Upon hearing these words, Wu Yuan, Wu Qi, and the mayor of Evanesce City turned their gaze towards the detained prisoner and frowned, feeling more lost than ever.
Feng Tianlan looked up and watched a familiar figure being brought forth. When she saw that person’s face, she too furrowed her brows. “Lin Suyin?”
Gu Yun also seemed visibly shocked when she recognized the prisoner. She appeared stunned for a split second before her expression returned to normal, as if she hadn’t seen anything at all.
“Why are you here?” The mayor glared coldly at Lin Suyin before her.
Lin Suyin kneeled next to Gu Yun with her head hung low. She was trembling as she kowtowed and pleaded in a tearful voice, “Wargod, Great-grandmaster, please spare me! I was threatened and coerced by Lin Suyin. She would’ve killed me if I didn’t do as she said!”
Gu Yun’s face was swollen, so she couldn’t darken her expression as much. However, that did not stop her from glaring daggers at Lin Suyin.
Those words were so bizarre that even the mayor had to take some time to process it. “Aren’t you Lin Suyin? How can you say that Lin Suyin threatened you?”
Feng Tianlan frowned and asked coldly, “Who is the real Lin Suyin?”
This woman kneeling before her clearly had the same face as Lin Suyin. So why did she insist that she was under Lin Suyin’s control?
What a surprising turn of events!
She peeked at Gu Yun beside her. “Gu Yun is Lin Suyin.”
“What?” The Evanesce City Mayor blurted out, astonished. He turned around to observe the two women, then carefully examined Gu Yun. No matter how he looked, she did not resemble Lin Suyin in the slightest.
Gu Yun appeared completely impassive, if not for the fact that she had been forced to kneel. She lifted her head to stare at Si Mobai.
Feng Tianlan frowned as her icy glare pierced through Gu Yun. She asked, “If she’s Lin Suyin, then who are you?”
“My name is Hu Kemeng; hers is Lin Suyin,” the girl swiftly explained without forgetting to kowtow. “When the Great-grandmaster first arrived at the Flying Snow Pavilion, I tried to make things difficult for you by telling you that we didn’t have any rooms left. Later, Lin Suyin came to me and forced me to harm you.”
Gu Yun stretched her swollen cheeks and shot Lin Suyin a spiteful glare. There was no point in trying to explain herself further. If the Wargod had already figured out this much, he must be perfectly aware of that incident.
Feng Tianlan looked at each girl’s distinctive face, quite puzzled. “Then what about your faces?”
She recalled that Hu Kemeng had a squarish face, whereas Lin Suyin’s was rounder. Even if they both wore human skin masks, the difference would be hard to conceal. Plus, she didn’t see any sign that Gu Yun was wearing a mask.
There was no perfect human skin mask. Once worn, it must leave a trace.
At the mention of the human skin mask, Lin Suyin’s entire body shook, as if she relived those horrible days. “Lin Suyin found an unscrupulous quack from heaven knows where. He shaved our bones to reshape our faces completely. The pain was nightmarish. In fact, I’m wearing a human skin mask right now.”
As she spoke, Lin Suyin unbuttoned half of her shirt and reached inside. Little by little, she peeled away a layer of human skin starting from her chest, then arriving at her neck and face, and finishing by the back of her neck.
Soon, a human skin mask laid in her hand. She choked with sobs: “Everything I said was true. She shaved off my bone and put this mask on me. She said that if I could pretend to be her in the South Winds Nation, I would be an esteemed lady from that day on.”
Feng Tianlan examined the mask torn from Hu Kemeng’s body. It was a perfect disguise akin to clothing — extending from the cheek to the chest, then down her nape, and to some of her back. If worn on someone’s face, there would be no way to notice it unless they decided to undress.