They did so, avoiding strong enemies when possible, lying low when they could, and running when necessary.
But the current situation was that their disguised identities had already offended a powerful enemy. Using these identities again would invite pursuit, which went against their established route of developing covertly.
However, if they removed their masks and used their original identities, they might attract the attention of the Liu family's powerhouses. While they didn't fear Mahayana stage cultivators now, who knew how many Tribulation Transcending cultivators the Liu family actually possessed?
Even though Liu Naiweng was currently "suppressing" demons in the desert, what if they sent another Tribulation Transcending cultivator, or went to other families like the Huo family or the Kaitian Sword Sect to invite one? And what if they also summoned dozens of Mahayana cultivators? Then there would be no point in fighting.
This was equivalent to all their previous disguises being wasted.
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu pondered deeply whether or not to tear off their masks and reveal their true faces.
Because if they removed their masks, it would be their last layer of disguise. From then on, no matter what happened, it would be difficult to escape. They would have to face everything head-on, letting events unfold as they might.
There was also another issue: the old man in front of them, although not very trustworthy and often selling them out, still trusted them.
Yes, trust and betrayal were not mutually exclusive. Those who can betray you are usually those who trust you.
If they didn't trust you, how could they sell you out?
If they removed their masks in front of the old man, what would he think?
He would definitely think that they were indeed liars, and had been deceiving him all along.
If they weren't lying, why would they have disguised themselves?
And if they were lying, what was their true intention? Was it to deceive Li Mei Xian next, or to harm her? How could the old man then lead them to Li Mei Xian?
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu exchanged a glance. They were too familiar with each other; their hearts were already connected, and a single look could reveal the other's thoughts.
This was very tricky, and difficult to handle.
How could they explain their disguises to the old man?
However, at this moment, the old man suddenly made a move.
The old man, Lao Gou, suddenly assumed a horse stance, then punched the air twice with both fists. Afterward, his hands changed rapidly, like a combination of punches.
After completing the set, the old man immediately straightened his body, closed his eyes, pressed his hands downwards, and assumed a finishing pose, as if gathering qi into his dantian. In any case, it gave off a feeling of "Wow, so powerful, he's clearly a master."
Finally, the old man raised his hand, touched his chin for a moment, and then actually lifted a layer of "skin."
That layer of skin was slowly peeled upwards in his hand, like a facial mask, being ripped off forcefully.
This process was painful. Lao Gou gritted his teeth, convulsed, and moaned. After a full minute, he finally managed to completely remove the mask from his face.
The old man revealed his true face. Before, he was a very jovial, fair-skinned, plump old man, like a Maitreya Buddha.
After removing the mask, although he still looked like an old man, he appeared much more withered than before.
His face was covered in wrinkles, his eyes were cloudy, his skin was sallow, and he had many age spots. At first glance, he looked like he was on the verge of decay.
The only similarity in his appearance to before was that bright red, rosacea-covered nose.
"What are you looking at? I'm this old, can't I pretend to be younger? Maybe I can even trick a few old ladies."
The old man fanned himself with the mask in his hand.
The craftsmanship of this mask was in no way inferior to those of Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu. They had probed the old man with their spiritual senses but had found no clues whatsoever.
"I understand the principle, but what was that combination of punches you did before removing the mask? Was it a trigger for the mask, or some specific technique?"
Wan Lei was still in shock.
"It's useless."
"If it's useless, why did you do it?"
"Life needs a sense of ritual."
The old man stood with his hands clasped, his dirty robe fluttering in the wind.
What a shame.
What a shame.
If he were a handsome white-robed swordsman striking this pose, he would certainly attract many fans.
But a dirty, withered old man… forget it.
"Shouldn't we be more concerned about this old guy deceiving us?"
Fang Xiaoyu glared at the old man with displeasure.
"Oh my, how can you say I deceived you? Before I met you, I was already dressed like this. When traveling the martial world, one must always maintain a sense of vigilance. This little disguise isn't excessive, is it?"
"Hmph, well, alright, we'll forgive you this time."
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu, having seized the moral high ground, magnanimously "forgave" the old man's "deception."
Well, since we've forgiven you, it's only right that you forgive us next.
"Do we really have to tear off our masks?"
Wan Lei looked at Fang Xiaoyu, still hesitant.
The old man was startled, "Holy cow, so wearing masks isn't my original invention? These two aren't good people either."
"I know what you're worried about. You're worried that Qing Feng and Tao Dian Zhen Ren will discover your true identities.
Actually, if you think about it carefully, we didn't reveal our masks in front of them, so how could they possibly know that we are the people they knew before?
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu entered the Huo Xian Secret Realm later, while Fang Jingzhe and Qi Qingming died here. The two pairs of people didn't know each other at all."
"That's true. If our previous identities had died here, they wouldn't have died, but would simply have disappeared from Qing Feng and Tao Dian's sight. They wouldn't be too suspicious, at most they would only worry about the safety of our original identities.
It's funny, before entering, I was worried that my actions would be noticed by them, but I forgot that we always separated from others every time we entered a secret realm."
"Wait, you two, what are you talking about, a secret realm? And who are Qing Feng and Tao Dian?"
The old man was clearly very interested in these matters.
"Old man, you know too much, let's silence you."
"..."
The old man shrunk his neck, not daring to ask further questions.
Wan Lei reached out, preparing to remove his mask, then suddenly chuckled,
"How about we also do a combination of punches to add a sense of ritual?"
"If you dare to do that, I'll turn around and leave right now. The mission is yours, not mine anyway."
Fang Xiaoyu imagined herself doing that set of movements…
No, no, it's too embarrassing, I can't bear to be seen.
Then, Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu directly removed their masks and changed their clothes.
Wan Lei put on his blue battle robe, and Fang Xiaoyu also changed into a goose-yellow long skirt.
This was their signature attire. In the Lei Feng Realm, if you saw a combination of a man in blue and a woman in yellow from afar, even if you couldn't see their faces clearly, you could guess it was likely Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu.