Chapter 89: The Art of Concealing One's Form!

"Who are you!"
Seized effortlessly by a single hand, Ito Mi was utterly shocked and terrified, unable to react to what was happening. She twisted her head and saw Ye Tian's impassive face.
"Who am I?"
"I should be asking you—who are you?"
"Be honest. You've been following me for quite some time—what's your purpose?"
With that, his iron-like grip tightened, and pain shot through Ito Mi's wrist, so sharp it seemed to pierce the bone. Cold sweat beaded on her skin, quickly soaking even her hair.
She bit her lip against the pain, but still retorted stubbornly,
"Hmph, I’m here to kill you!"
"Kill me?" Ye Tian looked at her, utterly baffled, and pointed to his own nose. "Because I bought those skewers just now?"
"Yes! You were so rude. You deserve to die!"
What kind of logic is that…
For a moment, Ye Tian was rendered speechless by this foolish woman.
No wonder they say women and petty men are hard to keep in line—there’s some truth in that.
At first, he'd suspected she was a skilled assassin sent by the Sun family for revenge, but to think he could incite such hatred so easily…
After pondering for a moment, Ye Tian simply sealed her meridians and kicked her to the ground.
"Forget it, get lost. I don't kill idiots."
"You're the idiot! I'll kill you!"
Ito Mi was beside herself with indignation. She, the unrivaled genius girl of the Eastern Empire, defeated so easily by an unknown nobody—
To let that be known would be a disgrace beyond measure!
Worse, this damned man showed no tenderness, called her an idiot to her face, and even hit and kicked her!
Unbearable!
"No, I won’t kill you. I’ll imprison you and make you my slave. I’ll train you until you bow to me like a dog!"
She shrieked, and, unable to channel any energy, struck at Ye Tian with her fists in wild, aimless blows.
"Wait—what did you say your name was?"
"Ito Mi?"
Ye Tian, who had been about to leave, stopped in his tracks at the mention of that Eastern surname, suddenly interested.
"I was going to let you go, but now—you’re not going anywhere."

His expression chilled as he strode over and twisted her arm behind her back, pinning her hard against the alley wall.
And then—
Rip!
The sound of tearing fabric echoed in the alley, followed by a woman's scream.
"You heartless beast! So this is your true nature! I warn you, if you dare defile me today, I’ll see to it you suffer endless torment for the rest of your life!"
Ito Mi screamed with a contorted face, but her body trembled uncontrollably. Her upper clothing had been torn open, and Ye Tian's large hand rested on her bare, delicate shoulder.
For all her strength as one of the few high-ranking ninja in her homeland, at heart she was still an inexperienced young woman.
Confronted by such humiliation, fear gripped her.
"Oh, really? Well, let's see you escape first," Ye Tian said impassively. He bit his finger, and with his blood quickly drew a mysterious symbol on the girl's pale shoulder and back.
In moments, a strange, beautiful, blood-red charm was etched into her skin—
The Body-Seizing Charm.
This was a technique often used by the Hermit of Mount Embrace, where one drew a charm with their own blood and imprinted it upon the person they wished to control, seizing command of their body and actions.
It was thanks to this very spell that the Hermit had once built his mountain abode.
One day, Ye Changsheng, wandering the mountains, encountered a band of vicious bandits. Wanting to do good, he used the Body-Seizing Charm to bring them back and put them to work building his sanctuary.
Day after day, the bandits labored, becoming his workers.
Only after ten years, when they had reformed and sworn to live honestly, did he finally set them free.
One had to admire the Hermit’s forward-thinking—using labor to reform criminals centuries before the concept was widespread.
Though the idea of ‘labor reform’ had existed since the prime minister Li Si of the Qin Dynasty, later generations focused more on punishment than on education.
But the Hermit aimed to educate and truly reform the bandits, so they’d return to honest lives.
Ye Changsheng even made home visits, ensuring each had found a proper trade before he returned to his mountain.
"What have you done to me!"
Marked by the charm, Ito Mi felt a sudden heat coursing through her, as if something warm had entered her body, though it brought neither pain nor itch.
She could only ask Ye Tian for an explanation.
"Nothing much. I’ve just taken control of your body. For a while, you are my servant."
He spoke as if nothing had happened.
"What nonsense!"
Ito Mi’s face was full of disbelief.
How could there be a ninja technique that truly controlled another’s body? If such a thing existed, wouldn't rulers make their dynasties last forever?

But soon, she believed.
For the next moment, her hand moved on its own, taking the coat Ye Tian handed her and draping it over herself to cover her exposed body.
"Ah!"
"This can't be!" Ito Mi shrieked and tried to struggle, but found she no longer had control over her limbs. Instead, Ye Tian forced her to kneel before him on one knee.
"Call me Master."
"Master!"
Ito Mi's mind remained clear, but she could only watch herself, at Ye Tian’s command, perform a series of humiliating actions.
"Well, do you believe me now?"
Ye Tian smiled faintly. This secret art of the mystic sect was truly useful. If only his cultivation was higher, he could even perform the advanced Mind-Seizing Technique—
The legendary Soul-Seizing Method!
That method could not only control but even rewrite another’s mind—far more terrifying than brainwashing.
Ito Mi knelt silently, looking up at Ye Tian, unable to utter a word.
Not that she didn’t want to speak—she simply could not.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
How could this be?
She, the greatest genius of her homeland, had so easily been turned into a slave by a nobody from the Dragon Kingdom!
Were all people from the Dragon Kingdom so powerful that any random person could subdue someone from the Eastern Isles?
If so, this grand plan to infiltrate and conquer the Dragon Kingdom was nothing but a joke!
Her heart was a tangled mess—
But most of all, she regretted her impulsiveness.
Seeing tears streak down Ito Mi’s cheeks, Ye Tian quickly smiled.
"Don’t cry. I’m not going to kill you."
He restored her power of speech and asked,
"I see your name is Ito. In that case, you must know a lot of inside information.
Just tell me everything you know. If you cooperate, I’ll let you go when this is over."