Free Web NovelChapter 100: Chapter 99: "New Clothes" and "Demon
In a room with windows plastered over with old newspapers, a 15-watt tungsten bulb cast a dim, grayish-yellow light, barely illuminating the whole human skin spread out on the small table below.
This was the skin of a woman.
Its complexion was fair and delicate, without the slightest tear. One could see the skinner’s consummate and superb skill; not even a single strand of hair or an eyebrow was missing.
The man had the better part of his body hunched over the human skin, inspecting it inch by inch for every detail that might be easily missed.
The longer it lived, the pickier it became, and the stricter its requirements for a "new suit of clothes."
To create a "new suit of clothes" that satisfied it, from searching and selecting to finally making its move, it would sometimes spend two or three years, or even longer.
First was the material for the clothes.
It had to be a Miss or a Young Master from a well-to-do family.
It disliked those from poor, hard-working families, because several times it had chosen someone with a good figure and looks, only to discover—well into the skinning process—that their palms were covered in calluses from manual labor.
For instance, its latest choice was the second daughter of a crisp candy factory owner in Sunan. Raised in honeyed luxury, she had never even learned to thread a needle. Her hands were white, delicate, and tender. Even now, if it leaned close, it seemed it could still smell the sweet, crisp candy fragrance wafting from the skin.
It had spent three months writing letters to become her pen pal, then traveled a thousand miles by boat and carriage. Finally, it picked a scenic spot by a river and, little by little, peeled the skin from her body...
Now, it couldn’t wait to try on its "new suit of clothes."
If it was a good fit, it planned to wear it for a stroll through the Concession tomorrow. Perhaps it might even run into a few Westerners who would try to chat it up. Although it hated the stench of Westerners, it adored their beautiful, multicolored eyes.
It first took off the "old clothes" it was wearing. With sharp, long fingers, it pinched two corners of the "new suit of clothes" and draped it gently over its body.
In an instant, the entire human skin began to come "alive." The pallid flesh gained a luster, the shriveled tissues filled out and became plump, and the eyes grew lively and moist.
It stood before the mirror, admiring its current self. It had seen the youthful, graceful bodies of so many young women, but the one before it now still left it satisfied.
In a good mood, it opened the wardrobe. Humming a tune, it selected a matching outfit from within.
Just as it finished fastening the button on the stand-up collar of its clothes, a soft but distinct knock suddenly sounded at the door.
’Who?’
Its brow furrowed slightly.
’Who would be knocking on my door?’
It had no friends. Every friend it made eventually became a "suit of clothes" in its wardrobe. The only ones who could barely be called acquaintances were the few people at the newspaper office where it submitted its manuscripts, but they didn’t know its specific address.
The knocking continued, persistent and rhythmic. It was clear the person at the door was well-mannered.
To its ears, however, it was merely annoying.
It hated being disturbed by strangers, especially when trying on a "new suit of clothes."
With a cold expression, it walked to the door, turned the lock, and in the crack of the opened door stood a handsome young man in a white suit.
The man looked disappointed, as if he was about to leave. Seeing it open the door, his eyes clearly lit up. "Hello, excuse me, does Miss Liu, the author of *Beauty’s Hide*, live here?"
"No."
It was in a bad mood, so its attitude was poor. It answered curtly before slamming the door shut.
But after taking just two steps back, it suddenly froze.
’Wait!’
It slowly turned around, trying hard to recall the young man’s appearance. A moment later, a strange expression on its face, it opened the door again.
"You’re looking for Miss Liu?"
The young man in the white suit hadn’t left. Seeing the door open again, he looked especially happy.
"Yes."
The young man waved the newspaper in his hand. "I’m a loyal fan of Miss Liu. I’ve loved her work for a long time and wanted to come and meet her in person."
It smiled and beckoned to the young man. In a gentle tone, it said, "Then come on in."
Feeling deeply honored, the young man followed it into the room. It casually closed the door behind them and bolted it.
While the young man looked around the room with curiosity, it was also scrutinizing him.
From his hair, to his cheeks, to his fingers...
In the darkness, its eyes grew brighter and brighter.
’What truly excellent material for clothes. I’ve forgotten how many years it’s been since I saw such an outstanding skin, both in terms of looks and temperament...’
’If I could just turn this one into a "suit of clothes" for my collection...’
"Have a seat."
It brought over a chair with a smile. The young man thanked it and, after sitting down, couldn’t help but make a small complaint. "This room is really dark."
"It is, isn’t it? That’s what I said."
It walked over to the tea set on the cabinet by the wall and smiled. "But Miss Liu insists on covering the windows. She says only an environment like this can spark her creative inspiration..."
"So you’re not Miss Liu?"
"Do I look like her?"
It pursed its lips in a soft smile. "Miss Liu and Mr. Lin have gone traveling. I’m a friend of Miss Liu’s, just watching the house for her."
"What a shame..."
The young man sighed with regret.
"Could you trouble yourself to help me get the tea leaves from up there?"
It turned to look at the young man, blinking its eyes and deliberately revealing a section of its flawless white arm. "And the canister of sugar cubes inside the cabinet."
The young man agreed and came over to help.
It stepped aside slightly, leaning against the cabinet with a smile as it stared at the young man’s profile.
It clearly remembered its current identity: a sixteen-year-old girl from a wealthy family, raised on the finest crisp candies.
The young man’s face flushed slightly under its unblinking gaze, and his breathing seemed to quicken.
"Got them."
The young man took down the tea leaves and the sugar canister it had asked for, placed them on the tea tray, and hurried back to his seat, not daring to meet its eyes.
The smile on its face grew even more brilliant. Suddenly, it lightly tapped its own smooth, full forehead.
"Oh!"
"What’s wrong?!"
The young man shot up from his chair, a hint of alarm already in his voice.
"I wanted to make tea, but I forgot I haven’t even boiled any water." ƒгeewёbnovel.com
The young man shook his head with a helpless look, but it only left behind a laugh like silver bells as it ran into the adjacent kitchen with the tea tray.
The kitchen was completely empty, without even a coal stove. But it hadn’t intended to boil water in the first place.
It opened a kitchen cupboard, which was filled with a pile of bottles and jars. While rummaging through them, it spoke to the young man in the living room through the door.
"I forgot to ask your name."
The young man gave a name, then sounded like he was about to stand up. "Is the water boiling? Do you need me to come in and help?"
"It’s on. Just sit and wait for your tea."
It replied perfunctorily, finally finding what it was looking for among the bottles and jars.
It was a small bottle the size of a baby’s palm, filled with a white powder, which it poured bit by bit into the teacup.
It had many ways to kill a person, but if it was for making "clothes," a sleeping draught was best. Skin peeled from a living person was fresh and elastic.
"What does your family do?" it asked, afraid the conversation would die.
The young man’s voice came from the living room. "We’re in business. I came to Shenghai this time to accompany my father on a business deal. I was hoping to take this opportunity to meet Miss Liu, but unfortunately... Is the water boiled yet?"
"Almost!"
After pouring the powder, it screwed the lid back on, then scooped a ladle of cold water from a nearby urn and poured it into the cup.
"Actually, your trip wasn’t a total waste. Later, I can let you take a look inside Miss Liu’s studio..."
It didn’t get the surprised and delighted response it expected from the young man. ’He probably didn’t hear me,’ it thought, not paying it much mind.
It opened its mouth. A long, sticky, dark-red tongue shot out, extending all the way into the cup. It stirred rapidly until the water in the cup grew warm.
"The water’s boiled!"
It shouted toward the door. Because it had spoken too quickly, its tongue hadn’t fully retracted into its mouth, causing the words to come out muffled.
But strangely, it still received no response from the young man. There wasn’t a sound from outside the door; the silence was almost abnormal.
’He couldn’t have gotten tired of waiting and just left, could he?’ freewebnoveℓ.com
The thought made it anxious. It quickly picked up the tea tray and rushed out the door.
"The tea is ready, I specially..."
It was speaking with a smile as it walked, but just as it reached the living room, its steps came to an abrupt halt.
CRASH—
The tea tray hit the floor with a piercing shatter. Tea and glass shards splattered everywhere.
It stood frozen in place, as if suddenly witnessing a scene it could never have imagined.
—In the living room, under the dim yellow glow of the 15-watt incandescent bulb, the young man in the white suit sat on the chair, most of his body shrouded in shadow.
Behind him, wisps of Formless Qi rose and spread, like black smoke filling the entire room.
Finally, on the ceiling, it coalesced into the phantom of a colossal Wulin serpent that only it could see, coldly looking down from above.
CREAK—
The old beechwood chair made a faint noise as the young man slowly stood up and walked toward it, one step at a time.
In the faintly swaying dim light, the young man unhurriedly took a white handkerchief from his suit pocket. Wiping the lingering moisture from the corner of his mouth, he spoke slowly.
"My apologies. I really wanted to keep playing along with you.
But I truly... couldn’t hold back any longer."
"K-k-k..."
Its teeth chattered. Beneath the skin of a sixteen-year-old girl, its half-corpse, half-ghoul body was shaking like a leaf.
The terrifying black shadow on the ceiling spread outward inch by inch with the young man’s steps. An innate, instinctual fear, like countless hands reaching out from all directions, gripped its neck, making it impossible to breathe.
"You... you are..."
It pointed at the young man, stammering through chattering teeth, "A D-Demon!"
WHOOSH—
With a piercing shriek, a gloved hand, shimmering with a spectral light, abruptly tore through the air and smashed heavily into its face.
CRACK—
With the sound of facial bones shattering, its entire face caved in. Like a kite with a snapped string, it flew backward, crashing through the doorway with a BOOM and disappearing into the far end of the kitchen...
Fu Juemin shook the hand he had just used and took a deep breath.
Behind him, the countless wisps of black Qi smoke, along with the invisible shadow of the Wulin serpent, all seemed to be inhaled into his mouth and nose.
A continuous, fine-tuned cracking, like the winding of a mechanism, echoed from his bones. His entire body seemed to swell by a size, making his well-fitting suit slightly taut. Even his temperament gained an indescribable, wicked and demonic charm...
Then, he suddenly transformed into a streak of black light and charged in.
"How could you...
...resort to insults?"
