The Human Skin Book

Song Zongwu's arm slammed down hard.

Bang!!!

A thunderous boom erupted, the resulting shockwave sending the surrounding Fire Workers tumbling over, all of them fainting on the spot.

Only Ren Qing barely managed to cling to some shred of consciousness, and thus had to endure the torment of suffering a while longer.

Mastering the Human Skin Book took longer than he had imagined; he had no energy left to pay attention to what was happening.

Song Zongwu spread his palm open. The Human Face hadn't suffered much damage, and even let out a piercing, eerie laugh.

He struck out with several more palms.

The wild grin on Song Zongwu's face faded slightly as he realized the Human Face clung to him like a bone-deep maggot, desperately burrowing into his body.

"You really think you can do anything to me?"

He tore the Human Face off along with flesh and blood, flinging it directly against the wall.

The wall instantly caved into a deep crater, but the effect on the Human Face was minimal. It crawled through the gaps between the bricks, intending to absorb the Fire Workers to recover its injuries.

Just then, hundreds of centipedes surged in from the corridor outside, encircling everyone, including Ren Qing.

"Drink!!"

Seizing the opportunity, Song Zongwu's legs exploded with force, closing the distance, and punched the Human Face into pulp.

Though the Human Face reformed, its size had shrunk considerably, and its previously venomous expression had turned to sheer terror.

"Old Song, all the Human Skin Fragments have been retrieved. Only this Human Face remains."

Li Yaoyang walked slowly into the stairwell.

He had taken off his bamboo hat; his appearance seemed no different from an ordinary person's, but when he opened his mouth, all kinds of insects crawled out.

The Human Face was cornered by the centipedes, and Li Yaoyang prepared to press the attack.

Miss Bai, a step too slow, saw the scene and instinctively drew the longsword at her waist, hurling it without hesitation.

The sword traced an elegant arc, pinning the Human Face to the wall, unable to move—but in the process, half of Li Yaoyang's head was sliced off.

Li Yaoyang touched his head reflexively, finding his hand covered in blood and brain matter.

He said with a hint of helplessness, "Miss Bai, I told you not to draw your sword..."

Miss Bai replied flatly, "I see. So my swordsmanship is this strong."

Li Yaoyang opened his mouth as if to speak, then let it go with a resigned sigh. Hundreds of maggots covered the wound, slowly restoring his head.

He turned to Song Zongwu and said, "Old Song, this Forbidden Zone isn't particularly dangerous, but it's still quite troublesome."

Song Zongwu snorted coldly. He had to admit inwardly that if he had barged into the Forbidden Zone recklessly, there was indeed a risk of being possessed.

Song Zongwu grabbed the Human Face, tore it in half, and handed it to Li Yaoyang. "If you don't see the anomaly formed by the Human Skin Book with your own eyes, you simply can't detect it."

"Mm, it's right to be cautious."

Li Yaoyang raised his right hand, and the dense swarm of centipedes returned to his body.

"I'll use Brain-eating Worms to blur the memories of these Fire Workers. They'll still vaguely remember, but at least they won't go mad from it. Also..."

His tone grew excited as he spoke. "Those hollowed-out corpses are quite interesting."

Song Zongwu waved his hand dismissively. "Do whatever you want with them."

Li Yaoyang's expression returned to its usual calm. He began clearing the corpses in the prison, tossing them all into the pit the centipedes had dug.

By now, Ren Qing was no longer in critical condition. He first checked his own information.

[Ren Qing]

[Age: Seventeen]

[Lifespan: Four years, ninety-three days]

[Arts: Eye-less Method, Human Skin Book]

Mastering the Human Skin Book had directly cost him a year of lifespan—a truly painful loss.

Ren Qing was also a bit confused. The Eye-less Method had only consumed thirty days; could it be related to the price of exemption?

He set lifespan aside for now.

Another new sprout had grown in his mind. When he gently touched it with his consciousness, the branch of the Human Skin Book appeared before him.

[Skin Peeler: Peel Skin to Replace Death]

[Skin Refiner: Refine Self with Skin]

[Herder: Herd Humans]

Ren Qing glanced over it briefly, then dismissed the Information Flow.

But he didn't dare open his eyes. He pretended to remain unconscious, so as not to draw the attention of the Forbidden Guards.

Song Zongwu yawned, looking impatient. "Release the Brain-eating Worms. It's about time we left."

Li Yaoyang nodded. Then, from his left ear, a black beetle the size of a fingernail crawled out and flew into the mouths of every Fire Worker present.

Ren Qing was no exception; he clenched his teeth tightly to prevent the black beetle from entering his mouth, lest the Brain-eating Worm damage his brain.

Moments later, the Brain-eating Worm crawled back into Li Yaoyang's ear.

Song Zongwu and the other two turned and left.

Ren Qing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; if the other party had intended to harm people, he certainly wouldn't have been able to stop them in time.

Suddenly, Song Zongwu halted his steps. His six eyes swept across the surroundings, and when they landed on Ren Qing, a hint of strangeness flickered across his face.

He nudged Ren Qing with his toe, then muttered to himself.

"I've heard that every ten years, one book among the world's texts turns into a Human Skin Book. The place in our Yamen with the most books should be the Martial Arts Field, right?"

Song Zongwu walked straight out of the prison, leaving the mess to Clerk Zhao.

The Yamen urgently transferred constables from various districts, and the unconscious Fire Refining workers were carried out of the prison, with physicians specially summoned to treat them.

Ren Qing continued to play dead, truly frightened by Song Zongwu.

When the other touched him, the information was also revealed.

[Song Zongwu]

[Age: Eighty-six]

[Lifespan: Two hundred fifty-three years]

[Art: Asura Method (Four-Armed Yama) ???]

[???]

A string of question marks followed; it seemed that against Song Zongwu, whose strength far exceeded Ren Qing's, the information obtained was difficult to fully grasp.

As for why "Asura Method" could be displayed, it might only be because Song Zongwu had manifested the Asura Method; any other hidden techniques remained unknowable.

[The Asura Method was created by the Nameless Ascetic Monk. Its cultivation requires one to be born with both arms missing and to undergo the Five Major Precepts of Buddhism without falling, completing the practice by growing a pair of arms.]

[Four-Armed Yama is an advancement from Three-Armed Judge]

From the description of the Asura Method, Song Zongwu should be of good character. Could his behavior upon leaving have some deeper meaning?

Ren Qing had a vague guess, but he didn't rush to verify it. Instead, after being examined by the physician, he returned to the Fire Refining Hall.

Thirty-five Fire Refining workers survived, mainly because the Forbidden Guard acted in time, and Ren Qing had delayed the Human Face for a while.

The few who died unexpectedly on the stairs were mostly trampled by the crowd.

As for Xiao Wu and the other two, they obediently pressed themselves against the wall and didn't run around.

The survival of all the Fire Refining workers from Tan Street was an exception; some who were less fortunate didn't even leave behind a complete corpse among the five who went.

Still, any constable serving in the Yamen had already prepared for death, and their families would receive a generous compensation in silver.

Because of the Brain-eating Worm, the survivors had forgotten what happened in the prison, their spirits listless and in need of time to recover.

Ren Qing naturally didn't want to stand out, so he stayed quietly in his room for a few days.