Chapter 177: Makeup Like a Painted Skin
Shishi helped the limp man to a chair and gave him another dose of anesthetic. "Master Xiao, it's done."
Xiao Ye nodded and took the invitation from the man's body.
The man was about the same height as him; the only difference was that he was a bit chubby.
But that wasn't a problem for Xiao Ye. Wearing a couple of extra layers of clothing would achieve the same effect.
The harder part was the face.
Shishi took out her large makeup case and smiled slightly. "Master Xiao, please have a seat. Makeup is my specialty."
"Back in the day, of all the women who graduated with me from the Hongyuan Organization, not a single one could beat my makeup skills."
Xiao Ye sat down and watched as Shishi took a pile of things out of her case.
First, she mixed a clay-like substance that matched Xiao Ye's skin tone.
This substance, when applied to the face, could alter the bone structure.
However, it required an extremely high level of skill from the makeup artist, as one small mistake could make it look very fake.
It took nearly a full hour of work.
Finally, the makeup was complete.
Xiao Ye looked at his reflection in the mirror and raised an eyebrow slightly.
He really had transformed into the other man's likeness. You couldn't look too closely, though, or you would notice something was slightly off.
Still, it was very impressive.
"No wonder they say makeup is like wearing a different skin. It's really true." Xiao Ye was very satisfied. "You did a great job."
Shishi's pretty face flushed slightly. "Thank you for the praise, Master Xiao, but there are a few things you must be careful about."
"First, don't rub your face hard. Even though I used adhesive to secure it, there's still a risk of it coming off."
"Second, don't get it wet. If you do, you must wipe it dry immediately."
"Third, don't touch anyone wearing white clothes. It will leave a very obvious mark."
If it were a woman leaving behind foundation or lipstick marks, it would be one thing.
But for a man to be wearing such heavy makeup, anyone observant would realize something was wrong.
Xiao Ye nodded and stepped out of the RV.
When the driver saw his young master return, his anxious heart was finally put at ease.
"You're finally back."
Xiao Ye nodded, intentionally lowering his voice. "Let's go."
"Yes!"
The car drove discreetly into the manor at the end of the road.
It didn't stop until it reached the main entrance.
Xiao Ye got out of the car, and the people standing at the entrance immediately came forward to greet him.
The person's features were remarkably similar to his own, bearing a stronger resemblance than even Xiao Wenbin's branch of the Xiao Family.
"May I see your invitation, please?"
Xiao Ye took out the invitation and handed it over.
The person opened it, confirmed it was real, and broke into a brighter smile. "So it's the young master of the Ouyang Family. Please, come in."
Xiao Ye entered the villa without any trouble.
The inside was far more luxurious than he had imagined.
Aside from the guests, all the members of the Xiao Family were actually dressed in ancient-style clothing.
And the seat of honor at the very front was empty, meaning the host of the banquet had not yet arrived.
'Then again, that's just how these great families are,' he thought. 'They always make a grand entrance at the end.'
Xiao Ye wasn't in a hurry. He didn't deliberately approach anyone from the Ouyang Family, as that would be an easy way to expose himself. Instead, he weaved through the crowd.
"Is the Xiao Family still dreaming of feudal society? What's with this ancient theme?"
"You don't know? The current Xiao Family Patriarch, Liu Loulan, loves this sort of thing."
"I heard all she wants is to be the 'grand dame'!"
"The Xiao Family let an outsider become their Patriarch. I give them a few years before they decline."
"More than decline, they're about to be kicked out of the Hidden Clans. Don't forget, they're already at the bottom of the pack."
Among the four clans, the Xiao Family was indeed ranked last.
And unlike the other clans, the Xiao Family didn't have much of a legacy to speak of.
The only thing remarkable about the Xiao Family now was that they were rich.
And for the Hidden Clans, money was undoubtedly the most useless thing!
Listening to the crowd's chatter, Xiao Ye gained a deeper understanding of the Xiao Family.
"Ouyang Feng, you came too."
A voice called out from not far away.
Xiao Ye turned to see a young man walking over.
He had a familiar smile on his face, a clear sign that he was on good terms with Ouyang Feng.
But Xiao Ye wasn't the real Ouyang Feng. He simply gave a slight smile and then made an excuse to leave.
The man watched his retreating back with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong with Ouyang Feng? He usually loves to chat, but today he didn't even say a word."
「Another half-hour passed.」
The birthday banquet officially began, with everything proceeding according to ancient customs.
However, because Liu Loulan still hadn't appeared, many of the procedures had to be temporarily skipped.
The ceremony was already halfway through when a member of the Xiao Family belatedly appeared.
"My sincerest apologies. The Patriarch is feeling a little unwell, so she won't be able to make an appearance today. Please, enjoy yourselves."
After speaking, the person hurried away and quickly disappeared, off to who knows what.
However, quite a few members of the Xiao Family remained at the banquet.
Xiao Ye noticed they were mainly seeking out a specific type of man to chat with.
Men who were similar to him in height and build!
'It seems the place destroyed by the fire still left behind quite a few clues.'
Xiao Ye wasn't worried. In the eyes of the Xiao Family, he was already a dead man.
And dead men can't do anything.
'The purpose of this banquet is probably to find someone with a build similar to mine.'
'It seems the Xiao Family's main suspects are the other three clans.'
This made Xiao Ye's current situation even safer.
But just as that thought crossed his mind, a woman approached. She was also a member of the Xiao Family.
She sized up Xiao Ye's figure with a smile, then passed him by and went directly to someone else.
A thin person can disguise themselves as a heavier one.
But a heavy person can't suddenly become thin.
Xiao Ye knew he had truly chosen the right identity for this!
He continued to move through the crowd, gathering more information.
The current Xiao Family Patriarch, Liu Loulan, wasn't a proper member of the Xiao Family at all.
She was actually the second wife of the previous Patriarch, Xiao Ling. In the parlance of the great clans, she was a replacement wife.
As for how she later became the Xiao Family Patriarch, nobody knew.
All they knew was that after Xiao Ling died, she took power.
Xiao Ye swirled the wine in his glass. It wasn't hard to guess that there was a hidden story there.
'Perhaps Liu Loulan even killed Xiao Ling herself.'
"Xiao Ling..."
Xiao Ye murmured the name. It felt very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before.
The entire banquet came to an end.
Liu Loulan still hadn't shown her face.
Everyone began to leave one after another.
Xiao Ye was among the last to leave.
Not long after he left, the Xiao Family villa was sealed shut.
The members of the Xiao Family gathered together to discuss what they had learned.
Unfortunately, their gains were few. After all, the people from the other clans were all sly old foxes, cunning as could be.