The next day, the sun was blazing—like Greenhill Town had ordered extra sunshine just for the occasion.
"Come on, come on! I finally got my hands on some materials, let me teach you guys how to disguise yourselves!" Early in the morning, Fiona Fang was bursting with energy. Disguise techniques were her specialty—back when Old Blind Man dressed up, even the seasoned pros in the room barely noticed any flaws. But ever since the Golden Blade King incident, she either lacked the chance or the ingredients, and she'd been itching for a while now. Today, arriving at Greenhill Town, she finally had money to buy stuff, and started mixing and tinkering like a mad scientist, whipping up a whole batch of weird concoctions.
"The most important thing in disguise is the foundation. A good foundation can totally change your face."
That... that sounded familiar, and honestly, it was pretty much spot-on.
"We don't have much to work with, and a lot of the ingredients are missing, so we'll have to keep it simple. The basics: mix flour and honey into a paste. This paste works as a foundation and can even whiten your skin. If you've got pearl powder, use that—it's even better!"
Rachel Luo perked up and immediately huddled with Fiona Fang, whispering about skin whitening and disguise tricks. Honestly, disguise techniques were absolutely invented by heroines—there’s just too much demand. In Jack Young’s memory, he pictured three goofy judges, probably named Mr. Xin, Mr. Yin, and Mr. Ma, yelling on stage, "It's not makeup, it's disguise!" The scene was so vivid, us regular folks could only sigh in envy.
Jack Young wasn’t that interested in disguise—a trick he could see through in a heartbeat wasn’t much use to him. It’s like glancing at a test and instantly knowing the answer; how many people can you really expect to get stumped?
So, Jack left the room to stretch his legs. Greenhill Town was loaded with goods—a big, bustling place. He wandered around the streets, grabbed all sorts of snacks, and picked up the general gossip.
Turns out Eight Directions City was actually on the way. Built along the Long River—the biggest in Huaguo—it’s a major transportation hub, second only to the capital. Whether you’re heading north or south, by land or water, you’ve gotta pass through Eight Directions City. Domestic or international, it’s got the widest, safest, and most convenient roads. Plus, Eight Directions City has the biggest shipping docks in all of Huaguo—passenger or cargo, the volume is bonkers.
Greenhill Town isn’t exactly close to Eight Directions City, but it’s right on the edge of a major shipping route, so it’s grown pretty big. The town’s wide, stone-paved roads are built for heavy traffic—basically, it’s part of Eight Directions City’s sphere of influence.
Just one road can make a whole town rich—shows how powerful Eight Directions City really is.
If you want to head south, the fastest way is through Eight Directions City—so it’s right on the way. Since we’re passing by, might as well join the fun and check out Ou Yezi and the legendary Phantom Sword Saint.
While Jack Young was selling fruit, his ears suddenly picked up something odd. He turned and saw, about a hundred meters away, a medium-sized inn. Three tough guys barged into the lobby, storming up to the innkeeper to ask about someone. Listening in, they were looking for: 1. One man, two women who arrived yesterday; 2. The guy's a pretty boy, the ladies are beauties; 3. They don’t look very strong, and their martial arts skills are nothing to write home about; 4. The guy’s name is Zhang Wei.
Oh—I get it, totally get it. The folks handing out cash have arrived.
The innkeeper wasn’t used to this kind of scene and quickly tried to distance himself, swearing he was innocent and didn’t know anything—no one named Zhang Wei was staying at his place. The three guys checked the register and, finding no Zhang Wei, hurried off to the next inn.
Jack headed for the big inn—no point making people wait too long, especially when they’re here to hand out cash. Maybe they’re already inside.
Sure enough, as soon as he walked in, he saw a short, tough-looking guy with two henchmen barging into the lobby at the same time.
“Innkeeper, get over here!” The short guy shouted the moment he entered, slapping the counter so hard it echoed.
“What’s up, sir?” The big boss grinned and stood up from behind the counter—he was nearly two meters tall. To the short guy, he looked like a mountain rising out of nowhere, with at least a half-meter height difference.
The short guy’s eyes went wide—if it were summer, that big Buddha could probably give him shade. Then he remembered his mission and his henchmen, puffed up his courage, and slapped the table: “Boss, our young master’s stuff got stolen, and the thief might be hiding in your inn!”
The big boss grinned, “Robbed? You should go report that to the authorities. Who are you, anyway?”
“We’ve got our own rules in the martial world—officials can’t butt in!” The short guy was just as fiery, slapping the counter again and again. “Just cooperate and help us find that pretty boy!” Good thing there weren’t too many guests around, or he’d have drawn a crowd for sure.
The boss pointed to the sign outside, “Sir, this is the Grand Inn. If you’re looking for a ‘small’ pretty boy, try somewhere else.” As he said ‘small,’ he made a special hand gesture, like a five-fingered mountain pressing down on the short guy’s head, making him turn red and pale. Clearly, the boss didn’t like this loudmouth causing a scene.
“Cut the crap! You know who we are, huh? We’re with the Flying Swallow Gang!” Nothing like being a henchman—you get to throw around big names. The guy looked ready to torch the place.
“Alright, alright,” the boss said, not interested in arguing. “Who are you looking for?”
“One man, two women—came into town yesterday. The guy’s name is Zhang Wei!”
“Zhang... Wei?” The boss’s face twitched, and he glanced at the door. Jack Young was sitting there, cool as ever, just shrugging like it was no big deal.
The boss might not have seen a shrug before, but he got the idea. He grinned at the short guy, “You’re in luck—we actually do have a Zhang Wei here.” He whipped out the register, flipped to a page, and pointed, “See? The best room, three guests.”
The boss might not have seen a shrug before, but he got the idea. He grinned at the short guy, “You’re in luck—we actually do have a Zhang Wei here.” He whipped out the register, flipped to a page, and pointed, “See? The best room, three guests.”
“Oh, let me see!” The guy shoved his head over the register, then pulled out a slip of paper and compared for ages. Jack Young stepped closer for a peek—the paper said “Zhang Wei.” The guy painstakingly matched each stroke, finally shouting, “That’s him, that’s the one! Tell me, where is he?”
“That one?” The boss smiled mysteriously. “It’s the Spring Suite.”
Spring Suite? Wasn’t I staying in the Autumn Suite? Jack Young was puzzled and walked over for a look, nearly bursting out laughing. The register listed two entries side by side—both checked in yesterday, both three guests, both one man and two women. Under Autumn Suite, his own alias was “Big Jack,” but under Spring Suite, the name was almost identical—Zhang Wei!
No wonder the boss was all smiles and gave a thumbs-up when I gave my name yesterday! Turns out that’s why! What are the odds—two top suites, and both are “Zhang Wei.” Zhang Wei really is everywhere!
“That’s it, go get the boys—let’s chop him up!” With that, the short guy turned and left.
“Wait!” Jack Young grabbed his arm.
“Who are you?” The short guy eyed Jack Young warily. “What do you want?”
“Relax, I just want to say one thing.” If you deliver money to the wrong person, fine, but you can’t deliver a knife to the wrong house. No need for innocent bystanders to get hurt, so Jack Young decided to intervene. He pointed to his own alias under Autumn Suite, looking sincere: “Look, this name’s not much different. How do you know you’re not looking for this guy?”
“This guy?” The short man scanned the register, then burst out laughing, totally smug. He pointed at Jack Young, “Idiot, moron, pig brain! You don’t get the simplest thing?”
“Hmmm…” Jack Young drawled, glancing at the boss. They both shook their heads. “Nope, no idea.”
The short guy swaggered over, pointed at the register, and declared, “This guy’s name has three characters! Zhang Wei is only two!”
“Well…” He actually had a point, and Jack Young and the boss were both left speechless.
“Hahaha!” The short guy laughed as he left, muttering, “No brains, just making a fuss—can’t even count. So dumb…”
Jack Young was left speechless. Brother Zhang Wei, I tried my best—but now I’m really curious to see what happens next! Jack Young perked up, and the boss seemed to get in on the fun too. Their mischievous sides came alive, and the two grabbed a pile of sunflower seeds to snack on while they watched the drama unfold.
About fifteen minutes later, the sound of a crowd came from afar—shouting, yelling, at least fifty people stomping in. But judging by the footsteps, Jack Young could tell most of them were average, just “Wang Wei” times N.
But there was one who stood out. “Hmm?” Jack Young listened carefully—amid the chaos, one set of footsteps was light and nimble, clearly trained. Unlike the other big guys, this one was on another level.
Crash! A crowd of tough guys stormed the lobby, yelling, “The Flying Swallow Gang’s young master is here—criminal Zhang Wei, come out and face your doom!”