Ren Qing immediately pressed his advantage, shamelessly asking, "Elder Song, do you have any formulas for a medicinal bath for external use?"
"Hm, how about this? I'll list the medicinal ingredients, and you write them down. Two taels of mountain ginseng, half a tael of red-fruit flower, three taels of golden-coin wood..."
Thanks to the subtle influence of his Information Flow, Ren Qing's memory was already far beyond that of an ordinary person. He memorized the entire list after hearing it just once.
Song Zongwu couldn't help but be even more impressed with Ren Qing's talent. However, he had to hurry off to deal with matters concerning the Disaster Mitigation Forbidden Area and left quickly.
Ren Qing's mind was racing.
'Why did Song Zongwu avoid a seemingly ordinary question about Inner Power? Could it involve some unspeakable secret?'
Ren Qing suddenly remembered the dying Veteran Constable at the Martial Arts Tower. His Lifespan had been nearly exhausted back then. He wondered if the man had since died.
'If he's still clinging to life, there's a good chance he's the Hundred-eyed Man himself.'
'The trouble is, the Veteran Constable seemed to have some connection to Song Zongwu, like a family member or a blood relative.'
Ren Qing shook his head. 'Best to focus on increasing my strength as much as possible within the next ten days.'
'Especially with the Human Skin Book. I'll be interacting with Song Zongwu frequently, so I'm afraid he'll notice something is off. For now, it's not a good time to advance to the Skin Refiner level.'
'But I can definitely use external training methods to increase the toughness of my skin and muscles.'
Ren Qing first returned to the Firework Hall and had a meal.
He had originally planned to go to the apothecary to gather the herbs for his Body Refining, but he heard some good news about Butcher Zhang from Xiaowu.
Ren Qing hurried to the butcher shop. Along the way, he noticed there were many more beggars around, and they started whispering amongst themselves when they saw him.
Ren Qing gave a cold smile and walked straight into the alley.
He immediately spotted Butcher Zhang, who was beaming as he tidied up the pork in his shop.
After asking Butcher Zhang, Ren Qing learned that after recent negotiations, their cooperation with the Blood Dog Gang was now a done deal.
The business was being handled by Chen Ben, the Hall Master of Jackal Hall. All of Butcher Zhang's demands had been met, and he had even received a considerable sum of silver coins on top of it.
Butcher Zhang unhesitatingly handed most of the silver coins to Ren Qing. The remaining amount was enough to purchase property in Sanxiang City.
Ren Qing noticed shadowy figures darting about at the entrance of the alley and asked curiously, "Did you mention me when you were talking with Chen Ben?"
Butcher Zhang suddenly looked frightened in hindsight. "The negotiations weren't going well at first. Then I mentioned you, and Hall Master Chen agreed to the terms. That... shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"It's fine. At most, it will just cause a little trouble."
Ren Qing understood at once. 'It seems Chen Ben is preparing to test me. This wild dog is even greedier than I thought.'
If this had been the Ren Qing of two days ago, he would have chosen to avoid a direct confrontation, doing his best to secure his interests and guarantee the supply of pig eyes using his status as a Government Constable.
But now, with his connection to Song Zongwu, many problems could be solved with ease.
Butcher Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Ah Qing, whatever you do, don't take any risks. If things get too difficult, we can just drop this business."
"It's nothing."
Ren Qing smiled and said, "But we'll be handling all the pig offal in the west of the city, so we'll inevitably have to hire some help. Brother Zhang, remember to find people you can trust."
"I've been in Sanxiang City for so many years, I can still find a few good candidates."
Butcher Zhang readily agreed. Although he didn't have a head for business, he at least knew his own limitations and wouldn't take on things beyond his abilities.
After giving a few more instructions, Ren Qing headed out of the alley.
He hadn't been on the street for long when a group of seven or eight men walked briskly toward him.
The man in the lead wore gray clothes and had an astonishingly imposing air as he walked, as if every step concealed a profound power.
In Ren Qing's eyes, however, the man's complexion was somewhat dull, and his vitality seemed weak and unstable. He could also smell the strong stench of stale liquor on him.
The people on the street quickly made way, not daring to get on the wrong side of the Blood Dog Gang.
Only Ren Qing stopped, his expression calm as he waited.
"I am Chen Ben. Constable Ren, it's a greater pleasure to meet you than to just hear of your reputation."
Chen Ben cupped his fist in greeting, but his eyes couldn't stop sizing Ren Qing up. He even took a few menacing steps forward.
"Hall Master Chen, I've heard much about you."
Ren Qing had expected Chen Ben, and his narrowed eyes showed no hint of hostility.
On the surface, the two were polite to each other, but in reality, both intended to test the other.
After all, where interests were concerned, deception and trickery were inevitable.
Even if Chen Ben went back on his promise about Butcher Zhang's share of the profits, he could always demand the silver coins back. These were all common, low-down tricks.
"Constable Ren, why don't we find another place? We could go to a teahouse and have a proper chat."
"Some other day, Hall Master Chen."
Chen Ben ignored Ren Qing's refusal. He casually put an arm around his shoulder, as if they were old friends, and tried to forcibly lead him forward.
[Chen Ben]
[Age: 31]
[Lifespan: 3 years]
[Skill: Divine Sutra (Pseudo)]
'So it's true,' Ren Qing thought. 'The Blood Dog Gang really does have quite a few Cultivators.'
'They must be controlling the beggars to collect a large number of Divine Sutra Mysterious Objects. It's gotten to the point where even a Hall Master in charge of a single district can reach the Martial Artist Realm.'
Ren Qing didn't flinch in the slightest. He stood in the street like an immovable boulder, not budging an inch no matter how much Chen Ben's face reddened with exertion.
Chen Ben couldn't help but feel a surge of terror, and he immediately restrained himself.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said respectfully, "Constable Ren, my apologies for the offense. I will be sure to visit you another day to make amends."
Ren Qing leaned in and whispered in Chen Ben's ear, "A word of advice for Hall Master Chen: if you don't want to ruin your health, you shouldn't drink so much."
'The way to deal with someone who thinks he's cunning is to make yourself unreadable. Sometimes, fear is born from suspicion.'
Chen Ben watched Ren Qing walk away, his brow tightly furrowed.
A subordinate beside him said fawningly, "Hall Master, that guy just embarrassed you. Why don't we..."
Chen Ben said coldly, "Zhao Ji, where do you get the nerve? How dare you offend someone from the Government Office whose depth is unknown?"
"Calm down, Hall Master. Look, it's almost noon. Why don't we go for a drink..."
At that moment, Chen Ben remembered Ren Qing's words and felt a surge of irritation. He swung his hand and slapped Zhao Ji across the face.
"Eat, eat, eat! Is that all you think about?"
"Take the deed for the shop on the east corner of Tan Street to Butcher Big Mouth Zhang. Tell him it's specifically for storing pig offal."
Zhao Ji waited until Chen Ben was out of sight before he dared to start cursing under his breath.
The shop on the east corner wasn't an asset of the Blood Dog Gang, which meant he would have to pay for it himself with his own silver coins.
With nowhere to vent his resentment, Zhao Ji started grabbing things from a nearby stall and smashing them. None of the people around dared to make a sound.
Just then, an old man with a hunched back, wearing a Conical Hat, brushed past him.
Zhao Ji felt the bump and instantly lost the last of his reason.
He grabbed the old man and dragged him to a nearby corner. Just as he was about to vent his anger with his fists, he saw the man slowly raise his head.
The man's wrinkled face was covered in eyes, which seemed capable of sucking one's Soul dry.
A moment later, Zhao Ji knelt on the ground, his eyes vacant. Soon, he was lifeless.
The old man walked toward the city gate, muttering to himself, "Trying to find a clue among hundreds, even thousands, of case files is truly not easy."
"Disaster Mitigation, I'm coming."