The sun was just rising.
Thick smoke billowed slowly from the furnace. After the incident with the reanimated corpse, Xiaowu and the other two would rather work shifts through the night than let the fire go out.
Besides, it was only a few drowned fishermen. The bodies were dealt with in just seven or eight hours.
Bo Feng had gotten up early specifically to pass on his experience as a Fireworker to Xiaowu and the others. This included how to react to various strange situations they might encounter.
Several days passed peacefully like this.
Ren Qing spent most of this time cultivating in his room, only going out occasionally.
Even though he was prepared to sacrifice his Lifespan to advance, it didn't mean cultivation was useless. At the very least, it could temper his Mental Realm.
Ren Qing had summarized his cultivation routine. First, he would spend two hours on the Visualization of the No-Eyes Technique.
Then, he would beat his own body with a club until he was covered in bruises, which would then gradually heal under the influence of the Human Skin Book.
He didn't know the specific Cultivation Method for the Human Skin Book, but after a few days of this self-abuse, the toughness of his skin had indeed increased slightly.
Ren Qing had also figured out how to conceal the mutation in his eyes.
The method was to adjust how much he closed his eyes, squinting to cover part of the whites.
Changes in speech and behavior could easily draw the attention of acquaintances, but a subtle, gradual change in appearance was much harder to notice.
After trying it for a few days, Ren Qing found it was indeed feasible. Not even Xiaowu had noticed anything.
With his worries settled, Ren Qing decided it was time to ascend to the Repeater realm.
First, however, he needed to prepare some fresh pig eyes to restore his stamina, just in case something unexpected happened.
Ren Qing went to Butcher Zhang's meat stall.
He noticed that Butcher Zhang looked terrible and had lost a lot of weight.
"What's wrong, Brother Zhang?"
Butcher Zhang rubbed his slightly red and swollen eyes and shook his head. "I don't know why, but for the past few days, my eyes start to sting sharply whenever I keep them open for too long."
"Ah Qing, I've been to several Medical Clinics, but it's been no use."
Ren Qing's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. He saw that Butcher Zhang was blinking extremely rapidly, and his eyeballs were slightly bulging.
"Brother Zhang, let me take a look for you."
"Alright."
Butcher Zhang found a stool and sat down, and Ren Qing quickly leaned in to examine him.
He pressed a finger against the man's eyelid. Cold sweat immediately beaded on Butcher Zhang's forehead, and the burly man couldn't help but let out a wail.
"It hurts..."
Ren Qing looked puzzled. 'The Information Flow isn't showing anything unusual...'
'Wait, no!!!'
'Butcher Zhang clearly had fifteen years of Lifespan left, but now a full three years are gone.'
'It can't be some sudden, stubborn illness. Even if he went blind, it wouldn't affect his Lifespan that much. It's impossible for it to drop by so much.'
Butcher Zhang asked worriedly, "What is it, Ah Qing? Is it very serious?"
"It's nothing. You probably got some blood and grime from cutting meat on your hands, and that caused an eye infection. You just need to get some good rest."
That's what Ren Qing said, but in his heart, he suspected it had something to do with the Hundred-eyed Man.
The Hundred-eyed Man had vanished for a few days. He had probably returned to the West District to get rid of Butcher Zhang, someone he had interacted with, to cover his tracks.
"Oh, good. I've been so worried I haven't even been able to enjoy my drinks."
Butcher Zhang sighed in relief. He was already at the point of making a last-ditch effort. Otherwise, he wouldn't have put his trust in Ren Qing, who had no medical skills whatsoever.
Ren Qing realized the Hundred-eyed Man was likely observing the meat stall from the shadows, so he didn't ask Butcher Zhang any more questions, fearing it might provoke the killer's murderous intent.
To avoid arousing suspicion, he simply bought a few pig heads. He would dig out the eyes when he got back to the Firework Hall, and the head meat could be given to Xiaowu and the others to go with their drinks.
After leaving the meat stall, Ren Qing walked down the street, carrying a burlap sack filled with pig heads.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. A sentence from Bo Feng kept echoing in his mind, and the implications were terrifying.
"The cut on the neck was too clean. It didn't look like it was made by a sharp weapon at all. It was more like the head grew legs and ran off on its own."
Ren Qing's steps faltered slightly. 'Could it be? Have I been thinking about this all wrong?'
'The bodies were headless not because the Hundred-eyed Man was being cautious, but because he could make the victim's head detach from their body on its own...'
Since they both cultivated the No-Eyes Technique, Ren Qing knew he had to eliminate the Hundred-eyed Man. Otherwise, it was only a matter of time before he came for him.
After steadying his mind, Ren Qing returned to the Firework Hall.
After digging out the pig eyes, he gave the remaining head meat to Bo Feng to handle and then made a special trip to see Clerk Zhao to gather information.
Although Clerk Zhao seemed cold on the surface, he was actually quite approachable.
Moreover, Clerk Zhao had met Ren Qing once before and knew that he had spoken up to save dozens of people in the Prison, so he had a favorable impression of him.
It didn't take long for Ren Qing to look up the case files for the headless murders, but they only contained information from the preliminary investigation.
According to the constables' interviews, in the days before their deaths, all the victims had coincidentally developed a prominent eye disease, which then worsened into severe head pain.
Clerk Zhao noticed how engrossed Ren Qing was and couldn't help but ask, "Ren Qing, why are you so interested in the headless murders?"
"Lord Zhao, haven't you noticed that the headless murders are becoming frequent in every district except the West District?"
Ren Qing glanced at the files a few more times before handing them back to Clerk Zhao. "I heard Bo Feng talking about the case yesterday, and I have a feeling it's only a matter of time before it's the West District's turn. I'm just making some preparations."
Clerk Zhao feigned a relaxed tone. "Don't worry, the Forbidden Guards are already involved in the case. The killer won't get away."
"Just in case. Just in case."
Ren Qing didn't want to pin all his hopes on the Forbidden Guards. Knowing the way those Cultivators operated, it was highly likely they would use Butcher Zhang as bait to draw out the Hundred-eyed Man.
After chatting with Clerk Zhao for a little longer, he returned to the Firework Hall.
Ren Qing decided to break through to the Half-Corpse Realm as soon as possible. Only by attaining the Double Pupils could he find the Hundred-eyed Man in the sea of people in Sanxiang City.
Before entering seclusion, he handed over all his duties to Bo Feng.
Bo Feng was speechless. He had come to Tan Street precisely to avoid being a Steward, yet somehow he felt even busier than before.
Ren Qing sat cross-legged in a side room, blocking out all light.
First, he mentally reviewed all the problems he had encountered in his cultivation to make sure he hadn't missed anything.
When it was late at night, Ren Qing began his final Visualization of the No-Eyes Technique as a Martial Artist Realm cultivator.
He wanted to see what the presence in the darkness truly was.
He did this so there would be no flaws in his Mental Realm. Otherwise, it could cause him to suffer a demonic deviation in his subsequent training. After all, these Magic Techniques always came with strange risks.
The familiar darkness enveloped him as strange noises came from all directions.
Footsteps gradually approached, but Ren Qing stared unflinchingly, a smile even gracing his lips.
When the darkness was parted, a strange, humanoid black shadow emerged from within.
As the black shadow drew closer to Ren Qing, the two took on the exact same appearance, right down to their expressions.
Ren Qing muttered to himself, "To face fear without being afraid... so this is what it means to be a Repeater."
He had now found the method to ascend to the Repeater realm. Given enough time, he could even reach the Half-Corpse Realm through his own cultivation.
"But the one thing I lack most is time."
Ren Qing canceled the Visualization without hesitation.
The Information Flow converged. The mutation began.