Prison as a Forbidden Zone

Not long after he had finished burning the corpses, Ren Qing, who had only just found some free time, was summoned to the Public Trial Hall.

It was not because their midnight corpse-moving had been exposed. The main reason was that the county magistrate had ordered the yamen runners to assemble, stirring up every yamen runner in the West District.

From what Ren Qing knew, such a grand mobilization was more or less connected to something strange.

The Council Chamber within the Public Trial Hall was not large. It was packed with wooden chairs, occupied by the fire workers and lictors in charge of every district of Sanxiang City.

Most of them were over thirty, and quite a few already had graying hair. Ren Qing alone was not even twenty.

The room was silent. Ren Qing sat near the door and took the chance to observe everyone present.

Before long, a scribe entered with an unpleasant expression.

This scribe was surnamed Zhao. He oversaw the yamen runners of the yamen's West District and looked more like a shrewd merchant.

"Long story short, you should all know something about what happened at East District Prison, right?"

Ren Qing swept his gaze around. The other yamen runners' expressions had all turned ugly, while he alone was completely in the dark.

Clerk Zhao continued, "It has become a Forbidden Zone. Once the Forbidden Guards finish dealing with it, you will be responsible for cleaning out the prison. Each district will send five men. Pick the clever ones."

The yamen runners all agreed. Though they would not be the ones taking the risk, if too many of their subordinates died, it would be easy to lose public trust.

Ren Qing shook his head helplessly. It seemed the four men from Tan Street definitely would not escape this.

Still, curiosity rose in his heart. Why was the prison worth such a massive mobilization by the yamen? And what exactly was this so-called Forbidden Zone?

Could it involve ghosts and gods...

"Once you enter the prison, remember not to expose any skin whatsoever. Also, clean the place thoroughly. Not even the slightest scrap may be left behind."

Clerk Zhao began a lengthy explanation, listing nothing but precautions. Yet the yamen runners listened with utmost seriousness, some even lowering their heads to take notes.

The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly oppressive.

Ren Qing could clearly see the fear in the yamen runners' eyes.

Logically speaking, they had handled at least a thousand corpses between them. How could they be so rattled?

"Go back and prepare. Have the yamen runners who are going settle their last affairs."

Clerk Zhao waved a hand, then turned and left the Council Chamber.

Not long after he left, the yamen runners began arguing loudly. They nearly came to blows, making their anxiety plain to see.

Ren Qing found a middle-aged fire worker in the corner and asked, "Excuse me, but what exactly happened in the prison?"

The middle-aged fire worker froze, then seemed to realize something. "Oh, no wonder you don't know. You're from Tan Street..."

"That prison is in the yamen's East District. They say the prisoners killed one another until the place was full of corpses. But two batches of yamen runners have already gone in these past few days. The East District is short-handed, so now they can only use us."

Ren Qing could not help asking, "Then what is a Forbidden Zone?"

"If large numbers of people die mysteriously, it becomes a Forbidden Zone."

After saying that, the middle-aged fire worker hurried off in a blaze of anxiety. The other yamen runners did the same.

Ren Qing carefully considered the clerk's words. Were those seemingly absurd rules warning them of something?

The moment he returned to the Fire Refining Hall, he told Li Mian and the others about it.

The Li brothers looked at one another. Li Mian swallowed and said, "I once heard the old men in the yamen say that entering a Forbidden Zone means nine deaths for every chance of survival..."

Xiao Wu staggered back several steps in fright. Fortunately, after the tempering of the past few days, he had grown somewhat bolder and at least did not collapse straight to the ground.

Rubbing his temples, Ren Qing said, "We can't escape this anyway. We might as well prepare thoroughly, so nothing goes wrong."

"Alright. We'll listen to the officer."

The three of them had already come to trust Ren Qing, and their emotions gradually settled.

After eating and drinking their fill, they covered every inch of exposed skin as the clerk had instructed and put on two thick layers of clothing.

To be safe, they also brought short blades.

Only their eyes were left exposed to see with.

Ren Qing prepared some Pig Eyes wrapped in oil paper. Still not reassured, he swallowed several first, ensuring the heat within his body flowed without end.

As they waited in nervous unease, the sun was about to sink below the horizon.

The sound of a gong rang out somewhere in the yamen.

The four of them walked out of the courtyard. Ren Qing gave one final reminder: "Stay close behind me. If I don't touch something, none of you make any unnecessary movements."

"Understood, officer."

The group exchanged speechless glances and followed the sound of the gong to a relatively open area in the West District.

A force of more than a hundred yamen runners was already assembled and ready to depart.

Ren Qing realized his own outfit was not particularly excessive among them. Most people, to save their lives, looked as though they wished they could wear a full suit of iron armor.

Once everyone had gathered, Clerk Zhao seemed to want to say something but ultimately remained silent. He turned and headed toward the yamen's East District.

The constables they encountered along the way all stopped in their tracks, their expressions exceedingly complicated.

By the time they reached the prison, the moon had risen halfway into the sky.

From the outside, the prison did not seem large. In truth, however, the building extended three full levels underground and could hold over a thousand prisoners.

The route leading to the prison had been surrounded by soldiers, while several Forbidden Guards in light armor and conical hats stood beneath a tree some distance away.

Ren Qing's gaze lingered on one of the Forbidden Guards for a moment.

He had encountered this man a few days ago while cleaning bloodstains. At the time, he seemed to have been carrying an old Human Skin in his hand.

Ren Qing had assumed it was connected to some cultivation art, but now it felt more like he had been dealing with the strange happenings inside the prison.

Clerk Zhao shouted, "Everyone, first bring out the corpses of the yamen runners on the second level. Then deal with the other bodies."

Ren Qing silently reviewed every detail, then slowly entered the prison with the crowd.

Beyond the iron gate, the air was extremely damp. Even through two layers of headwraps, he could smell a strange stench of rot mixed with blood.

The prison's uppermost level was used by the prison guards for rest. Aside from traces showing that corpses had been dragged through it, there was nothing else unusual.

But the first underground level was completely different.

The walls were coated in thick blood slurry mixed with fragments of flesh, as though it were hell on earth...

The rows of cells lay empty, but deep fingernail marks could be seen on the wooden bars, revealing the prisoners' agony before death.

The lictors took up lime and began cleaning, while the fire workers headed down to the next level.

Ren Qing could clearly sense Xiao Wu's nervousness as his breathing grew hurried.

He patted Xiao Wu on the head, and only then did Xiao Wu steady himself.

After reaching the second underground level, Ren Qing discovered that the corpses inside had already mostly been carried away by the fire workers who had come before them.

The group still searched carefully through the area, making sure nothing had been missed.

At last, they found the corpses of dead fire workers on the stairs leading further down.

The corpses were twisted in death, their clothes tattered and torn, their faces filled with terror.

Ren Qing guessed that these fire workers had fled from the Third Underground Floor, though he had no idea what they had encountered.

The group worked together to carry away the bodies. Just then, something the size of a palm seemed to flash past on the staircase.

Ren Qing was the only one who noticed it. It seemed to be a torn scrap of Human Skin?