Chapter 6, Familiarity with Disguise

As she walked towards the setting sun, a village indeed appeared ahead. This village was large, scattered among the gentle mountains, with thatched cottages as far as the eye could see. From a distance, Wei Luo could hear the joyful shouts of children coming from the village, and she could also see wisps of smoke rising.

Wei Luo devoted all her attention to the art of disguise. Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, eight days had passed. According to Wei Luo's estimation, she was only three or four days' journey away from Yi City. The thought of being able to settle down temporarily filled her heart with a small sense of excitement.

This disguise technique is truly effective

Such courtesy must surely indicate a distinguished guest

However, Wei Luo had barely walked two hundred meters into the woods when she discovered several types of plants and minerals listed on the bamboo slips. As she ventured another three hundred meters, Wei Luo suddenly realized that all the plants and minerals recorded on the slips were present here, and she was overjoyed.

On either side of the official road, the trees are particularly lush and deep. Wei Luo looked up and was greeted by towering trees that could only be embraced by four or five people. As for the trees deep within the forest, they are even more colossal.

The bamboo slips record a total of five methods; she has now learned three of them. It is believed that once she has mastered all of them, she will certainly be able to perfectly transform both herself and the appearance of the book.

As the trees grow tall and the grass becomes lush, a refreshing and moist breeze wafts through the air.

Indeed, when Wei Luo hurried a few steps and asked a haggard old woman with a dark, wrinkled face and a hunched back to exchange knife coins for food and lodging, the old woman readily agreed and took her to settle down at her son's house next door

The next day, when Wei Luo presented five knife coins to the middle-aged farmer in his thirties, he was met with refusal. The farmer, rubbing his thick, calloused hands, said earnestly, "It was just one night; how could I accept a guest's belongings? No, no."

Engaging in small business? That is indeed the case. Although I am merely a university student currently enrolled and have never navigated the complexities of society, nor have I engaged in any business ventures, I have lived in an era characterized by an explosion of information. Therefore, I should be able to come up with something decent. Well, let's see what small business opportunities may arise at that time.

Most importantly, Wei Luo does not know where she is headed. Even if she goes through great hardships to enter the city, what can she do then

Wei Luo was greatly pleased

Wei Luo furrowed her brows, encouraging herself, "Heaven does not completely seal off all paths for a person. I still have some coins on me, right? Perhaps I can start a small business.

On this day, the sun hung high in the sky, shining brightly and dazzlingly.

She thought of this and turned to walk deeper into the woods

It turns out that there really is such a thing as disguise techniques in this world

The official road stretches endlessly, and with each step that Wei Luo takes, she feels that this body is beyond her strength. As for the soles of her feet, they had already developed blisters yesterday.

Now, the features after the disguise no longer possess the charming allure they once had. She now appears entirely like an ordinary youth, with only a hint of clarity and elegance emanating from her pair of pitch-black eyes

Wei Luo also did not consider that, with her physique, she was originally a delicate young lady from a boudoir. The fact that such a young lady could recognize the ten or so plants and minerals mentioned in the bamboo slips was naturally because they were all widely used in this world and known to everyone. Furthermore, people in this era rarely processed or refined something once they deemed it useful; most items appeared on the market in their original form for people to purchase, which made it easier for her to identify them.

Oh, could it be that you are an educated noble?

The forests of this era are remarkably primitive, where tall trees stand densely, and occasionally a rabbit, a local dog, or a snake emerges, often startling Wei Luo into a cold sweat

The methods recorded on bamboo slips are generally quite simple, typically involving the crushing of two or three types of materials, which can be used either individually or in combination.

Wei Luo's physical condition was too poor, and she walked very slowly. By the time she arrived at the outskirts of the village, the sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and a thin mist rose between the heavens and the earth

Gazing at the curling smoke rising into the air, Wei Luo swallowed hard twice and quickened his pace.

That night, Wei Luo slept on the wooden bed in the thatched cottage. The wooden bed was covered with a thick layer of dry grass, topped with a linen blanket, and covered with a fur blanket. The thick and coarse blanket, which carried a fishy smell, made Wei Luo feel very uncomfortable. She threw the fur blanket aside several times, but ultimately had to cover herself with it again due to the cold.

Although the sun is not intense, even the delicate skin of Wei Luo cannot withstand it. In just one day's time, her exposed face and hands have already turned a shade of red tinged with black

Under the joy of Wei Luo, she hurriedly took some of everything and exited the forest, experimenting with the disguise technique recorded on the bamboo slips as she walked

The land of Chu is characterized by its humid heat, abundant rainfall, and numerous hills. Although this official road is not narrow and can accommodate a horse-drawn carriage, the yellow mud path is often soaked by rain, making it uneven and filled with puddles. This is an official road, frequently traversed by carriages, and thus one can also see the fresh mud where pedestrians have filled in the potholes.

The appearance of Wei Luo drew the attention of the people coming and going in the village. However, unlike before, this time both adults and children who saw her wore calm expressions, indicating that the people in this village were accustomed to seeing outsiders

He shook his head repeatedly, rejecting the dozen or so coins, which made Wei Luo hesitate for a moment and ultimately put away the knife coins. When she left the house, she originally intended to find the old woman to give her the money, but after searching for quite a while, she could not find her. The neighbors, knowing that she was looking for the old woman to give her money, all shook their heads in unison, saying, 'What kind of logic is there in paying someone just for staying one night?'

Weilo listened to the discussions, smiling as she shook her head. She found her heart had calmed down significantly, no longer feeling such hatred and fear towards this unfamiliar era

Women are always incredibly energetic when it comes to matters of makeup and disguise. After a whole day of effort, Wei Luo has discovered two effective methods of disguise. Particularly, the second method, which involves grinding a purple pigment, when applied to the cheeks, under the eyes, and at the corners of the eyes, surprisingly makes her face appear elongated and her eyes seem somewhat smaller.

Wei Luo already knows that there are villages appearing every few dozen li ahead, and this area belongs to the State of Chu. The city ahead is a large pool called Yi, and beyond Yi is the State of Jin. As for the names of the kings of the State of Chu and the State of Jin, and whether there is a State of Qin, the villagers are unable to clarify.

Currently, Wei Luo's exposed skin has been tanned by the sun, and she has nearly mastered the art of disguise. The fifth method of disguise is to create a makeup that lasts long and does not wash off when it encounters water

In a state of helplessness, Wei Luo had no choice but to put away the knife coins, thank the villagers, and once again set foot on the official road. She had walked quite a distance when she could still hear the murmurs of discussion behind her, "The young man is quite polite."

Since Wei Luo decided to temporarily settle in the city ahead, her previously tense heart finally relaxed a little. As she looked up at the lush, undulating mountains and boundless forests that seemed to stretch endlessly, she thought to herself: the woman said there were households about twenty to thirty miles ahead, and surely that distance is manageable. Why not take this opportunity to learn a bit about disguise? If I reach my destination and someone can still tell that I am a woman, that would truly be disastrous. As she looked up at the lush, undulating mountains and boundless forests that seemed to stretch endlessly, she thought to herself: the woman said there were households about twenty to thirty miles ahead, and surely that distance is manageable. Why not take this opportunity to learn a bit about disguise? If I reach my destination and someone can still tell that I am a woman, that would truly be disastrous.

Nevertheless, that night Wei Luo slept soundly, her nerves, which had been tense with fear for two days and one night, finally relaxed completely for the night