To ask me why I know the secret language of bandits? It's still because of my Ninth Master.

Although the Nine Ghosts weren't bandits, they dealt with bandits a lot. Their bandit slang was clearer than most bandits.

My clasped fist hadn't been lowered when I saw a point of light appear on the broken wall.

That point of light was only the size of an incense stick head. From more than ten meters away, an ordinary person might not even be able to see what it was.

The moment my gaze locked onto that point of light, three balls of green fire burst out near the broken wall. The dark green flames instantly blocked my vision.

But just as the three balls of green fire reached their peak, I suddenly drew my blade. The cold light on the Daybreak curved saber flashed and stopped in the darkness. The blade cut into the wall by a few inches, and the edge lifted a section of severed yellow incense, the burning tip still emitting wisps of smoke.

That single point of light and the three balls of green fire were the people hiding in the shadows, testing my abilities.

If I couldn't accurately locate the incense stick that first appeared, while the green fire obscured my vision, I wouldn't have a chance to meet them.

As the Daybreak blade trembled slightly on the wall, the half-section of the broken wall suddenly collapsed. The scattered bricks and stones seemed to seep into the ground like water, and along with the foundation beneath the broken wall, they all sank into the ground with a loud crash.

My Daybreak curved saber disappeared as well.

Zhao Yuezhu exclaimed, "Li Po, your saber..."

"It's alright, it won't be lost! Follow me." I slowly walked to the place where the broken wall had collapsed and followed the steps exposed on the ground to the entrance of an underground chamber.

The area in front of the chamber door was covered in stones, but I couldn't find my Daybreak curved saber anywhere. Zhao Yuezhu was so anxious that tears were about to fall. "Li Po, where's your saber?"

Zhao Yuezhu wasn't a member of the martial world, but she knew the significance of a saber to a saber user.

I waved my hand and said, "Don't worry, it shouldn't be lost."

As soon as I finished speaking, the door to the chamber opened on its own, and someone inside said calmly, "Please, come in!" The secret chamber door opened automatically, revealing a table piled high with roasted meat and wine jars.

I walked to the table and sat down, looking at the large bowl of wine in front of me. "You've set out a welcoming drink, but is the host not going to come out to greet his guest?"

An old voice came from the secret chamber, "There's no need to greet the guest. When you bring Sun Qing's head, I will naturally meet you."

"Before you kill Sun Qing, I won't come out. If Sun Qing doesn't die, I dare not meet anyone."

I asked tentatively, "Is Sun Qing that terrifying?"

"He's more terrifying than you can imagine!" the person replied. "He's a person who lives off human skin! No, it should be said that Sun Qing himself is a piece of human skin."

I tapped the table with one hand and said, "Just who is Sun Qing?"

"He was the leader of the Ren Pi Zhai (Human Skin Village) back then. He was also a sorcerer." The voice hesitated for a moment and said, "Back then, he continuously killed people for the sake of the *Ren Pi Jing* (Human Skin Scripture)."

The voice said, "I heard my master say that the *Ren Pi Jing* isn't a secret technique of the human world. It comes from the land of ghosts and gods. The secret manual of the *Ren Pi Jing* can only be summoned through a certain ritual."

"That is, gathering specific people together and inviting ghosts and gods to descend."

"After the ghosts and gods arrive, the *Ren Pi Jing* will appear on the back of the sacrificial victim like a tattoo, and the sacrificial victim will automatically shed their skin."

"Seventy-two pieces of human skin are exactly enough to complete the writing of the *Ren Pi Jing*."

I said in a deep voice, "The skinning case a hundred and twenty years ago, was that also the work of Sun Qing?"

A hundred and twenty years ago, someone discovered corpses that had been skinned, but no one found where the human skin had gone. Could it be that the human skin from that year was all used to make the *Ren Pi Jing*?

"It should be!" the voice said. "I've only heard about it."

I asked again, "You may not know about the events of a hundred and twenty years ago, but you should know about the Human Skin Village back then, right?"

"Heh heh..." The voice sneered, "Wasn't it just killing people and skinning them? Otherwise, it wouldn't be called the Human Skin Village."

I said in a deep voice, "May I ask who you are, sir?"

The voice was stunned for a moment. "You don't know who I am? Yet you can come to my door to do business with me?"

I said calmly, "I'm just confirming it."

The person was silent for a moment before saying, "This old man is Chang Jiu Zhen."

"Oh!" I nodded again, then asked back, "As far as I know, you're also a sorcerer. Why are you so afraid of Sun Qing?"

"Bullshit sorcerer!" Chang Jiu Zhen said hoarsely, "My family's skills were all passed down from Sun Qing! Opening a pharmacy and secretly giving people tattoos to transmit messages was actually all to help Sun Qing find people. To find people suitable for sacrifice."

I tapped the table lightly and said, "What else do you know about Sun Qing?"

"I don't know anymore," Chang Jiu Zhen said. "Sun Qing wouldn't let me know too much."

I asked again, "Do you know where Sun Qing is?"

"I don't know!" Chang Jiu Zhen said, "I only know that the time for him to cast his spell again is approaching, and during this time, he will definitely hide himself."

"My ancestors said that Sun Qing usually chooses places with extreme Yin energy for his sacrifices. I think he should be not far from here."