Chapter 60: The Sixth Chapter of Financial Frenzy (5)

  Shuiyao'er dipped her finger into the small trough of pigment and carefully applied it to her face, saying as she painted: "The Shui family's art of disguise begins with distinguishing colors to set the tone for the makeup." Before long, she had covered up her pale complexion and transformed into a skin tone similar to that of Qian Zhanggui.

  The water demon picked up a small cluster of sticky substance from the iron box's small groove and continued: "Eyes are the first to perceive, nose shape makes gestures, eyebrows below half palm, easy to hide." The water demon used this small cluster of sticky substance to slowly apply it to her eyes, then took out thin threads from the iron box and stuck them on her eyelids, repeatedly rubbing them. Then, she applied more to the bridge of her nose, taking out a soft, pancake-like object from the iron box and sticking it onto the bridge of her nose.

  Shuiyao'er slowly finished making eyes and nose, and said: "The cheek can be stable and contained, without any difference." Shuiyao'er touched Qian Zhanggui's chin with one hand, while applying something to her own cheeks.

  Shuiyao'er said: "Monkey, help me take off all his outer clothes." Huo Xiaoxie responded and untied Qian Zhanggui's bonds. With a flurry of hands, they stripped Qian Zhanggui's clothes clean.

  The water demon child said: "You continue digging, I still have a moment, you temporarily don't look at me."

  Huǒ Xiǎo Xié looked up with great enthusiasm, although he was not very willing, but still followed the orders of Shuǐ Yāo ér, raised his hoe and continued to dig. Behind Huǒ Xiǎo Xié, Shuǐ Yāo ér hid on one side, continuing to pretend, making rustling sounds that made Huǒ Xiǎo Xié's heart itch with annoyance, really wanting to turn around and look again.

  After a moment of silence, a cough was heard, and someone spoke: "You little scoundrel, did you think I'd be deceived like this?"

  Huo Xiao'e listened to the voice, and it was clearly the voice of Qian Zhanggui. He was shocked and rolled back to the wall, took a closer look, and saw that the person standing in front of him was indeed Qian Zhanggui. At this moment, he had a fierce glow on his face, staring tightly at Huo Xiao'e, holding a broad knife in one hand, ready to pounce!

  Huoxiao Ya let out a loud cry, holding the hoe horizontally in front of her chest. With a quick glance to the side, she saw another Money Zhang lying naked in the corner. Huoxiao Ya pointed at the standing Money Zhang and spoke with trembling words: "You... you... Water Demon?"

  "Qian Zhanggui" raised an eyebrow and sneered, his voice still identical to Qian Zhanggui's, saying: "Monkey, do I look convincing?"

  "Huo Xiao was shocked and exclaimed: "This is too amazing! It's just like him! How did your voice even change to sound like his?"

  "The Water Goblin still spoke in the voice of Qian Zhanggui: 'This is because I have a metal clip in my throat, and I deliberately imitate his tone. As long as I don't speak continuously for too long, one or two sentences are indistinguishable.'"

  "Amazing, truly amazing! You even imitated the movements and expressions perfectly." The water demon said: "The most difficult part of disguise is not just making one's appearance identical, but also the temperament, behavior, and demeanor. To pretend to be someone else, you have to rely on innate talent, not just makeup skills. So, not everyone can master the art of disguise. Alright, monkey, I've delayed for too long, I'll leave now. Hurry up and come back, don't worry."

  Shuiyao'er left the oil lamp brought out from the machine room, took the bean sprout lamp herself, and finally carefully tucked her hair into Qian Zhanggui's calabaza hat before quickly leaving.

  Huoxiao Ye looked at Shuixiaor's departing figure, which was no different from Qian Zhanggui's, and sighed: "The skills of the Water family are something I will never be able to learn even if I were to die trying."

  Huoxiao saw Shuiyaoer leave, pulled down Qian Zhanggui, tightened the rope, he was still unconscious, so he put his mind at ease, stretched his muscles and bones, and continued to dig the hole.

  Shuiyao'er transformed into Qian Zhanggui, it took a lot of effort, but in reality, it only took about two cups of tea time, which is extremely fast. The so-called face-changing technique sounds mysterious and magical, as if changing one's face would make it impossible for anyone to recognize them, that's really too naive! The Shui family's face-changing technique can at most achieve 95% success rate, and still requires grasping a few key points.

  Here is the translation:

  First, it's about grasping the key features, similar to quick sketching in modern drawing. You need to determine what are the most distinctive features of a person's face. If you grasp these features correctly, then you've got 50% of the resemblance.

  Second, it's about imitating body shape and behavior. In our daily lives, we don't always recognize people by their faces alone. People are constantly moving, and opportunities to carefully examine someone's face are rare. Therefore, physical characteristics and behavioral habits also play a significant role. However, imitating these aspects is several times more difficult than imitating facial features.

  Third, it's about capturing the spirit or aura of a person, which is the most challenging aspect of disguise. Everyone has similar facial features, except for those who are extremely ugly or deformed. Foreigners often can't tell Chinese people apart, and vice versa. A good actor only needs to master someone's spirit and aura, and they'll have an 80% resemblance.

  Fourth, it's about having a similar voice. If your voice is different when you speak, even if you've mastered the first three aspects, you'll still be recognized. However, having a similar voice can help you bluff your way through, such as by pretending to have a sore throat or being taciturn.

  The Shui family's art of disguise, all four are proficient. If there is enough time to prepare, it can be done up to 90%. The Water Demon child's disguise as Qian Zhanggui was at most only 80% successful, but this was already sufficient. As long as the light and darkness were grasped well, and not being too close, even a foolish person like Huo Xiaoxie wouldn't notice for a short while.

  The water demon child held the bean sprout lamp, climbed up the ladder, hung the bean sprout lamp on the side of the ladder, pushed open the cover, and drilled out of the ground. The water demon child hid in a dark place to observe for a while, only to see Zheng Dakuan and his men divided into two groups, sitting on the ground in a circle, and some people patrolling around the pit, but did not see Jia Qingzi and Jia Chunzi.

  Jia Chunzi was tightly bound and gagged, thrown into a haystack, exhausted and motionless. The water demon couldn't see him either. Jia Qingzi had also been buried in a pit by Zheng Daquan and the others, leaving no trace.

  Shuiyao'er didn't know what was going on, and saw that there were seven or eight more people in the courtyard than before. She thought to herself: "Where are those two big fools? Have they gone to find Boss Qian already? That's not right."

  Shuiyao'er emerged from the rear kitchen, taking advantage of the dark night to search around, but still couldn't find any trace of Jia Qingzi and Jia Chunzi. Shuiyao'er exclaimed in alarm: "Could it be that those two have gone down into the pit to keep watch? Alas, this is a real headache! I'd better go meet with that bald-headed fool instead." The bald-headed fool referred to by Shuiyao'er was Zheng Dakuan.

  The Water Nymph patted her clothes, and with a sullen expression on her face, she walked out of the darkness towards Zheng Daquan and the others.

  Zheng Dachuan was peeling peanuts to eat, but suddenly saw that Zhao Yanguan's eyes were straight, and the peanuts in his mouth rolled out, staring at his back without moving. Zheng Dachuan was about to scold him, but also followed Zhao Yanguan's gaze to take a look. This glance was not easy, and it scared Zheng Dachuan to jump up from his chair.

  Shuiyao'er clutched her fist and shouted, "Zheng Lao Da, you're back a bit late! Is everything okay here?" With a fake smile on her face, she walked straight over without stopping.

  "Ghost, ghost!" Zhao Yanqiang said in a low, trembling voice.

  Zheng Daquan reacted violently, shaking the table and chairs loudly. Everyone's attention was drawn to him, and they all saw "Qian Zhanggui" walking steadily towards Zheng Daquan. They were all shocked and stunned, their eyes fixed in place! They had seen bold people before, but never anyone as bold as this - it was as if they had seen a ghost!

  Zheng Daquan's face twisted, and he thought of thousands of reasons in his mind, but he couldn't understand why "Qian Zhanggui" came over without any fear, snatched the gun on the table with a "click", and pointed it at Shuixiao'er, cursing: "You old thief Qian! Are you looking for death?"

  Shuiyao'er was also stunned and stopped in her tracks, asking: "Zheng Lao Da, what's going on? I just left for a moment, how can you turn your face so quickly?"

  Zheng Daquan roared: "Old thieving head, what kind of trick are you playing? I'll blow your brains out with one shot!"

  Zheng Daquan raised his gun, shouting loudly, but didn't dare to fire. He couldn't understand why someone who had just escaped would voluntarily return and put themselves in front of the gun, acting as if nothing was wrong. Was "Qian Zhanggui" trying to trick them into firing?

  Six lines of Tao also run all texts, all in 1.16k

  Come on, similarly extremely tense with a gun pointing at Shuier, asked in a low voice: "Fire! Zheng Lao Da, what are you waiting for!"

  Zheng Daquan glared at Shui Yao'er and cursed: "Old thief, what are you back for?"

  The water monster also felt puzzled and said: "What's going on? Where are my two companions? Where did they go?"

  Zheng Daquan was so angry that he was fuming, "Is there really such a careless and muddle-headed person in the world?!" Since Jia Qingzi had already died, Jia Chunzi was tied up and thrown into a haystack. He couldn't help but shout loudly: "You damned bastard, what are you pretending to be stupid for?"

  Zhao Yanguan stood behind Zheng Daquan, his expression suddenly cold, and exclaimed: "Old Zheng, could it be that there are two Money Zhangs? Or is he a mountain demon who has transformed into the appearance of Old Moneybag to deceive us?"

  Zheng Daquan's whole body was covered in goosebumps and his scalp felt numb when he heard Zhao Yanguan say that. He had encountered too many strange things at the Luoma Inn today, if someone told him a mountain ghost really came, he would almost believe it!

  Shuiyao'er imitated Qian Zhanggui's tone and pressed down his hand, saying: "Zheng brothers, let's talk things over, let's talk things over! Put down your guns! Put down your guns!"

  "Get the hell out of here with your damn gun! If you're a mountain demon or tree spirit, show yourself to me now! I've got nine heavenly fires in my grasp, and if you're not careful, you'll never be able to turn over again!"

  Shuiyou'er was truly at a loss, seeing Zheng Dakuan and the others one by one being so nervous, she slightly guessed that something must have happened between Qian Zhanggui and Zheng Dakuan, and it would be very troublesome to stay in this place and socialize with Zheng Dakuan and the others.

  Shuiyao'er recalled the scene where Huo Xiaoxie made up a story to tease Qian Zhanggui, and she decided to play along. With a cold smile, she said: "Good eyesight, Zheng Lao Da! How did you figure out that I'm a mountain ghost? Hehehe, heehee." Amidst her laughter, a woman's voice was mixed in.

  Zheng Daquan and the others were suddenly frightened and shouted in unison, chaotic, Zhao Yangu shouted: "This is a mountain ghost! Has transformed into a human form!"

  Zheng Daquan's hand shook with his gun and he loudly called out to his dog-headed military officer Zhao Yanqiang: "It's a mountain ghost! What should we do!"

  Zhao Yanguo shouted loudly: "Guns can't kill him! Watch me!" Zhao Yanguo said, pulling out a red cloth from his bosom, taking a step forward, and shouting at the Water Demon: "Mountain Ghost, listen up! The cloth in my hand is a demon-suppressing artifact blessed by the Great Enlightenment Temple. Retreat now! Otherwise, I'll beat you into the 18th level of hell, where you'll never be able to turn over!"

  In the northeast, this land is vast and sparsely populated. Usually, you can run for hundreds of miles without seeing a single person. Zheng Daquan and other courier runners often travel at night, crossing mountains and ridges, and have encountered many strange occurrences of ghostly fires blocking their path. Although they appear to be strong and fearless, they are actually superstitious about the existence of ghosts in the world, especially the legend of mountain spirits. In the past, there was a case where a courier runner suddenly died on the mountain, with his body completely naked, and no one knew the reason for it. It was all attributed to the mountain spirit taking his life. The legend of the mountain spirit has been distorted, saying that it can transform into a familiar human form in the dark of night, making you let your guard down, and then secretly dig out your heart and eat it. It is also said that the mountain spirit is immune to knives and guns, and cannot be harmed by any weapon.

  Zhao Yanguan said that Zheng Dachuan's dog-headed military advisor, also known as the god of Han, encountered strange events along the way, such as ghosts wailing and wolves howling. He would come forward to recite incantations, burn incense, and perform rituals to drive out evil spirits.

  Shuiyao'er took a look at the red cloth in Zhao Yangu's hand, and Zhao Yangu was dancing wildly with his teeth bared. Following his momentum, he said: "Ah, indeed it's a good treasure! I've offended you, I'll retreat now!"

  The Water Demon slowly retreated, while Zhao Yan Gun was still crazily muttering to himself, his whole body trembling like he was having a seizure, as if he was exerting his internal energy to force the Water Demon back.

  The Water Nymph cursed in a low voice: "Ridiculous! Truly ridiculous!"

  The water demon slowly backed away, his eyes still darting around, and suddenly a person rolled out of the nearby haystack, shouting loudly. It was none other than Jia Chunzi. Jia Chunzi was a mixed-up person, not very bright, and when he heard Zheng Dakuan call someone "Money Old Thief", he opened his eyes to see that it was indeed "Money Boss" standing not far away. He didn't pay attention to Zhao Yangu's shouting about the "Mountain Ghost", only recognizing that this was his own grandfather. With a commotion, Jia Chunzi rolled out of the haystack, giving the water demon a good look.

  The water demon roughly understood in her heart, deliberately smiled strangely and mysteriously twice, retreated into the darkness, and disappeared with a flash of her body.

  Zhao Yanguan continued to jump around like a gust of wind for half a day, and when there was no more sound, he finally stopped with a loud gasp. Zheng Dachuan hurried forward, supporting Zhao Yanguan, and said with great reverence: "Zhao Yanguan, General Zhao! Thanks to you!"

  Zhao Yanguan panted heavily and said, "Old Zheng, this mountain demon is extremely ferocious. Just now when I scared it away, my entire body's vital energy was almost sucked out by it! It's really a thousand times more dangerous than expected! Now, all of us brothers must gather together in one group, no one can leave, and we'll just guard the edge of the pit and wait quietly for dawn!"

  Zheng Daquan shouted and gathered the crowd, gathering around the fire basin, everyone surrounded him in a circle, no longer daring to be presumptuous.

  The water demon hid behind the wall of the kitchen and watched, scolding: "A bunch of psychopaths! But it's also good, at least they won't come looking for us!"

  The water demon child returned to the back kitchen, lifted the manhole cover and crawled back in.