Care Guide to Raising a Max Level Leaf in Apocalypse - 61
Face swap
Upon entering the dimly lit room, Ji Jiu immediately noticed the lean and wiry old man. His narrow eyes scanned him from head to toe, as if weighing something valuable. If it were someone else under that scrutinizing gaze, they might have felt uncomfortable.
Ji Jiu paid no heed to him, completely disregarding his presence as he walked inside. He casually took a seat on the somewhat worn-out sofa and picked up a fake rose from the table, twirling it between his delicate, slender fingers. The vividly alluring colors blossomed at his touch, accentuating his sense of elegance.
Old Futou chuckled in an odd way. “I never expected you to bring such an interesting ‘doll’ here.”
It was the curiosity about the identity of the person brought by Si Yin Yuan that made him break his own rules and open the door.
Si Yin Yuan maintained his usual aloof expression. “He wasn’t brought by me.”
Ji Jiu had followed him on his own accord.
Old Futou grunted twice.
A wisp of black mist appeared at Ji Jiu’s fingertips as he curiously made the fake rose disappear into it.
Si Yin Yuan’s expression finally revealed a hint of fluctuation. He naturally had a stern look to begin with, and a slight frown could make him appear more formidable. “Don’t eat random things.”
He stopped Ji Jiu from taking another fake flower.
Ji Jiu obediently withdrew his hand. “Alright.”
But his gaze remained fixed on those fake flowers, displaying not a trace of fear.
Old Futou chuckled heartily. “You two have an interesting way of getting along.”
Ji Jiu turned to look at him. “You’re quite interesting too.”
Old Futou, now in high spirits, asked, “Why do you say that?”
Ji Jiu was straightforward. “Because you’re so peculiar.”
In the corner, the silent boy, Old Futou’s companion, couldn’t help but admire Ji Jiu with a look of admiration.
Old Futou was known as a peculiar figure of this generation. Since the day he skinned a thug who had come to cause trouble and threw him out, nobody dared to mess with him anymore.
Upon hearing this, Old Futou didn’t get angry; instead, he laughed again.
The expression on the boy’s face, Old Futou’s companion, seemed as if he had seen a ghost. He had been here several times before, but this was the first time he had seen Old Futou laughing so heartily.
Si Yin Yuan patiently waited for him to finish laughing before asking, “Shall we talk then?”
Old Futou grunted heavily, “You come here with that terrible temper of yours even when you need something. Be careful your wife doesn’t run off with someone else!”
Saying this, he willingly went into the inner room to talk with Si Yin Yuan.
The cramped and chaotic living room was now left with only Ji Jiu and the boy. It was filled with scattered items, from large pieces of iron that had no discernible purpose to small surgical knives, making it hard to find a place to sit.
While Si Yin Yuan was away, Ji Jiu took the opportunity to pick a few more fake flowers.
Ever since he had eaten the Peace Lilly, he had developed a strong interest in these flowers.
From a biological perspective, flowers were the reproductive organs of plants. What if his master developed an affection for the reproductive organs of other plants?
Ji Jiu thought about this while using the black mist to consume the flowers in his hand.
The boy, not knowing when, had moved to his side. Seeing that Ji Jiu showed no reaction to his presence, he gained a bit more courage. “What’s your relationship with Old Futou?”
“No relationship.”
“How is that possible?” the boy protested.
He thought Ji Jiu just didn’t want to tell him.
Ji Jiu cast a strange glance at him. Why would I have a relationship with a human?
He countered, “Then what’s your relationship with him?”
The boy paused inexplicably and sounded somewhat dejected. “No relationship. He just saved me once before. Back then, I was beaten half to death by the ruffians here.”
Ji Jiu suddenly became curious. “What about your sister?”
When the boy had been caught earlier, he had mentioned having a severely ill sister.
The boy looked somewhat embarrassed. “I made that up to fool you.”
He instinctively covered his head, fearing retribution.
Unexpectedly, Ji Jiu didn’t react to his words at all. He merely responded with an indifferent “Oh.”
The two of them then fell into silence. Ji Jiu continued to pick at the fake flowers.
Another five minutes passed, and the old man emerged from the room, motioning for Ji Jiu to come over.
The boy, who was adept at reading cues, quickly slipped out of the room.
Ji Jiu entered with curiosity and noticed a cold, sterile operating table in the center of the room.
“What’s going to happen?” he asked.
Old Futou smirked sinisterly, deliberately showing a chilling surgical scalpel behind him. His expression was akin to that of a wicked witch about to snatch a child.
Ji Jiu clung to his owner, shivering with fear. “Is he going to peel off my face?”
The delicate little face buried in his chest remained expressionless, showing no sign of fear.
Si Yin Yuan held the trembling shoulders of the person in his arms and gently reassured him, “Don’t be afraid, he’s just borrowing his ability.”
Old Futou, with his sharp eyes, saw that Ji Jiu was merely pretending to be scared. But Si Yin Yuan, the decisive Chief, didn’t pick up on it. He even gave Old Futou a cold look, signaling him not to scare anyone.
Old Futou made an inexplicable chuckle. “Finally found someone who can restrain you.”
After speaking, he conjured an oval white object in his hand.
Ji Jiu raised his head and looked at it. “What is that?” Si Yin Yuan explained, “It’s his ability, ‘Masquerade.’ It can change people’s faces and even their physical appearance.”
Old Futou had retired from the guild without causing any fuss, thanks to this ability.
The white oval gradually flattened, eventually becoming the size of a facial mask. It divided into two, forming lips and a nose. Old Futou extended his hand, and the two masks automatically flew onto their faces.
Ji Jiu was taken aback. As he touched his face, it felt warm and human, a bit coarser than his previously smooth complexion. It was almost indistinguishable from real human skin; he couldn’t perceive the presence of the mask at all.
In the room stood a tall mirror, and Ji Jiu walked over out of curiosity. In the reflection, he saw an entirely unfamiliar face.
With a pair of cat-like, expressive eyes, his delicate features had gained a few more nuances and charm compared to his previous stunning appearance.
While it might not have been as refined as his original features, the added natural innocence made it unique and attractive.
Ji Jiu found it quite fascinating. He turned around to share it with his owner but saw that the handsome and tall Si Yin Yuan, who had been standing there, had vanished. In his place was an ordinary-looking man with no distinct features. His signature golden eyes had turned deep brown, and even his height had shrunk to 182 cm.
Little Grass was shocked.jpg
Where was his master? Where had the tall and handsome master gone?
Even the little grass’s ability, which recognized people by their auras, was perplexed.
The power of “Masquerade” was impressive in that it could entirely change a person. Even their aura became different. If Si Yin Yuan’s aura had been like a sharp, unsheathed blade before, it was now smoother, though occasionally revealing its unyielding edge.
Si Yin Yuan’s face darkened, not for his own sake. “Didn’t we agree on a look so ordinary that no one would recognize at a glance?”
Old Futou shrugged. “I can’t bring myself to make such a handsome face ugly. And this face now is just slightly more refined. Are you sure it’s not a beauty in your lover’s eyes?”
Si Yin Yuan rubbed his forehead, saying, “We’re not that kind of…”
Mid-sentence, he didn’t want to explain further, so he turned to talk to Ji Jiu instead.
Si Yin Yuan said, “From now on, we need to assume the identities of two unrelated individuals. We should change our names.”
As he spoke, his voice lowered. Ji Jiu had become like a vigilant cat, exploring around him and even sniffing the air. It was truly adorable, making one want to cuddle and pet him.
A tendril of black mist approached from Ji Jiu. Si Yin Yuan restrained the impulse he felt to play with it and extended a finger to gently tease the black mist.
The black mist wrapped around his finger and rubbed against it, making Ji Jiu’s eyes brighten.
Indeed, it was his owner!
Si Yin Yuan calmed himself after being charmed by the cuteness and continued, “You can call me Zheng Er.”
Ji Jiu tilted his head. “And what about me?”
Si Yin Yuan couldn’t resist the temptation and reached out to touch Ji Jiu’s head, which had an amazing texture. “You can call yourself Si Jiu.”
Ji Jiu repeated the name a few times and had a highly satisfied expression on his face.
Old Futou snorted disdainfully. “Alright, enough of you. Don’t stay here and disturb my peace. Now go.”
He had seen too much of them, and even his old bones were at risk of getting diabetes from their sweetness.
Si Yin Yuan expressed his gratitude succinctly. “Thank you.”
Ji Jiu, imitating his owner, also maintained a serious expression and repeated, “Thank you.”
With that, the two of them walked towards the door, one after the other.
Old Futou cast a sidelong glance, his movements still busy with tidying up. However, he suddenly lowered his voice and said to Si Yin Yuan, “For a profession like a Hunter, whose path is paved with the sharpened edges of knives, it’s best to clarify certain feelings. Don’t wait until you lose it and then regret.”
The man who had already reached the door halted his steps. Ji Jiu turned back and beckoned, urging, “Hurry up.”
Even in the dirtiest places, the little glimmer of light in his eyes couldn’t be concealed, resembling a lost elf in the mortal world.
Leaving with barely audible murmurs of “Mm-hmm,” Si Yin Yuan closed the door. It was unclear if he was responding to the former statement or the latter.
Only after they exited the alley did they hear a vigorous and furious bellow from inside, “My flowers!!!”
Old Futou cradled the bald branch he had stripped of its lush foliage and emerged, looking distraught. He cried, “Don’t come back!!!”
Si Yin Yuan gazed at the person beside him with a sense of resignation. Ji Jiu smiled apologetically.
What did Ji Jiu’s actions have to do with Si Jiu?
…
When they left the slums, they changed into more plain clothing, completely unrecognizable from the two who had entered during the day.
The sky had grown dark. Ji Jiu was stepping on his own shadow as if playing a game.
He noticed a dark object sneaking through the air, and it seemed to be carrying something on its feet.
This creature moved incredibly stealthily, and normal people couldn’t see it. Unfortunately, Ji Jiu had an innate sense, and with a gentle move of his black mist, he suddenly captured the unsuspecting dark object and swayed it in the air.
Startled, it spoke, “It’s me, Ji Ning.”
The transformed creature was none other than Ji Ning in the bat form.
Ji Jiu, a bit embarrassed, gently helped untangle the creature’s wings, which had been roughly bound by his black mist. “So, your ‘vampire’ ability can turn into a bat?”
Ji Ning silently presented what it had clutched beneath its feet, and its small, black eyes gazed at them.
The object it brought was two pieces of paper.
Ji Jiu unfolded the papers and saw densely written words, glancing briefly to find numerous mentions of “master,” “faith,” and “Holy Lord.”
Ji Ning explained, “This is a recommendation letter that Mr. Lei asked me to secretly deliver to you.”
Si Yin Yuan nodded in understanding. He had sent Li Chao to obtain this. To become an Intermediate Disciple, one needed a recommendation letter from an Advanced Disciple. The selection of Advanced Disciples was done personally by the religious leader.
For the authenticity of the letter, Li Chao had abducted two individuals about to become Intermediate Disciples, taken their recommendation letters, and altered the signatures.
Having served under Si Yin Yuan for a long time, even people could turn sly.
Everything was now prepared, with only the last step remaining.