this demonic creature had any backup plans? Better to kill it first, then explain later.