Chapter 34

Seeing Zai Shi's serious expression, Qin Feng also became serious, raising his right hand and said, "Master, please rest assured, your disciple will never do anything that defies heaven and reason!"

"What are you swearing for, you kid?"

Zai Shi pulled down Qin Feng's hand and said, "Qin Feng, although you are mature for your age, you still lack experience in the world. Master knows you are upright, but I fear you might be taken advantage of. In the future, think thrice before you act!"

"Yes, Master!"

Qin Feng stood up, covering the old man with a blanket, and said, "Master, you're not feeling well, get some rest. Don't exhaust yourself after just taking your medicine!"

"I know my own condition..." Zai Shi smiled and shook his head, saying, "There will be plenty of time to sleep later. When I'm lying in the coffin, I can sleep as long as I want!"

"Master, I don't want you to talk like that!"

Hearing the old man's words and seeing how much older his Master looked in the past six months, Qin Feng, who rarely showed his emotions, suddenly had red eyes, barely holding back the tears in his eyes.

They had been together for more than half a year. Although Zai Shi was extremely strict during training, often scolding and even hitting him, Qin Feng could feel that his Master cared for him deeply.

Not to mention, before Zai Shi fell ill, he almost always prepared medicinal porridge for Qin Feng every day. It was only after Hu Baoguo let it slip that Qin Feng learned the cost of the medicinal porridge he drank every day was almost equal to an ordinary person's monthly salary.

Practicing the Daoist breathing techniques passed down by Zai Shi, and with the help of the medicinal supplements, Qin Feng, who was not yet fifteen, had already grown to 178 cm, taller than many eighteen-year-old delinquents.

Although he still looked somewhat thin from the outside, if he took off his clothes, one could see his well-defined muscles.

Moreover, Qin Feng's flexibility had improved many times over. He could perform many of the skills that professional acrobats could, something even Zai Shi hadn't expected.

Feeling his daily progress, Qin Feng no longer felt forced. Zai Shi had become the person he respected the most. So every time he heard Zai Shi say he didn't have long to live, Qin Feng always felt a sharp pain in his heart.

"Foolish child, who can escape death? But don't worry, I still have a year left to live, at eighty-three or eighty-four!"

Laughing, Zai Shi patted Qin Feng's head and said, "I've prepared some calligraphy and painting scrolls. There are two months until the New Year. If you can perfectly imitate those calligraphy and paintings in these two months, I'll give you a month to find your sister!"

"Practice calligraphy? Painting?" Qin Feng was taken aback. He had already noticed the calligraphy and painting scrolls on the table, but he never expected his Master to have him practice these things.

To be honest, Qin Feng had always loved painting. Before the family tragedy, the walls of his house were covered with his doodles. But now, in prison, he had no mood for such refined activities.

Zai Shi saw through Qin Feng's thoughts and asked, "Do you want to learn these things, or do you want Master to teach you the art of disguise?"

"Um, Master, I still want to find my little sister!" Qin Feng nodded, seeing no need to hide his intentions from his Master.

"That's right, so you must learn to imitate calligraphy and paintings well!"

Zai Shi pointed to the calligraphy and painting scrolls on the table and said, "Both assassins and con artists have the skill of changing their appearance, but to master it, you must have a foundation in art. Qin Feng, look at this!"

As he spoke, Zai Shi took out a thin object from under his pillow and then lowered his head, smiling, "Qin Feng, you little rascal, you've been slacking off again, haven't you? Hurry up and wash the rice, or we'll be eating undercooked rice today!"

"Ma... Master, your... your tone, and... and this... this face, how... how did it change so much?"

Suddenly hearing Zai Shi's voice, Qin Feng was completely stunned. The Master sitting on the bed spoke in a tone identical to the fat chef's wife.

When Zai Shi raised his head, Qin Feng could no longer suppress his shock and took three steps back, looking at his Master on the bed in disbelief.

At that moment, Zai Shi not only sounded exactly like the fat chef's wife, but his face was also identical, even down to the expressions.

"Master, is... is this the art of disguise?" Qin Feng asked, his voice trembling.

Although he knew the Master sitting on the bed was his Master, Qin Feng still couldn't believe his eyes. He had always thought the art of disguise was just something exaggerated in novels. But what he saw now left his mind in a state of confusion. If he had walked in and seen this scene, he might have thought his Master had brought the fat chef's wife to bed.

"Art of disguise? You could say that, but we call it 'face-changing'!"

Zai Shi wiped his face, returning to his original appearance. Seeing Qin Feng's shocked expression, he couldn't help but laugh, "Face-changing originated in the world of the underworld and was later applied to theater during the Qing Dynasty, especially in Sichuan Opera..."

Speaking of face-changing in Sichuan Opera, it had only developed over the past fifty to sixty years, but this skill had been passed down in the underworld for a long time.

Unlike the exaggerated face masks in Sichuan Opera, face-changing in the underworld was based on human faces.

Top-notch assassins or con artists could not only mimic a person's appearance perfectly but also their tone and mannerisms, just like what Zai Shi had just done. Even if the fat chef had suddenly seen it, he might have been fooled.

Carefully taking the mask that looked like human skin from Zai Shi's hand, Qin Feng looked up and asked, "Master, did... did you draw this yourself? And... and is this made of human skin?"

"Of course I drew it myself. Now you know why I want you to learn painting, right?"

Zai Shi shook his head and said, "This is made of silicone, and the material is only average. Who would dare use human skin for this now? But before liberation, some people did make human skin masks, which was truly against heaven and reason!"

"It really is lifelike..." Pinching the soft mask, Qin Feng couldn't put it down. After playing with it for a while, he looked up and said, "Master, rest assured, I will practice hard!"

"Not only do you need to practice your painting skills, but you also need to observe people's mannerisms. Both are essential!"

Zai Shi instructed, "If you disguise yourself as a woman but walk like a man, anyone but a blind person would see through it."

Pausing, Zai Shi continued, "When you can walk out of this correctional facility with a mask you've made, you can go find your sister!"

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PS: Second update. It's the weekend, please support with recommendations!