Xu Qing's anger genuinely surprised Li Chonglou.
His purpose in coming here was to have Xu Qing disguise him after a few days, just like Li Hanlong back then, but Tian Shan was also skilled in disguise, so he needed to first figure out if Xu Qing's disguise techniques could be easily seen through by Tian Shan.
Or, did she have any way to see through Tian Shan's disguises?
But before he could ask, she was already filled with rage.
Suddenly, he remembered what his senior sister had once said.
He explained, "Don't misunderstand. Tian Shan killed my brother. We are irreconcilable enemies."
Hearing this, the anger in Xu Qing's eyes gradually faded. "That beast again? My husband was killed by him."
"Didn't Lin Ying tell you?"
Li Chonglou shook his head. "Senior sister isn't a gossip, and I'm not interested in your family affairs."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked so abruptly. Since we share the same enemy, then we have something to talk about."
"Finish your work first. I'm not in a hurry."
As Li Chonglou had surmised, Xu Qing's situation was as he thought. When Lin Ying had previously disguised herself to deal with Li Hanlong, she had mentioned that Xu Qing's husband had died, and that's why she opened a makeup shop in a bustling market.
Hiding in plain sight, it showed she had lost heart.
He just didn't expect her husband to have been killed by Tian Shan.
Xu Qing wiped her hand, and the female customer slowly woke up, thinking she might have just dozed off comfortably.
About half an hour later, her eyebrows were done, she paid, and left.
Xu Qing pulled down the rolling shutter with a clatter and poured Li Chonglou a glass of water. "Speak, what can I do?"
She was a smart person, and more importantly, a person of the martial world. Although she now ran a shop doing makeup for people, her ingrained martial world habits hadn't changed.
"Can you tell me your story?" Li Chonglou asked, uncharacteristically.
He was never one for gossip, but what he was about to do had to be flawless, so he needed to understand everything clearly.
Xu Qing remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly began to speak.
That year, she was twenty-six. She had weathered many storms, and just when she was planning to wander alone for the rest of her life, she met her husband.
He was refined and cultured, warm like a little sun. The two fell in love quickly.
Living together and marrying was a natural progression.
She thought they would stay together forever and grow old together.
But fate was unkind. Tian Shan found her husband and asked him to help open up his cargo routes.
When he learned the truth and refused, Tian Shan harbored resentment and killed him.
From then on, she was disheartened.
She knew Tian Shan's abilities all too well; he had broken her master Shen Yishou's leg. Even if she could find him, she would be powerless.
Such a great revenge might never be achieved in her lifetime.
Now, Li Chonglou's appearance gave her a glimmer of hope.
"You and Tian Shan both know disguise techniques. If you met, would you be able to recognize each other?" Li Chonglou asked after listening, sighing deeply.
Lovers becoming soulmates—how difficult those words were.
If it were that easy, why would the world have such tragic and beautiful love stories like Liang Zhu?
Love was the greatest luxury, yet so many people remained stubbornly devoted to it their entire lives.
Was he any different?
Xu Qing and he shared the same fate.
"Of course. Ordinary people can't see the traces of disguise techniques, but they can't hide from us," Xu Qing said confidently. "However, that requires close observation, at least being under the same roof."
"Given Tian Shan's nature, unless he actively approaches you, you'll hardly get that chance."
Tian Shan was inherently suspicious and cunning; she knew him well.
"I want him to walk into a trap," Li Chonglou said nonchalantly. "All mortals have greed, whether it's great or small."
"Tian Shan is extremely greedy. He manipulated a cross-border antiquities smuggling syndicate from behind the scenes for years. Now that the police have taken it down, how could he be willing to accept it?"
"So, he'll seek revenge on me, but even after revenge, he won't live a nameless, humble life."
"Money is very important to him."
"So, I'm going to give him money!"
Li Chonglou then told her everything about how he had previously tricked Ren He out of antiques, and also revealed his "Whack-a-Mole" plan.
"This works?" Xu Qing looked surprised.
"Rather than searching for a needle in a haystack, it's better to take a risk." Li Chonglou didn't have absolute certainty. He was human, not a god.
But at this moment, there was no faster method.
"But even if you recognize him, how will you subdue him?" Xu Qing still had doubts. "Tian Shan's strength is such that even my master is no match for him. You are likely far from it."
"If there were a few more people, you wouldn't be able to stop him even if he wanted to run."
Li Chonglou's strength was not even enough to deal with Li Hanlong, let alone Tian Shan.
If he couldn't capture him the first time, there wouldn't be another chance.
An old fox like Tian Shan would flee a thousand miles at the slightest sign of failure.
By then, he would be a tiger entering the mountain or a dragon returning to the sea, and there would be no chance for revenge.
"I have my ways," Li Chonglou said cryptically. "Tell me how to identify a disguise."
Xu Qing was skeptical but still told Li Chonglou the core secret of disguise techniques: "Disguise techniques involve using silver needles to stimulate acupoints, changing facial contours, and then using materials to create an illusion of authenticity."
"In fact, it's similar to makeup. You can't look at his face; there are almost no flaws on the face."
"With Tian Shan's skill, he can even replicate your smile and subtle expressions."
"The only flaw might be the ears."
"Even the most skilled disguise techniques cannot disguise the ears, as the workload is too great, too tedious, and prone to errors."
"And precisely because human ears have meridians and blood vessels, when you look against the light, they appear semi-transparent, allowing you to see the direction of the脉络, right?"
"The blood vessels and meridians in the ears of someone who has undergone disguise will appear particularly prominent due to the facial needling."
"By paying attention to this, you can easily distinguish."
Indeed, outsiders watch the fun, while insiders see the skill.
Trying to find flaws in skin tone or texture would be nonsense.
A master of disguise could patch up all visual loopholes, even changing their appearance in mere seconds.
As for the blood vessels and meridians in the ears, if Xu Qing hadn't mentioned it, Li Chonglou would never have thought of it.
"Good. I'll come find you to help me disguise myself then," Li Chonglou said, his eyes lighting up.
He was different from ordinary people. He now possessed the Heavenly Eye. Once the Heavenly Eye opened, he could see through walls, with almost no blind spots.
Therefore, he could increase his observation range tenfold or even a hundredfold.
Combined with the techniques Xu Qing taught him, as long as Tian Shan appeared, his true form would be revealed.
"I want to go with you!" Xu Qing said, frowning.
"Against Tian Shan, numbers are useless. If you go, you won't be able to help at all, and it will only alert him and make him escape," Li Chonglou flatly refused. "Leave it all to me."
"As long as I'm alive, I'll give you an explanation, and I'll give myself an explanation."
"I'm leaving. I'll come find you again before killing him."
With that, Li Chonglou opened the door and left gallantly.
He left Xu Qing sitting in the shop with a complex expression, her eyes gradually reddening, tears streaming down her cheeks.