Ren Qing and Huang Ziwan chatted idly for a long time.
When night fell, the two stood up and left the teahouse. Huang Ziwan, with a light step, had already gone off to drink at some flower house again.
At night, Sanxiang City was shrouded in a hazy glow.
The Qing River wound around the west of the city, and small paper boats carrying candles floated on the water, revealing the people's hopes for the New Year.
Because of the crowds on the streets, keeping each other warm, even the chill of winter was driven away.
Ren Qing couldn't help but feel emotional.
Xiangxiang might not compare to the former prosperity of Jingzhou, but at least it could maintain long-lasting peace.
The people had not turned into parasitic hosts of Heavenly Dao Worms.
Ren Qing soon returned to the yamen. The Corpse Burners' Hall was already mostly decorated; couplets were hanging everywhere.
Bo Feng was squatting in the courtyard smoking his dry tobacco, his gaze tinged with reminiscence.
For someone over forty like him, the New Year also signified a slow approach to death, but it was something that had to be experienced.
Unless one was like the strange talents of Restraint Officers' Hall who had cultivated immortal arts.
Bo Feng saw Ren Qing's figure and immediately got up to greet him: "Lord Ren is back, eh."
He felt the other had changed quite a bit.
A few months ago he had been like an unsheathed sword, sharp and unrestrained.
Now, there was an air of restraint about him, making him easily overlooked by others.
What Bo Feng didn't know was that aside from the influence of Immortal in the Mirror, Ren Qing's temperament had mostly been tempered during his time in the Stomach within the Stomach.
Ren Qing's mentality was neither rushed nor impatient.
Holding the resources of both Restraint Officers' Hall and Wuwei Daoist Altar, not to mention the Yin Runner realm, even the Yang God realm was within reach.
As long as Nether Sea Breathing Art advanced to Foundation Establishment, he could use Fire Refining Palace to refine magic tools.
At that time, with the ghost market as a source of lifespan, the 50-year lifespan cap brought by The Blindless Method's consumption of eyeballs would no longer be a limitation.
It could truly be said to be a carp leaping over the dragon gate.
Ren Qing, thinking he'd head to Annan Town after the New Year, focused on relaxation for now.
He had a premonition in his heart.
As a cultivator pursuing immortality, friends and family around him would inevitably experience aging and death; the lively Spring Festivals would surely become fewer and fewer.
By the next day, Little New Year's Eve, Sanxiang City was even more festive.
Prepared bamboo joints were burned in fire, crackling with loud pops.
All parts of the city were preparing food.
The aroma of rice, bamboo, and wine...
Ren Qing bought a few jars of Zhuerqing to drink on Little New Year's Eve.
This kind of wine was sealed in jars when the bamboo shoot first sprouted and drunk once it had grown into bamboo, rich in flavor with a distinct rice fragrance.
When he returned to the courtyard of Corpse Burners' Hall, he found a large table had been added, full of various dishes. With Zhuerqing, everything was set.
Bo Feng and the others sat around the large table, even bringing their families, showing the importance they placed on Little New Year's Eve.
Naturally, the main seat was reserved for Ren Qing.
Ren Qing looked around and couldn't help but ask, "Where's Xiao Wu?"
Bo Feng furrowed his brows and hurriedly went to check the surrounding rooms, but indeed, Xiao Wu was nowhere to be found.
Li Mian pondered, "He should be back soon, said he was picking up his younger brother, Little Third, from the martial arts school."
Ren Qing stood up upon hearing this: "I'll head out for a bit, be right back."
"Hey, wait..."
Bo Feng had just wanted to remind him that the East City was crowded and messy, but Ren Qing had already disappeared the moment he stepped out of the courtyard.
Ren Qing lightly tapped the ground with his feet, moving swiftly over rooftops.
As he grew accustomed to the terrain at higher elevations, his speed increased dramatically, crossing from the west of the city to the east in mere moments.
Compared to the bustling west side, the impoverished east side of the city was indeed much quieter.
Ren Qing used his Double Pupils to scan the street.
He immediately noticed a few fake wandering Daoists with their eyes covered.
These people specialized in fortune-telling and physiognomy, often stopping passing civilians.
Mixed nearby were gang members wearing green clothes, their most noticeable feature being a missing eye.
Ren Qing quickly found Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu stood in front of a martial arts school, trying to enter, but was blocked by more than a dozen gangsters.
Still, because of his identity as a yamen constable, they didn't dare lay hands on him.
This martial arts school clearly had gang affiliations.
Seeing this, Ren Qing directly passed through the thugs and arrived before Xiao Wu.
"What's going on?"
Xiao Wu gave a bitter smile and said, "Brother Qing, I wanted to bring my brother back, but the martial arts school wouldn't allow it, and they even called in a bunch of Jianghu people."
He had no idea about the school's background, just wanted his young brother to strengthen his body.
Ren Qing ignored the gang members and was preparing to break into the martial arts school with Xiao Wu, but someone reached out to stop them.
A burly thug stepped forward, his right eye covered with a black cloth, obviously blind: "Sorry, officer sir, just wait a moment..."
Ren Qing observed the martial artists and gang members. Though none showed traces of cultivating techniques, all had eye injuries.
It was likely tied to The Blindless Method, trouble left behind by Song Rong.
Clearly, with Restraint Officers' Hall busy handling Zhang Mu's case lately, some demons and ghosts had crept into Sanxiang City.
Ren Qing patted Xiao Wu's shoulder and said, "You head back first."
Out of trust in Ren Qing, Xiao Wu left the vicinity of the martial arts school.
The thug didn't stop him either. If it weren't for orders from above, he wouldn't dare offend a yamen officer.
"What's your gang called?"
The thug seemed confused by Ren Qing's question and blurted out: "Mud River Society, our boss is Fei Long."
Ren Qing nodded at the news.
Though the name Mud River Society sounded similar to Rotten Mud Gang, the latter was an officially sanctioned gang by Restraint Officers' Hall, their natures were completely different.
Mud River Society was likely a group originally formed by boatmen.
Ren Qing recalled the cultivator he killed in their first fight, the one who had mastered The Blindless Method, probably also came from this Mud River Society.
"Come on, lead the way."
The thug led the way into the martial arts school, not even daring to raise an objection.
They quickly reached their destination.
It was originally a training ground, many people passed through along the way, all missing their eyeballs without exception.
Most likely eaten by practitioners of The Blindless Method as resources.
Ren Qing asked curiously, "Your boss Fei Long of Mud River Society, I imagine he enjoys eating human eyes?"
At those words, the thug suddenly came to his senses and looked at Ren Qing with great shock, like staring at a fierce beast.
"You..."
Ghostfreak shimmered slightly under the light, and immediately, the thug felt sharp pain throughout his body.
Most of his bones shattered instantly, and he coughed up blood.
The commotion drew the attention of the gang members, but their first reaction was to retreat and look toward one person nearby.
A man in his early thirties approached quickly. His eyes were intact, but his forehead was wrapped in tattered cloth.
"Who are you? Do you not know this is Mud River Society's territory?"
The man tore off the cloth. The extra eye on his forehead made all the gang members tremble, not daring to look directly at him.
Compared to him, Ren Qing's appearance seemed ordinary, he carried no weapons, and his aura appeared much weaker.
"You people are really bold."
Ren Qing's expression was calm, and he didn't even glance at the man.
With a wave of his hand, Ghostfreak spread from the ground, making the man seem like he had fallen into a deep pit, he sank and disappeared.
The gang members panicked, but before they could react, illusions clouded their vision.
They collapsed to the ground in unison, unconscious.
Ren Qing walked into the central building as if no one were there. Inside were only a few people.
A fat middle-aged man sat inside, the gang boss Fei Long of Mud River Society.
On the wooden table in front of him was a porcelain bowl, still stained with blood, showing he had recently been eating human eyes to cultivate The Blindless Method.
But what surprised Ren Qing was that Fei Long didn't seem very aberrated, only seven or eight eyes grew on his cheeks.
Based on the number of eyes he had consumed, he should at least have reached the Hundred Eyes state.
Gangs that ate people were explicitly banned in Sanxiang City.
Seeing how Ren Qing had easily knocked out all his subordinates without a change in expression, Fei Long was terrified, trembling.
"My lord, I don't know where Mud River Society has offended."
"You must've taken in some martial apprentices before, right? Where are they being kept?"
Fei Long slapped himself hard and knelt, begging, "In the back courtyard. I sometimes couldn't resist eating eyes, it was truly wrong..."
Ghostfreak left the main body and slithered toward the back courtyard.
Moments later, Ghostfreak returned with seven or eight boys, all missing their left eyes.
Ren Qing's expression turned cold with anger.
Fei Long looked up in fear, sensing a familiar aura from Ren Qing.
Thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but ask: "My lord, are you also a cultivator of The Blindless Method? If that's the case..."
Before he could finish, Ren Qing's Dragon-Snake Spine burst from his palm and pinned him to the wall, no amount of struggling helped.
When Dragon-Snake Spine was withdrawn, Fei Long's brain had already turned to mush.
Ren Qing examined him and found a black-gray fine line on his abdomen, stretching from his throat to his stomach.
It reminded him of the lines on Zhang Mu's note, somewhat similar.
Could there be a connection between the two?
Ren Qing contacted Restraint Officers' Hall via Nether Feather, and a Restraint Officer soon arrived.
The yamen sealed off the area. The gang members were taken into custody and usually sentenced to forced labor.
The Restraint Officer who arrived was Xu Shilin, who had previously worked with Ren Qing in the Disaster-Dispelling Forbidden Zone. His technique was related to smoke.
Xu Shilin's eyes held a complicated look as he clasped his fists: "Ren Qing, it's been a while. I heard you were in Stomach within the Stomach recently?"
"There wasn't any serious aberration in the first place, I came out not long after."
Ren Qing admitted it directly. In Restraint Officers' Hall, there was no need to hide one's strength, it made things more convenient.
Xu Shilin was shocked by how fast Ren Qing had advanced in strength. From Half-Corpse to Ghost Envoy took at most half a year.
Could this be a seed for Yin Runner?
"I've got things to do, I'll be going first."
Ren Qing handed Fei Long over to Xu Shilin, then returned to Corpse Burners' Hall. Coming and going, the dishes on the table were still warm.
But Bo Feng and the others, after hearing what had happened, no longer had any appetite.
They could only feel fortunate that Little Third's life was not in danger.
The next day, Ren Qing visited Bazi Village, mainly to bring New Year goods to Chen Shi. She didn't try to make him stay long.
Even if one cultivates, it doesn't mean one must sever emotions, even Wuwei Daoist Altar never demanded that.
As soon as the New Year passed,
Ren Qing received notification from Huang Ziwan and began preparing to head to Annan Town.
The journey wasn't long, but finally, the husky would have a chance to prove its worth.