Ren Qing couldn't help but be stunned. Although it hadn't been confirmed, that old constable was very likely the Hundred-Eyed One hiding in the shadows.
This person was actually Song Zongwu's father. Moreover, he had clearly already succeeded in extending his lifespan, so why would he suddenly die?
With a belly full of doubts, Ren Qing followed Song Zongwu as they walked toward the training grounds.
The two looked at each other without speaking. Ren Qing didn't ask about Song Rong's matters, but gradually formed some guesses in his heart.
The prerequisite of the Asura Method was to undergo the five major Buddhist precepts without falling into depravity.
The so-called five precepts were: first, no killing; second, no stealing; third, no sexual misconduct; fourth, no false speech; fifth, no alcohol.
Since Song Zongwu's Asura Method had reached the level of Four-Armed Yama, it definitely wasn't something achievable through solitary hard training alone. That he had once had a family was also understandable.
As they approached the training grounds, they could see the martial tower not far away being blocked off by constables.
Song Zongwu, wearing a bamboo hat, flashed his Restraint Officer waist token and directly led Ren Qing into the martial tower.
Inside the martial tower were only five old Corpse Burners over forty years old. When they saw Song Zongwu, they respectfully lowered their heads.
These old Corpse Burners had served in the yamen for over twenty years and no longer dealt with miscellaneous matters of various districts, but instead specialized in examining corpses with strange deaths, hence they were called coroners.
The leading Chen Corpse Burner said softly: "Song Rong passed away a few days ago. Because he usually stayed cooped up indoors, his body wasn't discovered until now..."
Song Zongwu nodded, his expression showing neither joy nor sorrow.
Ren Qing frowned and asked: "A few days ago, specifically which day?"
Chen Corpse Burner thought for a moment before replying: "Judging by the corpse's decomposition, it should have been two days ago."
Ren Qing muttered to himself: "Two days ago would be the same time as when the Reflection Chamber incident occurred. I wonder if there's any connection."
Song Zongwu said plainly: "You masters should go back first."
"Understood, sir."
The old Corpse Burners turned and left.
They didn't know the relationship between Song Zongwu and Song Rong, only feeling somewhat puzzled, as there was actually nothing unusual about that corpse.
After the martial tower was empty, Song Zongwu slowly recounted Song Rong's origins.
Song Rong had been weak and sickly since childhood, so his lifespan was limited and he wouldn't live past twenty.
But his nature was that of a born demon seed. His birth mother died in difficult labor, and in his youth Song Rong took pleasure in torturing and killing cats and dogs, even... killing people.
At that time, Song Zongwu wanted to discipline Song Rong, but because he was undergoing tribulation from advancing to Three-Armed Judge, fearing he might die in the densely populated town, he had no choice but to prepare to flee into the wilderness.
Song Zongwu handed the five-year-old Song Rong over to a temple to raise, then hurried off to secluded cultivation.
The secluded cultivation took him over twenty years. When he returned to the temple, it was full of dried bones, and Song Rong had long disappeared.
Song Zongwu originally thought Song Rong had died when his lifespan was exhausted, but then discovered him at the Three Xiang City yamen.
And now Song Rong was already forty-three years old.
Ren Qing couldn't help but click his tongue. Song Rong had been so cruel and ruthless since childhood, having mastered demonic arts, he must have become even more unrestrained.
Song Zongwu said gravely: "I've long suspected Song Rong used living people as sacrifices to extend his life, but couldn't find any clues."
According to Song Zongwu's principles, without confirming that Song Rong was killing people to extend his life, he naturally wouldn't take action, leading to the successive occurrences of the beheading cases.
Ren Qing could hear some regret in Song Zongwu's tone.
Probably the "Thatched Cottage Travel Notes" he left in the martial tower was meant to use book-reading cultivators to admonish Song Rong, but the latter showed no restraint.
Of course, this was just speculation, the situation still needed to be confirmed through the corpse.
Ren Qing pushed open the wooden door to the inner room. What greeted his eyes was a dried corpse sitting at the table, the stench of decay hitting his face.
Using his double pupils to carefully examine it, he found the corpse seemed normal at first glance, but there was something subtly off.
Song Zongwu said: "If it's really as I suspect, killing people to extend life, it would require taking at least four to five hundred lives to be sufficient."
"Senior Song, there's a problem with the corpse."
Ren Qing pointed at the corpse spots covering the skin: "Corpse spots usually show different colors as time passes."
Song Zongwu looked closely and indeed it was as Ren Qing said, the corpse spots' colors varied in depth, with an indescribable strangeness.
"You don't mind if I cut open the corpse?"
"It's fine."
Ren Qing took out a small knife he carried with him and cut where the corpse spots were densest. The flesh beneath the skin was immediately revealed.
The two looked at each other, both expressions showing disbelief.
The flesh appeared in clumps, completely lacking the fibrous texture of muscle, as if pieced together.
Without hesitation, Ren Qing cut open skin from various places. The rotting degrees of the flesh inside differed, and some parts weren't even human flesh.
The two almost simultaneously said: "Human Skin Book?"
The most likely way to create such a realistic fake corpse out of nothing was the flayer of the Human Skin Book, this mutation direction mainly involved the human body.
Ren Qing immediately realized Song Rong was almost certainly that Hundred-Eyed One.
No wonder he could hide silently in the yamen without even Song Zongwu noticing anything amiss, he'd probably used the method of wearing human skin to conceal the Hundred-Eyed One's characteristics.
Moreover, using the flayer's abilities, he'd dug out his own eyeballs and attached them to animals or insects to remotely control them.
He'd even created the prison restricted zone.
But why would Song Rong fake his death to escape? Could his goal be the Disaster Elimination restricted zone?
After hesitating a moment, Ren Qing told Song Zongwu about the Blindless Method information.
He particularly emphasized the point about extending life by eating raw human eyes. Song Zongwu naturally connected this to the previously sensational beheading cases.
Song Zongwu understood Ren Qing and Song Rong's Blindless Methods came from the same source, just with different mutation directions.
Unable to contain the anger in his eyes, he turned his six eyes to stare and said: "Ren Qing, have you ever eaten raw human eyes?"
Ren Qing said with a serious expression: "Senior Song, I've never eaten human eyes, nor have I ever had such thoughts."
Song Zongwu possessed the Divine Listening Technique and knew Ren Qing wasn't lying, so his tone softened.
"That's good. Don't mistakenly take the wrong path."
He recalled how difficult it was to master the Blindless Method and couldn't help but feel appreciation.
To begin learning the Blindless Method required enduring forty-nine days of boundless darkness. That Ren Qing could maintain his original heart showed his temperament was truly good.
Talent, luck, temperament, all were excellent. He absolutely would have the chance to break through to Yin Runner realm in the future.
It was just a pity he'd mistakenly consumed a Supernatural Remnant, making him unable to master body-related magic arts, otherwise one could even look forward to Yang God realm.
Song Zongwu suddenly had a bold thought, since Ren Qing was only at Martial Practitioner realm, perhaps he could break through the Supernatural Remnant's restrictions?
He stopped thinking further and prepared to set out to find Song Rong.
"These next few days focus well on cultivating the Taotie Method. If you need any resources, you can come to me."
"Many thanks, Senior Song."
Ren Qing felt joy in his heart. He could see Song Zongwu's attitude was that of an elder - even without formally becoming his master, the difference probably wasn't big.
Song Zongwu headed out of the yamen.
Ren Qing temporarily stayed in the martial tower, wanting to find some clues the Hundred-Eyed One might have left in the inner room, but unfortunately found nothing.
That fake corpse was handed over to the constables outside to contact Bo Feng, and was carried away to be burned.