Ren Qing exhaled slowly, closed "Thatched Cottage Travelogue" and then leaned against the wall to rest his eyes.
A realization struck him: losing one year of lifespan to master the Human Skin Book wasn't such a steep price after all.
The prison's supernatural remnant had spawned a restricted zone, that proofed its original host had far surpassed the Martial Practitioner realm, achieving sentience long before death.
Even if it was born from the same Human Skin Book, its nature had transformed entirely with each realm ascended.
He might be the only person in the world who could actually use remnants above the Martial Practitioner level to master techniques.
Thankfully, Song Zongwu hadn't noticed.
The downside? The higher the remnant's original realm, the more lifespan Ren Qing would have to burn to harness it.
As he prepared to leave the Martial Library, a muffled cough echoed through the room.
"Cough… cough… cough…"
An elderly constable emerged from the inner chamber. He looked seventy or eighty, hobbling with a cane.
"The library closes soon. You may return tomorrow."
"Thank you for the reminder, elder."
Ren Qing nodded and reshelved the Travelogue. He had no plans to return; the remaining martial manuals here were useless to him now.
Once he advanced to the Half-Corpse realm and his eyes mutated into Double Pupils, even the most refined techniques would be trivial to decipher.
The old constable suddenly asked, "I'd like to ask… is he well?"
Ren Qing frowned. "Elder, do you mean Song Zongwu?"
"Cough… yes."
Unsure of how to respond, Ren Qing defaulted to vagueness: "He's… fine. Very… robust."
The old man smiled. "Good. That puts my mind at ease."
Once Ren Qing left, the constable's kindly expression twisted violently. He weakly bolted the door behind him.
The coughing fit worsened.
Ren Qing glanced back at the Martial Library, his gaze lingering. That old man was clearly connected to Song Zongwu just from that question alone; their features even shared a resemblance.
Were they brothers?
Ren Qing dismissed further speculation about the old constable. He had more pressing matters; exploring the Human Skin Book's secrets.
Only when his focus waned did he realize he hadn't even eaten all day. His stomach growled as he quickened his pace toward the Corpse Burners' Hall.
Thin smoke curled from the furnace; a body was being cremated. Before leaving, Ren Qing had learned from Xiao Wu that the corpse was a fisherman who had drowned in the outskirts.
Waterlogged for days, the body burned sluggishly, requiring twice the usual time.
Entering the courtyard, Ren Qing spotted steamed buns and pickles on the stone table. He ate as he approached the furnace.
There, he found Xiao Wu, the Li brothers, and-
"Bo Feng?"
Ren Qing barely masked his surprise.
Bo Feng looked haggard. His once-black hair had turned silver, his face carved with deep wrinkles.
Meeting Ren Qing's gaze, he forced a smile. "Brother Ren. I've been reassigned to Tan Street. Hope you don't mind."
"Did your subordinates blame you for the prison deaths? That wasn't your fault."
Li Mian cut in: "He requested the transfer. We just found out."
Xiao Wu nodded eagerly, clearly curious about the whole thing.
Bo Feng sighed. "My street had seven runners. Four died in that prison... I knew their families."
He clutched his head, pain flashing across his face.
No longer willing to oversee Corpse Burners, Bo Feng had chosen Tan Street; partly due to Ren Qing's proven competence during the prison disaster.
Ren Qing clapped his shoulder. "You're welcome here."
Actually, it was the most practical choice as well; Tan Street was understaffed and without help, work would interfere with his cultivation.
And also, With Bo Feng managing affairs, Ren Qing could focus entirely on training.
Tension drained from Bo Feng's expression.
Over buns and pickles, the group bonded. When Bo Feng mentioned his former post in the western district's eastern sector, Ren Qing seized the chance to ask about the decapitation cases plaguing the eastern district.
"The headless corpses? They've shifted south now. No one knows the killer's motive..."
Li Mian frowned. "This scale suggests an organization."
Bo Feng shook his head. "Unlikely. I examined some bodies, the neck cuts were identical. One perpetrator."
Xiao Wu shrank into himself. "With curfews after each death... how hasn't he been caught?"
Leaning in, Bo Feng dropped his voice: "The cuts were... too clean. Not blade marks. More like the heads... separated and walked away on their own."
Xiao Wu's teeth chattered. "D-don't joke..."
Ren Qing interjected calmly: "The Yamen has countermeasures. And even sealed boats leak; the killer will slip up."
"True. Fewer cases lately."
"Brother Bo, keep an ear out for headless bodies in the west. Alert me if any appear."
"Thats easy. I know half the constables in the Yamen."
Bo Feng's connections were undeniable; Ren Qing couldn't match his web of contacts.
"I'll retire first. We'll talk tomorrow."
Ren Qing headed to his quarters, casually swallowing a pig's eye en route.
Bo Feng gaped. "Runner Ren... Was that raw meat just now?"
Li Heng deadpanned: "Fresh pig's eye. Drained of blood, no stench. Even slightly sweet."
The others stared at him. Flushing out of embarrassment, Li Heng added: "I-I got curious after seeing the Runner eat them daily."
Xiao Wu scoffed. "Brother Qing's eyes are weak. The doctor said 'like cures like.'"
As Li Heng floundered under even his brother's dubious look, Ren Qing smirked inwardly.
His "weak eyesight" act naturally served a purpose:
After advancing to the Half-Corpse realm, his Double Pupils would need concealment. Without better options and unwilling to join the Restraint Officers prematurely; this cover story was essential.
Compared to the Corpse Burners' sporadic dangers, Restraint Officers faced existential risks daily.
Ren Qing suspected that restricted zones outside Sanxiang City were far more numerous and deadly.
Those "plague-stricken villages" where Hexing Street Corpse Burners were reassigned?
Almost certainly restricted zones.
And almost certainly mass graves.