Headless Case

Ren Qing let out a long breath, then closed the Chronicles of the Thatched Cottage, leaning against the wall to rest with his eyes shut.

He suddenly realized that the one year of lifespan consumed by the Human Skin Book earlier was actually not that costly a price.

After all, the Eerie Object in the prison had been able to form a Forbidden Zone, which meant its owner was far beyond the Martial Human Realm in life and had already developed spiritual intelligence.

Even if it was an Eerie Object born from the same Human Skin Book, as one's realm advanced, the difference in essence became heaven and earth apart.

In all the world, he might be the only one capable of mastering techniques using an Eerie Object above the Martial Human Realm.

Fortunately, Song Zongwu hadn't noticed.

Unfortunately, the higher the realm of the Eerie Object, the more absurd the lifespan Ren Qing would need to consume to master its techniques.

Ren Qing was about to leave the Martial Arts Building when he suddenly heard an uncontrollable cough.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

The Old Constable walked out from the inner room. He looked to be seventy or eighty years old, and even walking required the support of a cane.

"The Martial Arts Building will close soon. You can come back tomorrow."

"Thank you for the reminder, elder."

Ren Qing nodded and placed the Chronicles of the Thatched Cottage back on the bookshelf.

He didn't plan to return; the remaining martial arts manuals were useless to him anyway.

As long as he successfully advanced to the Half-Corpse Realm and his eyes mutated into Double Pupils, even the most exquisite techniques would be easily seen through.

The Old Constable noticed the Chronicles of the Thatched Cottage and suddenly spoke up: "I'd like to ask—is he doing well?"

Ren Qing didn't answer, only listened as the Old Constable continued to himself: "Cough, cough, cough... Is Song Zongwu doing well?"

Ren Qing didn't know how to describe it, so he replied perfunctorily: "He's fine, um... his body is very sturdy."

The Old Constable smiled and said, "I see. Then I can rest easy."

After Ren Qing left, the Old Constable's kindly expression twisted into something extremely distorted. He weakly closed the door tight.

The coughing grew fiercer.

Ren Qing cast a deep glance at the Martial Arts Building. That Old Constable was definitely connected to Song Zongwu; their appearances were somewhat similar.

Could they be brothers?

Ren Qing had no intention of digging deeper. It was better to spend more time studying the Human Skin Book.

He snapped out of his focused state and only then remembered he hadn't eaten today. His stomach was already growling with hunger, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace.

When he returned to the Fire Refining Hall, he saw the furnace emitting green smoke with crackling sounds, clearly a corpse being burned inside.

But before leaving, Ren Qing had learned from Xiao Wu that the corpse was a fisherman who had drowned in the outskirts.

Since the body had been soaked in water for several days, it was difficult to burn and would take at least twice as long.

Entering the yard, Ren Qing noticed some steamed buns and side dishes on the stone table.

The food was provided by the Yamen. Strangely enough, there wasn't much farmland outside the city, yet the granaries inside were all full.

He ate while heading toward the furnace.

Ren Qing soon spotted Xiao Wu and the others, including a familiar figure among them, though he was silent and didn't speak.

"Bo Feng?"

Ren Qing couldn't help but feel surprised.

Bo Feng had changed a lot, exuding an air of dejection. Not only had his black hair turned completely silver-white, but his face was also covered in deep wrinkles.

Bo Feng looked up at Ren Qing and said with a bitter smile, "Brother Ren, I'll be working on Tan Street from now on. Don't hold it against me."

Ren Qing couldn't help but ask, "Did the constables under you blame you? But what does the death and injury in the prison have to do with you?"

Li Mian explained, "Bo Feng transferred here voluntarily. We just found out."

Xiao Wu nodded, clearly interested in why Bo Feng had come.

Bo Feng sighed. "There were only seven constables on the street. Four died in the prison. I knew their entire families..."

At this point, he clutched his head in pain.

Bo Feng didn't want to be the overseer of the Fire Refining Hall anymore, so he had voluntarily transferred to Tan Street. Of course, Ren Qing's presence was also a factor—the latter's performance in the prison had been obvious to all.

Ren Qing patted Bo Feng on the shoulder and agreed without hesitation.

Mainly, Tan Street had too few people. If things got busy, it might affect his own cultivation. Besides, with Bo Feng in charge, Ren Qing could comfortably act as a hands-off overseer.

Bo Feng's mood gradually recovered, and his expression showed relief.

The group chatted casually over steamed buns and side dishes, using the opportunity to grow closer.

When Bo Feng mentioned that the street he originally managed was in the eastern part of the West District, Ren Qing couldn't help but ask about the decapitated corpses in the East District.

"You're talking about the Headless Case. It's mainly concentrated in the South District now. No one knows what the killer's purpose is..."

Li Mian frowned and asked, "With so many dead, it must be connected to some faction."

Bo Feng shook his head and said, "Not likely. I've seen a few of the bodies. The cuts on the necks are exactly the same, which suggests they were done by one person."

Xiao Wu curled up, asking with a hint of fear, "The back alleys will definitely be sealed off after a death. Haven't they found the killer yet?"

Bo Feng couldn't help glancing around, then said in a low voice, "The cut on the neck was too clean. It didn't look like it was made by a sharp weapon at all—more like the head grew legs and ran off on its own."

Xiao Wu's teeth began to chatter. "Don't... don't... scare me like that."

Ren Qing reassured him, "The Yamen must have taken measures. Besides, no leak is so tight it can't be caught. If they keep committing crimes, they'll inevitably slip up."

"That's true. I do feel like there have been fewer Head-Chopping Cases lately."

"Brother Bo, keep an eye on the West District. If you come across any headless bodies, let me know."

"No problem. I know quite a few constables in the Yamen."

Bo Feng agreed readily. The advantage of having an old hand like him was clear—at least in terms of connections, Ren Qing was far behind.

"I'm going to sleep now. We'll talk about anything else tomorrow morning."

Ren Qing got up and headed toward the side room, casually swallowing a Pig Eye without changing his expression.

Bo Feng happened to see it, and his face twisted in disbelief. "Officer Ren, what did you just eat? It looked like raw meat?"

Li Heng, unfazed, explained, "It's actually a fairly fresh Pig Eye. Once the blood is rinsed off, there's no stench at all, and it even leaves a bit of sweetness in the mouth."

The others looked uneasy. Li Heng's face flushed red as he added, "I just saw the officer eating one every day and got curious."

Xiao Wu said disdainfully, "Qing Ge'er has bad eyesight. The doctor said he has to eat like to supplement like."

Li Heng tried to explain further, but even his own brother Li Mian's expression turned odd, and he nearly wept in frustration.

As for why Ren Qing deliberately hinted at poor eyesight—it was because after advancing to the Half-Corpse Realm, he would inevitably need to conceal his Double Pupils. He had no good way to do it, but he didn't want to join the Forbidden Guard too early, at least not until his strength was enough to protect himself.

Compared to the occasional dangers faced by a Fire Worker, the risks a Forbidden Guard had to take were far greater.

Ren Qing even suspected there were quite a few Forbidden Zones outside the city.

Those Fire Workers from Hexing Street who had been transferred out of Sanxiang City—supposedly to deal with a plague in some village—were likely connected to a Forbidden Zone. Chances were, they had already met a grim fate.