Ren Qing agreed on the surface, but in truth, he was already preparing to find a time to advance the Taotie Method. In any case, his Aberration was not particularly obvious.
He asked about some doubts he had encountered during cultivation. Song Zongwu answered every question without holding anything back, even using himself as an example.
Before they knew it, the two of them had begun discussing the Forbidden Zones.
According to Song Zongwu, there were four Forbidden Zones around all of Sanxiang City. Among them, the core Eerie Objects of two Forbidden Zones were at the Ghost Envoy Realm, while another was at the Yin Messenger Realm.
The situation within the remaining Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone was unclear. They would have to investigate it before learning anything.
Because Forbidden Zones were scattered throughout the land beyond the city, trade between towns was sparse. Only the waterways were somewhat safer.
Ren Qing's heart sank. Since cultivators could cultivate independently, the number of Forbidden Zones surely could not be controlled.
Then why would the Forbidden Guards allow gangs to let ordinary civilians come into contact with Arts?
He could not help asking Song Zongwu. The latter remained silent for a long while without offering a clear explanation, only vaguely telling Ren Qing—
"For cultivators, Forbidden Zones are merely one of the threats upon this vast and boundless land..."
Ren Qing understood that his horizons were limited by his strength, so he did not press further. Yet he became even more eager to advance to the Ghost Envoy Realm as soon as possible.
Song Zongwu still had matters concerning the sealing of the Forbidden Zone to prepare for. After giving a few instructions, he left the Fire Refining Hall.
Ren Qing did not continue cultivating. Instead, he got a good night's rest.
When he woke up, he noticed changes in his body. The pork that had originally packed his stomach full had actually been completely digested.
He had never been able to digest food so quickly before. This meant his digestive ability had improved again, and the lifespan-extending effect of Pig Eyes had strengthened further.
Ren Qing grew somewhat excited at the thought. If he could resolve the problem of insufficient lifespan, stepping into the Ghost Envoy Realm would be just around the corner.
At the previous rate, continuously eating Pig Eyes for all twelve double-hours each day would take at least half a year to accumulate enough.
Even if others could only stare after him in the dust, he still could not dispel his wariness toward this world.
And to be safe, his lifespan should reach fifteen years before he advanced to the Ghost Envoy Realm.
Otherwise, if some accident suddenly occurred after advancing—such as being trapped in a Forbidden Zone and unable to obtain more lifespan extension—that would be a huge problem.
With all the Pig Eyes in the West of the City at his disposal, Ren Qing discovered through experimentation that their lifespan-extending effect had reached fourteen or fifteen days per day.
But before Ren Qing could celebrate for long, he noticed that as his lifespan increased, the lifespan-extending effect of Pig Eyes had actually weakened slightly.
Ren Qing immediately realized that Eye Devouring Longevity likely had a specific upper limit.
He was not discouraged. After all, achieving immortality by eating raw Pig Eyes alone was indeed unrealistic. He still had to seek new methods of extending his lifespan.
A bold thought even arose in Ren Qing's mind.
Searching through Arts one by one was truly inefficient. It would be better to search in Forbidden Zones, where Arts gathered in clusters—provided, of course, that he was strong enough.
Ren Qing suppressed the distracting thoughts in his heart.
He returned to his usual cultivation routine, practicing his saber and meditating day after day, moving between two points in a single line.
Before he knew it, the Yamen had completed its preparations to seal the Forbidden Zone.
The people of Sanxiang City could clearly sense that a storm was brewing in the mountains. The constables patrolling the streets had increased severalfold, and anyone wishing to enter the city had to have their belongings inspected.
The gangs behaved themselves and stopped causing trouble. This allowed the stewed offal business to develop steadily, gradually expanding into every street and alley in the West of the City.
All the pork offal was stewed and braised by Butcher Zhang before the finished goods were distributed to stalls associated with the Bloodhound Gang.
Song Zongwu privately revealed to Ren Qing that, because the Forbidden Zone involved was rather strange, only five Forbidden Guards and a dozen or so Yamen Runners would participate.
The largest force consisted of several thousand government soldiers. They were to clear out the bandits near the Forbidden Zone, lest they interfere with the Forbidden Guards.
This bandit suppression lasted around three days. The mountain bandits' corpses were not brought back to Sanxiang City, but burned where they fell.
Only after the government soldiers returned would the Forbidden Guards set out for the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone.
They needed to determine the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone's approximate location in advance, so they had departed ahead of time.
The Yamen Runners would wait another day. They would travel in groups of five Fire Workers and two constables, with each group taking a different route.
The Fire Workers' supervisors would serve as team leaders. The routes had all been confirmed safe beforehand, and even if they encountered danger, they had ways to contact the Forbidden Guards.
After the Fire Worker quotas were divided up, aside from those unable to leave, every street's Fire Refining Hall had to provide two Yamen Runners.
Ren Qing chose to bring Xiao Wu. The Li brothers were too broad and burly for the task, while Bo Feng remained behind to handle miscellaneous matters.
Even if they encountered danger, Xiao Wu was only half-grown. Ren Qing could use Werewolf Transformation, snatch him up, and flee far away.
Once the Forbidden Guards departed one after another, it meant the time for the Yamen Runners to leave the city was close at hand.
Naturally, Ren Qing had his own plans. Once Song Zongwu was no longer in Sanxiang City, he immediately began preparing to advance the Taotie Method.
Several days earlier, he had already instructed Butcher Zhang to gather a large quantity of Pig Eyes.
To him, the Mustard Seed Space within the Strange Stomach was extremely important. It ensured that he could carry Pig Eyes with him at all times.
As long as he had Pig Eyes, even if he was injured, he could recover in a short time. His safety would increase greatly.
Upon learning that they would set out for the Forbidden Zone tomorrow—
Ren Qing chose to advance the Taotie Method late at night. The process passed without danger.
A fist-sized Strange Stomach appeared beside his own stomach. It seemed useless on the surface, but it actually contained a space of one cubic meter.
If used to store Pig Eyes, it could easily hold dozens or even hundreds of pounds.
As for the location of the Strange Mouth, Ren Qing chose the palm of his right hand. This would make retrieving items extremely convenient.
Whenever the Strange Mouth opened, densely packed, tiny teeth could be seen within, making one's scalp tingle.
But Ren Qing had unknowingly grown accustomed to this underworld aesthetic. He even found this mouth somewhat uniquely adorable.
Besides storing Pig Eyes, Ren Qing also bought some concealed weapons from Zhao Hu.
Although he had no accuracy when throwing them, he could silently retrieve them through the Strange Mouth. They might come in handy someday.
Aside from the Mustard Seed Space, becoming a Vice-Stomach User barely improved his strength. However, the next advancement would be completely different.
Prison in the Belly: Bind Stomach as Prison
One could tell from the name that the Strange Stomach's space would undergo considerable changes then, and it would also be able to bind others.
As for the other two Aberration paths of the Taotie Method, they were—
Spirit of the Hill: Contain All Things
Spitting Nether Spring: Melt Souls and Corrode Bones
Among them, Spirit of the Hill required a greater price to be exempted from, consuming the most lifespan at a year and a half.
Ren Qing carried medicinal herbs and dry rations with him, while his Great Miao Saber was openly strapped to his back.
No weapon seemed quite right for Xiao Wu, so he simply brought a large iron pot. It was sturdy enough to fend off danger.
Besides them, Zhu Ding from Hexing Street joined the team as well.
Zhu Ding had not originally needed to go beyond the city, since he had only recently taken up his post. But his seniority was too shallow, and sometimes he had no choice.
Seeing this, Ren Qing asked Clerk Zhao for him, allowing Zhu Ding and Xiao Wu to look out for one another.
The other two Fire Workers traveling with them were unfamiliar faces from the East Street Fire Refining Hall. Both were already in their early thirties.
The constables were the same. They had never even been dispatched beyond the city by the Yamen before. By the look of it, they had less courage than Xiao Wu.
Thanks to 20211009235730317 and Burying the Heavens in Complaints for their rewards.
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