A New Path to Immortality

By the time Ren Qing and the other arrived at Treasure Gathering Pawnshop, they could see from afar that quite a few constables had gathered at the entrance. Every one of them looked grave; clearly, this was no simple matter.

The constables kept the curious townsfolk outside, but they could not stop the murmurs of discussion.

"Have you heard? Someone died in the pawnshop!"

"It was Accountant Zhou. He'd worked here for nearly ten years. The body is still inside."

"Things have been unsettled lately. Could the Immortal Ascension Sect be up to something again?"

"Don't talk nonsense! It seems this happened because the pawnshop got a new owner..."

Ren Qing did not use his divine sense, yet he had already sensed that something was wrong. He merely put on his usual taciturn manner and followed behind his cheap father.

Rubbing his palms together, Ren Shanshi cautiously stepped forward to ask for news.

A constable immediately raised a hand to stop him. "Unauthorized persons are not permitted to approach!"

"Sir Constable, Head Constable Chen ordered us to deliver a coffin," Ren Shanshi explained.

The constable was just about to enter the pawnshop to inquire when Chen Qi came out. "Have them carry the coffin into the main hall. Be careful with it."

The constable answered and stepped aside. Ren Shanshi hurried into the pawnshop.

Because it was a small coffin meant for a child, it immediately drew the crowd's attention, leaving them all wondering what it was for.

The moment Ren Qing stepped into the main hall, a thick, fishy stench crashed into his face, making his nasal passages sting.

He looked up and saw that the floor and walls were smeared with dark-red blood. Even in the bitter cold of the twelfth lunar month, swarms of flies had gathered there. The sight was horrifying.

Still trembling with fear, Ren Shanshi glanced around. "Head Constable Chen, where should we put the small coffin?"

"Over there." Chen Qi pointed at the counter.

Ren Shanshi said no more, but Ren Qing's gaze had already fixed on a piece of calligraphy and painting atop the counter.

The material was definitely not xuan paper. It looked more like dried human skin. It depicted an old man in his fifties or sixties, dressed exactly like an accountant, his expression lifelike enough that even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were clearly visible.

Something was wrong.

Ren Qing licked his lips, forcibly suppressing the tremor rising in his heart.

The painting itself was a corpse.

More accurately, Accountant Zhou's entire body seemed to have been run over by a steamroller, flattened into a plane before being perfectly fused onto the painting.

It was only because the corpse was too "perfect"—even his clothes remained entirely intact—that it was difficult to notice.

Ren Qing even suspected that the blood smeared across the hall had been forcibly squeezed out of the body during the flattening process. Just thinking about it...

Just thinking about it made him unable to wait.

He could be certain that Accountant Zhou was connected to an unfamiliar path to immortality.

But this also meant that Song Baizhou was merely one part of the Immortal Ascension Sect's arrangements in Water Mouth City. The pawnshop's path to immortality had not leaked out from Wish-Fulfillment Abbey.

"Aqing, let's go."

Ren Shanshi was already thinking of retreating. The bloodstains alone were enough to terrify him.

The two began tidying up the handcart. At that moment, a burly man hurried into the main hall.

Chen Qi's face darkened as he glared at the man. "Zhang Qilin, what exactly is your Fuyang Chamber of Commerce playing at? How did this man die?"

Ren Qing recognized the burly man. He had seen him outside Wish-Fulfillment Abbey before; he was specifically responsible for escorting carriages. His protruding temples alone showed that his external martial arts were formidable.

Zhang Qilin took out a money pouch from his robes and stuffed it into Chen Qi's hand before trying to ease the atmosphere.

"Head Constable Chen, it's true that our Fuyang Chamber of Commerce purchased Treasure Gathering Pawnshop two days ago. But you can ask the other clerks—Accountant Zhou had already developed a derangement half a month ago. Every day, he muttered about attaining immortality."

"Attaining immortality?!!"

Cold sweat soaked through Chen Qi's constable uniform, and even his fingertips trembled slightly.

"How dare the Immortal Ascension Sect! The prefect will soon arrive in Water Mouth City. Are they not afraid that the accompanying army will dig out every last one of those... thieves?!"

"Please calm down, Head Constable Chen. The Immortal Ascension Sect are rats by nature—appearing and vanishing without a trace."

While Zhang Qilin and Chen Qi chatted, Ren Shanshi shot Ren Qing a fierce glare.

The two did not dare linger. The constables were already showing signs of driving people away, so they pushed the handcart back the way they had come.

Without stopping, they passed through the crowd outside.

Once no one was around, Ren Shanshi stopped the handcart at the entrance of a secluded alley.

"Aqing, do you remember Zhao Xiaoliu? That young constable."

Ren Qing nodded. "I remember."

"Zhao Xiaoliu has gone missing." Ren Shanshi's brow was tightly furrowed, his voice carrying lingering fear. "I've been asking around, but even the people at the yamen can't make heads or tails of it. All they know is that after he finished night duty the night before last, he was never seen again."

"Missing?" Ren Qing was not surprised. After swallowing the yellow mud, Zhao Xiaoliu had already been walking a dead-end road.

For all he knew, one of the four coffins at Wish-Fulfillment Abbey had been prepared for Zhao Xiaoliu.

"Exactly."

Ren Shanshi sighed. "I owe Head Constable Chen a favor. I only took this job of delivering coffins because I had no choice. Otherwise, who would willingly go near a place like that?"

Ren Qing did not interrupt as Ren Shanshi continued on his own.

"Also, last month, I overheard people at the next table chatting in a teahouse. They said Accountant Zhou got drunk and bragged that an immortal had imparted the Dao to him in a dream one night. He even said that immortal seemed to be called... Three Incense Lady?"

"Three Incense Lady?"

Ren Qing's heart stirred. Three Incense Lady was very likely the presence behind this calamity.

Smack!

Ren Shanshi suddenly slapped himself, saying with deep regret, "What nonsense am I muttering!"

"Come on, come on, let's hurry home before we run into the curfew."

By the time they returned to the shop, the sun had already sunk behind the western rooftops.

The sky gradually darkened, and the accumulated snow carried the bleak desolation of deep winter.

After the constables dispersed, Treasure Gathering Pawnshop's entrance became utterly deserted. Passersby chose to take detours the moment they spotted it from afar.

Only a carriage stood quietly by the roadside, looking completely out of place.

A moment later, a slender hand lifted the carriage curtain. Li Yao slowly stepped down, but after only a few steps, her breathing became so ragged that she nearly fainted.

"Miss!" Zhang Qilin wanted to step forward and support her, while the other guards all wore worried expressions.

"It's nothing."

Li Yao waved him off. Without even raising her head, she stepped into the main hall and surveyed the wreckage around her.

"Uncle Zhang, how is it?"

Zhang Qilin dragged the small coffin out from beneath the counter, unable to hide his excitement. "Miss, there's no mistake—this is absolutely an immortal opportunity! I spent quite a bit of silver greasing palms before Head Constable Chen agreed not to take this thing to the yamen."

The moment the small coffin was opened, the calligraphy painting appeared before them.

Li Yao took Zhang Qilin's lantern and, without hesitation, blew out the flame. The main hall immediately grew several shades darker.

At the instant the light vanished, Accountant Zhou in the painting could be seen glaring with wide eyes, his face full of venomous hatred. His twisted mouth split open into a grin, revealing a mouthful of sharp, jagged teeth.

Li Yao stared at the painting, utterly unconcerned that Accountant Zhou might escape from it. Zhang Qilin, on the other hand, retreated several steps in succession.

"Uncle Zhang, there won't be any danger before he becomes immortal."

Zhang Qilin gave an embarrassed smile, then heard Li Yao murmur, "I wonder how many methods of becoming immortal Three Incense Lady has hidden in Water Mouth City. Still, compared to Song Baizhou, Zhou Can—Accountant Zhou—has truly had miserable luck."

"Miss, what should we do next...?"

"We still don't know when Zhou Can will become immortal, so nothing in the pawnshop can be moved. The painting must remain in the main hall as well, waiting for the immortal opportunity to arrive."

Zhang Qilin's face flushed bright red. "It's thanks to Miss's foresight that you bought the pawnshop in advance! Next, we'll make all the arrangements around the pawnshop. Once Zhou Can emerges from the painting, we'll surely seize his immortal opportunity!"

"Mm." Li Yao gave a slight nod, her gaze never leaving the painting.

Zhang Qilin also realized he had lost his composure and hurriedly lowered his voice. "Miss, the residence next to the pawnshop has already been prepared. Would you like to rest there for a while first?"

Li Yao had already caught her breath. Carrying the lantern, she slowly made her way down the corridor.

Zhang Qilin looked back at the painting and, only after confirming there was no unusual movement, placed the lid back onto the small coffin.

Rustling sounds came from the shadows in the corner of the main hall.

The Yellow Mud Eye embedded in Black Rat Dao Child's brow glimmered faintly, taking in everything that had just happened. Then he silently slipped into a crack in the wall and vanished without a trace.

It seemed that Sparrow Fairy was not the only one—whenever the Immortal Ascension Sect was involved, Dao Children would be watching in the shadows.