Ren Qing had already been away from home for more than half a year, so now that his changes were obvious, it was still normal. Presumably, his aged and frail mother at home would find it hard to tell.
Moreover, his former self was already taciturn and solitary by nature.
Ren Qing did a rough calculation in his mind. With a cultivator's pace, it would take at most half an hour to reach Bazi Village. If things went well, he might even return the same day.
Song Zongwu seemed to have remembered something and said, "Besides the task, once you officially become a Restraint Officer, you'll receive a monthly supply of blood crystals."
"At least one more year..."
Ren Qing's mouth twitched. If it weren't for that limitation, he might've risked exposing the Ghost Envoy realm-level Taotie Method.
"If you can get approval from three Yin Runner realm cultivators, you wouldn't need to go through such trouble."
"Three, huh."
Ren Qing immediately thought of Great Dream True Person. Could it be that the next time the Ghost Market opens, he should go and forcibly strike up a relationship with him?
He took the chance to ask where the Restraint Officers' Hall stored Supernatural Remnants, and Song Zongwu directly handed him a full version of the map.
The locations were clearly marked on the map.
The Supernatural Remnants were stored near the northwestern stomach wall's edge, in a place called Mountain Ghost Grotto.
Mountain Ghost Grotto was extremely dangerous even within the Restraint Officers' Hall, because the Supernatural Remnants possessed intelligence. Even if they were bound by Avici Hell, it didn't mean that Restraint Officers entering the grotto would be safe.
Ren Qing memorized this silently.
Looks like he still had to wait for the first aberration to occur before considering heading to Mountain Ghost Grotto.
Mm, when the time comes, he must find a technique similar to Mountain Spirit, and seal the Supernatural Remnant inside the Prison Within the Abdomen, always ready to become non-human.
Based on the life-extension effect of the Stone Eyes, he could accumulate up to fifty years of lifespan within half a year.
The two of them chatted for more than half an hour before Song Zongwu prepared to leave Xianfo Shrine.
Before leaving, he reminded, "You'll be leading the task. Also, according to the Restraint Officers' Hall's rules, two other reserve officers will accompany you."
Ren Qing agreed repeatedly and then chose not to linger, returning directly to the Corpse Burners' Hall.
From afar, he could already see that the courtyard had taken initial shape, even slightly larger than the area planned by Clerk Zhao.
Ren Qing's residence was partitioned out, and a closed training ground was built next to it. Although it was only fifty or sixty square meters, it was more than enough to practice techniques.
Xiao Wu and the others also benefited somewhat. Originally, they were supposed to share rooms two by two, but now each had their own separate side room.
Some of the other yamen runners did raise objections, but since it was Clerk Zhao who made the decision, the complaints were quickly suppressed.
As for the rewards for the Temple Fair task, they were delivered shortly after by a Dark Crow.
It amounted to about three stones of blood crystals, bringing Ren Qing's total to six stones, enough to cover daily cultivation expenses.
As for the Bazi Village task, Ren Qing officially received it three days later.
This time, in addition to the paper slip spat out by the Dark Crow, its claw was also gripping a blood heart.
When carrying out tasks for the Restraint Officers' Hall, the team leader must carry a blood heart to facilitate contact with a Restraint Officer at any time.
Ren Qing put the blood heart away on his person and then checked the contents of the paper slip.
It was only two or three lines.
Roughly since the beginning of March, the villagers of Bazi Village felt sore all over when waking up each day, with bluish-purple marks appearing on their skin.
The injuries weren't fatal, so it wasn't reported to the authorities until now.
To be safe, Ren Qing deliberately tried to probe Xiao Wu for information.
Xiao Wu seemed to miss home too and didn't need any coaxing; he spoke at length about Bazi Village's past.
How could Ren Qing not pick up on the meaning behind Xiao Wu's words? But since this was a task from the Restraint Officers' Hall, it wasn't appropriate to bring along a yamen runner.
Moreover, if it involved a Supernatural Remnant and the other party had no martial skill, it would undoubtedly be extremely dangerous.
From Xiao Wu's words, Ren Qing learned that Bazi Village mainly raised domestic fowl.
There was also a special location: an abandoned copper mine outside the village.
Although copper was no longer extracted, back when the mine was still rich over a hundred years ago, many skilled craftsmen lived in the village forging copperware.
So a lot of copperware remained, though only a few households kept them for decoration; most had been sold off.
After getting a clear understanding of the situation, Ren Qing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
This was entirely a trip home under the guise of a task.
The meeting time was set for noon the next day at the west city gate. The round trip would likely take at most two days.
Ren Qing settled down and practiced his visualization technique. He then woke up early the next morning.
He went to the market and bought some daily supplies, rice, flour, salt, and the like, since the Prison Within the Abdomen had quite a large capacity.
Very soon it was noon.
Ren Qing exited the city gate and looked around, spotting two people in bamboo hats and raincoats on the quiet official road.
Who would be dressed like that in the blazing summer? Clearly, they were Restraint Officers.
Since Ren Qing had no aberration issues, he was dressed quite simply and, at first glance, looked more like a strong scholar.
The two reserve officers came quickly after seeing Ren Qing and took off their hats.
Ren Qing recognized the woman, she had appeared during both the Rotten Mud Gang incident and at the Temple of the fertility Goddess.
Yan Jun's hair was uneven in length, and she looked a bit embarrassed.
Afraid of holding the team back, she explained, "Ren Qing, I used a technique during the temple fair that cost me some hair..."
"No problem. It's still unclear whether Bazi Village involves a Supernatural Remnant."
Ren Qing turned to look at the other reserve officer. The man had an utterly average appearance, but his right arm was missing; the empty sleeve fluttered in the wind.
Ren Qing didn't have a deep impression of this person, and Yan Jun quickly introduced him.
The man's name was Li Mu. He wasn't from the same batch of reserve officers as Ren Qing and had already served for five years but still hadn't advanced to the Ghost Envoy realm.
To ensure the task's success, Ren Qing naturally had to understand the two's strengths and weaknesses. Through deliberate contact, information flows surged forth.
Yan Jun's technique was called "Hair Beast Technique." It essentially turned her hair into various wild beasts. Her aberration path was "Serpent-Haired."
Ren Qing had seen the power of the python, so he was fairly satisfied with it.
As for Li Mu's technique, it was quite bizarre, it was called the "Black Arm Method."
[Black Arm Method: Created by the Ape Demon; training requires immersing the right arm in poisonous water until blood and bone dissolve, survival is the prerequisite for mastery.]
Ren Qing noticed that the information flow indicated the man had cultivated it on his own.
His mutation path was "Armless One."
Li Mu gave Ren Qing a wooden greeting and then said no more.
Yan Jun didn't speak much either, so the three of them focused silently on their journey. Before they knew it, they were near Bazi Village.
Ren Qing stood on the hillside looking down.
The small village of a dozen households looked peaceful and tranquil. Villagers were either drying goods in open spaces or working in the fields.
His double eyes spun.
Ren Qing's expression turned stiff.
More than half of the villagers had no shadows; the well's stone bricks at the village entrance faintly glowed a flesh-red hue; the domesticated fowl's eyes gleamed red, with sparse feathers...
"Are you okay?"
Yan Jun's words brought Ren Qing back to himself. After ceasing the use of his heterochromatic eyes, the village appeared normal again.
But this was no mere suspected Supernatural Remnant, it was clearly more than one.
Mm...
In a certain sense, this also meant he had arrived at a supermarket?