One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

awkward.

An embarrassing situation that is overwhelming and enough to drown out the Five Sacred Mountains and Three Great Mountains!

Social death! A spiraling, upward-ascending social death on the spot!

If thoughts could materialize, he could use his toes to carve out a luxurious, fully-furnished three-bedroom house with a swimming pool, gym, underground garage, and panoramic skylight right there in this forest clearing, then bury himself in it and never come out again.

"Cough cough cough..." Nie Lingfeng forcibly circulated the "Ice Heart Technique" to barely suppress the overwhelming shame and chaotic thoughts that surged to the top of his head. He coughed a few times, trying to salvage the collapsing situation, forcing out a dry laugh that was more like a grimace. "Um... Brother Wang, I'm truly sorry, I was blind and didn't notice for a moment... It was a misunderstanding, purely a misunderstanding. I've been taken by my master to cultivate in the deep mountains since I was young, and I haven't set foot in the world for ten years, let alone seen... uh, someone as... uniquely elegant as Brother Wang, so for a moment..."

His mind raced, and he quickly fabricated (or rather, presented a half-truthful account) a story, striving to make it sound plausible:

"My master passed away last month. Before his death, he instructed me to go down the mountain to travel, broaden my horizons, and experience the world. However... my master did not leave a detailed map, only a general direction. I wandered alone in the mountains for nearly two months, but still could not find the way out. Today, I happened to hear the sound of fighting here, and worried that someone was in danger, so I rushed here... I did not expect to make such a fool of myself, and I hope you will forgive me, Brother Wang."

Wang Zhenqiu listened intently, his peach blossom eyes, which seemed to see through people's hearts, always held a smile as he quietly watched Nie Lingfeng, his gaze sweeping over his face and body, as if carefully savoring every detail of his words to judge their authenticity.

After Nie Lingfeng finished speaking somewhat nervously, Wang Zhenqiu nodded thoughtfully, drawing out his words: "Oh—cultivating deep in the mountains, not emerging for ten years…no wonder his skills are so formidable, yet he's not very knowledgeable about worldly affairs…cough cough, some common sense. But…"

He abruptly changed the subject, pointing unceremoniously at Nie Lingfeng's appalling outfit—a clearly ill-fitting T-shirt and trousers pulled from a hapless, unconscious man, covered in mud, grass clippings, and unidentified stains from the forest, with sleeves too short and trouser legs worn and rough.

"So you plan to travel the world and see its splendor wearing this... 'trophies'?" Wang Zhenqiu's tone was full of undisguised mockery.

Nie Lingfeng looked down at his outfit, which could be described as a limited edition "beggar's style," and his ears burned slightly. "Uh... well... life in the mountains is harsh, and clothing is scarce, so I had no choice but to do this..."

"Alright, let's not talk about this for now." Wang Zhenqiu waved his hand magnanimously, seemingly letting go of this awkward topic that amused him for the time being. He turned around, walked to the group of burly men lying on the ground pretending to be dead, and gently kicked each of them with his toe. "Hey, stop pretending, get up. Hand over anything you shouldn't be carrying. Then, hurry up and go to where you're supposed to turn yourselves in. If I find out you didn't go, or ran away halfway..."

His smile suddenly became exceptionally bright and gentle, and his voice was so soft it could melt water: "Next time we meet, it won't be as 'gentle' as it is today. You know, I'm the most 'reasonable' person."

The burly men on the ground, along with the one behind the tree, scrambled over as if they had received a royal decree. They hurriedly pulled out several small bags carefully wrapped in waterproof sealed bags from their pockets and waists, trembling as they placed them at Wang Zhenqiu's feet. Then, bowing and scraping, they didn't dare to look at Nie Lingfeng even once, helped their unconscious companions up, and dragged each other along, disappearing in a disheveled state into the depths of the dense forest at an astonishing speed.

Wang Zhenqiu bent down to pick up the sealed bags, weighed them in his hand, and casually stuffed them into the inside pocket of his trench coat. Only then did he turn around to face Nie Lingfeng again, his relaxed and cheerful smile returning to his face.

"Come on, young man, I'll take you down the mountain. This forest is huge; without a guide, you might wander for two more months and still not find your way out. But before we go down the mountain..."

He looked Nie Lingfeng up and down again, carefully examining him. His gaze lingered for a moment on the Snow Drinking Blade wrapped in coarse cloth on Nie Lingfeng's back, and on his tall and wiry figure, whose outline could be vaguely seen even through ill-fitting clothes.

"You need to come back to our place with me first to do a simple registration. Also," he raised an eyebrow, "judging from your situation, your master... probably didn't prepare any modern identification documents for you, right? These days, without that little card, you really can't move an inch. You can't take trains or planes, you can't stay in hotels, and you can't even get a SIM card. Fortunately, our 'company' has channels that can help you solve this problem legally and compliantly."

"The company?" Nie Lingfeng's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the key information had arrived, but on his face he still cooperated by showing just the right amount of confusion and curiosity.

"Have you heard of NaDuTong Express Company?" Wang Zhenqiu blinked, his expression somewhat mysterious. "On the surface, we're a nationwide express delivery company with guaranteed delivery. But actually... we also handle matters involving some 'extraordinary' individuals who don't follow the rules. Young people like you, with exceptional skills but just entering the world, according to the rules, either choose to join our 'company' and accept our management and constraints, or you need to register, record your basic information and scope of abilities, and guarantee that you won't use your abilities arbitrarily in front of ordinary society, maintaining social stability and balance."

He spoke quickly and clearly, and in just a few words, he clearly presented some of the "rules" of this world to Nie Lingfeng.

Nie Lingfeng quickly digested this information: Na Du Tong, Extraordinary People, Registration and Filing, ID Card... Yes, this is indeed the world of Under One Person! Moreover, judging from Wang Zhenqiu's clothing, words, and the fact that he has not yet mentioned the deeper application of the "God Mask" or the "Magic Gloves", the current time point is likely to be in the early part of the plot, before the Biyou Village incident?

"How about it? Think about it?" Wang Zhenqiu leaned closer, his pleasant, light fragrance wafting over again. He tilted his head slightly, his smile incredibly alluring. "Our 'company' actually offers pretty good benefits. It's a legitimate company, with all five social insurances and one housing fund, meals and accommodation provided, and generous bonuses and subsidies for missions. Most importantly..."

His gaze fell once again on the long, narrow package behind Nie Lingfeng, his eyes gleaming with undisguised interest.

"With your exceptional skills, it would be such a waste to keep them buried in these deep mountains and forests. The outside world is wonderful and vast. Go out, broaden your horizons, meet interesting people, and experience interesting things. Wouldn't that be much more interesting? It's much better than practicing your skills alone in front of trees and rocks, isn't it?"

Looking at Wang Zhenqiu's face, so close yet flawlessly beautiful, with a distinctly mischievous smile, Nie Lingfeng suppressed the urge to take a step back and create distance. He took a deep breath, nodded, and said solemnly:

"In that case... then I'll trouble you, Brother Wang... no, Brother Qiu."

"That's more like it!" Wang Zhenqiu's smile widened, as if he had completed an extremely interesting task. He turned around with a flourish, his blond hair drawing a beautiful arc in the air. "Come with me, the car is parked outside the mountain. By the way, after chatting for so long, I still don't know your name, young man?"

"My name is Nie Lingfeng."

"Nie Lingfeng? What a name! It's imposing!" Wang Zhenqiu led the way with light steps, and as if he had opened a floodgate, he began to chatter on and on:

"Hey Ling Feng, what was that palm technique you just used? It looked so light, but it was incredibly powerful! Teach me, okay? How about I trade you my secret technique, 'Love Massage'? I guarantee it'll relax your muscles and leave you wanting more!"

"..."

"That thing on your back, is it a knife? Even though it's wrapped in cloth, its shape and length... it's definitely not a fire poker. It looks quite old? Cool! I know a few skilled weapon refiners among my friends, maybe I can introduce you sometime? They can help you maintain it, maybe even upgrade it~"

"..."

"Oh, and I think I just glimpsed something under your collar... a tattoo, right? A Qilin? That's so cool! Where did you get it? Does it hurt? I've always wanted to get one too. What do you think of Pikachu? Or Squirtle? Hey, you know Pokémon? They're so much fun..."

"..."

Nie Lingfeng silently followed behind Wang Zhenqiu, listening to his rapid-fire, highly disjointed rambling, and watching his nimble figure moving through the forest, his golden hair gleaming in the sunlight.

The initial awkwardness and sense of unease seemed to gradually fade away with the noisy and vibrant sound.

Instead, there was a strange, long-lost feeling of "being alive".

This world under one person, this world with "Outsiders" and "All-Knowing Ones," seems... to be quite interesting.

At least, with a "treasure" like Wang Zhenqiu around, there's absolutely no chance of being bored.

He looked up and, through the layers of seemingly endless dark green canopy, finally saw a corner of azure sky, fragmented by branches and leaves, yet undeniably real.

He secluded himself in the deep mountains for ten years, living in complete silence.

Once you step into the human world, turmoil is imminent.

Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world or江湖义气, a code of honor among heroes and villains)? No.

It is an even more bizarre and wonderful world – the "World of Extraordinary People".

I, Nie Lingfeng, have arrived.