After several days of purging by the Forbidden Guards, Sanxiang City saw hundreds of casualties. However, since the Hundred-eyed Man couldn't be found, the matter was eventually dropped.
Ren Qing hadn't been idle during this time. He secretly gathered intelligence, and the faction behind the beggars gradually came to light.
This gang was called the Blood Dog Gang.
Unlike the motley South City, if you discounted the petty gangs in the West City, the Blood Dog Gang could be considered the undisputed local overlord.
At their peak, the Blood Dog Gang monopolized all the underworld dealings in the West City, and they had their hands in no small number of legitimate businesses as well.
Because the Government Office had once cracked down hard on the Blood Dog Gang, their scale had been reduced by more than half, and their current dealings were all illicit.
Fortunately, the Forbidden Guards didn't participate in the crackdown; otherwise, even their remaining power would have been wiped out.
But a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The Blood Dog Gang, with their mastery of the Divine Sutra, was still not an opponent Ren Qing could face. He had to be extremely cautious.
Ren Qing did not alert the enemy.
He spent a few days wandering around the West City, relying on his Information Flow and the perception of his Double Pupils to get a partial grasp of the Blood Dog Gang's background.
The most common members were beggars with crippled legs, but getting the Divine Sutra from them was unrealistic.
Through Ren Qing's observation, the beggars had indeed been exposed to the Divine Sutra, but they were illiterate and even had intellectual disabilities.
Moreover, when they were begging, gang enforcers were usually supervising nearby to prevent any trouble.
The Blood Dog Gang's enforcers had also practiced the Divine Sutra, and the Information Flow showed [Divine Sutra (Incomplete)] for them as well.
However, their luck was slightly better. Their legs had no obvious disabilities and were even stronger than those of an ordinary person.
This showed just how difficult it was to master a Magic Technique; describing it as a life-or-death gamble was no exaggeration.
Ren Qing had initially thought his only option was to take a desperate risk, find an opportunity to ambush and kill a Blood Dog Gang member, and then use the Mysterious Object left after their death to master the technique.
Unexpectedly, a breakthrough presented itself.
He happened to learn from Bo Feng that there was a Martial Arts Hall near the western suburbs called "Chen Family's Eight Extremes Leg." Its master, Chen Yongxing, had run with the Blood Dog Gang in his youth.
Taking it as a last-ditch effort, Ren Qing took the opportunity when Chen Yongxing was out buying supplies to check on him with the Information Flow.
[Chen Yongxing]
[Age: Thirty-nine]
[Lifespan: Eight years]
[Skill: Divine Sutra (Pseudo)]
[Created by the Heavenly Incomplete Taoist. Cultivating this technique requires one to, during their youth while the bones are still growing, sever both legs at the roots, be confined in a vegetable vat, and be fed specific medicinal catalysts. If one survives for three years, they will grow divine feet.]
Ren Qing figured the "(Pseudo)" after Divine Sutra indicated that Chen Yongxing had mastered it by consuming a Mysterious Object, which limited his strength to the Martial Artist Realm.
'For now, getting the Divine Sutra from Chen Yongxing seems to be the safest bet.'
However, after some observation, he found the man to be quite listless, needing a disciple to accompany him even when walking. He wondered if it was related to his dwindling Lifespan.
Ren Qing's main goal was to find a physical copy of the Cultivation Technique in the Martial Arts Hall. If that failed, he would plot to obtain the Mysterious Object after Chen Yongxing's death.
He planned to enter the Martial Arts Hall openly, under the pretext of learning the Eight Extremes Leg.
Ren Qing didn't rush over. First, he told Bo Feng and the others that he would be busy for a few days, then he set about finding a blacksmith to forge a weapon.
For Ren Qing, having a weapon in hand made a huge difference.
'The Anticipating the Enemy ability of my Double Pupils can only reach its full potential when paired with a blade. As long as I can seize an enemy's opening, I can kill them in an instant.'
Ren Qing asked a few of the older constables.
They all recommended a blacksmith shop in the North City, saying the blacksmith there was extremely skilled, though he had a bit of a bad temper.
The blacksmith's name was Liu Hu. The shop had been in his family for several generations, so his forging skills were exquisite.
Ren Qing went for three days in a row, but as luck would have it, the blacksmith shop remained closed.
It took Liu Bei three visits to the thatched cottage. For Ren Qing, it was only on his fourth day visiting that he finally heard the clang of metal striking metal and smelled a thick cloud of smoke.
He knocked on the door, and an impatient voice from inside called out, "You got legs, don't you? Let yourself in."
Ren Qing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
He pushed the door open and walked in. A burly, dark-skinned man stood with his back to him, striking a red-hot piece of iron with a hammer.
Seeing how incredibly muscular the man's arms were, a strange look appeared in Ren Qing's eyes. 'Could he have mastered some kind of Magic Technique too?'
He glanced around. The walls were covered with a dazzling array of blades, and the murderous aura washing over him was suffocating.
Liu Hu put down his hammer and asked, "A Lord Official, huh? If you're looking to buy a Weapon, you can check out the ones on that wall."
"No, thank you. I've prepared a drawing to have a custom blade forged."
Liu Hu bristled. "What's that supposed to mean? Don't tell me there's a Weapon in this world that I can't forge."
"Take a look for yourself, Brother Liu."
Ren Qing handed over the rough drawing. As his fingers brushed against the other man's, Liu Hu's information flooded into his mind.
He was disappointed to find that Liu Hu hadn't mastered any Magic Technique. 'Then again,' he thought, 'it makes sense. Cultivators aren't that easy to come by.'
Liu Hu noticed the fleeting look of disappointment on Ren Qing's face and, thinking he was being looked down upon, felt a flare of anger.
He snatched the drawing, ready to criticize it, but his attention was immediately captured by the weapon depicted—it looked like neither a typical saber nor a sword.
In Liu Hu's experience, this weapon was best suited for the battlefield—ideal for a mounted charge, and secondarily for combat on foot.
"What kind of Weapon is this?"
Ren Qing patiently explained, "It's a Great Miao Blade. It gets the name 'Miao Blade' because the blade is shaped like a rice shoot (miao)."
The Great Miao Blade is even longer than a standard Miao Blade, measuring nearly four feet in length. The hilt alone is over a foot long and requires a two-handed grip.
None of the blades in the blacksmith's shop came close to that length.
In the movie *Brocade Spring Saber*, this was the weapon used by Ding Xiu. Its design is actually a cross between a Miao Blade and a Mo Blade, with a long, narrow body capable of felling a horse.
'Logically speaking, a thick Ring-Headed Saber, which offers a balance of offense and defense, is more deserving of its title as the "Courage of a Hundred Soldiers." Even if a normal person could handle a Great Miao Blade, it would be far too dangerous.'
'But with my Double Pupils, I can focus entirely on its offensive strengths.'
'My defensive strategy will be to dodge when I can, block when I can't, and as a last resort, trade injury for injury.'
Liu Hu's anger vanished. He said with a serious expression, "It's a bit unsuitable for your build. We should shorten it by a foot."
"I'm only seventeen."
"Hmm..."
Liu Hu opened his mouth but said nothing. 'Are Government Constables all this reckless nowadays, using such an extreme weapon?' he thought.
"Fine, have it your way," he said. "But let me warn you."
"Unless you're a full-fledged constable, you're not allowed to carry bladed weapons. Be careful carrying this around."
Ren Qing nodded. While Sanxiang City didn't prohibit carrying bladed weapons, there were significant restrictions on Government Constables. The Water and Fire Sticks they were issued were only for self-defense.
"Also..."
Liu Hu pointed at Ren Qing and said bluntly, "For a blade nearly four feet long, the material will have to be mixed with tougher cold-forged steel, otherwise it'll break easily."
"And that'll cost you extra!!!"