Innate Demonic Seed

Ren Qing could not help but freeze. Though it had not been confirmed, that Old Constable was very likely the Hundred-Eyed lurking in the shadows.

That man was actually Song Zongwu's son. And he had clearly succeeded in extending his lifespan, so why had he suddenly died?

With a belly full of questions, Ren Qing followed Song Zongwu toward the Martial Arts Field.

The two walked in silence. Ren Qing did not ask about Song Rong, but some guesses gradually formed in his heart.

The prerequisite for the Asura Method was to undergo the Five Great Buddhist Precepts without falling into depravity.

The so-called Five Great Precepts were: first, no killing; second, no theft; third, no sexual misconduct; fourth, no false speech; fifth, no drinking.

Since Song Zongwu's Asura Method had reached the level of Four-Armed Yama, it certainly could not have been achieved through mere secluded cultivation. It made sense that he had once had a family.

As they neared the Martial Arts Field, they could see that the Martial Arts Building in the distance had been sealed off by constables.

Wearing a bamboo hat, Song Zongwu displayed the Forbidden Guard's waist token and led Ren Qing directly into the Martial Arts Building.

There were only five old Fire Workers over forty inside. Upon seeing Song Zongwu, they respectfully lowered their heads.

These old Fire Workers had served at the Yamen for over twenty years. They no longer needed to deal with the trivial matters of the various districts, instead specializing in examining corpses with strange causes of death. Thus, they were called coroners.

The leading Chen Fire Worker said softly, "Song Rong passed away a few days ago. He usually kept himself shut in his room, so the body was not discovered until now..."

Song Zongwu nodded, with no joy or sorrow visible on his face.

Ren Qing frowned and asked, "A few days ago? Exactly which day?"

Chen Fire Worker considered for a moment before answering, "Judging by the degree of decay, it should have been two days ago."

Ren Qing muttered to himself, Wouldn't that have been the same time something happened at Sibu Hall? I wonder if there's any connection.

Song Zongwu said evenly, "Masters, you may return first."

"Understood, sir."

The old Fire Workers turned and left.

They did not know Song Zongwu's relationship with Song Rong. They only found it somewhat baffling, since there had been nothing unusual about the corpse.

After the Martial Arts Building was empty, Song Zongwu slowly revealed Song Rong's origins.

Song Rong had been frail and sickly since childhood, so his lifespan was limited. He would not live past twenty.

Yet his nature was that of an Innate Demonic Seed. His birth mother had died in difficult labor, and from childhood, Song Rong had delighted in torturing cats and dogs to death. He had even... laid hands on infants.

Back then, Song Zongwu had wanted to discipline Song Rong, but he had fallen into a Tribulation while advancing to Three-Armed Judge. Fearing he would die in a densely populated town, he could only prepare to flee far into the wilderness.

Song Zongwu entrusted five-year-old Song Rong to a temple, then hurried away to enter secluded cultivation.

His secluded cultivation lasted more than twenty years. When he returned to the temple, it was filled with dried corpses and bones, while Song Rong had long vanished without a trace.

Song Zongwu had thought Song Rong had died when his lifespan ran dry, only to discover him at the Sanxiang City Yamen.

And Song Rong was now forty-three years old.

Ren Qing could not help clicking his tongue. Song Rong had been so ruthless and vicious even as a child. Once he mastered Arts, he would surely become even more lawless.

Song Zongwu said in a low voice, "I have always suspected that Song Rong used living people as sacrifices to extend his lifespan and cling to life, but I could not find the slightest clue."

By Song Zongwu's standards, he naturally would not act before confirming that Song Rong had murdered people to extend his lifespan. As a result, the Head-Chopping Case had continued to occur.

Ren Qing could hear a trace of regret in Song Zongwu's tone.

Perhaps the "Chronicles of the Thatched Cottage" he had left in the Martial Arts Building was meant to use cultivators who read the book to admonish Song Rong. Yet the latter had shown no restraint whatsoever.

Of course, that was only speculation. They still needed to determine the truth through the corpse.

Ren Qing pushed open the wooden door to the inner room. What met his eyes was a dried corpse seated at a table, and the stench of decay rushed straight at him.

He carefully examined it with his Double Pupils. At first glance, the corpse seemed entirely normal, but something about it felt faintly wrong.

Song Zongwu said, "If he truly murdered people to extend his lifespan as I suspect, he would need at least four or five hundred lives."

"Senior Song, there's something wrong with the corpse."

Ren Qing pointed at the livor mortis covering the skin. "Even if the color of corpse spots varies with time, they should still be more or less the same."

Song Zongwu narrowed his eyes and looked. As Ren Qing had said, the corpse spots varied in shade, strange beyond words.

"You don't mind if I cut open the body, do you?"

"Go ahead."

Ren Qing took out the small knife he carried with him and sliced through the area where the corpse spots were densest, immediately exposing the flesh beneath.

The two exchanged glances, both wearing expressions of disbelief.

The flesh was clumped together, without even the slightest fibrous texture of muscle. It looked as though it had been pieced together.

Without hesitation, Ren Qing cut open the skin in several places. The flesh inside showed different degrees of decay, and some of it was not even human flesh.

The two spoke almost in unison. "Human Skin Book?"

The most likely culprit capable of creating a corpse so convincing it could pass for the real thing was the Skin Peeler of the Human Skin Book. This direction of Aberration primarily involved the human body.

Ren Qing immediately understood. Song Rong had to be that Hundred-Eyed.

No wonder he had been able to hide soundlessly within the Yamen, without even Song Zongwu seeing through him. He had likely concealed the Hundred-Eyed's characteristics by wearing Human Skin.

And he used the Skin Peeler's ability to dig out his own eyeballs, then attach them to animals or insects for remote control.

Perhaps even the Dungeon Forbidden Zone had been created by Song Rong.

But why had Song Rong faked his death and escaped? Could his target be the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone?

After hesitating for a moment, Ren Qing told Song Zongwu about the Eye-less Method.

He particularly emphasized how eating human eyes raw could extend one's lifespan. Song Zongwu naturally connected it to the Head-Chopping Case that had caused such an uproar before.

Song Zongwu understood that Ren Qing and Song Rong's Eye-less Methods came from the same source; the only difference was their directions of Aberration.

Anger rose in his eyes. He turned and stared with his Six Eyes. "Ren Qing, have you ever eaten human eyes raw?"

Ren Qing answered with a serious expression, "Senior Song, I have never eaten human eyes, nor have I ever had such thoughts."

Song Zongwu possessed the Diting Art and knew Ren Qing was not lying, so his tone softened.

"That is good. Never stray onto the wrong path."

Thinking of how difficult it was to master the Eye-less Method, he could not help but feel admiration.

Ever since Song Rong had deliberately spread the Eye-less Method, most people who tried to cultivate it had met no good end.

One had to endure forty-nine days of boundless darkness just to begin the Eye-less Method. Since Ren Qing had been able to hold fast to his true heart, it showed that his temperament was indeed quite good.

His talent, fortune, and temperament were all exceptional. In the future, he would absolutely have a chance to break through to the Yin Messenger Realm.

It was only a pity that he had accidentally consumed an Eerie Object, leaving him unable to master Arts related to the body. Otherwise, he could have been expected to reach the Yang God Realm.

A bold thought suddenly arose in Song Zongwu's mind. Ren Qing's Human Skin Book was only at the Martial Human Realm—perhaps it could break through the restrictions of the Eerie Object?

He stopped dwelling on it and prepared to set out in search of Song Rong.

"Cultivate the Taotie Method properly these next few days. If you need any resources, come find me."

"Thank you, Senior Song."

Ren Qing was secretly delighted. He could tell that Song Zongwu regarded him as a junior. Even without formally taking him as a disciple, there was likely not much difference.

Song Zongwu headed out of the Yamen.

Ren Qing remained in the Martial Arts Building for the time being, hoping to find clues left behind by the Hundred-Eyed in the inner room. Unfortunately, he found nothing.

As for the fake corpse, the constables outside contacted Bo Feng and had it carried away for cremation.

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