After the Hexing Street Corpse Burners were completely wiped out, three new constables arrived at the Corpse Burners' Hall.
They weren't there to expand Tan Street's numbers, but were specifically assigned to handle Hexing Street's work, having been promoted from Unofficial Runners of other streets.
Xiao Wu enthusiastically welcomed the three and explained matters about the Corpse Burners' Hall.
Among them, Zhu Ding was about the same age as Xiao Wu. His promotion to constable was partly due to luck, so his attitude was cautious.
The other two were much colder, not even acknowledging Xiao Wu, just nodding before going straight to their rooms.
While repeatedly expressing thanks, Zhu Ding's gaze fell on a nearby side room.
"This is..."
White smoke drifted through the window cracks, carrying a strong medicinal smell.
Xiao Wu said with concern in his eyes: "That's Runner Ren's room. He's taking medicine because of health issues."
Zhu Ding nodded with partial understanding, then was called by Xiao Wu to meet Bo Feng and the others.
Ren Qing sat cross-legged in a bathtub, slowly absorbing the medicinal bath through his skin, feeling an unbearable itching sensation.
He had no choice but to endure it, after all, cultivation was about tempering one's will.
Moreover, the silver needed for medicinal baths wasn't cheap. Even with extra money, he still had to be thrifty.
Why were medicinal herbs so expensive? Probably because the areas outside the city were dangerous, making herb gatherers afraid to go too deep, naturally driving up prices.
Only after fully absorbing the medicinal effects did Ren Qing climb out of the tub.
His entire body was like a cooked crab, red and steaming.
After changing clothes, he casually grabbed some pig eyes from the table and threw them into his mouth. Just as he was about to swallow, Song Zongwu appeared before him.
"Senior Song..."
"Does your pupil technique require eating animal eyes?"
"That's correct, but only animal eyes."
Ren Qing quickly explained, he didn't want to be connected to the decapitation cases.
Song Zongwu didn't press further. The world's techniques were bizarre, some even required consuming filth to cultivate.
Just as Ren Qing was about to speak, he noticed Song Zongwu taking two books from his robe, immediately looking expectant.
"Time was short, so I only found two techniques with clear mutation paths. Choose one."
Ren Qing happily accepted the books, then his expression turned strange.
Song Zongwu warned: "If you want to cultivate 'Five Viscera Gods,' it's best to mutate toward the Headless One path. As for content beyond the Yin Runner Realm, I removed it, too sinister."
[Five Viscera Gods (Incomplete)]
[Created by Du Cun, abbot of the Five Viscera Temple, through observing deity statues. Requires all five viscera to be intact.]
This was the first time Ren Qing saw a technique with such low requirements, feeling out of place in this bizarre world.
Unfortunately, the technique was incomplete. As for how sinister it was, that wasn't immediately clear.
"There aren't many viscera-related techniques, and I'm not very familiar with them. This 'Five Viscera Gods' can barely be cultivated, but you must be careful."
Ren Qing felt slightly regretful. When more information about Five Viscera Gods appeared, he silently put the book down.
[As cultivation of the Five Viscera Gods deepens, the five viscera will gradually develop intelligence, becoming independent from oneself upon reaching Yin Runner Realm.]
[Ghost Mother: Five Ghosts Transport]
[Five Spirits: Soul Divides Five Ways]
[Headless One: Eyes on Breasts]
[The Five Viscera Gods lacks subsequent content, cannot be mastered by expending lifespan]
Ren Qing knew the technique's effects probably couldn't be exempted by the information stream, after all, the Five Viscera Gods cultivated living viscera.
He didn't want his organs having different thoughts or perhaps even arguing inside his body.
The Headless One was probably similar to the mythical Xingtian, viscera fusing with the body, eyes on breasts, mouth at the navel, all of these were truly bizarre.
Fortunately, the incomplete technique meant less dilemma, so Ren Qing decisively gave it up and picked up the other book.
Song Zongwu continued: "This one doesn't have severe side effects. I'd suggest you cultivate this technique."
[Taotie Method]
[The Taotie Method is inscribed on the stomach of the mythical beast Taotie, obtained by the Gourmet Taoist. Cultivation requires massive eating until the stomach expands over four times its size to master.]
Song Zongwu explained: "The Taotie Method requires an exceptionally large stomach capacity, needing an unusual physique. But with your Half-Corpse Realm cultivation, you can try."
"Thank you, Senior Song. I'll take this Taotie Method then."
Ren Qing's brows relaxed slightly as he quickly flipped through the book, gaining new information over time.
[Can keep stomach constantly full to accelerate cultivation, but cultivator will gradually lose control over appetite.]
[Food Eater: All Things Edible]
[Secondary Stomach: Additional Alien Stomach]
[Giant Stomach: Stomach Like an Ox's]
[Can expend thirty days of lifespan to master while exempt from costs]
Song Zongwu nodded, then casually put away Five Viscera Gods.
Ren Qing already felt the benefits of having a teacher. Song Zongwu had thoroughly researched both techniques before giving them to him, so he naturally knew the mutation paths too.
After Taotie Method mutates into "Food Eater," originally inedible things can be digested, even metals like gold, silver, and copper.
However, the downside is that when Food Eater reaches Ghost Envoy Realm, becoming "Mountain Spirit," bodily mutations become extremely obvious.
Then, eating flesh would gradually make one grow larger; ten meters wouldn't even be the limit.
Eating metals would inevitably mineralize muscles.
Eating plants would make one sprout abundant vegetation.
Mountain Spirits would look like walking earthen giants.
At Yin Runner Realm it's even more exaggerated, Mountain Spirits mutate into "Mountain Deities," completely transforming into mountains.
Giant Stomach is relatively better, but still leaves one with a several-meter-wide belly.
Its ability somewhat resembles the Purple Gold Gourd from Journey to the West, anything swallowed turns to pus and blood instantly.
Secondary Stomach is the most unique, and the mutation path Song Zongwu recommended.
Cultivating Secondary Stomach grows a second alien stomach inside the body, forming a mustard seed space for storage.
Flesh stored in the alien stomach decays much slower.
Moreover, Secondary Stomach's mutations aren't obvious, just growing an additional mouth connected to the alien stomach, suiting Ren Qing's desire to hide his strength.
Ren Qing was somewhat resistant, but learned from Song Zongwu that the additional mouth would be unnoticeable when closed.
He had no other choice, Giant Stomach's obese form hindered combat, while Food Eater was even more absurd, directly turning one into a mountain.
Seeing Ren Qing put away Taotie Method, Song Zongwu's expression turned solemn: "Ren Qing, with your pupil technique's keen observation, help me examine a corpse."
"What corpse?"
"You've seen him at the Martial Arts Tower, he was my son, his name was Song Rong..."
Song Zongwu sighed deeply, his usually impassive face showing complex emotions.