Ren Qing carefully examined the corpse several times, until he was certain that it had died from an aberration and not by human hands, before closing the lid of the coffin.
The family members at the side did not dare to have any objections, trembling as they waited.
Old Coffin glanced at Ren Qing. As his own energy grew increasingly withered, he could not help but lie down on the chair and close his eyes to rest.
He did not have much concern for the aberrations, after all, his lifespan was already nearing exhaustion.
Ren Qing walked in front of the family members and asked, "What did the deceased die of?"
The family members looked at each other for a long time. A middle-aged man opened his mouth to explain: "Wang Shoubao usually worked as a helper at the Furong Tower, but that day after he came home, something was wrong with him, and then..."
"Sigh, the manner of death is so unclear, he must have offended some great master."
The term "great master" did not refer to the cultivators of Morning Street, but was a name some commoners used for the aberrations, clearly showing both reverence and fear.
However, Ren Qing noticed the "Furong Tower" mentioned by the other party; that was precisely the place of debauchery in Morning Street, the only brothel in Morning Street.
Aside from that, the district of debauchery also had gambling houses, fighting rings, butcher stalls...
People there ate others without spitting out the bones; if one had no cultivation to rely on, not even a whole corpse would remain, they would go straight into a vendor's meat pot.
Old Coffin, upon hearing this, became uncharacteristically solemn.
After the family carried the coffin away, he hastily warned, "Do not go near the district of debauchery. Even I do not know what cultivator lies behind it."
Ren Qing furrowed his brows; Yuan Si should have gone to Furong Tower.
He could now faintly sense Yuan Si. Although it did not feel as if his body or soul were injured, his position was fixed within Furong Tower, could it be that he was unable to get out?
Ren Qing looked at the sky. Furong Tower usually opened in the afternoon, so even if he wanted to go investigate, he would have to wait a while.
He could not help but inquire about information regarding Qingyan Town. Old Coffin naturally did not avoid the question and described the situation within the town according to his memory.
Qingyan Town could barely be considered stable, with the government maintaining the most basic order.
There were quite a few areas similar to Morning Street; there was even a farmstead on the outskirts of the town, said to have as many as twelve kinds of aberrations.
However, Old Coffin had been sealed within Morning Street for decades; the outside world had surely changed beyond recognition, so the information might no longer be useful.
Old Coffin kindly reminded him, "If you leave Morning Street, never let anyone find out that you know the names of the aberrations, otherwise you may very well encounter danger."
"Thank you, Old Coffin, I understand."
Ren Qing nodded.
It was clear that he could no longer stay in Morning Street; it would be better to take advantage of the chaos to leave, find a safe place, manage the Immortal Market while in seclusion to prolong his life.
When more and more people died because of Yinghu, some cultivators would surely attempt to climb over the walls, that would be the best opportunity.
He had no interest in meddling in the scheming of multiple forces, there was no benefit at all.
Ren Qing planned to confirm Yuan Si's life or death before making preparations.
Cultivators like Yuan Si, with such a temperament, were rarely seen in the Crescent Moon Layer; if he were to find another similar "tool," there would be no target for the time being.
What worried Ren Qing most was that Furong Tower might be connected to Yinghu.
Even if an aberration had not fully descended, it would still have the strength of the Yin Runner Realm, and its true body could even reach the Yang God Realm, not to be underestimated.
If the involvement was too great, then he could only temporarily return to the New Moon Layer to avoid its edge.
Ren Qing pondered secretly, yet his hands did not stop. Coffins, one after another, took shape and were stacked along the wall.
Seeing this, Old Coffin's expression slightly relaxed. When he himself died in the future, at least Morning Street would still have a coffin maker to maintain its last bit of dignity.
"Let's stop here for today. I'm old now, truly exhausted..."
Old Coffin's pupils were filled with blood, and his complexion turned pale, clearly his lifespan was already on the verge of exhaustion.
He waved his hand, signaling Ren Qing to go out, while he kept muttering continuously, like an old man arranging his last affairs.
Ren Qing helped Old Coffin up.
This time, Old Coffin did not resist. With sluggish steps, he walked into the inner chamber of the house.
Ren Qing smiled lightly and said, "By the way, Old Coffin, seeing that your complexion has been poor recently, I've prepared some liquor to nourish your body."
"Liquor?"
Old Coffin thought he had misheard, but after asking several times, he finally confirmed it.
Resources in Morning Street were so scarce, let alone liquor, even fresh grain was extremely rare; what could be traded from the outside was only old grain.
"Ren Qing, how could that be possible..."
Before Old Coffin finished speaking, Ren Qing brought out a clay jar from who knows where, the sound of liquid sloshing clearly audible inside.
"I brewed this liquor using the leftover grain from you, Old Coffin. The taste is rather ordinary."
Seeing that Old Coffin still did not believe it, Ren Qing simply opened the wine jar.
A faint fragrance of alcohol spread out, the smell drifting slowly in the wind.
Old Coffin displayed agility far beyond ordinary, flashing several times to completely close the doors and windows of the shop, lest the fragrance escape.
He then leaned over the wine jar, bending down to intoxicate himself in the scent.
Old Coffin impatiently dipped his finger into the liquor and placed it in his mouth. As the aftertaste lingered, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
He had thought it would contain only a trace of wine flavor, but unexpectedly, the fragrance remained between his lips and teeth, and every pore of his body opened up.
Ren Qing, watching Old Coffin's expression, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
He had previously mixed some muddy water into the Peach Blossom Wine, the taste could only be considered barely acceptable, far from fine liquor.
However, the longevity-extending effect of Peach Blossom Wine still remained.
Old Coffin directly gulped down several mouthfuls; an inexplicable heat surged to his chest.
He did not know whether it was an illusion, but his once-withered body seemed like drought meeting sweet rain, a fine layer of sweat even arose all over him.
The drowsiness within his body that could not be dispelled was pressed down, as if he had been reborn.
Old Coffin carefully savored the nourishment of the Peach Blossom Wine upon his body. When he came to his senses, Ren Qing was already no longer in the Three-Wood Alley.
He then discovered that a dozen jars of liquor had been stacked behind the shop door.
To Ren Qing, Peach Blossom Wine was not particularly precious. After all, the spring could continuously produce it, and there was even a limit to how much could be drunk daily.
The most special feature of Peach Blossom Wine was not its life-extension, but that even if digested through the Flesh Furnace, it would still produce drunkenness.
As a result, if Ren Qing wanted to remain clear-headed, he could not drink much each day.
He considered his gift to Old Coffin as repaying kindness in kind; the techniques transmitted by Old Coffin had saved him at least several months, not to mention the information regarding Qingyan Town.
Only, the longevity effect of Peach Blossom Wine was not obvious, at most, it could temporarily sustain life.
Ren Qing considered that before leaving, he might as well bring Old Coffin into the Immortal Market; having a Nascent Soul stage guard would be of great benefit for expansion.
He walked through the streets. Under the blazing sunlight above, he soon arrived at the district of debauchery.
He could clearly feel that the crowd had thinned, while the proportion of Foundation Establishment cultivators had increased.
Ren Qing used the Netherworld Heavenly Insect Method to maintain a Foundation Establishment stage aura, coupled with reduced presence, making him rather inconspicuous.
Morning Street was not broad to begin with; Furong Tower, being a rare three-story building, with fire-red lanterns hanging from its eaves, was thus very conspicuous.
In fact, the building itself was not large; its exterior could even be considered somewhat old, yet within Morning Street it still displayed a unique brilliance.
Furong Tower had just opened not long ago; courtesans dressed revealingly stood at the entrance soliciting business, and many people half-resisted, half-accepted and went inside.
Ren Qing could not help but size up the courtesans.
Although their figures were graceful and alluring women, their insect-like aberrations on the face were extremely exaggerated.
He truly could not comprehend the aesthetics of Jingzhou people, how could women with insect-like faces possibly be attractive?
Ren Qing stopped before the pleasure house; without accident, Yuan Si would be inside.
He walked openly into the hall, a thick strange smell rushing at him.
It should be some kind of grease mixed with floral fragrance, making Ren Qing feel faintly nauseated, though the surrounding guests instead seemed immersed within it.
In the center of the hall was a ten-meter-wide platform, where several courtesans twisted their bodies.
The courtesans' exterior aberrations were not much, but the strange smell actually emanated from their bodies, exhaled through their breath.
Seeing this, Ren Qing narrowed his eyes, and the Double Pupils turned.
"How interesting, could they be puppets?"
In his Double Pupils' sight, the courtesans looked alive, but their Niwan Palaces lacked the three souls and seven spirits, like walking corpses.
However, such puppets made up only a small portion, their role merely to emit the scent.
This indicated that behind Furong Tower there should be at least a Golden Core stage cultivator.
Ren Qing, having come to Jingzhou, had broadened his horizons, the insight into "harvesting leeks" was far greater than what could be seen in the Restraint Officers' Hall.
He did not hurry to search for Yuan Si. After all, Furong Tower had only just opened; he decided to wait until it was at its liveliest to act.
Not long after, a sharp male voice sounded, and the hall instantly fell silent.
"San-niang arrives."
The regular patrons could not help but swallow their saliva, their eyes burning as they looked toward the platform, calling out San-niang's name.
The courtesans twisted their bodies like orioles and swallows, as if heightening the atmosphere.
Ren Qing stood in the hall's shadow, his Foundation Establishment aura completely restrained, his body wrapped by the illusion of Immortal in the Mirror.
Given that the Jingzhou cultivators only refined their flesh, even those at the Spirit Division level might not necessarily detect him.
He suspected that San-niang was the cultivator behind Furong Tower, and planned to slip toward Yuan Si's position once she appeared.
But after only a few breaths, Ren Qing's pupils suddenly widened.
The wall behind the platform began wriggling like flesh, then cracked open, a hairless flesh tail stretched out.
At the end of the tail was a beautiful woman, this was San-niang.
San-niang moved like a marionette, her boneless body swaying, her mouth singing melodious and captivating songs that drew people into a trance.
The patrons of Furong Tower did not notice San-niang's grotesqueness at all; their eyes were dull, staring at her, drool dripping from the corners of their mouths.
But Ren Qing felt a chill run down his spine.
The scene reminded him of a kind of deep-sea fish called the anglerfish.
The anglerfish's head had a lantern that attracted prey, and in the end, with powerful jaws, it would tear them to pieces.
Ren Qing overturned the notion that the one behind Furong Tower was a Golden Core stage cultivator, from that terrifying tail alone, he could tell.
It was absolutely some kind of non-human existence.
He even suspected that the information Old Coffin had mentioned was greatly different from the truth; after being isolated from the outside world for decades, everything must have already changed beyond recognition.