The Secret Way of Immortality

Ren Qing narrowed his eyes, knowing he couldn't be mistaken.

Even with the dim light within the prison, the No-Eyed Technique had granted him rudimentary night vision.

Moreover, the human skin faintly retained traces of blood.

Ren Qing signaled to Li Mian and the others to be cautious, then approached the corpse of a fireworker near the edge.

He carefully recalled that the jailer he had encountered earlier was holding a piece of human skin, suggesting a connection between the two.

It was highly likely that there was more than one living human skin within the prison.

Ren Qing dared not take any chances, his eyes constantly darting around to observe his surroundings.

After a brief moment of panic, the others began to skillfully handle the corpses.

They took out needles and thread they carried and sealed the corpses' eyes, ears, mouths, and noses, supposedly to suppress the resentment born from a violent death.

Ren Qing felt unprofessional, completely ignorant of any taboos.

"Ah!!!"

A fireworker couldn't help but cry out in alarm. He had just tried to lift a corpse when he discovered that the skin would fall off like tofu at the slightest touch.

Beneath the skin were bare white bones, the flesh having vanished without a trace.

The rumors circulating in the prison had already caused widespread fear, and now, upon seeing such a bizarrely deceased body, everyone felt dread.

Several of the younger fireworkers even began to weep softly, creating a scene of utter chaos.

Just then, the fireworker wearing leather armor stood up, cursing under his breath.

"The sooner we move the bodies out, the sooner we can leave. Is that so hard to understand?"

Although the fireworkers all wore headscarves to cover their faces, Ren Qing recognized the voice as belonging to the middle-aged fireworker from the council hall.

He hadn't expected this man, as a supervisor, to personally venture into the restricted area.

The crowd quieted down as the middle-aged fireworker announced loudly, "I am Bo Feng. You should have all heard my name, more or less."

Ren Qing was taken aback. Even he, with his limited access to information, knew of Bo Feng, who was said to have very few deaths among the fireworkers under his command.

Moreover, he preferred to handle matters personally, making him unique among the supervisors in the yamen.

Bo Feng exhaled a breath of stale air, then continued to shout, "If you want to return alive, then calm down and listen to me."

"Everyone, tie red ropes now."

The others seemed to have found their backbone, taking out red ropes and tying them to the corpses' limbs before lifting them steadily.

Some of the fireworkers' techniques were rather clumsy, suggesting they had only been taught before setting out.

Only Ren Qing's group of four hadn't even prepared red ropes. Watching the professional undertakers around them, they felt out of place.

Seeing this, Bo Feng walked over and gave Ren Qing a few red ropes.

"Do you know how to tie them? Should I..."

"No need, thank you."

Before he could finish, Ren Qing, relying on the enhanced observation provided by the No-Eyed Technique, had already tied the ropes to the corpses' limbs.

Bo Feng nodded slightly and went to assist other fireworkers.

Ren Qing's group of four quickly adapted to the technique of carrying corpses. The others were also preparing accordingly, and nothing untoward happened during this time.

To prevent accidents, they usually formed groups of five, with four carrying the corpse and the remaining one ready to take over.

However, this naturally greatly reduced efficiency, and it was estimated that it would take at least three trips back and forth to transport all the corpses outside.

Ren Qing declined Bo Feng's offer to temporarily reassign personnel, as he didn't want to reveal the abnormality of his eyes in front of outsiders.

He told Xiao Wu and the others, "When carrying the corpses later, don't turn your heads no matter what sounds you hear."

"Understood, Foreman."

"Also..."

Ren Qing swept them with a serious gaze: "Unlike the groups of five, there are only four of us. If anyone runs into trouble, the rest of us will die."

"All of you, stay alert, understand?"

Xiao Wu and the others answered in unison, "Understood."

Once all the fireworkers were ready, Bo Feng led the way towards the exit, with the others following half a meter apart.

Although Ren Qing's position was near the outer edge, theoretically more dangerous, it allowed him to observe the overall situation.

As they walked slowly, he noticed that besides the human skins, there seemed to be several insects hiding in the corners of the prison.

Ren Qing glanced at them without paying much attention, focusing on maintaining the balance of the corpse.

The heavy footsteps echoed continuously.

The journey that originally took only a few minutes now felt like years in their eyes, each step filled with trepidation.

Fortunately, without incident, the staircase leading to the upper level was not far away.

At this moment, five people quickened their pace and broke away from the group, wanting to be the first to enter the staircase.

Bo Feng couldn't help but curse inwardly. Any action in the restricted area was fraught with risk and could affect the whole situation.

The five had obviously planned it, but as they sped up, their individual paces weren't synchronized, causing the corpse to stagger.

With just such a subtle movement, the entire human skin of the corpse fell off, and a skeleton crashed to the ground, creating a loud noise.

Like dominoes, the group collided with each other, even tearing their clothes and exposing their skin as a result.

Ren Qing's eyes widened, and he clearly sensed several afterimages flitting nearby.

Immediately afterward, before the others could react, the five who had broken away from the group fell to the ground simultaneously, their deaths resembling those of the fireworkers at the staircase entrance.

Having tasted blood, the human skins clearly weren't planning on letting the remaining fireworkers off. They crawled close to the ground, moving quickly and discreetly.

Seeing this, Ren Qing gritted his teeth and whispered a reminder: "Slow down, go three meters to the left."

Xiao Wu and the others didn't hesitate at all, cooperating with Ren Qing to dodge an incoming human skin, while those near them suffered terribly.

"Three meters to the right."

"Five meters to the front left."

Ren Qing calmly directed them, seemingly circling the prison like a headless fly, but in reality, every step was fraught with danger.

The fireworkers scattered in panic, trying to escape with the advantage of numbers.

However, as soon as a human skin touched a living person, it would immediately burrow into their body, draining them of all their flesh and blood within a few breaths.

Ren Qing couldn't help but shed tears, feeling a burning pain in his eyes.

He noticed that the human skins were intentionally or unintentionally forming an encirclement, with the only gap being in the direction of the staircase leading to the third level.

"Throw away the corpses!!!"

The four released their grip simultaneously, and then heard Ren Qing shout loudly, "The only way out is on the third level underground. Come if you want to live."

Ren Qing turned and rushed over with Xiao Wu and the others.

Seeing this, the others followed suit, wishing they had five legs.

After Ren Qing entered the staircase, he noticed that the human skins seemed to be wary and didn't intend to follow.

"It's safe here, rest for a bit."

Ren Qing swallowed several pig eyes in quick succession to suppress his weakness.

Twenty or thirty people poured into the staircase one after another, still not having recovered from the shock, sitting on the ground at a loss.

Ren Qing counted, and only less than forty people were left out of a hundred, showing how tragic it had been.

Bo Feng reacted in time and hadn't died. He was lying on the ground, half-conscious, his eyes devoid of light.