It was eleven at night.
Yan Shouyi, Wei Changqing, Han San, and Yuan Jianxin arrived at Langqi Island precisely on time.
Langqi Island was a large island connected by a cross-sea bridge, making access relatively convenient.
Behind the four, a small RV was parked, and at Yan Shouyi's urging, Lu Xin emerged from the RV.
This Lu Xin was clearly not the Lu Xin disguised by the Skin Painter, but rather someone impersonating her, namely Weng Qianxiang.
The person on Jiazi Island was unaware that the Skin Painter had been captured. Therefore, if they were to go to Jiazi Island tonight, someone had to impersonate the Skin Painter.
And that person was naturally Weng Qianxiang.
Weng Qianxiang, wearing Lu Xin's skin, walked out of the car awkwardly. Seeing Yan Shouyi and the others staring at him, his expression became embarrassed and he seemed very uncomfortable.
His gait was awkward, and every few steps he couldn't help but scratch his backside, muttering uncomfortably, "My underwear is stuck."
"Don't act like that once you're on Jiazi Island. If your identity is exposed, and we can't provide timely support..." Yan Shouyi warned.
Weng Qianxiang shivered, his expression stiffening, "You absolutely must protect me."
"Don't worry, we'll stick with you as much as possible. But we have no idea what the situation is like on Jiazi Island. We'll have to play it by ear then." Yan Shouyi's words of comfort seemed to have no comforting effect.
Although Weng Qianxiang was a Skin Painter with considerable skill, his self-preservation abilities were weak, and he had primarily impersonated men in the past.
This time, asking him to impersonate a woman, and a charming female Taoist nun at that, made him extremely uncomfortable.
Moreover, he was actually impersonating "a Skin Painter who had disguised himself as Lu Xin." To be asked to behave like a woman while simultaneously reflecting his true male identity was a double test. Even an Oscar-winning actor might not be able to handle it with such ease.
Fortunately, Weng Qianxiang possessed a degree of professionalism. After taking several deep breaths, he slowly entered the role and even gave Han San a seductive wink:
"Little brother, do you like Auntie?"
Han San stared at Weng Qianxiang for a moment, then shyly lowered his head.
Weng Qianxiang: "???"
Everyone: "???"
No way, Han Gouwang?!
So easily tempted?!
Yuan Jianxin silently kept his distance from Han San, as if Han San had a contagious illness that he would catch if he stood too close.
Just as Weng Qianxiang was beginning to feel flustered, Han San suddenly looked up, pointed at everyone, and burst into laughter:
"Look how scared you all are! Do you really think Han San is that desperate for just anyone?! Humph, I'm just getting back at you guys for leaving me behind earlier!"
Only Han San was laughing; the others couldn't.
Yan Shouyi patted Han San on the shoulder, offering comfort: "Many true words are spoken in jest. Stop acting."
"Oh, this... I really am not that kind of person!" Han San felt that things were not going well and might be difficult to explain.
It didn't matter what kind of person he was; what was terrifying was what everyone thought he was.
Now everyone seemed to believe that Han San was a sycophant who was attracted to married women. Even more frightening was that everyone found it plausible and didn't doubt it!
Han San was utterly dejected and silently squatted on the nearby beach, drawing circles in the sand.
Yan Shouyi took out miniature earphones and distributed them:
"I had someone get these miniature earphones. You can stick them in your ears to stay in contact. This is mainly for Old Weng; you absolutely must keep it hidden."
Weng Qianxiang tucked the miniature earphone into his ear; outsiders couldn't see it at all.
Yan Shouyi continued, "Once you get on the island, try to talk more with the other party. Our plan is to avoid conflict until we've figured out their strength and identity."
"If the other party's strength is not formidable, we will strike directly and capture them for interrogation. That would be the best outcome."
"But if the other party is powerful and we're not confident, we'll have to rely on Old Weng to communicate with them more, try to extract some clues, and not reveal your identity unless absolutely necessary."
Yuan Jianxin said in a deep voice, "This is like Infernal Affairs."
What Weng Qianxiang was about to do was akin to Infernal Affairs, and even more perilous.
Yan Shouyi hesitated for a moment, then patted Weng Qianxiang on the shoulder and said:
"If you really don't want to take the risk, it's fine. At worst, I'll call in more people and we'll just storm Jiazi Island."
Weng Qianxiang paused for a moment, then replied earnestly to Yan Shouyi, "No, I must go to Jiazi Island."
Yan Shouyi smiled and nodded.
Outsiders did not understand why Weng Qianxiang suddenly became so resolute.
In fact, Weng Qianxiang merely wanted to prove his worth.
In the Folk Studies Association team, everyone contributed in their own way. Even Long Feicheng, who was the least capable, was always at the forefront during critical moments.
As the second-to-last in combat power within the team, Weng Qianxiang's contributions had been limited, and there were few times he could be of assistance.
Most of the time, he could only cheer alongside Long Feicheng, shouting praises.
Given Yan Shouyi and the others' personalities, Weng Qianxiang could have comfortably stayed with the research association, freeloading, and they wouldn't have minded. However, Weng Qianxiang felt a sense of guilt.
He intended to prove through this operation on Jiazi Island that he was not useless.
Therefore, even knowing the danger, he had to make an attempt.
Yan Shouyi's question earlier was also an opportunity for Weng Qianxiang to choose. If he had chosen to back down, Yan Shouyi would have unequivocally told him to return.
But the outcome was that Weng Qianxiang decided to persevere, which Yan Shouyi found very satisfactory.
The group stood by the coast, feeling the sea breeze and swatting mosquitoes for a while. When the time was nearly right, they had Weng Qianxiang board a pre-arranged speedboat.
The speedboat would take him to Jiazi Island.
Five minutes after Weng Qianxiang departed, Yan Shouyi and the others boarded another speedboat. As they approached Jiazi Island, they all jumped into the sea and swam ashore.
Jiazi Island was just an unremarkable small island, but as Weng Qianxiang sat on the speedboat, he noticed that Jiazi Island was surrounded by guards. He quickly and quietly reported to Yan Shouyi and the others:
"Jiazi Island is not simple. I saw many people on guard, but they are all ordinary people."
The speedboat slowly docked. Yan Shouyi and the others also climbed onto Jiazi Island from a dark corner. Han San casually dealt with three guards, and everything proceeded smoothly and without incident.
Upon learning that Yan Shouyi and the others had landed on the island, Weng Qianxiang breathed a sigh of relief.
As the speedboat docked, several spotlights instantly locked onto Weng Qianxiang. Two guards approached and coldly shouted, "Who are you?!"
Weng Qianxiang almost blurted out his identity as the Skin Painter.
But he suddenly remembered and did not reply instinctively. Instead, he stared at the two guards with a stern expression and said coldly:
"You don't even recognize me? Do you want to die?"