Chapter 3: Damn it, the human skin mask cannot be taken off.
“What’s going on? If I can’t take it off, what will I do if I meet someone who recognizes this face next time?”
Huang Qi realized the seriousness of the situation.
“How about I find a place where birds don’t shit and hide there, never leaving the house again, and perhaps live a low-key life.”
Huang Qi’s first thought was to escape, but he immediately negated it: “No, first, who knows if this mask has any side effects when worn like this; second, Ruan Lingyu has already discovered me. If she goes back and talks to the real person about this matter, it will be exposed immediately. With the means of the HongHua Sect, I would be dug out even if I hid underground.”
“I absolutely cannot hold onto a fluke mentality. This human skin mask must be taken off no matter what!”
Huang Qi strengthened his resolve again, picked up the shiny scissors on the table, and reached for his face, thinking that if it couldn’t be taken off, he would cut it to pieces first.
However, after much deliberation, he still couldn’t bring himself to do it, because the human skin mask was too thin, as if he wasn’t wearing anything. Who knew if he would be disfigured if he cut it?
Huang Qi stood up and paced for a moment, when a flash of inspiration struck him: “That’s right, maybe the doctor at the medical clinic has a way!”
With this thought, Huang Qi seemed to have found a lifeline. He impatiently began to take off his clothes, preparing to change back into his male attire and wear the mask before going, because dressing as a woman was too conspicuous.
“That’s not right. What if the doctor recognizes this face? Although this county town is remote, there are still people who have seen the world.”
Huang Qi’s hand stopped midway when he suddenly realized this problem, and he hesitated again.
“Never mind, it’s better to take a chance than to wait for death.”
Huang Qi gritted his teeth and made a decision. He hastily changed into men’s clothes, cut a piece of black rough cloth to cover his face, and then hurried out of the inn.
Huang Qi had lived in this county town for several years and was very familiar with the situation here, so he soon arrived at a medical clinic. Fearing that he would be seen by others during the consultation, he decided to go in when no one was there.
Half an hour later, after confirming that there was no one in the medical clinic, Huang Qi sneaked in furtively.
“Young friend, is there anything uncomfortable?”
The old doctor with gray hair asked from behind the counter.
“Doctor Zhou! Can we talk in private?”
Huang Qi said nervously. He had been there twice, so he knew the doctor’s surname was Zhou.
“Hehe…”
Doctor Zhou smiled knowingly, thinking that Huang Qi had some unspeakable secret. He led the way into the inner room, closed the door, and had his apprentice look after the outside for the time being.
“Doctor Zhou… Doctor Zhou… Hurry up and check my face!”
As soon as he entered the room, Huang Qi took off the mask and stammered.
“You…”
Doctor Zhou was instantly dumbfounded, standing rooted to the spot like an old tree.
“Could it be that he recognized this face?”
Huang Qi felt his whole body go numb, his muscles tensed, ready to flee at any moment.
“You… are you a man or a woman?”
After a long time, Doctor Zhou stammered.
Huang Qi breathed a long sigh of relief, then said with a dejected tone: “Doctor Zhou, I’m too unlucky. I found a human skin mask a while ago and wanted to try wearing it out of curiosity today, but I didn’t expect that once I put it on, I couldn’t take it off.”
“That shouldn’t be the case! You didn’t use any glue, did you? This kind of mask requires special glue.”
Doctor Zhou stroked his beard and guessed, seeming to have some knowledge.
“What glue? This human skin mask itself has an adsorption effect. I didn’t use anything, but now it’s stuck to my skin tightly. I can’t pull it off no matter what I do.”
Huang Qi said, choking up, and then pointed to his cheek: “Look? My skin is torn and bleeding.”
Doctor Zhou leaned closer and found that there were indeed bloodstains at the edge of the human skin mask. He couldn’t help but chuckle, but out of professional ethics, he coughed twice and said: “Don’t panic. With me, Zhou, here, I guarantee to help young friend take it off unharmed.”
“Doctor Zhou! You are a miracle doctor!”
Seeing the other party’s confident demeanor, Huang Qi was deeply grateful.
Next, Doctor Zhou asked Huang Qi to lie on the sickbed, then found a lot of tools, and began to perform his medical skills.
Huang Qi trusted Doctor Zhou completely, so even though his face was constantly in pain, he gritted his teeth and endured it.
“Doctor Zhou! Are we almost done?”
As time passed, Huang Qi felt increasing pain in his face. He finally felt that something was wrong, so he asked subconsciously.
“Not yet, I’m afraid! Young friend, please hold on. As the saying goes, the clouds will part to reveal the moon.”
Doctor Zhou transformed from a doctor into a psychologist, with a very warm smile on his face.
“Forget it, forget it, I won’t take it off.”
Huang Qi chickened out and wanted to get up.
“Don’t worry! Don’t you trust my medical skills, Zhou?”
The “miracle doctor” Zhou was displeased. He reached out with his skeletal hand and pressed down on his patient. If he let him run out like this, wouldn’t his lifelong reputation be ruined?
Huang Qi was terrified. He suddenly flung away the hands of the “miracle doctor” Zhou and fled in a panic with his mask.
After this fright, Huang Qi no longer dared to find those incompetent doctors and could only return to the inn in a mess.
Huang Qi lay on the bed with lingering fear. After his emotions calmed down a bit, the pain in his face became more pronounced.
“This incompetent doctor!”
Huang Qi got up cursing and sat in front of the bronze mirror to observe. He found that his face had been made unrecognizable by the old man, with wounds and bloodstains everywhere. The human skin mask had been cut to pieces, revealing the scarred skin underneath.
“Damn incompetent doctor, it’s a good thing I ran so fast, otherwise I would have been disfigured by him.”
Huang Qi cursed tearfully, and mentally pondered countermeasures again: “What should I do now? Do I really have to go to a big place like the prefecture capital to find famous doctors? But I don’t have the financial means.”
Huang Qi dejectedly gave up this unrealistic idea. For now, he could only accept his fate, planning to visit his grandfather first tomorrow. Although the human skin mask was ruined, at least he no longer had to fear being discovered by the Immortal Sect. Compared to his life, what was this face? Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise.
“Then what identity should I use to go back tomorrow?”
Huang Qi fell into thought again, and after looking at himself in the mirror for a long time, he gritted his teeth and decided to adopt the initial plan, continuing to impersonate his fiancée. Although he was disfigured now, at least one could still tell it was a woman’s face, right?
“In this world, it’s good enough to find a wife. I believe my parents won’t be too picky.”
Huang Qi comforted himself.
After making his decision, seeing that the sky was getting dark outside, Huang Qi lay down in bed, ready to sleep. However, the stinging pain on his face made him restless, so he couldn’t sleep at all. But as time went by, a faint itchiness took over, gradually covering up the pain, and he fell asleep hazily.
Not long after, Huang Qi had a dream. He inexplicably appeared in a perfumed room. The surroundings were not clearly visible, but the pink dress he was wearing, like a little girl’s, was exceptionally eye-catching.
Below Huang Qi sat a young woman in her twenties, wearing a white ruqun that barely concealed her voluptuous figure, exuding maternal qualities. Coincidentally, her face bore a five or six-point resemblance to Huang Qi’s human skin mask, and the dimples on her cheeks were exactly the same. Unfortunately, there was a bean-sized red mark on her face, which instantly ruined her beauty.
Huang Qi had never seen this young woman before, but for some reason, she felt incredibly familiar to him, so he forgot to be afraid.
“Ling’er, your father clearly said he would be back today, why hasn’t he shown up yet?”
The young woman holding Huang Qi’s body suddenly spoke mournfully.
Huang Qi was thinking about how to answer, when unexpectedly his body took the initiative to speak.
“Will Papa bring me delicious food?”
The little girl’s voice was milky and tender, but one could hear the anticipation in it.
“You greedy guts, your Papa loves you so much, when has he not brought you anything?”
The beautiful young woman teased.
“Is it Tanghulu?”
Huang Qi’s little girl’s body asked persistently.
“Wife… Wife…”
At this moment, a man’s voice came from outside. His voice preceded his arrival, and one could tell he was very excited.
Huang Qi looked towards the door and soon saw a middle-aged man walking in. He looked handsome with a hint of a delicate scholar’s temperament, but his skin was tanned; he must have suffered a lot.
“Husband, you’re back!”
The young woman put her daughter down and greeted him excitedly.
“Yes, I’ve kept my wife waiting.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes were full of love.
“Husband, look how tanned you are. Was the trip to the prefecture capital smooth?”
The young woman asked with concern.
“It went very smoothly. As long as I sell this batch of goods, I’ll earn a large sum. After a few more trips, I’ll have enough money to buy a residency spot in the HongHua Sect, and then I can send you to live in the Immortal Sect.”
The middle-aged man replied excitedly.
“Husband, you have to go to the prefecture capital to get more goods? Maybe you should forget it. I worry every time you go out.”
The young woman said mournfully.
“No, my life and death are not important, but you must go to the Immortal Sect to live there, so that you can live a safe and sound life.”
The middle-aged man’s tone was extremely firm.
“This Prefecture Capital is quite safe. There are many people and ample Yang Energy, and not many demons or ghosts.”
The young woman tried to persuade him again.
“You should understand that I’m not referring to demons or ghosts, but people! There are very few women in the secular world now. Our daughter is so cute at such a young age, and she will surely attract a lot of attention in the future. Those who propose formally are fine, but I’m afraid of those who disregard the law. Kidnapping women is not uncommon in this world. I don’t have the ability to protect my daughter, so I can only send her to the Immortal Sect.”
The middle-aged man looked dotingly at Huang Qi’s body.
Even in his dream, Huang Qi felt an inexplicable sense of emotion. It turned out that this man risked so much just to buy residency for his family in the Immortal Sect.
“It’s not that serious, is it?”
The young woman said with a hint of hope.
“Wife, you don’t know, Brother Cao talked to me again today. He hopes we can become in-laws in the future. And there are already more than one or two such people. What will happen when our daughter grows up a little?”
The middle-aged man explained.
“It’s a joke, ignore them. My daughter is only three years old now, it’s too early to talk about marriage.”
The young woman comforted him.
“I think he’s quite serious. Who asked our daughter to be so naturally beautiful?”
The middle-aged man turned and squeezed his daughter’s little face.
“Alas! Then let her go alone. This way, your pressure will be less.”
The young woman realized the seriousness of the matter and suggested thoughtfully.
“No, both mother and daughter must go, so I can be at ease. But from today onwards, you must keep a close eye on your daughter. Absolutely do not take her out to see people, nor let guests see her.”
The middle-aged man instructed.
“Okay, husband!”
The young woman replied obediently.
“How about this, to be safe, find a veil for her to wear, and take it off when she reaches the Immortal Sect in the future.”
The middle-aged man made a decision after pondering for a moment.
…
The next day, Huang Qi woke up, and it was already bright outside the window. Recalling the dream from last night, he felt a sense of shame: “I am a grown man and I dreamt of becoming a little girl, it’s too absurd.”
Huang Qi’s cheeks burned with shame, and he subconsciously reached out to touch his face.
“What’s going on?”
Huang Qi’s expression changed drastically, and then he stumbled to the bronze mirror. He saw a familiar beautiful face reflected in it. In just one night, the human skin mask had been completely restored, and more than that.
“How is this possible? Have I hallucinated?”
Huang Qi was so scared that his features contorted, and he stared intently into the mirror, but the scene inside had not changed at all. The human skin mask seemed to have grown a size larger overnight, covering his entire face, so that now, even without makeup, no one could see any flaws.
Even more terrifying was that Huang Qi could no longer see the edge of the human skin mask; it seemed to have completely merged with the skin of his face.
