Chapter 12: The Head Grew Legs and Ran Away
1265 Words
The sun rose on a new day.
The furnace emitted a steady plume of smoke. Ever since the corpses had stirred to life, Xiao Wu and the others would rather take shifts through the night than let the fire go out.
Besides, they had dealt with those drowned fishermen’s bodies in just seven or eight hours.
Bo Feng had even gotten up early to personally teach Xiao Wu’s group his fire-handling experience—how to respond quickly in all sorts of bizarre situations.
Thus passed a few days in peace.
During that time, Ren Qing mostly stayed indoors cultivating, only occasionally stepping outside.
Even though he was prepared to sacrifice lifespan to advance, it didn’t mean cultivation was useless. At the very least, it could temper his mind.
Ren Qing had laid out a training regimen: first, visualize the Eyeless Technique for two hours.
Then, beat his own flesh with a staff until bruised, letting the Human Skin Book slowly restore it.
He wasn’t entirely sure what cultivation method the Human Skin Book used, but after days of self-abuse, his skin really did seem to grow tougher.
He also discovered a way to conceal his eye mutation.
The trick was adjusting how wide he kept his eyes open—by squinting slightly, he could block part of the whites of his eyes.
Changes in behavior could easily be noticed by acquaintances, but subtle shifts in appearance were much harder to detect.
After experimenting for a few days, Ren Qing confirmed it was a viable tactic—even Xiao Wu hadn’t noticed.
With no more concerns, Ren Qing decided to begin his advancement to Heavy-Eyed.
But first, he needed to prepare some fresh pig eyes to replenish his strength in case anything went wrong.
Ren Qing visited the butcher, Zhang.
He noticed Zhang looked pale and had clearly lost weight.
“What’s wrong, Brother Zhang?”
Butcher Zhang rubbed his swollen eyes and shook his head. “I don’t know why, but these past few days, my eyes start stinging if I keep them open too long.”
“Ah Qing, I’ve been to several clinics, but nothing’s helped.”
Ren Qing felt a jolt of alarm. He noticed Zhang was blinking frequently, and his eyeballs were slightly protruding.
“Let me take a look, Brother Zhang.”
“Sure.”
Zhang sat on a stool, and Ren Qing leaned in to inspect him.
He pressed gently on Zhang’s eyelids—sweat instantly formed on Zhang’s forehead, and the burly man groaned in pain.
“It hurts…”
Ren Qing frowned. The information stream showed nothing unusual...
Wait—something was wrong!
Zhang should have had fifteen years of life left—now it was down by three!
It couldn’t just be a sudden illness. Even going blind wouldn’t cost that much lifespan. Something far more sinister was at play.
Zhang asked anxiously, “What is it, Ah Qing? Is it serious?”
“It’s nothing. Probably just some blood and grime from cutting meat got into your eyes. Just rest well and it’ll clear up.”
Ren Qing said this calmly, but he had already begun suspecting a link to the Hundred-Eyed One.
That creature had disappeared for a few days—likely returned to the western district to eliminate Zhang, trying to clean up loose ends.
“Glad to hear it. I’ve been so stressed, I can’t even enjoy my liquor.”
Zhang sighed in relief. At this point, he’d try anything—even the advice of someone with no medical knowledge like Ren Qing.
Ren Qing realized the Hundred-Eyed One was likely watching the butcher shop and didn’t dare ask more, for fear of provoking it into killing Zhang.
To avoid drawing attention, he simply bought a few pig heads. He would remove the eyes back at the fire hall and give the pork to Xiao Wu and the others to enjoy with wine.
Ren Qing left the butcher shop carrying a burlap sack of pig heads.
As he walked, something gnawed at him. A line Bo Feng had once said echoed in his mind, growing more disturbing the more he thought about it:
“The neck wounds were too clean—not like they’d been cut by a blade. More like the heads just grew legs and ran off.”
Ren Qing slowed. Had he misunderstood everything?
The corpses weren’t headless because the Hundred-Eyed One was cautious… but because it could make the heads detach on their own…
They both cultivated the Eyeless Technique—Ren Qing knew he had to kill the Hundred-Eyed One sooner or later, or it would come for him.
Calming his mind, Ren Qing returned to the fire hall.
He removed the pig eyes and gave the remaining pork to Bo Feng, then went to Clerk Zhao for information.
Though cold on the surface, Clerk Zhao was actually approachable.
He also remembered Ren Qing from prison, where the latter had saved dozens of people—a good impression lingered.
Ren Qing quickly accessed the file on the headless murders, though it only recorded initial findings.
According to constable interviews, the victims all developed strange eye conditions days before death, which later worsened into splitting head pain.
Clerk Zhao noticed Ren Qing was unusually focused and asked, “Why are you so interested in the headless case?”
“Lord Zhao, haven’t you noticed? The murders have happened in every district except the west.”
Ren Qing glanced again at the case file and returned it. “Bo Feng mentioned it yesterday. I think the west will be next, so I want to be ready.”
Clerk Zhao chuckled, “Don’t worry. The Forbidden Guard is involved now. That killer won’t get away.”
“Better safe than sorry.”
Ren Qing didn’t want to count on the Forbidden Guard—knowing how these cultivators worked, they might use Zhang as bait to lure the Hundred-Eyed One.
After a few more words with Zhao, he returned to the fire hall.
Ren Qing had decided to break through to the Half-Corpse Realm as soon as possible. Only by becoming a Heavy-Eyed One could he find the Hundred-Eyed One amid the sea of people in Three Rivers City.
Before going into seclusion, he handed all responsibilities to Bo Feng.
Bo Feng was speechless. He had joined Tang Street precisely to avoid being in charge—so why did he feel even busier now?
Ren Qing sat cross-legged in the darkened room.
He carefully reviewed all his cultivation issues to ensure nothing had been overlooked.
Only at midnight did he begin his final Eyeless Visualization as a martial cultivator.
He wanted to see what truly lay in the darkness.
To make sure his mind was free of fear or flaws—otherwise, he risked losing control during further cultivation. These techniques, after all, came with eerie dangers.
Familiar darkness wrapped around him. Strange noises echoed from all directions.
Footsteps approached—but Ren Qing stared them down without flinching, even smiling.
When the darkness peeled back, a strange humanoid shadow emerged.
As it came closer, it took on Ren Qing’s exact appearance—down to the very same smile.
Ren Qing murmured, “To gaze upon fear without fear... So this is a Heavy-Eyed One.”
He had found the path to ascend—given time, even through personal cultivation alone, he could reach the Half-Corpse Realm.
“But time is the one thing I lack most.”
Without hesitation, Ren Qing ended the visualization.
- Writer
