The Secret Way of Immortality

Not long after burning the corpses and finally having some free time, Ren Qing was summoned to the public trial hall.

It wasn't that moving corpses in the middle of the night had been exposed; it was mainly because the county magistrate had ordered the yamen runners to be summoned, and all the yamen runners in the West District were alarmed.

From what Ren Qing knew, such a large formation was somewhat related to the uncanny.

The deliberation hall in the public trial hall was not large, filled with wooden chairs, and those sitting were the fire workers and jailers in charge of various blocks in Sanxiang City.

Their ages were generally over thirty, and many people's hair was already gray, but Ren Qing was not even twenty.

The room was silent, and Ren Qing sat near the door, taking the opportunity to observe everyone.

Before long, the clerk walked in with a grim face.

This clerk, surnamed Zhao, was in charge of the yamen runners in the West District, and looked more like a shrewd businessman.

"To make a long story short, you should all know more or less about the East District prison, right?"

Ren Qing looked around, and the expressions of the other yamen runners became unsightly, but only he was confused.

Clerk Zhao continued, "It has already become a restricted area. After the forbidden soldiers finish dealing with it, you will be responsible for cleaning up the prison. Five people from each street, find some smarter ones."

The yamen runners agreed one after another. Although they didn't have to risk themselves, if too many of their subordinates died, they would easily lose credibility.

Ren Qing shook his head helplessly. It seemed that the four people from Tan Street would definitely not be able to escape.

However, he was curious as to why the yamen was making such a big deal about the prison, and what exactly was the so-called restricted area?

Could it be related to ghosts and gods…

"After arriving at the prison, remember not to expose any skin, and clean it thoroughly, leaving no debris."

Clerk Zhao began to talk at length, all about precautions, but the yamen runners listened very carefully, even recording them.

The atmosphere in the room became more and more oppressive.

Ren Qing could clearly see the fear in the eyes of the yamen runners.

Logically speaking, they had come into contact with at least a thousand dead people combined, so why would they be so distraught?

"Go back and prepare, and let the yamen runners who are going explain their affairs."

Clerk Zhao waved his hand, then turned and left the deliberation hall.

Not long after he left, the yamen runners began to discuss loudly, and almost broke out into conflict, which showed their anxiety.

Ren Qing found a middle-aged fire worker in the corner and asked, "Excuse me, what exactly happened in the prison?"

The middle-aged fire worker was stunned for a moment, then realized, "Oh, no wonder you don't know. So you're from Tan Street…"

"That prison is in the East District of the yamen. It is said that the prisoners inside were all corpses because of mutual killings, but two batches of yamen runners have already entered in the past few days. The East District doesn't have enough manpower, so we can only do it."

Ren Qing couldn't help but continue to ask, "Then what is a restricted area?"

"If there is a large-scale inexplicable death, it is a restricted area."

After the middle-aged fire worker finished speaking, he left in a hurry, and so did the other yamen runners.

Ren Qing carefully considered the clerk's words. Were those seemingly absurd rules warning something?

He returned to the Fire Worker Hall and immediately told Li Mian and others about the matter.

The Li brothers looked at each other, and Li Mian swallowed and said, "I heard the old people in the yamen say that going to a restricted area is a narrow escape from death…"

Xiao Wu took a few steps back in fright. Fortunately, after these few days of training, he was a little braver, at least he didn't fall directly to the ground.

Ren Qing rubbed his temples and said, "Anyway, we can't escape, so we might as well prepare fully to avoid problems."

"Okay, then we'll listen to the yamen runner."

The three of Li Mian had already developed trust in Ren Qing, and their mood gradually calmed down.

After they had their fill, they covered their bodies as the clerk said, and put on two thick sets of clothes.

Just in case, they also brought a short knife.

Only a pair of eyes were left to see.

Ren Qing prepared some pig eyes wrapped in oil paper, and swallowed a few first, so that the heat in his body would be continuous.

In anxious anticipation, the sun was about to set on the horizon.

The sound of gongs and drums rang somewhere in the yamen.

The four of Ren Qing walked out of the courtyard. He reminded them one last time: "You follow me closely. If I don't touch anything, don't do anything extra."

"Understood, Yamen Runner."

Everyone was speechless and followed the guidance of the gongs and drums to reach a relatively open area in the West District.

A team of hundreds of yamen runners was ready to go.

Ren Qing found that his attire was not an exaggeration among them. Generally, in order to save their lives, they wished they could wear a suit of iron armor.

After the assembly was completed, Clerk Zhao hesitated, but in the end he didn't say anything and turned to walk towards the East District of the yamen.

The constables encountered on the road stopped one after another, their eyes showing a very complicated look.

By the time they reached the prison, the moon had already risen in the sky.

The prison did not look big from the outside, but in fact it was not. This building extended three floors underground, and could hold thousands of prisoners.

The path leading to the prison was surrounded by officers and soldiers, and several forbidden soldiers wearing light armor and hats stood under the trees not far away.

Ren Qing paused for a moment on one of the forbidden soldiers.

He had met the other party when cleaning up the bloodstains a few days ago. At that time, he seemed to be carrying an old human skin in his hand.

He thought it was related to some kind of exercise, but now he felt like he was dealing with the uncanny in the prison.

Clerk Zhao shouted loudly, "Everyone, first bring out the corpses of the yamen runners on the second floor, and then deal with the other corpses."

Ren Qing secretly reviewed the details, and then slowly entered the prison with the crowd.

It was extremely humid behind the iron gate, and even through two layers of headscarves, he could smell a strange smell of rot mixed with blood.

The first floor of the prison was used by the jailers for rest. Apart from being able to see some traces of dragging corpses, there was nothing unusual.

But the first floor underground was completely different.

The walls were covered with thick plasma, accompanied by fragments of flesh and blood, like a hell on earth…

The rows of cells were empty, but deep fingernail marks could be seen on the wooden railings, which showed the pain of the prisoners before their death.

The jailers picked up lime and began to clean, while the fire workers went to the next floor.

Ren Qing clearly felt that Xiao Wu was a little nervous, and his breathing became rapid.

He patted Xiao Wu's head, and the latter calmed down.

After reaching the second floor underground, Ren Qing found that most of the corpses inside had actually been moved by the fire workers who had come before.

Everyone still carefully checked it again to make sure nothing was missed.

Finally, they found the corpse of the dead fire worker at the stairs leading to the lower floor.

The corpse's death was twisted, the clothes on his body were tattered, and his expression was full of fear.

Ren Qing speculated that these fire workers should have escaped from the third floor underground, but he didn't know what they had encountered.

Everyone cooperated to move the corpse away. At this moment, something the size of a palm seemed to flash past at the stairs.

Only Ren Qing noticed it. Was it a tattered human skin?