Cultivation Through Unorthodox Means

The morning market was bustling with activity, crowds of people huddling together, and even the dense, drizzling rain couldn’t stop the vendors from shouting with their unique tones. Suddenly, the crowd fell silent, their eyes filled with fear, staring at a certain spot. Two officials, their faces grim, were carrying a corpse wrapped in burlap on a wooden board, walking out from the alley. Blood dripped from the board, staining the green stone bricks. The crowd whispered among themselves. “Another death?” “Isn’t this too unlucky?” “This must be the third time this month…” “Don’t look! Don’t look!” Seeing this, the people scattered in all directions, and even the stalls hurriedly packed up, as though they were avoiding a plague god. The two officials, as if oblivious to the crowd, carried the body to a relatively open area. The older official was dressed in black, his frame thin and frail, with slightly sunken eyes that gave off the impression of someone suffering from a long-standing illness. On his sleeve was embroidered the words “Fushi Chaiyi” (an official of the county office), and a two-foot long fire-and-water stick was fastened to his waist. Although the officials were from the government, they were just low-ranking officers in the office, doing menial tasks. The fire-and-water stick was simply for self-defense. The other official, much younger—around thirteen or fourteen years old—wore black clothes that were a bit too big for him, and he lacked the “Fushi Chaiyi” embroidery. He was a “white officer,” typically an assistant under a full official, and it took several years of service before they could be promoted. They set down the body. The leading official couldn’t stop coughing after moving the heavy load, and it took him a few breaths to calm down. The white officer asked with concern, “Qing Ge’er, are you alright?” The official's voice was raspy and low as he replied, “It’s an old ailment, no big deal. Xiao Wu, stay here and keep watch. I’m going to the shop.” “Qing Ge’er…” Xiao Wu seemed nervous, his legs trembling, and his voice barely audible. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.” Ren Qing, the official, patted Xiao Wu’s shoulder and quickly walked toward the alley’s entrance. His steps were slightly unsteady, and his breathing had grown heavy, clearly betraying that his calm demeanor was not as it seemed. Ren Qing walked deeper into the alley, and a stench of blood hit him, so strong it was almost nauseating. The dilapidated bookshop came into view, and two young white officers, both under twenty, were standing at the door. They visibly sighed with relief upon seeing Ren Qing. “Official.” Ren Qing nodded at the two and said, “If you feel like vomiting, go ahead. Then quickly go inside and clean up. We need to finish this as fast as possible. You don’t want to stay here, do you?” “Understood, Official…” Li Jin and Li Heng were brothers, their appearances nearly identical, but without much standing in the office, they had been assigned to Ren Qing. Xiao Wu, on the other hand, had volunteered to join from elsewhere. He and Ren Qing’s father were from the same village. The Li brothers went to the corner of the alley, leaning against the wall to gag. Ren Qing held back his nausea, partly because he didn’t want to lose face in front of his subordinates and partly because he was afraid his weak constitution might cause him to faint. He took a deep breath and opened the slightly ajar wooden door of the bookshop. Inside, the room was filled with bloody, mangled remains. The bookshelves were tipped over, and there were no books on them, giving the place an eerie emptiness. The corpse of the shopkeeper that had been taken out earlier was originally kneeling behind the door. His hands were spread out, with the gouged-out eyeballs resting in his palms. This was after the authorities had dealt with it; it was hard to imagine what the scene had looked like before. Ren Qing was in charge of the Tan Street in the West District of Sanxiang City and worked as a fireworker. His duty was to burn the corpses and personal items of the deceased, so, by all rights, he shouldn’t encounter much danger. But, just like the shopkeeper inside the bookshop, it was obvious to any onlooker that the man had died under suspicious circumstances. A few days ago, there had been eight fireworkers assigned to Tan Street. However, while they were cremating a body that had died mysteriously, they smelled an odd scent, and something went wrong. All the fireworkers collapsed, and their faces had a strange smile when they died. Ren Qing appeared to be the only one left alive. In truth, his body had already been taken over by a new soul. In his past life, he had been an ordinary office worker. The first few days after his transmigration were a blur. Fortunately, he had little contact with people, so his strange behavior hadn’t been noticed. Sadly, time didn’t grant him further time to adjust. Ren Qing saw numerous lines flowing before his eyes, forming chaotic patterns that eventually shaped into several pieces of text. [Ren Qing] [Age: 17] [Lifespan: 5 years, 113 days] This was a natural ability Ren Qing had, allowing him to check the lifespan of others just by touching them, though it was limited to this. His remaining lifespan of only five years was a result of his severe internal injuries from dying and being revived. Oddly enough, the people in this world generally had a lifespan limit of only around fifty years, with most nearing death by forty. Though Ren Qing hadn’t yet found a way to extend his life, after asking around, he’d uncovered some clues from various officers in different departments. Generally speaking, when a sudden death occurred, the Forbidden Guards would first investigate. Once they confirmed everything was fine, the fireworkers like Ren Qing would be called, followed by the jailers who cleaned up the blood and filth. Ren Qing hadn’t had any direct contact with the Forbidden Guards, but he suspected they were cultivators who had mastered magic, otherwise, how could Sanxiang City maintain such surface stability? That’s why he had to grit his teeth and work with the three inexperienced white officers to handle the strange and inexplicable mess. Ren Qing carefully cleaned up the room. A moment later, Li Mian and Li Heng mustered their courage to enter. They wrapped the pieces of flesh in burlap, even tearing apart wooden furniture to take it all, leaving nothing behind. “Official, there’s a book wedged between the shelves,” Li Mian said, handing the book to Ren Qing. He didn’t dare open it. Any action of a white officer had to be approved by the officials to prevent any accidents. Ren Qing took the book, and suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his mind. He collapsed to the floor, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. “Official!!!” Li Heng and Li Mian rushed forward but were stopped by Ren Qing’s outstretched hand. “It’s fine, I’m fine.” Ren Qing signaled for them to continue cleaning up while he sat at the door of the bookshop to rest. The book was clutched tightly in his hands. The moment his fingers touched the book, his innate ability activated for the first time, and information flowed before his eyes. [Eye-less Technique] [Learned by the Hundred-Eyes Monk from the Shoulengyan Sutra, practicing this technique requires gouging out both eyes and swallowing the eyeballs with medicinal herbs. After forty-nine days, they will regrow.] Ren Qing held the book tightly in his arms, and after a while, more information appeared. [After gouging out the eyes, one will be plunged into boundless darkness, seeing things invisible to normal people. Those who master it can swallow their eyeballs to recover from injuries and extend their lifespan.] After a moment, new information about the Eye-less Technique appeared again. [Single-Eye: See through illusions] [Hundred-Eyes: Create illusions] [Double-Pupils: Predict the enemy’s moves] Ren Qing couldn’t help but swallow hard, his heart racing as a sickly flush spread across his face. [You can consume thirty days of lifespan to exempt the cost of mastering.] The method of cultivation was right before him, and it could extend his life. Even though it was strange, it was still better than waiting around for death. With a thought, thirty days of lifespan vanished in an instant. Ren Qing didn’t want to hesitate, afraid that any delay might change things.