The villain also has spring 2

Chapter 1903, page 11902: *Painted Skin*

Chapter 1903, page 1.1902: *Painted Skin*

A short while later, a mechanical cloud chariot arrived gracefully.

The Seven Tablets of the Cloudy Bookcase states: "Suddenly, the sounds of people and horses, and the sounds of flutes and drums were heard in the forest and marshes. In a short while, they gradually approached the mountain. Looking up, one could see thousands of riders and chariots floating in the air, and divine beings riding three white cloud chariots."

The chariot is not driven by external force, such as the Five Ghosts Transporting Treasure Technique, also known as the Five Ghosts Moving Wealth Technique or the Five Ghosts Moving Mountains Technique. Five little ghosts can take people's valuables without opening doors or breaking boxes. There are also techniques like the Six Ding and Six Jia. There is a folk saying: "When ghosts carry the sedan chair, disaster is coming." This refers to one of the Maoshan Taoist techniques: Four Ghosts Carrying the Sedan Chair.

However, this elaborately crafted cloud chariot before us is driven by four mechanical flowing horses. Everyone knows that the "wooden ox and flowing horse" was the brainchild of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. But later generations have largely failed to replicate its design. I never expected to encounter it here.

The cloud ladder slowly descended to the ground, and a person who rolled up the curtain stepped down first: "Where is Master Jiangzhu?"

"Fourth Sister, are you well?" The sword-forging woman, Honghua, greeted her at the temple: "Please come into the thatched hut for a chat."

The "curtain-roller" is Qingwen, one of the "Third Sisters of Ximen". The Third Sisters of Ximen consist of: Second Sister Qiuyu (Zhang Lu), Third Sister Yudie (Hong Xiaoyun), and Fourth Sister Qingwen (Zeng Yan). She is Ximen Rou's birth mother; the First Sister Chunyun died young. The Fifth Sister Xiaocui is a female demon, the Daoist Huanji, in disguise, and has also died. Therefore, she is only referred to as the Third Sister of Ximen.

"The master sent a letter requesting to exchange the Five Elements Inner Elixir for the mechanical prosthetic arm." Fourth Sister Qingwen went straight to the point: "I've heard that the Inner Elixir is also of great use in sword forging. But I don't know why he's so reluctant to part with it."

“Yesterday, a new guest crossed the bridge and stayed here for the night. Just then, a whole family of wolf demons attacked and were all wiped out. This elixir was then obtained.” As she spoke, the sword-forging woman, Honghua, asked Sai Xiaojing, a female general from the Later Tang Dynasty, to take out the Jia Yuan Divine Axe and show it to her: “Fourth Sister, take a look.”

Fourth Sister Qingwen looked surprised: "Could it be that the entire wolf demon family, which has existed for 500 years, has been killed?"

“Indeed.” The sword-making woman, Honghua, immediately introduced the group: “The three of you are guests from the Ten Kingdoms (of the Five Dynasties).

"The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period." Fourth Sister Qingwen was not surprised: "In the murals, flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water are common sights. As for our origins, we are from the Zhihe era of the Yuan Dynasty. Precisely because of the change of dynasties and the turmoil in the Three Realms, we cannot be judged by conventional standards."

"What Fourth Sister says is absolutely right." The sword-forging woman, Honghua, smiled and said, "If we talk about origins, I have existed since the beginning of time, without any dynasty or era."

"Master Jiangzhu is our ancestor." Fourth Sister Qingwen said with a smile, "Living in a dilapidated temple, amidst wind and rain, you remain as stable as Mount Tai (that is, a safe zone). You dare not fail to come when sent by carrier pigeon."

"In that case, is it acceptable to exchange the mechanical prosthetic arm for the Five Elements Inner Elixir?" the sword-forging woman, Honghua, asked hastily.

"Why not?" Fourth Sister Qingwen said with a smile, "We just need to make a hand mold first, and the prosthetic hand can be completed the next day."

"It's a deal." The sword-forging woman, Honghua, clapped her hands in oath.

The person rolling up the curtain led Lady Wei Yueji onto the mechanical cloud carriage, and then left after mirroring the hand mold. The so-called "mirror-molding of the hand mold" means that the other hand, which was not missing, was sculpted first, and then mirrored to resemble the missing hand. In this way, the left and right hands are exactly the same, and there is no difference after installation.

The sword-forging woman, Honghua, first forged a camel wagon from the Western Regions for Wei Shi Yueji. This camel wagon was the precursor to the modern-day caravan. It had a frame of purple-gold copper, boards made of lightning-struck jujube wood, and a roof sewn with wolf demon hide. Before midday, a camel wagon from the Western Regions was completed. It was parked side-by-side next to the dilapidated temple, accessible via a flying pavilion (aerial walkway).

Taking advantage of broad daylight, when the demons were nowhere to be seen, Princess Xiahou Ying of the Later Jin Dynasty single-handedly swept through the nearby demon lairs. Meanwhile, Princess Li Huixin of the Later Tang Dynasty stayed by the side of the female general, carefully preventing Sai Xiaojing, who was in seclusion cultivating, from being interrupted. At best, this would cause internal injuries; at worst, it would lead to demonic possession. This is similar to a female demon who separated her spirit and body to refine a foreign magical weapon into her own destiny. Using a wisp of her primordial spirit to drive the divine weapon greatly enhances her cultivation.

In Wu Chen's view, this is the classic "first-hero jungle clearing" scenario. The goal is to clear the jungle monster lairs around the main base. This is a classic setup where you can obtain loot and upgrade your hero at the same time. Wuxia-style battle royale games are clearly no exception.

The closest lair to the ruined temple was occupied by the White Snake Demon from "The Enchanting Mystery".

The story goes that men in the city are being murdered one after another, and all the dead have a wound on their necks. It turns out that the murders are committed by the black snake Nong Nong (Cecilia Yip), who came to the human world to find a mate for the white snake, and the maid Qing snake Mei Mei (Jacqueline Leung). The male police officer investigating the murders and a snake expert are both mistaken for the white snake incarnate and are approached by the two snake spirits who have transformed into beautiful women.

The well-known folk tale tells of the White Snake, who, to escape her lover, the Black Snake, ventures into the dazzling human world. Unexpectedly, the Black Snake, accompanied by her maid, the Green Snake, Meimei, also tracks her down, even going so far as to kill to force the White Snake to reveal herself. However, in the twisted plot caused by the invasion of the Purple Coral Spirit, the White Snake, unwilling to be harassed, escapes into a painted mural, becoming a mountain queen and living a carefree life.

Unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick. Princess Xiahou Ying of the Later Jin Dynasty, wielding the Dugu Nine Swords, came knocking. The White Snake Demon, fast asleep in her cave, had her beautiful head severed in her sleep by a flying sword.

The second "Five Elements Inner Elixir" has been obtained.

Longshan Temple, murals on the back mountain.

"What brings you four female benefactors here?" the bald-headed old monk asked leisurely.

“Follow the trail, enter the wall and capture the husband,” replied the woman in black robes among the two on the left.

These are the Black Snake Nongnong and the Green Snake Meimei from "The Enchanting Mystery," who are searching for their mates everywhere.

"What brings you two female benefactors here?" the bald-headed old monk asked leisurely.

"Please help me relieve the pain of this poisoning." An old woman with white hair and wrinkled skin, one of the two on the right, was overcome with grief.

If Wu Chen were here, he would recognize them at a glance. The two people on the right are from the storyline of "Extreme Beasthood." It tells the story of two veteran female insurance saleswomen, Penny (Wu Jiali) and Wendy (Peng Dan), who inject themselves with snake serum to maintain their appearance. They use their looks to seduce wealthy businessmen into buying large insurance policies, then use their connections to change the beneficiaries to increase the coverage amount, murdering them for money and defrauding them of huge sums of insurance money. In the end, however, they become utterly depraved, transforming into monstrous female demons who are neither human nor ghost.

"This humble monk's worn-out brush can indeed relieve the suffering of the two ladies from the poison. However, 'everything has a cause, and every cause has an effect.' Once you are inside the painted wall, humans and demons will both perish. Now, you will be neither human nor ghost, but rather a 'painted wall demon'—neither human nor demon. Trapped within the painted wall, you may never escape in this lifetime. May I ask the four ladies, do you still wish to go into the painted wall?" It is said that monks do not lie. The old monk with the worn-out brush explained the pros and cons one by one.

“We are willing to go.” Nongnong, Meimei, Penny, and Wendy said in unison.

"So be it." The old monk flicked his brush, and an ink bridge flew across the sky.

"The World-Honored One, the Vajra Body, with a mind in quiescence, turns the prayer wheel, entering the first stage of non-birth..." The old monk with the bald brush chanted as he sent the four women into the painted wall.

My eyes were suddenly filled with a vivid scene.

Looking back on the path we've traveled, the ink bridge has vanished.

Compared to Nong Nong and Mei Mei, the two snake spirits, who had cultivated for many years and were completely unaffected, were transformed. Meanwhile, the two insurance agents, Penny and Wendy, who had been ravaged by snake venom, aged, and left with only wrinkled shells, were reborn. In an instant, the snake venom vanished, they were rejuvenated, and radiant with youthful beauty.

"Where is this?" The black snake spirit looked around and saw a high slope in front of her.

"Sister, look quickly!" The Green Snake Spirit pointed seductively to a stone tablet by the roadside: "Shizipo."

“This stele is an ancient artifact.” The Black Snake Spirit frowned. “However, the inscription on the stele is quite new.”

"Perhaps it's an old stele with a new inscription, who knows?" the Green Snake Spirit said with a charming smile.

“That makes sense.” The black snake spirit looked back at the path she had come from, which had vanished without a trace, and murmured, “Or perhaps it was drawn by the old monk with his bald brush, who knows?”

The implication is that since it's a mural, the old monk can modify it at any time, as long as he's willing. He can command the landscape with a single stroke, without regret. Whether those who cross the bridge and enter the painting are human or demon, benevolent or benevolent, it's all within his control.

For example, the two female insurance brokers in "Painted Skin".