Ren Qing froze in place, his mind constantly weighing the pros and cons.
The reason he could discover this was partly due to a fortunate coincidence. More importantly, the Information Flow allowed him to meticulously examine his memories and had enhanced his cognitive abilities.
'There are probably only two Fireworkers from Hexing Street left. Perhaps after they are all erased, nothing unusual will happen.'
'But what if?'
'If this causes mass casualties in the Government Office, it will likely become impossible for Sanxiang City to maintain its superficial stability.'
Given how dangerous this world was, Ren Qing would find it hard to stay out of it. He might even lose this chance to lay low and develop safely.
Ren Qing wiped the words off the wall.
He knew he had to find a proper way to inform the Forbidden Guards about Si Bu Hall, and do it without implicating himself.
'Should I go inform Clerk Zhao?'
'No, Clerk Zhao doesn't have enough clout to guarantee he wouldn't leak the source of the information.'
'What about contacting the Forbidden Guards directly?'
'Whether or not I could even find them is one thing, but with a bizarre situation like altered memories, the Forbidden Guards wouldn't believe me even if I told them.'
'It seems only Song Zongwu is reliable.'
From the description of the Asura Skill, one could indirectly tell that its Cultivators must have decent character. Besides, back in the Prison, he had hidden the fact that Ren Qing possessed a Magic Technique.
Most importantly, Song Zongwu didn't have any Magic Techniques for inspecting someone's background; otherwise, his own No-Eyes Technique would have been discovered back then.
From this, it was clear that before a Cultivator reached the Ghost Envoy Realm, the physical mutations from their Magic Techniques weren't too obvious.
But now there was a problem. Finding one person in the massive Sanxiang City was easier said than done—like finding a needle in a haystack.
A sudden thought struck Ren Qing, and the memory of the Asura Skill surfaced in his mind.
[The Asura Skill was created by the Nameless Ascetic Monk. Its cultivation requires one to be born with both arms crippled. One must also undergo the five great precepts of the Buddhist Sect without falling from grace. Upon completion, two arms will grow.]
'Nameless Ascetic Monk.'
'The five great precepts of the Buddhist Sect.'
'Could it be possible? Either Song Zongwu came from a background of monks, or he was raised by them.'
And monks have fixed daily habits, such as chanting their morning prayers.
Ren Qing glanced at the newly risen morning sun. It wasn't too late; perhaps he could really use this to find Song Zongwu.
According to what he knew, although Sanxiang City had no large Daoist Temples or Buddhist Temples, there were still more than a dozen small shrines.
'No, wait. The Government Office itself has a similar place. It's called the Immortal Buddha Temple.'
The Immortal Buddha Temple was used to guide the souls of the dead. It did indeed have statues of deities inside: Taiyi the Celestial Lord of Salvation and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
'And usually, no one ever goes there, so it's not a place where you'd be easily disturbed.'
Ren Qing hurriedly vaulted over the wall and jogged toward the Immortal Buddha Temple.
'It's a long shot, but I have to try. If I can't find Song Zongwu, then I'll have to put "skip town" on the agenda...'
In his hurry to get there, Ren Qing had to pick up his pace, to the point that passing constables looked at him with surprise and alarm.
'What happened? Why is he running so fast?!!'
Before long, a dilapidated building came into view. In the empty clearing, a Bronze Tripod for holding incense and candles could still be seen.
But there wasn't a single person in sight.
In truth, the Immortal Buddha Temple's role in the Government Office was somewhat awkward.
According to Sanxiang City's rules, any corpse from a gruesome death was to be cremated by the Government Office. Thus, the Immortal Buddha Temple was more for consoling the relatives of the deceased.
The Government Office could then tell the public, "Although the body has been burned to ashes, we also took the liberty of guiding their soul to the afterlife."
Ren Qing began to feel regretful as soon as he arrived at the Immortal Buddha Temple.
'Cobwebs are everywhere on the eaves, and the floor tiles are all shattered. Who would come here for morning prayers?'
But since he was already here, he had to at least take a look. Besides, Ren Qing had no other choice.
He walked into the main hall. Two deity statues stood on the left and right sides of the wall. They were indeed Taiyi the Celestial Lord of Salvation and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, but they were covered in dust, their gold foil even more tattered and torn.
Ren Qing searched the main hall a few times, but all he found were a dozen or so spirit tablets arranged neatly.
The spirit tablets belonged to those who had died gruesome deaths recently. They were probably replaced with a new batch every half a month, with the old ones given to the families.
He then went around to the side hall.
It was called a side hall, but it looked more like a woodshed from the outside.
The dim interior gave off a musty smell of mold and rotting wood. It seemed to have been abandoned for a long time, containing nothing but a single deity statue.
Ren Qing sighed. 'Looks like my only option is to use "returning to my hometown" as an excuse to get away from Sanxiang City for a while. I'll come back in half a month or so.'
Just as he turned to step out the door, he suddenly felt a gaze fall upon him.
Ren Qing's expression stiffened as he looked at the statue. It was two meters tall with six eyes and four arms. He hadn't been wrong...
Six blood-red eyes opened, and a majestic aura pressed down on him as if it were a physical entity.
Dust danced in the air.
Ren Qing didn't dare to resist in the slightest, letting the force knock him to the ground.
Song Zongwu retracted his aura. He asked in a deep voice, "Who disturbs me?"
Ren Qing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. 'It's only been a short while and he's already forgotten all about me. This means Song Zongwu really didn't pay me any mind.'
'But why was he pretending to be a statue in a Buddhist Temple? Could he be comprehending his Mental Realm to cultivate his Magic Technique?'
He hurriedly explained, "Elder Song, my name is Ren Qing. We met in the restricted area of the Prison."
"I remember now. You're the one who was possessed by a Mysterious Object and luckily didn't die."
Song Zongwu looked Ren Qing up and down. The latter narrowed his eyes even further, afraid that Song Zongwu would discover he had mastered the No-Eyes Technique of the Half-Corpse Realm.
After a long moment, Song Zongwu leaped down from the Lotus Throne. "Not bad. The Human Skin Book follows the path of a Skin Refiner. Although relying on a Mysterious Object to start limits your potential, you've at least held fast to your true nature."
A fine layer of cold sweat broke out on Ren Qing's back.
He had already prepared himself to be discovered. The worst-case scenario was that he would join the Forbidden Guards and force his way out of the novice stage.
Fortunately, the mutations of the Repeater and the Wolf-footed Man were both relatively subtle.
Ren Qing opened his mouth. He very much wanted to ask about the Human Skin Book, but there was a more pressing matter at hand.
"Elder Song, what was the real reason the Fireworkers from Hexing Street left the city?"
"It has nothing to do with you."
Song Zongwu was slightly displeased. He casually stretched his four arms.
Ren Qing said with a serious expression, "Elder Song, have you ever encountered a Mysterious Object like this?"
"After coming into contact with it, related memories are tampered with, and even the Forbidden Guards can't detect it."
Song Zongwu didn't speak. His face grew darker and darker. Then, he grabbed Ren Qing and charged out of the Immortal Buddha Temple.
"Elder Song, you..."
"I have mastered the Heavenly Listening Skill. Even if there are lies in this world that can fool me, they wouldn't come from a kid like you. We're going to Si Bu Hall first."
As soon as Song Zongwu's voice fell, Ren Qing noticed a slight change in the Information Flow.
[Song Zongwu]
[Age: 86]
[Lifespan: 253 years]
[Skills: Asura Skill (Four-armed Yama), Heavenly Listening Skill (Six-Eyed Prison Breaker)]
[???]
[The Heavenly Listening Skill is inscribed under the skin of the Exotic Beast Diting's abdomen. It was obtained by the Nameless Ascetic Monk. Cultivating this skill requires one to sever the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch at a young age. It is mastered after comprehending the sixth sense, consciousness.]
[Six-Eyed Prison Breaker is an advancement of Four-Eyed Peeping.]
'What a total badass.'