The true Ouyang Qinglin, clad in red, his expression serene, extended a hand to block the impostor's path.
He stood at the doorway, taking advantage of the close proximity, and quietly examined the imposter's face.
He was truly a perfect likeness, from his features, height, and build, even down to his hands, there was virtually no difference.
Recalling the similarity in his voice and tone from earlier, it was no wonder Murong Yun had been so confident and unafraid of his plan being exposed while in the dungeon. Such a remarkably similar substitute would cause even himself to hesitate.
Fortunately, Gu Qianying, with her years of familiarity and keen insight gained from her time with Ouyang Qinglin, had exposed this imposter.
The time the true Ouyang Qinglin took to stop the impostor was enough for Gu Qianying and the others to reach the doorway. Together, they subdued the fake Ouyang Qinglin.
The impostor, unable to fight against so many, was immediately captured by the group.
In the blink of an eye, he was back before the wooden table, but this time, instead of walking towards it calmly, he was restrained and pushed to his knees before the table.
The true Ouyang Qinglin also entered the room.
Little Yi Hao, seeing two identical Uncle Ouyang Qinglins in the room, widened his eyes, curious to understand what was happening.
Gu Qianying, with a comforting gesture, pinched Little Yi Hao's cheek, then turned to Ouyang Qinglin, signifying that the handling of the impostor was now in his hands.
Receiving Gu Qianying's signal, Ouyang Qinglin felt immense gratitude for her trust.
He then stepped forward to stand before the fake, carefully observing the man's face.
It was impossible for two people in this world to be so alike; even brothers born of the same mother always had numerous differences.
Therefore, Ouyang Qinglin thought, this person before him must have used some special method.
He had heard of a type of imitation mask in the martial world that, when worn, could pass for the real thing. This person before him had likely used a similar method to impersonate him.
Suddenly, he noticed a subtle crease on the man's left temple, on the ground.
"As expected! It's a human skin mask!"
Gu Qianying and Su Cheng, among others, were slightly surprised. "A human skin mask?"
Ouyang Qinglin extended his right hand and rubbed the left temple of the immobilized imposter, causing the entire piece of skin to wrinkle.
Ouyang Qinglin seized the place where the mask had been rubbed and creased, and with a sudden forceful pull downwards, he tore a human face from the man on the ground!
Gu Qianying and the others now understood; this person had worn a human skin mask to disguise himself to look so similar to the true Ouyang Qinglin.
Beneath the facial skin was an ordinary man's face, bearing no resemblance to the handsome Ouyang Qinglin.
Upon seeing this face, Little Yi Hao scrunched up his features, expressing his displeasure and anger. "A lying bad guy!"
Gu Qianying patted Little Yi Hao's head, signaling him to be quiet, then addressed the ordinary man, "What is your name? Speak the truth, and if you confess, your life may be spared."
The man kneeling on the ground, upon hearing the word "death," immediately panicked, his body trembling, like a stray dog.
"Spare me! Spare me! I, I am called Wang Hu. I used to work at Demonic Mountain, a subordinate of the Evil Emperor."
Hearing the name Evil Emperor, Gu Qianying frowned slightly, displeased with Wang Hu's answer, and continued to question, "Didn't the Evil Emperor die long ago? Are you still working for a dead man?"
Wang Hu, hearing Gu Qianying's words, realized his answer had displeased her and lowered his head even further.
"I was trained by the Evil Emperor to specifically imitate Ouyang Qinglin, which is why I first said I was the Evil Emperor's subordinate. Later, when the Evil Emperor died, my reliance, Demonic Mountain, was gone. Seeing that those associated with Demonic Mountain were being implicated, I fled that place, begging my way, enduring hardship, and traveled far from Demonic Mountain."
Hearing this, Ouyang Qinglin understood why Wang Hu could impersonate him so perfectly; he had been deliberately trained to imitate him. However, Ouyang Qinglin did not understand how Wang Hu, after Demonic Mountain was gone, had managed to infiltrate Gu Qianying's group during the time Ouyang Qinglin was captured.
Thus, Ouyang Qinglin took over Gu Qianying's questioning and pressed Wang Hu, "What happened next? After you fled from Demonic Mountain, did you encounter anyone else?"
Wang Hu nodded repeatedly, even adding a flattering remark, "You are truly brilliant, to have immediately thought that I might have had further experiences."
Gu Qianying kicked Wang Hu, warning him, "Enough nonsense, speak quickly."
Startled by Gu Qianying's kick, Wang Hu began to kowtow incessantly and continued to recount what happened after he left Demonic Mountain.
"After I left Demonic Mountain, I walked in the opposite direction, avoiding pursuit and assassination. One day, while eating a steamed bun in a dilapidated temple, a mysterious man entered. He said he could offer me protection and save me from the fate of being hunted, but I would have to continue learning Ouyang Qinglin's usual mannerisms. I didn't want to live a life of constant hiding and hardship, so I followed him."
"So, this impersonation of Ouyang Qinglin was his doing?"
Wang Hu straightened up and nodded. "Yes. I stayed by his side for several years, living a relatively stable life. He didn't usually ask me to do anything. A while ago, I received his orders to find an opportunity to approach you, replace the captured Ouyang Qinglin, and infiltrate your group to gather intelligence."
Hearing his account, everyone understood the situation. Gu Qianying caught the information in Wang Hu's words and asked him, "Do you know who this mysterious man is?"
Wang Hu struggled internally for a moment, but ultimately decided to reveal the mysterious man's identity to ensure his own survival in this situation.
His lips parted, about to speak.
However, at this critical moment.
An arrow flew through the air from the open window of the inn room.
With lightning speed, the arrow struck Wang Hu directly in the throat. Wang Hu fell to the ground, his eyes unable to close before he could utter another word.
Jiaolong A Mu quickly covered Little Yi Hao's eyes.
Gu Qianying and Su Cheng exchanged glances, and both rose to fly out the window in pursuit.
However, outside the room, apart from the common folk and vendors on the street, there was no sign of any archer.
Gu Qianying and Su Cheng, flanking each other, split up to search for any lingering traces, but found nothing.
It seemed they had been under constant surveillance. The enemy was hidden, while they were exposed; the situation had become rather tricky.